"Let go of me," she commanded, confident in the power of her curse.
Hermione could feel his grasp falter for a moment before returning to its
original strength, if not harder.
"I've been a Deatheater since I became of age. Do you honestly think I've never been a victim of Imperio?"
Hermione cursed herself for not running when she had the chance.
"Mmm," Snape moaned, pulling her hair and inhaling the scent of his hostage before throwing her across the room with suprising strength.
Hermione landed against a small stack of bookshelves. The back of her head had taken most of the impact of the fall, causing her mind to blur for a moment between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her eyes opened wide as he strode toward her in slow steps.
"I've tried, my dear, I really have," he began. "I've tried to love you despite the things you do, but..." he sighed, rubbing the wounded left side of his head, "You've gone too far. I can't let you leave."
He plucked the wand from the hiding place in the bookshelves with ease and never took his eyes off her. He aimed it at Hermione with a devilish smile that seeped forgiveness. "Goodnight, Hermione."
Hermione opened her mouth in preparation for a scream as a light shot from the tip of Snape's wand and hit her in the chest. She felt as if she was falling backwards with the familiar feeling of something latched to her navel and dragging her down. But there was no end or portkey on the other side, only darkness and the feeling of cold enveloped her.
Meanwhile, Remus had chaperoned the three mourning students back to their Common Room. Once inside the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ron took an immediate seat in his usual over stuffed chair next to the fireplace and rested his face in his hands.
Harry clenched and unclenched his hands as he had done all night as a tearful Ginny buried her face in his chest.
"What's wrong?" Neville asked, coming down the steps of the Boy's Dorm in his usual night time attire- a light blue one piece pajama, including footies. He rubbed his eyes open and gave a slight yawn. "Why are you guys so upset?"
Ginny took her face out of Harry's chest and looked at Neville, "Hermione.." she began before breaking into another sob.
Neville's eyes opened widely, "Is she okay? She's okay, right?" he asked, his eyes begging them to say yes, but Harry merely shook his head no. Neville stood in shock for a moment before quickly walking towards the door, "I want to go see her." He demanded, but Harry held out an arm to stop him.
"It's too late." He said sadly.
Neville looked at Harry, as if he was unable to comprehend what was just said. "Is she--" he began. Harry nodded his head.
"She's dead." Neville said to himself as the reality of the situation set in. His jaw clenched and Harry thought he saw tears swell up in the corner of his eyes.
"Who did it?" He asked Harry.
Harry fought the urge to tell him that that sick, murdering bastard of Severus Snape had done it, but remembered Remus reminding him that he had no proof and didn't want anyone else to suffer the fight between wanting to kill Snape and remaining calm for the safety of themselves.
"We don't know." Harry admitted with reluctance in his throat.
Ginny's whimpers were audible and Harry patted her back, "It's going to be ok, Gin." He said, trying to reassure himself simultaneously.
A few more students had heard the conversation taking place downstairs and were appearing at the top of the steps spiraling down from the Boy's and the Girl's Dormitories.
"What's all the noise about?" A short Colin Creevy asked.
"Yeah, What's going on?" Lavendar asked from the opposite side of the room with her hands on her hips and obviously perturbed that her much needed beauty sleep had been so rudely interrupted.
Harry looked up at all the faces looking down at him for an answer, but his mouth went dry.
"Hermione is dead." Neville said in a barely audible tone of voice.
"What?" Creevy asked, "Hermione is dead?"
There were gasps from the common room as people's eyes opened widely or covered their mouth with their hands in shock.
The students began slowly filing down the steps, talking amongst their selves.
"Who did it?" Someone yelled from the back of the small crowd, presumably the obnoxiously loud third year girl with red pig tails.
"We don't know" Harry announced over the crowd.
More conversations began amongst the group of Gryffindors and Harry happened to pick up on a sly comment coming from the mouth of a smug Parvati Patil with her arms over crossed over her chest. "Personally, I'm glad she's dead. Maybe I have a chance as Head Girl now." She said quietly to her confidant, Lavendar.
Even Lavender looked up at her in surprise.
"What?" Parvati asked innocently, but before she knew it, a blur of red tackled her.
"Take it back!" Ginny demanded, crouched on top of the body of the above mentioned Miss Patil. "Take it back!" she repeated, grasping on to her hair and yanking it down, causing the back of her head to meet the cold stone floor with a vegence.
The crowd separated, allowing full view of the redhead's fury. Ron got up from his seat and helped Harry pull his sister off the girl protecting her face with her hands.
"Ginny! Calm down!" Ron demanded, not hearing what had provoked the fight.
"That's right, you little bitch," Parvati began as she stood to her feet feeling confidant that the two boys had a tight grip on the other girl, "I said I'm glad she's dead!" she said smugly to the shock of everyone else in the crowd who hadn't witnessed the spats between Hermione and Parvati.
Parvati smiled and turned on her heel, "Maybe I can go back to sleep now."
In shock, Ron loosened his grip on his sister and with a smile, Harry knowingly let go, allowing the full fury of Ginny Weasley to be unleashed. Ginny ran and tackled the girl from the back. Holding her head and trying to bang it against the floor. Parvati rolled over as Ginny gave numerous right hooks to her face and put two hands around Ginny's neck. Ginny did the same, her face going red due to a lack of oxygen.
In the midst of the brawl, Parvati ended up on top, slapping Ginny's hands away from her neck and holding them down with her right hand as she slapped the other girl with her left.
Parvati was yanked off of Ginny who was soon restrained again. Parvati gave Ginny a side look and ran to her dormitory, crying loudly.
