It just...happened...

Harry\'s stomach dropped, They had Snape? How could they
possibly have gotten him? The man was...Harry\'s mind flashed to the occasion when James and Sirius had so unmercifully humiliated him...the man wasn\'t invincible.

Harry\'s green eyes filled with angry and exhausted tears...if Severus Snape could get captured, so much for the rest of Hogwarts.

Dumbledore surely wouldn\'t come out looking for Harry and Snape unless he deemed it completely urgent...in that time Snape and he would already be dead.

Voldemort gave a rotting smile that reminded Harry of the various Jack-o-lanterns in the Great Hall during Halloween around meal times. His red eyes shone greedily, and before he could answer Wormtail went on.

\"And he has some mudblood girl with him.\"

Voldemort shot a smug look at the horrified Harry, Harry knew who it was. Hermione. Only Hermione would dare do all of this, to come and save him.

\"I have a feeling young Harry here knows the girl.\" Voldemort said sickeningly sweet, as if it were an honest inquiry.

Harry refused to look at him, and was about to shout at Voldemort when two Deatheaters emerged out of the inky blackness of the hallway, carting with them a resigned and compliant Severus Snape, and a writhing screaming Hermione Granger.

\"HARRY!\" Hermione shouted, longing to feel the comfort of seeing those familiar green eyes. Stable, safe. Harry did not look to her though.

He looked horrid, hair dirty, dirt stained everything, his spectacles had been smashed on one side...she felt her eyes fill with tears at the mere sight of him.

\"Harry?\" Voldemort said, as if he were a parent telling his child not to be rude in front of the guests, \"I believe your friend is talking to you.\"

Harry didn\'t dare speak.

Voldemort made his way over to Snape, who to his credit didn\'t look worried at all. The man was a genius at hiding his emotions. Hermione felt her heart leap out to him as she saw Voldemort slither closer to him.

\"You don\'t look pleased to see me Severus.\" Voldemort said, looking to Snape with a dry smile. Snape dipped his head and looked back up.

\"I apologize Master.\"

\"Master?\" Voldemort said, pacing about in front of Snape, who kept his dark eyes intensely focused on the him. \"You still call me Master, even though it was you who betrayed me so easily?\"

Snnoddnodded, bowing, \"Please Master.\" he said stonily, \"My soul still belongs to you. I came all this way because of your own call.\" he motioned to his scar on his forearm.

\"You yourself tried to kill me.\" Voldemort said, looking furious but contained. A truly volatile mixture.

\"Sir.\" Snape said, bowing his head, \"I was under the influence of that fool Dumbledore. He had given me a mixture I knew nothing o-\"

\"Lies. You are a Potions master.\" Voldemort spat as he interrupted, \"You would know if you were slipped something.\"

\"I did not, Master.\" Snape said bitterly, \"I was tricked…I am only human.\"

\"How right you are.\" Voldemort said disgusted, \"You are only human.\"

\"I wish to serve only you, Master.\"

\"How can I believe you?\" Voldemort said pleased at the look of horror on both Hermione and Harry. Hermione couldn\'t believe it to be true...she wouldn\'t.

He was doing this to save them....he was doing this to save them...

\"Because not only did I bring you a Mudblood sacrifice,\" Severus said, motioning to Hermione, \"But I know of the true prophecy.\"

\"Severus no!\"

Voldemort looked to the outburst from Hermione, smirking a bit, then back to Snape. \"Severus? This...thing calls you by your first name?\"

Snape didn\'t answer at first, with a calculating cruelty he did eventually. \"She is a fool sir. One that is easlily manipulated by her emotions. As an attest to this, she followed me coming here to save Potter...As I had planned.\"

Voldemort smiled as did Snape, easily. Hermione knew it couldn\'t be right, this was all too wrong. But...Snape had easily given in...he had brought her this far...Oh God...

Voldemort rounded on Hermione now, smirking devilishly and raised a wand, pointing it to her in peverse delight. \"Well mudblood, looks like no one can save you now.\"

Hermione\'s eyes grew wide, and she waited for the blast of her death to come from that small, wand in his gnarled hand.

\"Stop.\"

All eyes looked to the bitter Harry Potter, still chained but looking stronger than before. Voldemort lowered his wand and looked to him in surprise.

\"Let her go.\" Harry said, dragging his brilliant eyes to meet Hermione\'s desperate ones. She looked suddenly hopeful as he uttered these strong words.

Voldemort looked to Harry, knowing full well the boy knew who she was. He remembered her. He trailed a slithering hand over Hermione\'s shoulder, while Snape watched helplessly, not moving or speaking.

Hermione looked to him frantically, whimpering out to him to save her, to help her...but how could he? Harry began speaking again, dragging their attention back to him.

\"It\'s me you want. Not her.\" he said brokenly, looking to Voldermot in disgust, \"Let her go. Now.\"

Hermione shot a look to Harry, didn\'t he know what he was saying? Evidently he did not, as he continued, uninhibited and looking darkly to her in disgust.

\"And Snape, him as well. Let them both go.\" H sho shot a wary look at Voldemort, \"Because if you don\'t and I get free, I will kill you.\"

Snape looked to Harry in a silent approval and then to poor Hermione who looked so utterly broken yet with a glimmer of hope. Voldemort on the other hand looked delighted, seeing Harry in what appeared to be a new light.

\"Why Harry...such strwordwords.\" he rasped, looking to Hermione and back to him, \"I\'m impressed.\"

Harry shrugged, \"I\'m not out to impress anyone. Let them go. It\'s me you want...I\'ll give you what you want.\"

\"NO HARRY\"! Hermione screeched, clawing at the gloved hands that bound her.

Voldemort smirked, \"You\'re learning boy.\" he looked to the Deatheater that was holding a baffled and wriggling Hermione. He stood in front of her, she refused to look in his eyes. Those dead, cold unforgiving eyes.

Voldemort looked to Snape, who betraying his own reason was looking to Hermione as if she was precious, and all he had in the world. Bastard had gone soft...for a mudblood of all things.

With a small smirk he let on bony hand go through Hermione\'s hair, she flinched, pulling back. \"Don\'t touch me you bastard!\" she spat on him, obviously the most idiotic thing to do when being held as he had ample access to slapping her quite resignedly across the cheek with his cold hand.

There was a moment of shock as Hermione\'s eyes went wide and then the howl that came from her, in utter pain. Snape felt his fist and teeth clench, and Voldemort\'s eyes flew over to him.

\"Well Severus,\" Voldemort said airily, \"We\'ll see if your devotion to me is as strong and true as you have claimed.\"

Snape looked a bit puzzled to Voldemort, but as the evil wizard gave one surveying look to Hermione it all became clear.

Voldemort looked to Snape once more, Severus would see what happened to a betraying Deatheater... With a wry smile Voldemort looked to the DeathEater holding Hermione and said in a low voice.

\"Take her to my chambers.\"