Hermione was no stranger to the darkness

Severus admitted it on a regular basis. He was the shadows that light produced. Unsuspecting and secretive. It's as if he was the night sky, not quite black or blue but a background for the stars to shine. The harsh contrast between a cold truth and a hopeful lie. When unleashed his demons can be vindictive and vicious. But he controls the demons instead of letting them control him. That is one word to describe Severus, he is the epitome of control. His darkness emphasizes it. His darkness surrounds me and it silences all of the noise. I am able to think clearly with him. It comforts me.

Tobias also produced darkness. It was no wonder what with who his son was. But this disturbs me. This darkness swirls in chaos. He is as sharp and cruel as the blade he uses on his victims. His mere presence makes my blood curl. He is insane and yet evasive. Catching him is like trying to hold smoke in your hand or to put lightning in a jar. It's unstable.

Hermione woke up to find herself chained down on what she could only describe as a torture rack. She could smell the dried blood around her. Feel the rust scratching against the bare skin on her shoulders. She was still in her sleeveless shirt and jeans that she was wearing when she came home from visiting Harry and Ron. She was in some rundown warehouse. She was still hazy on where she was. Her head ached from the blow it received earlier. Looking around she jumped in surprise and tried to pull away but she found that she couldn't. Her wrists were strapped down but her legs remained free. Tobias Snape was sitting right next to her.

He had his son's dark hair though it was buzzed short. He had aged significantly though you wouldn't have been able to tell from the way he walked confidently. It was clear to see that Severus inherited the aquiline nose, but that was the extent. Where Severus was tall and lanky, Tobias was bulky. But it was his eyes that were the most unnerving. Severus's eyes were always devoid of any emotion but Tobias's were wild and red-rimmed. They held the look of a lion about to attack its prey.

"I am curious," Tobias said from his seat. "What is a woman like you doing with my lowlife son?"

Hermione had no response. From what Severus told her about his encounters with him. Tobias was often drunk and not coherent but right now Hermione didn't smell a drop of alcohol on him. He appeared to have as much of a clear mind as a psychopath could. The one thing she did know about serial killers from her father was that the best thing to do was to keep them talking and not give them what they wanted. This could be applied to all dangerous offenders. When she was being tortured by Bellatrix she didn't give it much thought but at the time she lied and delayed the inevitable as long as possible. Looking back, stalling had saved her life. Hopefully, by now Severus had gotten her message and will know that she is missing. All she had to do was stall.

"Well then I guess this is going to be a rough start," Tobias said after a minute of unresponsiveness. He moved out of his chair. With him out of the way, she could see a table behind him holding what looked like a dentist tray full of tools. But Hermione knew that these objects would be much larger and much more painful than any tooth cleaning tool. When Tobias came back into sight he was carrying a large jug full of what looked like water and a gag.

Coming closer he stuffed the gag into her mouth. She didn't have a chance to protest with her mouth propped open when he began pouring the water on her face. At first, the cold water felt nice on her parched and dry throat. Then it began to burn as it quickly filled up her mouth and she couldn't swallow the large amount continuously being poured. Choking and gasping for air when all she got was water began to make her panic. Then just as quickly as the pain came it went away when Tobias stopped pouring.

"Shall we try this again?" Tobias asked. Hermione was too busy panting and attempting to catch her breath to focus. "No? Very Well?"

Hermione tried to take a deep breath but it was of no use. With the gag preventing her from closing her mouth, water poured in. This was what drowning felt like. It left one wondering how one died when they drowned. Is it from lack of oxygen or because a person's lungs fill up with water? Either way is a painful way to die. But that wasn't what Tobias was trying to accomplish here. He just wanted her to answer a simple question.

The water was ripped away and so was the gag. Tobias seemed to be irritated by her lack of response or reaction. "For someone so smart I expected better," he said dismally.

Her voice was scratchy as if she screamed herself raw even though she hadn't made a sound. "You wouldn't understand," Hermione spat out as she tried to soothe her throat with oxygen.

"You're in love with him?" He asked, surprised that anyone could love his son.

"I don't expect you to understand what love is," Hermione said breathlessly as she turned her head to look at him.

"Why because I am an unfeeling and emotionless monster?" He asked conversationally as he sat back down in his chair now that he realized she would be more cooperative. "It may surprise you. I feel quite a lot. And I am no stranger to love. I loved my wife once upon a time."

"You killed Severus' mother," Hermione said, reminding him of that small detail.

"Oh, I did. And I enjoyed loving her," He said with a Cheshire grin. "I loved her when we first met, she was strong and opinionated," He said reminiscing. "But she wasn't as strong as I thought she was. She started to frail and crack with time. It was beautiful how she broke and yet still lived on. It was fascinating how the human body could live when the mind had nothing to live for. She became a shell; emotionless. At least in the end."

"You're despicable," Hermione said in a whisper. The way he gloated and enjoyed what he had done, with no remorse. It scared her how careless he spoke. There were several moments in her life she was scared. But this was one of the few times when she truly feared for her life.

