Chapter 12 The Luckless Lioness
Hermione woke early on the morning of the fourteenth to find the weather outside was dreary and the clouds looked like they could release a down pour at any moment. Feelings of anxiousness and dread consumed her as she sat up slowly in bed. She took several deep breaths trying to calm herself but she felt worse than she had the morning of her O.W.L.s. Panic gripped her when she realized it was a possibility that she could be going away to Azkaban tomorrow for failing to have sex with her husband today. She shook her head trying to clear those thoughts away before sliding out of the large bed that she occupied alone.
After a quick shower, that did nothing to relax her, Hermione headed down stairs to the kitchen. To her surprise Severus was there, a sense of relief flooded through her. He was leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee in one had and a letter in the other. He made no acknowledgement when she stepped into the kitchen, all of his focus on the piece of parchment in his hands. Hermione approached him but did not interrupt him, knowing that he would speak when he was finish. He set his mug down on the counter and pushed his hair out of his face, frowning deeply. A glance in her direction told her that Severus was well aware that she stood three feet from him.
He sat down the letter on the counter and retrieved his cup of coffee. "We've been invited to dinner."
Of all the things Hermione had expected him to say this was not one of them. "What?"
"We've been invited to dinner this evening at 6." Severus said as he stood up and walked over to the sink, setting his coffee mug inside.
"Dinner with who?" Hermione asked confused.
Severus turned around to face his wife. "With Lucius and his family."
"NO!"
He raised an eyebrow at her shout. "I would suggest that you be more polite during our meal."
Hermione felt her temper flaring. "I'm not going!" Never again would she step foot into Malfoy Manor.
"I have already told Lucius that we would both be present." Severus strolled toward Hermione, saying, "I suggest a pair of nice dress robes for the occasion."
"I'm not going," Hermione said through gritted teeth.
"Would you like to stay out of Azkaban?"
"What?" Hermione was completely thrown by the question.
"You have two choices, accompany me to Malfoy Manor for dinner tonight…" He trailed off for a moment, making sure he had her full attention. Then he stepped very close, whispering, "then, we return here and I reward you in whatever way you want in bed or," Severus stepped back toward the counter with a smirk. "Stay here while I visit Lucius for dinner and I might be home before midnight to keep you out of Azkaban."
Rage consumed Hermione and her cheeks heated up with frustration. "I wouldn't be the only one going to Azkaban!"
Severus gave a knowing smile, "I can survive a week with the dementors, can you?"
"How very Slytherin of you, using blackmail to get what you want." Hermione crossed her arms across her chest, trying to refrain from reaching for her wand in her back pocket to curse him.
"It is not blackmail, I am simply trading what I want for what you want."
"You want to go to dinner and I want to stay out of prison, so that's your deal." Hermione was now shaking with rage, trying so hard to keep her husband from noticing.
"No." Severus whispered as he stepped in close to her, again. "I want you to join me for dinner with the Malfoy family in exchange I will do any one act in bed that you request when we return."
Hermione looked up at Severus and spoke in a hushed voice, "So you think I will go to the Malfoy's for some sexual favor?"
He leaned in closely and Hermione was sure that he was going to kiss her. Subconsciously, she tilted her head back and turned slightly to meet his lips but he stopped an inch from her. She could feel his warm breath on her face and a strong urge to wrap her arms around his neck washed over her. Her breathing picked up pace and her heart beat followed suit. Her anger had dissipated and in it's place a strong urge for physical contact had taken hold.
"Do you want me to kiss you?"
The world seem to caress her lips but their meaning penetrated her brain through the fog. Did she really want him to kiss her in this moment? Her body was screaming yes but her mind knew if she gave in that she would lose this argument and ever one that followed. "No."
"Your actions have betrayed you, Miss Granger." His words were almost a purr.
"I'm not a Granger, anymore." Hermione whispered as she gazed up into the dark eyes of her husband.
"Would you rather I call you Mrs. Snape?" The name was murmured in a sensual whisper that made Hermione's breath hitched. He moved within a hair's breath of her lips and she could feel the smile forming on his. "I take it that you do." His hands grasped her hips, holding her in place. She reached up and placed her arms on his biceps, holding herself steady. Every moment desperately hoping that he would bridge the small gape and kiss her. "Mrs. Snape, go with me to Malfoy Manor for dinner?"
