I always highly appreciate reviews as they give me more confidence in a way. Thank you for all of them because they really encourage me to be a better writer. Thank you Sophie for pointing out those things for me as well! It's easy to lose perspective of where the story is going when writing many consecutive chapters. And if nobody tells me what I'm doing wrong, then how will I ever get better?
Source of inspiration
Chapter three –
Questionable loyalties
However cold the wind and rain
I'll be there to ease your pain
However cruel the mirrors of sin
Remember beauty is found within
Beauty and the beast, Nightwish
"I- Oh, we're-, er" As Hermione realised she couldn't get anything sensible to come out of her mouth, she gave up and closed it.
"I thank you for stopping before you tie yourself completely in verbal knots." Snape's icy remark was as cruel and sarcastic as ever, but the uncertainty and confusion in his voice was still evident.
Taking in their new surroundings, Hermione's confusion only grew. They were on some sort of grass field, though the grass was discoloured and grey, as was the sky above. The air was flaring around them like poisonous gas and everything was covered in a thick mist, blurring their surroundings further. It was like they had stepped into a dream.
Her dream. Out of a shadow came a silvery snake with two brilliant shining green eyes, writhing its way to the both of them. Instinctively Hermione grabbed Snape's arm as it came closer to them, and they both pulled backwards.
The snake was obviously ready to kill, it stood as a wild animal who had caught a scent of blood in the air. Poised for attack it neared them, and Snape protectively stepped in front of Hermione while pushing both of them even further backwards.
"Now now, Nagini. Come here, my dearest."
Hermione's eyes widened and she couldn't help her jaw dropping. She had no other reason than perception and process of elimination to make her decision, but she knew that the hoarse voice could only belong to one person. Voldemort.
"You will get your fun in time."
Out of the shadow stepped a man, though he could hardly be described as human. His eyes and were reptilian, not unlike the ones of his pet snake, and his face looked stretched, as though the skin was decaying. Which was probably what it was, Hermione mused frightened as she saw that the attire he was wearing was drenched in a substance she identified as unicorn's blood.
Pettigrew followed suit, with a wheelchair for his master. He was obviously weak, she could see it clearly in his behaviour.
"The bracelet should have brought one fish, not two if I remember clearly. I did not think Lucius had embedded you in his little plan, Severus. Or perhaps it was Draco who included his Head of House?"
The raspy, cruel sound of voice of Voldemort covered Hermione like a cloak of terror. And suddenly it dawned on Hermione and Severus both. The bracelet must have come from someone within Hogwarts, someone with the darkest and most powerful of contacts. Draco could have easily brought the gift to her, enclosing a letter with 'her mother's' handwriting. And Lucius Malfoy was definitely connected enough to have procured a portkey transformed into a silver bracelet.
And speak of the devil.
Out of the shadows stepped a tall man with silvery blonde hair spilling graciously over his shoulders. In his left hand he held a cane matching his dark green and black luxurious robes, in his right hand a black wand. He looked more confident than any man should look.
"Oh, I can assure you, Master, I did not include Severus in our plans. But his contact with the bracelet would explain the early transportation. However I must say I am quite disappointed at Draco for not managing to bring the Mudblood here himself." The contempt in his voice was so evident Hermione found it difficult to believe he was talking about his own son.
She jumped slightly as Snape spoke, having remained silent since their sudden depart from the Forbidden Forest.
"Forgive me Master," he said as he did a small bow, approaching him.
"But I was under the impression that no actions towards Hogwarts were to be made without my knowing?"
Silence. Voldemorts eyes were reduced to dark slits, looking at his death eater, and he did not speak for almost a minute.
"You have been let out of this plan because it was supposed to be Draco's first task before joining the line of Death Eaters. We wouldn't want the Head of House helping his little prodigy through this now, would we?" He sounded so full of contempt Hermione could not understand how so many could be attracted to risking their lives to fight his war.
"Then may I respectfully enquire as to what you were planning to do with the mudblood?" Snape was cold and spoke of her in distaste, as if she were nothing more than a pest one would do best to get rid of immediately.
Hermione flinched at his choice of words, though she knew that his staying in character was more important now than ever.
"Oh, I don't know Severus. I thought we might figure that out as we went along. However, seeing as Draco has failed his task, we should dispose of her now." He paused, turning his gaze to Malfoy senior, a playful smirk playing on his lips at the attention. Hermione squirmed, knowing perfectly well what would come next.
'But nothing could happen to her right? Surely Snape would save her?' The words of her own mind did nothing to reassure her, realising that she had no idea whether her professor would consider it worthy of the risk. She was pulled out of her own contemplations as Voldemort spoke again.
"Kill her. But don't play with her too long, Lucius, I wouldn't want for my followers to get too accustomed to the taste of mudbloods quite yet. The time will come soon enough."
Lucius looked as though Christmas had come early, eyeing Hermione hungrily.
