Trapped
(Is it in heaven or hell?)
I couldn't see, what with the blindfold over my eyes, which helped to do nothing except increase my terror. I was pulled along by the hands of two men. Harsh unloving voices laugh as I stumble. We had been walking for a while though it felt like we were going in a straight line. I tried to hold in the panic that was threatening to overcome me. I reminded myself that I could do nothing; they had taken my wand.
I heard what sounded like a door being wrenched open, a hand on my back, a rough push and more condescending laughter as I was sprawled unceremoniously to the floor. I wanted to move, wanted to run, but my kidnappers had placed a full body bind on me; I couldn't move. I lay there, my chest rising and lowering quickly, the muscles on my face, arms, and legs all twitching but unable to move.
One of the men pulled me up by the shoulders and placed a strap of some hard material, possibly leather, around my throat. I willed my muscles to move, willed my body to fight but it was for nothing; I could not stop what was going to happen.
I thought my handler was going to strangle me so I readied myself to die. But instead I heard a click and a zap of magic from around my neck. The man released me and my body slumped to the floor not able to do more. I'm not sure which is worse: the terror or humiliation about my situation.
I heard my kidnappers rustle around for a few more minutes. I heard the door open. The bindings around my wrists dissolved; a whispered word and the body bind disappeared, the door shut and they( whomever they may be) were gone.
I jerked off the blindfold and tossed it to the floor. Standing up my legs were shaky but able to hold my weight. I looked around the room I was in; it looked like a suite in a muggle five star hotel with everything from a fully stocked kitchenette to a king size bed. Above a four drawer dresser was a large mirror. I looked at my reflection; I was pale, with red eyes and my hair had lost most of its luster though it wasn't any neater for it. Around my throat was a leather collar *These bastards put a collar on me.* I reached up and fiddled with it, trying to find a way to get the damned thing off. I found a clasp at the back and tried to unhook it. Bad idea; a sharp jolt of magic made electricity course through me. Gasping, I pulled my hands away *Guess I'm not getting this off just yet.*
I stood there thinking about my situation *You'd think that after defeating Voldemort that I would have a life with some semblance of normalcy to it, but no, normal was one thing the "Golden Boy" couldn't find, it seemed.*
I walked over to the door and tried the handle and amazingly it opened. I looked out; there was a deserted hallway and it looked as if there was nothing stopping me from just walking away from this nightmare. I took a step, but was stopped as soon as I reached the threshold by a pain so terrible that it felt like my muscles were contracting in upon themselves and the collar I was wearing felt like it was tightening so that I couldn't breathe. I stumbled backwards, clutching at my neck as I fell back on my arse, heaving and panting. Freedom seemed so close and yet so far away. I got up shakily and closed the door and wondered what I was going to do next.
I pace when I'm nervous, always have, and what better time to be nervous than after being bound, blindfolded, and dragged to a place where only God knows where you are and left where you are treated like an animal to the extent that they put you in a collar. So I was pacing. My brow furrowed, I clenched and unclenched my fists at my sides, suspicions of why I might be here whirling through my mind, but none of them made any sense. The only person that would have ever wanted to kidnap me was dead. I know, I killed him, so who would want to do this to me was a mystery in my mind.
I was pulled from my frantic pacing by the door being wrenched open yet again, but before I could I could react, a spell hit me square in the face and I fell into darkness.
I woke up, eyes bleary, head pounding. I sat up slowly, shocked to find myself not in my own bed. I ran a shaky hand through my messy hair, starting to remember how I ended up here. I looked around and that's when I realized that I wasn't alone in the bed. I jumped out of the bed, heart pounding, staring at one man I never would have thought I'd find myself in bed with: my ex-professor, Severus Snape. I stared at my new companion noticing that he also wore one of those degrading collars. His face was slack in sleep, lacking its usual sneer. He looked actually human. I thanked the Gods that I hadn't wakened him.
I looked around the room and noticed a few new things; there were four suitcases in the middle of the floor, and two letters sitting on the table. I looked at the letters. One had my name on it and one had his. I sat down, clicked on the lamp and read the letter addressed to me.
