Chapter 6


Hermione's parents were distraught. They had been out all night looking for her. Finally, they went back to their home, cold and upset. They knew she wouldn't have been able to be taken by anyone who didn't have magic. They fumbled around in their storage, looking for the box they had received from Professor McGonagall the first time she had contacted them about Hogwarts. From their dusty storage, they pulled the Hogwarts Medallion from it hiding spot. Both parents held onto the coin like a life support, and, per instructions, whispered "White rabbit."

The parents were pulled instantly long, flung through endless space. With a crash, they fell to the floor of Dumbledore's office.

"The Grangers?" Albus exclaimed, rubbing his eyes comically.

"Are you in charge here?" Mr Granger demanded.

"I'm Headmaster Dumbledore, good man," Dumbledore extended his hand but was flatly refused.

"Headmaster, we believe someone has taken Hermione."


Hermione had been asleep long before she knew what had happened to her, officially. She remembered apparating, but the dizziness she felt upon landing compounded with her magical depletion had her swaying until she succumbed and placed her head against the resident Dark Lord and promptly losing consciousness.

She woke surrounded in far too much fabric. She was naked again, but in a bed of down pillows and two massive quilts overtop of her. Her body felt sluggish and weak. When she opened her eyes, she initially couldn't see anything except a blurry fog. It took several hard blinks before she could evaluate the situation she'd been placed in.

Voldemort had placed her in a decadent room with rich green walls and darkwood furniture. The ceiling was intricate and beautiful, clearly renaissance in origin and lined with gold. There were three doors in the room, a full-sized fireplace with two chairs in front of it, . . . and a Dark Lord sitting in one of those chairs, reading from some ancient-looking tome.

He must have sensed my gaze, because his red eyes met mine and the book in his hand was closed with a resounding clap. "Alive still, Miss Granger?"

She groaned aloud, throwing her head back onto the pillow. Hermione vaguely heard a chuckle from the other side of the room but was too busy pinching every inch of my body, trying to wake up from the nightmare she was a part of.

"Tink!" the megalomaniac called. Hermione watched now as a house-elf popped into existence next to Voldemort. Hermione felt fear for the tiny creature, but Voldemort knelt next to the house-elf in a very respectful gesture. Confusion overtook her. "Miss Granger requires a hearty breakfast, if you please, and I need Severus immediately."

Severus? Snape! He was calling Snape! Hermione had a chance, at least, to get a message to the Order. Voldemort came over to the bed with a maniacal glint to his eye.

"Good morning, young one," Voldemort greeted, coming up next to the bed. Hermione moved to the farthest side away from him, only to warrant a raised eyebrow from the resident Master of Dark Magic. As if he were saying I could force you, why bother? "Refusing to behave will only end in your punishment, I'm afraid. Now will you lie on your back? I need to make sure you are healing properly."

She simply glared at him, eliciting an eyeroll. "So be it, Miss Granger."

With a wand wave, Hermione was yanked back into the center of the bed absolutely stuck. She whimpered in fear as she regarded her captor. Voldemort ran his wand over her, muttering a little under his breath. A pale yellow glow started at the top of Hermione's head and trailed down to her toes under his guidance. When he finished, Hermione was free once again to use my body and she sat up.

Much to her chagrin, Hermione was still completely naked under the covers. She yelped and reached to cover herself, blushing furiously as Voldemort doubled over in laughter.

"It's not funny!" she yelled at him.

Voldemort chortled heartily, hardly allowing himself a breath to reply. Finally, his gaze filled with mirth, he regarded Hermione once again. "I have to disagree, my dear. You Gryffindors are always so thoroughly entertaining, rushing to prove your points. Although, I'm sure you made two points there already."

His gesture to her chest had her blushing furiously. She gritted my teeth against the horror she was feeling. "You're sick."

Voldemort only raised his brow, but any reply was cut off by a knock at the door.

"Enter!" Voldemort barked, a stern countenance now gracing his features. Hermione pulled the covers closer to her chest in mortification, knowing exactly who was coming through that door.

