Wilco

wil – koh interjection

1: indicates that a message just received will be complied with

"Your assignment is to woo and bed Hermione Granger."

Severus Snape had been practicing and perfecting the expressionless mask that he wore for nearly thirty years. It took every last moment of that experience to maintain his carefully blank, bored expression. That sentence had not even been on the list of things that he thought the Dark Lord may have to say to him tonight. He allowed himself a single raising of his left brow. "My Lord?" Why? He dared not ask it, but the word swirled through his thoughts. Spoken aloud or not, he seemed to have understood the question, as Severus was soon on the receiving end of a cruciatus, its talons dragging along his every nerve. He would not allow himself to scream, but he fell to one knee, head bowed as he rode out the agony.

When the pain finally stopped, the Dark Lord continued as though nothing had happened. Severus kept his head bowed while the man spoke. "It has been said that upon being fucked for the first time, the release of chemicals in a woman's brain will bond her more closely with her sexual partner. She will be more trusting, more likely to share her secrets, you understand. You have been selected to ensure that Harry Potter's mudblood forms that bond with you."

Well that's utter bullshit, he thought before raising his eyes to meet the Dark Lord's gaze.

"You will, of course, have to make the little chit believe that you care for her," the man continued, "but I have no doubt of your ability to coax her."

"And if I cannot?"

The next torture curse hit him like a train. He bowed his head again and allowed himself to breathe through his mouth. Fuck, he mouthed behind the curtain of his hair. "You are a potions master, are you not? If the mudblood will not come to you willingly, then drug her."

He very much did not want to continue bringing up objections, but, gods, he did not want to have to do this – to himself or to her. "My Lord, my position as a teacher does not allow -"

This curse was the worst yet. He still would not scream, but he dropped one palm to the floor beside his bent knee, folding himself in half. The agony was exquisite, the pain singing along each nerve ending, rippling over his body in blindingly fast waves. Almost over, almost over, almost over, he chanted with each thundering beat of his heart. Surely he would only be held under for a few seconds. This was only a punishment for speaking out of turn. The cruciatus ended as quickly as it had begun. For a moment there was silence except for the harsh pants that Severus allowed himself to work through the ghosts of the pain. With difficulty, he straightened his back upright once more to gaze up at his master.

"Then I would suggest," the Dark Lord hissed, "that you do not get caught."

"Of course, My Lord."

"I understand that the task I have assigned you will take time. You have three months. Do not fail me, Severus, or I will be forced to reevaluate your usefulness to me." The threat was clear. "I look forward to viewing the memories of her in your bed."

"Thank you, My Lord."

oOo

Hermione was worried. She had never been called to the headmaster's office before, certainly not after eleven at night. The house elf sent to collect her had not even allowed her to change out of her flannel pajamas and tank top, though he had graciously given her a moment to slip on a coat on top. Her worry and confusion only deepened when she reached the top of the stairs, was bade to enter, and found both Professors Dumbledore and Snape inside waiting for her.

"Ah, Miss Granger," the headmaster greeted her, "thank you for joining us. I realize that calling this meeting so late is unorthodox, but I thought it best to discuss the situation as soon as possible, while events are still fresh. Please, have a seat." He gestured to one of the cushy armchairs in front of his desk.

She glanced to Professor Snape while she moved silently toward the chair, but he did not acknowledge her in any way, his eyes instead remaining fixed on the fire crackling in the grate on the other side of the room. The situation, the headmaster had said. That sounded ominous. At least the armchair was comfortable.

"You have heard the rumors, I assume, that Professor Snape is a Death Eater."

Her gaze snapped to her potions professor, who still did not look at her, then back to Professor Dumbledore. He was watching her intently, and she nodded the affirmative. Of course, she had heard the rumors. Everyone had. But this could not possibly be what she had been called in the middle of the night for – to address a rumor that everyone knew of.

"I'm afraid that those rumors are true."

Her eyes went wide. She had read the transcripts of the Death Eater trials after the first fall of Voldemort, so she knew that he had been at some point, or at least he had been accused of it, but she had assumed that the man had not returned to his side when he returned. She looked again to the man standing silently to her left, only to find his gaze returning her stare. She blushed and looked back to the headmaster. What on Earth did this have to do with her?

The old man continued, steepling his fingers below his chin, "Thankfully, Severus is also a spy. He passes along information that I have approved and reports on the activities of the Death Eaters. Tonight, he has information about you."

Her heart stuttered in her chest. "Me?"

"Severus, would you care to explain the situation?"

She turned her eyes to him. He was once again staring expressionlessly into the fire.

"The Dark Lord believes for some godsforsaken reason that the man responsible for taking a woman's virginity will share a special bond with her and be privy to her deepest secrets." He glanced to the headmaster, who nodded to him, and Hermione got the lurching feeling that she knew where this was going. "Tonight, I was ordered to 'woo' you and form such a bond."

The room was silent for a moment before she burst into laughter. Not small chuckles, but deep belly laughs. "What – what utter nonsense," she sputtered. She had heard the old wives tale before, but to hear that the darkest man alive believed in it was ludicrous. On top of that, it was utterly absurd to think that she mattered so much to an evil overlord that he would order one of his men to seduce her.

Professor Snape inclined his head and agreed, "It is." The two men gave her a moment to collect herself. It took her longer than she would have liked. Every time she started to settle, she imagined what the professor must have been thinking when the order was given, and she began to giggle again.

After a few moments, her laughter died down and she swiped at her eyes. "Anyway, he's about a year too late for that." She chuckled again when she saw the faintest hint of pink on her potions professor's cheeks. "So you need me to date you? Sleep with you? Is that it?"