"Maybe but I do understand love. In fact, my love for my late wife showed me a whole world of possibilities," He said joyously, expanding his arms wide. "Love for screams, and sharp new toys. There has always been a fine line between pleasure and pain. Some people like to use that fine line as a jump rope. I like to think of it as a give and take relationship. I give pain to my victims and they give me pleasure when they scream and bleed out. At the end of the day, I'm really the only one that benefits from this relationship. But I do love," He said all of this with his eyes closed gleefully. The way his body shook in exhilaration and he licked his lips in pleasure. "Which is why I can't seem to figure out why you would love Severus."

"You don't know him," Hermione said as she twisted her arms in the shackles. The skin was getting ripped on the metal as beads of blood dripped down the sides.

"Don't I?" Tobias inquired. "I was his father. Well I prefer the term sperm donor but nonetheless, he shares my blood," He said staring at Hermione intently. "He inherited my late wife's abnormal behavior. Went to a special school for abnormalities like him and you for that matter. Joined a group of terrorists named the Death Eaters. And followed some megalomaniac called Voldemort. And someone actually allowed him to teach children? Am I forgetting anything?" He asked jokingly as If to try and deter her faith.

"He turned into a spy. He helped defeat Voldemort. He saved many lives. He is a hero," Hermione said in retribution. She knew that Severus was no saint. He had made mistakes, chosen the wrong path. But there is good in him. He fixed what was wrong. He did better when given the choice. And in the end that is all that matters to her.

"And is that before or after he killed and tortured innocent lives. At what point does your job as a spy prioritize standing on the sidelines and watching instead of saving an innocent whose blood is being. spilt. I am sure he had sleepless nights agonizing over those memories," Tobias said mockingly. Unaware that Severus did struggle with all that he had to do. He went days without sleeping, kept up by anxiety and stress. Nights where he had woken up in a cold sweat from a memory. Some weeks he could only go on by self-medicating. Standing on the astronomy tower considering the alternative.

Hermione, herself, was there a few times when this had occurred but there were hundreds if not thousands where he was alone with just his mind.

"He changed," Hermione stated firmly.

"Did he now," Tobias said, musing the idea. He then proceeded to stand up. "Then what is he going to do to me when he tries to rescue you?" Tobias asked. From what she could see while lying down he connected a set of jumper cables to her metal restraints. He had it tied up to a car battery. Hermione began to squirm and tried to pull her arms away from their prisons with no success. Water torture she could handle. The feeling of drowning and gasping for air while unpleasant wasn't the worst thing he could do to her. But this was something she wasn't prepared for. Would it simply burn her wrist or would the current run through her entire body? Was this comparable to a muggle version of the cruciatus?

Her body contracted and her muscles spasmed. Her back arched off the table only to be pulled back down by her restraints. She screamed uncontrollably. Her voice, she would describe as strong and sweet and even modulated. It was on the far end of being low. But it also wasn't high. But now as she screamed it seemed shrill as it pierced through the air. They must have been on the edge of town or some distance from the city otherwise there was no way that someone couldn't hear her. To put it simply, it hurt like hell. Unlike the cruciatus which radiated throughout the body with no stop and end. This burned her wrist and spread along her veins. Once Tobias turned off the machine it left a deep ache along her spine. A painful scratch that couldn't be scratched. She sucked in deep breaths attempting to prevent herself from giving Tobias the satisfaction of seeing her wince and groan.

"You lose Tobias," Hermione said as her eyes watered, she bit her lip hard enough to bleed as thought of Severus going through this when he was a child. "Severus will find me and he will stop you."

"The only way to stop me is to kill me," Tobias stated.

"Don't underestimate him. He will stop at nothing to see you dead," Hermione said as tears streamed down her face. trying to scare him. But to her dismay, he only laughed.

"I'm counting on it," He said as he turned on the battery again. Listening to her screams was quite satisfying for him.

"It's funny no matter how far Severus runs, no matter where he hides. I will always be right there," he said in disregard to the fact that she probably couldn't hear him over her screams. "Lingering in the back of his mind. Every choice he makes, he will always be cautiously aware of my presence. Severus is very clever, he knows no prison can stop me from tormenting his mind. The only way he can escape me is if I die. And he is the only one capable of killing me. So at the end of the day, does he truly win if he does what I want," he said joyously. His voice was like lyrics to his ears and her screams were the melody. "And of course there is you and your current predicament. It's a shame that you are just the bait and your death is required otherwise I could have some real fun with you. I see what my boy sees in you. You are quite beautiful," he said as he grazed his fingers along her face even though she flinched away. "A pity you have already been used," Tobias said as his fingers dug deep into her left arm. His fingernails left welts with blood rising on the word mudblood.


David Granger was having such a lovely day. He had just finished planting a new pot of chrysanthemums, his package of imported chocolates would be arriving in only two days and his lovely wife was attempting to make his favorite dish; lasagna. And better yet his daughter was not currently snogging her partner in front of him. He had nothing against Severus Snape, personally. Only that he dared to date his daughter.

Clearly, he spoke too soon.

