The Dark's Mistress
~
Chapter Four
By Alicia Jennings
~
Well the conversations ring in my head
I remember everything that we said
All those tears that we shed...
Well you know me better than I know myself
Will you write this for me
He says no, you write your songs yourself
That made me stronger
It made me hold on to me
-Stevie Nicks "That Made Me Stronger"
~
The term had started around two weeks ago. Hermione got more and more suspicious looks as every day passed, and felt as though facing Voldemort would be a cinch if she could just get past the glares of her peers.
Snape had been Summoned shortly after that night she'd made her decision, and Voldemort had requested her presence at a...."party" that was to be held in two weeks' time. As the date drew closer, she became more and more anxious. She didn't know what they expected of her, but she was pretty damn sure that it was not going to be fun at all.
"Good morning," she murmurred, sitting down in between Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table. "How are you two?"
"Fine," Harry answered in a falsely cheerful way. She saw the look in his eyes, and deciphered it. She immediately knew she was probably in deep sh-
"What is the matter with you?!" Ron exploded. Half the Great Hall turned to look at the trio, and Hermione suddenly felt very, very uncomfortable.
"What are you talking about, Ronald Weasley?" she snapped, her voice steely.
"You know as good as hell what I'm talking about, Hermione! There's bloody rumors going around that you're sleeping with Snape! You've moved out of Gryffindor tower, and you're seen slunking around the dungeons after class hours, and worst of all, EVERYONE'S BLOODY SAYING THAT YOU'RE FU-"
"Mister Weasley!" a voice snapped. "That will be thirty points from Gryffindor for insulitng a student, and detention since you've interrupted everyone's breakfast." He glared at the redhead. "Don't try and make sense of things you will never in a hundred lifetimes ever understand!" Snape turned to Hermione. "I am truly sorry, Miss Granger." And with that, he strode away, leaving the entire populus of the Great Hall to stare at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The first thing Hermione did was give Ron a resounding smack on the cheek. Then she spoke. "Ronald Weasley," she hissed, "I am ashamed of you. Sev- Snape is right. You need to stop trying to make sense of things that are beyond your comprehension!" She picked up her bookbag, leaving her breakfast uneaten. "Goodbye, Harry," she said, and gave him an apologetic look, with tears of shame running down her face. "I am very sorry for being partly responsible for ruining your breakfast."
"Hermione, wait!" Harry yelled as she ran out of the Hall. Giving Ron the absolute, most dirtiest glares he could muster, he ran after her, trying to find her. He didn't see her until their period together in Double Potions.
~
Hermione was only half-focused on her Arithmancy, dreading the long Double Potions period she had directly afterwards. Severus would probably pair her with Draco, as it was needed for her to have some dialogue with him to try and discern what would happen at the party in a weeks' time. She was absolutely postive she did not want to know.
The bell rang, and she headed off to Potions. She sat at a table with Harry; Ron had chosen to sit beside Neville (woe betide him, thought Hermione). Harry tried to give her a look of reassurance - she smiled back, and her eyes teared up again, but she kept them in check as Snape entered the room. Everyone hurriedly opened up their textbooks and waited patiently for him to tell them what they would be doing that day.
"Today," he said, walking from his desk to the area right in front of the desk, his movements precise, calculated, and altogether terrifying, "We will be brewing Veritaserum. And no, Wonder Trio, you cannot work together...I will be partnering you with someone." He grinned nastily at them, and Hermione thought, to herself, how convincing he was. "Potter, you're with Crabbe....Weasley, you're with Parkinson...." He went through the entire class, saving Hermione for last. She looked in his eyes, and they seemed to say **I'm sorry...** "Miss Granger, you will be with Mr. Malfoy." She sighed. "Well, Miss Granger, move!"
Muttering incoherently under her breath, she reluctantly gathered her things and sat down beside by Malfoy. Ron's ears were red; he was obviously angry. Harry looked scared at the thought that he would be preparting a potion with Crabbe.
As Hermione sat down, Malfoy smirked. "Well, well, well. What my luck is to be sitting beside the Gryffindor Mudblood whore."
Hermione decided to use the silent treatment, drawing forth mandrake root and beginning to methodically slice them into paper-thin slivers. She wouldn't let him get to her...she couldn't...
"Trying to give the scary son of a deatheater the silent treatment, Granger?" he drawled, scooping up the roots and dumping them into the cauldron. "Are you this silent when you and Snape are making love?"
Hermione calmly measured out a fixed amount of belladonna and dumped it into the cauldron, sighing. "Wouldn't you love to know, Malfoy?"
