The Dark's Mistress
By Alicia Marie Jennings
~
Chapter Six
Within The Lair, Within The Dark
~
*Oh God...my head...gods my head hurts like hell....what did I do? Did I get drunk last night? No, I'm not that stupid...most of the time..." Hermione moaned, clutching her head, trying to sit upright without spilling the contents of her stomach out on the cold floor on which she lay. Well, she didn't know too much about hangovers, but her head felt as if she had the worst one of the century. She wondered if she should be brave enough to open her eyes to see whose room in which she lay right now.
She was in a dungeon. And it wasn't a Hogwarts dungeon, she knew that much. After all, Hermione had seen her fair share of the Hogwarts dungeons in the past years...she'd seen even more of them as of late. Moving slowly, Hermione crawled to the door and reached for the handle - locked. She reached to her sash to grab her wand, only to find that it was gone.
Grumbling out several curses, Hermione slumped to the floor, passing out again as the words "Severus better get here soon" crossed her lips.
~
She awoke later, much later, for as much as she could tell. When she'd awoken earlier, it had been early afternoon as far as she could tell - the sun was still high in the sky. Now it was night - the moon had risen and was a quarter of a way through its' journey across the night sky. Her head had cleared somewhat, and she was able to stand, albeit on shaky legs. Whatever spell had been cast on her or potion given to her had a harsh effect, one with origins in the Dark Arts, she was sure. The only option it seemed, at the moment, was to do what her mother and father had told her to do when she'd had ballet injuries in her youth - "Walk it off".
So, Hermione did just that. She began to pace, and pace...and pace. Wild thoughts crisscrossed her brain....who had taken her? Voldemort? The Malfoys? Both? Or was it simply some random psychopath holding her for ransom? Obviously they were wizards or intelligent Muggles, seeing as her wand was gone. However, they'd not taken her gift from Severus - the emerald and ruby necklace he'd given her. Hermione was intelligent enough to know he'd placed a tracking charm on it. She willed herself to be calm.
When she tired of walking, she sat down and did stretches she'd done in her ballet classes. Then, feeling completely foolish, she began to dance to a song from one of her various recitals to keep calm. The music played in her head, a comforting melody.
The night wore on. Hermione danced all she could remember from her years of ballet, making up steps to the parts she couldn't remember. Then, she recited the recipes to the Fifteen Truth Potions, and then the Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood. When she tired of that, she tried to recite "Hogwarts: A History". She managed to make it to page three hundred and forty five before dawn came.
With the dawn came a guard.
~
"Albus, they've taken her to the secret lair!" Severus was pointing at a map of Scotland, to a remote cliff. "It's somewhere around there. There's an ancient wizard castle, with dungeons and...and...." He broke off. "Albus, we have to get to her!" he said, brokenly. "They'll torture her!"
"But Professor, it's a trap!" said Harry desperately. "I want to get to her as much as you do, but what good will it do if you are both killed?"
"I will have less guilt on my soul, Potter, if I go to die for her!" Snape rounded on Harry, and was taken aback when the boy didn't so much as flinch. "If someone doesn't go, she will indeed die very soon."
Silence settled on the room like a heavy, unwanted blanket on a hot summer's day. Snape collapsed into a chair, looking defeated. Minerva McGonagall failed to choke back a dry sob. Even Dumbledore's eyes had lost their merriment, it seemed, in this bleak situation.
The Order of the Phoenix sat in silence for eternity. One chair sat empty...Hermione's chair, between Harry and Snape. It seemed to be glaring out at them, serving as a reminder that one of their number's lives was in grave danger.
"Well," said Harry, rising, "What would you have us to do, Professor Dumbledore?"
Remus Lupin stood to his feet as well. "We will fight to the death, Albus."
