Dance with the Devil

Disclaimer: I wish that I was JKR. Then I could afford to go Egypt. I’d like to go Egypt. It has pyramids. And a Sphinx. And camels! Then JuneW will be able to send me pictures of camels. Anyway, I don’t own any of this, nor do I make any money. But I will go to Egypt. In November.

Chapter Ten: The Devil’s Reward

It was obvious that she could not approach him about the contents of the letter, Hermione finally decided. After all, the man had clearly undergone some sort of spell to extricate the memory of her pregnancy. It would be beyond stupid to bring up her condition.

And although Hermione had changed since Harry had been murdered, nobody could accuse her of being stupid.

She sighed, realising exactly how much she had changed. The old Hermione would have stormed in, demanding answers, regardless of the consequences.

She snorted, eerily imitating her husband. The old Hermione would have cornered Snape about quite a few things before now. She certainly would not have accepted her current internment without a fight.

Maybe she was maturing and developing a ‘watch and learn’ approach to life.

Maybe she was a wimp.

She briefly debated with herself as to which Hermione was better.

A crash from somewhere in the house jarred her out of her musings and she set off to investigate.

There was no sign of Severus in the house until she entered the kitchen and found a hitherto unknown (to her anyway) trapdoor, which was open and led down to a basement. A steady stream of cursing drifted up and, resigned to dealing with an obstreperous Potions Master, Hermione descended the rickety wooden ladder.

It was no great surprise really to find that the basement contained a fully functional Potions laboratory. The thought of Severus Snape without a dungeon to brew in was, in some ways, more disturbing then the Wizarding world being run by Voldemort.

“Can I help you?” she asked, after watching him staggering around for a few minutes, dropping ingredients and knocking over a simmering cauldron.

Snape spun around at the sound of her voice, before raising his hands to his eyes, pressing the heels into his eye sockets, trying desperately to ease the pain in his head.

“Headache,” he mumbled, before collapsing on the floor.

Quickly, Hermione dredged up the memory of one of the many pain relief potions she had learnt over the years and, selecting the quickest one to brew, withdrew her wand. With a few emphatic flicks, the lab started to lethargically tidy itself. Hermione frowned at the wand and, tucking it away, began the preparations necessary for brewing.

Ten minutes later, she was crouched down next to her husband, coaxing him to swallow the potion.

“Good opportunity to poison me,” he grunted at her once he had swallowed the contents of the glass.

“I wouldn’t want to do that,” she insisted softly. “I know the consequences of not being under your protection.”

Severus sighed as the potion started to seep through his system. “It is nice to know I am good for something,” he reflected snidely.

Hermione smiled and, putting aside the glass, moved her hands up to his temples, massaging them.

Horrified, Snape lurched away from her.

“What on earth to you think you are doing, madam?” he asked incredulously.

“Helping you,” she replied, confused at his violent action. “You help me, and I thought I could help you.”

“It is better for the both of us if you do not think,” Snape ordered, frowning. “Return to the library. I will be there shortly to continue our Occlumency lesson.”

Pushing away her helping hands, he staggered to his feet.

“When Draco finally graces us with his presence, tell him to wait for me,” he instructed.

“But,” Hermione began, about to inform him Draco had already been and gone, before clamping her mouth shut.

“But what?” Severus snapped, massaging his head as the headache slowly dissipated.

“Nothing,” she replied. “Shall I make some lunch for all three of us? We can continue the lesson after Draco’s gone.”

Snape looked at her suspiciously. She had never before offered to prepare a meal for him.

“You are offering to make lunch?”

Hermione nodded. Snape continued to study her before finally shrugging.

“Do as you will,” he conceded.

Leaving him there, Hermione climbed the ladder and began preparations for a simple lunch. Before Severus emerged from the lab, the kitchen door swung open and Draco Malfoy stalked in.

“Good to see he’s finally putting you to use,” he said rudely to Hermione.

She flicked a glance to the open trap door.

“He doesn’t remember you being here before,” she whispered to Draco, just as Snape’s greasy head poked out of the hatch.

