Chapter 6: Christmas
"So how did you do it?" he asked as soon as they got there.
"Do what?" Hermione asked feigning innocence. Severus glared at her angrily and she hastily answered.
"Um… don't get mad but I kind of…" she couldn't continue.
"What did you do?" he asked sharply.
Felix told her to take out her wand. Snape had been about to take his wand out when she took out hers. He recognized it immediately.
"Did you get in my private storerooms and take some Felix Felicis?" he asked.
She nodded slowly.
"Are you mad?" She asked weakly weakly.
"I would normally be very angry…" She flinched and took a step back.
"But you saved my life so no." she relaxed noticeably.
She ran up to him and hugged him.
That was so unexpected he lost his footing and started to fall.
Hermione flung out her hand and caught him before he hit the ground.
"Sorry," she said guiltily.
He nodded. "Hey! Next week is Christmas. Should I stay here? Surely he wouldn't call on Christmas would he?" she asked
"Actually he calls every Christmas," he said quietly.
She stared at him in dismay. "Why? What do you do?"
He didn't answer. He didn't want to tell her they capture muggle-born witches and rape them.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course if you don't tell me I could ask him myself!" she said.
"That would be great for me but every other male Death Eater would hate you for it and would be out for your blood if they found out who asked."
She quickly made up her mind not to ask. She felt the Felix wearing off and she started feeling pain. She realized she had been walking just the right way for it not to hurt.
Severus noticed her in pain and he sighed. "Do you want me to help you up there?" he asked.
"No. It wouldn't do you any good to be murdered by my friends for showing up again now would it?" she joked.
"Okay. Just be careful."
"I will. Bye,"
They parted ways.
She reached Gryffindor Tower and tripped through the portrait hole tumbling painfully to the ground.
Her friends were immediately next to her. "Are you okay?" asked Ginny reaching down to help her. She brushed against Hermione's stomach and she yelped in pain. Ginny drew her hand back not wanting to further hurt her friend.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Bella… unforgivable…. Curse," she passed out.
The week flew by and soon it was Christmas. Hermione dreaded the time when her mark would burn.
At 4:50 she felt her mark start to burn. She walked down to the borders after a quick explanation to her friends and waited for Snape. He arrived a minute later and they left with a pop.
When they got there they immediately knelt before the Dark Lord.
"Rise my followers and take your places." He demanded.
She stood up and looked around her. She recognized the room they were in to be a cave. A huge table with gourmet food was propped against the far wall with a bunch of different wines. There were rooms leading off of the cave and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
They took their places and waited for him to speak.
"I have brought you men a present." He said generously.
With a wave of his hand a hidden door opened and children came stumbling out. Hermione's eyes widened when she realized what they were going to do. Every one of them had been beaten.
Severus knew what he had to do. It was expected that he get himself a girl and rape her over and over until she was begging for death.
"Ladies you may enjoy yourself at the buffet."
'Can I talk to you somewhere private?' she asked Lucius.
'Sure. Follow me' he said.
Lucius started walking away towards a door and Hermione followed. He held open the door for her and went in after her.
He leaned against the wall. "What did you want to talk to me about?" he asked her.
"My Lord not to be rude but why do you do that? They are just children!" she exclaimed.
"Actually to tell you the truth that is what happened to you. Somehow you managed to talk me out of it. I don't remember how. But anyway the others enjoy it."
"I know two people who don't." she said quietly.
"Really?" he asked.
She nodded. "One told me and the other looked like he wanted to be sick."
"Am I correct in guessing one is Severus?" he asked.
She nodded slowly wondering what was going to happen now.
"You aren't going to do anything to them are you?"
"No. but I might give them something they enjoy."
"Oh. Well the other person is… what's his name again? Oh yeah! His name is Patrick." She said.
He smiled. "Patrick has never liked to do those kinds of things but if it means saving another girl I guess I can do that."
She looked at him in horror. "If it means saving a girl? I don't think you should do it at all! No offense but that is just... Ew!"
"You don't like violence very much do you?" He asked
"No I don't. In fifth year I came up with the plan of Harry starting a club. We were learning spells to teach us defense. All of us can even do the Patronus Charms now! We called it the D.A. for Dumbledore's Army. They would probably recruit if Harry just asked. We all loved it." She had a dreamy look on her face now.
