Disclaimer: J.K.Rowling owns everything, I don't. No copyright infringement is intended.
Quick note to those that use the FanFiction Author's Alerts - When I posted the last chapter, FF.net was having some problems and as a result the alert for chapter 10 never went out. So unless you've checked on your own you may be a chapter behind. Just wanted to pass that along… Thanks for reading!!
Chapter 11
Snape's whispered comments vanished in the autumn breeze and left behind an eerie silence. Expecting the worst, he dropped the package from his wand hand, and listened to the dull thud as it hit the ground. After a quick calculation, he determined that it had held the puffer-fish eyes that the second-years would need for their Swelling Solution. Not that it mattered right now, but thankfully a slight bruising would not render them useless. He just hoped that he and Hermione would fare half as well.
"What a lovely day for a walk," a familiar voice drawled from behind them. Although the greeting appeared civilized, the contempt it carried was abundantly clear.
Snape slowly turned to face the intruder. He was not surprised that standing before him, his regal nose held high in an attempt to peer down at the taller man, was Lucius Malfoy. With his head cocked to the side and his hands balancing on the top of his ever-present cane, he had taken on a deceptively informal stance. It was one that Snape knew well, and he was attentive enough to be wary.
Snape quickly came to the conclusion that even with her heightened training, the absence of Hermione's wand put them at a clear disadvantage. To get them back to the castle safely, he knew he would have to handle the situation very carefully. He just hoped that -- this once -- she would have the good sense to stay out of his way.
"Lucius," Snape replied casually, "yes, it is a lovely day..." Although his heart was racing, he kept his demeanor outwardly relaxed.
After a calming breath, Hermione turned and noticed that the Professor had positioned himself directly between her and her adversary. Anxious to get a better view of the encounter, she placed a steadying hand on his shoulder and cautiously peered around him. At once she felt the muscles under her fingers tense, and he instinctively moved his arm to urge her back.
"We were just on our way back to the school," Snape continued casually, as if their brief interaction had not occurred. Although it was clear that Malfoy had not yet pulled his wand, he suspected it was only a matter of time before that escalation occurred. So, with his young charge tucked away, he allowed his wand to drop from his sleeve and deftly caught it between his nimble fingers. Using his robes for camouflage, he held his wand in his hand and began to prepare for the inevitable.
"So I see." Malfoy chuckled slightly and then mocked, "It appears that she's already got you house trained." He gave a pointed look towards the bags and asked, "What have you got there, frilly curtains for the potions lab, or perhaps matching his and hers cauldrons?"
Snape ignored the jibe, and instead moved the conversation to a safer topic. "I'm surprised to see you here. Are you heading up to Hogwarts for a visit with Draco?"
Keeping his eyes fixed with his opponents, Snape casually swept the remaining parcel behind him. He had hoped to complete his tasks without drawing unnecessary attention to his actions, but the flicker in the blond wizard's eyes indicated otherwise.
"Severus, dear friend, I think you know better than that. You and I have much more important matters to discuss."
Malfoy's face was split by a feral grin, and Hermione's stomach lurched in response. With the blood pounding in her ears, she didn't hear herself gasp as Snape's remaining parcel brushed against her leg. Instinctively she took the handle that was passed to her and immediately felt his hand slide up to grasp her wrist. As he pulled her back to further shield her from any unwanted activity, she could feel his thumb trace comforting circles on the inside her wrist. With each rotation she felt herself relax and her fears subside.
Although Snape knew that Malfoy hadn't planned to give up, he had hoped that the Dark Lord's right-hand man wouldn't have reacted so carelessly. But, just as Voldemort was stymied by his hatred for Harry Potter, Malfoy was fixated with Hermione Granger. It was a well-known sore point that the lowly mudblood continued to outshine his son academically. The fact that she provided intellectual assistance to Potter was just salt in the wound.
With his attention diverted, Malfoy slid his gaze off his old friend to focus on the young girl standing behind him. Taking a few lateral strides to gain a better vantage point, he pointedly swung his cane from side to side.