Draco looked at her flatly. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mudblood.”

Hermione bit her lip in consternation and hurried over to complete the food preparation. Taking up enough for herself, she quickly exited the room, allowing the two Death Eaters to feed and entertain themselves.

*~*

When Severus and Draco strode into the library, Hermione was frowning at her wand, struggling to levitate the books back to the shelves. Draco sneered wordlessly before grabbing some Floo powder and disappearing. Severus collapsed onto the couch next to her, sighing and closing his eyes wearily.

“Maybe we should leave the lesson for tomorrow?” Hermione ventured, giving up on her failing wand.

Snape nodded in assent.

“I do have a few questions,” Hermione began, watching him warily from the corner of her eye.

Severus’ mouth curved up in a wry grin. “Of course you do. You would not be Hermione Granger if you did not have a few questions.”

“I thought I was Hermione Snape.”

Snape waved away the difference. “Ask and I will answer, if I can.”

Hermione drew in a deep breath, organised her thoughts and began.

“Whose house is this? I figured that it’s not yours because the books are all about Charms and Arithmancy,” she explained.

Severus frowned. “It belonged to someone who defied the Dark Lord. As I had requested an abode that was isolated, it was gifted to me upon that person’s death.”

“Whose was it? Who died, I mean,” Hermione clarified.

He rolled his head towards her and watched her levelly. “Emmeline Vance.”

Hermione gasped. She remembered the stately witch from the Order of the Phoenix.

“Precisely,” Snape murmured, closing his eyes in pain, either from his lingering headache or the death of a former acquaintance she could not tell.

There was silence as Hermione absorbed this shock before deciding to continue on with her questions.

“Right then. I wanted to ask about the book. You know, the one that hits you sometimes.”

Severus’ eyes popped open and he sat up straight. “You cannot leave well enough alone, can you, madam?” was his weary query.

I can too, was her automatic and immature response – which was stifled, of course.

“It is a communication device,” he finally revealed.

“For Draco?”

“Among others. Are there any other useless questions you have?” he spat out, rubbing at his temples again.

Yes! Why did you marry me? Are you really working for the Dark Lord? Where are my friends? What happened to my cat? When can I go home? What are you getting out of this?

“No,” she murmured, “I think that covers everything.”

Severus nodded curtly, then hissed in pain.

“Shall I brew another potion?” Hermione asked hesitantly.

“No. It is too soon to take another and the pain is not as bad as before. I will live,” he concluded gloomily.

“Let me rub your head,” she impulsively offered again.

For five full minutes she endured the unblinking gaze of her husband before he suddenly turned, lay down on his back and rested his head in her lap. Closing his eyes, he motioned for her to begin.

Gently, she placed her hands on either side of his head and, pressing her fingers into his temples, began a slow circular massage. She kept going until his breathing altered and he slept.

Looking down at his careworn face, Hermione wondered once more what his ulterior motive for saving her was. Then, pulling out her wand, she Summoned a book on wandless charms and settled down to read as the afternoon shadows spilled across the room.

Hours later, a sudden gasp pulled her attention back to the wizard sleeping on her lap. His face was twisted in pain and his right hand covered his left forearm.

Severus Snape was being summoned to the Dark Lord. Again.

*~*

Snape bowed down low, his eyes darting around the room. All the Death Eaters were now maskless, although some had been hesitant about abandoning their only hope of anonymity. With a mental curl of his lip, he noted that Percy Weasley was at the meeting.

Time for another mind fuck, Snape reflected bitterly as he shored up his Occlumency walls.

“Ah, Snape. How good of you to join us,” came Voldemort’s mocking, high-pitched voice. “Many here have been reflecting on the joys you must have found with your Mudblood bride to have abandoned us for so long. It has been over a week since you last graced us with your presence.”

“My lord,” Snape fawned, “I have only been doing your bidding – trying to breed a new follower for you.”

Voldemort laughed. “Yes, you are most loyal. Unlike others,” he suddenly hissed, motioning over to the corner of the room.

