The Dark's Mistress
~
Chapter Three
By Alicia Marie Jennings
~
~Well the good old days
May not return
And the rocks might melt
And the sea may burn...
I'm learning to fly
But I ain't got wings
Coming down
Is the hardest thing...~
-Tom Petty, "Learning to Fly"
**It is a few days after Christmas**
Severus Snape awoke suddenly, covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat. Next to him, Hermione slept peacefully under the warm coverlet. Then there was a sudden, sharp pain in his left arm, telling him why he'd awoken. He carefully slid out of the bed, grabbing his clothes and dressing in the semi-darkness, pulling on his black robes and then grabbing his mask. Before putting it on, he awoke Hermione.
"Mmmm....." Hermione stirred, opening her eyes a tiny bit. "Wha -" She was cut off by a huge yawn. "Whassamatter?"
"I've been Summoned." He watched her eyes grow round as she jolted into the world of wakefulness. "There is a jar of Floo powder on the hearth. After I depart, I want you to go to Dumbledore's office, tell him what has happened, and stay there until I return, do you understand? No jaunts with Mr. Potter or any other of your Gryffindor friends."
She gave him one of her infamous looks of disdain as she threw off the covers and grabbed her robe, throwing it on over her pajamas. "Yes, sir....please be careful," she added, turning to face him.
He paused before grasping the Portkey long enough to look into her eyes. "I promise," he whispered, before vanishing, and leaving a seventeen-year-old girl to wait and worry.
Hermione took a pinch of Floo powder and threw it into the dying flames, which rose high once more. "Dumbledore's Office!"
~
Snape walked quickly to the circle of black-clad figures congregated near a clump of menacing-looking trees. The sky was midnight black, and there was no moon. The only bit of light given was from the millions of twinkling stars - and the stars looked entirely too cheerful, in his opinion. He hated the confines of his mask - it felt as though he were suffocating. That's what this charade was doing...suffocating him slowly....
"Ahh, Severus. You've finally arrived...now we can commence," said Voldemort, walking to the center of the circle. "Give us your report on the Mudblood friend of Potter's."
Severus inwardly winced at the crude term. "Well, over the past month, my lord, I have commenced a relationship with her. She has recently moved into my quarters. I believe she trusts me completely, my lord, which means that I can ask her whatever you wish to know."
There were murmurrs of assent among the death eaters. "Tell me," said a voice, which Snape quickly recognized as Lucius Malfoy's, "Is she a good lay? Because when we're through with her, I wish her to be mine for a period of time....she's quite attractive for a Mudblood."
Snape wanted to scream, but instead forced out, "A little inexperienced, but a fast learner." Oh, Hermione was going to kill him...but first he wanted to kill the entire Malfoy clan.
Luckily, he was spared any more commentary by Voldemort - if that was lucky. "I want to know her parents' names, if she has siblings...and if she has any interest whatsoever in the Dark Arts."
Severus kneeled in front of Voldemort. "Consider it done, my lord."
"Very well, I knew I could count on you...you are dismissed, so that Muggle-lover Dumbledore doesn't wonder where you've been....we'll have another meeting soon."
"Yes, my lord," said Severus, before touching the Portkey in his pocket and racing back to Hogwarts.
~
Hermione paced the floor of Dumbledore's office, her arms crossed over her chest, her face furrowed in a frown. Dumbledore once again tried to offer her a sweet, but she refused, and resumed her pacing.
"You know, with all your pacing, you remind me a lot of Severus," said Dumbledore, amused.
Hermione gave him a dubious look a lot like the one she'd given Snape earlier. "We aren't entirely un-alike, he and I, Professor, although I sometimes hate to admit it."
Dumbledore smiled. "Let it be known that a Gryffindor has just compared herself to the Head of Slytherin."
"A historical event," added Hermione, giving him a small smile. Then, she resumed her pacing. What could be going on? Was Snape being tortured? Were they asking for information about her? Were they planning an attack? Sighing, Hermione uncrossed her arms, forcing herself to keep them at her sides. She soon gave up and let the tension return.
"You aren't going to make him return any faster by pacing, Miss Granger. Perhaps you would take a nap on the couch?"
"No, sir, but thank you. Unless I am keeping you up."
