Disclaimer: I own nothing. Sob. See look, now I'm crying. Reviews make me feel better (hint hint)!
My main AN will be at the end, but I just want to clear something up- Sev was stupid and said things he shouldn't have because he was under a spell, and was not in real control of his tongue. Sorry for not making it clearer.
Chapter Three
"Father, I have a gift for you."
"Gift, my dear? How could Severus be a gift?"
"Because he is a spy for the Order of the Phoenix."
The was a deafening silence for a moment, which was abruptly broken as the Dark Lord threw his head back and let out a loud, harsh laugh.
"Why Severus, you had me fooled!" he said. "And brought down, not by me, but by a child. Oh, the irony!"
"What are we going to do with him?" asked Hermione, without even looking at the man on the floor at her feet.
Voldemort did not answer his adopted daughter immediately. Finally making up his mind, he said, "We will have a game. You have not yet seen what happens to people that defy me. But Severus has," he said venomously, kicking the soon to be ex-spy, "haven't you?"
Severus made no answer.
"Crucio!"
Hermione watched impassively as the man before her screamed and writhed. When Voldemort lifted the spell, he lay still for a moment, then slowly raised himself up to look directly at her. Something about the way that he was staring at her made Hermione feel slightly uncomfortable. She was relieved when he turned his gaze onto her father.
"What have you done to her?"
"Done to her? I have not done anything to her, have I my dear?"
"Of course not."
"Nonsense," spat Severus. "Miss Granger -Hermione- was my student two years ago, with no intention of following you or joining your ranks. Of course you have done something to her!"
"Such defiance! You have some nerve," commented Voldemort.
"Of course I have nerve, my fate is already sealed. I have nothing to lose. Tell me- what did you do to her?"
"Father, I was never taught by this man. What is going on?" asked Hermione.
Voldemort froze for a fraction of a second, then looked directly at his 'daughter'.
"This man is a spy. He has made up a past for you, one in which you were one of his students, and you followed Dumbledore and had joined the Order of the Phoenix. I can assure you that it is all fabrication, made up simply to confuse you."
Hermione looked at the man she called her father, then down to the man at her feet.
"What are you planning to do to him?" she asked.
"Whatever you wish me to, my dear. We can have a hunt, a burning, anything you choose."
The woman stood for a moment, thinking.
"What does he claim to have taught me in this 'past'?"
"Potions."
"You never taught me any more than the basic potions."
"I regret I never had the time."
Hermione paused again.
"Did he make potions for you, father?"
"Yes, my dear."
"Is he any good at them?"
"Yes, my dear, though I hate to say it. One of the best."
"I want him."
"Pardon?" Voldemort seemed surprised, something that nobody had ever seen happen before.
"Are you forgetting, father, that today is my birthday?"
Severus could not help but smile sadly. Voldemort had changed the date of Hermione's birthday from September to graduation night- the day she had been taken from them.
"I can give you anything for a gift. Why would you want him for a slave? I can get you far better ones."
"I don't want him as a slave. I want him to teach me potions. Come now father, what else would I want him for?"
Voldemort sat thoughtfully for a moment, as Hermione and Severus waited in silence for his final decision.
"You can take him. But make sure to confiscate his wand, and only let him have it when you are supervising him. That man is dangerous- don't allow any of his lies to lead you astray."
"Yes, father. Thank you."
Voldemort nodded to Hermione, and gave Severus a glare which could easily be interpreted. You escaped this time due to chance. Don't try anything- it won't happen again.
As Hermione swept away, Severus dragged himself to his feet and hurried after her.
They soon passed out of the grounds of the school, and arrived back at the graveyard. Severus watched Hermione as she bent down, brown curls hiding her face from view, and touched one of the gates of the tombs. The gate swung easily open at her touch, and she calmly walked inside. When Severus hesitated, she glared at him and he hurried in behind her.
