The tawny owl tapped at the window impatiently.
The dark figure rose from her place in the Slytherin Common Room and opened the window. She took the letter attached to the owl's leg and shooed the owl away.
She ripped the envelope open and read the letter.
Bring me the mudblood, it simply read.
"Guys, I have to go", the dark figure announced. The other two occupants of the armchairs around the fire looked up, slightly surprised. "I'll see you at dinner", the dark figure added and then left the Common Room.
+~*#
Hermione lay on her bed at the Infirmary and stared at the ceiling.
She would have to speak to Professor Dumbledore about that. And what about school? She had N.E.W.T.s to write in five months. She couldn't miss them. She just couldn't. She would have to find a way to go on studying. After all, she was Hermione Granger, she couldn't live without studying.
Oh my God, what would her parents say? They didn't even know about that incident at Haloween. She didn't have a boyfriend. How could she explain to them how she got pregnant?
'This is all too confusing,' Hermione thought. 'I have to talk to Severus first. He'll know what to do.'
"Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione called.
"Yes, dear?" Madam Pomfrey came out of her office, a confident smile on her face. "Do you need anything?"
"No," Hermione replied. "But I have to go. I mean, if you don't have any objections." Hermione drew a breath. "I have to tell… I need to…" She broke off. Due to one of Severus' Obliviates, Madam Pomfrey didn't remember anything from what happened Halloween. She couldn't just say that one of her Professors had got her pregnant. Besides, Madam Pomfrey had a crush on Severus. "The father of this child has the right to know," she said. 'Oh yeah, that sounded lame,' she thought to herself.
Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Of course, dear. But you have to come back, best bring the father along, and I will have to inform Professor Dumbledore."
"Yes, I understand," Hermione said and stood up. She faked a smile and went out of the Infirmary.
+~*#
Severus was on his way to the Infirmary to check on Hermione when he came across Peeves, who was throwing balloons filled with paint at the walls.
"Peeves," Severus snarled, glaring at the poltergeist. But Peeves didn't react.
"Peeves!" Severus bellowed. Peeves turned around, a sack with balloons in his right hand and a blue balloon in his left. He raised his left arm as if he was going to throw.
"Oh, no. Don't you dare throw that at me!" Severus said in a low, menacing voice. "I swear I will exorcize you this time!"
Peeves seemed to consider his options. He could risk being exorcized or he could just leave it and terrorize someone else. Peeves shrugged and floated down the corridor, still throwing his paint-bombs.
Severus stared after Peeves. That poltergeist tempted him to exorcize him at least once a week. Until now, Dumbledore had always managed to talk him out of it. Something about atmosphere and 'Peeves belongs to Hogwarts'. Rubbish, in his opinion, but Headmaster was Headmaster.
"Severus," someone said behind him in a flat voice. He turned around.
"Hermione?" He was shocked at how pale and agitated she looked. "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the Infirmary?"
She shook her head. "I need to talk to you."
She looked troubled by something. "Why don't you go down to my chambers and make us a cup of tea?"
She nodded warily. She seemed preoccupied with something more important. 'Maybe I should give her time to get her thoughts in order,' he thought. "I have to get someone stop Peeves from re-painting the school," he said, gesturing towards the colourful walls. Hermione only now seemed to notice that the once colour-free stone walls were covered in a coat of paint.
"Oh," was all she had to say.
"I'll come down as soon as I can. Is that okay with you?"
She nodded again. 'Strange,' he thought.
"Really? We could talk right here, if you want," he offered.
"No! I mean… we should do this in private… it has to do with what happened at Halloween," she said, a nervous edge to her voice.
Regarding her with a sceptical look, Severus nodded. "Then I'll see you in a few minutes."
Hermione nodded again, and left, shoulders slumped and with a depressed expression on her face.
+~*#
Hermione could have slapped herself.
"Oh, great Hermione," she murmured as she made her way down to the dungeons. "That went just great!"
She had tried to tell Severus, right then and there. But then her courage had faltered and she just couldn't. She couldn't say a word, let alone a whole sentence. And least of all the sentence: "I'm pregnant with your child!"
