Hermione woke with a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what it was but she knew it was not right. She sat up, she knew it was about six-thirty or so and that she might as well get up. Professor Snape had not returned yesterday, she hoped he would be there today.
She showered and dressed then sat in the large red armchair in the common room. She watched the fire and wondered what had made her wake up.
She tried not to dwell on it and picked up a book from the small table next to her. It was a potions book, one borrowed from Professor Snape months ago.
It was well after seven by then and Hermione figured she could brave the hallways to return the book to him. Hermione wrapped herself in her warmest robes and slowly made her way down to the dungeons.
****
Hermione was surprised when she saw the door to the potions class wide open and Sirius Black standing in the class room.
"Sirius?" Hermione stood in the doorway, "Where's professor Snape?"
"I'm afraid he hasn't show up yet," He looked uneasy, "I am to take his place until he returns,"
"Oh," She said holding the book out, "I have borrowed this from him sometime ago and thought he might want it back,"
"I'll make sure he gets it," He took the book from her hands and noticed her shaking, "Is something wrong?"
"No nothing," She smiled and walked out of the dungeons, I hope he comes back.
****
A week later:
Harry walked into the great hall to see Hermione picking at her breakfast, "Is there anything wrong Mione?" he asked her, she had been upset all that week. He raised his hand to put it on her shoulder but thought better of it.
"Nothing's wrong Harry," she replied looking at him. How can I tell you that someone important to me is never coming back?
He looked at Ron who shrugged at him. He didn't know why she was moping either. Neither did Ginny for that matter.
*****
As the days and then weeks passed, Hermione became more and more engrossed in her work and withdrew from others. She scoured Auror reports and looked at maps. She was bound and determined to find out where Voldemort was hiding. If she could help in no other way, she knew that this was the way she could help.
Hermione worked herself to exhaustion every night. Only speaking to others when they spoke to her and very rarely did she ever start a conversation anymore. She hardly even reprimanded Harry and Ron.
Several of her professors wondered why she had suddenly become so withdrawn. Flitwick figured it had something to do with Severus' disappearance. He remembered her telling him that Charms and Potions were to of the things she would eventually like to teach.
Flitwick knew that though she exceeded everyone's expectations in the subject. Her mind was made more for the formulations and exacting nature of potions.
Albus also noticed her change, but he wouldn't press the girl for the cause. He somehow knew that it had to do with Severus and he felt saddened for the loss.
Her heart was broken and she knew not how to mend it. Other than finding a way to exact her revenge that is. She knew that he would never have allowed her to show her feelings towards him. And as much as she wanted to try, she couldn't now.
******
Severus was taken from his cell every night and tortured tormented and otherwise humiliated in front of only a handful of deatheaters. These were the oldest amongst them and Voldemort's most loyal servants over the years.
"You're truly pathetic," Lucius would say every morning when he was brought back to his cell. His wounds would be patched with barely passable potions and he would be left with a bowl of water and a few bits of bread or a piece of almost rotten fruit.
Severus woke up in his dark and damp cell. He knew his wounds had been patched if poorly. Voldemort was indeed making his death long and drawn out, he thought, by his best estimation he had been there well over a month and a half.
He could see the light of day through a small window at the end of the dungeon hall. It was only at night when he was tortured. it was at night he was humiliated. But it was in the mornings when he had nightmares and he saw her face. Only to forget that she had been in his dreams when he woke in pain the next night.
He sat, leaning up against the side of the cell wall his knees drawn up close to his bruised chest. Severus choked back his tears, he was an absolute failure.
He had failed everyone; The Ministry, Hogwarts, Albus, all of the staff and students and he failed to protect the brilliant young minds. He pictured Hermione Granger's face and felt the tears burning his cheeks. I have truly failed.
Snape picked up a scrap of parchment that he had found in the cell. he had written the start of a confession/ forgiveness letter. He had it all planned in his head. 'I Snape potions master at hogwarts hereby confess all of the atrocities I have committed over the past twenty years... Having failed to protect the school and all in it I can only ask forgiveness, thought I do not deserve it.' He would be dead by the time someone found it and read it...
He looked up when he heard the cell doors creaking open, he hid the parchment under his sleeping palette "Severus, It's time to play,"
Severus shuddered. In the weeks he had been there; he had been used as a guinea pig for pain potions and curses, Whipped, beaten, and there were somethings he'd rather not think about.
Severus felt himself pulled up and he let them drag him, there was little he could do in this state.