Just to prove her, in walked her Potions professor decked in full black as he always was. He only stopped in his entrance when he locked eyes with a desperate Hermione, covering her chest forcefully and looking to any who would see her then as if she was in the last place she wanted to be. Hermione begged him with her eyes, the familiar sight of him nearly bringing her to tears.

"Miss Granger?" Snape cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I didn't mean to, Professor," Hermione pleaded. "I didn't know what I was doing."

"Silence, little one," Voldemort sneered at her before turning to his servant. "I found her in the woods along the southern coast. She practically summoned me to her, with the amount of power she emitted. I couldn't help myself but to go investigate. Tell me, Severus, did you know your student was so studying old magic rituals?"

Hermione saw the knowledge click in his head as he put together their shared interaction with Dumbledore and her appearance before his other master. She whimpered as she saw his eyes darken in anger.

"What did you do, Miss Granger?" Snape growled at her.

She trembled under his fierce gaze. "I just wanted to help, I swear. Please, if they ask, I didn't think it was dark magic. I didn't know he would come."

Snape groaned, almost pained by her words. "Dumbledore, the fool."

"Ah, so that's where she learned of it," Voldemort said with glee. "Show me, Severus."

She watched as the two men engaged in a long stare, a one-sided war where the only victor was Voldemort himself. It was over fairly quickly, but Voldemort clapped his hands together eagerly.

"A curious young girl, Severus, isn't she?" Voldemort practically crowed. "Well, I do need your help, dear friend. She seems to be in need of some potions to restore her."

This gave Snape a start. "Restore her?"

"Specifically, I believe you'll find her in need of a Vitamix potion and several rounds of restoration draught for the next few days," Voldemort continued. "She had depleted herself extensively."

"And what use is she alive, milord?" Snape asked with a raised brow. Hermione whimpered at his glacial tone.

"She is quite valuable, my dear servant," Voldemort said as casually as discussing the weather. He looked to her now, his face quite eager. "Will you tell dear Severus what you've done, little one? Perhaps it will ease your guilty conscience to tell your professor? Perhaps I shall grant him a detention with you if he feels you deserve it."

Tears pricked her eyes. Hermione opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. Hermione willed out the words. "I completed the Ritual of Unbound magic," she whispered.

Snape's eyes buried into Hermione's own. Hermione wished she herself could read minds, but all she could do was plead with her own. Snape's gaze was unforgiving and volatile, looking to her as if he held against her every judgement she had ever had of herself.

"I see," he drawled. "What a miracle someone of your blood status survived."

Her eyes focused instantly upon him and his master. "Survived?"

"Your little book was never meant to be the source of the ritual, Miss Granger," Voldemort admonished her. "You took the first source you had and ran with it. There's a particular reason so few brave the old traditions, and mortality is certainly one of them."

Hermione deflated. She felt hollow. She hadn't known it might kill her, besides her foolish exposure to the elements the previous night.

"I will prepare her, my lord," Snape drawled.

"No, Severus," the Dark Lord stopped him. "I will do this. You will collect the necessary supplies and potions from your stores, and then you will return to tell the old man exactly what has become of his little Gryffindor Golden Girl because of his loose lips."

Snape bowed. "Of course, my lord."

Snape was leaving! Hermione scrambled to think of anything else that she could give away, anything at all. Anything she could say.

"He read my mind, Professor!" she screamed. "He knows everything! Tell Harry he knows!"

Professor Snape stopped in the doorway and looked to his Lord, not at Hermione herself. Voldemort seemed to be beaming.

"Oh, do as she wishes," Voldemort allowed with a laugh. "Let them know that all her secrets are now mine, even those she has not shared with them. Tell them how you found her, and let Dumbledore see the memory of her naked in the Dark Lord's bed, begging for you to understand her. Keep nothing from them about this situation, Severus." His tone turned hard, and he looked towards her with fury in his eyes. "I want them to suffer knowing she is in my power and they cannot save her."

With a curt nod and the billow of his cloaks, Snape was gone.

She was alone with the Dark Lord.

