Inside the Blackest Heart (Edit, Not Update)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
*******************************

Chapter 19 ~ Snape is Summoned


Hermione finished her last ham sandwich and sighed. She looked around the Hogwarts landscape. It was early autumn and brisk but not cold. Christmas was right around the corner and she was glad of it. She could go visit her mum and dad and get a break from Hogwarts soon. She felt she really needed one. Ron had again pissed her off, accusing her of spelling his polish and making his donut explode. It was probably one of the Slytherins who made the confection burst in his face. They’d been known to cast spells from afar for a laugh, and had gotten Ron before. Usually he was hit with a jelly-legs spell or something.

She stood up and walked back through the main doors, just in time to see Professor Snape quickly running down the stairs, holding his forearm. Oh shit. He was being summoned. Quickly forgetting what an asshole he’d been to her, Hermione ran forward.

“Professor! Can I help you? Do you want me to get the Headmaster?” she asked him, following him as he strode quickly toward the dungeon hallway.

“No, just go wherever you were going,” the Professor hissed, clutching his arm.

Hermione stubbornly didn’t leave his side.

“Are you going to give the Dark Lord that false information? If you do, you know he’s going to punish you,” she said, her amber eyes dark with concern.

Snape looked at her as he walked. What was it with this witch? His getting punished was not her concern. He lived with this every day. He was going to respond to her nastily, but he wanted to get close to the Primordial later on. Still he wanted the witch gone for right now.

“Miss Granger, I have been doing this for years. Dwelling on what the Dark Lord will or will not do to me is not conducive to my serving the Order. It only makes for apprehension, and I cannot afford to be apprehensive in his presence. So please, don’t question me about this. I don’t need the added pressure. Now please, leave me alone…for now.”

His black eyes met hers with a bit of hotness in them that made Hermione’s knees weak, even though she had no burning desire for the dark wizard.

“For now?” she asked, wanting to be sure she understood him.

“Yes,” he said. “For now, Miss Granger,” he replied.

That ought to hold her for a while and leave him with a way in.

Hermione stopped following the Potions Master and watched as he hurried to his office, opened the door and hurried through, closing it securely behind him. She stared at the closed portal for a few moments before turning and heading back up the corridor. He had asked her to leave him alone for now. Did that mean he would welcome her presence at another time?

She still had several months left at Hogwarts before graduation. She was sure that she would want sex again during that time, and although she was now familiar enough with the act to choose one of the younger wizards to shag with confidence, she knew instinctively that her experience wouldn’t be the same as it was with the Professor. She couldn’t imagine any other wizard at Hogwarts, especially a young one, who would be dark and brutal enough for her. Draco Malfoy might be. He hated her and would probably take great pleasure in roughing her up and humiliating her during sex. He had made a few crude, half-hearted passes at her.

”Hey Granger, you seem pretty uptight. Why don’t you let me loosen up that tight ass of yours?”

Yep. That was Draco all right. But she wasn’t the least bit attracted to the handsome pureblood. He probably couldn’t hold a candle to the Professor though. Brutality was an art form to the dark wizard, a skill he had probably been honing for years as a deatheater.

She thought about his being summoned. It was strange because he had been called during the middle of the day. The Dark Lord usually summoned Snape at night, or over the weekend. This had to be something important. She hoped the Potions Master would be all right.

She walked into the main hall, and stood there for a moment, as students began to stream out of the Great Hall. She had some free time. So she headed toward the library. She’d do some reading to take her mind off the Professor. Then she had her appointment with Dumbledore at three.

**********************************

Snape hurried into his bedroom and tapped several bricks on the wall. It slid back revealing his deatheater robe and mask. He quickly stripped off his school robes, pulled on his hooded garment, then pulled the skull-like half-mask over his face, hiding the top of his face. He stepped out of the secret room and it closed, sealing itself.

Another sharp pain shot through his arm. Grimacing, he apparated.

*******************************

Voldemort was sitting on his throne in the center of a large circular and rather barren room. A few wooden chairs were in evidence, and a bloodstained red mattress. The reptile-like wizard was dressed splendidly in a red shimmering robe, embroidered with the symbol of the Mors Mordre skull and snake in gold thread. He looked rather bored, tapping his wand against the side of the throne absently, his red eyes idly watching his deatheaters indulge themselves.