"No one should die," said Dumbledore forcefully. "Not in this way, anyways..." He clasped gnarled, aged hands on the table, deep in thought. It struck Harry that Dumbledore didn't look as invincible as he once did, but rather old and tired. "Nearly everyone deserves to live to a ripe old age, to watch their grandchildren and great grandchildren play on their front lawn without a care in the world, to worry about how many cupcakes are needed to be made for a birthday party..." He gazed into nothingness for a few moments, before he focused his gaze on Severus. "Do you wish for Miss Granger to live, Severus?"
"More than anything!" he said vehemently.
"Would you be willing to sacrifice your own life for hers?"
"I'd be willing to go through hell," Severus whispered. "She's innocent, Albus...she's never done anything wrong to deserve what Voldemort has in store for her....she's one of the brightest students Hogwarts has ever seen."
The Order looked at one another...what did Voldemort have in store for Hermione? Dumbledore looked at the broken man before him, who was so obviously apprehensive of what he was about to go face.
"Then go, Severus," said Dumbledore softly. "And we will come should the need arise."
Severus looked to those around him. Harry Potter...the Boy Who Lived, who was the best friend to the person he was trying to save, looked composed despite the fact that "Snape the greasy git" was going into the fray and not him. Remus Lupin simply nodded, looking grave. Minerva McGonagall swiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "Bring her back, Severus," she said softly.
"I -" He was forced to acknowledge the fact that there was a lump in his throat. "I will try my best."
"No!" she said forcefully, grasping his arm. "You will bring her back."
~
"Hermione Granger..." Voldemort took a sip of wine. "We meet....again."
"What a pleasure," said Hermione, sarcasm lacing her tones. The death eater holding her arms behind her back jerked her, and she turned her head to glare at him. "Pray tell, why am I here?"
Voldemort rose from his chair and signaled the death eater to let go of her. Hermione jerked her arms away, rubbing them to restore the circulation. She winced as feeling began to come back to her fingers. The death eater left the spacious room, closing the door behind him.
Voldemort came to her, and she fought down repulsion. A long, white finger stroked her cheek.
"There are....many....reasons, my dear," he said softly. "For one, your brilliance. You have beaten every academic record I held at Hogwarts...a feat unheard of, especially since you are a Mudblood...."
"Do not call me that!" Hermione spat.
Voldemort continued on as if he had not heard her. "You helped Harry past the obstacles guarding the Sorcerer's Stone at the age of eleven. You knew what lurked in the Chamber of Secrets. You helped prepare him for the Triwizard Tournament in your fourth year. In your fifth year, you were inducted into the Order of the Phoenix. And now, you are currently Hogwarts' Head Girl."
Hermione crossed her arms in defiance. "Somehow, I believe that you did not bring me here to discuss my academic accomplishments."
"No," said Voldemort, eyeing her. "You are beautiful, do you not know that? And given your status as a woman...I am sure you are quite conniving."
"The point of my presence here, please!" Hermione snapped.
"Hermione, my dear, I would like you to join me."
"I have a fear of tatoos," Hermione retorted, her chin jauntily held high.
"And that is not all," Voldemort snapped. He stroked her cheek again, and Hermione bit her lip. "I want you to produce my heir."
There was a sharp intake of breath from Hermione as she stood next to possibly the most evil wizard to walk the earth. "I will not be your damn concubine," she fumed. "You will never - EVER - touch me that way."
"Ahh, that's the problem," said Voldemort, snapping his fingers. Two death eaters entered the room. "You see, you have to be a willing participant in order for my added powers to be passed along to my heir. Knowing that you have that stubborn Gryffindor foolishness in you, I've arranged for Lucius and Draco here to...do a little convincing, should we say. She is all yours," said Voldemort, grinning evilly at the small spark of fear in Hermione's eyes.
"Crucio!"
Pain, immense pain....and then all was inky darkness as she fainted away.
~
A/N - oh come on people! please give me some reviews!!! I beg of you! thanks to the people who reviewed last chapter...claire we've got to talk so much has happened!!!