It was like Hermione's sense crashed over her in a wave. With a jerking movement she stepped back out of his hands and clear of his lips. For good measure she took an extra step back to create distance between them before she fell pray to his Slytherin tricks again. "I'm not going!" Hermione insisted forcefully.
Severus straightened up and pushed his hair away from his face. Then moved so that he was leaning against the counter, once again. He stared silently at her like she was a puzzle that needed solving.
"I'm not going." Hermione repeated.
There was silence between the two as they stared at each other.
Severus broke it first. "They're not going to torture you." Hermione flinched. "Bellatrix is in Azkaban, she's been kissed by the dementors by now." Severus whispered as he held her gaze.
Her arm burned with pain even though the wounds had healed, forming the horrendous scars that she worked so hard to hide. Tears welled up in her eyes as she grasped her arm, fighting to remain calm. Flashes of Bellatrix's face, so close to hers, crossed through her mind; Hermione could still hear her voice echoing in her ears. "How do you know?" Hermione whispered as a shiver ran through her.
"I was in Voldemort's inner circle, I knew everything," Severus murmured. Hermione thought she saw him reaching towards his neck but the next moment his hand was back at his side as if it had never moved.
"I don't want to go back to that house." It was a frantic plea.
Severus sighed as he pushed his hair out of his face. "We won't stay any longer than we have to."
"Why do we have to go anyway?" Hermione asked trying to keep the desperation from her voice and the tears from sliding down her face.
"Lucius is my friend."
"He was a death eater!" Her voice was venomous.
"So was I." He did not yell but his words cut through her like a knife. "He is not the vicious man that you know him as. Give him a second chance; Dumbledore gave everyone a second chance."
The words hung heavy in the air. The two were silent staring at each other, neither wanting to speak first. It stretched on for several long minutes before Hermione could take it no more. "I'll go," she whispered almost inaudibly. Severus nodded noiselessly at her words, as if waiting for her to finish what she had to say. Hermione figured she might as well lay all of her cards on the table. "I don't want to be there any longer than we have to and don't expect me to be anything more than civil."
"Fair enough." Severus picked up the letter off the counter and tucked it inside the pocket of his robes. "I have to make a trip to London, I'll be back in time for us to disapparate to the Malfoy's."
"Why are you going to London?" After over three weeks alone, Hermione was not ready to release her company so willingly, even if they did just have the strangest row of her life.
"Hogwarts duties."
"You're going to stand out in robes." Hermione stated with a frown. If she kept talking, it would delay his departure.
Severus shrugged then turned away. Hermione was at a lose for words and could think of no plausible reason for him to stay. He walked out the back door and a moment later Hermione heard him disapparate. Once again, she was alone in the house.
Hermione spent most of the day with a gnawing feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. She felt overwhelmed with nausea and could not sit still for more than a moment at a time. She took up pacing her study as she tried to breathe deeply to calm herself. This was impossible with her brain in overdrive thinking of all the horrible possibilities that could result from another stint in Malfoy Manor. Twice, Hermione rushed to the bathroom, sure that she was going to throw up only to find her stomach empty and her body racked with dry heaves. When she returned to the study, her eyes would glance to the grandfather clock, and her brain would count the hours left. This action would only increase her anxiety causing her to resume her pacing. When the clock struck five, Hermione knew that she had to go get ready to leave. As she climbed the stairs she was almost hyperventilating and she was feeling the urge to throw up again.
When she reached her bedroom she walked to her trunk where her clothes still waited to be unpacked, though she did not know where to put them, and searched for her dress robes. She pulled out her lilac robes and with a murmured spell rid it of its wrinkles. Laying the robes on the bed, Hermione chewed her bottom lip. Would these be good enough for a dinner at Malfoy Manor? Part of her knew that nothing she owned would every be good enough compared to the Malfoys and the other part reminded her that she should not care what others thought of her. Then she wondered if she should use the last of her Sleekeazy's hair potion to at least control some of the bushiness.
