Chapter Seven - A Wizard's Oath

Disclaimer: All the characters that you recognize belong to J. K. Rowling. All other characters are mine. This story is purely for fun, and I don't make any money off it. Unfortunately, the story isn't mine ether: this is in response to Wormey's 'Heir Challenge'. Go to her page if you want to read the requirements! Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism is welcome, as always.

RebelWilla: x.x; I hope it's not too predictable …
Anonymous: Thank you! That's quite a compliment.
Green-Eyed-Angel: Thank you, and oh … there will be more. So much more.
Septentrion: Yeah … I think it's because I only had three reviews for the first five chapters, so I was feeling sort of like no one really cared whether or not I discontinued it. Not so much this time!
GurlOfTheNight: Thank you!
Lexa: Wow. It's really refreshing getting a long, in-depth comment like that. I very much appreciate you taking your time to list the strengths and weaknesses of my story and writing style. I'm glad that you like my writing (I'm always a bit self-conscious about it), but I'm also glad that you were honest about Hermione and the lewd descriptions in the first chapter. I agree with you about her character, though; so far, I haven't really done a good job of giving her a solid personality. As with her not having much interaction, well … I'd just been building up her loneliness for the trip to Hogsmeade, and with that out of the way … I'll be having her interact more with others now. Also … I'm really sorry about that first chapter. xD! The story was originally meant for Adult Fanfiction, and as you can see, I didn't really change it … though I think I will now. Again, thank you for the comments, and if you have any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them. That goes for everyone else, too!
DragonsDaughter1: Oh, oh. Hermione has a weakness!
KyaxSkyxGoddess: Sorry it took so long. x.x
DarkMage6: Everyone needs a Snape, don't you think?


A powerful, throbbing headache woke Hermione early the next morning. She winced and turned on her side, pressing her hands to her temples with a small groan. Something smelled strongly of alcohol.

I'm never drinking again.

She rolled lazily out of bed, staggering to her feet and steadying herself against the wall. The world spun around her violently for a moment as she tried to gain her bearings. The very dim light of the torches burned in the back of her eyes like an internal sun. The hung-over witch shook her head lightly, vainly attempting to clarify her vision.

The dark green bed quilt was emblazoned with silver serpents, intertwined in intricate patterns over its surface. A dark wooden bookshelf lined one wall and a roomy desk was wedged against the other. The room was identical in structure and layout to Hermione's, but some dark presence lingered in the room, making her feel uneasy, anxious.

Where am I?

Hermione wandered to the door and opened it, emerging into a room that she assumed was a lounge of sorts. Another large bookshelf had been placed against the adjacent wall, and two squishy armchairs huddled around a fireplace.

She was in Professor Snape's private rooms.

Immediately after realizing this, she returned to his bedroom and unlocked the door to the lab, blushing furiously as some memories of the previous night came flooding back to her. Oh, God. She had gotten so drunk that he'd had to Apparate back to Hogwarts with her in his arms. The door opened and she charged through it. Why had he brought her to his rooms instead of her own? Had they slept in the same bed?

"So good of you to use your own feet this morning, Miss Granger," snapped a cold, snarky voice. Hermione's face flushed with shame as she looked over at the Potions Master, seated calmly on a stool as he sliced pieces of some ingredient and added them to a simmering potion. Something about his complete lack of emotion angered Hermione. It bubbled up inside her with lethal brutality, and she turned to him rigidly.

"I didn't ask for your help!" she spat. "So you can just get off your high horse, you nosy bastard, and stay out of my business! What I do is none of your concern!"

Taken aback, Severus did little more than gape at her for a moment. She was clearly seething, her hair apparently retaining some of its natural frizz as it bushed out around her reddened face. Her fists were so tightly clenched by her side that her knuckles had begun to turn white, and her eyes were flashing dangerously at him, daring him to respond.

"How dare you," he snarled, rising to his feet. "How dare you say that to me, you ungrateful little chit! If I hadn't come, you would have lost your virginity to a man whose interest only went as far as your knickers!" Angrily, he slammed his fist down on the table. Hermione flinched, looking quite a lot more timid than she had before.

"I brought you into my rooms!" he continued, his voice rising dangerously. "Merlin's beard, I brought you into my bed while you were violently sick and this is the thanks I get. I could have left you with him, do you realize that? Left you to fuck that wizard in a drunken stupor. Left you with nothing to remember your first time by but a bad headache the next morning."

