Disclaimer: See chapter one
Snape Castle was old – even by wizarding standards, having been built when gothic was very much in. The eight-story building was constructed of dark granite stone that had been imported from some distant land. Surrounding the courtyard was a nine-foot high circular wall. As a deterrent to curious passers by of the wizarding variety the wall was enchanted to depict several fearsome battle scenes, and because the brick of the wall wasn't even, the pictures had become distorted, and all the more troublesome for it. At the four corners of the castle, and as part of the guard wall, there were spiral look out towers, though they no longer served any purpose. Adoring the front entrance were two similar towers, only those ones were more impressive, with the cross-like patterns carved into the dark stone. Individuals' privileged enough to enter the castle through the main entrance were greeted with the sight of the beautiful white fountain, the centerpiece of Snape Castle courtyard, and in harsh contrast with the dark atmosphere. Making up the drive were tiny white stones, which in the right light seemed to sparkle like diamonds. There was a path along the edge of the outside wall, also containing the diamond like stones, and scattered intermittently along the path were smaller versions of the fountain gracing the center of the drive.
Upon entering the castle guests would see the spectacular grand staircases that lead to the second floor, which doubled as a dining room, and a ballroom, and could be enchanted to accommodate any party, from two to two hundred. On one side of the stairs was the parlor and conservatory, the other housed Severus' public office, and public library. His more personal books and papers where located on the top three floors, which had always been reserved for the private use of the master of the house. The rooms could be directly Apparated into by their owner, or they could be accessed by a secret stair case; an entrance to which was located on each floor. On the main floor it was hidden behind the fireplace in the public office. The second had it located in the wall, behind the dining room, on the fifth it was in the poolroom. The staircase was always in the same spot, but it could only be opened with the correct sequence on the bricks, much like Diagon Alley.
Severus' private rooms consisted of a potions lab, living quarters (bathroom, bedroom, sitting room), and a private office, all of which took up half of the upper three floors. On the other side were the owlery, spa (well known within the upper class ladies of wizarding society), and rooms that would have belonged to a Mrs. Snape. The two halves were separate towers, although if one looked hard enough, and in exactly the right spot, they could find a well-concealed bridge connecting them. People that visited Snape Castle and were rude enough to wonder about what the mysterious tower was, that could be seen from the outside, but never accessed from the within, were simply told that it had never been finished. An oversight made by some insane relative back in the day.
Surrounding the eight-story building was a small lake like moat, and for all intents and purposes that's all that it was, a moat. However for those that knew better, and for the most part they were of the unsavory sort, the moat actually flowed under the castle and into the little known, rarely talked about dungeons. There were two principle parts of the dungeons. First there was the stone island that sat in the center of the lake. Second, there were the three chambers along the three walls. One was strictly used as a Muggle torture chamber. Within this room could be found ancient Muggle torture instruments. There was the common more ones like the rack, and branding irons, and a chair of spikes, and of course there were also some lesser-known ones. There was a breast ripper (it did exactly what the name implied), the Spanish tickler (a metal claw like device, that was used to removed the skin), the Whirlgig was the tamest instrument, causing only nausea when people were spun violently around in it, and finally, and a favorite of the more perverse Death Eaters, the Pear (a pear shaped device that could be inserted into the oral, anal or vaginal cavity and then expanded, inflicting pain on the sensitive flesh). Voldemort thought that it was particularly ironic to torture Muggle's with their own creations. On the other side of the island was the Wizard torture chamber. It was bare except for a large surgical table in the center. The back wall had several holding cells, and a few wall chains for when Death Eaters were feeling especially creative. To access these dungeons (or escape from them, depending on your point of view) visitors used boats that could be found under the bridges that existed to cross the moat. The secret staircase also went down into the dungeon, but it was difficult to find, and even when an individual happened across the right bricks they had to know all the wards in addition to the brick sequence. Voldemort was incredibly fond of meeting in the bowels of Snape Castle, and he did so quite often. He liked the security, and he liked the atmosphere.