The arrogant reminder of his status was not lost on Snape. He was well aware that the ornate cane was nothing more than an aristocratic disguise for the other man's wand. But, for every move the other man made, Snape matched him step by step. Hidden behind his flowing black robes, her arm still clamped in his reassuring grip, Hermione scrambled to keep track of their purchases while she listened to the exchange.
"My dear friend," Snape mimicked, "I don't think there is anything more to say in this matter." He gave the other man a warning look that he hoped would be heeded. It was a long shot, but he hoped that Malfoy would realize that preserving his (presumably) secret position within Voldemort's ranks was more important than his hatred of Hermione.
Ignoring the warning, Malfoy chuckled lightly and unsheathed his wand from its encasement. Examining it closely, he gave it a light twirl, and watched as blue sparks were emitted from its point. "Well, actually it's more of an… invitation." As he spoke the words, he swept his wand in a colorful arc to emphasize that it was less of an invitation and more of a demand.
"You see, I was planning a special party tonight. It was to be an engagement party, of sorts, for my son and Miss Granger."
Attempting to control his temper, Snape replied matter-of-factly, "Well, in light of the Ministry's decision, I think you'll have to cancel that party."
Malfoy simply laughed in response, "The Ministry's decision isn't final until I tell them it's final. I've spent quite a bit of money to acquire her, so unless you are offering a refund-"
The sheer humiliation of being treated as a prized cattle set Hermione on edge, and in an instant she had pulled away from her Professor's protective grasp. Blindly pushing past him, she threw angry barbs at her would-be owner. "Face it Malfoy," she spat out venomously, "this time you lost."
Watching in horror as Malfoy's taunting achieved its desired effect, Snape reached out to reign in the young girl. As his hand caught the sleeve of her robe, his arm came around to grasp her around the waist, crushing her against his body.
"I wouldn't marry your son-"
As she continued her tirade, he picked her up and felt her feet kick wildly as they meet the open air. He twisted his body, in an attempt to return her to safety, but was quickly thrown off-balance by her desperate struggles.
"Crucio!"
With one well-placed curse, Lucius Malfoy was able to take them both down. They hit the ground in a twisted heap of bodies and shopping bags, and their screams of pain easily muffled the tinkling of breaking glass. With a vicious gleam in his eye, Malfoy stood over them and prolonged the curse with continuous flicks of his wand.
As Hermione lay half-sprawled across her Professor, twitching in agony, she knew she had never before been in such pain. She had been placed under Cruciatus once before, but she now realized that it had been nothing more than a naive academic simulation. It was immediately apparent that the uncomfortable tingling she had felt during her training did not even come close to matching the true intensity of the curse.
Under the practiced hand of an angry, dark wizard, she felt as if tiny daggers were piercing the length of her body and her nerve-endings were being lit on fire. She closed her eyes from the blinding white lights, and was immediately assaulted by the smell of the musty earth as it mingled with the essence of the newly destroyed supplies and the primal smell of fear and pain coming from herself and her Professor.
With each new burst, she could feel him writhe against her as he fought to control the pain. She quickly became aware of her body as it pressed tightly against him, and their legs, as they entwined in an embrace that was mockingly intimate. As each new seizure rocked his body, she could feel him wrestle against the curse in a vain attempt to shield her with his own body. With one arm he struggled to pull her closer to his chest, while his fingers grasped at her in an attempt to massage away the pain at the base of her skull. Between bouts of agony, she could feel warm puffs on the side of her neck as he gasped for air, and once she thought she heard him whisper, "hold on," in a voice so soft that only she could hear.
The combination of overpowering stimuli, obviously heightened by the intensity of the curse, clamored for attention and made it difficult for her to think. Focusing her intent on fighting off the spasms that coursed through her body, Hermione tried to concentrate on distinguishing a pattern from each reintroduction of pain. With her face pressed into the ground, she took deep gulps of dusty air each time the curse was momentarily released, and then renewed her cries as fresh pain rolled over her.