He smirked again. He scooted closer to her on the bench under the pretense of reaching for a beaker of water. He leaned into her, his lips brushing against her hair, and whispered chilling words in her ear. "Oh, I will know, Granger....you have a party at Malfoy manor to attend in a week's time. Father will get the first turn, but I'll get the second with our new Mudblood toy." His hand traced the inside of her thigh under her skirt, and she tensed, her hand freezing in the act of slicing up herb leaves. He pinched her leg, causing her to wince aloud in pain. "You'll be mine, Granger...I hope Snape doesn't care about you too awfully much." He scooted away, still smirking.
Hermione continued to go through the motions of potions-making, tears of shame once more threatening to overflow every now and then, but she kept them in check. Every now and then Harry would look her way to give her a look of encouragement, and she would give him a watery smile. By the end of the class, she was glad that it was her last class of the day for today.
The bell rang, and Hermione stood, gathering her bags. Malfoy let his hand brush her waist as he walked by, and he muttered, "I'll be seeing you," in her ear as he passed. Inwardly she shuddered, but outwardly she was composed. Once all the students left, and Snape made sure that no one lurked outside the classroom, he cast a soundproofing spell on the room and all but ran to Hermione.
"Hermione, are you okay?" he asked softly.
She looked up, and he saw tears in her eyes, and her chin wobbled slightly. "No," she choked out before she started crying.
He sat down beside her, not knowing what to do. It wasn't often that he was confronted by a woman in tears. So he did the most logical thing - he put his arm around her, and let her cry into his robes. "Shh-hh...It'll be all right..."
Her sobs subsided after a few minutes, and she dried her tears. "I'm sorry," she said shakily. "I shouldn't be crying like a baby....oh, I've gotten your robes wet...and I can never remember the drying charm..."
"Don't worry about it," he said, handing her a handkerchief, which she accepted, dabbing her eyes. "I know it's upsetting, Hermione, but what did he tell you?"
Hermione clenched the handkerchief tightly. "That I was going to be his and his father's whore at the party," she said bluntly, looking on the verge of tears again. "And the scary thing is...there's not much of a way to get out of it."
"Oh, Hermione..." he said softly. "I'm so sorry....we can figure out something..."
"Like what, Severus? If I appear too timid about it, they'll automatically see through this! I have to be there." She stubbornly wiped at the tears that remained on her cheeks. "One minute problem, however..."
"Only one?" asked Severus sarcastically.
"Well, it's a big one...Severus, I don't even know how to have sex. I'm a virgin."
Okay, Snape admitted to himself. That could be a slight problem.
~
"Headmaster, I respectfully will not allow Miss Granger to go and jeapordize her life senselessly! It's pointless for her to go to this, Albus, I -"
"Severus, if I don't go, we're both as good as dead!" Hermione snapped.
"And if you do go, Lucius Malfoy will -"
"That's preferable to death, Severus!"
"Will you shut up, for once, you bossy, know-it-all -"
"Severus!" Dumbledore cut him off, watching the two glare daggers at one another. "Both of you will sit down, immediately," he said sharply, "And we will discuss this matter before us."
Still glaring at each other, they sank down into the two chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. The Headmaster thought he might very well have laughed at the scene unfolding before him if the situation had not been as grave as it was. "Now....Miss Granger, I believe that Mr. Malfoy wanted you to be his - ah - entertainment at this upcoming party?"
Hermione nodded, her chin stuck out stubbornly. "Professor...if I just stay by Snape the entire time, I'll be relatively safe, won't I? I mean, if I don't go, they're going to kill Severus and I anyways. What have I to lose?"
"Your maidenhood," muttered Snape, and Hermione went crimson. "Hermione, you've already sacrificed your reputation, why give more?"
Hermione stood to her feet abruptly, nearly upsetting the chair, and making Snape and Dumbledore jump. She whirled around to face him, her hands clenched at her sides, and her eyes ablaze with what Snape could describe only as red-hot anger. If he wouldn't have been slightly taken aback, he would have amusedly compared her to paintings of the goddesses of Greece exhibiting their wrath.
"Severus Snape," she seethed, taking a step forward, looming over him as he did to her countless times in class, "Let me make something very, very clear to you. I am one teenage girl who is a witch, not important to terribly many people, and while my magical abilities are above average, they are not things like wandless magic and such. Voldemort, on the other hand, is an extremely powerful wizard with quite literally thousands of eager followers, awaiting his signal to sweep this land clear of any witch or wizard who opposes him. If I - a normal, teenage girl - can sacrifice a few small trivial things to bring down a wizard the likes of Voldemort, you can be sure that I will be willing to sacrifice far more than a few small trivial things to make sure that Voldemort doesn't continue killing innocent men, women, and children!"