***
Hermione sat on the cold stone bench, tapping her foot impatiently against the hard floor, and listened to the sound bounce off the walls of the aforementioned Muggle torture chamber. When the boat had gone to this side of the dungeons instead of the stone island in the center, Hermione had been a little worried, and Lucius telling her, through his mask, that she was to wait here until she was summoned didn't make her feel any better. However, as she sat with nothing much to think about, she realized that it made sense, Voldemort wasn't going to let her know everything – that was just too dangerous. Plus, Hermione conceded, this little down time gave her a second to gather her composure, and adjust her eyes to the reduced light.
She had always hated the masks that the Dark Lord made his followers wear at their meetings, and during midnight raids. They'd always made her skin crawl as she looked at the cold silver. For some people the masks made facing the Death Eaters easier; they made the enemy anonymous. But for Hermione, who wasn't there to kill anyone, the facelessness only meant that she had no idea whom she was talking to. It could be anyone. It could be old acquaintances from Hogwarts, or friends from work. Of course Severus, and Lucius, and Draco, and McClure, and all the usual suspects were the there, but who else?
Hermione stood up, and began to pace the length of the dark, cold room; the steel of the torture instruments sending a shiver down her spine. 'How long is he going to make me wait anyway?' She wondered, and was beginning to think that perhaps she should just go over there on her own. After all she did still have her wand, which surprised her. She had been prepared to give it to Lucius the moment that they left the Manor, but he had never asked for it, and she wasn't going to just give it to him voluntarily.
Sighing, Hermione realized that she wasn't concentrating; she had to get in the right mind set. And being calm was essential. Sitting back down on the bench, she rested her head against the wall, and forced her self to relax.
Hermione didn't have to wait much longer to be summoned, just as she was getting comfortable, well as comfortable as could be considering, she saw a flash of blue light, and then a stone bridge appeared at the entrance to the room she presently occupied. Standing up, she inhaled once, and crossed the distance between herself and the walkway. As she approached the middle of the bridge, she peered through the archways surrounding the central island, and saw that there where about a hundred Death Eaters in attendance. Hermione counted about twenty in the circle that Voldemort sat at the head of, and the other eighty or so followers flank the main players. She couldn't see Voldemort yet, and she had a feeling that she was not as prepared for that as she should be. As Hermione slowly approached, the Death Eaters parted to allow her to see the center of the circle where there was a wooden stool; presumably she going to occupy it later when she would be questioned.
There was a hush over the room, and the sound of Hermione's footsteps echoed in her ears. 'Alright girl,' she told herself as she stepped onto the island and walked toward that little stole, 'this is it.'
"So, it occurred to me, as I was crossing that little bridge," Hermione turned to face Voldemort, and steeled her face against the ugliness of the man…snake…thing, she could taste bile at the back of her throat, "That if you wanted to kill me it would have been so easy for those stones to have fall out under my feet. Into the moat I would have gone." She smiled at the Dark Lord as she took a seat on the stool. Her focus was completely on him, on his beady little red eyes, that appeared to be slightly widened.
"It occurs to me, Miss Granger, that you forget your place." Voldemort did not sound amused.
Hermione shrugged, unconcerned, tilting her head slightly. All around her she could feel the tension hanging over her like a suffocating blanket. It was becoming hard to breath, but she pushed forward anyway. "I suppose you expected me to grovel at your feet? Offer you my sincerest apologies for my parenting? And beg your forgiveness so that I can join your little group of power hungry cretins?" She paused, glancing quickly around the circle to regain her composure before continuing, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, master, but I have no intention of being another faceless automaton that you can dispose of at your earliest convenience."
"And what makes you assume," Hermione was surprised that Voldemort didn't sound angry. As it was he sounded more indifferent then anything, "That I won't dispose of you now, on account of your insolence?"
