Don't take that sinner from me

Chapter 15: Spinner's end

A/N: I own nothing except my mistakes. I wanted to post this chapter earlier on today, but unfortunately this site had a different plan in mind. However, everything seems to be doing just fine again, so I hope you'll all enjoy this new chapter! Thank you so much for your support and love!

Everything seemed to go in a haze when she had apparated to an unknown village, watching Snape enter a house and him beckoning for her to follow her. "Where are we?" Hermione's voice trembled from all the adrenaline as she looked around the room they walked into. It was surrounded with mainly bookshelves, a layer of dust on each of them. A fireplace stood at the middle of the room, cracking lightly upon their arrival with an armchair to the left of it.

"My parent's house. We are required to hide from the Ministry." Snape spoke, his voice soft as he stopped in front of the large bookshelf. "You shouldn't have come with me." He suddenly said, a puzzled expression on his face. "I'm loyal to you, Severus."

"We can work around those Unbreakable Vows, you're safer of with your friends." Hermione sighed and spoke softly as she looked at him: "It's not just because of the Unbreakable Vows.. I care about you." Snape's face was scrunched up as more emotions flickered across it. "You shouldn't, Hermione. A man like me does not deserve your care."

Hermione shook her head, speaking more confident now as she wanted him to understand. "That's where you're wrong. A man like you does deserve my care. I don't like to admit it, Severus. But somehow, you-" She swallowed as she debated on saying what she wanted to say. "You grew on me. And I don't know if it's because of this enchantment or not. All I know is that I care." His features softened and he took a cautious step forward, his brows frowned together as he watched her reaction.

But she did not back away. "I killed Dumbledore." He spoke deliberately slow, his steps cautious as he stopped just a little in front of her. Hermione's breathing got caught in her throat as she watched the approaching man, and then nodded. "I know that."

"Then why are you still here?" Snape asked, leaning down a little so he could look at her better. "Because.. I don't think you're a bad person, Severus." Snape scoffed, causing Hermione to frown. "I killed someone right in front of you, Hermione. How does that not make me a bad person?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I killed someone in front of you as well, how come you didn't leave me?" This seemed to shut him up, pondering over her question and then he sighed.

"You're not the only one who cares." Snape spoke low, as is afraid to admit it aloud. But it was enough to make her heart beat faster, as the slightest of smile broke out on her face. Observing the man in front of her, she noticed his hesitance as they were still standing half a foot apart, his eyes low as her own breathing sped up.

He closed the distance tentatively, his eyes focused on her lips as he filled the gap between their heads. His lips hovered right above hers, his breathing ragged as their lips lightly touched. Hermione let out a shaking breath at the connection, feeling the softness brush against her lips as she watched all the emotions flickering on his face. Snape seemed to be in a serious debate with himself, his eyebrows furrowed thoroughly.

And then the decision was made – his lips connected with hers smoothly, her eyes fluttering close at the action. And the tension that had been built up by his waiting, was causing dozens of shivers to go down her spine, making her lean into the kiss.

With a burning passion their lips moved, her hand slipping into his hair on their own accord, the surprising softness of his hair gliding through her fingers. His hands found her hips, pushing her closer to him as their mouths moved hungrily with each other.

Slowly, he broke the kiss but refused to remove his hands from her hips, keeping her close to him as both their eyes opened, their breathing ragged and Hermione watched how all his doubt had seemed to disappear from his features, which were now peacefully rested on his forehead.

A look of uncertainty slowly crept on her face, not knowing how he would react to his action. She wondered if he perhaps regretted it, as his features slowly turned blank once more. Clearing his throat, he nodded to the table on their right, "You can occupy yourself there for the time being, I'll have to meet the Dark Lord, I'll be back before dinner." Hermione nodded and watched him move away, his dark robes flying behind him as he carefully moved out of the front door, making sure not to get seen.

Hermione sighed and seated herself on the armchair around the round wooden table, looking out of the little window that hung above it. The street looked highly unpleasant, a grey mist surrounding the streets.

Curiously, she looked at all the bookshelves, pulling one out whenever she thought it interesting enough and read the title, being more than once interested by what she read. Whenever deciding the book would seem intriguing enough for her to read, she'd take it back to the armchair by the window and found herself a comfortable position, skimming the pages to keep herself occupied.