Severus followed the gesture and carefully kept his face neutral as his mind quickly ascertained the damage done to Draco. He was unconscious, only the tethers tying him to a wooden rack keeping him upright. As far as the older Death Eater could see it was only whip marks that had slashed open Draco’s back, but he was unnerved to seen Fenrir standing so close to the bleeding boy.

“This one,” the Dark Lord continued, “refused to take a little Mudblood we had procured for him this afternoon. It was even one that appealed to his taste – young, nubile and male. But no, he refused my expressed desire.”

Severus ground his teeth in frustration. He understood and concurred with Draco’s disgust at raping former schoolmates, but the boy had to learn when and where to choose his battles.

“Fortunately for me, young Percy here stepped up to provide the entertainment,” Voldemort simpered at the former Head Boy. “And a fine entertainment it was, even if the toy wasn’t Weasley’s first choice. You really should have been here, Severus.”

“I am aggrieved to have missed such a pleasant diversion,” Snape lamented, his stomach lurching as he realised where this conversation was heading.

“Is it pregnant? The Mudblood I gave you?” Voldemort casually asked.

“No, my lord,” Snape replied, preparing for the attack.

Suddenly two Death Eaters grasped his arms, pulling them back and causing him to hiss in pain.

“Legilimens!”

Severus relaxed his outer walls so the Dark Lord would feel that he had easily broken through his defences. As the Dark Lord probed deeper and deeper into Snape’s mind, other Death Eaters came up and started hexing him, hitting him, anything to try to make him break his concentration. Just as he felt his robes being pulled up and hands grasping his hips, Voldemort broke the contact.

“Enough!” he thundered, firing a spell at the wizard fumbling at Severus’ back.

The Dark Lord exploded from his seat, Nagini following behind him, as he advanced on Snape’s would be ravisher.

“I ordered you not to take part in this, Rodolphus,” he hissed. “You disobeyed me!”

“My lord, I…” Rodolphus began, rising up to his knees to bend over and kiss Voldemort’s hem.

“Silence! Fenrir, string this one up! I am sick of his insubordination!”

Putting his robes to rights, Severus watched avidly as Draco was cut down, cast in his direction and Rodolphus made to take his place.

“Severus,” the Dark Lord hissed and Snape dropped his head to the ground. “You may go and take the Malfoy brat with you. Remember, as soon as the Mudblood is pregnant, I want it here!”

“Yes, my lord,” Snape murmured before gathering up Draco and half carrying him out of the room.

As they stumbled down the hallway, Severus heard footsteps racing towards him.

“Stop!” a familiar officious voice demanded.

Draco moaned as Severus shifted his hold on the young wizard. Turning, he faced one of the many Weasleys he had taught throughout his career.

“What do you want, Weasley?” Snape snapped angrily.

“I want Hermione,” Percy declared. “You owe her to me!”

Gently lowering Draco to the floor, Severus loomed up above the red-haired Death Eater.

“I owe you nothing,” he declared angrily. “I have paid back the life debt I owed you by marrying the girl!”

“That’s not what I wanted,” Percy argued. “I wanted you to…”

“Your words, Weasley, were ‘Marry Hermione Granger and your life debt is repaid’!”

“Yes … but … what I meant was …” Percy stuttered as Snape’s rage encompassed him, making the air around them crackle menacingly.

“I suggest,” Snape overrode Percy’s babbling, “you learn to express your desires correctly in the future! I have done as you demanded. I. OWE. YOU. NOTHING!!”

With that Draco’s unconscious body rose up and followed along behind Snape, the older wizard’s rage coalescing into a magnificent display of wandless and wordless magic.

As Severus Flooed himself and Draco away, Percy’s jaw firmed together with his resolve.

It was time to get rid of Severus Prince Snape.

*~*~*

Thank you to JuneW & GinnyW for most excellent beta work.

Shmoe - It would be nice if I had more reviews *sigh*

MudBlood Malfoy - Thank you! That\'s so sweet!