In an instant she felt a chill come over her as she was lifted from the ground and away from the warmth of her protector. She felt herself restrained in a vice-like grip, and was aware that it was vastly different than the comforting touch of her Professor. It took her a moment to realize that the tremors that continued to shake her body were merely aftereffects from the repeated bouts of the curse; and with her energy drained, she knew that fighting back was impossible.
"Now, now," Lucius teased lightly, "I don't see any reason why we must… cancel the party."
Snape's throat, chafed from his repeated screams, rebelled against the agonizing breath that ripped itself from his strained lungs. With the curse finally lifted, he quickly reoriented himself to his surroundings. His wand was missing, presumably hidden among the debris of damaged potions supplies, and Hermione was no longer by his side. He looked up to see her hanging limply on Malfoy's arm, and his only clue to her present state was the occasional twitch that rattled her body.
In an airy voice Lucius continued, "A groom is merely a groom, but a bride… Perhaps it's time that we celebrate your good fortune my friend."
His attention split between recovering from the curse, and scanning the ground for his missing wand, Snape almost missed the conversational shift that had taken place. Briefly halting his search, he noticed -- with some trepidation -- that Hermione was beginning to regain her composure. Although the twitching hadn't completely stalled, she no longer appeared as the parody of a limp rag doll in an oversized child's arms.
"Oh, come now Severus," he laughed. "You certainly wouldn't deny us our nightly entertainment?"
Hermione immediately realized the implications of Malfoy's request. Mulling over her choices, she thought about leaving the Professor behind and Apparating to a safe place; but with Malfoy's stifling grip holding her back and the after effects of the curse still raging through her system, she couldn't run the risk of being splinched. She hoped that given more time she would get her chance to run.
"Surely you will share your new bride with your friends, won't you?"
Snape focused his gaze on his long-time associate and sneered in disgust. He was sickened by the lengths that his friend would go to break the young girl. No sooner had his thoughts moved to Hermione, that he saw the flash in her eyes. He could tell that she was fully aware of Malfoy's intentions, and in that moment he saw the warrior inside of her fight back.
Tightening his grip on the young girl struggling in his arms, Malfoy grabbed for her face and pulled it close. Catching the look in Snape's eye, he gave a hearty laugh and whispered, "Imperio," into her ear.
Hermione's mind, her most valuable weapon, quickly became befuddled. She knew that she should fight back -- that she wanted to fight back -- but she found it impossible to think straight. As she felt her mind go slack and her will power fade away, she happily though that it didn't seem all that bad to lose control of yourself. It was relaxing to not have to worry any more, and for the first time in a long time she felt free. As a wave of contentment washed over her, she allowed her head to drop back to rest on her assailant's shoulder. Her mind only registered the uncomfortable position as a safe haven from what her life had become.
With her fight gone, Malfoy moved his hand from its grip on her chin to lightly caress her cheek. His eyes were locked with Snape's in a battle that neither was prepared to lose. He could see the pathetic look in his friend's face as he ran his fingers down her throat, and wondered -- not for the first time -- if there was more to their situation than the stalwart Professor acknowledged.
"Keep your hands off her," Snape hissed. "Trust me when I say this Lucius, if you continue down this path, it will not end well."
Chuckling lightly and ignoring the threat, he bent his head down to sniff at the base of Hermione's throat. With his wand pressed to her chest, he dragged his lips up against her tender flesh and licked at her delicate jaw line.
The muscle in Snape's jaw twitched as he stood by and watched Malfoy assault her. He knew it was just to taunt him, but that didn't make the action any more acceptable. He wanted to strike out, but in his current position he dared not. It was only Malfoy's arrogance that kept him from Apparating away with Hermione, and right now that arrogance was the only thing keeping her away from Lucius Malfoy's engagement party.
