Spoilers: Order of the Phoenix
Thank you for the reviews! I just discovered today that FF.Net had 'forgotten' to send me some of my reviews and I never go read them on the site itself... Except today. So I proceeded to read them all and send the missing ones to myself. Sorry for all of you I thought hadn't reviewed!
Ezmerelda: sorry, sorry, FF.Net didn't send me your review... Thank you so much for your kind words!
Stolen Simplicity: thank you! I'm very glad that you think it's believable! And I do try my best to make it different though it has so many common basic ideas.
Artemis MoonClaw: it was Severus who asked her to come the second time. Yes, yes :)
The dreadful day was finally there. At breakfast, Severus noticed the dark circles under Hermione's eyes and how jumpy she was. To their credit, Harry and Ron were so preoccupied looking at her that they totally forgot to eat their breakfast. Viktor's eyes were on her also and it seemed that even the members of the DA were nervous. Severus and Minerva glanced at each other; it wouldn't do for everyone to be suddenly so aware of Hermione's presence. Severus gestured discreetly to Pansy, who nodded in answer. As usual, Hermione had seen the little exchange and Severus wondered if she had cast a spell on him that alerted her each time he looked at Pansy.
At the end of breakfast, Pansy and the Slytherin girls – Millicent and Blaise – managed to corner Harry and Ron, but somehow, maybe alerted by Megan, Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw, appeared by Hermione's side and guided her to her first class, his hand placed over her back, only inches of actually touching her. He shot her a dazzling smile and began talking enthusiastically about the Defence Against the Dark Arts class they were going to.
"I'll take charge of this," murmured Viktor to Severus while rising from his chair.
"The DA will take turn to be with her," said Minerva, apparently lost in contemplation of her waffle.
"It's not enough," cut Severus. "I have to be with her the moment the Dark Lord will call her. It can be disastrous if not."
"I have to be with her also," added Viktor, determined.
"It won't be before tonight, will it?"
"We can't take the risk."
"Alright, then hurry, Viktor, because Mr. Boot is probably already waiting for you in your classroom with his charge."
Both Viktor and Severus glared at Minerva, but the young wizard obeyed and went to his classroom. Hermione was indeed here, her head bent down on a book, Terry's head near hers, and they were in the middle of a heated discussion.
The whole day followed the same pattern. Severus or Viktor would be near Hermione, plus a member of the DA would accompany her to each of her classes. It seemed that Terry was enthusiastic that day, for Severus rarely saw him being separated from her. She didn't seem to mind too much and even managed to spare one or two smiles for him. Severus never noticed that he scowled more than usually, but he did notice the knowing smile on Viktor's lips.
"What?" he barked.
"Jealous of young Mr. Boot?" asked Viktor casually. "I've heard him ask her why she wasn't in Ravenclaw. It seems he asks her the question at least once a week since their fifth year."
"Really?" replied Severus, sounding bored. "And what did she answer?"
"That it would have been too easy. Terry seemed quite puzzled by her answer."
Severus had a brief laugh.
"Since you know Mr. Boot so well, Krum, tell him something for me, will you? He better keep away from Hermione or else…"
"Then you better decide where you stand, Severus," replied Viktor, his face darkening. "Because for what I see, Terry treats her better than you do!"
Severus shrugged and went on his way – which happened to be the same as Hermione's. She was going to the Great Hall for dinner, Terry still by her side, and in front of them were Harry and Megan. As she sat between Harry and Ron, Hermione looked up at Severus and even though she looked calm and composed, he could see the fear in her eyes. Terry slightly pushed Ginny on the side and sat in front of Hermione. He extended his hand across the table, his fingers almost touching hers, and she looked at him as if she had felt his touch. She smiled and he nodded. Severus frowned and thinking back about the day, concluded that Terry had never touched Hermione at all; it was as if he knew that she didn't like being touched.
