Chapter Eight – Enslavement or Retribution for the Weary

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.

KyaxSkyxGoddess: Thank you very much. n.n
Green-Eyed-Angel: I'm glad you're enjoying it.
WannaBArtist: I'm trying. x.x
Septentrion: It probably would be, but unfortunately for her, I don't think she's going to get that far. Moohaha.
GurlOfTheNight: Oh, I will. And thank you, too.
AkaBlonde: Aw, no. You're perfectly good at reviewing. Thank you for the kind comment. n.n I'll really try not to abandon it, though I have to say, I have a really bad track record for continuing things. I think I have ADD. x.x; Also, I laughed my ass off when I read your last comment. xD Wow. I love you.
RebelWilla: Oh, he does. Moohahaha!
RedLightSpin: Everyone loves Snape! –Orgasm.-
MoonBeam: Aww, thanks hun. Much appreciated.
MsHellFire2005: Thank you!
Alexis2: Aww. Thank you. Of course I will.
Lexa: Haha. You shouldn't be so surprised. You took your time to leave me a long, thought-out and very helpful comment, and I thoroughly appreciate it. Thank you, once again, for giving me such a detailed review.
I'm really glad that you told me what you did, because that's exactly the sort of affect I was aiming for … but I wasn't sure if I was getting it right. x.x; I was so anxious to see how it would be interpreted.
BAH! I'm sorry. I'm really trying to work on describing their feelings more efficiently. I have a bit of a hard time with that, if you hadn't noticed. But I'm trying, I swear! T.T; Tell me when I'm getting better. Oh, and also … I won't give up until I'm done. : Everything's just real busy right now with exams and summatives coming up. Once again, thanks a lot for taking the time to review me. I really appreciate it.
Shonah89: I'LL UPDATE! I swear! I'm trying. Really. Sorry about the cliffhangers, haha.

--Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to review my story!--


Hermione trudged down from the Headmaster's office, carrying a fairly sizeable stack of parchments in her arms. Though she wore a smile on her face, her expression was rather wan and her belly was knotted uncomfortably. Although the Potions master had specifically requested that she find a new job position, she was beginning to feel a bit anxious about telling him that she had heeded his request almost immediately. She hung her head and sighed in exasperation. She had been terrible to him. Everything that he'd said had been true. He really had been acting with her well being at heart, preserving her virginity so that she might be able to give the gift of her virtue to someone who she cared about. And she'd been a complete bitch to him.

Overtaken with regret, Hermione didn't notice the formless black shadow stalking her up the hall. As she opened the door to her rooms, it slid smoothly in behind her before the door closed without so much as a misplaced footstep.

Feeling around in the dark, the young witch heaved the stack of paper onto her working desk and leaned against it with a heavy sigh. She jumped with a startled squeal as a hand grasped her shoulder and a deep voice whispered 'Lumos', illuminating someone's wand tip like a bright, glowing ember.

"What—are—you—!" Hermione squealed, violently beating around the neck and shoulders of her attacker. She grasped around feebly, searching for her wand in the dark vainly.

"Hermione!" the voice called, catching her wrists in his powerful hands. The wand fell to the ground as he backed her against the wall, holding her there as she struggled beneath him. A deep chuckle resounded through the dark, stuffy air.

"Professor Snape!" she hissed. "Let me go! What the hell do you think you're doing!"

He stood over her, silent, dominant, heating her body. She swallowed hard when it suddenly occurred to her what a compromising position she was in: pressed against her bedroom wall by the man who had taught her for seven years, the man who she was now bound to through employment. He growled and shifted against her, making her gasp. Her body throbbed subtly.

Finally, he complied, releasing his firm grip on her wrists and leaning down to retrieve his wand. Whispering an incantation, the torches began to light throughout her room.

Hermione was staring at him, red-faced and livid. Severus crossed his arms, smirking deviously. He could tell the witch was about to blow. She'd be even more pissed off later.

"SEVERUS!" she yelled. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM, NOW! Even being your assistant, you have no right to enter my private rooms without permission!" He had been smiling up until this point, but when her eyes suddenly began to gleam and something dangerous twitched at the corner of her mouth, he scowled. Why was she so smug all of a sudden?