A particularly hard bite to her lip dragged her away from those thoughts. She went into the bathroom and looked at her lip in the mirror. She had torn a whole in it but thankfully she was a witch and with a simple spell mended it.
Since she was already in the bathroom, Hermione stripped off her clothes and took a quick shower, careful not to get her hair wet or else face it being bushier that usual. Within a few minutes she was clean but remained in the shower trying to wash away the feeling of dread. When it seemed that her hope was pointless she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, quickly drying off. She wrapped the towel around her and walked out into the bedroom.
For the second time that day, Severus surprised her. He sat on the end of the bed as if waiting for her. When she stepped into the room she felt his eyes assessing her and Hermione hugged the towel closer to her. The day's apprehension was temporarily forgotten.
"Can you leave so I can dress?" Hermione asked, frowning.
Severus stared at her like one of the dunderheads in his class. "Have you forgotten that I have already seen you naked." He spoke to her like she had forgotten an ingredient in her potion.
"Don't talk down to me for wanting some privacy." Hermione stomped across the room to her trunk. She opened it and summoned the last few articles of clothing she needed. Slamming the lid on her trunk she turned and snatched up her robes off the bed before stalking back to the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her in anger then locked it for good measure. With quick jerky movements, Hermione dressed herself and threw the towel on the counter. She did not bother to look at herself in the mirror before unlocking the door and returning to the bedroom.
Still sitting on the end of the bed was Severus, looking unfazed by her tantrum, though he had worked with children and teens for a long time. Hermione crossed her arms, staring daggers at him.
"We have fifteen minutes before we are expected and there is a few things we need to cover before we leave."
"Such as?" Hermione asked angrily.
Severus stood and approached her slowly. It was like they were in the dungeons of Hogwarts once more and he was using his best intimidation techniques. "I didn't think I needed to include manners in this discussion."
"I didn't know we needed a discussion on going to dinner when we are both adults." Hermione retorted defiantly.
"Then act as such." Severus rasped as he raised an eyebrow at her.
Hermione's temper flared but she held her tongue as she stared daggers at her husband.
"Now, as I was saying, there is a few things we need to cover before dinner. Firstly, let's avoid all discussion of the war." When Hermione opened her mouth to speak Severus cut her off, "I do not wish to speak about it over this dinner or at any other time. Lucius understands this so I'm making it clear to you as well." Hermione frowned but nodded. "Secondly, refrain from any arguments about the treatment of their house-elves, I am well aware how you feel on the subject but some wizards will never learn." This surprised Hermione that he knew this about her and wondered how he had gathered this knowledge. "Thirdly, refrain from any topic that you know will start a dispute during our meal."
"I will, if they will." Hermione murmured darkly.
Hermione could have swore she saw Severus roll his eyes but he was staring at her now as if nothing had transpired. "Also, our relationship-"
"-or lack of-" Hermione inputted.
"is no one's business but ours." Severus glared at his wife for her interruption.
"Is that all of my rules?" The sweet voice of the question did not fool Severus.
"Yes."
"If I had know you would be passing out rules I would have thought of some for you."
"Do I have to add no sarcastic comments to the list?" Severus quirked an eyebrow in annoyance.
Hermione crossed her arms and stared at him in silence.
"Now there is one last thing before we leave." Severus said as he reached into the his pocket and extracted a small black box. He looked down as he opened the box and pulled something gold from inside. For a long moment he seemed to gaze at what he held in his grasp as if it was friend who'd returned to him after decades apart. He slipped the box back in his pocket before looking back at Hermione. "I request that you wear this during dinner this evening, after that you can return it." He held up the glint of gold to reveal a ring. Hermione was taken back by the request and stood shocked as she stared at the ring in his hands. Severus stepped forward so that the two were in close proximity and reached for her hand. He pulled it out and turned her hand up before placing the ring in it. His long fingers seem to linger on her palm for an extra moment then he slowly withdrew, caressing her fingers as he did. He let go of her hand and stepped back from her, searching her face for some reaction to the ring.
"I'll let you finish getting ready and I shall wait in the sitting room." He whispered as he turned and with billowing robes disappeared from the room.
