Disclaimer: I do not claim the ownership of any of the characters or places
associated with the Harry Potter books or movies. All rights belong to
J.K. Rowling.
Author's Note: Some violence is depicted in this chapter. Be forewarned, if you do not like it, do not read it. There is nothing beyond the 'R' rating that this story contains.
Chapter Six - Comforting Arms
Hermione was walking through the halls of Hogwarts in a research mode. She held a stack of books in one arm, while she propped one open in front of her to read while she walked. She had just spent the last few hours in the restricted section of the library, hoping to find anything that pertained to the human nervous system. For the past week, her and Severus had been making great leaps in their attempt to find a cure; but were always off in the brewing. They were certain that the technique and order of the ingredients was the only key left to getting it right.
Hermione looked up over her book inconsistently to make sure she wouldn't run into any of the students that were wandering the halls. All of a sudden she came upon a chapter that caught her attention. She stopped where she was and leaned up against a wall to read with her full concentration.
She was just finishing the first page, and had to set down the other stack of books in order to flip to the next page, when she heard steps coming from a nearby hall. She looked up to see no one in the near vicinity, and called out to see if anyone would answer. "Hello, is anyone there?" She was answered with only silence. "Professor Snape, is that you?" making sure to use his professional title while amongst other students. But again still no answer. Her heart began to beat a little more quickly as she realized that she wasn't alone in the halls.
Trying to figure out the best course of action, Hermione closed her book and started to walk to her quarters. She looked around frantically for any signs of another person, and had one hand inside her robe, clutching her wand. She was about to turn the final corner to the stairs that lead to the dungeons, when she ran right into a dark figure.
Unable to see who she had just run in to, she started to fall from the loss of her balance. The person in front of her reached out and steadied her with one easy motion. Once she was up on her own she looked up to see the cold stare of Lucius grinning down at her.
"Well, well, what have we got here? A little mudblood all by herself. My day is looking up." Hermione's eyes grew in shock as she struggled to step out of his grasp.
"Mr. Malfoy, I did not realize that you would be visiting Hogwarts today."
"I'm here on a personal mission. It just happens that I was looking for you." Lucius took both her hands in a tight grip, causing her to drop her book. "This is going to be a lot of fun."
In a quick flash Hermione lost sight of her surroundings. She closed her eyes in the confusion, and opened them when she felt secure again. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness that enveloped her, she found only stone walls. One chair was pushed into a corner, with chains hooked to the arms and legs. Lucius stood in front of her, allowing only an inch of space to be seen between them.
"Tell me, mudblood, has Severus had the pleasure yet? Or maybe I will be the first?" He chuckled as an evil smirk crossed his lips. He took the final step closer to bring his body into contact with hers. Hermione pulled back in an attempt to break the connection.
"What do you want with me?" Hermione was forced against the wall. Lucius grew tired of her retreat and made it so she had no where to go.
"I am going to make an example of you. When I am finished, you will barely be recognizable. But I will make sure that all mudbloods see what will happen to them if they should try to become more than their worth." Lucius slapped her across the face and grabbed her chin harshly to force her eyes upon his face. "I wonder what you feel like. Should we take a look?"
"No!" Hermione struggled in his grip and tried to save herself from what was coming. All was in vain as Lucius ripped open her robes and shirt with his free hand. Hermione closed her eyes in disgust as her ran his hand down her chest, and plunged it down the front her pants.
"Mmmmm..this is going to more fun than I thought." He thrust his fingers between her legs, touching her intimately.
Hermione spit in his face in an attempt to distract him from what he was doing.
"You're going to pay for that mudblood!" Lucius removed his hand and turned her around to push her against the wall face first. He harshly ripped the remainder of her robes and top off, leaving only her bra and pants on. Pulling her arms up along the wall, he used a binding spell to chain them to the wall.
Hermione waited for her punishment, knowing it would only get worse. All of sudden she felt the crisp slap of a whip clashing along her back. The first whip elicited a grunt of pain.
"That's what I like; I want to hear what I'm doing to you." He continued to whip her over and over again. Blood began to drip down her back staining her pants red. Hermione never made another sound; she would not give him the pleasure of knowing that he hurt her. She kept a cold stare on her face and showed no emotion for the entirety of the whipping. The only sign of her pain were the tears that fell down her cheeks.