"Not at all," said Dumbledore, unwrapping a Hershey's Kiss (his newest favorite) and popping it in his mouth. "I am used to having to wait up these long nights for Severus, Miss Granger. I have done so for the past two years, and I will do it until he is done. It is for me that he does this, although I have tried to convince him to not return these past few months. I fear for him, Miss Granger, I will not lie to you. He is in danger. But all we can do is hope and pray for his safe return." Dumbledore smiled, beginning to unwrap another sweet. "And if I know Severus, he will fight and fight to see he makes it back."
Hermione smiled. The Headmaster certainly knew Severus was headstrong. She'd only been with him a month, but she'd made that deduction a while ago that he was extremely stubborn. She was lost in her thoughts when a knock on the door sounded.
"Enter," Dumbledore called.
Severus practically ran in, his mask clutched in his hand tightly. "Where's Hermione? Is she safe? Is she all right?"
"Severus, I'm right here," said Hermione gently, coming into his line of vision.
He grabbed her shoulders. "Hermione, you've got to go into hiding. You're not safe! They're asking me for information...about your parents, siblings, if you have a possible interest in the Dark Arts....they want you to join them!"
Hermione took his hands, gently removing them from her somewhat bruised shoulders, and held them. "Severus, I'm not hiding. I have to get my education, I have my friends....my family is hidden, we can give the Death Eaters fake names." She continued to hold his hands, which were shaking, in her own small ones. "Severus, look at me. Look me in the eye."
Slowly, a bit reluctantly, Snape looked into her brown orbs.
"Severus, if I go into hiding.....they have won. And I'll be damned if I let Voldemort get a victory over me."
Severus gave a hollow laugh. "They've already ruined your reputation, anyway."
"My reputation. But they have not ruined my life, Severus. I am still living, breathing...and I have a new friend. Severus, we can't let them win!" she said desperately.
Dumbledore, who had been silent, watching the exchange, spoke up quietly. "She is right, Severus. We'll fake some information. We cannot let them win....we cannot let the dark side triumph over us." He drew out a piece of parchment and a quill and started scribbling. "How long will this give us, Severus?"
Severus wearily ran fingers through his hair, wincing at the offending knots. "I've no idea. Anywhere from a day to two months...it's hard to say."
"What about the question of the Dark Arts? Should I be interested...or not?" asked Hermione, a bit frightened. "I mean...if I'm not, he'll kill me, if I am, he'll kill me....so..."
"You can't become a full-fledged member of the Death Eaters until you're eighteen. You won't be of age until September, am I correct?" Hermione nodded, and Dumbledore continued. "That buys us a lot of time. Therefore, I think it would be seemly for the Miss Granger we have fabricated to have a slight interest in the Dark Arts. After all, her lover is a death eater in Voldemort's closest circle."
Hermione had sat down, her face shades paler than what it had been moments ago. She was going to face Lucius Malfoy, Peter Pettigrew...she was going to face Voldemort. Her hands shook, and she clasped them together in a vain attempt to still them. Dumbledore and Snape saw her discomfort, and Dumbledore stood up from his desk, and kneeled in front of her chair. Hermione reluctantly met his eyes.
"Miss Granger," he said softly, taking her hands in his old ones, "You are one of the bravest young ladies I know. You've done so much already that no other witches your age would have done. Now I am asking you to be brave once more. I know you can do it, but will you?"
Images rushed through Hermione's head....poor Harry watching Cedric be killed by a flash of blinding green light. Her sister, Juliet, screaming as a black-clad figure loomed over her. Ron and Ginny watching in horror as their family was taken. The calm look on Snape's face as he left earlier this morning...but his eyes were deeply troubled.
She was slammed back into the world of reality. "Yes, sir. I will do whatever you or Severus wish. My actions are for the Cause. Whatever it takes."
Severus felt as if his heart would be ripped in two by the girl's sacrifice.
~
They returned to his chambers to catch a few precious hours' sleep. Hermione removed her robes, which had been thrown on over her tanktop and pajama bottoms, and was about to crawl in bed when she felt Severus' hand on her shoulder. She gasped - he'd left bruises earlier.
