TW: This story may contain some triggers. Please see end notes for a list and description of possible triggers.
The Cotton Killer
Severus Snape trudged across the Hogwarts grounds, annoyed to find himself at the school on summer break. Having just spent the better part of the last hour reporting to Dumbledore on the recently resurrected Dark Lord's latest machinations, Severus sardonically thought there truly was no rest for the wicked. Grateful that his silver tongue managed to get himself back in the inner circle of Death Eaters, Severus was idly wondering if that was why silver was one of Slytherin's house colors when he spotted an owl making for him.
It was a snowy owl. Potter's owl.
Severus eyeballed the distance to the gates and, ultimately, the apparition point. He could probably make it if he ran, he speculated. Heaving a sigh from the bottom of his toes, he stopped walking and waited with his ever-present long-suffering sense of duty for the owl to approach. As she neared, he held his arm out, allowing her to perch on him as he untied her missive. She scuttled up his shoulder, nestling against his head and waited.
The note was written on lined paper and had a ruffled edge from where it had been ripped from a spiral notebook. The handwriting was decidedly not Potter's. Curious.
Hermione's been abducted. Please help. Beverly Granger. 8 Heathgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London.
Severus stilled and thought furiously, reviewing every nuance of information he had gathered, every conversation he had overheard from the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters, ripping it apart and laying it bare in his mind. Not a whisper he had heard of abducting Miss Granger. His blood felt like ice. This could mean he was not as accepted and trusted as he had thought. He had thought he had wormed his way back to the Dark Lord's side, the faithful servant, carrying out his last duty of spying on Dumbledore for the past decade. But if they had kidnapped Granger without even a hint breathed toward him…this could be very, very bad for Potter and for his own life, as well as Granger's.
Brows pinched in worry, Severus patted his pockets for a quill. Of course he wasn't carrying one. Why would he? Classes weren't in session. Instead, he pulled out his wand and pointed at his finger, causing a small cut to open. He squeezed three drops of blood on the edge of the paper then aimed his wand at it.
The blood slithered across the paper, forming letters in his handwriting, reading: On my way.
A tap of the wand to his finger healed the cut and he hastily rolled up the paper and reattached it to the owl's leg. "Take it to Dumbledore," he said, gesturing toward the castle behind them. The owl hooted in acknowledgement and launched off his shoulder, ruffling his hair with her wings, as he began to hurry in the opposite direction, once again heading for the main gates.
Remembering that Miss Granger's parents were muggles, Severus hastily transfigured his robes into a muggle suit as he jogged to the apparition point. He focused firmly on the scrawled address and disapparated with a pop.
Upon arrival to Hampstead Garden, Severus was assaulted by sounds that were jarring compared to the quiet punctuated by birdsong from Hogwarts that he had just left. Aside from the fact that London was just loud in general, Heathgate was currently a very busy road, considering it was a dead end in a posh neighborhood. Even from down the road, Severus could immediately tell which house would be number 8 Heathgate as it was surrounded by police cars with flashing lights. Police officers were milling about on the lawn and throughout the house. He scowled at the hubbub but getting past them was child's play with a few well-aimed Confundus Charms.
Severus entered the Granger home with the same authority with which he entered his potions classroom, minus the often-satisfying banging of the door. Another discrete Confundus Charm and he was in the sitting room. The parents were easy to spot in the crowd as they looked the most lost, stressed, and worried. They were talking with a plainclothes detective. The room was loud with murmurs and radio chatter and Severus could hear the thudding of people moving about overhead, presumably in the girl's bedroom.
"Beverly Granger," he said, catching the mother's attention. Both parents and the detective turned toward him. "Severus Snape, I got your message," he said, extending his hand. Beverly blinked and recognition lit up in her eyes.
"Oh! Mr. Snape, of course. Thank you for coming," she said. She turned to the detective, "Excuse me just a moment," she said as she gestured for Severus to follow her into the kitchen. Severus overheard her husband refer to him as a private investigator as he walked past.
