I Will Always Find You

AN: Another chapter fresh baked. Once more thanks to Sunflower for beta-ing for me!!


Reviewers: Wow! Almost to the 100 mark! LOL (Just so you guys know this is the best response I\'ve ever had for a fic! Thanks!!!)


Jenn: Hi! Hope you had fun on vacation! Glad you liked the chapters. Have fun reading this one!


JTBJAB: LOL You\'ll have to read this and see!

Cristie: I think with the way I wrote this Hermione will end up being proud of herself and all the stronger for it. Hope you like it!


kbluesmom: Glad you like! Keep reading!!

Tithen: Whoa... LOL That was the longest review I\'ve ever recieved! LOL I\'m glad you like the story and thanks for the tips.I\'ll have to watch that. I want to write novels, so that\'ll help me a lot. You can e-mail me about the ellipses if you want. My e-mail\'s on my author page.


Anna: Thanks LOL I hope this was fast enough for you.


mysticsong: Thanks. Glad you like Sera. I just loved the name Seraphim which I saw somewhere and I built her charachter around the name.


TaintedAngel: LOL Super Severus!!!! I can see him in the batman costume!! LOL


fraser: I hope you like this one. It gets more sadistic. But then it gets better.


snapes_lady_in_waiting: I\'m glad you like it. I know that sometimes the chapters are lacking in length and happenings; but I wanted them that way. I wanted it to be very much between Hermione and Snape and not have too many other people and plots fouling up the story.


angel: Thank you hunny! Hope this was fast enough. LOL

Chapter 17. Filthy Pureblood!


Hermione was still staring Lucius down. He was getting angrier and angrier.

\"You will show me proper respect, mudblood!\" He grabbed her again and ripped off her robes.


Hermione began to shake, thinking he was going to rape her. It was hard for her to remain silent; but she was determined she would not give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream.


He took her shirt with one savage pull and then drug her to one of the walls. There were chains hanging from metal loops in the wall. She struggled; but he struck her in the back of the head, disorienting her long enough to chain her wrists.


She was left hanging loosely in the chains; but he soon tightened them so that she could barely touch the floor with her toes. She was left only in her bra from the waist up.


She heard him rummaging around behind her and twisted to see what he was doing. She could only see his back and the top of a large trunk.


Twisting around like that was agony on her shoulders so she stopped and let herself fall back. Her wrists were already stinging from the shackles and she looked up to see blood trickling down her bare arms.


She looked away and then froze when she heard a sharp crack. There was no mistaking that sound. It was a whip.


~'


Dumbledore, Severus, Ron and Harry landed in a heap on a soft carpet. They quickly disentangled themselves and drew thier wands.


\"They\'re in the dungeon,\" came a soft vioce from behind them. \"Please go help that poor girl!\"


They turned around to see Narcissa Malfoy.


\"Can you show us where they are?\" Dumbledore asked just as softly.


\"No need, Headmaster. I know the way.\" Severus said quietly. He had been to Malfoy manor before on nights when his presence was required for a \"party\".


He nodded to Narcissa and turned to lead the way, thankful that Draco had not tricked them with a false portkey; but then the boy was certainly a coward. He would want to help as much as he could to avoid being expelled and subjected to life as an outcast.


Narcissa decided to follow them. They might need help against her husband, and she would do what she could even though she had no wand. Lucius had hidden it when he came home.


As they descended into the dungeon, Severus heard something that made his blood boil in his veins. The \"crack! crack!\" of a whip.

~'


Hermione held her breath as the whip bit into the soft flesh of her back, determined not to cry out. Her entire back was on fire, and she couldn\'t even estimate how many lashes she had recieved. She just prayed to the gods that he would tire soon.


Suddenly the whip stopped and she heard him approaching her. When he was right behind her he whispered, \"I will make you scream,child. You WILL break.\"


\"No... I won\'t.\" Hermione hissed back, and the next thing she felt was the whip stinging the backs of her legs.

~'


Severus was confused. He heard the whip, it was definitely striking flesh; but she was not screaming.


Scared, he picked up the pace. \'Gods, don\'t let it be too late!\' He knew that in Malfoy\'s state of mind that me may well have killed the girl without realizing it.

\'Please Hermione, be strong.\' he prayed. \'We\'re coming.\'


The five of them swifly made thier way down into the dank dungeon in the Malfoy manor. As they walked, wands out (save Narcissa) the whip cracks became louder and louder. They winced every time it broke the silence, all of them praying for Hermione.


Finally they reached the room where Severus knew Lucius kept his sickening assortment of torture equipment. They could hear the whip clearly; but nothing else.


Severus knew where the restraints were located in the room and knew also that to be whipping her Lucius wouold have to be facing away from the door. He signalled to the others to be ready and then swiftly kicked open the door.


\"Expelliarmus!\"

\"Accio Wand!\"

\"Stupefy!\"

\"Incarcera!\"


The four voices rang out as one and when all was said and done Lucius Malfoy lay stunned on the floor. He was bound by long ropes that had sprung from Dumbledore\'s wand. Severus held the whip, and Harry had Lucius\' wand.


Ron had stupefied him and was now standing over his prone body in a complete rage. After a moment he began to kick the prone man and the others took their time in stopping him.