Once he had got his fill of whipping, Lucius turned her around to face him, causing her arms to twist over each other in a painful way. Her back ached against the cold stone wall when he pushed hard against her body. "Now, I hope you will cooperate this time." He continued his ministrations that he had started only minutes before. Hermione's mind raced with many thoughts. She kept thinking about Severus. Where was he? Why wasn't he here? He is supposed to protect me, I need him.
Lucius had ripped open the front of her pants and was pushing the waist down with both of his hands. When he stood up again to look at her face, Hermione brought her knee up between his legs. Lucius doubled over in pain, cursing and promising that she will wish she had never done that. Hermione closed he eyes and flinched in preparation as she saw his fist coming towards her face.
"Nooooo!!!" Hermione woke with a start, screaming at the top of her lungs. Crookshanks hissed in the confusion and arched his back towards her sudden movement. She was sitting up in her bed, covered in a slight sheen of sweat. It was the third time she had had that dream. But this was the first time Lucius had gotten as far as beating her. In the past renditions, he was only able to take her to a dark, dungeon-like room.
Hermione screamed in a startled way when her bedroom door was flung open by a panicked Severus. It was all too much, and her emotions went into overdrive. Tears started to fall and she curled up at the top of her bed, as Severus looked around for any signs of danger.
"Hermione, what happened?" Hermione continued to weep and was unable to look in response to his questioning. "Hermione, please, you have to tell me what is going on?" Seeing no signs of struggle or forced entrance Severus watched as she sobbed and tried to get control of herself. He realized that she was frightened, and went towards her bed in an attempt to calm her down. "Are you okay?" He cupped her cheek gently and pulled her chin up from her knees to look into her tear-filled eyes. "It's okay now no one is here to hurt you. Calm down."
Hermione pulled herself together and stopped crying. When she looked in the blacks depths of Severus's eyes she felt a warmth race through her body. "I'm sorry to wake you."
"It's okay. When I heard you scream, I was afraid that Lucius was trying to take you." Severus sat on the bed next to Hermione and placed a comforting arm over her shoulders.
"It was a dream. I have had the same dream three times now. But this time he took me and beat me, and.." She stopped with a whisper, unable to say the last part.
"Shhhh..It's okay. You don't have to worry. I will never let him get a hold of you. He would have to kill me first before I let him take you. I know what he does to muggleborns, and I am not willing to let him continue."
Hermione looked at Severus and felt relief from his gaze. "Will you stay with me tonight? I'm a little shaken by all this, and I don't want to be alone right now."
Severus remained silent for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about the situation and was unsure of his response. Finally, he sighed and ran his hand through his black hair. "I will stay. I will sleep on the couch on the other side of the room."
"Thank you." Hermione stared at him in appreciation and waited for him to make the next move.
Severus lingered in her bed with his arm around her in comfort. He wanted to leave instantly and stay away from her. He was afraid that staying with her would only cause their professional relationship to become complicated. There were boundaries to be set in all professional acquaintances, and this crossed all of them. But, even he was not cruel enough to leave a frightened person alone in an unfamiliar place.
Realizing that he was still holding her in his arms, he took in a sharp breath and stood slowly. Taking a small pillow from her bed and a coat that was draped over a chair. He transfigured the coat into a blanket and made his way to the couch across the room. Once he was settled on the couch, he closed his eyes in an attempt to get to sleep quickly.
Hermione sat in her bed for awhile and watched him sleep. She was confused about him. He was arrogant and grouchy and always a pain to talk to about potions. But then there were these times, when he surprises her with kindness, gentleness, and something else that she felt inside but just could not describe.
Giving up in her attempt to define what it was about him that continued to astonish her, she slid down into her bed and snuggled up under her comforter. She would have to think about it another day.
*******
TBC
Author's Note: Sorry to make this one short with only one scene; but I was busy these last two days and wanted to get out what I had. In case there is any confusion about this chapter's timeline, let me explain. The entire first section was a part of Hermione's dream. But she has been at Hogwarts for about a week now, working with Snape. That's how she could have the dream three times already.
To all the people that are reviewing, thanks!! I love each and every one. I'm glad that you all like the inclusion of Lucius in the story, and the slow building of Snape and Hermione's relationship. Things will get sticky soon, and a bit angst-y.