She shook her head to clear it. "All those spells I did out there to Bella, Harry taught me." She said.
"You know that same year Harry lost his God Father. That's mostly the reason I hate Bella so much. Well… also because she likes hurting people but she is the one who killed Sirius. She is the one who brought Harry more pain when he has had so much in his life. Harry is a brave person but on the inside it's like he's dying from all the pain."
"His godfather loved the idea of the D.A. because if we did it we would be breaking rules. He took his God Father's advice on probably everything. Then when he died Harry nearly fell apart. Can you imagine losing so many of your friends and family like that?" she asked.
"What were we talking about at first?" she asked.
"We were talking about those girls out there." He answered.
"Are they still out there? Well if you want to do something now would be a good time. Oh! I'm sorry I'm bossing you around now. Here that's better." She said taking off the locket.
"Okay now to rephrase that my Lord. Please go and think about what I said. I can't stand seeing girls in so much pain. Please." She begged. Then she put the locket back on.
"Well I can't do it this time because my Death Eaters would know who complained and trust me when I say that you don't want them all for enemies."
She nodded. "Can we go now? I would like to talk to Snape my Lord." She said.
He nodded. "You may go," he said.
She gave a little curtsey and left the room.
She moved out of the doorway so Lucius could get out but her eyes were on the floor so she didn't see what was going on. When she raised her head her eyes widened and she covered her face with her hands.
She couldn't stand all the screaming and begging.
She felt someone's hand on her leg and nearly screamed herself but managed to control herself. When she looked down she saw someone who nearly made her cry.
It was a woman begging for her to help her. She had been beaten badly but Hermione could see she had been quite pretty. She looked up and scanned the room.
She spotted a Death Eater walking towards them.
Suddenly Hermione didn't care anymore. Hermione felt anger course through her she didn't know she had. She reached down to help the woman to her feet. Then she stepped in front of her and faced the Death Eater.
"Leave her alone!" she said. "You only do this for your own twisted mind. You disgust me beyond thought."
The Death Eater took a menacing step toward her and the woman cowered in fear. Hermione took out her wand.
This Death Eater was new Hermione could tell. He didn't know what she could do to him.
The Death Eater yelled a curse and Hermione ducked pulling the young girl down with her. "Filo" she shouted. The man went spiraling back into the cave wall. "I said leave her alone!" she said in a menacing tone.
The Death Eater could only stare in shock at this seventeen year old girl. She laughed at the look on his face which angered him. He tried hexing her but she deflected it making it hit a Death Eater who was beating a girl.
"I gave you a fair warning you know. Flamacto!" she shouted knowing full well he would deflect it.
"Densaugeo!" she said in her head knowing he would lack time for a shield. His teeth began to grow rapidly and now everyone was staring at the battle. This particular death Eater was never good when it came to injuries so he slinked away to have someone fix it.
"Anyone else want to challenge me to a duel? I didn't think so! If you don't want a fight I suggest you put down the woman and it would be nice if you apologized but you don't have to." She said.
The other girl who asked for her help was staring at her in fear and awe. After all these were just muggles. Lucius was smiling at the girl's courage to ask someone here for help and she just happened to pick the right person. Anyone else would have laughed in her face and handed her back to the Death Eater!
"Who said you could ruin our fun?" said Bella with a wild gleam in her eyes.
Severus stood off to the side and inwardly groaned. Bella was not someone you wanted as an enemy.
"Get out of my face Bellatrix!" she spat.
"Sure. Any last words mudblood?" she asked.
Hermione quickly scanned the room and spotted a chandelier hanging above Bella. "Yes. Romprio!" she yelled pointing her wand at the chandelier above Bellatrix.
As soon as the incantation was yelled Bella had a seconds worth of déjà vu when Lily, Evans at the time, had done the same thing to her at a party she had crashed.
Hermione didn't think the whole thing was going to fall. When it did her eyes widened and she quickly slowed the fall so no one could see. Luckily the ceiling was high and she had time.
