Chapter 17: Furthering Life's Cruel Agenda
{A/N: Here's Another Update...Early post}
My Thanks To All My Readers and Reviewers...Enjoy S.S.
{"When it's said and done...I already felt love...And I let it end up...End up dying by itself...And when it's said and done...You were better off
You deserve real love...And I deserve to be by myself...'Cause I've gone too far...And I started too young...To give up...And even if I changed...It would be too late...I exposed my ways...'Cause no one will love you like her...It's pointless...Like tears in the rain (like tears in the rain)...So now that she's gone...Oh no...Embrace all that comes (embrace all that comes)...And die with a smile...Don't show the world how alone you've become..."} Tears In The Rain, The Weeknd
The Strange Bedroom, Snape's Manor, Unknown Location...
Disoriented and fearful of Snape's next grand attack, Hermione Granger had awoken with caution as she slipped out of the bed. She had not seen anyone let alone the said greasy git in a while now and she was beginning to feel the effects of isolation. Her study of the mysterious tome proved to be both fascinating and tiresome as she combed through the pages of the ancient book many times. It had indeed been the tome Dumbledore had sent her to retrieve from the Hogwarts library. She had no idea what the connection had been to Snape and his strange behaviors since then but she figured it was some type of window into his seemingly unstoppable dark power. The Black Heart Blight had been a very devastating curse that not even she would wish upon her worst enemy. While Snape had been vile and murderous in his own right, that curse would have been the best thing to explain his sudden radical shift in his personality.
As the bushy haired witch pondered this the door to her assigned bedroom opened but there was no sign of the Potions Master. The hint of freedom had been too good to pass up despite her mind telling her over and over that this was some sort of trick. Hermione sighed knowing her curiosity would be sated one way or another.
Cautiously, she ventured out into the pristine hall despite it been a servants quarters and found no one. Still on edge from Snape's previous antics Hermione made her way toward the entrance hall. The marble floor cool beneath her bare feet as she made her escape all the while cautious of Snape's impending arrival.
The former Gryffindor witch had known all too well how Snape enjoyed swooping upon unsuspecting students back when he patrolled the halls of Hogwarts. His sheer delight at their utter terror had been unnerving to say the least. Sadly, this new and improved version of the Potions Professor had been something of a monster.
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The Hall, Snape's Manor, Unknown Location...
Almost too afraid of her own shadow, Hermione ventured toward the winding staircase mindful of Snape's possible emergence. No sooner had she taken her first step into the marble steps did Snape swoop in from the shadows. His voice booming with malice as he smirked at her attempt to reach the master bedroom.
"Well well...what do we have here." he said in a familiar taunting tone. "Hermione Granger out of bed and wondering the halls...alone."
The bushy haired witch rolled her eyes not at all in the mood to play this sick bastard's game.
"What do you want Snape?" she asked bitterly.
Snape smirked once more.
"Now is that anyway to greet an old friend?" he asked in a mock hurt fashion.
"You and I have never been friends." she replied.
The ebony clad Potions Master scoffed.
"And to think I believed we were bonding." he said as he came up behind her, his ebony clad arms wrapping around her slender waist. "Are you telling me that all those nights you spent in my private quarters fondling my wounded person meant nothing to you?"
Hermione did her best to repress the urge to vomit as she thought back to the time she actually cared for this twisted being.
"That is exactly what I am saying." said the amber eyed witch defiantly.
Snape chuckled darkly at this intention of bolstering bravery.
"Gryffindors." he muttered. "No matter the age you lot still manage to prove just how barbaric and weak willed you truly are."
"Says the Slytherin creep who rapes women and imprisons them." countered Hermione.
"I'll give you that." said Snape seeing her point.
"Like you have any choice." muttered the amber eyed witch. "Now let me go."
Her demands had fallen on deaf ears as Snape continued to grope her warm slender frame. He took in the scent of jasmine from her wayward hair and the supple feel of her youthful flesh as he grasped her tighter. He could feel himself becoming aroused but did his best to control his baser urges.
"What is life's greatest illusion?" he whispered rather seductively into Hermione's ear as she squirmed to get free of his hold.
"What?" asked Hermione utterly confused.
"What my dear insufferable know it all, is life's greatest illusion?" asked Snape once more as he held her.
The struggling witch thought for a moment but had been unable to come up with the answers.
"Why are you asking me this?" she asked frustrated and still struggling to get free of Snape just the same.
"Once you know the answer to this question, you will begin to understand." he replied.
The Potions Master released her from his hold and smirked as he made his way to the staircase and sat down as if he had not a care in the world.
"Life's greatest illusion...is innocence." he said in a decisively cruel tone. "Take that away and the harsh truths of reality eat away at your very soul."
"What does this have to do with...?" began Hermione as her mind sought the answers to the deranged wizard's question in earnest.
"Patience." said Snape in almost a purr-like tone. "You will soon find out...but for now, enjoy you first real look inside the confines of this place...it will be your home for quite some time."
He got to his feet with a seemingly bored expression filed across his sallow pale face and headed up the stairs toward the master bedroom. The last the confused young witch saw of him had been his ebony robes disappearing behind the forbidden door to his inner sanctum.
If the young witch could have afforded a guess, she would have noted the room that probably held the deputy Headmistress had been that one but she knew there would be no way she could have gotten to her former mentor given Snape's antics and unwelcome surprises. Reason overwhelming blind courage, she decided to stick to the first floor of the manor at least until she got a feel for the place and got her bearings.