"I don't," Hermione admitted. "But I can assume that it must get rather boring having everyone bow before you, and hang off your every word like you were some kind of god. Everybody likes to be challenged occasionally."
"Be that as it may, Miss Granger, what makes you presume that you are the one to challenge me?"
At that Hermione genuinely smiled, "If you wanted another mindless follower, Lord Voldemort, you would not have brought me here, nor would you have allowed me to live very long after I divulged your little secret."
"Which brings us to why you are here. I was not pleased about what you did." This time the voice was controlled, no longer indifferent.
"I didn't think you would be."
"What no apology? Miss Granger I am becoming quite infuriated." Hermione believed him. She could tell that she was treading on dangerous ground, as his brow knotted slightly, and she supposed if he had eyebrows they would have been moving steadily closer together. "As punishment for your lack of remorse I will administer Veritaserum." Voldemort raised his hand, and handed a small vial to the man on his right. The man, whom Hermione suspected to be Severus, accepted the glass bottle, and walked towards her.
"I'm surprised you didn't offer me wine laced with the truth potion. I expected something much more covert." Hermione allowed a note of confusion to slip into her voice as she began to take control of her brain. She knew that this was what would happen, Voldemort was too arrogant to believe that anyone could actually control Veritaserum, and so the need for secrecy was eliminated.
The man with the vial stopped beside Hermione, and looked to the Dark Lord for permission, and Voldemort inclined his head slightly. The man grabbed Hermione roughly under the chin, and forced the glass to her lips. She drained the contents in one gulp, and turned back to Voldemort as the man retreated. "There was no need to be forceful, I would have consumed the potion voluntarily. I have nothing to hide."
"Time will tell," was all Voldemort would say.
As they waited for the appropriate amount of time to pass before the serum would take affect, Hermione began to take control. She could feel the serum coursing through her veins, and being pumped back to her heart, and up to her brain. In her mind's eye she visualized the neurons that were about to be shut down, and concentrated on keeping the signals flowing through them. It would take five minutes for her to render the potion ineffective, and she had to keep very, very calm. One minute. She wanted to close her eyes, knowing that she could not. It would make everything much easier, not knowing were she was, or who was sitting in front of her. As she felt them flutter close, she blinked rapidly, and curled her toes in her shoes. Two minutes. Hermione began to systematically clench and unclench all the muscles in her body starting at her feet, and ending at her shoulders. Severus had told her it would help her remain focused, but not over focused. "It is a delicate balance," he had said. Three minutes. This was the crucial part, now the serum would take on a life of it's own, and fight to get the control that it was designed to have. She focused in on the neuron, seeing the pictures from the textbooks that she had studied about the brain. 'Force the spark to keep flowing. FORCE IT.' She commanded herself, and it worked. Four minutes. Now she just had to keep the spark going for another minute and she would be home free. She knew she'd done it, just like she'd always known in the last minute. She inner self was jumping for joy. Five minutes. Hermione slumped on the stool. Question period was about to begin.
***
Voldemort stood up from his throne, and slowly walked towards Hermione. As he reached her, he extended his hand, and lifted her chin up to face him. He gazed in her eyes for a moment, noticing the glazed look, and let her head drop down again. "Alright, Miss Granger," Hermione looked up in his general direction, her eyes still glassy, "I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and you're going to answer them. I'm sure you know the drill." Hermione nodded. "Miss Granger," Voldemort had returned to his seat. "Do you think that Veritaserum is an appropriate price for retribution?"
"No," Hermione answered, this time completely honest, "You would have given it to me anyway."
Voldemort tilted his head, "How astute. Do you regret what you told the guests at Lucius' dinner party?"
Still she didn't have to lie, "No, the look on Draco's face was worth it."
"I'm sure you're pleased to hear you are quite entertaining for Miss Granger, Draco." Voldemort sounded amused.