When it crashed onto Bella her eyes widened. She looked at Lucius who looked a little mad at what she had done.
'Is she going to be okay' she asked in her mind.
His face immediately softened.
'Yes she will. Did you slow the fall?' he asked.
'Yes, but how did you know it wasn't someone else?' she asked.
'The look of horror on your face.' He said simply.
She turned back to look at the unconscious Bella on the ground.
She shook her head and felt tears prick her eyes at what she had done.
She walked over to her to the amazement of everyone and muttered a spell. The glass shards picked themselves off the floor and floated over to a corner and dropped.
Hermione bent down and healed a few of Bella's wounds and backed away. "I'm not going to wake her up! She would still kill me even if I did heal her up." She scrambled over to Severus. Everyone was still looking at her.
"What are you looking at? I'm not going to do anything else!" she snapped.
Someone started to walk cautiously toward Bella to wake her up. While no one was looking Hermione quickly did the disillusionment charm on herself so Bella wouldn't see her.
"Enervate" the Death Eater said.
Bella jumped to her feet and rounded on the Death Eater. He backed away slightly. "Where is the little brat?"
"Well as you can see there is nothing on top of you and you have no cuts. She healed you up pretty nicely didn't she?" Snape suddenly spoke up.
Bellatrix whirled around and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Like I care? She severed the ties in the first place." She snapped.
"Now where is she?" she took a menacing step forward.
Hermione slowly made her way around the half circle toward Lucius.
'Hello! I'm right next to you!' She said cheerfully to him
Lucius had been scanning the room for Hermione and looked down where she was.
'Hello nice to see you too! What are you going to do about Bellatrix?' he asked.
'I don't know My Lord. What should I do? You know her better than me.' She said
'I think you should show yourself and wait for her to notice you. Now would be a nice time. She looks like she is about to hex the living daylights out of Severus.' He said.
She looked up. Lucius was right. She looked like she wouldn't mind murdering him. "If you don't tell me where she is now I won't come to your funeral!" she sang with a cat-like grin on her face.
Suddenly a shimmer caught her attention at the corner of her eye. She turned to the side and saw Hermione.
"I'd like it if you didn't threaten my friends Bella. Can I call you that? I hope you don't mind." She said with a sly smile on her face.
Bella's fists were clenched and she looked about ready to punch Hermione.
"Abicio!" she spat in response.
Hermione deflected it. "I wouldn't try that if I were you. I was just trying to have a friendly conversation."
Hermione silently got out Harry's invisibility cloak from her back pocket.
As Bella let out a stream of hexes and curses she took refuge under it.
Hermione walked silently behind Bella.
She tapped her on the shoulder and ducked as she let off another string of hexes and curses. The cloak protected against hexes but not curses.
Then she walked away silently.
'We need to go my Lord. It's getting late. If we don't leave people will wonder.' She told Lucius.
'You may go.' He said.
Everyone heard a loud crack and Bella let out a string of bad words. They looked at Lucius but he seemed indifferent.
"Severus you may go."
Severus gave a bow and disapparated.
When he got there he saw Hermione doing something at a tree.
"What are you doing?" he asked
She jumped and suddenly the tree blew up flinging her back.
"Ohh. Why'd you have to do that?" she whined rubbing her back.
"Well what were you doing?" he asked.
"That's none of your business!" she snapped.
Then she looked up in confusion.
"That was weird. I didn't even mean to say that."
"Well, try saying it again." He said still in shock.
She opened her mouth to answer but instead she said "I don't have to listen to you!"
"It seems that someone has put a charm on that. You can't say the answer to the question without insulting someone. So don't try answering the question." He said.
"Oh. Hey you think I can insult someone and use that as an excuse?" she asked.
"Don't even think about doing that!" he said brutally.
She flinched from his change of voice.
"Sorry. But remember I am still your Professor. Did you really mean it when you called me a friend?" he asked.
She nodded slowly. "Are you mad? I can call you Professor." She said quickly.
She had become kind of scared of getting on the wrong side of Severus. She still didn't know what kind of spells he used.
"No. You don't have to call me Professor." he said.
"Well we better get going and you need to think up a way to protect yourself from Bella. Bye," he said.