Author's Note: Some violence is depicted in this chapter. Be forewarned, if you do not like it, do not read it. There is nothing beyond the 'R' rating that this story contains.
Chapter Six - Comforting Arms
Hermione was walking through the halls of Hogwarts in a research mode. She held a stack of books in one arm, while she propped one open in front of her to read while she walked. She had just spent the last few hours in the restricted section of the library, hoping to find anything that pertained to the human nervous system. For the past week, her and Severus had been making great leaps in their attempt to find a cure; but were always off in the brewing. They were certain that the technique and order of the ingredients was the only key left to getting it right.
Hermione looked up over her book inconsistently to make sure she wouldn't run into any of the students that were wandering the halls. All of a sudden she came upon a chapter that caught her attention. She stopped where she was and leaned up against a wall to read with her full concentration.
She was just finishing the first page, and had to set down the other stack of books in order to flip to the next page, when she heard steps coming from a nearby hall. She looked up to see no one in the near vicinity, and called out to see if anyone would answer. "Hello, is anyone there?" She was answered with only silence. "Professor Snape, is that you?" making sure to use his professional title while amongst other students. But again still no answer. Her heart began to beat a little more quickly as she realized that she wasn't alone in the halls.
Trying to figure out the best course of action, Hermione closed her book and started to walk to her quarters. She looked around frantically for any signs of another person, and had one hand inside her robe, clutching her wand. She was about to turn the final corner to the stairs that lead to the dungeons, when she ran right into a dark figure.
Unable to see who she had just run in to, she started to fall from the loss of her balance. The person in front of her reached out and steadied her with one easy motion. Once she was up on her own she looked up to see the cold stare of Lucius grinning down at her.
"Well, well, what have we got here? A little mudblood all by herself. My day is looking up." Hermione's eyes grew in shock as she struggled to step out of his grasp.
"Mr. Malfoy, I did not realize that you would be visiting Hogwarts today."
"I'm here on a personal mission. It just happens that I was looking for you." Lucius took both her hands in a tight grip, causing her to drop her book. "This is going to be a lot of fun."
In a quick flash Hermione lost sight of her surroundings. She closed her eyes in the confusion, and opened them when she felt secure again. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness that enveloped her, she found only stone walls. One chair was pushed into a corner, with chains hooked to the arms and legs. Lucius stood in front of her, allowing only an inch of space to be seen between them.
"Tell me, mudblood, has Severus had the pleasure yet? Or maybe I will be the first?" He chuckled as an evil smirk crossed his lips. He took the final step closer to bring his body into contact with hers. Hermione pulled back in an attempt to break the connection.
"What do you want with me?" Hermione was forced against the wall. Lucius grew tired of her retreat and made it so she had no where to go.
"I am going to make an example of you. When I am finished, you will barely be recognizable. But I will make sure that all mudbloods see what will happen to them if they should try to become more than their worth." Lucius slapped her across the face and grabbed her chin harshly to force her eyes upon his face. "I wonder what you feel like. Should we take a look?"
"No!" Hermione struggled in his grip and tried to save herself from what was coming. All was in vain as Lucius ripped open her robes and shirt with his free hand. Hermione closed her eyes in disgust as her ran his hand down her chest, and plunged it down the front her pants.
"Mmmmm..this is going to more fun than I thought." He thrust his fingers between her legs, touching her intimately.
Hermione spit in his face in an attempt to distract him from what he was doing.
"You're going to pay for that mudblood!" Lucius removed his hand and turned her around to push her against the wall face first. He harshly ripped the remainder of her robes and top off, leaving only her bra and pants on. Pulling her arms up along the wall, he used a binding spell to chain them to the wall.
Hermione waited for her punishment, knowing it would only get worse. All of sudden she felt the crisp slap of a whip clashing along her back. The first whip elicited a grunt of pain.
"That's what I like; I want to hear what I'm doing to you." He continued to whip her over and over again. Blood began to drip down her back staining her pants red. Hermione never made another sound; she would not give him the pleasure of knowing that he hurt her. She kept a cold stare on her face and showed no emotion for the entirety of the whipping. The only sign of her pain were the tears that fell down her cheeks.
