A/N: Thanks to RenitaLeandra and Keladry Lupin. Their work has made this story so much better! Also thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I appreciate them all!
Chapter 11
Severus paced back and forth in his home on Spinner's End. He knew that he would bring too much attention to himself if he continued to stay at Riddle Manor, yet he could not bring himself to go to Grimmauld Place. He had not expected to be dismissed,and he tried not to think about what might be happening.
They would be insane to kill her and ruin any chance of trapping Potter, he thought to himself. Of course sanity was not something most Death Eaters had in surplus. He wondered if she was putting up as much of a fight as she had the first time. In all his years as a Death Eater, he had never seen a young woman show such a display of bravery. A true Gryffindor, he thought as he continued to glance at the clock while the minutes slowly ticked by.
Finally, just when it seemed that the night would never end, he saw the first streaks of light on the horizon. Determining that he had allowed enough time to pass, he quickly gathered up what healing and pain potions he could give her without being detected and Apparated to just outside Little Hangleton.
Because it was such an early hour, he hoped to get through the Manor with as little notice as possible. The guards outside the house gave him little notice. They were new recruits and gave the senior Death Eaters little trouble. He was pleased to see that there was only one guard outside the dungeon door and he smiled to the young man.
"Nice to see you again, Marcus," he said easily.
"Professor Snape!" Marcus Flint said smiling. "It is good to see you, sir."
"Your father must be proud, his oldest son working at Death Eater headquarters. I'm glad to see you're doing something worthwhile." He patted Marcus on the back who positively glowed with pride.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to do some pretty nasty interrogating in there," he said motioning towards the door. "Hopefully it won't take up too much of my time. But there's nothing better than an honest day's work, right?"
They both shared a laugh and Severus went through the door, shutting it as quickly as possible. The sight that greeted him turned his stomach. Hermione was curled into a foetal position, her clothing soaked in blood and her hands bound behind her back. She did not appear to be conscious and Draco was pacing back and forth nervously.
"Bloody hell!" Severus said reaching Hermione in three long strides. "How long ago did they bring her back?"
"Not long," Draco said. "Wormtail brought her in; said that Bellatrix and Dolohov got a hold of her."
Severus removed the ropes that held her wrists and carefully turned her over. Her face was a mass of cuts and bruises. She had a brutal gash on her right cheek and her left arm which had soaked through part of her robes. Although she was unconscious, her muscles twitched involuntarily from prolonged use of the Cruciatus. He cursed quietly to himself. She had obviously put up a hell of a fight. He drew his wand, running it over her, checking for internal wounds and broken bones, of which he found several, including a particularly nasty break to her leg. He mended as many of the injuries as he thought he could without raising the suspicions of the other Death Eaters.
The first conscious thought that Hermione had was that she must surely be dead. Her second thought was that if she were dead she would not be in so much pain. She groaned, trying to form words, but someone brought their hand up to her mouth.
"Don't speak," she heard a voice say. It sounded far away, as if they were in a tunnel. "Swallow this."
A vial of liquid was brought up to her mouth and she tried swallowing it, although she choked halfway through. After several moments she felt her pain ease a bit, so that she could breathe without the sharp stabbing pains in her chest. After another moment, a second vial of liquid was brought to her mouth and she swallowed this one too, a bit easier than the first.
It seemed as ifshe had laid there for an eternity, her head cradled in someone's arm. Finally, she managed to get the strength to try to open her eyes. It seemed that the light was unbearably bright and she groaned again.
"Lay still," the voice said quietly, smoothing her hair. For a confused moment Hermione thought it must be her father, but that made no sense. Again she tried opening her eyes, a little further this time, and a pair of black eyes stared back at her.
"Severus?" she said thickly, as if her tongue did not quite work.
He said nothing, but he continued to smooth her hair. It seemed a strange, kind gesture to come from him, but her mind could not process the situation.
"What did they do to you?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know," Hermione answered back closing her eyes again and trying not to think about the horror she had experienced. "I remember the Cruciatus and I think Bellatrix used Sectumsempra…" She felt Severus stiffen and she understood. It was he that had invented that spell. He must have taught it to Bellatrix years ago. "But most of it was nonverbal. And some of it I don't think I was conscious for."