She stood, her shoulders still shaking, for a few moments. There was silence. And then Dumbledore spoke.
"Miss Granger..." He motioned for her to sit, and she did, albeit reluctantly. "I am...greatful for your willingness to sacrifice all for the Cause. However...you are more than above average, Hermione. You are one of the brightest students we've ever seen here at Hogwarts, and you must, must, must remember that. Promise me you will never again underestimate yourself."
Hermione looked from Dumbledore to Snape, and then back again. "I....I promise, sir."
Dumbledore gave her a brief, wearied smile before turning to Snape, looking grave again. "Severus, I must order you, as head of the Order of the Phoenix, to go to this meeting."
"But -"
Dumbledore held up his hand. "I know it's dangerous, Severus. I know that we shouldn't expose Miss Granger to it. But we have no choice. Would you rather her die?" Snape quieted, and Dumbledore jotted something down on a bit of parchment, stowing it in his desk. "Now I suggest you go back to your quarters and talk this out. You have exactly...six days until this party. If there is...certain attire Miss Granger needs, Severus, see to it that she is taken to purchase it. That will be all."
Hermione stood and gave a small curtsy, Snape gave a slight nod of his head, and they exited the headmaster's office. It was done. For what Albus Dumbledore decreed was as good as law.
~
~The Night Before The Party~
Hermione and Snape had been silent most of the evening. He was sitting on the couch, grading essays, and she was sitting on the floor by the hearth, pretending to read Hogwarts, A History. The words in front of her were not what was on her mind.
"Severus?" she asked quietly. He looked up from his papers. "What...what will it be like?"
"The party? Well -"
"No, Severus. The....well, um..."
"Oh, that," he said uncomfortably. He stacked the papers together and sat them on the table beside him, and motioned for her to join him on the couch. "Hermione, do you know -anything- about what's going to happen?"
"I know it'll hurt...." she said quietly.
He nodded. "Yes, it probably will. If that even ends up happening...I intend to keep you as close to me as possible."
"We all know how likely that will be," said Hermione sarcastically. Then she sighed. "Severus, if for some reason...I...I die, or something...you will explain to Harry and Ron, won't you?"
"Nothing will happen to you, Hermione, I promise. You'll be writing your own songs."
They sat in silence for a few moments before Hermione spoke. "I think what I hate the most is the fact I'll be losing my virginity to a complete stranger who hates Muggle-born witches and thinks that I'm a whore." She sat in silence for a moment, brooding, until she suddenly laughed.
"What?" asked Snape, confused.
Hermione giggled. "I'm sitting here, discussing losing my virginity with my potions professor." Her eyes went wide, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh....that didn't sound right."
Snape smiled. "It's all right."
Hermione let her hands come down, and she sat in silence for a few more moments. And that's when she got an idea....Slowly, she stood up, mentally searching through the facts, consequences, and other byproducts of her decisions. "Severus."
"What?"
"You're attractive."
Snape was taken aback. "Thank you, although I'm sure I don't really agree with you..."
She cut him off. "Severus, I want you to sleep with me," she said bluntly.
Snape looked at her as if she'd grown another head that bore the resemblance of Crabbe. "What...what did you say, Hermione?"
"You heard what I said, don't make this any more difficult!" snapped Hermione, stamping her foot. "Sleep with me."
Snape stood, and laid a hand on her forehead. "Child, do you have a temperature -"
"No, I don't have a temperature, and no, I'm not a child, and no, I haven't been drinking!" Hermione grabbed his hands and tucked her own small ones in his. "Please, Severus. I know it's uncomfortable, I know it's not proper, and I know that you're older than me. But you're one of my closest friends, and I'd much rather lose my virginity to you than that jackass Malfoy."
Snape noticed her hands were cold and slightly damp - she's nervous, he thought. Her eyes pleaded with him, and he sighed. "Hermione this is a -permanent- decision. I don't feel privlidged enough to take something that precious from you."
"And who the hell else is going to? Harry? He's too damned honorable, he has a girlfriend! Ron? He's not bloody talking to me, Severus, and I'm supposed to be your mistress anyways!"
"But we're student and teacher -"
"Severus," said Hermione, in a voice that he was sure could frighten Voldemort himself, "Please. I'll never ask you for anything again. Please....I need this to happen. I'm not losing my virginity due to rape, and I'm not losing it to a Malfoy! I may not have much honor, but I do have more honor than that!"
Severus looked her in the eyes, brushing a stray bit of hair out of her face. "Hermione, you are a beautiful young woman throwing herself at a man who hasn't been loved since he was your age. Are you entirely sure of what you are doing?"