Once he had got his fill of whipping, Lucius turned her around to face him, causing her arms to twist over each other in a painful way. Her back ached against the cold stone wall when he pushed hard against her body. "Now, I hope you will cooperate this time." He continued his ministrations that he had started only minutes before. Hermione's mind raced with many thoughts. She kept thinking about Severus. Where was he? Why wasn't he here? He is supposed to protect me, I need him.
Lucius had ripped open the front of her pants and was pushing the waist down with both of his hands. When he stood up again to look at her face, Hermione brought her knee up between his legs. Lucius doubled over in pain, cursing and promising that she will wish she had never done that. Hermione closed he eyes and flinched in preparation as she saw his fist coming towards her face.
"Nooooo!!!" Hermione woke with a start, screaming at the top of her lungs. Crookshanks hissed in the confusion and arched his back towards her sudden movement. She was sitting up in her bed, covered in a slight sheen of sweat. It was the third time she had had that dream. But this was the first time Lucius had gotten as far as beating her. In the past renditions, he was only able to take her to a dark, dungeon-like room.
Hermione screamed in a startled way when her bedroom door was flung open by a panicked Severus. It was all too much, and her emotions went into overdrive. Tears started to fall and she curled up at the top of her bed, as Severus looked around for any signs of danger.
"Hermione, what happened?" Hermione continued to weep and was unable to look in response to his questioning. "Hermione, please, you have to tell me what is going on?" Seeing no signs of struggle or forced entrance Severus watched as she sobbed and tried to get control of herself. He realized that she was frightened, and went towards her bed in an attempt to calm her down. "Are you okay?" He cupped her cheek gently and pulled her chin up from her knees to look into her tear-filled eyes. "It's okay now no one is here to hurt you. Calm down."
Hermione pulled herself together and stopped crying. When she looked in the blacks depths of Severus's eyes she felt a warmth race through her body. "I'm sorry to wake you."
"It's okay. When I heard you scream, I was afraid that Lucius was trying to take you." Severus sat on the bed next to Hermione and placed a comforting arm over her shoulders.
"It was a dream. I have had the same dream three times now. But this time he took me and beat me, and.." She stopped with a whisper, unable to say the last part.
"Shhhh..It's okay. You don't have to worry. I will never let him get a hold of you. He would have to kill me first before I let him take you. I know what he does to muggleborns, and I am not willing to let him continue."
Hermione looked at Severus and felt relief from his gaze. "Will you stay with me tonight? I'm a little shaken by all this, and I don't want to be alone right now."
Severus remained silent for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about the situation and was unsure of his response. Finally, he sighed and ran his hand through his black hair. "I will stay. I will sleep on the couch on the other side of the room."
"Thank you." Hermione stared at him in appreciation and waited for him to make the next move.
Severus lingered in her bed with his arm around her in comfort. He wanted to leave instantly and stay away from her. He was afraid that staying with her would only cause their professional relationship to become complicated. There were boundaries to be set in all professional acquaintances, and this crossed all of them. But, even he was not cruel enough to leave a frightened person alone in an unfamiliar place.
Realizing that he was still holding her in his arms, he took in a sharp breath and stood slowly. Taking a small pillow from her bed and a coat that was draped over a chair. He transfigured the coat into a blanket and made his way to the couch across the room. Once he was settled on the couch, he closed his eyes in an attempt to get to sleep quickly.
Hermione sat in her bed for awhile and watched him sleep. She was confused about him. He was arrogant and grouchy and always a pain to talk to about potions. But then there were these times, when he surprises her with kindness, gentleness, and something else that she felt inside but just could not describe.
Giving up in her attempt to define what it was about him that continued to astonish her, she slid down into her bed and snuggled up under her comforter. She would have to think about it another day.
*******
TBC
Author's Note: Sorry to make this one short with only one scene; but I was busy these last two days and wanted to get out what I had. In case there is any confusion about this chapter's timeline, let me explain. The entire first section was a part of Hermione's dream. But she has been at Hogwarts for about a week now, working with Snape. That's how she could have the dream three times already.
To all the people that are reviewing, thanks!! I love each and every one. I'm glad that you all like the inclusion of Lucius in the story, and the slow building of Snape and Hermione's relationship. Things will get sticky soon, and a bit angst-y.