"I do what I can, sir," came the dry reply from somewhere to Hermione's right.
Voldemort laughed outright at that. "Why did you choose to contact Lucius?"
Hermione didn't hesitate, "Because he made an offer, and I accepted." This was also true – Lucius had been at the alumni party at Hogwarts, the party at which Hermione had openly displayed her discontent with Dumbledore and the Resistance, and Lucius had implied that she should contact him about her future. It was what they – the Resistance – had all been looking for.
"And now I understand that you are living at Malfoy Manor, quite curious."
"The living arrangements are mutually beneficial." Hermione supposed that was a matter of opinion.
"I imagine it would have to be, I hear Lucius can be quite demanding," what Voldemort was implying was overly obvious.
Hermione accepted the challenge, "Not so much so that I can't handle him."
Again Voldemort laughed, and this time he wasn't the only one, "She quite confident, Lucius. Is she as good as she implies?"
"No," this time the voice was to Hermione's left, "But she's getting there, my lord." This sparked another round of laugher.
"I suppose it's only fair to ask you the same question, Miss Granger." Voldemort was obviously enjoying himself.
Hermione thought quickly, she either had to repeat what she had said to Lucius the night before, or "He's better then I've let on." That caused a laugh to come from that some spot to Hermione's left.
"So Miss Granger," Voldemort's voice was now deadly serious, "Why are you sitting here answering embarrassing questions about yourself?"
"As I told Lucius, I don't like living in the shadows." Hermione's voice remained monotone.
"And you think you will be able to shine here, if you change sides?"
"I don't imagine that my talents will go unnoticed."
"I suppose Lucius has already proven that," soft chuckles rippled through the crowd. 'He's not that funny,' Hermione thought, as she formulated her next response.
"It's not Lucius' recognition that I'm looking for."
"Interesting admission."
"Yes, well, I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
"No, I suppose you don't," Voldemort admitted pensively. "You are quite clever though, something decidedly unGryffindor. I'm curious, Miss Granger, were did you learn this cleverness?"
"I wouldn't say that I learnt it anywhere, per se," Hermione saw this as her chance to reveal something that she wouldn't otherwise. "I'm just naturally apt at manipulation. I've always envied Slytherins. No one says to them that they have to be brave, loyal people. I want to be able to display my Slytherin qualities openly." Even though it wasn't true, the statement would serve its purpose.
"So as much as you want recognition, you want people to know what you really are?" Hermione nodded, "Yes."
"And who is that, Miss Granger?"
"Some one that you will find invaluable."
"I can see why Lucius likes you, your confidence is surprisingly enduring."
"Thank you," She replied not at all meaning it.
"But you still haven't answered my question."
"Some one with the persona of a lion, and the heart of a snake."
"How poetic," Hermione was sure that, if it were possible, Voldemort would have rolled his eyes. "Alright, how do you expect to get this recognition you so desperately crave?"
"I can do many things, Lord Voldemort. You tell me what you need, and I'll make it happen."
Voldemort was beginning to look bored. "One final question, Miss Granger, if I asked you to kill you parents, as proof of your loyalty, could you do it?"
Hermione hadn't been prepared for that, and she cursed silently, "No," she answered honestly because she knew if she said yes that he would make her.
Voldemort looked at her hard for a moment, studying her slumped posture, and the lines on her face. "Severus the antidote," he said to the man that had administered the Veritaserum. Severus walked over to Hermione, and handed her a vial filled with a transparent green liquid, it was slightly bigger then the vial with the truth serum in it.
"Thank you," she said as she took the bottle to her lips, it too was swallowed in one gulp. Of course it had no affect, no poison, no need for an antidote, but it didn't harm her. And after waiting for a few minutes, Hermione sat up straighter. The room came rushing back into focus. Her concentration on her responses, and her tight control, had caused her to lose focus of everything but the sound of Voldemort's voice, and the occasional interjection made by Draco and Lucius. Now she glanced around at the shadows, and the people in long black robes came back into focus. She directed her attention to where she thought Lucius' voice had come from earlier, "Well that was fun," she said.