"Damn it, Severus, yes! Now can we do it? You don't have to make it romantic, you don't have to make it enjoyable. I just...I just..." She looked down at the floor, and he could see her cheeks were flaming.
"Hermione," he said softly, drawing her chin up so his eyes met hers, "If you are going to give up something special for me, and give yourself up at a party full of death eaters, and what else there might be, I am going to attempt to make it somewhat romantic and enjoyable, because you deserve it."
And before Hermione could even register what exactly was going on, Snape had bent down and kissed her. It was enjoyable, although not filled with passion nor love. He drew away, and with a wave of his wand, the lights were gone, and candles floated in midair. Hermione looked down, and saw she was wearing the lingerie she'd gotten for Christmas as her gag gift....and Snape was wearing the boxers she'd gotten him. Despite the fact that she was sure this was a moment to be serious, Hermione laughed. Snape rolled his eyes, and waved his wand - her lingerie turned Slytherin green. She rolled her eyes in return. "Really mature, Severus."
"Hermione," he asked softly. "Are you...absolutely positive...that you want to do this?"
Hermione's stomach flipped nervously. She looked down at the floor, studying the stones intently for a few moments, before she looked up and nodded.
~
Severus awoke around eight o' clock the next morning, thanking the gods and goddesses that it was Saturday. If he had to face droves of people right now, he was almost sure he'd blurt out what he'd done due to guilt. Next to him, Hermione stirred, but didn't awake. He looked at her...she was beautiful, and he was greatful to have a friend such as her. But at the same time, he felt guilt on his soul for having to take her in to his world.
Shaking his head a bit to clear the cobwebs, he rose from the bed and grabbed for his robe, cinching it tightly. He wasn't a drinker, but he felt as if a brandy might be just the thing he needed. He poured some and drank, feeling a bit more steadier on his feet almost instantaneously. His eyes wandered to the figure asleep in his bed. Hurriedly, he grabbed the essays that needed to be graded to preoccupy himself until that figure could awake and maybe dress herself.
~
Hermione awoke to a sound that she was sure not many women awoke to after making love - the scratching of a quill against rough parchment. Gingerly she opened her eyes to survey the man before her.
Snape was sitting in the chair by the fire, grading the essays she'd distracted him from last night. He was sheathed in a blue robe, and his brow was furrowed in concentration as he slashed through students' words with red ink. She sat up slowly, and he did not notice, continuing with his corrections. Hermione realized her lack of clothing, and quickly snatched up the sheets, blushing profusely. The sudden movement distracted Snape, and he looked over at her. She gave him a small smile.
"Good morning," she said softly.
He returned her smile. "Good morning, Hermione."
"What time is it?"
"It's nine o' clock."
"Oh....I've slept in, then."
"Yes, my friend, you have," he said, smiling amusedly at her flustered state. "Are you all right?"
"Ahh...yes, of course." Hermione smoothed her touseled hair. "Would you mind if I took a shower?"
"Of course not. You know where the bathroom is," he said, waving in the direction of the lavatory.
Hermione looked around the bed desperately for her robes, but saw that they were across the room on the back of a chair. All that was beside her was the lingerie she'd worn last night....and her socks. She snorted with laughter.
Snape looked over at her, eyebrows raised. "What's so funny?"
Hermione was still chortling. "I was just sitting here, trying to figure out how I could clothe myself so I could walk to the bathroom, and all I can find is lingerie and a pair of plaid knee socks. And I have this odd sort of feeling that you probably saw me rather naked last night."
There was amusement in Snape's eyes, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Ten points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger." Then he grinned. "Actually, you *did* earn some points for Gryffindor last night...."
Giving him a slight smile, Hermione got out of the warm bed and headed for the bathroom to mull things over in the shower.
~
Well once more I tell the shadows of my soul
To stay back
Everything has changed now
And I don't want to go back
And nothing you can say can change my mind
-Again, from "That Made Me Stronger" by Stevie Nicks
~
Author's Note - Are you all going to kill me? :-) Please don't....I'd rather like to live so I can go to my first prom....I've already got the dress and everything! Now I just need a date.....*mutters to self* PLEASE review! I gave you an extra-long chapter! *gives readers a pleading look* please? please? And I suggest you either go buy "Trouble in Shangri-La" by Stevie Nicks or download the song to listen to...tha'ts a good song, partly inspiration for the dialogue about "losing her virginity to the potions professor". No idea why...okay, now i'm going to go get some benadryl...from the way my hand's swelling up, it appears that I've developed an allergic reaction to this band-aid....review please!