Dear Mr. Potter,
We at the Ministry must inform you that you and one Professor Severus Snape have been put in confinement. We have many reasons for doing this. For one, anyone capable of destroying He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named are people the Ministry must first assess will be safe in normal wizarding society. Also is the need for your protection. Though it is true that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is indeed dead, many of his Death-Eaters are still around. While you are here, there are only a few rules to adhere to:
1. Neither of you may leave until the Ministry sees fit to release you.
2. No magic may be preformed while you are here (as such we have confiscated your wands).
3. You must not harm or attempt to harm one another.
4. You may not contact friends or family (they will be kept informed as to how you are fairing).
Other rules may be added as we see the need to. Any attempt to break the rules, escaping, contacting friends/family etc. will be punished in the best way we see fit. The collars you both wear will ensure that not many escape attempts are made. We are doing this for your safety as well as the good of the wizarding society, but we want you to be comfortable. You will be provided anything that you should need or want. Enjoy your stay at the La-Trap Hotel.
Sincerely,
Amelia Bones
Minister of magic
I folded the letter fuming about the new ploy the ministry had me roped into. We do what they want by exterminating that sadistic dark lord and *this* is how they thank us.
We are trapped in a hotel room for who knows how long. For my protection. *Ha!* They didn't seem so keen on protecting me when I was out fighting Death-Eaters by the score on a daily basis. No, this was not for my protection this was their way of keeping an eye on me, making sure I wouldn't become the next dark lord. If they think I'd do that, they really don't know me, but come to think of it, no one does.
I glanced out the window and saw that the sun was starting to peak over the horizon and decided it was as good a time as any to make breakfast. I looked around the kitchen and decided that I would make my favorites: eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, and scones.
As I was cooking, I could hear my companion wake up. He came over to the bar that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room and I could feel his eyes on my back. Without speaking, I poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards him as well as the sugar bowl and cream. I dished up our food.
Snape glared at the cup of tea as if it had done him a personal insult. I meanwhile set the plates on the table as well as silverware and two glasses of milk. He glared at me the whole time, sneered, and walked to the door and yanked it open.
"I wouldn't if I were you," I warned.
He shot me a heated glare and stepped across the threshold and stopped his face scrunching up in pain, sweat pouring from his pores. I saw that he couldn't move, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the room.
"I told you I wouldn't. I tried to warn you," I said as I lowered him into a chair.
He looked at me panting hard, sweat covering his face. "This is your fault, I know it is." He sneered. "What have you got us into this time, Potter?" Still shaking he said, "You wanted me to go through that door, didn't you, Potter? You knew what was going to happen and you couldn't wait to watch."
I'd had enough. "If I had wanted to see you go through that, I wouldn't have warned you, you bloody git." I looked at him and held a cup of tea to his mouth "You shouldn't assume so much," I said with a little more kindness. "Now drink your tea and eat. You'll feel better."
He sipped the tea slowly and started to eat. I sat down across from him and ate mine with a fervor.
After breakfast was finished, I handed him his letter and started the clean up process. As I was cleaning up, I could hear him making sounds of disgust while he read the letter. He came over to the bar again and leaned against it. I finished cleaning and putting things away before turning toward him.
"Why are they doing this?" he asked.
"When you find out, tell me; then we'll both know," was the only answer I could give him.
"It almost seems like we're being imprisoned for doing what they wanted us to do: defeating that sadistic mad man and helping the wizarding world. Now we are getting punished for it."
"That's what it seems like, doesn't it?" I sighed.
The rest of the day went on. We didn't talk much. We unpacked our things in silence. When I opened my suitcases, I first noticed a black bag in one of them. I looked in and found my journals, every one from the first one that I started when I was nine to the one that I was currently using as well as two blanks. I stuffed the bag of journals into the bottom drawer of the dresser and put the half full one in the drawer under the bed-side table. I wondered why they had sent me my journals, especially the already full ones. I took the one I was working on and decided to write about the current situation.