Severus's hand tightened convulsively and he swallowed hard. He had never before felt such a strong sense of responsibility and guilt. Not even with Dumbledore's murder. After all, Dumbledore had been aware of the situation and gone into it willingly. Hermione had no way of understanding what she was agreeing to when she had allowed him to bring her here.
"I shouldn't have brought you here," he whispered. "This was a terrible mistake."
Hermione shifted so that she could look up at him. "I made the choice myself. I don't regret it. I am still hoping this will give us a chance to find out where the rest of the Horcruxes are."
"Nothing has gone the way I planned it. I should get you out while I still have the chance."
"No!" Hermione said with as much force as she could manage. "If you do that, Voldemort will know you're a spy."
"Hermione, they are going to kill you," he said staring down at her in disbelief.
"Not yet. Not while he still thinks I have information on Harry."
Severus looked at her. "You mean…"
"He didn't get anything more from me. He doesn't know how many of the Horcruxes have been destroyed."
Severus could not help but smile. "Someday you're going to have to tell me how you managed that."
Hermione smiled back at him. "Only after I get you to admit how brilliant I am." She winced in pain and Severus shifted her to a more comfortable position for both of them. He reached into his cloak and pulled out one last potion.
"A sleeping potion," he said tilting it toward her lips. "Right now the best thing you can do is rest. I will find a way to check on you later."
"What if they come for me?" she asked worriedly. "They'll know I've been given something."
"They won't come again today," Severus replied. "They will want you to heal some before they torture you again. They believe it's more effective that way."
Hermione nodded and drank the potion. She rested her head back, nestling it in the crook of his arm and after a few moments her eyes began to droop. Before sleep could claim her, though, she whispered, "Don't tell Harry. It would kill him." Severus nodded his agreement and she fell limp against him.
He was unwilling to move her, however, he knew if he stayed much longer someone would question it. He carefully laid her back on the floor and walked over to where Draco was sitting. He pulled out an apple and handed it over. Draco grabbed it and began eating while they talked.
"So, what's the plan?" Draco asked between bites of apple.
Severus frowned as it occurred to him he didn't really have a plan. Draco noticed his expression and a look of amusement crossed his face.
"Sir, I don't think I've ever seen you out of control. This must be eye opening for you." Then he grew serious as he looked over at Hermione's sleeping form. "Whatever you come up with, you better hurry it up. She won't survive much more of this. Unless, of course, you actually did kidnap her, in which case your plan is working beautifully."
Severus looked at the younger man and wondered when in the past year they had stopped acting like a teacher and pupil but more as equals; perhaps when he had convinced Draco that he actually was on the right side, and that it was not the side of the Dark Lord. Draco had not needed much convincing. Being imprisoned and watching his mother being blackmailed had taught him some valuable lessons.
Draco finished the apple and gave the core back to Severus. It would never do to have someone discover the discarded remains of food that they were never supposed to have in the first place. It would cause too many questions. Suddenly Severus looked down at his arm as he felt the Dark Mark begin to burn.
"I need to go," he said shortly, and Draco nodded. "I'll check back the first chance I get. Do try to go easy on her. She can't help being so insufferable."
"Funny, you didn't seem to think she was being insufferable a few minutes ago," Draco said. Severus gave him a warning look, which he completely ignored, and left the room.
Most of the Death Eaters were already gathered by the time arrived at the gathering. He took his place close to Lord Voldemort and next to Bellatrix.
"I saw your handiwork with the Mudblood," he said with a smirk, ignoring the churning of his stomach at the thought. "I am impressed you showed such restraint."
Bellatrix smiled as if she had just been handed a great compliment. "Why thank you, Severus," she purred. "I admit, I have a tendency to get carried away, but the Dark Lord intervened before I could cause any permanent damage. Too bad, really. The impertinent little mongrel refused to grovel. She clearly needs to be shown her place."
In his mind's eye, he could imagine Hermione standing up to Bellatrix, refusing to be ashamed of her ancestry. There was a time when that would have disgusted him as well, but his years as a Death Eater had taught him that purity of blood had nothing to do with the purity of a person's soul. Yet, it was still necessary for him to continue the act.
