A/N: I really should not work on this one, but at the moment it's giving me more muse than Not so Black and White. I am going to try to finish that one first, but as the muse comes, I have to write it or lose it. By the way, 3000 words is so hard! But I promised it. And it's good to challenge myself. WARNING: CHAPTER CONTAINS TORTURE AND MINOR SEXUAL ASSAULT!

Chapter One

Hermione opened her eyes for the second time since being kidnapped, expecting a bright light, Inge perhaps pitch black, but instead found herself sitting in a chair in the middle of a dimly lit room. She wasn't bound or restrained in anyway. Not that it would have mattered. She was surrounded by a circle of death eaters. They wore no masks this time, instead stared at her with a mixture of contempt and...something she couldn't place. Her eyes met the one person she almost hoped she wouldn't see.

"Keep your mouth shut, Granger. Do not say anything or ask for anything. You are walking a fine line between living and dying."

Professor Snape stared at her with a cold, blank look. Meeting his gaze brought goosebumps to her flesh and she looked away. She saw everyone she expected to see, Bellatrix, Lucius, Pettigrew, and two men who looked to be older versions of Crabbe and Goyle. She saw a face she didn't expect, Draco's cold stare drilling holes through her. Harry had been right. She almost didn't believe any of it from the previous year, but here it was in front of her face.

"I sssee the Mudblood hasss finally waken," a voice hissed from the corner. She knew it in the instant that her skin started to crawl. "You have my followerss quite the chasse, didn't you?"

She kept quiet and looked to her professor. She had no one else, and it him who said that she could survive.

"Sssseveruss, sshe iss your sstudent, iss sshe not?"

"Yes, my Lord. A useless know-it-all whose too eager to please."

"Asss her teacher, you should punish her for how much harder your friends had to work to capture her."

"Yes, My Lord."

He stepped into the circle and pulled Hermione up out of her chair and kicked it away before stepping back. He raised his wand at her and she searched for anything to tell her he wouldn't do it or that he was sorry. But his cold stare revealed nothing.

"Crucio!"

Hermione's insides screamed out in pain, twisting and burning. She tried to hold back a scream but failed miserably. Laughter surrounded her as she cried out. The pain stopped and she crumpled to the floor.

She looked to her professor, and he was smirking at his fellow death eaters. He was proud. 'He's probably been wanting to do that for years,' she realized.

She took a painful breath and pulled herself up to a standing position. He shot daggers at her.

"Do not make things more difficult for yourself. Do not let out your silly Gryffindor tendencies."

"I don't think sshe'ss learned her lesssson. Bella, help Sseverusss this time."

Hermione locked eyes with her professor, challenging him to do his worst.

Both of them raised their wands at her in unison and cast, "Crucio!"

Her head felt like someone was smashing it into a bed of bricks. Her body felt like it was simultaneously being burned and hit by a bus. Her heart felt like it was breaking again. Everything was on fire and being broken.

She almost didn't realize that the spell casters had stopped as she curled up into a ball on the ground.

"I do believe she's learned her lessson."

She wanted to die. The pain was unbearable. After everything she had already been through, she couldn't stop the tears from flowing from her eyes.

"We made the poor little Mudblood cry," Bellatrix cheered. "Potter's filthy Mudblood friends is crying on the floor! Some Gryffindor you are!"

Hermione wanted to get up and fight. She desperately wanted to. But her whole body ached and her head hurt too much to concentrate. She was at their mercy.

"I've wanted one of you for sssssso long. Sssomeone I could use against Potter. And now I don't know what to do with you. We could keep you locked up," he stated as he began to walk around the circle. "We could torture you, maim you, kill you. What ssay you Mudblood?"

Hermione stayed curled in her ball, refusing or unable to answer.

"I assked you a quesstion, Mudblood. Imperio!"

Suddenly she felt funny. She felt far off, out of control. She was standing and couldn't figure out why.

"What would you have usss do with you?"

Answer me, a voice said inside her head. It was annoying, and she didn't want to, but her mouth opened anyway, "I'd rather you killed me!"

"Yessss, that has been the option I've been toying with the mosst. Why should I kill you?"

Answer me.

She didn't have answer. Death did not frighten her the way they did. Harry would be devastated. But neither was why she gave that answer.

"I don't know."

"Sseverusss, didn't you say she was a know-it-all?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"It seems she's opened her mouth without an answer. Draco, punish her."

The fuzzy feeling disappeared and the pain hit her, causing her to stumble a little. Draco stepped forward, no where near as confident as her previous torturers. His wand was raised, but shaking. She raised herself and stood tall, meeting his gaze. She shot him a look, the same look she gave him before punching him in the nose. He cringed.

"Cru-crucio."

She felt a small pain, like a gentle punch to the gut and laughed. She couldn't help it.