I went to bed early that night, after dinner and a quick shower. Snape stayed up; I paid no heed to what he occupied his time doing. After our early morning talk, we hardly said a word to one another, not surprising seeing as the man hated me. I lay thinking about him and about our situation as I fell into an exhausted sleep, never to know about the mischief that my companion got up to late that night
Severus Snape was never one to find himself in a situation where he was completely and utterly confused. He was one that usually had at least a clue as to what was going to happen, but the situation that he currently found himself as an unwilling part of was one where he was completely confused, so it's easily understood that he wasn't very happy about this fact.
Severus lived a very ordered life to insure that he always was on top of things; even when he was going to be on the receiving end of the Cruciatus curse, he knew it was coming. Severus' life had an order to it: teach the dunderheads that the headmaster had the audacity to call students, report to the sick, sadistic dark lord, have his mind raped by said sadistic dark lord, be Crucio'd for transgressions that he couldn't name and then report back to Dumbledore who was a sadistic bastard in his own right but a much nicer one and one that Severus practically worshiped. Point being, he always knew what was happening around him, but at this point, in this particular adventure, he was completely flummoxed.
Why on earth the Ministry would be doing this was beyond him, though the Ministry and their ploys hardly were an exact science that needed reasons, let alone good ones.
Why he was stuck with Harry Bloody Potter was also a mystery to him. Though, he had to admit that he didn't hate Potter as much as he claimed. In fact, during the final battle he had found a staggering amount of respect for the young man and though it shattered most of his beliefs about the boy, he also had to admit that though he looked like his father he was so like Lily, so loving and gentle. The boy carried an innocence around him though how he did so after everything Severus didn't know.
The boy's actions today also confused him. He was so quiet, unusually respectful and again that shattered away more of the Harry Potter that Severus thought he knew. He had watched the boy, no young man, write for quite some time in a small book and wondered if it would give any clue as to the changes in the young man.
Always the spy, it was second nature now and he couldn't stop himself. He searched for the small book, finally pulling it out of the drawer quietly. He went to a chair, clicked on a lamp and read:
March 5, 2007
I have found myself in a situation where I don't know what to make of anything. I am trapped literally. The Ministry has put me and Professor Snape in what they call confinement, which I believe is just their formal term for a private prison so that they can keep their eyes on us, as if we were criminals. If it weren't so sad, it would be funny. We do what they want by destroying that sadistic bastard and this is how they repay us, though the down time is almost a nice thing. The only thing is that I'm trapped with Professor Snape, who hates me and has hated me from the moment he laid eyes on me, if not before that. The thing is, I don't hate him, not anymore anyway. Snape is a real hero; he almost gave up his life to defeat Voldemort, a braver thing I can't think of. He put himself in danger so that the Order would know what was happening at great danger to himself. Not only that, but he has saved my life more times than I can count. If it weren't for him I would probably be dead now. For all the things that he has done, I have grown to respect the man, and I finally understand why Dumbledore trust him all this time. Alas, I am still at a loss, though, as to make it so that he doesn't hate me. I actually don't know if it's really me that he hates or if it's my father's memory that he hates. He had every reason to hate my dad; my dad was an arsehole in school, but I'm not my father. I would never do those things, even to someone I hate, like Draco Malfoy. I just wish I knew what to do about this crazy situation. I think it's stupid that the Ministry stuck us here, but at least they didn't send me to Privet Drive; I don't think I could stand to go back there, after everything that those people did to me. So I wonder what's going to happen once I get out of here.
Close.
Severus sat in the chair staring at the writings of the young man asleep on the bed. Severus' mind whirled. These were not the writings of the spoilt brat that he had believed Harry Potter was. All of this completely shattered Severus' beliefs about the boy. He felt respect towards him? The most loathsome, underhanded person alive? Someone that had committed so many crimes that to think of them all made him shudder. He did not in any way deserve the young man's respect; in fact, he deserved the young man's hatred, but Potter had said that he didn't hate him. How odd.
The part that upset Severus the most was when Harry was talking about his relatives' house; he talked about it like it was the most terrible place on earth. It couldn't be that bad. Could it? The part that drove him sparse was that he didn't know, and he felt he had to.
Again returning to his spy persona, he walked over to the dresser and silently pulled out the bottom drawer and rummaged around till he found the black sack that Harry had stuffed in there, hoping that it would contain more books like the one he had just read.
He pulled out a book that had a number one written on it and decided that would be the best place to start.