A few deatheater females were having a bit of sport with a young muggle male who couldn’t have been more than nineteen. They had him tied naked to a chair and were taking turns arousing him, then sitting on his cock. The boy probably wouldn’t have minded this, but they had applied a spell to their genitals that gave him great pain while not allowing him to deflate. Plus they wore their hoods and masks, which was pretty horrifying, even though their robes were open and underneath they were naked and rather shapely. The young man was so hoarse from screaming that he could only work his mouth and grimace painfully as the women took turns mounting him.

Snape apparated in front of the Dark Lord’s throne, bowing deeply.

“You summoned me, my Lord?” he asked politely as he stepped forward and kissed the back of the wizard’s scaly hand.

“Yes, Severus. I have been sensing some increasing power at Hogwarts since last night. What do you know of this?” the wizard asked, his red eyes blazing into Snape’s expectantly. The wand stopped tapping.

Snape thought about this. His knowledge about Miss Granger could put him in better and safer standing with the Dark Lord, especially since the information he had been giving him lately was not panning out, thanks to Dumbledore. He made his decision quickly.

“A muggle-born witch has had her powers awakened, my Lord. She is a Primordial, and as of yet is unaware of her powers.”

“A Primordial! Severus, do you know this witch?” the Dark Lord said, sitting up in his chair and leaning forward excited.

“Intimately my Lord,” Snape responded, knowing this would delight Voldemort.

“Intimately? You’ve fucked this witch, Severus?” the wizard asked him, his red eyes glowing now.

“Yes, my Lord. Last night. I deflowered her, my Lord,” the Potions Master replied.

Voldemort sat back on his throne and eyed the Potions Master.

“I suppose Dumbledore is aware of the witch’s power?” he asked Snape.

Snape nodded.

“Yes my Lord, he has been manipulating the witch for years, preparing her to join the Order. She is completely unaware of her growing power as yet…”

Snape hesitated, knowing his next statement would secure his safety.

“…she’s beginning to exhibit rebelliousness and dark tendencies, my Lord. Dumbledore has piled too much on the witch, and controlled her too tightly,” he said, a small smirk on his face. Voldemort’s tongue flickered out delightedly.

“A Primordial. What power!” he looked at Snape. “Do you think she can be turned, Severus? Do you think she could be lured away by evil?”

“Possibly, my Lord,” the Potions Master said smoothly. “But she is a mudblood, sir.”

Voldemort waved his hand dismissively. “She is a Primordial, I don’t care what her parentage is. She is the most powerful witch in existence, and I want her, Severus. Her powers make her the purest of us all!”

The Dark Lord stood up. He was tall and thin as he descended the throne and stood face to face with the Potions Master.

“You have fucked the witch, so she has some tie with you. Is she still amicable towards you? Or did you brutalize her to the point she will not return to you?” he asked Snape, his eyes narrowing.

“I was brutal as I always am, my Lord,” Snape replied, “But the witch has a need to be brutalized. I think in a few weeks, when the urge comes to her again, she may come to me to satisfy her.”

Voldemort looked at him consideringly.

“Does that bastard Dumbledore know you have tampered with his prize pupil?” he asked.

“Yes sir. He does. He is not happy about it, but the witch is of the age of consent and can fuck who she likes. Currently, she likes me. He tried to warn me off of her, but I refused and he had to accept that,” Snape said, knowing it would please Voldemort to know he had faced off with Albus successfully.

“Excellent. So he cannot interfere with you and the Primordial’s intimacies. Excellent!” Voldemort said, smiling and showing two rows of small pointed teeth between his scaly lips.

“I want you to work on turning her, Severus. And I want you to bring her to meet me as soon as possible. I want to see what the witch is about,” the wizard lisped, running a long finger down the Potion Master’s cheek. “This is of the utmost importance and supersedes any of your other duties. Can you do this?”

“Yes, my Lord,” Severus said. He wasn’t sure if he could, but you didn’t tell the Dark Lord you’d “try”. He wanted results.

The Dark Lord slapped Snape on the back heartily.

