Spoilers: Order of the Phoenix
They were walking in the corridors and Hermione recognised the direction immediately: they were heading for the dungeons.
"I have to go to Transfigurations," she said timidly.
"You've been excused for the morning. It's time for some explanations."
"From my side or yours?" she muttered.
"Do you have anything to explain to me?" he retorted silkily.
She glared at him.
"I thought you knew everything. You know, Voldemort deciding to marry me for silly reasons that I don't even know about, the rest of the school shunning me, the teachers doing as if nothing was wrong and Malfoy looking at me as if I was a particularly interesting sort of dessert."
"What about Mr. Malfoy?"
"He follows me everywhere and tries to corner me. He pretends I belong with Slytherin, even if I'm just a Mudblood."
"He's right, in a certain way. You don't belong with Slytherin, you belong to Slytherin."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Did you ever wonder why the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor when you should obviously have been in Ravenclaw?"
"Because I'm foolhardy enough to think I can deal with a troll in my first year?"
"Don't lie to me, Miss Granger, I can guarantee you I'm in no mood for this. I know you lied to us that day."
"But I still tried to get to the Philosopher's Stone."
"And solved my test, which was based on logic and intelligence. You have to resign yourself, Miss Granger. You are more a Ravenclaw than a Gryffindor."
"Why are you so sure of yourself?"
"Because you are Rowena Ravenclaw's Heir."
She stared at him and had a nervous laugh. He opened the door of his office and ushered her in.
"I am deadly serious, Miss Granger. You have Rowena's blood running in your veins," he said stiffly.
He drew a parchment from one of his drawers and unrolled it in front of her, revealing the familiar drawing of Rowena. She examined it and made no remark as for the likeness between Rowena and her. She pursed her lips and said:
"Then it's only normal I ended up in Gryffindor: Godric Gryffindor protected Rowena Ravenclaw from Salazar Slytherin."
Severus scowled.
"You think he did?" he asked coldly. "Well, allow me to tell you that Hogwarts: A History is not accurate as for this point. Godric was just a meddlesome jealous fool, who had no business whatsoever in coming near Rowena!"
"Sir?"
"Salazar and Rowena were in love and intended to get married. Except that Godric was jealous so he did everything he could to destroy their plans."
He pointed at the tiny scrawl in the bottom of the drawing, which was the signature of the artist, Salazar himself. She deciphered it and looked up at him, gaping.
"Close your mouth, Miss Granger, I have no interest in your dentition," he said dryly, rolling the parchment before putting it again in its safe place.
She obeyed immediately, blushing.
"Here is the lesson, Miss Granger: when a Slytherin and a Gryffindor clash, the official history always gives the easy job to the Gryffindor. By definition, a Slytherin is evil. Now, if it's not the case, who cares?"
Hermione thought of everything she knew about him, everything he just told her about Salazar and Rowena and she said:
"But… it's not fair!"
"Fairness is not for Gryffindors, Miss Granger. Fairness is for Hufflepuffs. Would you happen to have a Hufflepuff thread in your Gryffindor armour, Miss Granger?"
"Well, I obviously have a Ravenclaw thread, why not a Hufflepuff?"
"What exactly did the Sorting Hat tell you?"
She was trembling as she walked up to the Head Table. Mentally, she was repeating herself 'Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, Gryffindor or Ravenclaw…'. She hoped she wouldn't be in Slytherin, but then if she believed what was said in Hogwarts: A History, Salazar Slytherin only favoured pure-blood wizards. She sat gingerly on the stool and clenched her jaw as Professor McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on her head
"Ah, the child with the precious bloods! I've long waited for you, child, and I daresay that he has waited a long time for you too. So, which House for you? Hufflepuff would kill your spirit and you will need it. Slytherin would make it too easy for him and too hard for you. Ravenclaw would be quite nice for you, what do you think?"
"I wanted Gryffindor," she said shyly.
"Gryffindor? Yes, yes, you do have the courage and we don't want to make it too easy for him, now, do we? So, let's go back where we started… GRYFFINDOR!"
"'The child with the precious bloods'? Are you sure?" Severus said eagerly.
"Yes. I didn't understand all the Sorting Hat said, but its words are engraved in my memory."
"So you do have more than one blood in your veins… As for the rest, it's incomprehensible as usual. I hate that Hat, but then, it belonged to Godric Gryffindor and one should never expected anything clever from a Gryffindor."
She scowled at him and he smirked.
"Behave, Miss Granger, unless you want to lose points."
"What did it mean by 'the precious bloods'? Obviously you know!"