He was just getting situated on the couch when a knock came from the door. Begrudgingly he stood up and made his way to the door knowing that Helena wouldn't have heard it from the kitchen. Opening the door to see Severus Snape was a surprise. He didn't expect to see his daughter's suitor here especially so soon after his last visit. His last being the first time Hermione introduced him to the entire family. It was obvious from the first time that he met him that socializing was not his strong suit. So him standing at his front door with his daughter nowhere in sight gave him an eerie feeling.

He was standing tall and looked menacing. And it was all going so well David thought as he looked at the man in front of him.

"Whatcha doing here Snape?" David asked unapologetic for his tone.

"Are you alone?" Severus inquired in a no-nonsense tone.

"Helena's in the kitchen."

"Is there somewhere we can talk alone?" Severus asked, his voice though dry was in a whisper.

"Let's head to the backyard," David said as he led Severus through the house.

"Hello Severus, what brings you here?" Helena asked as she stirred a pot on the stove. There was an island in the middle of the floor in the kitchen. The counters were left in their natural raw state. While the cabinets were painted white.

"Just needed a word with David," Severus explained. His voice giving off the appearance that he meant business. They continued until they were out of her sight. Men, Helena thought. You just couldn't understand them half of the time and the other half you probably don't want to.

"What's this about?" David asked once they made their way outside. The backyard was surrounded by a picket white fence. They were standing under a canopy that extended from the house. It created a shade over them and the grass they were standing on. On either side of the men, there were pots of flowers that have died from the cold. A thin layer of snowy ice covered patches of grass.

"My father is in town. And he has Hermione," Severus said straight to the point.

He remembered how he had come to this moment. The house was in pristine condition, just as he had left it this morning. He was annoyed, to say the least. He had just retired after several hours of being badgered by Lucius Malfoy. It was exhausting to deal with his enthusiasm on a good day. But since all he wanted was to be with Hermione he was quite over Lucius's antics. After a few glasses of Brandy Severus was finally able to make his mistake. Coming home to find the house empty was no surprise. He knew that Hermione was more than likely to still be out with her friends.

But something didn't feel right.

He took his wand out and walked around the house on guard. Nobody was there and there was no sign of a disturbance and yet something in his gut turned and made him feel as though something was very wrong. He hadn't survived as long as he has by not listening to his instincts.

He took out his phone to contact Hermione only to find that she had left him a message. Holding it close to his ear he began to listen to her voice. "Severus it's me," Hermione said. The sound of her voice made his blood turn cold. "Contact me as soon as you can, I just got back to your house." Severus began pacing as he listened to Hermione's voice. Hermione sighed into her phone and the anxiety was obvious in her voice. "He's here. Tobias is here in London."

Severus pulled the phone away from him slowly as shock and dread coursed through him. Then rage began to bubble at the thought that Tobias was about to ruin everything he had managed to build. He threw his phone at the wall. The resulting crash echoed throughout the silence. Landing on the ground it scattered in hundreds of pieces. His breath got caught in his throat, he knelt towards the debris of his broken phone and lifted up a photograph that had not been there when he left. He never owned any pictures anyway.

It was a black and white muggle photo of Hermione. She looked as though she was at a local market. Her hair down in curls around her, blown out of her face from the wind. She was wearing a sleeveless shirt as she was talking to a seller. It was a nice photo of her but only one thought ran through his head.

Tobias had Hermione.

After the moment of realization, Severus knew he had to react quickly. Normally he would go alone and confront Tobias directly. However, Tobias would be expecting that. Anyone else would go to the Aurors or even the muggle police. But they are ill-equipped to deal with a man like Tobias. It would be a slaughter and Hermione most likely would be caught in the crossfire. More so than she already was. This led him to Hermione's parents' house in search of the only other man he knew who had survived his father.

It took a moment for David to realize what he had just said due to the calmness in his voice. "What? How can you be sure?" David asked determinedly.

"Hermione called to inform me and now she is missing. And this was found at my house," Severus said as he pulled out the photograph he found at his house. The one of Hermione. Flipping it over instead of a blank back David found an address written.

"He is baiting you," David observed.

"Yes," Severus said, stating that he too had come to that conclusion.

"What are you going to do?" David asked worried over his daughter not wanting her to get hurt in the crossfire.

"I have a plan but you are the only other person I know who knows what he is capable of. I could use your assistance," Severus begrudgingly admitted.

"You want to spring the trap," David said. His tone shifted from overprotective to detective.

"Yes," Severus said. It was apparent from his stance and demeanor that this was Professor Snape speaking. The man that was feared and oozed intimidation. The man that managed to fool one of the greatest evil wizards in the wizarding world of his allegiances. The same man who has experienced the power of the dark arts and has killed.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

Helena was finishing up some tomato sauce when she saw Severus and her husband make their way back into the house. Only stopping long enough for David to put on his coat. "What are you two up to," she asked as it became apparent that the two were heading out together.

This caused David to look back at her as if he had forgotten she was even here. "Just some father-son bonding," David said with a determined look on his face. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

"Where are you going?" Helena asked, wondering what on earth the pair could be up to.

The two briefly glanced at each other before turning back to her and said in unison.

"Hunting."