From the corner of his eye, Snape caught sight of his wand, as it lay wedged under a broken bottle of armadillo bile for the fourth-year's Wit-Sharpening Potion. Thanking Merlin for the invaluable find, he quickly calculated his reach, and waited for the perfect moment to retaliate.
"Such tasty skin she has," Lucius continued to taunt. "But if you aren't interested… Well, it doesn't matter who the groom is, as long as there is an available bride tonight."
Through the fog of contentment that controlled her thoughts, Hermione heard her fate being sealed; and somewhere in the back of her mind she heard a voice say 'No'.
The voice was small, so small that she might have imagined it, but she knew in an instant that it was right. She didn't want to end up like those other Muggle-born witches; she wanted to be free to live her life. 'It's time to fight back,' the voice said -- this time stronger than before. One part of her wanted to cling to the hollow euphoria that permeated her brain, but another part knew it was just an illusion -- one that she had to destroy.
Locked in a desperate fight against the mind-numbing forces in her head, she began to lash out. It was awkward at first, and she wasn't sure if she was accomplishing anything; but with the voice spurring her on, and she gathered her strength to fight harder.
Feeling Hermione struggle against him, Lucius barked out an impressed laugh. "Look at the girl, she has such fire!" He attempted to still her activities by pulling her closer, and was visibly surprised when her struggles became more pronounced. "She will be quite enjoyable tonight -- perfect for this evenings festivities."
With Malfoy's attention focused on controlling his new toy, Snape saw his opening and sprung into action. In an instant he lunged forward, and grabbed for his wand. He ignored the stinging pain as the bile-covered shards of glass pierced his skin, and raised the wand to call out "Finite Incantatum!" With Hermione blocking his path, he hadn't thrown anything more powerful for fear of harming her; but with the curse lifted, he hoped she would have the sense to break free and leave him a clear shot.
As the numbing echo wafted away, Hermione saw her situation clearly. Pressed up against her attacker, his face inches from her own, she did what the voice had told her to do. She let out a warrior-like cry and fought back with all her might. She heard his intake of breath as each blow connected with his well-bred frame. With what looked like little effort she was quickly pushed aside, and landed in a clumsy heap beside him.
With Hermione out of the way, Severus saw his opportunity and immediately called out, "Expelliarmus!" He landed the curse perfectly, if not a moment too late. Seconds before, Malfoy saw his opponent take aim and he angrily screamed, "Crucio," in return. The two curses cross paths, and as the wand was ripped from Malfoy's hand, Snape crumpled to the ground in agony.
Lying on the ground, the wind knocked out of her, Hermione watched as the two men scrambled for their wands. Snape had the slight advantage by distance, but his body was slow as he fended off the after-effects of the curse. Spying his own wand laying atop a pile of trampled supplies, Malfoy lurched past Snape and spat out venomously, "I'll not have you ruin my plans."
As Malfoy passed him, Snape reached out and tripped his old friend, sending him flying face first into a pile of broken glass. Swinging his body around, Snape lunged for the other man's jacket and pulled at the collar to impede his progress.
As the two men struggled, Hermione crawled over to Lucius Malfoy's exposed wand and grasped the commanding instrument with both hands. The power that emanated from it was stronger than either wand she possessed, and she almost recoiled from the electrical shocks that buffeted her hands. She could feel the sickeningly dark magic that coursed through the wood, and she felt tainted by its touch. Fighting each other, the two men had not seen her gain the upper hand, and she knew this was her last chance. She could leave now, and allow her Professor to fend for himself, or she could continue to fight.
"Stupefy!"
In the end it had been an easy decision. Far easier than she ever thought possible.
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A/N: Thanks to all for reading and reviewing, I appreciated all the feedback. Of course, a big thanks to NegativeNine for her beta work!!
Sorry about the evil cliffy here, but when I wrote the last line, I realized that it was possible to take the story in a different direction than I had planned. I've actually written a few different versions of the next chapter (my original outline and a couple of different tangents) and will be deciding which one to post in a couple of days.