Voldemort felt a chuckle come on as he watched his witch scowl at Severus without holding anything back. Her open display of hatred would never cease to amuse him, especially since it was directly at his most trusted servant. He knew Severus would only be annoyed by the lack of self-control the girl displayed, but never take her actually seriously.
What a wonderful basis for the work they would need to do for him.
"Severus, Hermione, thank you for joining me."
"As if I had a choice," his sweet witch muttered under her breath.
He allowed a grin to show, before turning to Severus. "I know that you have been impatient to find out what all of this is about. The presence of Hermione Granger certainly is not what you expected."
"I would not presume to deserve any insight if you deem secrecy necessary, my lord." A perfect answer, as always. He was a man of few words, Voldemort knew that, and usually, those words were carefully chosen to transport the most amount of meaning with the least amount of breath. Being able to read between the few words and understand what Severus truly meant was something only he, the Dark Lord, was able to do. Everyone else was only ever annoyed or afraid.
"I asked Lucius to clear this unused guest room for us and had Narcissa expand it beyond its natural limits. It will serve as your training arena for the next months." While he explained, Voldemort raised his hands, increasing the intensity of the magical lights around the spacious windowless room. It was bright now, the many lights even preventing them to cast any shadows. Nothing would escape the notice of anyone here.
"You honour me, my lord," Severus replied after he took in the whole room. "May I inquire after the purpose?"
Voldemort grinned. "You may not."
He could hear his little witch scoff at that and turned to her, still smiling. "The same goes for you, Hermione. You will train, you will grow stronger, but the purpose of the training will remain a secret until you uncover it yourself."
"So what, you expect me to duel him?" She didn't hesitate to point at her former teacher.
"Indeed, I do."
Severus stepped forward at that. "Is it really the best idea for me to duel a young, untrained student?"
"I am not untrained!" Hermione shot back instantly.
Voldemort raised a single finger and shook his head. "I understand the concern, Severus, but it is entirely unnecessary. Were you to duel in the traditional way, you would have the advantage, simply by knowing more spells. But you will not duel that way. I want you to not use any spells or curses or charms you might know. Use your magic raw and unfiltered. No precise wand movements needed, no words. Just pure magic."
While Severus remained expressionless, he could see a sudden intent curiosity on his little witch's face as she eagerly looked up at him. "That is possible? Using magic without the expression of wand movements and words?"
"Of course," Severus interjected, "how do you think new spells are created? It's been done for centuries."
An ever so slight blush appeared on her cheeks. Hermione Granger really loved learning as much as she hated not understanding. It was so easy to rattle her that even the ever-emotionless Severus had an easy time with it. Or maybe it was a part of her that still saw him as her professor, despite everything.
"Severus is correct, my sweet. Only the most accomplished wizards are able to craft new spells from nothing. But we all possess the ability to use magic, so we all are able to use it in its most basic form. You already know how to do it. Trust yourself." Her eyes returned to him, curious and sceptical at the same time. He wanted to reach out and kiss her, reward her for the eagerness she was showing. But if was not time yet.
Instead, he stepped back, leaning against the wall, and motioned both to take position in the centre of the arena. "You both know how to duel. Get ready and start at will."
He watched closely as both Hermione and Severus bowed to each other before pacing back twenty steps each. When they turned to face each other again, she raised her wand and planted her feet wide, ready to attack. Severus on the other side stood still, appearing almost relaxed if not for the way his fingers curled around his wand.
"I'm ready," Hermione said quietly, not taking her eyes off her opponent for one second.
Severus only nodded. For a moment, everything was quiet. He could see a slight frown appear on Hermione's face as she obviously tried to access her magic. Again, Voldemort reminded himself that he would need to train her in not doing that. Her emotions were too easily read on her face, especially by someone like Severus, who had mastered the art of appearing absolutely blank many years ago.
Carefully, Voldemort took the slightest bit of his magic and reached out to both of them. He knew that they would both be able to sense the touch if he was too forceful, so he made sure to only use the tiniest amount. He connected with both at the same time, feeling their auras pulsate as the magic in them became awake. None showed any hint of noticing his presence.
There was something in Hermione's aura that he couldn't feel in Severus', something that pulled him in, encouraged him to use more, to fully envelop her with his magic. He knew his magic felt good for her, but it always surprised him how much it was true the other way around as well.
A sudden crackling in the air and a hot pulse of Hermione's aura brought his focus back.