He looked at the marks on her shoulders and winced. "Hermione...I am so sorry....I didn't mean to - I was just upset at the moment..."
"Severus," she said gently, "It's all right. Get ready for bed, okay?"
He did as she said, and then crawled into the bed next to her. He rolled over to face her. She was still awake, and still pale. "Hermione..." he whispered, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face in an uncharacteristic guesture of care, "I promise I will do all I can to keep you safe."
"And I would do the same for you," she whispered. They were both silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Severus...what will they do to me?"
"I don't know," he whispered. "But I don't intend to let them do anything."
~
A Note from the Authoress~*~
Addressing a few questions from reviews! Okay...Lady Susyte! umm....I made Snape fairly charming because I believe that a) he does have a heart (lol) and b) You hafta consider that Hermione, a child of seventeen, has been pushed into a VERY uncomfortable situation. She's really young to be dealing with all the crap she's having to deal with. It's his way of making it a bit more comfortable for her. Thanks for your review, I appreciate it!!!
Severusgirl - She didn't really *tell* Harry about the relationship being fabricated...but Dumbledore said that the Order of the Phoenix would know the truth, and Harry's part of that...so he'd know. Thanks for your review as well!
Redone - The last chapter was an entire month after Voldemort gave Snape his task - and so every son of a death eater, as you put it (which i found quite amusing) would be expecting for *something* to happen. And that whole, "Whoops-we're-holding-hands-and-people-are-around" thing will happen...because they'll need to fuel the rumors. Thanks for your reviewl!!!
Lightning bug - CLAIRE!!! I absolutely adore recieving reviews from you! And yeah, Fanfiction.net is doing oddly funkified things on my comp as well...the only way i was able to reach the file upload thing on my account (since I've lost the top bar) was to go back on my internet history and find the page, lol...I hope it's fixed soon!
And to everyone else who reviewed.......THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! You've no idea, honestly, how great it feels to recieve a review...perhaps you'd go review my poor poems "Oh Dove" and "plea"? Considering they maybe have three reviews between both of them, lol. Okay, shutting up.
Thanks for reading! I love ya!
-Alicia Marie/Jaimes
~
Chapter Three
By Alicia Marie Jennings
~
~Well the good old days
May not return
And the rocks might melt
And the sea may burn...
I'm learning to fly
But I ain't got wings
Coming down
Is the hardest thing...~
-Tom Petty, "Learning to Fly"
**It is a few days after Christmas**
Severus Snape awoke suddenly, covered in a thin sheen of cold sweat. Next to him, Hermione slept peacefully under the warm coverlet. Then there was a sudden, sharp pain in his left arm, telling him why he'd awoken. He carefully slid out of the bed, grabbing his clothes and dressing in the semi-darkness, pulling on his black robes and then grabbing his mask. Before putting it on, he awoke Hermione.
"Mmmm....." Hermione stirred, opening her eyes a tiny bit. "Wha -" She was cut off by a huge yawn. "Whassamatter?"
"I've been Summoned." He watched her eyes grow round as she jolted into the world of wakefulness. "There is a jar of Floo powder on the hearth. After I depart, I want you to go to Dumbledore's office, tell him what has happened, and stay there until I return, do you understand? No jaunts with Mr. Potter or any other of your Gryffindor friends."
She gave him one of her infamous looks of disdain as she threw off the covers and grabbed her robe, throwing it on over her pajamas. "Yes, sir....please be careful," she added, turning to face him.
He paused before grasping the Portkey long enough to look into her eyes. "I promise," he whispered, before vanishing, and leaving a seventeen-year-old girl to wait and worry.
Hermione took a pinch of Floo powder and threw it into the dying flames, which rose high once more. "Dumbledore's Office!"
~
Snape walked quickly to the circle of black-clad figures congregated near a clump of menacing-looking trees. The sky was midnight black, and there was no moon. The only bit of light given was from the millions of twinkling stars - and the stars looked entirely too cheerful, in his opinion. He hated the confines of his mask - it felt as though he were suffocating. That's what this charade was doing...suffocating him slowly....
"Ahh, Severus. You've finally arrived...now we can commence," said Voldemort, walking to the center of the circle. "Give us your report on the Mudblood friend of Potter's."