Dinner was uneventful, though the gazes were often wandering to the Gryffindor table where the two Ravenclaws were, apparently perfectly at ease. Terry's soft brown eyes were always on Hermione and she often looked up at him as if in reassurance. As dinner was ending, Severus rose quickly from his seat and made his way to the Gryffindor table before Hermione could move. He brushed lightly his fingers against her shoulder and felt her shiver. She stood up and followed him outside the Great Hall, waiting just a moment for Viktor to join them. Then they went down to the dungeons.
Viktor stopped quickly in his office and came back with an Invisibility Cloak neatly folded on his arm.
"I bought it as soon as I heard about Samhain," he explained. "If you're going to meet Voldemort, then I'm going with you."
They sat in Severus's office, Viktor already hidden under the cloak, and drank tea while waiting. Hermione had put her Death Eater ring on the table, looking at it. She knew the signal would come from there. Then, suddenly, the ring glowed black and sprang in her hand. Viktor's fingers were already closed on her elbow and she helplessly held out her free hand to Severus, who caught her just before she disappeared.
The circle was already constituted and his place was waiting for him. Gently, he guided Hermione in front of all the Death Eaters and drove his fingers in her flesh as she recoiled when seeing Voldemort.
"Ah, Severus!" said the sibilant voice. "And my betrothed! Welcome, beloved. I have longed to meet you and here you are at last!"
Hermione stiffened and stared right back at Voldemort while Severus crawled to him and kissed the hem of his robes.
"Master, here she is, as I promised you," he murmured.
He didn't miss the disdain on Hermione's face when he came back and stood in his place.
"Well, beloved, won't you greet me?"
"Should I call you Tom or Voldemort?" she replied, her voice cold.
Severus marvelled at her backbone. Harry had trembled in front of Voldemort the first time he had met him and here she was, almost insulting him!
"You will address me as Lord Voldemort."
"I won't give you the title of Lord as long as you don't prove to me that you deserve it."
"You're still alive. That's the only proof you need. Severus, I would almost feel sorry for you if you had to stand her impudent remarks for two months."
"I am used to them, master. After all, she has been my student for six years already."
"Anything I should know before I get to know my future bride better?"
"I have a complaint, master, about Lucius's method. You entrusted me with her safety and he almost killed her. I could have been too late."
"But you weren't, Severus. That's why I told you to protect her. But do tell me how you would have given her Godric's blood and the unicorn blood without Draco's intervention."
"I don't know, master, but I would have found a way. She trusted me."
"How much does she trust you, cousin?" he asked softly.
Severus thought of denying it and began to prepare a lie, but the red eyes of Voldemort were fixed on him and all his skill on Occlumency couldn't prevent the invasion of his mind. Caught by surprise, he swore inwardly. He saw Hermione underneath him, arching her back, her hands roaming on his shoulders, and then his vision moved and he saw the both of them at that exact moment. He was surprised when looking at himself, his eyes and face expressing a fierce pleasure. No wonder she had taunted him, saying he didn't look disgusted. There was no way she could have mistaken his expression. His defences kicked in and he closed his mind to Voldemort. He snapped out of the vision and saw the smug face of the Dark Lord staring at him, waiting for his reaction.
His immediate thought was of going to Hermione's side and Apparate with her away from here, so she would be safe. Voldemort stood up and hissed:
"You will not move from where you are, Severus! How could you betray me like this?"
"Why, betrayal runs in our blood. After all, Grace betrayed Salome," he replied offhandedly.
"Salome was weak," said Voldemort, dismissing the matter with a disdainful wave of his hand. "How could you betray me to the point of associating yourself with a Mudblood?"
He pointed his wand at Hermione and a blue light shone around her belly.
"She's no Mudblood, master, since she's Rowena's Heir."
"How did you know?" asked Hermione quietly.
Only Severus noticed the strange way her hand was closed, obviously tightening around Viktor's fingers.
"I have spies at Hogwarts, my beloved. They had to make sure Severus was nice to you. They also took care of calling the Ministry. The report I received told me you have a fiery temperament."
"Vincent and Gregory," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"Indeed. Come, my pets," he called.
Vincent and Gregory entered, dragging a third person with them. The blonde head rose and turned toward Severus.