As they stepped into the kitchen, Beverly murmured, "They think she's been abducted by the Cotton Killer…" Her voice broke on the word "killer." Severus furrowed his brows in confusion, not recognizing the monicker. "…but surely not! She's a…you know," she whispered, looking at him with pleading eyes.
"It is…unusual…that someone without our particular…skill set…should be able to abduct someone like your daughter," he said quietly.
"That's what I thought," she said briskly. "Because even when she was little, she could protect herself when necessary. So this…" here, Beverly hauled her purse onto the kitchen table and opened it, "…while concerning, doesn't mean she's completely defenseless. Right?" She pulled out two pieces of a wand.
Severus' heart plummeted.
This was not good. Not good at all.
"She can still do accidental…you-know-what, right?" she pressed.
Severus hesitated, staring at the broken vine wood, dragon heartstring trailing from one end. He gathered the Cotton Killer was a muggle serial killer. Or was he perhaps a squib? Or was Miss Granger actually abducted by wizards? Rather than answer Beverly's question, he asked one of his own.
"Where did you find this?"
"At the bowling alley in Finsbury Park. That's where she was when she…" Beverly sniffed but in true British fashion kept a stiff upper lip and carried on, "She was out with our neighbors. She stepped away to the loo and never came back. I found her w- this in the alley just outside the building."
Before Severus could reply, Miss Granger's father and the detective entered the kitchen. Beverly casually swept the wand pieces back into her purse, but Severus noticed the detective's sharp eyes caught the movement. He performed the world's fastest and most subtle obliviate, removing only the memory of that hasty motion from the detective's mind, the parents none the wiser. The detective merely blinked and shook his head before introducing himself.
"DCI David Harris," he said, shaking Severus' hand. "I know we don't always see eye-to-eye with P.I.'s, but when it comes to this case, I'll take all the help I can to get this guy off the streets."
"The Cotton Killer?" Severus asked.
"Yes. Of course, we can't be totally certain at this point," he said uneasily eyeing Granger's parents, "but her abduction has some of the hallmarks of his technique."
"Such as?" he prompted.
DCI Harris sighed, "Teenage girl, lured to an alley…" he glanced at the parents again and lowered his voice, "…head slammed into a wall," he whispered, "and an oil leak nearby."
"Lured how?" Severus asked, wondering what on earth would convince Granger to follow a stranger into an alley.
The detective shrugged. "Dunno. We haven't exactly had a witness who could tell us," he said glumly. He opened up a leather folio, angling it away from the parents, and flipping through crime scene photos of teenaged girls found, strangled. All were wearing white cotton bras, knickers, and slouch socks. "We've found six girls," he said. "Evidence suggests he keeps them alive for about 24 hours."
"How long has it been?" Severus asked, sharply.
"Hermione was abducted about four hours ago," he said.
Severus nodded curtly. "She was at a bowling alley?" he asked.
"Yeah, hang on," DCI Harris pulled out one of the bowling alley's business cards. "Here's the address," he said, handing the card to Severus. "You can keep that one. I took a few."
Severus took the card and shook off the detective by claiming the need to speak privately with the parents. The detective wandered back into the sitting room to confer with one of the constables while Severus whispered urgently to Granger's parents, "I'm going to pop over to the bowling alley real quick. I'll need some of her hair when I return. Can you get that for me?" Granger's father, Kenneth, simply said, "On it," and headed out of the room.
Severus nodded and slipped into the washroom, locking the door and apparating to the bowling alley. Police tape cordoned off the area and very neatly laid out an area of brick on the building's outer wall within a side alley. A closer inspection revealed traces of blood. Severus figured this must be where Granger's head was "slammed into a wall." He grimaced. He may not like Miss Granger, but she was still just a fifteen-year-old girl. She didn't deserve to have her head slammed into walls or to be abducted by serial killers. Or Death Eaters, he thought, still not fully ruling out the possibility. Another demarcation on the asphalt revealed an oil stain.
Severus entered the bowling alley. The lights were up, the music off, and the manager was talking to a constable. An employee was sitting in front of a lane, staring ahead blankly. Severus approached her quietly, establishing both a Notice-Me-Not charm and Muffliato.