Severus inwardly winced at the crude term. "Well, over the past month, my lord, I have commenced a relationship with her. She has recently moved into my quarters. I believe she trusts me completely, my lord, which means that I can ask her whatever you wish to know."
There were murmurrs of assent among the death eaters. "Tell me," said a voice, which Snape quickly recognized as Lucius Malfoy's, "Is she a good lay? Because when we're through with her, I wish her to be mine for a period of time....she's quite attractive for a Mudblood."
Snape wanted to scream, but instead forced out, "A little inexperienced, but a fast learner." Oh, Hermione was going to kill him...but first he wanted to kill the entire Malfoy clan.
Luckily, he was spared any more commentary by Voldemort - if that was lucky. "I want to know her parents' names, if she has siblings...and if she has any interest whatsoever in the Dark Arts."
Severus kneeled in front of Voldemort. "Consider it done, my lord."
"Very well, I knew I could count on you...you are dismissed, so that Muggle-lover Dumbledore doesn't wonder where you've been....we'll have another meeting soon."
"Yes, my lord," said Severus, before touching the Portkey in his pocket and racing back to Hogwarts.
~
Hermione paced the floor of Dumbledore's office, her arms crossed over her chest, her face furrowed in a frown. Dumbledore once again tried to offer her a sweet, but she refused, and resumed her pacing.
"You know, with all your pacing, you remind me a lot of Severus," said Dumbledore, amused.
Hermione gave him a dubious look a lot like the one she'd given Snape earlier. "We aren't entirely un-alike, he and I, Professor, although I sometimes hate to admit it."
Dumbledore smiled. "Let it be known that a Gryffindor has just compared herself to the Head of Slytherin."
"A historical event," added Hermione, giving him a small smile. Then, she resumed her pacing. What could be going on? Was Snape being tortured? Were they asking for information about her? Were they planning an attack? Sighing, Hermione uncrossed her arms, forcing herself to keep them at her sides. She soon gave up and let the tension return.
"You aren't going to make him return any faster by pacing, Miss Granger. Perhaps you would take a nap on the couch?"
"No, sir, but thank you. Unless I am keeping you up."
"Not at all," said Dumbledore, unwrapping a Hershey's Kiss (his newest favorite) and popping it in his mouth. "I am used to having to wait up these long nights for Severus, Miss Granger. I have done so for the past two years, and I will do it until he is done. It is for me that he does this, although I have tried to convince him to not return these past few months. I fear for him, Miss Granger, I will not lie to you. He is in danger. But all we can do is hope and pray for his safe return." Dumbledore smiled, beginning to unwrap another sweet. "And if I know Severus, he will fight and fight to see he makes it back."
Hermione smiled. The Headmaster certainly knew Severus was headstrong. She'd only been with him a month, but she'd made that deduction a while ago that he was extremely stubborn. She was lost in her thoughts when a knock on the door sounded.
"Enter," Dumbledore called.
Severus practically ran in, his mask clutched in his hand tightly. "Where's Hermione? Is she safe? Is she all right?"
"Severus, I'm right here," said Hermione gently, coming into his line of vision.
He grabbed her shoulders. "Hermione, you've got to go into hiding. You're not safe! They're asking me for information...about your parents, siblings, if you have a possible interest in the Dark Arts....they want you to join them!"
Hermione took his hands, gently removing them from her somewhat bruised shoulders, and held them. "Severus, I'm not hiding. I have to get my education, I have my friends....my family is hidden, we can give the Death Eaters fake names." She continued to hold his hands, which were shaking, in her own small ones. "Severus, look at me. Look me in the eye."
Slowly, a bit reluctantly, Snape looked into her brown orbs.
"Severus, if I go into hiding.....they have won. And I'll be damned if I let Voldemort get a victory over me."
Severus gave a hollow laugh. "They've already ruined your reputation, anyway."
"My reputation. But they have not ruined my life, Severus. I am still living, breathing...and I have a new friend. Severus, we can't let them win!" she said desperately.
Dumbledore, who had been silent, watching the exchange, spoke up quietly. "She is right, Severus. We'll fake some information. We cannot let them win....we cannot let the dark side triumph over us." He drew out a piece of parchment and a quill and started scribbling. "How long will this give us, Severus?"