They took him to a small room with a wooden pole in the center of it, "I think a nice whipping," He could hear lucius' voice, he wondered if the bastard got off on this. Severus would have laughed if he had the strength.
"Voldemort is going after the aurors soon, without them in the way there will nothing in our way," Severus was glad that hermione wouldn't have to deal with Voldemort or the deatheaters directly. She wasn't fully trained yet and would stay at hogwarts until the end of term. She had work there, she needed to be there.
Severus swallowed, "One day Lucius you will get yours,"
"Ha, I doubt that," Lucius laughed, "If that were to happen, you won't be around to see it," He looked to the white masked assistant and nodded.
Severus heard the whip being raised and bit his lip. He would not cry out in pain. He hadn't yet and he wouldn't even if he died.
****
"Mione?" Ginny sat across from her friend, "Do you want to talk about it?" She didn't press her friend for information.
"No," She replied, "I'm not ready to talk about it," I don't think I ever will. A small part of her still hoped they would find Professor Snape. His body had never been found and that gave her a tiny bit of hope. But Hope faded with each passing day, and she knew that one day it would be gone.
She was heart broken, the only man I could have ever truly loved was gone from my life forever, she had thought many times. Graduation was in a week and she knew that she would never see Snape again. Her heart would never fully heal. And she couldn't exact her revenge either.
She had passed all of her exams thus far and knew she could finish these ones. She pushed Snape out of her mind. She couldn't stay like this forever, could she?
TBC
~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the chapter.
Maddie: I know he's a bastard.
fleur-delacour, Zoe, Lossencarwen ravenwolf; I toned down the torture for the most part, but still it is there.
Vireco: thank you for your offer as a beta, this is my way of pushing myself to write better. I am a perfectionist my nature. I do get rather frustrated with my own story at times. Especially when I cannot find other words that seem to fit the sentence. I myself and getting tired of putting 'he' or 'she' constantly, but that's a part of my writing style. I know it gets repetitious. It's easier for me to write from the first person rather than third, this is a test for me, an enjoyable one at least.
And as for Oliver being gay in my story; let me give you a little background about why I did that. I have a gay little brother and we have the exact same taste in guys. And it always (without fail) happens that any guy I find extremely attractive is inevitably gay. hence that part. forgive me.
She showered and dressed then sat in the large red armchair in the common room. She watched the fire and wondered what had made her wake up.
She tried not to dwell on it and picked up a book from the small table next to her. It was a potions book, one borrowed from Professor Snape months ago.
It was well after seven by then and Hermione figured she could brave the hallways to return the book to him. Hermione wrapped herself in her warmest robes and slowly made her way down to the dungeons.
****
Hermione was surprised when she saw the door to the potions class wide open and Sirius Black standing in the class room.
"Sirius?" Hermione stood in the doorway, "Where's professor Snape?"
"I'm afraid he hasn't show up yet," He looked uneasy, "I am to take his place until he returns,"
"Oh," She said holding the book out, "I have borrowed this from him sometime ago and thought he might want it back,"
"I'll make sure he gets it," He took the book from her hands and noticed her shaking, "Is something wrong?"
"No nothing," She smiled and walked out of the dungeons, I hope he comes back.
****
A week later:
Harry walked into the great hall to see Hermione picking at her breakfast, "Is there anything wrong Mione?" he asked her, she had been upset all that week. He raised his hand to put it on her shoulder but thought better of it.
"Nothing's wrong Harry," she replied looking at him. How can I tell you that someone important to me is never coming back?
He looked at Ron who shrugged at him. He didn't know why she was moping either. Neither did Ginny for that matter.
*****
As the days and then weeks passed, Hermione became more and more engrossed in her work and withdrew from others. She scoured Auror reports and looked at maps. She was bound and determined to find out where Voldemort was hiding. If she could help in no other way, she knew that this was the way she could help.
Hermione worked herself to exhaustion every night. Only speaking to others when they spoke to her and very rarely did she ever start a conversation anymore. She hardly even reprimanded Harry and Ron.
Several of her professors wondered why she had suddenly become so withdrawn. Flitwick figured it had something to do with Severus' disappearance. He remembered her telling him that Charms and Potions were to of the things she would eventually like to teach.
Flitwick knew that though she exceeded everyone's expectations in the subject. Her mind was made more for the formulations and exacting nature of potions.