"Come, Severus. I wanted to show you something." The reptilian man motioned for Pettigrew to move his wheelchair to the direction he was pointing.
Hermione, having almost abandoned all hope felt as though a two-ton weight had been pulled from her shoulders as Snape protested.
"But my Lord, the girl-"
"What interest do you have of this girl Severus? I didn't take your belongings did I?"
"Not my belonging, my Lord. Dumbledore's." Snape, seeing that he had gotten the attention of his master, elaborated.
"The old fool has always been sentimental, as we all know. Nonetheless, he is a powerful wizard, and angering him by killing one of his favourite students would perhaps not be the best way to deal with this, Master."
Voldemort eyed him suspiciously, speaking distastefully.
"Are you questioning my ability to run this war, Severus?"
"Not at all, Master," Snape said coolly. Hermione was momentarily fascinated by his ability to lie so blatantly into the face of the man who had killed so many in his life. If she knew one thing for certain, it was that she would forever have a newfound respect for the man from this day. Hermione once again turned her attention to her professor as he spoke once more.
"I was just saying that we could maybe use this to our advantage. Annoying as she is, the girl has proved herself to be quite adept at potions. And I cannot possibly manage to procure all the poisons you have requested without help."
Realising that her life was hanging on a very thin string, and that the insane, reptilian murderer was holding a knife against it, ready to cut it any minute, Hermione's heart was almost jumping out of her chest in fear. The silence that dominated was so overwhelming that she did not even dare to breathe, waiting for his response.
"Well then, Severus. You may take the girl. Obliviate her, then make her help you with the poisons we need."
Blissful relief surging through all the veins in her body and releasing a small breath, Hermione sent a grateful look to Snape, who's expression looked as cool and distasteful as ever.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Get the filthy mudblood out of my sight."
Severus Snape did not hesitate in grabbing his student forcefully by the upper arm, pulling her with him to disapparate. To overcome with relief of their escape, none of them noticed the satisfied looks the Dark Lord sent after them as they disappeared with a 'pop.'
Voldemort turned to his most faithful servant.
"That went exceptionally well don't you think, Peter?"
Pettigrew, who had been watching intently from the sideline, did not answer his master, instead curiously looked at him.
"Is he a traitor, Master? Is Snape a follower of that fool Dumbledore?
"Have you learnt nothing of today, Pettigrew? Why waste precious time and energy questioning someone's loyalty when they can do it for you?"
Harry pushed the blanket off him and started pacing the Gryffindor common room. Hermione should have been back by now, she had been gone for two whole hours. 'If that bastard Snape has done anything to her' he thought, clenching his fists.
It couldn't possibly be allowed to keep students out till two in the morning anyway, even if it was for detention.
As his worrying for Hermione increased, his anger for Snape grew. Since the sixth year she and him had only grown closer as friends, while Ron had started to drift apart from them. His jealousy had always bothered Hermione, since she didn't like having anyone decide who she could see and not. If he couldn't learn to control his temper, Harry didn't know what they would have to do.
Glancing out the window in hope to see Hermione or Snape, he saw nothing else than darkness. 'That's it', he thought determinedly, he was going to look for her. And if he didn't find them, he would rapport them to Dumbledore. He would know what to do.
Grabbing a thick robe to protect him from the chilly May night, he slipped out from behind the Fat Lady.
As he started to descend the magical stairs, he could hear the sleepy voice of the painted woman grumbling from behind him.
"Sneaking off into the night, are we? She better be worth it..."
'Don't worry, she is,' Harry thought before making his way down to the dungeons.
Once more, Severus' complicated position as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix had caused a mess for more people than himself. Looking down on the young, innocent girl leaning on his arm for support, the excitement of the day obviously more overwhelming than she would like, he couldn't help but feel that he had corrupted her fragile soul in some way. Physically, she was unharmed, yes, but the means in which he had pulled her out of Voldemort's grasp had connected her to the deranged murderer for the future. Until they could be rid of the madman, once and for all.
'Thankfully,' Severus repeated to himself, 'They had both escaped unharmed.' And that was the fact that was the most peculiar about the entire business. They had escaped unharmed. In all the time Severus had been in contact with the Dark Lord, he had not shown an inclination to let people get off the hook.
These were some interesting developments indeed, which he should share with Dumbledore immediately.
The dungeons had been empty, so Harry assumed they were out in the Forbidden Forest. Heading out in the gardens, he stopped dead in his tracks as he suddenly heard muffled sobbing. As he got closer to the sound, he saw a pale silhouette crouching under a bush trough the mist. Draco Malfoy.
His surprise was so overwhelming he could not stop a small sound escaping his lips. Malfoy's head jerked up at the sound, staring directly at Harry, his face red and splotched, and wearing an expression of helplessness Harry never thought he would see on someone like him.
Quickly coming to his senses, Draco rubbed his face with the sleeve of his robe, getting up on his feet, now staring furiously at Harry.