Angry with herself and not knowing how to tell him, she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. She reached the entrance to the dungeons and went down the stairs, the echo of her steps making only little sound.
And still preoccupied with the situation at hand, she didn't notice the dark figure coming towards her.
She didn't see how the figure looked up, smiled and took out the wand that had been hidden in the sleeve of the black robe.
"Petrificus Totalus!" the figure yelled and Hermione couldn't move anymore. She fell to the ground, her whole body bound. She tried to see who had hexed her, but she couldn't move her neck.
A cruel laugh almost made the blood in her veins freeze. She knew that voice. But how… And why… It wasn't…
The hooded figure came closer to Hermione and muttered a spell to levitate her stiff body.
Floating in mid-air, Hermione could now see the face of her attacker and found her suspicion confirmed.
She wanted to ask: "Why?" but not a sound came from her lips.
"Oh, you want to know why?", the figure asked.
Hermione tried very hard to nod, but her rigid muscles didn't move. Tears started to dwell up in her eyes.
The figure's mouth twisted into a malicious grin. "Crying, are we? Well, no Potter here to save you, mudblood." The figure directed Hermione's floating form towards one of the side entrances. Casting a Concealment Charm over the two of them, they stepped outside and turned towards Hogwarts' gates.
"Well, let's see how you like the company of my master," the figure laughed. "He's quite the charmer, actually."
But Hermione shivered (as much as she could in a full body-bind). She just hoped that Severus would discover her disappearance soon enough to save her in time.
+~*#
"Hermione?," Severus asked, stepping into his living room. No one there. "'Mione? Are you here?" he tried again, a little louder. Still no answer.
He checked every room but there was no sign of Hermione.
Silently, he stood in his living room and thought about Hermione. Where could she have gone? Back to the Infirmary? Possible. She really hadn't looked healthy. To her room? Maybe she needed something from there?
Oddly enough, he couldn't detect Hermione's scent in his quarters. She hadn't been there for a week and if she had been there earlier that day, he surely would have smelled that. Her unique scent wasn't covered up easily.
No, she hadn't been in here.
But where was she?
He decided to check the Infirmary first.
+~*#
A good two hours later, it was clear that Hermione Granger was missing. She was nowhere inside the castle and Hagrid had searched the grounds but found no sign either.
She had just disappeared.
Harry and Ginny were sitting in Dumbledore's private rooms on the sofa while Ron was pacing back and forth, impatiently.
They could hear the whisper of voices coming from Dumbledore's office. Professors Snape and McGonagall were arguing about something, voices raised but still muffled – due to a spell, as Harry suspected – and Dumbledore's low, calming voice could be heard now and then, obviously trying to mediate.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock. The voice of Madam Pomfrey could be heard, and then the door opened and Professors Snape and McGonagall entered the room. They each took one of the armchairs.
No one said a word, all waiting in silence for something to happen.
The door opened again and Professor Dumbledore entered his rooms, closely followed by a serious-looking Madam Pomfrey.
"Severus," the Headmaster called.
Professor Snape looked up. He seemed worried and preoccupied with something. "Yes?"
"I need to talk to you, in my office," Dumbledore said. His eyes had lost their mischievous twinkle.
With a puzzled expression on his face, Snape rose from his seat.
"Professor," Madam Pomfrey asked, "wouldn't it be better to talk to Minerva instead? I don't see why you would want to speak with Severus about that matter."
Harry and Ginny exchanged puzzled looks. What was going on? Ron didn't seem to notice anything that was going on around him. He was busy walking from the fireplace to the sofa and back, with an occasional stop at the coat-rack, muttering something unintelligible under his breath.
"No, Poppy, you will have to trust me with this." Dumbledore's voice sounded very firm and he made clear that he wouldn't tolerate any contradiction. Gesturing Severus to enter his office, he left the rest of them in awkward silence.
+~*#
"Severus," Dumbledore began. "Miss Granger asked to speak to you?"
"Yes," Severus replied, wondering what this was all about. "I met her in the corridor that leads to the Infirmary. That was right before I came to report you about Peeves. By the way, has he stopped trying to re-decorate the castle?"
