A/N: So very, very, very sorry about the amount of time it's taken me to update hangs head in shame. I had a really bad time writing this, I just couldn't get my head round it, but here it is hope you enjoy.

Chapter Four: Witches' Kisses

Severus' head snapped around and looked towards the door, there stood Lucius Malfoy with a furtive smile playing on his lips, black leather gloved hands played along a silver topped cane and his eyes had widened at the incident he had just witnessed. Lucius began to walk towards them; Hermione pulled her shirt around her and hid behind Severus' strong back.

"Well, well, well Severus' I never had you down for a mudblood lover, mind you the little whore did seem to enjoy it." Snape shook with anger, it was probably best to stay quiet until he knew what Lucius was here for, he hated the fact that he was topless and still standing between Hermione's legs but he couldn't leave her, the girl was barely dressed and Lucius was already examining her hungrily. "So what is she like Severus'? Is she good?" Lucius let out a cruel laugh as the couple flinched in front of him, "What's the matter, mudblood?" As Hermione cringed behind him Severus decided enough was enough.

"Why are you here Lucius?"

"Do I need a reason to visit an old friend?"

"I'm losing patience Malfoy"

Lucius rose an immaculate eyebrow "Keep calm, haven't you had enough excitement for one day?" He sneered at Severus as he exhaled deeply, "The Dark Lord requires you to deliver something to him, although I think with such new developments he may want to question your loyalty now". Severus thought fast, for the sake of The Order and wizard kind, he could not compromise his position as a spy, he closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer for forgiveness upwards and opened his mouth to betray the lover behind him.

"Why would the Dark Lord question my loyalty? Would he not reward it? You of all people Lucius should know that mudbloods are only good for one thing, and some of them aren't even good at that." He felt Hermione's grip on him loosen and he felt like the biggest bastard in the world, 'please' he begged to whoever was listening, 'please let her understand what he was doing'. "Come, Lucius, have you never thought about it, have you never wanted the tender flesh of a young nubile mudblood? A dirty little mudblood who knows what's she's doing and will take it any way you want until your satisfied." He was playing to Lucius' depraved perverted side, knowing that he wouldn't see anything wrong with taking young witches against their will, on the dark side it was sometimes more of pastime than actually practising the dark arts were. Lucius' face broke into a sly smile.

"In that case old friend get rid the whore and listen to what I have to say."

Hermione sat in her room, her arms wrapped round her pillow and her tear stained face against the mattress, she was numb inside and had no more tears to cry. She had ceased to continue with the day to day farce of getting through every hour in an attempt to ward off that fact that she didn't know how to get through the next few months. How could he do that to her? How could he cheapen what they had? She felt confused and hurt; she had truly believed that in the short time that it had been just her and Severus' in that room they had found the true meaning of magical. Both of them could flick a wand and create complicated spells but what they had shared came down to basic human lust that was ever present in both the wizarding and the muggle world, but it would appear that her Potions Master had more of the dark side left in him than he was admitting. A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Hermione" Ginny called through the door "We're going to dinner now. Are you coming?" Hermione prised herself off of her bed and looked in the nearby mirror, she looked a mess, she couldn't go down to dinner like this. "Hermione?"

"Errm I...I'm not feeling great Ginny I'm going to go to bed."

"Are you ok? Do you want to go and see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No... no I'll stay here, I'm just tired I guess."

"Ok, I'll see you later"

Ginny looked back at Hermione's door as she walked away, Hermione was normally never ill; she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Meanwhile in her room Hermione had sprung a fresh well of tears, she sunk to her knees and began to sob.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk and watched one of his most loyal members of staff pace the floor in front of it.

"Albus, what are The Order going to do about this, the risk is huge, we cannot deliver Miss Weasley or Miss Granger to the dark side." Albus watched as Severus sat down, many years before, more than he would care to remember, Severus had sat in the same chair a broken, guilt ridden, soulless young man. He had taken him in, given him a home and a job to match his amazing talent, he mused on this for a while and felt that maybe he had given him a lot more, maybe more than he even realised.

"Severus, please run through again, what was it exactly that Lucius said to you."

"I am to use any means necessary to deliver a 'mudblood' girl and a pureblood girl to our Lord, he would prefer Miss Weasley and Miss Granger."

"Did he say why?"

"When I asked he said 'why do you think?' he then explained that the Dark Lord had specifically requested those two as they are the most important females in Potter's life, his best friend and his girlfriend, two women he would give his life for. The Dark Lord wants them, soon; to begin 'conditioning' them to be good little dark witches." He put his head in his hands "Albus, I cannot do it, I will not do it, its too dangerous, these girls are 18 and 17, they don't even know the extent of what they can do. I also believe that they cannot begin to imagine the depravity of what may happen too them. Miss Weasley has already been through so much for one so young and Her...Miss Granger..." his voice tailed off leaving the sentence hanging in the air, Dumbledore had noticed Severus' slip, 'so' he thought 'Severus has feelings for his prize student' it was not his place to pry but not a lot went on in his school that he didn't know about.

"Severus, do you have something to tell me?" Snape raised his head to the Headmaster with a haunted look in his eyes.

"No" he whispered.

"In that case, you may leave; I need to speak to The Order about this."

"Be quick Albus, I beg you, I could not live with myself if he took them, took them when I wasn't there to look after them." Albus nodded at him and Severus began to descend down the spiral stair case.

Back in his room, Severus sat staring at an empty fire place, she was heartbroken, and he could feel it. He could feel her sobbing and knew she didn't understand, didn't comprehend what he had had to do. He was also aware how this would become a weakness, weakness' in the dark side were sniffed out like a pack of dogs hunt a fox, and when they catch them they rip it apart, limb from limb, guts from body, heart from chest. This was a weakness that would kill him if he could not control it, silent tears rolled down his face and he remembered a Spanish phrase from long ago 'Besos brujos que me matan' 'Witches' kisses that kill me'. He closed his eyes, to try to stop the tears, it was pointless, and so he opened them again and let them fall.

A/N: Well, hope that was up to expectation, I just want to say an especially massive shout out to Shaded Rose, she does manage to keep me going when I don't think I can.

Kalika CavendishBiF NAKEDEmotionless2.0Chainmailgrlbreziebear (no offence taken), ccbchunksblackwolfs900, topps, Really-A-Dopey-1 (am so pleased, I got a 10/10), ShellyD1982Snakeyes, Dendara, SeverusMistress, Elfgir,l aniamifan1988Vlairesportzgrl627, Rosie, Remember Cedric DiggoryVickie211. Love you all please keep reviewing.