"Lucius, your son is a disappointment. You will have to train him better than that for when we face Potter. Rabastan, show Draco how it's done."

The man nodded and stepped forward. Hermione didn't have a moment to prepare before his wand was raised, "Crucio!"

Immediately she fell to the ground, her skin burning and itching as if a million fire ants crawled and bit her. She'd never been Crucioed before then, and she realized that it was different every time a different person used it. She chose to focus on that knowledge, attempting to block out the pain, and it worked, but not enough.

The pain stopped and she slumped into the ground. She was exhausted and her entire body screamed at her.

"My Lord, it might be more beneficial to keep the girl alive and well," Severus spoke up.

"Sseveruss, are you questioning me?"

"No my Lord, but I have been teaching Potter for the last six years. If you keep her alive and well, possibly train her to be part of us. That would affect Potter the most."

"Hmmm, turn Potter'sss Mudblood against him? I like it Sseveruss. But how."

He began walking the circle at a quicker pace.

"Draco, she's your classmate, your age, you could have her."

Draco's body was shaking and he looked at her. She managed to stare back as he looked confused and frightened. She wasn't quite sure of what, and she wasn't capable of caring.

"My Lord, the boy has already been vested by her once before, took off crying after she punched him in the nose. You need someone who can control her."

"Like you, perhapssss?"

Hermione looked at Severus, who was looking at her with indifference.

"Well my Lord, she is a very powerful and brilliant witch despite her blood status. Besides I've held her respect, whether or not she'll admit it, for years. I stand a better chance than the boy."

"I'm not a boy anymore," Draco died, defending himself.

"Oh calm yourself, Draco," Severus lectured. "Do you really want to be settled down already boy?"

"I-not with her!"

"That's what I thought."

Dolohov stepped forward, "My Lord, I'll make the girl bend to your will. I could use an heir. She'd be a perfect breeder."

Hermione's stomach twisted at the thought and used her eyes to beg Severus to protect her.

"I will do what I can to protect you. But I can only do so much."

"Why are you telling me this? Why would you help me?"

"Because I take my oaths seriously. And I vowed to take care of Potter. I cannot do that from where I am. But protecting you is a part of that. So I shall protect you."

"But you hate me."

"Contrary to popular belief, I do not hate all of my students."

"Dolohov, back off, I believe I have already expressed my interests."

"Gentlemen, fighting over a Mudblood isss sso pathetic. Jusst duel it out and be done with it."

Severus and Dolohov faced each other leaving Hermione lying on the ground in the middle of their duel. They bowed to each other.

"On the count of three," Voldemort started. "One, two, three!"

"Sectumsempra!"

"Diffindo!"

Dolohov's severing curse just barely missed as he cried out in pain from the wounds caused by Severus' curse. Blood pooled under the robes and Dolohov cursed.

"It would appear that Severus has won. We'll celebrate in a few days. Severus, return your prize to the dungeon. You might as well explain what her life is going to be like now."

"Yes, my Lord."

Severus walked over and picked Hermione up by the back of shirt, pushing her roughly. Her legs felt like jelly and she stumbled more than once. She almost fell down the stairs but managed to catch herself with the railing and when they finally reached the dungeon, she shoved her into the corner she has first woken up in.

"I told you not to let your Gryffindor pride show."

"You also told me not to speak," she tried to shoot back, but it came out far weaker than she intended.

He walked over and pulled her up by her shirt one more.

"Is this how you thank someone who has ensured that you will live? I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. Do you understand what was just agreed to up there?"

She glared at him.

"You are going to be my wife. You will be taught how to use the dark arts, and you will be expected to use them. You will perform any and all wifely duties."

"Then kill me now, I'd rather die than marry you."

He pushed her up against the wall, his anger apparent.

"You don't have a choice now Granger. You will cooperate or both of our lives will be at stake."

"I don't care. I'd rather rot down here and be tortured than marry you. I'd rather face all of that again then so much as kiss you."

"Is that really how you feel?"

"Yes."

"We'll see about that."

He pressed his lips against hers, hard, pushing her harder into the wall. He forced her lips apart and his tongue found it's way into her mouth. She tried to struggle against him but was too weak from the events earlier.

But a part of her body betrayed her, igniting a small fire somewhere in her core. She was thankful when he pulled away.

"Don't ever do that again," she growled.

"What part of my explanation did you not understand? You'll be doing a lot more than just kissing me, Miss Granger. I will be doing more than just kissing you."

As if to add emphasis to his point, he forcefully cupped her breast in his hand.

Tears began to fall down her face.

"What's the matter, Miss Granger?"

"Please, please just stop."

"No. You need to understand what I'm telling you."