"If you tell, I swear I will hex you so bad you won't need to fear the Dark Lord anymore."
"Er, no..." Harry didn't even recognise his own voice as it came out of his mouth. He was still gaping when Draco shuffled off towards the school.
He wasn't sure why he hadn't used Draco's emotional state to his own advantage, but the expression he had seen on the normally bullying git had caught him completely off guard. Maybe it was because he had felt like that himself so much lately. Helpless because of all that was going on around and knowing that so many people depend on you. Harry was still lost in his thoughts when he suddenly crashed into someone else waiting outside Snape's classroom.
Draco.
"Are you following me, Potter? Don't get enough drama in you life as it is, so you decide to entertain yourself with someone else's?" His voice was cold enough to freeze the air around them.
"Er, no, I was just looking for Snape." Again Harry was surprised at how meekly he was speaking, but he still hadn't quite recovered from the surprise of what he had seen earlier.
"He's not here." Draco quipped.
"Well, I know that." Finally he could get some bite into his tones.
Draco looked suspiciously at Harry before asking.
"Do you know where he is?"
"If I did, do you think I would tell you?"
"We're both here well past curfew you know, only difference is I'm Head Boy and you're not. It'll be no problem for me to report you, saying I only came out to investigate a sound."
"Then why don't I inform the school about your little bawl in the garden today?"
Silence.
"Wouldn't matter anyway." Draco sounded strangely defeated, and Harry hesitated slightly before asking.
"Why?"
"I thought you weren't interested in my drama?"
"When I find my arch enemy and nemesis bawling his eyes out in the garden past curfew, I become interested."
"Quid pro quo, Potter."
Another silence.
"Hermione got detention with Snape." Harry admitted finally.
"They should have been back long ago, and I've been everywhere on the school grounds looking for them, but I can't find them anywhere."
"They're not here, as you see. Been looking for Professor Snape for a while, can't find him anywhere."
"Well?"
"Well what, Potter? You should never trust a Malfoy. Get out of my sight before I rapport you."
"Oh don't even-"Harry was almost shaking with fury. Here he was, sharing his troubles with none other than Malfoy, a fact which he already had blamed on temporary insanity, but then the git has the nerve of attempting to rapport him for breaking curfew.
"Don't even what, Potter?" Malfoy was challenging him now, provoking him, practically begging to give him a reason to call a teacher.
"Oh get off it, Malfoy! I don't know what your murdering father is telling you at home, but you are not as great as you think you are! Waltzing around the hallway thinking you're all that because you're rich, the Slytherin sex god," Harry's voice was oozing with sarcasm,
"For years you and your big goons have been riding the wave of favoritism, hardly picking up a quill in Potions, while pestering me and my friends to no end-"He took a break to breath a little, while glaring dangerously at Malfoy, as if daring him to speak, to interrupt his speech.
"And now, I see the slightest hint that there might live something remotely human inside you, so I trust you enough to tell you what I came here for, and you don't even have the decency to give me a simple answer?"
The silence that had dominated the space between the two was more overwhelming now than before. Harry was just waiting for the angry retort, but none came.
"Death Eater initiation." Draco said, sounding as resigned and defeated as earlier.
Harry, still breathless from having let out all of his rage, looked up surprised. He didn't know whether he had really expected Draco to explain what had happened at all, he had just seen a chance to tell him off for being such a stupid git all these years.
"What?" Harry sounded, not surprisingly, incredulous.
"Father made Voldemort give me an initiation mission of kidnapping Granger. He though it would be a great idea to snatch one of your friends from right before your eyes, showing that nobody is safe, even at Hogwarts. He disguised a bracelet as a gift from Granger's parents, and charmed it so that if a Death Eater, or an initiate to the order," Draco pointed to himself,
"touched it, they would instantly apparate to the Dark Lord's hiding-place. I couldn't tell him I didn't want to, so I reckoned my only chance was to tell Dumbledore when the time came."
Seeing Harry's expression become even more shocked and angry, he decided against concluding his explanation there, and he continued, speaking in a strained voice as though Filch was making him to scrub the bedpans in the Infirmiry.
"I know I've been a complete git these last years. But you were right. I've been following my father without even asking any questions as to why. And I came to realise that even though I might dislike you, I have no interest in seeing you dead." It was then Draco realised that maybe Potter was more worried about the plot against his best friend than why he was breaking free from the traditional family values.
"Don't worry, Potter," Draco spat.
"Since it can only be activated by the touch of a Death Eater, I suppose your little friend is just fine."
"You insipid little prat!" Harry shouted.
"I just told you she was on detention with Snape!"
Suddenly the revelation dawned on Draco and his face fell.
"Oh..." he meeked.
Harry stood there for a while, fuming, and completely amazed at Draco's ignorance. Then he pullet at his sleeve and stalked up the dungeons dragging Draco behind him.
He didn't seem to mind very much.
Please read and review!