The clicking sound of a door falling shut had her jump up in her chair, the book being placed on the table as her wand flew up in the air, pointing at the man walking in. Upon seeing it was her husband, she sighed with relief and lowered her wand, placing back the book she was reading into the bookshelf and looked uncertainly at him.

"You will find that upstairs your possessions are stored in your room. It's the first door at the front." Snape said, not voicing a word about his meeting like he always did. He never mentioned whatever was said in the meetings, but she knew why he couldn't and thus didn't press the matter.

Nodding, she opened one of the wooden doors that was hidden behind a bookshelf that clung to the door, showing her an old dusty staircase that made a turn to the left in the corner. Walking up, her wand gave her the much needed light for she couldn't find a light source anywhere as she walked up the few stairs until she arrived at the landing.

On her left was one wooden door and in front of her was the other. Remembering that it was the door in front of her that she needed, she tentatively opened it, immediately swallowed by the smallness of the room. It held a small window at the front, with an old twin bed positioned underneath it. The rest of the room was decorated with more bookshelves, an old cauldron and old school books. She figured that this must have been his childhood bedroom.

As he had said, her belongings were indeed all packed up in her suitcase, laying lazily on the black sheets of the bed. She shivered slightly as the inhabitant cold chill hit her skin, and felt rather uneasy being in the room that had once belonged to her husband himself.

It was disturbing to know how little she actually knew about her own husband. The closest she had come to his childhood had been the memories she saw without his permission and now the house he had used to live in.

Looking once more at the neglected room, she went back downstairs, gratefully accepting the warmth of the fireplace that hit her. Snape had conjured another armchair at the round table near the window and pointed at it, beckoning for her to sit down.

Taking in the plate of food that lay in front of them, she hesitantly reached out for some of it as he told her to eat. "How long are we going to stay here?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence and clearing her throat in embarrassment as her voice broke halfway through the question. "As you are well aware, term is coming to an end. Next year, the Dark Lord shall have taken over the school and I will be made Headmaster. For how long you will stay here, or anywhere else, is entirely up to you." Snape said after swallowing his food, his voice giving no hint of emotion as he avoided her eyes.

Hermione contemplated this; what exactly was she going to do indeed at her seventh year? Would she return to Hogwarts, or was she going to try to locate her best friends. No, a voice in her head immediately replied. She would have to explain why she chose what she did, and she knew she had no reason to give them. Besides, even if they would talk things out, she'd only be leaving them once more for she would return to Snape – in that she had no doubt.

So, the question wasn't going to be about choosing whoever she was going to spend her time with. The question was whether she wanted to return to Hogwarts knowing that Voldemort was now ruling the place. She doubted that students would be safe without Dumbledore watching over them – even though she was quite certain that Snape would try to keep them safe to the best of his ability. That's what he had always done throughout the years, without anyone actually realizing it. He did, after all, take the safety in his Potions classes very serious.

But if she wasn't going back to Hogwarts, then where would she go? Would she stay here, in this house that held an unpleasant sphere of neglect? Probably not. Returning to her parents wasn't an option either. They were already put at great risk when she had become a Death Eater, and surrounding them with her presence wasn't going to make things any safer either.

Making up her mind, she returned to the present moment, finding the eyes that were already observing her. "I'm going back to Hogwarts with you next school year." Hermione said confidently, letting on that she wasn't in for arguing the matter. However, he had plans of his own as he replied as equally confident: "Hermione, no, you will not. You might have been made one of his, but that will not make you an exception. You will be treated just like all the other Muggleborns, and trust me when I say that will not go pretty. Hogwarts will be a living hell for any student who is unlucky enough to set a foot back in that place."

But Hermione wasn't going to let him change her mind. "Honestly, Severus, where else do you expect me to go? I have nowhere else to be – I want to return to Hogwarts." Snape's features hardened with fury as he stared at her, "Go into hiding, you silly girl! Once the Dark Lord's discovered you chose me over that Potter boy, aware that you have lost contact with him – you'll be better off dead to him. You'll be no use to him any longer."