"Severus! I don't understand! Why do they treat me like this?"
Pansy. Severus swore inwardly and his heart sank. They had already beaten the Slytherin girl and he felt that each bruise was his fault. They let her loose and she ran to him. He closed his arms around her, wishing he could protect her.
"Another conquest of yours, Severus? Pansy Parkinson. What would your mother say?" taunted Voldemort.
A woman crossed the ranks of Death Eaters and knelt in front of him.
"Master, I have no idea of what my daughter did!" cried Ivy Parkinson. "But feel free to do with her as you wish! I only wish I had a daughter who wouldn't disappoint you, who would serve you like Draco Malfoy!"
"Better wish for your daughter to be like Vincent and Gregory, woman," said Severus with a sneer. "Yes, Lucius, Gregory is twice more intelligent than your precious Draco! Just imagine the wits of his father. How does it feel to become the toy of the one you thought was your slave?"
The two Death Eaters winced as Severus unveiled their secret role. The glare Lucius gave them was none too reassuring, but they didn't seem to overly care. Gregory stepped forward and retrieved Pansy from Severus's arms. The Potions Master reported his eyes on Hermione and almost started when an invisible hand brushed against his arm.
"Don't worry," Viktor whispered in his ear. "The others are warned, they know where we are."
"I thought the Dark Lord had a shield against location spells," said Severus without moving his lips.
"Spells maybe, but Muggle technology? Currently, at the quarters of the Order, Remus is receiving our signals and transmitting them to Minerva."
"Lupin?"
"Yes. We both had a class on Muggle technology. Thanks to you, we had some insights on Voldemort's habits and we knew what to expect."
Severus sighed.
"Stop making me feel like an idiot. Can you do something?"
"Not yet. He would feel it immediately. We have to wait for him to be distracted."
"Krum, you know what they're going to do to Pansy!"
"She knew the dangers."
Severus sighed again.
"If there is to be a choice, save Hermione and Pansy, alright?"
"Can't do that. Hermione would kill me if I let you die."
"I don't c– what?"
"Oops, shouldn't have said that."
Severus could almost hear Viktor's smile and grunted.
"What is exactly the accusation on Pansy, master?" he asked, trying to remain calm.
"To be a spy for the old fool. First by spying on Draco, then on Gregory and Vincent. But my pets are clever and they felt her duplicity," said Voldemort, almost purring.
"Pansy, a spy?" exclaimed Draco.
"Of course, a spy. Priori Incantatem!"
The ghosts of the spells cast with Pansy's wand rose in the air and three times the Oblittero Incantato appeared.
"How do you think my beloved would have escaped to the Ministry? Clever little witch, beloved, but then, you are Rowena's Heir."
"Why would you have wanted the Ministry to expel me from Hogwarts?"
"But I didn't want such a thing, my pet," he said, his voice hissing the 's'. "It was just a good occasion for me to see who was faithful to me. If you had been a good fiancée, there would have been no need to destroy suspicious spells. Not to mention that your behaviour toward Miss Parkinson was definitely out of character for you. If I remember well, beloved, you slapped Draco back in your third year."
Hermione shrugged.
"He deserved it. Pansy was just annoying."
"Annoying, indeed. In fact, she annoys me also," Voldemort said, glancing carelessly in Pansy's direction. "Gregory, Vincent, take her away. Ivy, be thankful that you are not to be punished also."
"Thank you, master, thank you," murmured the woman.
Pansy, seeing she hadn't any chance to escape, straightened and narrowed her eyes.
"Oh, Drakie, one last thing. Everything I did since first year was on order. You are lousy. Believe me, I tried to quit more than once, but nobody wanted my place."
"You accepted it because you knew nobody would ever want you," replied Draco, insulted.
Pansy replied with a knowing smile and didn't answer. Severus knew she was involved with Terence Higgs, who worked for the Order of the Phoenix. The ex-seeker for Slytherin hated the role she was playing at Hogwarts and he had sworn to make Draco pay for it. Honestly, Severus didn't want to be in Draco's place the day Terence would find him.
