Chapter Eight

Dungeons After Dark



A stark figure stood within the vastness of large Dungeon doors.  His inured draconian expression was almost intrinsic, and the glaring light behind him, sharply delineating his daunting stance seemed but a faint flicker against his ascetic stature. Snape's steely persona seemed charismatic to the atmosphere growing dark by the second to suit his facade.

Hermione was startled by the large oak doors that were flung open by the menacing Potion's Master, was intrigued by his bleak presence.  He looked as if he had been interrupted in the middle of something very important.

Snape glared at the intrusive student before him and waited for an explanation before he lashed out at her.

Hermione noticed Snape, who she had barely ever seen in anything other than the traditional school robes, was dressed in black cotton slacks and a white spread collared dress shirt unbuttoned down to his collarbone. His shirt, slightly ruffled, and the sleeves, rolled up just below his elbows, suited his tousled hair.  She had never seen him look so casual; if only he didn't look so constipated. 

"Am I going to stand here all night watching you drool over my untailored attire, Miss Granger, or are you going to tell me why you interrupted a very important meeting?" he snarled.

Hermione quickly snapped backed to reality only to find herself speechless before an angry Professor.

"Well?" he said almost serenely with an arched eyebrow.  He was anxious to know why the student he had known for over six years, who never had nothing to say, was standing outside his potions dungeon in the middle of the night, speechless.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you Professor, but I thought that I'd let you know that I took a nap earlier and I just woke up, realizing of course, that I had missed our meeting after dinner."

Snape stared at her impassively, and she waited anxiously as to what cruel, spiteful remark he was going to throw in her face when she noticed that he simply exhaled lightly and relaxed himself.

"Well, we can meet tomorrow night after dinner, unless of course you go nodding off again.  Then we'll have to postpone it for the following night," he said with the least hint of sarcasm, or so she thought.

"Did that not occur to you Miss Granger?"

"Well, yes, but I thought I'd come down anyways and check if you were still here."

"Ah yes," he interrupted brusquely.  "Being as I'm the loner Potions Master with no social life, I have nothing better to do than skulk around in my dungeon twenty four hours a day brewing potions to make all your lives more convenient," he said, his anger quickly accelerating.

Hermione flushed with embarrassment.  It seemed that everything she said was an insult to his very being, and yet remaining speechless was even more insolent.

"You know for once, Professor," she said courageously, "I would actually appreciate it if you'd let me finish a sentence."

"And for once, Miss Granger," he countered heatedly, "I would appreciate it if you would not poke your face everywhere I turn.  And seeing as you were the one who showed up, and still outside my door, I suppose it would be folly for me to show you the way out," he hissed sarcastically before slamming the door in her face.

Hermione was about to storm back to her quarters heated, when she remembered that it was he who asked her to come down in the first place, even though she had been late. Determined to give that bastard a piece of her mind, Hermione decided she was not going to leave until she straightened things out.  She knocked on the doors again and was only too surprised when they were opened by someone else.

Hermione, wide-eyed and shocked at seeing her Astronomy Professor appear suddenly, swallowed hard and stood back aghast.

"Professor, I'm sorry, I had no idea you were here."

"Oh, it's fine Miss Granger.  Professor Snape and I were just having a few…last minute discussions on some personal matters."

Isabella Sinistra was by far the most beautiful woman Hermione had ever seen in her life, and she didn't feel that way because she strongly stood by every opinion she made, but because Professor Sinistra was one of the most beautiful women most people have ever seen.  She had raven black hair and pale white complexion.  She had almost a gothic look to her.  Hermione always admired her for her dark beauty, which suited her surreptitious persona.  She waltzed with an air of class and sophistication-- her head never down, and her eyes never tamed.  Hermione would have thought her to be the female version of Snape had she not known her.

Hermione and Isabella stood silently for a moment before the Professor excused herself. "I'll be going now Miss Granger, and you can go on in.  Professor Snape is ready to brew the potion you need."  Hermione, at first looked puzzled, till it hit her that it was just an excuse Snape had probably given Sinistra, explaining her coming to his dungeons in the middle of the night.

"Yes, thank you Professor.  And again, I'm very sorry I interrupted your meeting."

Isabella smiled and lingered for a moment before leaving.  Before she walked away, Snape showed up and pushed Hermione inside the classroom and told her to wait for him inside.

He shut the door behind him.

