"Let's assume for a moment that I believe you. How are you going to explain what you've done to me?"
Hermione managed to free herself from between Snape's arms, bringing the desk between him and herself. With her arms folded in front of her chest, intent on not believing a word of what he was about to tell her, she looked at the man before her. He, in turn, looked down at the desk for a moment longer before pushing himself off of it and taking a few steps away.
"If you're not willing to believe me, this line of questioning won't do any good either," he replied in a calm but condescending voice.
The arrogance this man was showing her annoyed Hermione beyond measure. She didn't know what he was trying to achieve with this manoeuvre, because it was impossible that she would believe him, he had to be aware of that. And anyway - why did he waste so much time and effort on a simple slave? Was he acting on Voldemort's behalf, hoping to get some valuable information from her? But what was that supposed to be? Harry was dead, Voldemort won, he had complete power over the British wizarding world, and was obviously knitting a network in Russia to spread his influence to the mainland. Or were Snape's reasons simpler? Had he perhaps enjoyed his night with her so much that he hoped to get her into his bed once more - only this time willingly? Even that thought seemed so far-fetched to Hermione that she was sure that wasn't his intention. So, what was the point of this game?
"It's the other way around," she finally returned, annoyed, "Either you answer some questions to my satisfaction, or you can forget this whole thing right now."
"You're forgetting your position, Miss Granger."
"No, quite the opposite!" Hermione replied coldly, "I am only too aware of my position. After all, you are constantly reminding me of it. The mere sight of you is enough to make me realise exactly what my position is. But that is precisely why you must make a great effort to make me believe that you are sincere. Why should you be interested in gaining the trust of a simple slave like me? If you want anything from me, you can just take it - after all, that hasn't deterred you in the past."
"It's remarkable how insistent you and your friends are on reducing a person to just one of his actions, and thus judging him."
"ONE of his actions?" Hermione threw angrily at Snape. "I could list dozens that warrant my suspicion! What about the murder of Dumbledore? What about the information about the Elder Wand that you passed on to Voldemort? What about all your heinous changes at Hogwarts as soon as you became headmaster?"
"Yes, it all fits together very nicely, doesn't it?" Snape's voiced still sounded calm, but Hermione saw his neck twitch slightly. "It's very easy to block out all the other things and think no further than your own nose. Very convenient."
"That again! If you think I'm short-sighted and stupid, then please - enlighten me!"
"True understanding only comes from getting to the finish line on your own. I prefer it when my students come up with the solutions on their own. You of all people should know that from your own experience."
Incredulous and by now really angry, Hermione put her fists on her hips. "Stop pretending to be my professor. The approach might work at Hogwarts, but not here. It is impossible for me to see your past actions as anything other than what they were: cruel and evil. You have Dumbledore and Harry on their consciences. What you did to me is unforgivable and definitely not anything a teacher would ever do. That's where a sentence like 'Not everything is as it seems' falls short. I will never be able to see what you want me to see on my own. So, once again, enlighten me!"
Breathing heavily and with flushed cheeks, Hermione looked over at Snape. He did not return her gaze, instead he seemed to be staring off into the far distance, his mind seemingly elsewhere. Silence spread as Hermione waited for him to say something, anything. Just as she was about to give up hope and lower her arms again, Snape stirred.
"Fine. On the condition that you won't say a word about what I'm about to show you, I'll give you something to think about. But then the rest is really up to you."
With those words, Snape pulled out his wand and pointed it into the air beside him. Hermione thought she saw him formulate the words "Expecto Patronum" when white smoke erupted from its tip, quickly forming into a corporeal Patronus. Confused as to what the sight of his Patronus was supposed to tell her, Hermione opened her mouth. And closed it again. She recognised the shape.
And she remembered where Harry had seen this Patronus before.
oOoOoOo
With an innocent expression, Lucius Malfoy let go of Ginny who immediately stepped away from him. Whatever his plans were, she did not understand why he would ever approach her like that.
"Were you seriously planning to have your way with Severus' slave?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow.
"After everything you used to say about her while you were still at Hogwarts together, my curiosity was piqued. Are you going to lecture your own father now?" The tone of the older Malfoy sounded almost bored. Ginny had to bite her tongue not to let her temperament run wild.
"Do whatever you want. I just can't imagine Severus would be very pleased. Or mother," Draco replied impassively, both hands buried in his trouser pockets. It was hard for Ginny to see in him the boy Hermione had described to her. His coldness and indifference did not give the impression that he really disapproved of his father's action.
"Narcissa isn't here, though. And I am still the master of this house, I can do as I please."
"Yes, of course. Also, why should the presence of Severus as a spy for Bella and mother change anything about your behaviour?"
Now something must have stirred in Lucius Malfoy after all, for he turned to Ginny and asked, "Are you going to tell Severus about this?"
"You can hardly stop me!" Ginny hissed angrily. The way they talked about her as if she wasn't even present frustrated her. She was all the more relieved when she suddenly spotted Snape in the doorway.