"Did you see it happen?" he asked, without bothering to introduce himself.
The girl blinked and looked at him. "I was out for a smoke, behind the dumpster. They're bringing in a sketch artist," she said tonelessly.
"Look at me," Severus said. The moment her eyes met his, he whispered, "Legilimens," and entered her mind.
She was leaning against a brick wall, next to a dumpster when she heard a grunt and a thud. Peering between the dumpster and the wall, she saw a white man of average height, middle-aged, and very bland. He was holding Hermione Granger by the back of her head, fingers curled into her hair. He was pulling her head away from the wall, blood was dripping down her forehead and her eyes fluttered closed.
Severus saw the wand in her hand slip through her fingers and clatter to the ground, right in front of the wheel of a battered silver car.
The bowling alley employee gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, cigarette dangling forgotten from between her fingers. They watched as the man shoved Granger into the boot of his car and drove off, running over her wand. Severus exited her mind and obliviated her of his presence.
He apparated back to the Granger's washroom and slipped back into the kitchen where Kenneth Granger handed over an entire hairbrush with long, curly hairs poking out of the bristles at odd angles. Severus nodded his thanks, stowed the hairbrush in his jacket pocket, and disapparated from the washroom once more.
He apparated to a quiet London park and, hidden amongst a copse of trees, he withdrew the hairbrush. Carefully pulling out seven strands, he wrapped the hair around his wand and put the brush back in his pocket. Severus reached down to his right ankle and unsheathed a small, silver dagger. He drew it along his forearm, opening a vein, and pressed the hair against the wound. Once blood soaked the hairs and his wand, Severus tapped his wand to his arm, healing it.
He took a deep breath and held his wand aloft, hoping this would work. He was about to use a modification of the enchantment used on his Dark Mark that allows those with the mark to apparate directly to the Dark Lord. He hoped Miss Granger's hair would be sufficient for binding to his blood. This was, most decidedly, not light magic he was about to commit.
One more deep, cleansing breath, and he disapparated, focusing on Granger's infamous hair. Instead of his usual, quiet pop, this time Severus heard the echo of a loud CRACK as he left the park behind, traveling to a location unknown.
The uncomfortable squeezing sensation of apparition ended with another deafening CRACK and Severus found himself in a concrete basement. Two lightbulbs dangled from the ceiling on opposite sides of the room. There was a startled shriek and Severus turned to find her.
Hermione Granger was tied to a chair, wearing nothing but a white cotton bra, white cotton knickers, and white cotton slouch socks. Her forehead was scraped, bruised, and sporting a large goose egg. Tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were wild with panic. In front of her was a wall of Polaroids. Each picture portrayed a girl in a similar pose to how she was currently sitting. In fact, even at a glance, Severus noticed a handful of the pictures were of Miss Granger herself.
He looked back to the girl and her eyes darted frantically to a point just behind his right shoulder as she blubbered a wordless sob. Severus spun around, wand raised, and shot a Levicorpus at the Cotton Killer. He was yanked up in the air by his ankle and dangled upside down with a shout. A cricket bat fell from his hands and Severus kicked it away, out of reach.
"Who are you?! What is this?!" the dangling man shouted. Severus ignored him.
"Miss Granger," he said, addressing the girl. Before he could continue, he was interrupted by the Cotton Killer's yelling.
"Granger! What's her name? WHAT'S HER NAME?"
Severus glanced at him, startled by the question. He looked back to Granger.
"I – I don't remember!" she sobbed. "You have to help me. Please help me!" She struggled at her bindings.
Severus took a step toward her and she flinched back in fear. He stopped with a scowl. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.
She shook her head and looked warily at the Cotton Killer who was flailing his arms and one leg while still dangling upside down.
Severus canceled the transfiguration on his clothing and stood before her in his long, black wizarding robes. The robes she had seen him wear every day for four years. Her brows furrowed pensively, and she cocked her head.