Hermione could hear their faint whispers outside the closed doors, though it was too low to be intelligible.  She couldn't help but feel that what she interrupted was more than just a meeting. What kind of meeting though, she wanted to know.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the large doors opening behind her.  Snape walked in and stood before her in an unperturbed stance with his hands tucked in his pockets.  He looked quietly down at her, and Hermione couldn't help but think that he looked really attractive in his white collared shirt.  She quickly filed that thought away and beat herself up inside for the revolting thought.

"Sit down Miss Granger," he said as plainly as the expression on his face.

Instantly Hermione obeyed and sat down on one of the desks.

Snape, taking his sweet time, walked behind his desk and sat down shuffling a few parchments here and there.  After a while he stood and walked over to the far left corner where he gathered various tubes and ingredients lying around and stowed it away behind the cupboard overhead.

Hermione watched him intently and was unconsciously drawn in by the gracefulness of his movements.

He glided forward with such instinctive unity of movement that it seemed gracefully articulate.  And his hands, she noticed more than anything else: thin, long, deft fingers moving in such unthinking accordance, it seemed harmonious to her prying eyes.

'How can something so beautiful belong to someone so dark and empty', she thought to herself?  Perhaps there was more to him, she thought.  Despite the inured expressions this man masked everyday, she could not help but feel rapt by his quick tongue and dark cold eyes.  It intrigued her most pleasantly, that she blushed at the very thought.

"Miss Granger!"  

Hermione started and looked up to see Snape a few desks away from her.

"We need to discuss a few things and you need to listen very carefully, because both our lives are at stake here.  One wrong move and it cold cost you your life."

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're concerned about me, Professor," she taunted.

"I'm only making sure I'm not held responsible for your death, shall it ever occur.  So, pay attention because I don't have time for small talk," he snapped.

Snape looked at her intently before carrying on.  "Now as much as I hate to say this, I will say it none the less. My life depends on you, and your every move.  You are being watched from the moment you arrived at that party until only Merlin knows when. Now, because of the new twist you've added to my cover," he said condescendingly, "I will give you instructions on what to say, how to act, where to go, what to do, and I control your every move for as long as we continue this charade.  In other words, you will not so much as breathe without my permission, is that clear?"  

Before Hermione could even respond, he cut her off and continued on with his sneer still in place.

"Now despite how much we loathe each other, we need to put our differences aside and--"

Hermione shot her head up at this.  "Wait! Who said I loathed you," she interrupted.

Snape eyed her warily and she stared back comprehensively and waited for his reply.

"Miss Granger, do not sit here and pretend that you rather enjoy being here with me in the middle of the night discussing your breathing patterns more than you would enjoy snogging the caretaker."

"No, I don't," she replied disconcertedly, realizing for the first time just how much her Potions Master must have really hated her.  "But why on earth would you think such a think.  I just can't stand you, is all, and that's because you're always lashing out at me, and to tell you the truth I have no idea why you do that either.  I've always respected your intellect, and admired your mental power, despite your spiteful attempts at making everyone's life around you a living hell."

Hermione stared at the Professor, and waited for his usual ruthless retaliation, so when none came yet, she pushed it some more. "Well Professor? Why are you always picking on me", she asked composedly.

"Don't flatter yourself, Miss Granger, you're not the only one I pick on," he said as he walked back to his desk.  "Now, as flattered as I am of your little speech, I would rather appreciate it if you would keep your opinions to yourself."

"Why do you have to be so bloody complicated," she snapped, angry that his whole being was consisted of nothing more than dark sarcasm.  

Severus walked closer to her and slammed his hand on the desk.  Hermione flinched.

"Just because you know now that my life depends on your mood, does not give you the bloody privilege to say whatever the hell you want to me." Severus leaned in closer so his face was only an inch away from hers.  He whispered softly yet deadly enough to make her hair stand on end.  "You know, if I didn't know better, it would seem that you have a problem controlling what comes out of that mouth, Miss Granger.  I would watch what I say, if I were you.  You wouldn't want me as your enemy."

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, Professor," she goaded.  "Not everyone wants to be your enemy."  She could not resist throwing it in his face.

Hermione stared deep into his eyes, never deigning to look away.  

He was so close that she could feel his breath against her face.


For a moment, they remained still, and speechless. Their breaths thrashed against each other in a fusing wisp, and he could smell her cool, lightly heated breath against his face.  It gave him the most unusual sensation. 

Severus found himself in such an awkward situation that he did not quite know how to react to it.  This angered him for some reason.

'Citrus', he thought when her scent invaded his senses.