“I was afraid I would have to kill you soon, Severus. Your information has been sadly ineffective lately. But this bit of news makes up for all your failings…”

The Dark Lord walked back to his throne and sat down. He looked at Snape.

“However…”

The Dark Lord raised his wand and pointed it at the Potions Master.

“Crucio!” he cried.

Snape locked up immediately in pain, shuddering, his teeth gnashing together and his eyes rolling up into his head as the curse wracked his body. Voldemort held the curse on him for more than a minute. The Potions Master lost control of all body functions, urine and shit filling his boxers as he seizured. Finally the Dark Lord released him. Snape collapsed to the ground.

“I don’t want you to ever think you’re indispensable, Severus. You are my servant. You serve me and not your own agenda. You are a brilliant wizard, Severus, and clever, more clever than most of my deatheaters put together. Do not try to use your relationship with the Primordial to turn her to you. She is meant for me. If I even think you are trying to influence her to be independent, you will suffer as no wizard has ever suffered. Do I make myself clear?” the Dark Lord asked with deceptive softness.

“Yes, my Lord,” Snape breathed, rising slowly from the ground. Voldemort scourgified him.

“Return to Hogwarts, Severus. Make turning the girl your first priority, even above collecting information,” the Dark Lord said, his red eyes flickering over the stony-faced deatheater. He didn’t trust Snape fully. He was too independent, too smart for his own good. And he was a powerful Occulmens, so the Dark Lord never knew if he were seeing the whole truth when he looked into his mind, though the Potions Master assured him, under the Cruciatus curse that he was hiding nothing.

The Dark Lord cocked his head at the Potions Master.

“Before you depart, Severus, do you have any other news for me?” he asked.

Snape thought about the disinformation Albus wanted him to share with the Dark Lord. Fuck that. Not this time, you cruel blue-eyed bastard.

“No, my Lord,” he replied, “Nothing of worth.”

“Normally, that would displease me, Severus…but your information about the Primordial is greater than anything that fool Dumbledore could be up to. Turn her, Severus and your reward will be great.”

The greatest reward Severus could think of would be to be freed from both Voldemort’s and Albus’ plans for world domination. But that would never happen…unless…

He bowed low to Lord Voldemort.

“Yes my Lord. I will not fail you,” he said.

Voldemort’s eyes glittered at him.

“See that you don’t, Severus,” he hissed.

The Potions Master apparated back to his rooms. He was the only wizard who could apparate at Hogwarts because of the dismal condition he would be in when he returned from many of the Dark Lord’s summons. If he were forced to apparate outside the gates and cross the grounds, most likely he would have died in the attempt. So Dumbledore reluctantly granted him access after two or three close calls.

Snape sat down heavily on his bed, clutching his side. He was sure his ribs were cracked. He divestoed his deatheater garb. It returned to the hidden room. Naked, he stretched out on the bed and examined his side. Yes, it was badly bruised. But he had been fortunate he had Miss Granger to offer up to the Dark Lord. Now he was relatively safe, and had time.

Albus would never know he hadn’t given Voldemort the false information. He could lie and say the Dark Lord felt it a waste of manpower to attack muggle-borns who were yet untrained. It was a feasible explanation, and his occulmency skills would be just as effective against Albus as they were against Voldemort.

The biggest challenge he would face would be getting Miss Granger to agree to visit Voldemort. He would have to find a way. He would also need to find a way to amp up the rebelliousness in the young witch. The best way to do this was to surreptiously let her know just how much Albus had manipulated her over the years, but let her think she had realized it on her own. He couldn’t just tell her.

Snape smirked. He loved a challenge.

Voldemort’s warning came back to him. The Dark Wizard was no fool. Snape was entirely capable of attempting to twist Miss Granger to suit his own ends. In fact, it was a possibility that he hadn’t completely rejected, despite the Dark Lord’s threats. He knew that he was destined for death at either Albus’ or Voldemort’s hand at the end of all this madness, no matter which side won. Miss Granger might be his one shot at survival.

That alone was worth the wrath of both Dark Lords.

******************************
A/N: Wow. The plot thickens. Now Voldemort wants Hermione too. Well, at least Snape is set as far as Voldy goes. He won’t be killed by him as long as he works on Hermione. Poor thing, she has no idea of the power struggles going on around her. Please review.