Blue light crashed into Severus, shattering into nothing against an invisible shield. Another burst of magic erupted, another wave of blue light crashed into him. Voldemort watched as Hermione's wand moved through the air, not following any strict pattern, but rather slashing and ripping through the space, underlining the intent of her magical attacks.
Severus on the other side did not move an inch, his face blank, though his eyes betrayed the intense focus he had. The knuckles on his wand hand were white as he gripped it tightly, his wrist twitching ever so slightly with every new wave he parried.
His eyes went back to his witch. He could see her grow increasingly furious as none of her attacks landed. Again and again, she changed how she waved her wand, trying to change the angle of her attacks, but she never managed to make Severus move. Her anger and hatred were delicious to behold.
Voldemort had to give her credit though. Despite her obvious frustration, she kept quiet. Other people would have started to insult the opponent, wasting breath on useless words that had no place in a wizarding duel. She still moved too much and showed too much, but she at least had some control.
A flicker in the aura drew his attention back to Severus. The slightest scowl appeared on his face, betraying a surprise the other man probably did not want to show. Concentrating on their auras for a moment, Voldemort almost laughed. He already had expected it, but seeing it so clearly now was still an amusing surprise.
"This is pointless," Hermione suddenly shouted.
He looked to her as she lowered her wand, panting heavily while putting her hands on her knees for support. Her aura flickered as well.
He stopped smiling. "You will keep going until I say it's enough."
"I can't even touch him," she protested. He could hear how much she hated that Severus appeared completely unaffected by her attacks.
"This is not a discussion. Continue."
With a groan, Hermione stood upright again, facing Severus once more. The other man quickly wiped his forehead before resuming the same position as before. Voldemort could feel in his aura now a stone cold resignation that mixed with disbelief.
A new barrage of blue light smashed into Severus, not touching him, not moving him. Hermione stopped waving her wand, instead holding it in front of her, a steady aim without hesitation. He could tell from her stance that she didn't expect to accomplish anything by it, but she still didn't want to give up.
Turning all his focus on Severus now, he closely monitored his aura. As the magic depleted, the aura grew weaker. He saw how his jaw worked, how his shoulders tensed. Severus shuffled one foot back a little, falling into a more balanced stance.
Another flicker. A widening of the eyes. A new wave of blue light barrelling towards him.
In the last second, Voldemort sent a shield to catch the attack. Severus didn't even look at him, rooted in place as he desperately searched for more magic. And Hermione did not stop her attacks. Again, the blue light shattered as it touched his shield.
His eyes were still trained on Severus when he realised that no new attack was coming. Instantly, he turned, just in time to see his sweet little witch collapse. Without a second thought, he lowered the shield around the other wizard and ran over to Hermione.
Kneeling down, he pulled her into his arms. Her heart hammered furiously in her chest and her body was drenched in sweat. He didn't dare to touch her with his magic now, unsure what would happen if there was no aura left. Instead, he gently stroked her cheek. "Open your eyes, my sweet. Please. For me?"
Her lashes fluttered, then she managed to open her eyes. "Bastard," was all she said before closing her eyes again.
Slipping his arms under her body, he pulled her closer to his chest and stood up. As he turned to Severus, he saw that the other man was leaning with the back against the wall, breathing heavily with his eyes closed.
"I'll bring Miss Granger back to her room," he told him.
Slower than usual, Severus forced himself back into a dignified position. He looked tired. Too tired to mask his emotions, it would seem. "Did you know?"
Voldemort only raised one eyebrow in response. Severus shook his head and sighed. "Is that why she is here?"
"Indeed it is," he confirmed.
The other wizard looked at the unconscious girl, shaking his head again. "You have my fullest support, always, my lord. But you know that she will never willingly lend her power to our cause, right?"
"Ever the sceptic. I know full well who she is. She has power and ambition and nowhere to really use it. She will come around."
Severus wobbled for a moment, then placed a hand against the wall for support. "I see you have a plan. If you ever need my services for that, I am available."
"Oh, I will need them, be sure of that, my boy. So best prepare yourself. I know how hard it is to lose to someone you think so little of. Don't harbour resentment or I will make you regret it." He studied the other man for a moment, but beyond the exhaustion, all he could see was confusion and surprise. There was no hint of any anger or embarrassment that he would have expected.
Curious.
He would need to make note of that and investigate further. But for now, his little witch needed him. Her exhaustion ran deeper, as she really had used every single bit of magic she could reach. She would grow in no time with that eagerness of hers, but he would need to make sure to take good care of her. She had to survive to fulfil her purpose after all.