Hermione stirred and turned towards the door, snapping him to.  "When you're ready to grow up, Professor, let me know, because I'm not going to sit around and listen to you dart dirty words towards me with that foul mouth of yours," she said rather bravely.

Snape grabbed hold of her cloak before she walked away and pulled her closer to him.  He did not intend for her to be so close but she was positioned just below his face.  He looked at her and wondered how the hell he got himself into this mess, yet he couldn't help but feel that she was right.  If he were to reach some sort of agreement with her, it would increase their chances of getting through this ordeal alive and unscathed, physically or emotionally.

She stared up at him and he looked down on her.  He bit back his tongue before apologizing.  "Miss Granger--

"—Stay!"

His apology was as simple as he had said it.

'Stay?' she repeated in her head.  That was probably the worst thing anyone has ever said to her to get her to stay.  But she dismissed it because he was, after all, Snape, and decided to accept his apology and get on with more important matters.

Hermione sat down in the front seat and Severus atop his desk.

"Before we begin, I have a few questions, and I expect them to be answered.  If I'm going to pull this off, and fool everyone, I need to be aware of all the facts in case I let something slip and blow our covers."

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything.  I want to know about these parchments. What they are and what it's for.  I also want to know about Pettigrew, and why he was killed. Don't leave anything out, including the Dark Lord's disappearance, so when you're ready I'm all ears."

Snape looked at her hesitantly before agreeing that she was probably right.  Trust her to throw it all out there in one go, he thought.

"About three and a half months ago," he began, "all the Death Eaters received anonymous invitations by floo for a private party at our usual meeting place.  When we all arrived there the following night, we had discovered that the Dark Lord wasn't there and no one had any idea who set the meeting up.  They thought it was a set-up by the Order and everyone quickly panicked.  I assured them that the Headmaster would have said something if he had planned a secret attack on the Death Eaters. So, later that night, we were all surprised when an envelope addressed to Lucius Malfoy apparated out of thin air.  

"After he read it, he did not explain or tell anyone what the letter said, except that the Dark Lord had come up with a plan that would ensure his victory against the Headmaster, with or without Potter.  He then said that we would continue to receive invitations to more meetings.  And at each meeting, one of the Death Eater's would receive a parchment.  We never know who it is beforehand or when the next meeting is. All we know is that there are six parchments in all and three of them have already been given out.  

"Lucius Malfoy received the first.  Ruloph Macnair received the second and Demitri Dolohov received the third last night. After reading each parchment they immediately threw it in the hearth, as you may have noticed from the smell of burnt parchment when you arrived last night.  They said nothing more of the letter and no one was to ask of the contents of these parchments."

"Do you have any idea what was on those parchments?" Hermione asked.

Snape stood up from the desk and walked around to his seat and pulled something from the drawers. He walked back to her and tossed her a few newspaper clippings of the Daily Prophet.  She noticed some were nearly four months old.  She looked through each one thoroughly and began to understand where the Professor was talking about.

"I believe those disappearances and events had something to do with what was on those parchments, except I can not prove it.  My theories are no good to anyone, but the Headmaster agrees with me."

Hermione went through each clipping thoroughly in hopes of catching something Snape might have missed. One clipping was of a wizard who lived as a muggle and died when he accidentally drove his car off a bridge.  The others were of break-ins at the Ministry lab, homes, kidnappings, some minor accidents, and deaths.

As you already know, I suspect that Lucius Malfoy knows when the Order meets.  I also believe that he has something else up his sleeve.  But that is not for you to worry about."

Hermione sitting at the edge of her seat was on an unusual high, hyped from the valuable information entrusted to her.

"Pettigrew is another story. About five months ago we were told that he betrayed the Dark Lord and gave information on him and the Death Eaters to someone at the Ministry.  We were given specific orders to find him and kill him.  After telling the Headmaster this, he wanted me to find Pettigrew and bring him to Hogwarts.  Dumbledore was anxious as to know why Pettigrew betrayed the Dark Lord, but unfortunately for our side, someone had found him first. We still don't know who killed him, but I've sent Moody and Higgs to Hogervow to investigate."

"Wait!  Do you mean Terry Higgs, as in Slytherin seeker during Harry's first year on the Quidditch team," Hermione interrupted.

"Not that that is of any importance in our discussion," Snape replied bitterly, "but yes Miss Granger, it is. Higgs joined shortly after Wood joined the Order a year ago. Now, if you're through interrupting me, I want to get this over with so we can return to our quarters, and get some rest".