The Cotton Killer shrieked, "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU?" They ignored him.
"You're…a teacher?" she asked. Severus nodded. "You don't like me," she said, warily.
Severus looked at her steadily, "I do not wish you harm, Miss Granger."
She stared at him for another moment then nodded slowly. "I trust you."
Severus stepped forward again and, this time, Miss Granger raised her chin in that astonishingly obnoxious defiance so often portrayed by Gryffindors. He flicked his wand, slicing through the ropes, and held out his hand.
"WHAT'S HER NAME? WHAT'S HER NAME?!"
She placed a shaky hand in his and he pulled her to her feet. Pulling a shrunken cloak from his pocket, he enlarged it and swirled it around her shoulders before transfiguring it into a simple robe that could pass for a dress among muggles.
"Thank you," she breathed, latching on to his left arm for balance. In a dark corner of his mind, Severus acknowledged the irony of her muggleborn hands clutching at his Dark Mark.
Before he turned toward the Cotton Killer, Severus glanced at his wall of victims again. There were multiple pictures of each girl, and they were all labeled with their first names, except for Granger's. There were eight victims prior to Granger. There were also nine locks of hair attached to the wall, eight of which were labeled.
"WHAT'S HER NAME?" the Cotton Killer yelled. "I HAVE TO KNOW!"
Severus turned slowly to him. He was the blandest, most non-descript middle-aged white man he had ever seen. And currently, the blood was rushing to his face and he was frothing at the mouth in his fury and desperation.
"No," Severus said, coldly, "you don't."
He leveled his wand at the man and, his face contorting with rage as Miss Granger clung to his other arm, he snarled, "Avada Kedavra!"
"WHAT'S HER NAME?! WHAT'S HER NA-" his screams were cut off suddenly with a flash of green light and he dangled limply in the air, still suspended by an ankle.
Granger gasped. "Is he…?"
"Dead, Miss Granger. He cannot harm you."
Severus expected shock, disgust, or fear so he was surprised when she suddenly threw her arms around him and sobbed "thank you" into his chest. He stood ramrod straight for a moment before hesitantly placing a hand on her back.
He felt confused. Severus Snape does not usually receive thanks. Especially not after performing all the dark spells and curses he had done within the past couple of hours. He could feel her breath hitching under his hand and he cautiously began to rub slow circles on her back.
Eventually her breathing calmed and, face still pressed to his chest, she whispered, "What's my name?"
His hand slid to her shoulder, and he squeezed as he replied, "Hermione."
She choked on a sob, and he continued. "Your name is Hermione Granger, and you are a witch. You attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He paused but though she clenched the robes at his back in her fists she said nothing, so he continued, "I am Severus Snape, and I am your potions professor. I am also the head of Slytherin House. You, Miss Granger, are most unfortunately a Gryffindor."
"Unfortunately?!" She finally pulled her face away from his chest to look up at him indignantly. Severus smirked.
"Indeed. Brave and noble though you may be, Miss Granger, you clearly lack self-preservation. Otherwise, we would not be here right now."
Evidently, she had no response to that. She slowly stepped away from his person, folding her arms tightly across her chest as if she was hugging herself. Her eyes flicked back to the dangling corpse. Severus sighed. "I suppose I should take care of this," he said.
Miss Granger followed his motions with wide eyes as he propelled the body up the basement stairs and into the house proper. It was still dangling by an ankle. He casually flicked it into a corner while he poked open doors and peered into rooms until he found a boring, nondescript bathroom.
"This'll do," he said. Reaching into the shower, he turned the knob on to hot and summoned the dangling body to him. With a quick charm, the corpse was naked, its clothes in a messy pile on the floor. He guided it into the shower then canceled the levitation spell, allowing it to fall with an inelegant thud to the shower floor.
"It appears you are a lucky girl, Miss Granger," he said as he pulled the shower door closed. She was peeking into the bathroom from the hallway, a look of morbid curiosity and revulsion on her face. "Your abductor took a shower and slipped and fell. Maybe he had a heart attack. Maybe he had an aneurysm. Who knows? The point is, he died before he could cause you any further harm. Lucky girl." He gave her a pat on the shoulder as he exited the bathroom, sweeping past her.