Severus wearily ran fingers through his hair, wincing at the offending knots. "I've no idea. Anywhere from a day to two months...it's hard to say."
"What about the question of the Dark Arts? Should I be interested...or not?" asked Hermione, a bit frightened. "I mean...if I'm not, he'll kill me, if I am, he'll kill me....so..."
"You can't become a full-fledged member of the Death Eaters until you're eighteen. You won't be of age until September, am I correct?" Hermione nodded, and Dumbledore continued. "That buys us a lot of time. Therefore, I think it would be seemly for the Miss Granger we have fabricated to have a slight interest in the Dark Arts. After all, her lover is a death eater in Voldemort's closest circle."
Hermione had sat down, her face shades paler than what it had been moments ago. She was going to face Lucius Malfoy, Peter Pettigrew...she was going to face Voldemort. Her hands shook, and she clasped them together in a vain attempt to still them. Dumbledore and Snape saw her discomfort, and Dumbledore stood up from his desk, and kneeled in front of her chair. Hermione reluctantly met his eyes.
"Miss Granger," he said softly, taking her hands in his old ones, "You are one of the bravest young ladies I know. You've done so much already that no other witches your age would have done. Now I am asking you to be brave once more. I know you can do it, but will you?"
Images rushed through Hermione's head....poor Harry watching Cedric be killed by a flash of blinding green light. Her sister, Juliet, screaming as a black-clad figure loomed over her. Ron and Ginny watching in horror as their family was taken. The calm look on Snape's face as he left earlier this morning...but his eyes were deeply troubled.
She was slammed back into the world of reality. "Yes, sir. I will do whatever you or Severus wish. My actions are for the Cause. Whatever it takes."
Severus felt as if his heart would be ripped in two by the girl's sacrifice.
~
They returned to his chambers to catch a few precious hours' sleep. Hermione removed her robes, which had been thrown on over her tanktop and pajama bottoms, and was about to crawl in bed when she felt Severus' hand on her shoulder. She gasped - he'd left bruises earlier.
He looked at the marks on her shoulders and winced. "Hermione...I am so sorry....I didn't mean to - I was just upset at the moment..."
"Severus," she said gently, "It's all right. Get ready for bed, okay?"
He did as she said, and then crawled into the bed next to her. He rolled over to face her. She was still awake, and still pale. "Hermione..." he whispered, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face in an uncharacteristic guesture of care, "I promise I will do all I can to keep you safe."
"And I would do the same for you," she whispered. They were both silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Severus...what will they do to me?"
"I don't know," he whispered. "But I don't intend to let them do anything."
~
A Note from the Authoress~*~
Addressing a few questions from reviews! Okay...Lady Susyte! umm....I made Snape fairly charming because I believe that a) he does have a heart (lol) and b) You hafta consider that Hermione, a child of seventeen, has been pushed into a VERY uncomfortable situation. She's really young to be dealing with all the crap she's having to deal with. It's his way of making it a bit more comfortable for her. Thanks for your review, I appreciate it!!!
Severusgirl - She didn't really *tell* Harry about the relationship being fabricated...but Dumbledore said that the Order of the Phoenix would know the truth, and Harry's part of that...so he'd know. Thanks for your review as well!
Redone - The last chapter was an entire month after Voldemort gave Snape his task - and so every son of a death eater, as you put it (which i found quite amusing) would be expecting for *something* to happen. And that whole, "Whoops-we're-holding-hands-and-people-are-around" thing will happen...because they'll need to fuel the rumors. Thanks for your reviewl!!!
Lightning bug - CLAIRE!!! I absolutely adore recieving reviews from you! And yeah, Fanfiction.net is doing oddly funkified things on my comp as well...the only way i was able to reach the file upload thing on my account (since I've lost the top bar) was to go back on my internet history and find the page, lol...I hope it's fixed soon!
And to everyone else who reviewed.......THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!! You've no idea, honestly, how great it feels to recieve a review...perhaps you'd go review my poor poems "Oh Dove" and "plea"? Considering they maybe have three reviews between both of them, lol. Okay, shutting up.
Thanks for reading! I love ya!
-Alicia Marie/Jaimes