Hermione had shrunk back against the wall as he raged on, his eyes wild with anger. She looked so small and meek that Severus almost felt sorry for her. But he was far too enraged to feel such an emotion towards the woman who had shown him such disrespect, such utter disregard.

"I don't owe you anything," she said bravely, her voice wavering.

Severus turned away from her, pressing his fingers to his forehead as if in deep thought. Suddenly, he stood stalk-straight, his voice cold and apathetic as he spoke to her over his shoulder.

"Get out of here, Hermione," he said, his voice strangely low. "Get out of my lab. I don't want to see you here anymore. I suggest you petition the Headmaster to find a new position within Hogwarts."

Thankful for any excuse to escape the brunt of his anger, Hermione sped quickly to her bedroom door and unwarded it before slipping inside. She let out a deep breath as she rested her back against it, eyes closed, heart racing. She opened her eyes and preened herself quickly in the mirror before marching over to the fireplace, taking a handful of floo powder and tossing it into the charmed flames.

"Headmaster's office," she said firmly.

.x.

Fawkes began to trill as soon as Hermione emerged from the fireplace. She gave a weak cough, wiping some of the soot off her robes. Dumbledore wasn't at his desk.

"Hello, Fawkes," she said, glancing at the phoenix sadly. He gave another trill, ruffling his feathers and cocking his head to the side, staring at her with large black eyes. He looked rather small, suggesting to Hermione that he had recently been reborn. She sighed, running her fingers through the feathers on top of Fawkes' head. The bird nipped her hand affectionately, accompanied by a soft cooing noise.

"Your life is so simple," she whispered.

"Hermione," beckoned a familiar voice. Hermione turned to look Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts' Headmaster, in the face. He chuckled good-naturedly. "I'm sorry. I had recently run out of Sherbert Lemons and had a sudden craving for them. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Err—yes," she stammered, reddening like a child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar before dinner. "I … I wanted to talk to you about being placed in another job position."

.x.

Severus stared listlessly into the simmering green liquid that was his potion, his eyes burning with loathing. How dare she have the audacity to respond to him in such a rude manner after what he had done for her? How could she possibly be mad at him, blame him for what had happened? Hadn't she promised—

Very suddenly, Severus sat bolt upright, dark eyes dilated in thought. She had promised. But something else had happened. Like the final piece of a puzzle being slid into place, Severus suddenly remembered the golden light, the powerful upsurge of magical energy.

Had they inadvertently taken a Wizard's Oath?

The dark wizard strode to his private chambers, scowling, and paused when he reached his bookshelf. His eyes, dark as night, scanned the titles adorned on the spines of the books until he found what he was looking for, pulling it from the shelf.

Ancient Magic and How To Invoke It by Erna Estel.

Severus sat down at his desk and began to flip through the pages. His eyes narrowed when he located the entry he was looking for.

There exists, as many spells have, an archaic form of the modern-day Wizard's Oath. Its magic, though not as refined, is still very powerful and should not under any circumstances be tampered with.

The history of this ancient Oath dates back to the times of Mesopotamia when the very first forms of regulated magic began to appear. Similar to a Wizard's Oath, when a magical being makes a truthful promise, he or she has just invoked the Iuris Veneficus, a spell that disables its user from going against what they have promised. Symptoms of breaking the boundaries of the promise are nausea, dizziness, disorientation, headache, muscles pain, and an urge to correct the situation. If the individual continues to defy the spell, death will eventually result.

Severus read the entry several times over, his mouth held slightly agape. He closed the book and laid it gently on the table, running his fingers through his hair, lost in thought. Slowly, surely, a sadistic smirk crept onto his face.

Hermione Granger was completely at his mercy.

He reclined into the armchair, eyes glazed over in something similar to pleasure. The Slytherin part of him opted to exploit Hermione's situation to the fullest extent. She was at a major disadvantage. He frowned slightly as a thought occurred to him. What exactly did her promise entail?

Promise me that you'll always do what I say if it's for your own good.

It only took him a moment to realize what he wanted the most out of Hermione … but he wasn't sure it would work.

Oh, she was going to be pissed.

Sorry. xD! I kind of cut it off at a bad place, huh? Sorry it took so long for such a short chapter … I've been kinda busy lately. Love at Brandon and Jamie if you actually continued to read after I forced you to read the first eight chapters … -Cough.-