Albus also noticed her change, but he wouldn't press the girl for the cause. He somehow knew that it had to do with Severus and he felt saddened for the loss.
Her heart was broken and she knew not how to mend it. Other than finding a way to exact her revenge that is. She knew that he would never have allowed her to show her feelings towards him. And as much as she wanted to try, she couldn't now.
******
Severus was taken from his cell every night and tortured tormented and otherwise humiliated in front of only a handful of deatheaters. These were the oldest amongst them and Voldemort's most loyal servants over the years.
"You're truly pathetic," Lucius would say every morning when he was brought back to his cell. His wounds would be patched with barely passable potions and he would be left with a bowl of water and a few bits of bread or a piece of almost rotten fruit.
Severus woke up in his dark and damp cell. He knew his wounds had been patched if poorly. Voldemort was indeed making his death long and drawn out, he thought, by his best estimation he had been there well over a month and a half.
He could see the light of day through a small window at the end of the dungeon hall. It was only at night when he was tortured. it was at night he was humiliated. But it was in the mornings when he had nightmares and he saw her face. Only to forget that she had been in his dreams when he woke in pain the next night.
He sat, leaning up against the side of the cell wall his knees drawn up close to his bruised chest. Severus choked back his tears, he was an absolute failure.
He had failed everyone; The Ministry, Hogwarts, Albus, all of the staff and students and he failed to protect the brilliant young minds. He pictured Hermione Granger's face and felt the tears burning his cheeks. I have truly failed.
Snape picked up a scrap of parchment that he had found in the cell. he had written the start of a confession/ forgiveness letter. He had it all planned in his head. 'I Snape potions master at hogwarts hereby confess all of the atrocities I have committed over the past twenty years... Having failed to protect the school and all in it I can only ask forgiveness, thought I do not deserve it.' He would be dead by the time someone found it and read it...
He looked up when he heard the cell doors creaking open, he hid the parchment under his sleeping palette "Severus, It's time to play,"
Severus shuddered. In the weeks he had been there; he had been used as a guinea pig for pain potions and curses, Whipped, beaten, and there were somethings he'd rather not think about.
Severus felt himself pulled up and he let them drag him, there was little he could do in this state.
They took him to a small room with a wooden pole in the center of it, "I think a nice whipping," He could hear lucius' voice, he wondered if the bastard got off on this. Severus would have laughed if he had the strength.
"Voldemort is going after the aurors soon, without them in the way there will nothing in our way," Severus was glad that hermione wouldn't have to deal with Voldemort or the deatheaters directly. She wasn't fully trained yet and would stay at hogwarts until the end of term. She had work there, she needed to be there.
Severus swallowed, "One day Lucius you will get yours,"
"Ha, I doubt that," Lucius laughed, "If that were to happen, you won't be around to see it," He looked to the white masked assistant and nodded.
Severus heard the whip being raised and bit his lip. He would not cry out in pain. He hadn't yet and he wouldn't even if he died.
****
"Mione?" Ginny sat across from her friend, "Do you want to talk about it?" She didn't press her friend for information.
"No," She replied, "I'm not ready to talk about it," I don't think I ever will. A small part of her still hoped they would find Professor Snape. His body had never been found and that gave her a tiny bit of hope. But Hope faded with each passing day, and she knew that one day it would be gone.
She was heart broken, the only man I could have ever truly loved was gone from my life forever, she had thought many times. Graduation was in a week and she knew that she would never see Snape again. Her heart would never fully heal. And she couldn't exact her revenge either.
She had passed all of her exams thus far and knew she could finish these ones. She pushed Snape out of her mind. She couldn't stay like this forever, could she?
TBC
~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Thanks for the reviews on the chapter.
Maddie: I know he's a bastard.
fleur-delacour, Zoe, Lossencarwen ravenwolf; I toned down the torture for the most part, but still it is there.
Vireco: thank you for your offer as a beta, this is my way of pushing myself to write better. I am a perfectionist my nature. I do get rather frustrated with my own story at times. Especially when I cannot find other words that seem to fit the sentence. I myself and getting tired of putting 'he' or 'she' constantly, but that's a part of my writing style. I know it gets repetitious. It's easier for me to write from the first person rather than third, this is a test for me, an enjoyable one at least.
And as for Oliver being gay in my story; let me give you a little background about why I did that. I have a gay little brother and we have the exact same taste in guys. And it always (without fail) happens that any guy I find extremely attractive is inevitably gay. hence that part. forgive me.