Chapter 2
Stepping forward a guard flanked her as she entered the cell. Snape lay face down, hands on the back of his head, fingers interlaced. The neon yellow prison uniform added to his sickly skin tone. She cast a Mobilicorpus and floated him to an upright position. Backing out of the cell the prisoner drifted out lazily. "Good Evening Mr. Snape we are going to chat in room B." The guards made way for the Warden and prisoner. Inside the room Snape was manacled to the chair the silencing charm was removed, Granger returned to the corridor. "Officer Benton, here is my wand. Ward us in, and if anything happens remember hit the panic button, do not use magic. Let's not screw up twice." Completely unarmed she returned to the interrogation room. The door closed with a booming clang. "Mr. Snape, eager to leave us so soon?" Her tone was light but not baiting.
Snape wouldn't say anything, he wouldn't look at her either. Her voice had a neutral, hollow sound that belied the panic and uncertainty she felt. "Mr. Snape this sort of behaviour is becoming problematic to say the least." She kneaded her temples in what looked like an attempt to contain a rabid creature. "When we are finished in here I will meet with the board, auxiliary staff and the highest ranking guards to explain exactly why you can't be put into Solitary. That alone, is likely going to be enough to get me removed as Warden here. You can see that. If that's what it takes to make sure you don't escape then that's just what I'll have to do, I won't have a choice."
Snape finally looked at her, stricken. "You can't do that. The only thing that remotely keeps me safe in here is you." Rage and fear radiated from his angular features. "Have you any idea what would happen to me if you were gone? Have you?" Snape broke down in a torrent of tears. Hermione almost reach toward him but restrained herself. The beat of her silent contemplation stretched out before her. Sucking back his tears. Desperately fighting his helplessness and forcing himself to calm. "Let me go."
Hermione stood, banging her chair into the wall behind her. "I can't do that, I won't do that. Say such a thing to me?" She kneaded her brow.
"Show me mercy and kill me then. Ask the Ministry for the death penalty," with a weak snort, "I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige you."
Returning to her seat, fighting back her anger. "Mr. Snape that is utterly ridiculous. I'm just another wheel in the Ministry's bureaucratic machine. You have to stop this trying to escape-business." Arms braced on the table she cradled her head. The grating and metallic clink of the chains failed to worry her as he reached toward her. His hands stopped at the point her bushy mane started. Snape fingertips brushed the nearly intangible strands. "There's a sword at my throat and a stiletto at my back and not much to choose between the two." Hermione was so tired. "I can resign my position, and hope to Merlin you're treated with a modicum of decency or stay and continue to risk you using our bond to release yourself and escape."
Snape pulled back his hands from her, anger bubbled up, "you know it is only a fine line keeping you out of here. You could just as easily be in this position and you know it." The venom in his tone was unmistakeable.
"They know about my crimes. I submitted pensieves and went through countless hours of interrogation under Veritaserum. Hours spent giving testimony to the Ministry at the end of the war, I've been exonerated. It probably helped that I never used the Unforgivables." Every secret of her role as Dark Angel was laid bare for the Wizengamot to pick apart. The rules governing crimes involving death during war-times corresponded in severity with the relationship to the counter-war effort. Hermione got a slap on the wrist and her file was sealed. In the eyes of the Wizarding World she was simply one more person who helped win the war.
"Whereas you had the bad luck to be captured by the Deatheaters while I was busy restoring my parents to their old life." They put him under the Imperius curse causing mayhem; though that had never been proved. "The odds were stacked against you from the time you took the Dark mark."
Furious Snape countered, "you don't need to remind me." Severus stared at her bare ring finger.
"There's nothing I can do about the situation we've found ourselves in." Hermione sat back to look at the man.
"Spare me," his lip curled disdainfully. "Brightest witch of the Modern Era, completely resourceless. Right. That's the most pathetic thing I've ever heard, could be that the Ministry's dumbed you down a bit." Hermione was stung by his tirade, all of which was likely true.
"Stop right there, before you say something I'll regret responding to. What is it going to be, are you going to stop trying to escape or will I have to resign?" Hermione was resentful at the position she was being put into. The fallout was likely to be dirty and public, regardless. "Once I reveal that our bond is what enables you to loosen your magical binding, I'll likely get cleared out of here without so much as a 'by your leave.' A wizard's oath is what I want."
Snape crossed his arms petulantly. "You want a Wizard's oath, ironic isn't it? Well, Madam Warden I will not take any such oath. I guarantee nothing, and whether you're here or not I will continue to fight my way out. I will get out of here and prove my innocence."
Defensively, "that is your lawyer's job Severus." When she said his name the deep cut lines in his face softened and lips blushed. The affect she had on him was not lost to her. "Please don't do this." Conflicting feelings scored her heart. She had held his life in her hands on more than one occasion, and apparently she still did.
He was embarrassed for being needy, but his want was greater than his pride right now. "Touch me, I miss your touch. I would beg you on my knees. Hermione I don't want to be the exiled prisoner of your heart." Wanting to feel the magic of her touch again. "Touch me please, just a little brush of lips." Hermione blushed furiously. "You're still so beautiful when you blush." Snape leaned as far forward as his manacles would permit, his face radiant with desire.
"You know when I resign in an hour, you won't ever be able to see me again. The Ministry won't risk your escape." Snape blanched.
Damning herself for it she leaned forward to meet his lips with tenderness. The brief kiss spoke of love and loss. Afraid of loosing control she signalled for Officer Benton to let her out.
As soon as she was out she walked over to the wall leaned her back against it and cried. Knowing she was being watched, she dashed away the drops defensively. "Mr. Snape was never an easy prisoner in the best of times. I shouldn't have removed the silencing charm. I need to compose myself before we remove him back to the general prison population. After that, all level seven officers will convene for a meeting with me in the conference room. None of this would have happened if he hadn't been moved to Solitary. Officer Benton Mr. Snape benefits from being in solitary, unlike most prisoners. Being forced in with other wizards drains him, sort of 'Emotional Vampire Effect.' When the trouble occurred he should have been moved into a more densely occupied cells' division." She took her wand refreshing her face. "Officer Benton we are now going to move the prisoner to cell block A."
"Yes, Warden on your mark." Benton pulled out his wand and stood at her flank.
Warden Granger magicked the door open, immobilised the prisoner and silenced him. Hermione stepped carefully into the interrogation room, released the manacles and Mobilicorpused the prisoner. "I'm backing out with Mr. Snape." She brought him out the same way she'd brought him in. Hermione couldn't help the little pang in her heart at their circumstances.
"Warden, do you want to go through the lift or up the stairs?" When she directed her attention to Benton, Snape broke free of the binding grabbed Hermione's wand and the Warden herself. Snape pressed her wand tip into Hermione's throat.
"Officer put your wand on the ground, or the Warden goes on permanent vacation." His words marked his cold fury. Hermione was in tears, guilt pouring from her. "Slowly, one false move and I swear you'll be picking bits of the Warden off the walls." Snape tapped himself with the wand removing the anti-disapparation jinx. "Officer hold the Warden's calls, she'll be indisposed for a while." Snape spun on the spot disapparating taking Hermione with him.