She needed a distraction, and she was saved by the appearance of food in a tray on her lap. She avoided the gaze of the dark lord before her and focused on consuming the breakfast she had been provided. Her stomach growled with the first bite, and once she realized she was actually hungry she devoured the plate with vigor. Voldemort said nothing while she ate, merely watched her and waited. Hermione couldn't tell if he was waiting for Snape to return with the potions or waiting for her to finish her food, but either way she longed for a way to prolong it.

When Snape returned, he hardly spared a glance in her direction. He deposited the vials on the table by his Master, and with a wave as a dismissal, he left again. This time she was sure he would go to the Order and let them know everything.

Her tray disappeared when she finished, and it was then that Voldemort interacted with her.

With two bottles in hand he approached.

"Drink."

She did. She made foul faces to both potions, much to Voldemort's displeasure, but she gulped them down quickly. Only when both potions were consumed did he speak again.

"I have no plans to harm you, little one," Voldemort informed her. She guess it as his version of comfort, because he sat himself on the bed next to her. She fought for composure. "However, as no one else in the castle knows of your little misadventure, they may make the mistake of taking that liberty with you. I require you to remain in this room until I am prepared to make use of you. You will have everything provided for you, including clothing, and you will enjoy the hospitality. However, as your recovery may take a few days, I will not have you waste that time.

"So you have a choice, Miss Granger," Voldemort told her, his red eyes flitting over her face. "The first is that you receive books of my choosing for your entertainment during your recovery, should you agree to treat them with respect. Choose this option and I will not return except to administer your potions. You will not have anyone visit with you, and you shall be left alone until I deem you fit for my purposes. The second is that I remain in the room with you, and I will allow you to ask any questions regarding either your predicament or old magics. I will answer honestly if you choose this, but do not presume I will reveal anything beyond your predicament. The third, and least pleasant option, is that you attempt to run and I chain you up in the dungeons for the remainder of your recovery." His eyes flickered dangerously. "Choose carefully, little one. You will bear the consequences."


An Order meeting was already underway when Snape came to 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry had been brought to the meeting by Dumbledore, and Ron was sitting with him with a cross look on his face. Snape, for a moment, observed the two who he had not seen before; two inconsolable muggles were sitting in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. When he entered, everyone looked to him in hope. Dumbledore looked to Severus with a sad eye that let him know they already knew what he was about to tell them.

"Professor," Harry addressed him first, his voice trembling with emotion, "please tell me you were with HIM?"

"Yes, Potter," Snape sneered defensively at the boy. "I was indeed at the call of the Dark Lord."

"Sir," Potter begged, "do you know where Hermione is?"

The polite tone Snape had always seen absent from Potter was not helping him. This was the hardest part of his job, Snape thought. He didn't want to tell Potter and Weasley anything. Desperate for news he had, but not wanting to hear the truth. He kept his cool exterior and gave his report.

"The Dark Lord has indeed taken Miss Granger," Snape sighed. Cries of anguish came from the muggles, her parents. "I was unable to help her in any regard, however I do not believe he intends to kill her. He has shown a personal interest in the girl that I have not seen him do for any person, treating her like a prized Dark Magic Text. He is healing her as we speak."

"Any clues as to why, Severus?" Albus asked.

"Someone must have given her an idea to research old magic," he accused. Snape glared at him. "Apparently, she successfully unbound her magic without it costing her her life."

There were a few gasps, but most people just looked at Dumbledore and Snape in absolute confusion. Albus Dumbledore sighed and dropped himself into his chair.

"I'm guessing he felt her magical release?" Dumbledore inquired tiredly. "Found her while she was depleted?"

"Good guess," Snape sneered. "The Dark Lord wanted me to personally inform you that she is now under his power, and to tell you how I found her."

"You saw her?" Harry cried out, now standing. He clearly had no idea was was going on, but was grasping for the parts he needed to know. "Is she alright?"

"If you consider being naked in the Dark Lord's personal chambers as alright, Potter," Snape bit out, watching the horror unfold on everyone's faces. "She begged me, Potter, begged me to tell you all she had no idea that she was doing dark magic. To inform you that she never intending for the Dark Lord to find her.

"There's one more thing she wanted me to tell you," Snape informed him. "Potter, Miss Granger's mind was not occluded to the Dark Lord. Her every thought is exposed to him. Her exact words were, 'he knows everything'. What is everything, Potter?"