-Alicia Marie/Jaimes
~
Chapter Four
By Alicia Jennings
~
Well the conversations ring in my head
I remember everything that we said
All those tears that we shed...
Well you know me better than I know myself
Will you write this for me
He says no, you write your songs yourself
That made me stronger
It made me hold on to me
-Stevie Nicks "That Made Me Stronger"
~
The term had started around two weeks ago. Hermione got more and more suspicious looks as every day passed, and felt as though facing Voldemort would be a cinch if she could just get past the glares of her peers.
Snape had been Summoned shortly after that night she'd made her decision, and Voldemort had requested her presence at a...."party" that was to be held in two weeks' time. As the date drew closer, she became more and more anxious. She didn't know what they expected of her, but she was pretty damn sure that it was not going to be fun at all.
"Good morning," she murmurred, sitting down in between Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table. "How are you two?"
"Fine," Harry answered in a falsely cheerful way. She saw the look in his eyes, and deciphered it. She immediately knew she was probably in deep sh-
"What is the matter with you?!" Ron exploded. Half the Great Hall turned to look at the trio, and Hermione suddenly felt very, very uncomfortable.
"What are you talking about, Ronald Weasley?" she snapped, her voice steely.
"You know as good as hell what I'm talking about, Hermione! There's bloody rumors going around that you're sleeping with Snape! You've moved out of Gryffindor tower, and you're seen slunking around the dungeons after class hours, and worst of all, EVERYONE'S BLOODY SAYING THAT YOU'RE FU-"
"Mister Weasley!" a voice snapped. "That will be thirty points from Gryffindor for insulitng a student, and detention since you've interrupted everyone's breakfast." He glared at the redhead. "Don't try and make sense of things you will never in a hundred lifetimes ever understand!" Snape turned to Hermione. "I am truly sorry, Miss Granger." And with that, he strode away, leaving the entire populus of the Great Hall to stare at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The first thing Hermione did was give Ron a resounding smack on the cheek. Then she spoke. "Ronald Weasley," she hissed, "I am ashamed of you. Sev- Snape is right. You need to stop trying to make sense of things that are beyond your comprehension!" She picked up her bookbag, leaving her breakfast uneaten. "Goodbye, Harry," she said, and gave him an apologetic look, with tears of shame running down her face. "I am very sorry for being partly responsible for ruining your breakfast."
"Hermione, wait!" Harry yelled as she ran out of the Hall. Giving Ron the absolute, most dirtiest glares he could muster, he ran after her, trying to find her. He didn't see her until their period together in Double Potions.
~
Hermione was only half-focused on her Arithmancy, dreading the long Double Potions period she had directly afterwards. Severus would probably pair her with Draco, as it was needed for her to have some dialogue with him to try and discern what would happen at the party in a weeks' time. She was absolutely postive she did not want to know.
The bell rang, and she headed off to Potions. She sat at a table with Harry; Ron had chosen to sit beside Neville (woe betide him, thought Hermione). Harry tried to give her a look of reassurance - she smiled back, and her eyes teared up again, but she kept them in check as Snape entered the room. Everyone hurriedly opened up their textbooks and waited patiently for him to tell them what they would be doing that day.
"Today," he said, walking from his desk to the area right in front of the desk, his movements precise, calculated, and altogether terrifying, "We will be brewing Veritaserum. And no, Wonder Trio, you cannot work together...I will be partnering you with someone." He grinned nastily at them, and Hermione thought, to herself, how convincing he was. "Potter, you're with Crabbe....Weasley, you're with Parkinson...." He went through the entire class, saving Hermione for last. She looked in his eyes, and they seemed to say **I'm sorry...** "Miss Granger, you will be with Mr. Malfoy." She sighed. "Well, Miss Granger, move!"
Muttering incoherently under her breath, she reluctantly gathered her things and sat down beside by Malfoy. Ron's ears were red; he was obviously angry. Harry looked scared at the thought that he would be preparting a potion with Crabbe.
As Hermione sat down, Malfoy smirked. "Well, well, well. What my luck is to be sitting beside the Gryffindor Mudblood whore."
Hermione decided to use the silent treatment, drawing forth mandrake root and beginning to methodically slice them into paper-thin slivers. She wouldn't let him get to her...she couldn't...
"Trying to give the scary son of a deatheater the silent treatment, Granger?" he drawled, scooping up the roots and dumping them into the cauldron. "Are you this silent when you and Snape are making love?"
Hermione calmly measured out a fixed amount of belladonna and dumped it into the cauldron, sighing. "Wouldn't you love to know, Malfoy?"