"Yes, sadly I tried many times to show her what her place was at Hogwarts, but unfortunately I was fighting a losing battle. Dumbledore coddled her, Potter, and Weasley to the point that they were intolerable."
"Well, we got them in the end," Bellatrix said with unrestrained glee. "The blood traitor is dead, the Mudblood is captured and soon Potter will be destroyed by the Dark Lord. It is a great time in the history of the wizarding world!"
Severus smiled and nodded his agreement; however he said nothing as the Dark Lord was now requiring their attention.
"Recent developments have led me to believe that the time has come for a major strike at the heart of the wizarding world and all those who oppose us," Voldemort said rising from his chair. There was a loud buzz of excitement throughout the room. "I do not yet have the details available to share with all my loyal followers, but I feel this will be a great step that we take in our journey to rid the world of those that are less than pure."
There were several cheers and Bellatrix appeared to be completely enraptured. Severus wondered how many of them knew they were cheering for a half-blood.
"I will reveal my plans to you shortly before our strike. It is time that we finally begin to weed out those that would weaken our bloodlines."
There was another, louder cheer this time and Voldemort dismissed them. Severus was about to turn to go, when he felt the Dark Lord's hand on his shoulder.
"Severus, come with me. I would like to speak to you in private." He led Severus away from the group to a small sitting room. He motioned to a chair and Severus sat down.
"I would like you to know how important your loyalty has been to me, Severus," he said sitting across from him. "You have done everything that I have asked, including bringing me Potter's Mudblood friend."
"I am honoured, my Lord," Severus responded, bowing his head deeply. "It is my greatest honour to serve you."
"I know. And so I have decided to grant an even greater favour to you."
Severus tilted his head with a look of inquisitiveness. "That is most gracious my Lord."
"You are one of the very few who are aware of the Horcruxes," Voldemort began, taking a drink from a goblet sitting at his fingertips. Severus nodded. "My instincts tell me that it would be wise to have them close to me, where Potter or his little allies would not be able to get near them."
"That is a very wise idea," Severus said.
"I am currently in the process of reclaiming them and brining them back to Riddle Manor for safekeeping. When that happens, I would like for you to be responsible for one of them."
"You do me a great honour, my Lord," Severus said reverently. "How could I ever repay such generosity?"
"In the coming months I will be preparing for my final attack on Potter, I will need your assistance. You were his teacher for six years and will be invaluable in his destruction."
"My Lord, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see Potter destroyed and for you to take your rightful place in this world."
"I am glad to be assured of your loyalty, Severus," Voldemort said. "You will be repaid for your services."
He then dismissed Severus who left the room, his mind now swimming with all the information that had been presented to him. He quickly debated in his mind if he should go straight to Order Headquarters or down to the dungeons. The memory of Hermione bloody and bruised nagged at his mind, and he first went to the dungeons.
Hermione was still lying on the floor asleep as he walked in. At first he wondered if he should just leave, but he saw Draco looking at him with a curious expression.
"What's going on?" he asked as Severus walked over toward him. "I thought I heard cheering."
"He's planning an attack," Severus said shortly. "We don't have much information yet, but it sounds like a big one."
Draco nodded and both their eyes rested on Hermione's sleeping form. Severus looked at Draco for a moment and he seemed to understand the unspoken question.
"No. She did make a bit of noise a couple times, but she hasn't moved."
"Say nothing to her about the attack. There is no sense in worrying her needlessly. She'll probably just pester you with questions anyway." Severus then walked over to her and brushed her hair out of her face. As he did so, she stirred and reached up to grab a hold of his hand. Severus froze, unsure of how to respond.
"What is going on?" she asked with a hoarse voice and, much to Severus's relief, let go of his hand.
"Nothing you need to be concerned about," he said. "How are you feeling?"
"Terrible," she croaked. "How do I look?"
"Worse than you feel," he said and she smiled softly. "I need to get to Order Headquarters. There are some things that I need to pass on to them."
Hermione nodded and as he stood up she spoke again. "Do you think you could bring me some roast pheasant on your next visit?"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Severus could not help a small chuckle. "She's crazier than you are," he commented to Draco.
"No," Draco said with a sigh and he had an unusually melancholy look to him, "just braver."
Severus decided to ignore the comment and hurried out of the door before he found himself tempted to say anything more.