He grabbed her hand with his and forced her to feel him. Then he kissed her again, trapping her hand between him and her own body, pressing harder into her hand, squeezing her breast, groping it roughly.

"P-please, stop," she managed again through the kiss.

And he did, letting go of her entirely. She let herself fall to the floor and curled up in the corner.

"Miss Granger, this can go one of two ways. You can cooperate and do as your told when necessary and I will protect you and do my best to make life as easy as out can be given the situation. Or you can fight it and you have many more nights like this, only much worse. You would be wise to think on it."

A sob racked her body, bringing on a cry of pain. Severus reached into his robes and handed her a vial.

"Drink that. It will help with the pain."

And then he was gone and she was left in the dark yet again.

Her body begged for mercy from the pain so she reached out and grabbed the vial, desperate for a release from the suffering. She drank the liquid without a second thought. Her eyes became heavy and she realized it was a simple seamless sleep potion. She'd sleep through the pain.

Severus arrived at his home at Spinner's end and immediately punched the wall in his bedroom.

He was in far too deep. He hated himself for doing that to her, but he didn't have a choice. Curse that bloody sod Dumbledore. Severus had no way of backing out of the death eaters. No way to prove that he was truly on Potter's side, no matter how he felt about the boy.

Now he had agreed to take on a bride. He'd never had that intention. But it was going to be forced.

His own body betrayed him, reacting the way it had to her. The idea of the things he would have to do to get set him on edge. But it was better than Dolohov. Dolohov would have rejoiced at her screams. Why had Dolohov even stepped forward? What interest had he had?

It didn't matter now, he had won. And now he had to marry her.

Hermione wasn't sure how long she was in the dungeon but she found herself wakened by someonr grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet.

"Come on, Miss Granger."

It was Severus. Her stomach flip-flopped, unsure of whether or not it would be a good thing. She was taken upstairs to the same room she had seen previously. This time it was well lit and she saw that it was a grand ballroom.

Severus however kept waking, dragging her along. They went up another set of stairs.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Just keep quiet. You'll find out shortly enough."

"Please, just tell me. How long have I even been here? A day? A week?"

He stopped and pushed her against a wall, whispering, "Keep quiet. I've told you once. If you keep disobeying me, you'll end up in the hands of someone else. I am your best bet."

"Just answer one question. Please."

"You've been here for five days. You've been in and out of sleep, I don't expect you to remember most of it. Now follow me and stay quiet."

He pulled her away from the wall and kept walking. She followed along silently, mostly too tired to fight. She was terrified and calm all at the same time. She had made her decision the second she agreed to follow his original plan. The idea of death scared her more than he did, and the idea of the other death eaters scared her more than death.

She followed Severus down a series of hallways to a small room. He opened the door to a room with a single bed and an adjoining bathroom.

"You'll stay in here until someone comes for you. Clean yourself, I don't expect a long wait."

She nodded and stepped into the room and he closed the door almost immediately. She heard the click of the lock and her heart sank. She truly had no hope of getting out of there. She missed her wand. After a moment she headed towards the bathroom, closing that for as well in case anyone walked in. Five days of dirt and grime stuck to her body and she wanted it gone.

The hot water sung her skin and she didn't care. The dungeon had been so cold that she felt chilled to the bones and she hoped the water would be able to warm her back up. The shampoo and soap all smelled of sweet mint and lemon. It reminded her of home and she had to push the thoughts away before she broke down in tears.

She wasn't sure how long she was in the shower, the wonderful thing about the wizarding world was that the water stayed warm for so much longer. As it began to cool she turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself.

She stepped out of the bathroom still only in her towel to see a tray of food sitting on a small table in the corner of the room. She walked over to it, find a note in her professors handwriting.

Miss Granger,

Eat, you'll be needing your strength. Do exactly as you're told. She'll be kind to you.

Severus

Hermione looked at the plate of food. Spaghetti, some bread and salad. Her stomach growled as she finally noticed the smell. Knowing she had nothing else to do, she sat down and ate in silence.

She was terrified of whatever fate awaited her. She was terrified of the idea that was stuck in her head. She knew what marriage meant. And she knew exactly what it would mean for her.

As she finished her meal, a knock came at the door before the lock clocked and it opened. Narcissa walked in, a large white mass of fabric draped over her arm. Hermione used the napkin the wipe her mouth and stood up but did nothing.

"Hermione, I'm going to help you get ready. You'll need to be brave and strong. It's going to be a difficult day for you. Now, we must hurry."

"What is going to happen to me?"

"Did Severus not tell you?"

"I-I-"

"It's fine. He might have had an idea but it was only just decided. You know Severus never married. They've decided that the best way to make you stay under control was to have you marry him."

Her stomach dropped and tears formed in her eyes.

"We have to hurry. There not much time to get you dressed."