He smirked again. He scooted closer to her on the bench under the pretense of reaching for a beaker of water. He leaned into her, his lips brushing against her hair, and whispered chilling words in her ear. "Oh, I will know, Granger....you have a party at Malfoy manor to attend in a week's time. Father will get the first turn, but I'll get the second with our new Mudblood toy." His hand traced the inside of her thigh under her skirt, and she tensed, her hand freezing in the act of slicing up herb leaves. He pinched her leg, causing her to wince aloud in pain. "You'll be mine, Granger...I hope Snape doesn't care about you too awfully much." He scooted away, still smirking.
Hermione continued to go through the motions of potions-making, tears of shame once more threatening to overflow every now and then, but she kept them in check. Every now and then Harry would look her way to give her a look of encouragement, and she would give him a watery smile. By the end of the class, she was glad that it was her last class of the day for today.
The bell rang, and Hermione stood, gathering her bags. Malfoy let his hand brush her waist as he walked by, and he muttered, "I'll be seeing you," in her ear as he passed. Inwardly she shuddered, but outwardly she was composed. Once all the students left, and Snape made sure that no one lurked outside the classroom, he cast a soundproofing spell on the room and all but ran to Hermione.
"Hermione, are you okay?" he asked softly.
She looked up, and he saw tears in her eyes, and her chin wobbled slightly. "No," she choked out before she started crying.
He sat down beside her, not knowing what to do. It wasn't often that he was confronted by a woman in tears. So he did the most logical thing - he put his arm around her, and let her cry into his robes. "Shh-hh...It'll be all right..."
Her sobs subsided after a few minutes, and she dried her tears. "I'm sorry," she said shakily. "I shouldn't be crying like a baby....oh, I've gotten your robes wet...and I can never remember the drying charm..."
"Don't worry about it," he said, handing her a handkerchief, which she accepted, dabbing her eyes. "I know it's upsetting, Hermione, but what did he tell you?"
Hermione clenched the handkerchief tightly. "That I was going to be his and his father's whore at the party," she said bluntly, looking on the verge of tears again. "And the scary thing is...there's not much of a way to get out of it."
"Oh, Hermione..." he said softly. "I'm so sorry....we can figure out something..."
"Like what, Severus? If I appear too timid about it, they'll automatically see through this! I have to be there." She stubbornly wiped at the tears that remained on her cheeks. "One minute problem, however..."
"Only one?" asked Severus sarcastically.
"Well, it's a big one...Severus, I don't even know how to have sex. I'm a virgin."
Okay, Snape admitted to himself. That could be a slight problem.
~
"Headmaster, I respectfully will not allow Miss Granger to go and jeapordize her life senselessly! It's pointless for her to go to this, Albus, I -"
"Severus, if I don't go, we're both as good as dead!" Hermione snapped.
"And if you do go, Lucius Malfoy will -"
"That's preferable to death, Severus!"
"Will you shut up, for once, you bossy, know-it-all -"
"Severus!" Dumbledore cut him off, watching the two glare daggers at one another. "Both of you will sit down, immediately," he said sharply, "And we will discuss this matter before us."
Still glaring at each other, they sank down into the two chairs in front of Dumbledore's desk. The Headmaster thought he might very well have laughed at the scene unfolding before him if the situation had not been as grave as it was. "Now....Miss Granger, I believe that Mr. Malfoy wanted you to be his - ah - entertainment at this upcoming party?"
Hermione nodded, her chin stuck out stubbornly. "Professor...if I just stay by Snape the entire time, I'll be relatively safe, won't I? I mean, if I don't go, they're going to kill Severus and I anyways. What have I to lose?"
"Your maidenhood," muttered Snape, and Hermione went crimson. "Hermione, you've already sacrificed your reputation, why give more?"
Hermione stood to her feet abruptly, nearly upsetting the chair, and making Snape and Dumbledore jump. She whirled around to face him, her hands clenched at her sides, and her eyes ablaze with what Snape could describe only as red-hot anger. If he wouldn't have been slightly taken aback, he would have amusedly compared her to paintings of the goddesses of Greece exhibiting their wrath.
"Severus Snape," she seethed, taking a step forward, looming over him as he did to her countless times in class, "Let me make something very, very clear to you. I am one teenage girl who is a witch, not important to terribly many people, and while my magical abilities are above average, they are not things like wandless magic and such. Voldemort, on the other hand, is an extremely powerful wizard with quite literally thousands of eager followers, awaiting his signal to sweep this land clear of any witch or wizard who opposes him. If I - a normal, teenage girl - can sacrifice a few small trivial things to bring down a wizard the likes of Voldemort, you can be sure that I will be willing to sacrifice far more than a few small trivial things to make sure that Voldemort doesn't continue killing innocent men, women, and children!"