As soon as he entered, the gate swung shut and the inside of the tomb began to shift. Finally, Severus found himself in a large room made entirely of stone. Along its walls were many doors.
"These are my quarters. You are only allowed access to two of these rooms." Hermione pointed her finger at two of the doors, and they swung open.
"This is to be your bedchamber." The woman gestured to the first room. It was of a good size, and comfortably furnished in shades of deep red and black. It appeared that there was some Gryffindor left in Hermione, much as she wanted to ignore it. "You will not leave this chamber unless I give you permission. There is a bathroom leading off it, which is also yours."
She moved on to the room next to it. "This is the laboratory, where we will be working. You will only go there when I give you permission to do so." The room that she had opened seemed bare- it held just one table, with a cauldron on it. To one side was a door, which Severus assumed lead to the store cupboard.
Hermione now turned back to the room that they were standing in, and conjured up two chairs.
"Give me your wand." She held out your hand, and hesitantly Severus placed his wand in it. Without saying any more, Hermione sat down in one of the chairs. She looked pointedly at Severus, who sat down carefully in the other.
"Come now, Severus, why so worried? You are alive, after all."
"Miss Granger-" The woman's eyes flashed. "Hermione. Thank you for sparing me, I-"
"Leave your thanks, or I will kill you now. I only spared you because I want to know about the past you seem to think that I have. Tell me everything that you believe you know of me."
Severus paused for a moment, confused, then began to talk. He told her of her friends, her family (what he knew of it), the classes she had taken and even the grades she had got in them.
It surprised him a little that he had paid such attention to the girl- but then, it was rare that he found any student worth his time. He would never have told Hermione this, but he had always admired her intellect, even though her choices in life and friends had always left what he felt as much to be desired.
Some time later, with a hoarse throat, he finished. Hermione looked at him in with what appeared to be amusement.
"I find it hard to believe that if I am indeed a mudblood, and a friend of Harry Potter, that Voldemort would make me his successor. Why would he choose me? Now, I am sure that your story was very well planned, and it must have taken great intelligence to come up with it, but unfortunately I am not fooled.
"I am a pureblood, the daughter of Voldemort, and not of some muggle fools. My best friend could never have been Harry Potter, because I would not associate myself with people such as him."
"So what are you going to do with me now?"
"What do you mean? You are going to teach me potions. I have installed a spell in your chambers that allows you access to any book that you could possibly need for research."
"Thank you. That will be very useful."
"Indeed it will be. You will research complicated potions for me. And ones that I will use, not stupid little things like an advanced cleaning potion."
"Of course."
"And you had better research it well. I don't like having people lie to me, even if they believe that they are doing for 'the good of the world'. When you run out of things to teach me, I am going to kill you."
Hermione smiled sweetly at the man that had paled before her. Severus sat frozen in his chair, unable to believe that the interminably nice girl that he had used to teach had just said that.
The woman that sat staring at her teacher-to-be frowned.
"Why are you still sitting here?" she asked. "If I were you, I would go and start looking."
Severus stood up at once, and with a last sad look at the person he had once known, hurried from the room.
AN: I know that I am updating more frequently than I said I could, but that will not last long, sadly- this will be my last update for at least a fortnight as I am going away, and then school starts (but I will try to keep to one update per week).
Wow. I just can't get over the response that I have been receiving for this fic. Thanks so much, all of you!
Thanks for filling me in about the America thing- I was just confused because people were talking about it and I don't go back for weeks. I like being a Brit!
As people are beginning to notice, I am unable to resist writing cliffies, so there will be plenty to come. I apologise in advance!
Xmaverickf14x
Heartnut
Squashes
Winter blaze- I can't kill him off (not yet anyway... heh heh)! He's Snape!
Arabella
Jojo
Christieanne-anna- you will see!
Artemis MoonClaw
Grangerhermione
Just me- thanks about the plot- but not mine, sadly
Nici1807- you're welcome!
Anno
PLEASE R&R!