"But I already found someone, Drakie," she cooed. "In fact, several some ones."
Draco eyed Gregory and Vincent, who only returned a smug smile.
"Those pitiful excuses for wizards?"
"Grow up, Draco," said Gregory. "You always mixed intellect with good looks. It's completely wrong; look at Granger. Not an ounce of beauty, but a quick mind."
Hermione flushed in anger but kept her tongue in check. Gregory smiled at her.
"But you made progress since first year, Granger. At least now, you don't look like a buck-toothed beaver anymore."
"If that's what you call a compliment, you still need some more neurons in your brain," she replied calmly.
"Nah, Granger. Just wanted to see if the little cat had claws. Come try them against the mean snake?" he asked, cocking his head on the side.
Her eyes narrowed.
"You would just be useful to sharpen them," she said icily.
"Ow, Granger, I'm hurt!"
"Take her in the back!" repeated Voldemort, slightly annoyed. "And do whatever you want with her."
Severus stiffened. Gregory and Vincent began to drag Pansy in the room in the back, a nasty smile on their face. His eyes slightly widened when Nagini lazily followed them. Pansy looked at him over her shoulder and sent him a wink. You go, girl. But be careful; if something happens to you, Ivy will have my head… Ivy returned to her place without looking at Severus, but her stiff back spoke louder than words. Severus was now sure that Pansy had the things in hand. It was now time to take care of Hermione and himself.
"I didn't betray you, master," he said negligently.
Voldemort was surprised by the comment said out of the blue.
"You didn't?" he asked, wondering if he could get a laugh out of the story.
"Of course not, master. Well, I didn't tell you about me being from Salazar's line, but I'm sure you can understand survival instincts. I knew you wouldn't be able to… uh, perform the act, so I did it for you. Why else would I have done it?"
"Because the old fool asked you to?"
Severus cursed the fact he hadn't had the time to put on his Death Eater garb and the silver mask; he had to be very careful with his expressions.
"Do you really think, master, that there's something Dumbledore would have given me to make me even go near her? I mean, she's a Gryffindor, Potter's best friend and, ask Draco, the most supremely annoying know-it-all. Everybody knows I despise her."
He saw Hermione's shoulders hunch a bit but her face didn't express anything. Voldemort's red eyes gleamed a bit.
"And how did you convince her to follow you, Severus? Your natural charm? She hates you and with reason. And I can't say you're what a young girl would look for."
"It's easy to convince a girl she's in love when she's not. One or two sweet words when nobody else cares for her and then the mention that it was for protecting her from you. So here you are, with the child you wanted."
He didn't need to look at Hermione to feel the pit of despair she had fallen into. He grasped Viktor's hand and slid his fingers in his palm, writing letters with his finger in it. Tell her.
"Tell her what?" murmured Viktor in his ear, his voice angry.
"That it's a lie," replied Severus without moving his lips.
"What?"
"Everything."
"I can't enter your mind, Severus. It bothers me," said Voldemort, wanting Severus to look at him so he could invade his thoughts.
Severus knew Voldemort hated the fact that there was one Death Eater whose mind was almost totally closed to him. He had been caught by surprise last time, but he wouldn't now. There was no way that Severus would let him enter his mind again.
"You know I have to, master. If not, Dumbledore would know that I'm still faithful to you."
"But I still don't like it. Crucio."
Severus fell on his knees, biting his tongue for not shouting his pain. He never had given Voldemort the pleasure of hearing him scream.
"Are you faithful to me, Severus?"
"I have… always been… master."
"Why did you touch my betrothed?"
"Because… your new body… doesn't allow you… to have intercourse," panted Severus between gritted teeth.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I don't… trust… Lucius."
Alright, here's the meeting with Voldemort. I like to think he would be the kind to play with his victims like a cat with a mouse... Is it too OOC?
Before I forget again... If some of you want me to alert them when there is an update, you just have to tell me so in a review or else, you can send me an email (azzy49@hotmail.com) and tell me which story :)