"I think…" she paused as she trailed after him through the house. "I think I'm starting to remember," she said slowly. Her brows were furrowed, and she was staring at the ground, deep in thought. "There was a dead boy…" Diggory, of course that's the first thing she remembers about her life as a witch. "And a dragon, and a giant snake with scary eyes, and a…a…troll?" Severus nodded. "And…the grim reaper? A bunch of them."
"Dementors," he supplied, as he rifled through some papers on the kitchen counter.
"Dementors! Yes! They suck your soul and make you relive your bad memories!"
"In the opposite order, yes. Not many memories once your soul has been sucked." He sighed. "Your years at Hogwarts have been much more…eventful…than is typical for students. It comes down to your abominable taste in friends." He picked up an electric bill and tucked it in his pocket.
"Friends…I have friends…Ron?" she looked at him, questioningly.
Severus rolled his eyes. "Yes, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."
A slow smile spread over her face. "Ron and Harry! I remember them! I remember…oh. Oh. He's back." She looked at him in terror. "You-Know-Who is back!"
Severus occluded, his expression becoming blank, and his eyes deadened as he nodded sharply.
"And you – but you – Oh! You shouldn't have come to help me!" she exclaimed, fearfully.
Severus raised a brow and sneered at her, "You are saying I should have left you here, then?" he spat, furious with himself for being surprised by her about-face from thanking him profusely.
"No! That's not what I mean at all! I mean – it's just that – won't you be in trouble for helping me? A mudblood?"
"Don't say that word!" he snarled. She flinched.
"I – I mean – it's just – wasn't this dangerous? For you? What if he finds out you helped me?" she began wringing her hands nervously. "Isn't that what happened? After the tournament? Didn't you have to go back to him?"
Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Merlin save me from overprotective Gryffindors, he thought. "Miss Granger. As long as you don't go about announcing my involvement, I am perfectly capable of keeping this quiet. The question is, are you?" He raised an eyebrow, imperiously staring her down.
"Yes, of course," she said.
"And even if word leaks, I can spin it to my advantage. You need not fear for me, Miss Granger. Do try not to blab about it to all and sundry, though. At the very least, spare my reputation as Head of Slytherin."
She snorted then winced and ghosted her fingers over the goose egg on her forehead.
"Time to get you home, I think." He swept his wand over his body, transfiguring his clothes back into a muggle suit. Granger cocked her head and looked him up and down curiously. He rolled his eyes. "Come along. I shall apparate us to your home." He crooked his fingers, gesturing for her to step closer to him.
As she stepped forward, Granger asked, incredulously, "You know where I live?"
"Of course," he said, tugging her forward and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Your mother contacted me."
"My mum?!"
He disapparated with a loud CRACK! They landed in a large park at the end of her street, hidden among the trees.
"To be fair," he said, continuing their conversation as if they hadn't just traveled across London in an instant. "She wrote to anyone at Hogwarts. I merely happened to be the first person her owl found." He steadied her as she reeled, imbalanced.
"My mum sent an owl? How? We don't have an owl!"
"Potter must have sent you a letter, as it was his owl she sent," he explained, prodding her along.
"She sent Hedwig? Oh, I wonder how Harry's do- ow!" Granger stopped suddenly and lifted her foot, pulling a thorn out of her sock with a hiss. "Really!" she growled as she threw the thorn down then swiped at her eyes angrily.
Severus smirked. "Not your best day, is it?"
"No!"
"Come along then," he said as he lifted her into his arms. She flailed, startled, then cautiously wound her arms around his neck while giving him a disconcerted look.
"And now I approach the conquering hero," he smirked as he strode forward. Granger apparently didn't have a comment for that either. She looked rather out of sorts. His smirk grew wider. How fun, keeping Gryffindors off-balance.