Hermione feeling a bit flushed simply nodded and motioned for him to continue. "Like I was saying, Moody and Higgs are over at the Hogervow village as we speak looking for anything that could lead us to Pettigrew's murderer. The Order has been working tirelessly for months to formulate a plan to counter the Dark Lord's expected attack.  But we don't know when that would be exactly. No one, not even his followers know of his whereabouts, so you're lucky, Miss Granger, that he wasn't there when you arrived last night. He would have seen right through my lies, though I have no doubt that he has somehow gotten word of your arrival and our feigned relationship."  

Snape stopped and looked at the alert student before him.  She reminded him of how she looked when she sat in his class during discussions.  He was quite grateful, though he never admitted it, that it was she he had ended getting stranded with, other than someone else, like Parkinson for one or the Weasley girl.  Merlin knows that would have been one embarrassing ordeal, he thought before continuing.  

"I know the Dark Lord has appointed someone his secret keeper.  Whoever it is, that person is the only one right now who knows of his whereabouts.  I also believe that he is also the one setting up the meetings and sending the parchments over."

"Do you have any idea who it might be?"

"No.  It's too early to tell."

Hermione watched him intently as he went on to explain the small details of the secret meetings the Death Eaters had.  

"I believe that that is all you need to know for now on this matter, Miss Granger, unless you have any other questions."  

Hermione cleared her throat and nodded in reply. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do."

"What?" Severus said resignedly.  

"What are we going to do with Malfoy?  I assume his father will notify him soon and tell him to keep an eye on us and report back to him immediately."

"Yes, I haven't forgotten about Mr. Malfoy, but we can't spring it out on him, yet.  It'll be too obvious and we have to be subtle.  When I figure something out, I'll let you know."

"Well, I think we should come up with a situation now.  Something where it's just the three of us alone, say like in detention.  That would be perfect for us to sort of fool him into believing there's something going on without being too obvious Professor."

Snape looked at her intently and pondered for a moment on the significance of this idea.  He knew detention was the universal technique for dirty-scheming between students and their teachers.  Merlin knows how hackneyed that method was, but it was, for the moment, their only option.  It was also probably their best bet at getting Malfoy alone with them without rousing any suspicions.  He asked her to go on.

"See, if I know Malfoy, he won't need an invitation to pick on me.  Tomorrow, I'm almost sure that he'll have something immature and idiotic to say about my hair or my being Muggle and so forth.  So, all I have to do this time is defend myself and get us in detention.  It's quite easy, you see."

"Defend yourself?  I don't know where you've been for the past six years, Miss Granger, but have you ever seen me give Mr. Malfoy detention, once in all his years here," he said with a hint of iniquity laced in his voice.  He was quite happy to find a flaw in her plan, despite his decision to use it.

"Well, then we'll just have to wait till we have double transfiguration on Wednesday for Professor McGonagall to put us in detention.  We probably won't need to inform her, because unlike you, she will put him in detention.

"Fine, he snapped.  "Expect detention on Wednesday with me, although I will have to notify McGonagall anyways, because you have forgotten to remember that there are various numbers of detentions.  You might not be lucky enough as to receive one that day with me," he said with a smile spread across his gaunt face.

'Damn him', she cursed after her obvious struggle in some equality with the bastard. 

"Now if you've no other queries, we have other matters to discuss," he said impatiently, anxious to get back to his quarters.

"Actually, Professor, I do have one more question."

"What is it now?"

"Well, I noticed that you forgot to tell me about the potion."

"What potion?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"The one the Headmaster was talking about last night.  The one you needed the aconite for.  What potion is that?"

"That, Miss Granger is between the Headmaster and me and does not, in any way, concern you."

"And what of Professor Sinistra?" she pushed her luck.  "What about her?"

"That also is none of your business," he snapped, the anger permeated back into his voice.

Hermione knew that her last two questions had angered Snape, so she left it at that and continued their discussions for the next two hours before they both realized that it had gotten really late.

Snape forced Hermione to save whatever other questions she had for later.  He sent her to get some rest, feeling relieved himself that she would finally leave his dungeons. 

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," she said as she walked towards the door.  But before she left, she could not resist turning around and giving Severus one last comment she was sure would have earned her a smack in the face.

"Professor."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Miss Granger, what is it now?" he said exhaustedly.

"I just thought I'd let you know that you look much better in white, than in your usual black garb."  A chagrined smile flitted across her face when she saw the anger plastered all over his.  She left before he had the chance to lash out.  She grinned all the way back to her room.  She never knew how much fun it was to anger him and know that he could not do much about it. 

She almost thought it cute.
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