He nodded shortly.

She wasn't entirely certain that she wouldn't wake up in her bed any moment now to find that this was all one nonsensical dream. The situation was hardly ideal, but as she studied her professor and imagined him on the receiving end of torture and a killing curse because she'd refused to shag him, she shuddered inwardly. She shrugged one shoulder. "Alright."

Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat, aware that his presence was bound to make an already awkward conversation more so. His job of assuring Hermione Granger that the information was legitimate was done. "Marvelous news. The two of you are free to linger here for as long as you need the office, but I unfortunately must retire. I find that my old bones are not nearly as amenable to late nights as they once were. Good evening Severus, Miss Granger." He turned his back to them and disappeared through a door to her right.

They were alone and it was silent again.

"So that's it? You have no objections at all?" he asked. He seemed skeptical.

"What if I said no?"

His dark eyes met hers. "I would act out attempts to sway you and hope that the Dark Lord would show mercy." He had no desire to frighten her with the news that his orders had been to drug her if necessary. He would never have done it.

She cocked her head. "Does he do that often? Show mercy?"

"No," he answered honestly.

"Then yes, that's it. I have no objections."

"You understand that the Dark Lord does not simply take one's word that they have done what he ordered," Professor Snape said lowly, staring into the fire again. "The darkest wizard alive would be viewing memories of you in my bed." His cheeks stained pink again at having to say the words aloud.

Her entire face flushed red. His phrasing invoked a visceral image of herself naked and writhing beneath him. Despite herself, she did not find it to be an entirely unpleasant thought, and that was worth exploring later. "It's not ideal, but I understand." She paused. "If I have to sleep with you to keep you alive, I will do it. Your life is worth that to me."

He took a step toward her and her heart rate kicked up a notch. But he was merely moving to drop into the armchair beside hers. "Thank you," he murmured. "This is not how I expected this conversation to go."

She smiled at him, hoping that her face had cooled a bit. "I imagine not, but I'm not enough of an arse to refuse and cost you your position or your life."

"It wouldn't make you an arse to refuse to cooperate. I understand how much I am asking of you." He did not return her smile, but she hadn't expected him to.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"I am to convince you that I truly care for you, so I will attempt to woo you." He noticed the look she was giving him and explained, "It's the term he used. I find it amusing."

"It's certainly an... interesting way to phrase it," she agreed, chuckling. "What should I do?"

"Nothing," he answered. "Just pretend we never had this talk and that you're falling for it."

She smirked. "For you, you mean."

He allowed a small smile to cross his face. "Yes." She was nearly breathless looking at the expression. She'd never seen any hint of a smile on his lips before. It changed him, made him look younger, more open. "Come, I'll walk you back to the head dorms."

The halls were dark, quiet, and deserted, as they should be past curfew. Neither of them spoke until they were descending the fifth floor staircase just a few halls down from the head dorms that she shared with Draco Malfoy. Severus broke the silence. "I understand that you were given a time turner in your third year. How much did you use it?"

She thought about his question only a moment before she understood what he was really asking. She smiled nervously. "Third year honestly is a blur for me, since from my perspective it was much longer than a year. I believe that I added a year or two to my official age, so that would make me about twenty or twenty-one years old, give or take."

He nodded, sighing. She was so young, but it helped. He was still old enough to be her father, but at least she wasn't only just over legal age.

Before rounding the final corner, she paused, putting a hand on his arm to stop him. Even through the layers of his shirt and robes, his arm tingled at her touch. She bit her lip nervously, but held his gaze. "Will you kiss me goodnight?"

Severus blinked at her in surprise before shuttering his face. "We don't have to begin tonight," he countered. "I was given three months to accomplish my task."

"I know," she said, "but I'd like to have an idea of what I'm getting into. And I doubt it's wise to test his patience, three months or not."

She had a point, he was willing to admit. He assumed that it would be at least a week or two before he was called before the Dark Lord again, but it would be best if he had progress to show by then. He took a deep breath, let it out through his nose, and nodded.

She took a step toward him, and he felt his heart rate pick up unexpectedly. He had not anticipated feeling nervous about this. She stopped in front of him and paused, looking up into his face apprehensively, waiting for him to make the next move. He reached out and gently grasped her wrists. He could feel her pulse pounding beneath his fingers as he pulled her closer. His right hand moved up her arm, her shoulder, to cup the side of her face. He hadn't dared to pull her snugly against his chest, so he had to lean forward a bit to bring his lips to hers. He watched her eyes shut as he moved closer. Her lips were warm and full, and for a moment they both simply stood still, lips pressed together. She moved first. Her hands moved to his chest and for a split second, he thought that she would push him away, but her fingers flattened against the fabric of his shirt instead. She tilted her head further up to him and pressed herself more firmly against his lips. Her lips parted slightly and she began to move against him. He allowed the kiss to continue for just a moment before he pulled back. Their faces were still just inches from each other, and he stared into her eyes, gauging her reaction.

She smiled at him, and he felt his heart squeeze at the expression so close to his face. "Thank you," she murmured. "That was nice."

He nodded, cleared his throat, and stepped back from her. "Let's get you back to your room." The kiss had been nice. She had tasted like warmth and hope, entirely foreign concepts to him. He only prayed that she still would in a few months time.

A/N: Hello everyone. I'm still out of practice, but I'm trying to get some more in. Writing is a skill that takes maintenance, and mine is rusty! Please be patient with me as I try to improve.