He opened the small book and read. Visions of pain, abuse, sadness and starvation only to name a few flooded his brain. He couldn't believe that anyone could treat someone like the Dursleys had treated Harry. Stuffing him in a cupboard, starving him, beating him, treating him like a slave as well as the mental and emotional abuse that they heaped on the boy. Severus read on and on, and in no time, it seemed he finished the small book and replaced to where it had come.
He silently turned off the lights and crawled into bed beside the boy, but sleep was long in coming. His mind whirled with the things that he had read. How on earth did Harry survive? That was more than any child should have to bear. Of course Harry was always getting more than his share of life's headaches.
Finally sleep enveloped him and he went on to dream of the pain that was the life of Harry Potter and then his mind dreamed about days far gone when a young boy named Severus Snape went through similar torture.
After our first day together, Snape was much nicer to me; in fact he seemed almost human. Sometimes he'd just sit and watch me with this sad and yet determined look on his face. I wonder what could be causing it. Things changed between us; he was no longer the spiteful potions master and I was no longer the irresponsible teenager. After our first day together, he made an effort to talk to me. He'd tell me about his life and ask me about mine. I didn't give away much at first, but after a while, I found myself opening up to him.
Months went by, Snape and I had made an uneasy friendship, but then had pretty quickly warmed to each other's company. I had told Snape more about myself than I had anyone else. I didn't understand why I felt so comfortable around the man now.
After a few months, Snape and I were sitting at dinner when Snape looked at me and said, "You may call me Severus." He said nothing more, but continued eating.
I looked over at him and smiled. I knew he was probably one to whom it was hard to give people the permission to use his given name and that by letting me call him that was a gift of trust indeed. I'm not sure how I knew that, but I did, so I responded, "Only if you call me Harry," and continued eating but silently waiting for him to respond.
He nodded his and looked at me in the eyes for the briefest of moments, then concentrated on his food. I knew that this was a big step for both of us, but I was very glad it had happened.
After a few awkward moments, talk resumed and life went on like normal. We talked about his life; he told me about his abusive father and how he believed that his father had murdered his mother, and how he took the dark mark so he could get revenge for his mother's death. He just went on and on. I don't know why he was telling me all this, but one thing I learned was that our lives weren't so different.
A year into our imprisonment, I woke up to find Severus asleep in a chair, fully dressed, with one of my journals lying across his chest. I couldn't believe my eyes. He had been reading my journals, something so private that no one else had ever read them. I shook him violently awake and pulled the book from his grasp.
Shaking it in his face I said, "What do you think you're doing? Who gave you the right?"
He looked up. "Harry, I'm sorry but I read the first one and couldn't help but read the rest."
"Oh, what, so you could laugh behind my back or so you could use it for blackmail later?" I said, fuming.
"No, Harry, I promise I meant no harm; I just wanted to get to know you…"
I cut him off. I started yelling and pacing at the same time, "How could I have ever trusted you? You have delved into something that you had no right to and mmnnnfft--."
My running monologue was cut short when his strong arms dragged me forward and soft lips seized mine. I wanted to fight at first, I really did, but a fire was started when Severus' lips met mine. It was like electricity, although not painful. I moaned unintentionally and Severus tightened his hold on me and deepened the kiss, tentatively pushing his tongue into my mouth and stroking alongside mine. That simple action sent shivers down my spine. We kissed and kissed until we were forced to break apart, panting for much needed air, but still he held me. He laid soft kisses on my face and whispered in my ear, "I know I was wrong, Harry, and I'm sorry, but I just needed to get to know you, the real you." At those simple words my fight was gone, for the one thing that I wanted most in life was for someone to know me, just me and not the "boy-who- lived." Severus did know me and that took all the fight I had left in me.
"What's worse is that I think I might be in love with you," Severs whispered.
That left me dumfounded. How could someone as handsome and wonderful and intelligent as he was love me? As I thought that, I knew that the warm feeling I had for Severus could only be defined as love. I was in love with Severus Snape, potions master extraordinaire, spy, hero and at one time greasy git. I was in love with him.