Severus threw the whip violently away, and ran to Hermione along with Narcissa. She was covered in blood and breathing heavily. Severus soon realized that she was unconscious.


He held on to her as gently as he could while Narcissa unlocked the chains, When she was done he eased her body into his arms.


The pressure on her whip weals must have been terrific and she groaned in agony, even in her unconscious state.


Severus was shaking with rage. Tightly controlling himself, he carried her out of the room, swiftly followed by Narcissa.

~'

Before contacting the Ministry officials in charge of finding Lucius, Dumbledore questioned him personally. Under the affects of Veritaserum, he revealed everything.


He told Dumbledore, who would not allow anyone else into the room, that Mrs. Black had a portrait in his home. He said that the old woman, while certifiably insane, still had a few marbles left and had witnessed Severus and Hermione in an intimate position in her home.


She reported all of this to Lucius, who she knew had escaped Azkaban. With drapes drawn over her portrait in the Black home constantly, it was not hard. He also revealed that she knew other things that she had been reporting to him and he in turn had reported to Voldemort.


When she came to him and reported seeing Severus and Hermione about to kiss each other. Lucius had immediately contacted his son and arranged for him to kidnap the girl. He wanted information out of her that he felt Severus might have revealed.


He also told the Headmaster that Hermione had not revealed a single shred of evidence to him and had not even screamed while she was being whipped.


When the ministry officials were called and finally arrived at the manor, Lucius was taken into immediate captivity. Azkaban still had a dementor or two left there and he was to be given \"the kiss.\"


Lucius struggled violently when he heard the news; but in vain. He was hauled away, screaming incoherently in terror.


Harry and Ron, who were waiting outside, leapt up as soon as Dumbledore exited the room after making a report to the head auror.


\"Can we go see Hermione now?\" they chorused.


Severus and Narcissa had not waited around, and had taken her immediately to St. Mungos. She was in a bad way and they hadn\'t wanted to endanger her health by waiting too long.


\"Yes boys, let\'s go.\"


They had to walk to the edge of the Malfoy property to be able to apparate. Dumbledore led the way, and twenty minuets later the three of them disapparated.


~'

Severus was pacing the waiting room in St. Mungos. He was furious and anxious at the same time.


\"Severus will you please sit down?\" Narcissa asked. \"You\'re really making me nervous.\"


\"Sorry,\" He flopped down in a cushy chair. Not one to fidget he remained still; but she could see the tension radiating from him.


\"She\'ll be allright. She\'s a strong young lady.\"


He gave her a grim sort of smile. \"She better be allright or I will personally rip off Lucius\' head.\"


\"You\'ll have to get in line, I\'m afraid,\" Narcissa replied with an evil smile on her face. She knew that Lucius was not going to be given the chance to even think of escaping this time.


They were still waiting when Dumbledore, Harry and Ron showed up.


\"Any news, Severus?\" Dumbledore\'s voice was full of concern.


\"Not as of yet,\" the worried Professor replied.


It was another half an hour of waiting before the healer came out.


They all jumped up and waited with worry etched into thier faces.


The healer smiled. \"She\'s doing just fine.\" he assured them. \"We were able to heal all of her wounds and replenish her lost blood. She should be able to go back to school in an hour or two when I\'m comfortable that her heart rate is stable.\"


\"Can we see her?\" asked Ron impatiently.

The healer chuckled. \"Yes, you can all see her; but two at a time only.\" he warned.


Harry and Ron were allowed in first. Severus desperately wanted to see her with his own eyes and assure himself that she was allright; but discretion called for him to wait.


Narcissa went in with Dumbledore next. Dumbledore restored the girls repressed memories for her and let her process them for a few moments before leaving to allow Severus in to see her.


The Potions Professor made his way into the room slowly; but as soon as he had shut the door, he was at her side.


She was lying on a fluffy looking bed with clean white linen sheets. She looked very pale and tired; but otherwise allright.


Her face lit up in a smile when she saw him, making her look a lot healthier. \"Saved the best for last, huh?\"

He sat down on the bed and enveloped her in his arms. She was startled; but relaxed into him and let his familiar scent seep into her being.


\"I was afraid I was never going to get you back.\"


Hermione shuddered, \"So was I.\"


Severus pulled back. \"He didn\'t....\"


\"All he did was whip me. That\'s all he had time for.\" she reassured him.


He realxed, \"Good. If he had touched you in that way, I would have to castrate him.\"


\"Feel free to do so anyway.\" Hermione joked.


Severus was worried about her state of mind. She was acting very differently than she had after the rape.


\"The healer says you can come back to Hogwarts in a few hours. Sera is waiting there for us.\"


\"Good. I want to tell her...I want to tell you too. I was strong. I never screamed. He was so angry because I wouldn\'t scream.\" she beamed up at him and he smiled sadly down at her.


\"What\'s wrong?\"


\"You don\'t have to be brave. I was terrified that he had killed you when I heard the whip and no screams.\"


She frowned. \"I\'ve learned something since I was raped, Severus. People can hurt you on the outside. They can hurt you on the inside too; but if you\'re strong, they can\'t break you. All wounds heal given enough time and medicine.\"


He felt like crying. She was worth ten times her weight in gold.

AN: NOT the end folks. LOL I\'m getting closer; but not yet.