Love ya~*~Jaimes "Alicia"
By Alicia Marie Jennings
~
Chapter Six
Within The Lair, Within The Dark
~
*Oh God...my head...gods my head hurts like hell....what did I do? Did I get drunk last night? No, I'm not that stupid...most of the time..." Hermione moaned, clutching her head, trying to sit upright without spilling the contents of her stomach out on the cold floor on which she lay. Well, she didn't know too much about hangovers, but her head felt as if she had the worst one of the century. She wondered if she should be brave enough to open her eyes to see whose room in which she lay right now.
She was in a dungeon. And it wasn't a Hogwarts dungeon, she knew that much. After all, Hermione had seen her fair share of the Hogwarts dungeons in the past years...she'd seen even more of them as of late. Moving slowly, Hermione crawled to the door and reached for the handle - locked. She reached to her sash to grab her wand, only to find that it was gone.
Grumbling out several curses, Hermione slumped to the floor, passing out again as the words "Severus better get here soon" crossed her lips.
~
She awoke later, much later, for as much as she could tell. When she'd awoken earlier, it had been early afternoon as far as she could tell - the sun was still high in the sky. Now it was night - the moon had risen and was a quarter of a way through its' journey across the night sky. Her head had cleared somewhat, and she was able to stand, albeit on shaky legs. Whatever spell had been cast on her or potion given to her had a harsh effect, one with origins in the Dark Arts, she was sure. The only option it seemed, at the moment, was to do what her mother and father had told her to do when she'd had ballet injuries in her youth - "Walk it off".
So, Hermione did just that. She began to pace, and pace...and pace. Wild thoughts crisscrossed her brain....who had taken her? Voldemort? The Malfoys? Both? Or was it simply some random psychopath holding her for ransom? Obviously they were wizards or intelligent Muggles, seeing as her wand was gone. However, they'd not taken her gift from Severus - the emerald and ruby necklace he'd given her. Hermione was intelligent enough to know he'd placed a tracking charm on it. She willed herself to be calm.
When she tired of walking, she sat down and did stretches she'd done in her ballet classes. Then, feeling completely foolish, she began to dance to a song from one of her various recitals to keep calm. The music played in her head, a comforting melody.
The night wore on. Hermione danced all she could remember from her years of ballet, making up steps to the parts she couldn't remember. Then, she recited the recipes to the Fifteen Truth Potions, and then the Twelve Uses of Dragon's Blood. When she tired of that, she tried to recite "Hogwarts: A History". She managed to make it to page three hundred and forty five before dawn came.
With the dawn came a guard.
~
"Albus, they've taken her to the secret lair!" Severus was pointing at a map of Scotland, to a remote cliff. "It's somewhere around there. There's an ancient wizard castle, with dungeons and...and...." He broke off. "Albus, we have to get to her!" he said, brokenly. "They'll torture her!"
"But Professor, it's a trap!" said Harry desperately. "I want to get to her as much as you do, but what good will it do if you are both killed?"
"I will have less guilt on my soul, Potter, if I go to die for her!" Snape rounded on Harry, and was taken aback when the boy didn't so much as flinch. "If someone doesn't go, she will indeed die very soon."
Silence settled on the room like a heavy, unwanted blanket on a hot summer's day. Snape collapsed into a chair, looking defeated. Minerva McGonagall failed to choke back a dry sob. Even Dumbledore's eyes had lost their merriment, it seemed, in this bleak situation.
The Order of the Phoenix sat in silence for eternity. One chair sat empty...Hermione's chair, between Harry and Snape. It seemed to be glaring out at them, serving as a reminder that one of their number's lives was in grave danger.
"Well," said Harry, rising, "What would you have us to do, Professor Dumbledore?"
Remus Lupin stood to his feet as well. "We will fight to the death, Albus."