As she moved about the first floor reluctantly turning away from the winding marble staircase, she had not noted the obsidian gaze of Severus Snape as he watched her with acute fascination.
Hermione Granger was a formidable foe indeed.
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Spare Bedroom, Snape Manor, Unknown Location...
Ginerva Weasley had been lying in the center of her bed for hours. Tears streamed down her pale cheeks as she looked up at the ceiling hoping her master would visit and relieve her of her pain. The creaking of the door had gotten her attention as she began to sit up in anticipation. Her brown eyes were met with disappointment when she came face to face with Hermione Granger. The amber eyed witch had not known what to say to her former friend seeing her so lost and trapped beneath the weighted influence of Snape's dark spell.
"Ginny." whispered Hermione as she looked around still weary of Snape's impending arrival. "Ginny we have to get out of here."
Ginny simply lied back on her rather large and comfortable bed ignoring her former friend's statement.
"Are you listening to me?" asked Hermione growing frustrated and annoyed by this whole situation.
"Why have you come here?" asked the youngest Weasley child.
"I've come to help you." said Hermione. "We have to stop this madness with Snape...it isn't right."
Ginny seemed to shudder at the mention of her master's name.
"I don't need your help." she said almost bitterly.
"What are you talking about?" asked the confused amber eyed witch. "I'm not going to leave you here after what Snape has done to you."
"My master needs me." said the red head Weasley girl. "He needs me and I will not abandon him."
"Ginny, Snape is a monster and a rapist." reasoned Hermione. "What he did to you was beyond reprehensible."
"I don't know what you are talking about." said Ginny apparently not taking too kindly to Hermione's harsh words about her master. "My master is very generous and kind."
"There isn't a kind bone in Snape's body." said the brown haired witch.
"Enough!" shouted Ginny enraged. "Who do you think you are barging into my room after all this time to tell me how to feel about my master, you known nothing about him and you fumble in the darkness with your little resistance like you have all the answers!"
"I know enough to not enjoy being violated by a twisted murderous psychopath." countered Hermione. "Ginny have you forgotten that Snape is the reason our friends are dead, he killed Dumbledore, he weakened the order of phoenix."
"No." said Ginny in a cold tone. "My master is simply drowning in the wake of another wizard's sins."
Hermione didn't understand what Ginny was getting at but it was fast becoming old.
"What has he done to you?" she asked in disbelief.
"My master is very good to me." replied Ginny in defiance of Hermione judgement of her. "He's the only one who can take away my pain."
At this mention of the word pain, Severus Snape strolled into Ginny's room meeting Hermione's hate filled gaze full on as he wrapped and arm around the devoted red head witch.
"Master." said Ginny clearly pleased to see him as she dropped almost instantly to her knees.
Snape patted her head as if she had been a mere animal crawling about on the floor.
"Ginerva." said the Potions Master in an eerie father-like tone. "The agony must be overwhelming by now."
Ginny whimpered at the mention of her pain.
"So young." said Snape stroking her cheek in an affectionate manner. "So supple...one would hardly blame my cock for finding it's home inside your youthful form."
His obsidian gaze met the enraged amber of Hermione's eyes as he spoke.
"Alot of people can blame you." she hissed. "Starting with the Weasleys."
Ginny seemed unaffected by the mention of her family.
Snape smirked at this attempt to rile him.
"Ginerva, what is life's greatest illusion?" he asked in an amused tone.
"Innocence, my master." replied the red head Weasley girl.
"And do you proclaim innocence Ginerva?" asked Snape never shifting his gaze from the stubborn witch across from him.
"No, my master." replied Ginny as she leaned into Snape's hand as he stroked her cheek once more.
"And why is that?" asked the ebony clad Potions Master.
"I am not innocent." replied the red head witch.
She let out a breathless moan when Snape's hand went to her throat and he held her still despite her squirming from his touch.
"Good pet." said Snape lowering himself to speak into her ear.
It only served to set her off more as she began to beg for him in the worst way.
"You see Miss Granger, innocence is merely an illusion to be shattered whenever one sees fit." said Snape turning his attention back to Hermione. "Ginerva, has long shed her ridiculous illusions...it will only be a matter of time before you do the same."
"Why are you doing this to her?" asked the amber eyed witch still no closer to understanding what happened to his wizard than she had been days prior. "Why hurt Ginny?"
Snape turned his attention back to Ginerva.
"Am I causing you pain, pet?" he asked in that eerie father-like tone.
"No master." said Ginny quickly. "You take the pain away."
Snape again stroked the red head witch's cheek.
"What I offer her is far greater than anything you or your so called resistance could ever give to her." he said. "My own special brand of pain to block out the twisted shadows that dwell within her."
Ginny whimpered at the mention of the word shadows.
"Master please." she begged. "Make it stop."
Snape smiled briefly down at the trembling witch and final took her in his arms. He carried her over toward the bed and began to undress. Disgusted Hermione took her leave of her deranged former friend and rushed out into the hall. It became much more clear to her that Ginny had chosen this darkened existence for herself and could not be swayed no matter whom had spoken to her.
The amber eyed witch continued to explore the house but always came back to that winding staircase. She knew better than to venture up there even with Snape's apparent distraction. No, if she wanted to free Professor McGonagall she had to do it in a way Snape wasn't expecting. She had to use his own Slytherin tact in a bid to catch him unawares before she could secure the former Headmistress. As she walked along the winding corridors of the strange looking manor, she caught sight of a familiar face...a very familiar face amid the darkened halls.