"Well, it means exactly what you said earlier: you have also a Hufflepuff thread. What the Sorting Hat qualifies as 'precious blood' is the blood of a Founder. And you have the blood of two Founders."
"But I'm Muggle-born!"
"Indeed. But you probably inherited one blood from your father and the other from your mother. The combining power was enough to light a spark and to make a witch out of you. And then, there're Godric and Salazar's curses to take into account."
"Which curses?"
"Later. One thing at a time, Miss Granger. For the moment, just be glad that, if you are again called 'Mudblood', you can happily retort that you are Rowena's Heir. Somehow, I suspect that you are not Helga's Heir though. Now, you are supposed to have Godric's blood too…" he muttered to himself.
"And for you, sir? Was it easy? Did the Sorting Hat know immediately you had to go in Slytherin?" she asked shyly.
He contemplated the answers he could give her and knew there were some he still couldn't say.
"Yes, it knew. After all, the Snape family has a long tradition of being in Slytherin."
For a long time, he couldn't fathom why he had even bothered answering her question.
"How did you know about me being Rowena's Heir?"
"Easily. Lucius Malfoy told me why the Dark Lord was interested in you. How the Dark Lord knows is another question, but then, very little passes him."
"Lucius Malfoy? But… I thought he escaped from Azkaban last year!"
"No. We set him free from Azkaban… After all, we needed someone in the Dark Lord's inner circle."
"So he turned spy for us?"
Severus made a disgusted sound.
"He didn't have much choice. It was either that or Azkaban. Actually, not only Azkaban…"
Albus and Severus stood in one of the offices in Azkaban, waiting for Lucius to be brought in front of them. Severus could feel the presence of the Dementors and it made him nervous. It brought back painful memories that he would rather not remember. He saw Albus look knowingly at him and nod in understanding. He curled his lip but didn't say a word. The man brought in front of them still looked like Lucius Malfoy, even if his arrogance seemed somehow tamed. His hair was longer, unkempt, his face was thinner, but his eyes were as cold as ever. He straightened when seeing who were his visitors and gave a glare of pure hatred toward Severus. The Potions Master smirked and, in Albus's back, answered with a slow wink. Lucius's move to rub his left arm – where his Dark Mark was – seemed totally coincidental.
"Come to gloat, Dumbledore?" he drawled.
The blue eyes weren't twinkling as they looked at the blonde man.
"I say Azkaban doesn't seem to suit you well, Lucius," he said peacefully.
"You should try it yourself, so you could answer the question without asking me."
Albus shook his head sadly.
"How are Narcissa and Draco, Severus?"
"They are well," Severus replied evenly, "though Draco's popularity is not quite what it was before."
"Lucius, we are here to offer you a way out of Azkaban."
"Really? I didn't know you were into philanthropy, Dumbledore."
"Oh, this is no philanthropy, rest assured you won't owe me such a great debt," the old wizard said grimly. "What I ask for in exchange is fairly simple: I get you free and you spy for me."
"And you would trust me unconditionally? It seems hard to believe."
Severus was beginning to feel amused. Trust Lucius for still being arrogant after one year in Azkaban!
"Of course not," Albus replied with deceitful gentleness. "Do I really need to remind you that Draco attends Hogwarts and that I made the demand for having Narcissa into my custody?"
Lucius's eyes flared with anger and, very discreetly, he glanced in Severus's direction; the forbidding wizard nodded only once and Lucius knew he had lost.
"Very well. How… how do I explain to the Dark Lord that I managed to get out of Azkaban?"
"The same trick that Crouch used. Narcissa took your place. As she is going to be placed in my custody, she will be hidden in Hogwarts and nobody will know about her still being alive."
"Whom would I report to?"
"Severus, naturally. After all, you two are quite close and there's always the excuse of Draco's welfare should the question arise."
Severus was probably the only one to spot the slight relaxation in Lucius's pose.
"And what if I refuse? I already spent one year in Azkaban. I can spend more time if only to keep my wife and son safe. The mission is dangerous."
"If you accept the mission, both Narcissa and Draco will be under my protection and Severus's. If you refuse, well, they probably will join you in Azkaban. I daresay Narcissa wouldn't last as long as her sister. Bellatrix is a zealot, something Narcissa isn't."
Lucius was positively livid.
"Do. Not. Involve. My. Wife. And. Son. In. This," he stammered.
Albus smiled benignly.
"Then accept the mission."
Lucius's shoulders sagged.
"Alright," he whispered, his voice broken. "Alright, I'll do it. Just keep Narcissa and Draco safe."
Horror was clearly written on Hermione's face.
"He… he threatened Draco and Narcissa Malfoy?" she said incredulously.