"Er, yes. But only after I promised to bring a little colour to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said. "But that's not the point. Poppy just informed me that Hermione came to her last night and seemed fine again this morning. Until she got sick again." Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him and looked Severus directly into the eyes. "Miss Granger is carrying a child, your child, I suppose."
Shock. That was all he was capable of right now. What did he say? Hermione pregnant? With his child? He couldn't believe it. But thinking about it… it couldn't be possible!
"But that's impossible!" he exclaimed.
"Are you sure? So you took precautions?" Dumbledore asked.
"No, but it wasn't necessary," Severus said. Upon seeing Dumbledore's puzzled look, he added, "It's the potion. It prevents that a woman conceives a child while under the influence of the potion. I couldn't be the-" He broke off. "Except… we..." He cleared his throat. "After we took the antidote, we… Merlin's beard!"
Severus was glad he already sat. Otherwise, he suspected, his legs wouldn't have supported his weight any longer. They felt rather shaky. He felt rather shaky, damnit! He was going to be a father.
It didn't seem real.
"Severus, I know you are confused, and overwhelmed by this news," Dumbledore started, but Severus interrupted him by standing up suddenly. His face was once more the unreadable mask of 'Snape-the-bastard'.
"Right now, it is important that we find Miss Granger and can assure her safety," he said, his voice calm and free of emotion. "I suggest that Minerva and Miss Weasley go to the girls' dormitory and file through Miss Granger's things. Maybe they will find a note or anything that helps us find her. I will go to my quarters to retrieve my winter cloak and maybe Hagrid and I could once again search the grounds. Mr. Potter and his map could check if Miss Granger is still inside the castle. Madam Pomfrey should be ready to attend to possible wounds. And Mr. Weasley… well, I don't think he will be of much use, anyways."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that sounds like a plan to me."
"Good," Severus said and went to the door. Pausing, he turned back to Dumbledore and said, "Maybe the news of Miss Granger's pregnancy should be kept secret, for the time being. It would only increase the students level of worry." He knew it increased his.
"I will await you in the Entrance Hall with Mr. Potter and the map," Dumbledore replied.
+~*#
Hermione awoke slowly. She had a headache and her wrists hurt. She opened her eyes, but all she could see was darkness.
After a few minutes, her eyes had adjusted to the light arrangements and she could make out a faint light at the far end of the room.
Trying to turn her head to see a bit more, a searing pain shot through her head, blinding her for the moment.
She groaned softly.
"Ah, you're awake," a voice said somewhere to her right. She didn't respond.
A low chuckle could be heard. "Being stubborn, are we?" the voice said and murmured a spell. At once, all the torches lit up, blinding Hermione again. She closed her eyes.
Suddenly, a cold hand tilted up her chin and a slim body was pressed against hers.
She struggled to get away, but she couldn't move – partly because of the body pinning her to the cold wall, partly because she was chained up.
"There, there, wildcat," the man chuckled. He seemed to like all of this.
Hermione forced her eyes open, ignoring the pain and the tears dwelling up immediately because of the light. She found herself staring into Lucius Malfoy's cold blue eyes.
He looked a little dishevelled, unshaved and with messy hair. The year at Azkaban hadn't improved his looks in the slightest. He was thin, almost gaunt. And he had a glimmer of insanity in his eyes.
"What do you want?" she asked, her trembling voice betraying her cool appearance.
"Revenge," he answered.
"And what do you need me for?" She tried to work out a way to free herself. She couldn't reach for her wand, but she was sure Lucius had taken it from her, anyways.
"Trying to find a way out?" he asked. He draw nearer and his tongue flickered out. He licked her chin, up to her cheek and tried to kiss her.
She turned her head away, but he cupped her face and forced her to stay still.
She felt his lips on hers and then his tongue, forcing its way into her mouth. She was determined not to open her mouth, but again, he forced her to.
It was disgusting. He pressed his body to hers, and she could feel his erection. Her eyes widened and she did the first thing that came to her mind.
She bit his lip.
He pulled away, holding his mouth. "Bitch!" he screamed and slapped her hard.