She stood, her shoulders still shaking, for a few moments. There was silence. And then Dumbledore spoke.
"Miss Granger..." He motioned for her to sit, and she did, albeit reluctantly. "I am...greatful for your willingness to sacrifice all for the Cause. However...you are more than above average, Hermione. You are one of the brightest students we've ever seen here at Hogwarts, and you must, must, must remember that. Promise me you will never again underestimate yourself."
Hermione looked from Dumbledore to Snape, and then back again. "I....I promise, sir."
Dumbledore gave her a brief, wearied smile before turning to Snape, looking grave again. "Severus, I must order you, as head of the Order of the Phoenix, to go to this meeting."
"But -"
Dumbledore held up his hand. "I know it's dangerous, Severus. I know that we shouldn't expose Miss Granger to it. But we have no choice. Would you rather her die?" Snape quieted, and Dumbledore jotted something down on a bit of parchment, stowing it in his desk. "Now I suggest you go back to your quarters and talk this out. You have exactly...six days until this party. If there is...certain attire Miss Granger needs, Severus, see to it that she is taken to purchase it. That will be all."
Hermione stood and gave a small curtsy, Snape gave a slight nod of his head, and they exited the headmaster's office. It was done. For what Albus Dumbledore decreed was as good as law.
~
~The Night Before The Party~
Hermione and Snape had been silent most of the evening. He was sitting on the couch, grading essays, and she was sitting on the floor by the hearth, pretending to read Hogwarts, A History. The words in front of her were not what was on her mind.
"Severus?" she asked quietly. He looked up from his papers. "What...what will it be like?"
"The party? Well -"
"No, Severus. The....well, um..."
"Oh, that," he said uncomfortably. He stacked the papers together and sat them on the table beside him, and motioned for her to join him on the couch. "Hermione, do you know -anything- about what's going to happen?"
"I know it'll hurt...." she said quietly.
He nodded. "Yes, it probably will. If that even ends up happening...I intend to keep you as close to me as possible."
"We all know how likely that will be," said Hermione sarcastically. Then she sighed. "Severus, if for some reason...I...I die, or something...you will explain to Harry and Ron, won't you?"
"Nothing will happen to you, Hermione, I promise. You'll be writing your own songs."
They sat in silence for a few moments before Hermione spoke. "I think what I hate the most is the fact I'll be losing my virginity to a complete stranger who hates Muggle-born witches and thinks that I'm a whore." She sat in silence for a moment, brooding, until she suddenly laughed.
"What?" asked Snape, confused.
Hermione giggled. "I'm sitting here, discussing losing my virginity with my potions professor." Her eyes went wide, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh....that didn't sound right."
Snape smiled. "It's all right."
Hermione let her hands come down, and she sat in silence for a few more moments. And that's when she got an idea....Slowly, she stood up, mentally searching through the facts, consequences, and other byproducts of her decisions. "Severus."
"What?"
"You're attractive."
Snape was taken aback. "Thank you, although I'm sure I don't really agree with you..."
She cut him off. "Severus, I want you to sleep with me," she said bluntly.
Snape looked at her as if she'd grown another head that bore the resemblance of Crabbe. "What...what did you say, Hermione?"
"You heard what I said, don't make this any more difficult!" snapped Hermione, stamping her foot. "Sleep with me."
Snape stood, and laid a hand on her forehead. "Child, do you have a temperature -"
"No, I don't have a temperature, and no, I'm not a child, and no, I haven't been drinking!" Hermione grabbed his hands and tucked her own small ones in his. "Please, Severus. I know it's uncomfortable, I know it's not proper, and I know that you're older than me. But you're one of my closest friends, and I'd much rather lose my virginity to you than that jackass Malfoy."
Snape noticed her hands were cold and slightly damp - she's nervous, he thought. Her eyes pleaded with him, and he sighed. "Hermione this is a -permanent- decision. I don't feel privlidged enough to take something that precious from you."
"And who the hell else is going to? Harry? He's too damned honorable, he has a girlfriend! Ron? He's not bloody talking to me, Severus, and I'm supposed to be your mistress anyways!"
"But we're student and teacher -"
"Severus," said Hermione, in a voice that he was sure could frighten Voldemort himself, "Please. I'll never ask you for anything again. Please....I need this to happen. I'm not losing my virginity due to rape, and I'm not losing it to a Malfoy! I may not have much honor, but I do have more honor than that!"
Severus looked her in the eyes, brushing a stray bit of hair out of her face. "Hermione, you are a beautiful young woman throwing herself at a man who hasn't been loved since he was your age. Are you entirely sure of what you are doing?"