"What are you trying to keep my slave from doing, Lucius?"
Surprised, Ginny registered that Malfoy didn't look the least bit taken aback before turning to his guest, but rather - pleased?
"Nothing at all, Severus, on the contrary. She's welcome to tell you all the terrible things I tried."
The arrogance in his voice made Ginny's anger flare up again. She couldn't believe that he first cornered her like that and then played it off like nothing happened. Was it really so natural for these men to have female slaves spread their legs at all times? Her eyes fell on Hermione, who had apparently been standing behind Snape all along, and now stepped forward with an equally angry expression on her face.
"What have you done?" she demanded to know.
"By Merlin," Malfoy still sounded amused, "you'd think it was suddenly a crime to use a slave girl for what she was meant to do."
"You didn't," Hermione gasped almost inaudibly, but before she could say anything else, Snape's heavy hand on her shoulder interrupted her.
"Didn't I specifically forbid you to touch Miss Weasley earlier?"
"I'm sorry," Malfoy replied with open arms and a shrug of his shoulders that expressed no remorse, "I couldn't resist. But, alas, my own son intervened before I could even do anything."
Ginny could see that relief was evident on Hermione's face at these words, yet she felt the need to be alone with her, to feel her friendly embrace, and talk to her about Lucius Malfoy. The man she just met did not give the impression that he would keep his hands off Hermione. Accordingly, she still couldn't understand why Hermione didn't tell her what he had done to her.
While Ginny followed her thoughts, silence spread through the room. Draco sat down on the sofa next to her, while Snape again claimed the same armchair. Hermione, on the other hand, settled down on a second sofa next to Lucius Malfoy with a matter-of-factness that was inconceivable to Ginny. The silence still continued, but as uncomfortable as this made Ginny, she knew it wasn't up to her to break it. She couldn't shake the impression that an almost unbreakable web of relationships was suddenly opening up between everyone present, but it was focused mainly on Hermione and the two older men. It didn't escape her notice that Snape was almost constantly eyeing her best friend, just as it didn't go unnoticed that Hermione, with her head down, was obviously thinking hard about something. And the suspicious look that now emanated from Lucius Malfoy made the drama perfect. Something must have happened after she left her friend alone in the library with Snape, and that seemed to have dawned on Lucius Malfoy as well. But no one seemed to want to say anything.
"I shall retire for the day then," Snape finally broke the silence, "and after you have so freely tampered with my property, I think it only fair that you make Granger available to me tonight."
Horrified, Ginny slapped her hands over her mouth, but before the master of the house could react, Draco cut in. "I was going to take her tonight."
"Oh, how unfortunate," Snape replied impassively, "but you can have her any night. You'll be able to do without her just one night, won't you?"
Ginny could see Draco clenching his hands into fists, but he remained silent and only nodded. The apologetic look he shot towards Hermione made her think that the two of them might have agreed on something before they arrived that he was now reneging on. Was Draco Malfoy actually trying to protect Hermione?
"Of course, go ahead, Severus!" Lucius Malfoy agreed. Tensely, Ginny watched her master leave the room with her best friend. She seemed much more composed than expected, but instantly Ginny became aware of her own situation - if she wasn't going to spend the night with Snape, who guaranteed that Lucius Malfoy wouldn't call her in? As unobtrusively as possible, she poked her finger against Draco's thigh. At his astonished look, she looked meaningfully at his father, then looked hopefully at Draco. He averted his eyes from her again without another reaction, leaving Ginny unsure for the umpteenth time, wondering if Draco Malfoy was really on her side.
oOoOoOo
"Have you thought about what I showed you?"
"Yes," Hermione replied curtly. Aside from the brief incident with Lucius Malfoy, her thoughts had been circling around nothing but Snape's doe-shaped Patronus for the past half hour. She had always wondered whose Patronus had led Harry to the sword, but since she had never been able to find an answer, she had eventually forgotten about it. Now, at this point, getting the answer from an unexpected person was giving her a headache. The fact that Snape had given them a tool to destroy Horcruxes didn't fit with all the other things he had done. She felt doubt rising inside her and knew that was exactly what he intended. She still had no reason to believe or even trust him, but for now she would at least allow herself to think about the new piece of information properly.
However, when she entered the guest room after Snape, all thought of Horcruxes left her mind - she had eyes only for the large four-poster bed, the burning fireplace, the very plain desk and chair, the closet - and, above all, the absence of a second bed or a sofa that would have allowed her to spend the night without physical proximity. With newly flaring anxiety, she looked up at Snape, but she could not tell from his usual rigid expression what he was thinking. Without moving, she watched as he strode into the room and began to unabashedly undress in front of her. Only when he neatly placed his shoes in front of the bed did it seem to dawn on him that she still hadn't moved.
"Unless you want to spend the whole night there in the doorway, I suggest you come in now and get some sleep."