"Speaking of which," she purred, and Severus' scowl blackened as she paced up to him, snatching the pile of parchments from the table. "I'm officially not your servant—err, assistant anymore," she said, her voice sharp with sarcasm. She shoved the job descriptions, applications and contracts toward him, crossing her arms with a smug little nod. He growled.

He looked at them briefly. "I've changed my mind," he replied sweetly, thrusting the pile of parchments back into her arms. "You will stay in the dungeons and continue to be my servant—err, assistant," he replied in an equally as sarcastic tone. "It's as much for your benefit as mine, I assure you."

The mischievous glint in his eyes made Hermione feel uncomfortable. She looked at him hesitantly. He was definitely planning something. Did he have some mysterious card up his sleeve that he would decide to play in the final hour?

"Albus won't like that you made me waste his time," she retorted stupidly.

Severus blinked. Was that it? Was the curse already beginning to work, or had she agreed of her own free will? He shifted his stance with a small, uncertain shrug. Oh, well. It made his job easier either way.

He stared at her, almost as if searching for some tangible cue that she had been changed by the Oath. She stared back at him curiously, one eyebrow cocked in confusion.

Apparently not.

But as he saw her standing there, gazing at him so vulnerably, so innocently unaware, an unfamiliar feeling gripped his chest. Should be doing this? Should he be taking advantage of an honest, hard-working ex-student of his? Should he not at least warn her about the Oath? Or should he test its validity without her knowledge?

She owes it to you, the darker side of his inner-monologue ensured. The little vixen didn't show you any mercy when you fought to keep her virtue intact, when you risked your well-being for hers. Why should you show her anything more than apathy?

Hermione sighed dramatically and began to tap her foot on the cold stone floor. Severus quirked a brow. He decided that his darker side made a very convincing argument.

"Oh, Hermione," he cooed, sliding towards her smoothly. His eyes darted around the room subtly, searching for something to test her curse on. He paused suddenly and his ebony eyes slid over her face in consideration. She shrunk back meekly beneath his gaze, intimidated but unwilling to relent.

"Yes?" she replied, her voice bold but shaky.

"Kiss me, witch," he growled.

"S-Severus—?" she stared at him, wide-eyed and gape-mouthed. She clutched her heart as it began to race in her chest, her face reddening with every backwards step she took towards the wall. Oh, God. Not again, Hermione. Don't do this again.

"I – I can't!" she blurted, her voice barely above a whisper. He glided towards her so that she once again found herself trapped against the wall in a very compromising position. Gasping, she inhaled a shaky breath. His mere proximity was beginning to make her nauseous, and her head throbbed uncomfortably.

Severus smirked as Hermione melted under his watchful gaze. He could feel the warmth radiating from her core as she heated up, set ablaze by her own lust … or perhaps something a bit more sinister.

"Kiss me, witch," he growled. "I know you want to. I can see it in your eyes … I can feel it in your body." He inhaled deeply, black eyes glazed over in something similar to pleasure. " … I can taste it in the air."

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered, her voice small, timid. The witch gazed up at him helplessly, wanting so badly to comply but needing for her own sake not to. Every second that passed felt like an eternity as he stood over her, and something within her was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with the situation.

"There's something I … need to know," he answered cryptically.

"I can't!" she cried, even as everything in her body screamed at her to comply. Her heart pounded so strongly in her chest that every shuddering breath she took wavered in unison with the beat. Something in her stomach churned.

"Please … " she begged with finality. Severus could feel her resolve slipping away, and looking into her eyes he knew that she felt it too. Something in him wavered then, and he backed away, voiding his gaze.

"You're not going to leave," he growled. "You will stay in the dungeons and remain my assistant for as long as I will it."

He left in a characteristic swoop of his cloak, leaving a forlorn witch trembling against the wall.

I'm really sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. I've been sort of busy between my other (pending) fan fiction and summer school. Stupid math. ANYWAY. I'll try to keep fairly consistent with my updating from now on. Thanks for reading. T.T