I looked up into Severus' onyx eyes and using all the courage in my being, I whispered softly, " I think I might be in love with you too." Severus swept me up into another mind blowing kiss and we just stood there kissing. If anyone would have told me a year before this, hell a week before this, that I would be kissing Severus Snape and liking it, I would have said that they went barmy, but here I was, in the arms of the man that I suddenly knew I couldn't live without.
Months went by, and Severus and I got closer and closer as time went by. We had all the time in the world for just getting to know one another or talking about philosophy, ethics, politics or whatever topic grabbed our fancy. It was bliss.
One evening after dinner, I was sitting in a chair reading. Severus came and plucked the book out of my hand and bent down to kiss me. As he was kissing me he slid to his knees and took my hand in his. After he broke the kiss, he looked into my eyes and spoke, "Harry, the time that I have spent with you has been the happiest in my life, and I know I'm not much to look at and I don't have much to offer you, but I was wondering if you'd be willing to bond with me after we get out of this mess. Harry, what I'm trying to say is… will you be m-my husband?"
Tears welled in my eyes. Over the last few months I had realized how much I truly loved Severus, even though he could be sarcastic and tough to handle. To me that's what made him, him and I loved every part of him. I couldn't speak for a moment, so I simply nodded. Then when I found my voice I added, "Yes, yes, Severus, I'd be privileged to be your husband. In fact I can think of nothing better." Severus' eyes lit up and he pulled me into a feverish kiss, a kiss full of promises for many more to come.
A few weeks later, Severus and I were just doing our normal routine when the door was opened. Severus pulled me protectively to his side as we watched the door open. To our surprise, in walked Albus Dumbledore. "Headmaster!" we both shrieked.
Dumbledore looked at us and smiled. That twinkle seemed even brighter than usual. "Hello, boys. I'm here to tell you that you are both being released, and I'm here to escort you out."
Severus and I looked at one another and then back at him and asked, "Really?"
Dumbledore chuckled, "Well, of course really. Well now, let's get those collars off you, shall we?" He pointed his wand at us and the collars fell to the floor. Funny, now I felt naked without it.
True to his word, Dumbledore escorted us out of the La-trap hotel and we disapparated to Hogsmeade. Dumbledore said he was going to let us both stay at the castle, but we both knew that he just wanted to talk Severus into taking his old job back, just like we knew that after putting up only a small fight that Severus would give in. We told Dumbledore about our time in the La-Trap hotel, including the fact that we were now engaged. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled even more, if such a thing were possible, as he was giving us his congratulations.
That night we retired to Severus' old rooms and sent out wedding invitations to all our friends, including the Headmaster. I knew Ron and Hermione would be flabbergasted when they received theirs, but they would get over it as would everyone else. No one would have probably thought that Severus and I would have made a good match, but we are a perfect match. I have officially found my soul mate.
That night, I lay awake in Severus' bed looking down at my soon-to-be husband. I am amazed about the things that have happened in such short time, though nearly two years doesn't seem short, it really is. I card my finger through his silky hair and dream about our future and for the first time in my life, the future looks truly bright.
Madame Minister Bones sat wearily at her desk; it was one of those days with a mountain of paperwork and an even larger mountain of problems. She sat trying to rub the kinks out of her neck when two owls flew in and dropped letters on to her desk. Tiredly she picked the first one up and opened it. It was a thick card like parchment and it read:
You are invited to the bonding ceremony of one:
Severus Tobias Snape
And
Harold James Potter
The date is set for July 31st , 2009, to be held in the great hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Gifts are not necessary. Please R.S.V.P. if you plan on attending.
The minister had a smile on her face as she put the invitation down and turned to the other parchment; she had a hunch that she knew who it was from. She unrolled it and read:
My dearest Amelia,
I want to thank you ever so much for you help with Harry and Severus. I know having them locked up might have not been the best thing to do, and I know you had your doubts about my plan, but now everything worked out just as I knew they would. I love Severus and Harry as if they were the sons I never had, and I only want them to be happy. They probably would have never come to the realization that they are meant for one another without a little help, they're both so stubborn. I know you had to pull a lot of strings to get this ruse to work, but I thank you again for all the work, and I hope to see you at the bonding ceremony.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
(Finis)