"Naturally. Lucius has no weakness but his wife and son. Albus played on it. Know your enemy and his weaknesses if you want to defeat him, Miss Granger."
She worried her lower lip between her teeth before asking:
"What is Voldemort's weakness?"
"Do not pronounce the Dark Lord's name, Miss Granger! But congratulations for your keen analysis. For the moment, the Dark Lord's weakness… is you, Miss Granger."
"Me? I hardly think so! You couldn't use me to lure him in a trap the same way you could… Never mind."
"The same way he could have lured Potter some months ago. True. But the Dark Lord wants you and he is intent in getting you. That may be our chance."
"But… but why?"
"Because of a prophecy, Miss Granger, and the Dark Lord is rather fond of them."
"Which prophecy?"
"The Child with the four bloods will bring the world to a new dawn. The four bloods meaning the bloods of the Founders."
"But… Oh Gods! I have the bloods of Helga and Rowena and he has those of Godric and Salazar… You know, because he used Harry's blood in fourth year for–"
"I know, Miss Granger. I am not that old that my memory is failing me."
"Sorry, Professor. But what does it have to do with me being a virgin?"
"Because of the unicorn blood in his veins. I don't know exactly how it fits in the whole thing, but I will find out."
He turned on his heels quickly as he heard a sound coming from the fireplace. He pushed Hermione rather forcefully toward a hidden door in the back of his office.
"Stay out of sight!" he hissed.
The fireplace in his office turned green and an exhausted face appeared in it.
"Snape!" roared the angry voice of Lucius Malfoy. "Are you insane?"
Severus approached the fireplace.
"What is it, Lucius?" he asked silkily, crossing his arms on his chest.
"Are you trying to kill me? Stop your little games at once! The Dark Lord almost eviscerated me!"
"What little games?"
"The Mudblood. She is his. He knows I told you and he wonders about your actions. Stop turning around her!"
Severus had a cold smile.
"Tell him I keep her safe for him. Especially, may I add, from a certain blonde Slytherin who looks at her as if she's a Veela."
Lucius swore and passed a hand on his weary features.
"I'll talk to Draco," he promised. "You–"
"Nobody would dare to cross me, Lucius. Even if my interests are on a girl – when the students all think I'm a vampire – there will be no contestation. What I claim as mine remains mine, and mine only. And I claimed the girl for the Dark Lord."
"He will be pleased with you."
"I hope so, since he seems to doubt my loyalties. Now go take care of yourself. You look as if you were under the Cruciatus Curse a bit too long."
Lucius scowled and Severus smirked.
"Unless you have some pieces of information for me?"
"Not yet, but soon. Draco told me the Mudblood is often with the unicorns – when she's not with you."
"Nobody can go near the unicorns, so she's safe from unwanted attention. You shouldn't have asked Draco to spread the news in Hogwarts though. It makes things more complicated. The whole Gryffindor House is dying to kill her and it could put her in danger before the Dark Lord gets to her."
"I agree, but obviously, you already thought of the situation and are here to protect her. I wanted to separate her from Potter. Draco told me the scheme worked. Anyway, Severus, I apologise for my outburst earlier. I had not realised she had become so… popular."
The smirk on Lucius's face was hideous and Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Really, Lucius," he said mildly, "you should go out more often. There are other charms than those of Narcissa and Bellatrix."
"I don't care about Bellatrix," Lucius growled without even trying to hide the gleam of pain in the depths of his eyes at the mention of his wife.
Severus shrugged and Lucius called the conversation to an end.
"He… he's still working for Voldemort, isn't he?"
Severus turned around to face Hermione, who looked at him with huge eyes.
"Naturally. He only accepted because he thought I was on his side also. But even so, he has to give information."
"And how do we know that you are really on our side?"
He smiled, the smile of a predator.
"You don't. That's part of the game."
"Then maybe you should prove it."
"And how do you propose that I prove myself to you?" he asked in silky tones.
Her brown eyes locked with his dark orbs and she had a feral smile, which only echoed the one he had had moments earlier.
"Well, you told me you could remedy to my condition…"
Without ever averting her eyes from him, she began unbuttoning her robes. His hand closed on hers as he leaned toward her.
"Fiery, huh? Well, I hope you will put that to a good use later…" he whispered.
"Never underestimate a woman driven to desperate acts," she said, intent. "I'd do anything to escape Voldemort."
"Anything, including seducing your Potions teacher? Don't worry, little one. If you want me, you will have me."
"Why not now?" she asked, her eyes burning. "Don't you want to save me from Voldemort?"
Slowly, he caressed her cheek with his knuckles, a soft smile dancing on his lips.
"We have time, little one. It's too early now…"