"No one should die," said Dumbledore forcefully. "Not in this way, anyways..." He clasped gnarled, aged hands on the table, deep in thought. It struck Harry that Dumbledore didn't look as invincible as he once did, but rather old and tired. "Nearly everyone deserves to live to a ripe old age, to watch their grandchildren and great grandchildren play on their front lawn without a care in the world, to worry about how many cupcakes are needed to be made for a birthday party..." He gazed into nothingness for a few moments, before he focused his gaze on Severus. "Do you wish for Miss Granger to live, Severus?"
"More than anything!" he said vehemently.
"Would you be willing to sacrifice your own life for hers?"
"I'd be willing to go through hell," Severus whispered. "She's innocent, Albus...she's never done anything wrong to deserve what Voldemort has in store for her....she's one of the brightest students Hogwarts has ever seen."
The Order looked at one another...what did Voldemort have in store for Hermione? Dumbledore looked at the broken man before him, who was so obviously apprehensive of what he was about to go face.
"Then go, Severus," said Dumbledore softly. "And we will come should the need arise."
Severus looked to those around him. Harry Potter...the Boy Who Lived, who was the best friend to the person he was trying to save, looked composed despite the fact that "Snape the greasy git" was going into the fray and not him. Remus Lupin simply nodded, looking grave. Minerva McGonagall swiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "Bring her back, Severus," she said softly.
"I -" He was forced to acknowledge the fact that there was a lump in his throat. "I will try my best."
"No!" she said forcefully, grasping his arm. "You will bring her back."
~
"Hermione Granger..." Voldemort took a sip of wine. "We meet....again."
"What a pleasure," said Hermione, sarcasm lacing her tones. The death eater holding her arms behind her back jerked her, and she turned her head to glare at him. "Pray tell, why am I here?"
Voldemort rose from his chair and signaled the death eater to let go of her. Hermione jerked her arms away, rubbing them to restore the circulation. She winced as feeling began to come back to her fingers. The death eater left the spacious room, closing the door behind him.
Voldemort came to her, and she fought down repulsion. A long, white finger stroked her cheek.
"There are....many....reasons, my dear," he said softly. "For one, your brilliance. You have beaten every academic record I held at Hogwarts...a feat unheard of, especially since you are a Mudblood...."
"Do not call me that!" Hermione spat.
Voldemort continued on as if he had not heard her. "You helped Harry past the obstacles guarding the Sorcerer's Stone at the age of eleven. You knew what lurked in the Chamber of Secrets. You helped prepare him for the Triwizard Tournament in your fourth year. In your fifth year, you were inducted into the Order of the Phoenix. And now, you are currently Hogwarts' Head Girl."
Hermione crossed her arms in defiance. "Somehow, I believe that you did not bring me here to discuss my academic accomplishments."
"No," said Voldemort, eyeing her. "You are beautiful, do you not know that? And given your status as a woman...I am sure you are quite conniving."
"The point of my presence here, please!" Hermione snapped.
"Hermione, my dear, I would like you to join me."
"I have a fear of tatoos," Hermione retorted, her chin jauntily held high.
"And that is not all," Voldemort snapped. He stroked her cheek again, and Hermione bit her lip. "I want you to produce my heir."
There was a sharp intake of breath from Hermione as she stood next to possibly the most evil wizard to walk the earth. "I will not be your damn concubine," she fumed. "You will never - EVER - touch me that way."
"Ahh, that's the problem," said Voldemort, snapping his fingers. Two death eaters entered the room. "You see, you have to be a willing participant in order for my added powers to be passed along to my heir. Knowing that you have that stubborn Gryffindor foolishness in you, I've arranged for Lucius and Draco here to...do a little convincing, should we say. She is all yours," said Voldemort, grinning evilly at the small spark of fear in Hermione's eyes.
"Crucio!"
Pain, immense pain....and then all was inky darkness as she fainted away.
~
A/N - oh come on people! please give me some reviews!!! I beg of you! thanks to the people who reviewed last chapter...claire we've got to talk so much has happened!!!
Love ya~*~Jaimes "Alicia"