The closing of the door seemed to snap Hermione back to reality. She looked down at the gold ring in her hand. It had five tiny diamonds across the top of the band but was otherwise simply gold. She turned it about in her hands, looking at it from every angle, then something caught her eye. The band was engraved. Hermione brought the ring close to her face and squinted at the tiny words, You Are Mine.
"Whose ring was this?" Hermione murmured to herself but her brain had already made a guess at that. "Was it your mother's wedding band?" Even as she asked the empty room the question she knew that she was correct in her guess.
With shaky fingers she slipped the band onto her left ring finger. It fit perfectly, either his mother and her had the same size fingers or it was charmed. Hermione did not have time to wonder further as she quickly pulled her shoes on and then pulled her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. She checked the pocket of her dress robes for her wand before heading out the door of the bedroom.
As she descended the stairs her anxieties returned with a vengeance. Hermione tried to take deep, calming breaths but she was hyperventilating by the time she reached the sitting room. Severus had been pacing but when he heard her enter he stopped to look at her. "What's wrong?" He asked crossing the room in a few long strides to be by her side. Hermione shook her head as if to say nothing was wrong but the short gasps made Severus raise a questioning eyebrow. "Slow down…." He tried to speak in a soothing tone but there was an edge behind it. "Slow your breathing…." He took her by the shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes. "Deep breaths…." He demonstrated. "In through the nose, hold it, then out through the mouth." Hermione was trying her best to listen to his instructions but she was starting to feel light headed and the room had begun to spin. The only thing grounding her was his hands and his voice. "Just breath….. That's right….. Deep breaths…." After several long minutes she began to breath normally as Severus spoke soothingly to her. "Better." Hermione nodded gently, still feeling slightly dizzy from her episode.
Severus forced her to look into his eyes, "Are you having a panic attack about going to dinner?" His tone was not accusing nor was it insinuating weakness, it was the same soothing but firm tone. Hermione could only nod. Severus sighed as he released her. "Have you been panicking all day?"
"Yes," Hermione whispered almost inaudibly. Her lunges burned as if she had inhaled smoke and no amount of oxygen was easing the pain.
Severus swept past her and out of the room, leaving her standing motionless. Hermione didn't know what she was supposed to do so she remained standing in the doorway, trying to take deep breaths to refrain from hyperventilating again. Had he given up on taking her with him to dinner after her episode? Was he angry at her for being so childish? Her breathing was becoming shallower and the pace was quickening. How could she have fallen apart so easily over going to dinner? Because it was dinner at Malfoy Manor, the place she had been tortured, the place that still gave her nightmares, and the place that she swore never to return to.
Just then Severus startled her by sweeping back into the room. "Sit," he commanded, indicating the couch in front of the large window.
Hermione did not argue with him as she followed the demand. Taking her seat, she looked up at him, trying to slow her breathing. Powerful and intimidating, he stood in front of her, gazing down at her, over his hooked nose. The look of disapproval upon his face made Hermione feel like a first year in his potions dungeon again. "I'm so-" Hermione's voice broke with a gasp. "I'm sorry." She whispered trying to regulate her lungs.
"Drink this." Severus thrust a vile into her hands.
"What-"
"Drink it." His voice was strict and Hermione did not dare disobey.
In one gulp she down the contents of the vile. Instantly, a calmness settled over her and she felt like she could breath normally again, though the aching pain in her chest had not disappeared. "Thank you." Hermione whispered as she handed him back the empty vile.
"Drink this, too." He thrust a second potion into her hand.
Without arguing, Hermione drained the vile of sea foam green liquid. The first potion had been like water to drink but this felt like slime running down her throat and she gagged on it. It was difficult to keep from throwing up but after a moment the feeling passed. Then, the pain in her lungs was gone as if it was expelled from her body when she exhaled. Once again, Hermione was calm and she could breath with no ache in her chest.
Severus lifted an eyebrow at her. "Better?" he asked the harshness gone from his voice. Hermione could only nod in response. "Can you manage dinner now?" The question hung in the air a moment before Hermione nodded. Severus offered his hand which she took and he pulled Hermione to her feet. Gently wrapping one of his arms around his wife's waist, he disapparated them.