Ginny was so upset she just crawled in a chair and pulled her legs against her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I've been a Deatheater since I became of age. Do you honestly think I've never been a victim of Imperio?"
Hermione cursed herself for not running when she had the chance.
"Mmm," Snape moaned, pulling her hair and inhaling the scent of his hostage before throwing her across the room with suprising strength.
Hermione landed against a small stack of bookshelves. The back of her head had taken most of the impact of the fall, causing her mind to blur for a moment between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her eyes opened wide as he strode toward her in slow steps.
"I've tried, my dear, I really have," he began. "I've tried to love you despite the things you do, but..." he sighed, rubbing the wounded left side of his head, "You've gone too far. I can't let you leave."
He plucked the wand from the hiding place in the bookshelves with ease and never took his eyes off her. He aimed it at Hermione with a devilish smile that seeped forgiveness. "Goodnight, Hermione."
Hermione opened her mouth in preparation for a scream as a light shot from the tip of Snape's wand and hit her in the chest. She felt as if she was falling backwards with the familiar feeling of something latched to her navel and dragging her down. But there was no end or portkey on the other side, only darkness and the feeling of cold enveloped her.
Meanwhile, Remus had chaperoned the three mourning students back to their Common Room. Once inside the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ron took an immediate seat in his usual over stuffed chair next to the fireplace and rested his face in his hands.
Harry clenched and unclenched his hands as he had done all night as a tearful Ginny buried her face in his chest.
"What's wrong?" Neville asked, coming down the steps of the Boy's Dorm in his usual night time attire- a light blue one piece pajama, including footies. He rubbed his eyes open and gave a slight yawn. "Why are you guys so upset?"
Ginny took her face out of Harry's chest and looked at Neville, "Hermione.." she began before breaking into another sob.
Neville's eyes opened widely, "Is she okay? She's okay, right?" he asked, his eyes begging them to say yes, but Harry merely shook his head no. Neville stood in shock for a moment before quickly walking towards the door, "I want to go see her." He demanded, but Harry held out an arm to stop him.
"It's too late." He said sadly.
Neville looked at Harry, as if he was unable to comprehend what was just said. "Is she--" he began. Harry nodded his head.
"She's dead." Neville said to himself as the reality of the situation set in. His jaw clenched and Harry thought he saw tears swell up in the corner of his eyes.
"Who did it?" He asked Harry.
Harry fought the urge to tell him that that sick, murdering bastard of Severus Snape had done it, but remembered Remus reminding him that he had no proof and didn't want anyone else to suffer the fight between wanting to kill Snape and remaining calm for the safety of themselves.
"We don't know." Harry admitted with reluctance in his throat.
Ginny's whimpers were audible and Harry patted her back, "It's going to be ok, Gin." He said, trying to reassure himself simultaneously.
A few more students had heard the conversation taking place downstairs and were appearing at the top of the steps spiraling down from the Boy's and the Girl's Dormitories.
"What's all the noise about?" A short Colin Creevy asked.
"Yeah, What's going on?" Lavendar asked from the opposite side of the room with her hands on her hips and obviously perturbed that her much needed beauty sleep had been so rudely interrupted.
Harry looked up at all the faces looking down at him for an answer, but his mouth went dry.
"Hermione is dead." Neville said in a barely audible tone of voice.
"What?" Creevy asked, "Hermione is dead?"
There were gasps from the common room as people's eyes opened widely or covered their mouth with their hands in shock.
The students began slowly filing down the steps, talking amongst their selves.
"Who did it?" Someone yelled from the back of the small crowd, presumably the obnoxiously loud third year girl with red pig tails.
"We don't know" Harry announced over the crowd.
More conversations began amongst the group of Gryffindors and Harry happened to pick up on a sly comment coming from the mouth of a smug Parvati Patil with her arms over crossed over her chest. "Personally, I'm glad she's dead. Maybe I have a chance as Head Girl now." She said quietly to her confidant, Lavendar.
Even Lavender looked up at her in surprise.
"What?" Parvati asked innocently, but before she knew it, a blur of red tackled her.
"Take it back!" Ginny demanded, crouched on top of the body of the above mentioned Miss Patil. "Take it back!" she repeated, grasping on to her hair and yanking it down, causing the back of her head to meet the cold stone floor with a vegence.
The crowd separated, allowing full view of the redhead's fury. Ron got up from his seat and helped Harry pull his sister off the girl protecting her face with her hands.
"Ginny! Calm down!" Ron demanded, not hearing what had provoked the fight.
"That's right, you little bitch," Parvati began as she stood to her feet feeling confidant that the two boys had a tight grip on the other girl, "I said I'm glad she's dead!" she said smugly to the shock of everyone else in the crowd who hadn't witnessed the spats between Hermione and Parvati.
Parvati smiled and turned on her heel, "Maybe I can go back to sleep now."
In shock, Ron loosened his grip on his sister and with a smile, Harry knowingly let go, allowing the full fury of Ginny Weasley to be unleashed. Ginny ran and tackled the girl from the back. Holding her head and trying to bang it against the floor. Parvati rolled over as Ginny gave numerous right hooks to her face and put two hands around Ginny's neck. Ginny did the same, her face going red due to a lack of oxygen.
In the midst of the brawl, Parvati ended up on top, slapping Ginny's hands away from her neck and holding them down with her right hand as she slapped the other girl with her left.
Parvati was yanked off of Ginny who was soon restrained again. Parvati gave Ginny a side look and ran to her dormitory, crying loudly.
Ginny was so upset she just crawled in a chair and pulled her legs against her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.