She could taste blood and her cheek felt hot and numb. Tears came to her eyes once again.
Then another figure came out of the dark, satnding next to Lucius Malfoy.
"Well, Granger, whining again?"
And Hermione prayed for help.
+~*#
Harry looked at the map over and over again. He didn't see a spot named 'Hermione Granger', as much as he wanted to.
"Professor Snape is coming," he said to Ron, Hagrid and Dumbledore.
The four of them stood in the Entrance Hall, dressed in winter cloaks. Ron and Harry had asked to come along and search for Hermione. They wanted to do something… anything was better than just standing around and waiting for something to happen.
A few seconds later, Professor Snape entered the Entrance Hall, his winter cloak in hand. When he pulled it on, he frowned and took something out of his pocket.
His frown deepened. He muttered the spell that turned the tiny bags to their normal size. But his concentration wasn't the best, so he knocked one of them over. All his books slid out of the bag and spread across the floor.
"Blast," he murmured. "Mr. Weasley, could you please collect my things and bring them down to my classroom?" he said in his classroom-voice, as Hermione called it. Of course he had intended to get rid off Weasley. The boy wasn't any use in his present state of mind. He couldn't think straight because of all his fears and worries.
"But, Professor," Ron protested. "Why-"
"You will do what I say," Severus snapped and turned to leave. Dumbledore eyed him knowingly, but Severus didn't mind. He was used to Dumbledore knowing everything that was going on.
"But-" Ron started again, but this time he was cut off by no other than Albus Dumbledore himself.
"Mr. Weasley, I am sure you could collect Professor Snape's books. It would help us a great deal," he said. "And you know how much Miss Granger would hate it that good books like these are lying on the floor. I think one or two of them even belong to her, right, Severus?"
"Yes, actually. She asked me to get her a book." Severus looked impatient. He couldn't stand the thought of something bad happening to Hermione. He had to remind himself that Voldemort was dead, or he would go insane at the thought of what he would have done to her.
Cursing almost inaudible, Ron bent down and started to collect Snape's books. He was highly furious that he was left to do a house elf's work. 'Yes, right,' he thought. 'Go and find Hermione without me. Not that it mattered anyways, she doesn't even like me. Hasn't talked to me in days…' Touching a small book, wrapped in brown paper, he felt a tingling sensation in his stomach. A sickening feeling made him gasp and then the world around him disappeared. He closed his eyes. Maybe the others had been right. He wasn't in the condition to do anything. Now he was imagining that Snape carried portkeys in his bags.
Still clutching the book in one hand, he slowly opened his eyes.
What he saw nearly made him faint – Hermione was chained to a wall, a violet bruise on her cheek – and Lucius Malfoy was standing next to her. Pansy Parkinson – 'Pansy?', he wondered – was sitting at a table, watching them with interest and obvious respect and worship for Malfoy senior.
When he appeared out of nowhere, Lucius Malfoy looked up.
"Now that's a surprise," he said, clearly awaiting someone else. "But I suppose you're just as well. Sooner or later, Severus will come here."
And he laughed.
Ron wanted to shut out the sound of this voice, but he couldn't.
A/N: Still no 'action' in this chapter. But next. I think.
However, I considered the idea that everyone might think Hermione harmed herself (you know, because of her pregnancy and her confusion) but then dismissed it. It's rather unlikely, don't you think?
I won't be able to post anything for the whole next week. Actually, I won't have Internet for a week maybe even more) because I move to another town. But that doesn't keep me from writing… so as soon as I can, I will post the next chapter.
@ dama-de-tinieblas: I post this as a sequel because I finished with Paper & Ink. I didn't want to continue, that's why I ended the storyline concerning the Potion. Everything went back to normal. But my friends didn't think so. They told me to go on, repeatedly, and in a very… convincing way. I didn't want to continue it as Paper & Ink because it is darker and somehow different (I can't really explain it in English, I lack the right words). Besides, it takes place a few months later, so there's a time difference as well.
Okay, I hope you understand this.
@ everyone else: I'm glad you like it so far. Have fun with this chapters. Bye.
donotsrock