"Damn it, Severus, yes! Now can we do it? You don't have to make it romantic, you don't have to make it enjoyable. I just...I just..." She looked down at the floor, and he could see her cheeks were flaming.
"Hermione," he said softly, drawing her chin up so his eyes met hers, "If you are going to give up something special for me, and give yourself up at a party full of death eaters, and what else there might be, I am going to attempt to make it somewhat romantic and enjoyable, because you deserve it."
And before Hermione could even register what exactly was going on, Snape had bent down and kissed her. It was enjoyable, although not filled with passion nor love. He drew away, and with a wave of his wand, the lights were gone, and candles floated in midair. Hermione looked down, and saw she was wearing the lingerie she'd gotten for Christmas as her gag gift....and Snape was wearing the boxers she'd gotten him. Despite the fact that she was sure this was a moment to be serious, Hermione laughed. Snape rolled his eyes, and waved his wand - her lingerie turned Slytherin green. She rolled her eyes in return. "Really mature, Severus."
"Hermione," he asked softly. "Are you...absolutely positive...that you want to do this?"
Hermione's stomach flipped nervously. She looked down at the floor, studying the stones intently for a few moments, before she looked up and nodded.
~
Severus awoke around eight o' clock the next morning, thanking the gods and goddesses that it was Saturday. If he had to face droves of people right now, he was almost sure he'd blurt out what he'd done due to guilt. Next to him, Hermione stirred, but didn't awake. He looked at her...she was beautiful, and he was greatful to have a friend such as her. But at the same time, he felt guilt on his soul for having to take her in to his world.
Shaking his head a bit to clear the cobwebs, he rose from the bed and grabbed for his robe, cinching it tightly. He wasn't a drinker, but he felt as if a brandy might be just the thing he needed. He poured some and drank, feeling a bit more steadier on his feet almost instantaneously. His eyes wandered to the figure asleep in his bed. Hurriedly, he grabbed the essays that needed to be graded to preoccupy himself until that figure could awake and maybe dress herself.
~
Hermione awoke to a sound that she was sure not many women awoke to after making love - the scratching of a quill against rough parchment. Gingerly she opened her eyes to survey the man before her.
Snape was sitting in the chair by the fire, grading the essays she'd distracted him from last night. He was sheathed in a blue robe, and his brow was furrowed in concentration as he slashed through students' words with red ink. She sat up slowly, and he did not notice, continuing with his corrections. Hermione realized her lack of clothing, and quickly snatched up the sheets, blushing profusely. The sudden movement distracted Snape, and he looked over at her. She gave him a small smile.
"Good morning," she said softly.
He returned her smile. "Good morning, Hermione."
"What time is it?"
"It's nine o' clock."
"Oh....I've slept in, then."
"Yes, my friend, you have," he said, smiling amusedly at her flustered state. "Are you all right?"
"Ahh...yes, of course." Hermione smoothed her touseled hair. "Would you mind if I took a shower?"
"Of course not. You know where the bathroom is," he said, waving in the direction of the lavatory.
Hermione looked around the bed desperately for her robes, but saw that they were across the room on the back of a chair. All that was beside her was the lingerie she'd worn last night....and her socks. She snorted with laughter.
Snape looked over at her, eyebrows raised. "What's so funny?"
Hermione was still chortling. "I was just sitting here, trying to figure out how I could clothe myself so I could walk to the bathroom, and all I can find is lingerie and a pair of plaid knee socks. And I have this odd sort of feeling that you probably saw me rather naked last night."
There was amusement in Snape's eyes, and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Ten points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger." Then he grinned. "Actually, you *did* earn some points for Gryffindor last night...."
Giving him a slight smile, Hermione got out of the warm bed and headed for the bathroom to mull things over in the shower.
~
Well once more I tell the shadows of my soul
To stay back
Everything has changed now
And I don't want to go back
And nothing you can say can change my mind
-Again, from "That Made Me Stronger" by Stevie Nicks
~
Author's Note - Are you all going to kill me? :-) Please don't....I'd rather like to live so I can go to my first prom....I've already got the dress and everything! Now I just need a date.....*mutters to self* PLEASE review! I gave you an extra-long chapter! *gives readers a pleading look* please? please? And I suggest you either go buy "Trouble in Shangri-La" by Stevie Nicks or download the song to listen to...tha'ts a good song, partly inspiration for the dialogue about "losing her virginity to the potions professor". No idea why...okay, now i'm going to go get some benadryl...from the way my hand's swelling up, it appears that I've developed an allergic reaction to this band-aid....review please!
-Alicia Marie/Jaimes