Harry looked at Dumbledore with the most profound guilt upon his face. "Professor Dumbledore-"

"I'm aware of your choice to inform Miss Granger, Harry," Dumbledore waved him off calmly. "I'm sure Tom knows of our lessons."

There was a deepening silence in the room. Nobody quite knew what to say to the new revelation.

"Potter," Snape huffed out finally, his voice tense with anger, "it gives me no pleasure, but I have to ask you and Mr. Weasley if you can tell me, with absolute certainty, whether Miss Granger was a virgin prior to her capture."

Both boys turned green. "Why would you need to know that?"

"She may be in worse danger if she is," Dumbledore told the boys in a quiet voice. "There are many old, dark, pureblood marriage rituals where a woman's virgin blood binds her to the household or the service of the person who takes it. It's the reason virginity was so prized in the old days, and still is in pureblood families. Normally, we wouldn't need to worry because it requires the intermingling of a person's magic with another. But since both Tom and Miss Granger have embraced the old magic . . ."

No one finished that sentence. Mr. Granger was holding Mrs. Granger as she sobbed into her husband, and Harry and Ron looked at each other, absolutely sick.

"She never told me, sir," Potter whispered to the Potions Master.

"Me neither," Ron supplied.

"Mr. Krum?" Snape asked, pushing them. "Is there any chance . . ?"

Potter frowned. "She wasn't really attached to him. I don't think she did."

Snape looked at the muggles in the corner. "Mrs. Granger, did your daughter confide anything to you regarding her sexual relations?"

Mrs. Granger shook desperately, and Mr. Granger held her firmly. He answered for her, "She never had any major boyfriends that we knew of. Always so studious, our little girl."

Snape leaned against the table and shook violently. The chance of her not being used in that way was becoming even more remote. "There's still a chance," Snape tried to convince himself. "She is a muggleborn, the most well-known of them. And he didn't ask me for any healing draughts, or a contraceptive. There is a chance that isn't what he is planning for her."

"I'm afraid I disagree, Severus," Dumbledore replied quietly. "Tom is addicted to power. If he believes it will help him, give him more, he will do whatever is necessary. Tell me about his healing her."

Snape looked to the grain in the wood table. "He requested a Vitamix potion and enough Restorative Draught to last for several doses over the course of two days."

"He is returning her to full strength," Dumbledore mused carefully. "She will receive full access to her new powers within the next day or so, with that treatment. He wants her strong enough to use it, that's for certain. It could very well be for such a ritual. Severus, I hate to ask this of you-"

"You want me to find out for certain."

Dumbledore merely nodded.

Snape snorted. "Asking the Dark Lord whether he plans to rape my student is not how I wanted to die, Albus."

"Oi!" Ron stood up violently. "That's Hermione!"

"Being evasive about the issue helps no one," Snape sneered. "If this is his plan, he will rape her. He may even do it in front of everyone at a revel if he wishes. He will rape her, then proceed to use her as a servant to himself. And make no mistake of it, Mr. Weasley, if I interfere I will be forfeiting my life. Feel fortunate that once the ritual is performed, he can only use her as a shield. No ritual I know of can force her to kill for him."

"You know where she is though!" Harry protested, bringing Snape back from his brief, melancholy tangent. "You must be able to help her escape. Slip her a potion, give her a key, a wand, anything! She's our Hermione, we can't just leave her there!"

"Your 'Hermione' was performing an illegal ritual that called the Dark Lord directly to her!" Snape snapped. "If she had come to any of us, we would have discouraged her! Forbidden it! If I could do anything to spare a woman that fate, Potter, I assure you I would. I take no joy in the sadistic fantasies of some of the other Death Eaters. But she isn't being kept in the dungeons, where I might be able to assist, she is directly under the Dark Lord's lack-of-a-nose! In his personal care! I could no sooner bring you his snake familiar than I could Miss Granger. She is not escaping, not matter what aid I provide. He will watch her, his familiar will watch her, the house-elves will even watch her, and then there are the five or so death eaters he constantly has guarding his hideaway. Miss Granger has made her bed, and now must lie in it. We can only hope it is not literally."