He was two houses down from number eight when neighbors began to notice Granger's return. There were excited shouts and loud chattering from the front gardens he strode past. Soon they were surrounded by police officers and Severus scowled darkly at them, even as they escorted them back to her house.
"HERMIONE!" Beverly shouted, racing out the front door. Granger practically leapt out of Severus' arms and was quickly enveloped in her mother's embrace. Kenneth was half a step behind and wrapped his arms around both of them.
Severus took a step back and was immediately cornered by DCI Harris. "You found her!" he said, incredulously. "Where was she? Who took her?"
"Ah." Severus reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the electric bill. "Here."
He began to step away, but the infernal man grabbed his arm and held him in place, glancing at the name and address on the bill.
"We've been tracking this guy for two years," he said. "And you found him in two hours. Who are you? May I have your contact info? We may need you again!"
"No. In fact, I would appreciate it if you keep my name and image out of it. I am deep undercover," he invented wildly, "and have risked my cover to help the Granger family."
Harris nodded, wide-eyed. "Of course! Thank you. We owe you. Is there anything we can…?" he trailed off, eyebrows raised.
Severus gave Harris a long, level look and said, "Just leave me alone. Don't seek me out," he said.
Harris' eyes widened in realization. "We'll find him there, then? It's over?"
Severus gave a curt nod and turned away, only to be assaulted by Beverly Granger who pulled him into a smothering hug. He squawked and immediately cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered in his ear.
He patted her awkwardly on the back then used the opportunity to slip Granger's hairbrush to her and impart some final words of wisdom by murmuring, "Take her to Ollivanders. He may be able to fix what was broken. And have a Healer at St. Mungo's look over her – she definitely had a concussion. If she requires any potions, send me the list."
Beverly nodded against his shoulder. "We owe you everything," she whispered.
Severus scoffed and shook his head as she released him.
"Look at me," she said.
He looked up, and though she was incapable of performing Legilimency on him, he still had the feeling she could see into his wretched, tattered soul. He stiffened under her gaze.
"You are a good man, Severus Snape. Hermione is our life, and you saved her. You are always welcome here." Severus blinked, unsure what to say.
Kenneth Granger stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and pulled him forward into a brief and forceful hug. Though he didn't say a word, Severus could see the gratitude in his watery eyes as the other man pursed his lips, keeping his emotions in check. Kenneth nodded to him as he released his hand, then stepped back to place his arms around Beverly and Miss Granger.
Severus nodded to the family then turned and quickly made his way through the throng, casting a Notice-Me-Not and Confundus Charms as needed until he could slip into an unobserved corner and disapparate with his usual quiet pop.
Outside the gates of Hogwarts, Severus canceled the transfiguration on his robes and removed the strands of hair from his wand. He started to banish the hair then stopped himself. With the Dark Lord risen and a prophecy pitting him against Potter, it may be advantageous to keep the hair. Where Potter goes, Weasley and Granger follow. Now that he has a way to apparate to Granger's side instantly…yes, best to hold onto it for now. He pulled out a handkerchief and carefully folded it around the seven strands of blood-soaked hair. Hovering a hand over his wand, he removed the traces of blood from it, promising himself to give it a good clean and polish later this evening.
He gave himself a once-over, confirming he no longer showed evidence of performing dark magic, before he opened the gates and marched purposefully back to the castle. Time to meet with Dumbledore again and assure him the girl was well. Though the Headmaster would undoubtedly suspect he had used dark magic to recover her so quickly, it wouldn't do to flaunt it in his presence.
The sun was high overhead and Severus' stomach rumbled. Perhaps he could snag lunch from the kitchen before heading home and taking a nap. He snorted and shook his head in dark amusement. He had met with the Dark Lord, reported to Dumbledore, rescued Granger, and killed a serial killer…all before lunch. "Just another day in the life of Severus Snape," he muttered sardonically as he pushed the castle doors open.
The End
TW: self-harm (brief, 2xs, not from a dark mental place, character requires blood for a spell)
TW: violence (brief description of assault and blunt-force trauma, does not linger on the event)
TW: character abducted, tied up, forced to wear specific underclothes