"Miss Granger take your place in the circle behind Lucius," Hermione looked at Voldemort sharply, confused. "The meeting is almost over, but you can stay for the closing ceremonies." Hermione stood up slowly and cross the floor in the direction that Voldemort was pointing.
As she moved in to the spot that had opened up for her behind Lucius, she heard him whisper "good job". She wasn't certain whether it was tongue-in-cheek or not.
***
As it turned out, the 'closing ceremonies' were nothing spectacular. Some Dark spell was said, there was a glowing flask, and then every one took a drink of the sacramental wine. Hermione wasn't sure what all the fuss was about, in her opinion it tasted liked boxed wine, but the Death Eaters seemed to like it, and so she played along. When the whole thing was over they all kneeled as Voldemort left. Hermione, deciding that it was a good time to conform, knelt with them. Once the Dark Lord had departed, the group started to make there way to the various boat docks. Eventually there was only Hermione, Lucius and Severus left, apparently Draco had gone with some one else. Hermione wasn't looking forward to the conversation that was about to happen. 'Severus, and Lucius, together…great, just great!'
Severus removed his mask, and glanced quickly at Hermione before approaching Lucius; who had also removed his mask. She was very thankful for the small grace. "I'm surprised Lord Voldemort didn't kill you for that girl's disobedience," Severus said to his counterpart.
"I can't really disagree with that, Severus." Lucius admitted, as Hermione stepped forward slightly to be part of the conversation, "I did give her the meeting procedures, but apparently she didn't understand the risks associated with not following them."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "And here I thought I wasn't invisible. What a wonderful gift I've been blessed with." She sighed loudly, "I knew the risks I was taking, Lucius, but as I told Voldemort, I will not be another faceless automaton. Anyway it seemed to go well."
"Yes," Severus agreed, "Surprisingly well." Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't just talking about Lucius' fate.
"Well, 'alls well that ends well' I suppose," Lucius remarked thoughtfully. "But I fear that we must bid you good evening, Severus, its late."
"As you wish, Lucius," came the response. "What time should I expect you tomorrow evening?" 'What?' Hermione thought, trying not to let her confusion show. A knot of anxiety was beginning to form in her abdomen.
"Miss Granger, and myself will be here for dinner around seven. If that's not too inconvenient?"
"Absolutely not." With the echo in the dungeons, it was hard to tell if Severus was being sarcastic. "That will be perfect."
"Wonderful," Lucius drawled, extending his arm for Hermione, "Shall we, my dear."
Hermione nodded, "Until tomorrow night, Professor."
"Good evening."
With that, Lucius turned Hermione to the awaiting boat, and helped her in, steering her away from Severus.
The response Severus had given, 'good evening', was so familiar, and yet he made it so closed. Hermione wasn't sure how she was going to get through a dinner with him, and Lucius, and come to think of it, she wasn't sure why there even had to be one. It didn't make sense for Severus to put her in a position like that. Hermione turned to ask Lucius about it, but noticing his strained face, decided that she could wait until the morning. And so the journey back to the Manor was made in silence.
Chapter Last Updated: 03/02/03
Author's Notes: The description of Snape's Castle is what took this chapter so long. I even had specks of it that were drawn by Stephani, my beta.
Finally a thank you to Alex who was the sole beta for this chapter, thank you. Also, Alex has drawn some lovely Harry Potter pictures, and if you're a fan of Snape, you enjoy the Weasley twins, or Tom Riddle (before he was a snake) take a look. Really, if you enjoy Harry Fan-Art take a look. They're horrible under reviewed, so if you could find it in you're hearts to leave a comment, I know she'd be thrilled. (She doesn't know that I've done this either). The link is below.
Thank you,
Jessica