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip, staying silent as she drifted back into her thoughts. He had a point: she indeed wasn't going to be safe if Voldemort would discover her choice. Not succeeding to come up with an answer, she mumbled a "We'll come back to this later." And finished her dinner as quickly as she could so she could escape the tension that had been formed between them.

He looked beyond pissed off and she couldn't quite understand. Of course, he was worried about his own safety for if she would die, he would die as well, but was that really his source of fury? A nagging feeling kept on telling there was more to it, but her mind told it to bugger off and not to think much about it. The kiss from before had most likely gotten her all confused – got her imagining things that would never come true.

"Where's the lavatory?" Hermione asked once they were both done with their dinner, a question that had popped into her mind when she had seen only two doors – the other presumably leading to a second bedroom. "Out in the yard, you'll have to wash inside in the kitchen." Hermione nodded in understanding, not surprised to hear this considering the old state of the building.

Making her way through the wooden arch that led to the kitchen, she carefully opened the back door that allowed her entrance to the yard. It was rather small, just like all the other rooms in the house – the ground covered with bricks and a little to her left was a slender wooden thunderbox with the door hanging loose in its hinges but not falling out just yet.

With utmost care, she got into the little stall and used her wand for light, not bothering to light the candle for her short visit to the room. After a rather uncomfortable visit on the old toilet, she quickly hurried back inside and washed her hands by the sink, making her way upstairs briefly to fetch her toothpaste and toothbrush, and then got back down again.

Taking her sweet time in brushing her teeth, she tried to imagine Snape as a young boy living in this house. By the looks of the rooms, it didn't feel like it must have been the cheeriest childhood he had and she wondered how he spent his time at home. Did he always used to read like he did now? Or would he lock himself up in his bedroom, occupying himself as he avoided his parents. Or perhaps he went outside a lot, but then again, where exactly would he be going to?

She wished she had the courage to ask him about it. But was scared that if she said one wrong thing, the civilization that they had been working on between them, would come crashing back down. Spitting out the residue of her toothpaste, she washed her face and arms with a cloth that she had wet with some water and decided she'd wash herself better some other time.

Grabbing her things, she walked back into the sitting room, staring at the man sitting in the armchair near the fireplace, reading one of the many books he owned. "Good night." Hermione said, but he remained silent, not even bothering to look up from his book.

With a sigh she figured he must still be mad at her, although she had no clue as to why. She hadn't officially told him she was going back next school year, had she? True, it was her intention, but she was also aware that she needed to do some thinking about it until she could make an official decision.

Having reached her bedroom, she lighted the oil lamp on the nightstand and lifted her suitcase off the bed, placing it at the end and got out her pajamas, making sure to put on an extra thick sweater to not get cold.

Hermione changed into her pajamas, the sound of a door opening vaguely catching her ears and she watched the dark figure moving down below her through the window, heading for the toilet she had just visited. With a sigh she closed the dark green curtains and lifted up the sheets of the bed, getting in carefully as if afraid she'd break the entire thing.

Cold shivers ran down her body, and the sheets felt oddly out of place to her – after all, they had been used years ago, by none other than the man who had made his way back inside just now. The springs of the bed were uncomfortably poking into her back, and she cursed under her breath when she moved to turn the oil lamp off, a particular spring jabbing into her back.

Thoughts invaded her mind once more – pondering over the situation she would face when summer break would be coming to an end. Surely there must be a solution to their problem? There had to be – she just had to think logically enough for it.

Faint footsteps were heard along with the closing of a second door, and Hermione figured that Snape must have headed off to bed as well. Her mind focused back on the problem – searching deep into her mind for answers.

If Voldemort only valued her existence if she had contact with Harry, then she must seek out for Harry to guarantee both Hermione and Snape their safety. Her face contorted as her mind stopped running – her body slowly carrying her into an uncomfortable sleep. Not only because of the old mattress that was causing her pain, but mainly because of the thought that struck her before she fell asleep.

Oh, yes. She had found her solution – but it was the most inhuman thing she'd ever do. All her beliefs would have needed to be cast aside for it to work – and it scared her to discover how willing she was to make those sacrifices.