His Obsession

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Sinking into his chair with a large glass of scotch, Snape couldn't help but think back to the events that had led up to today as he settled in for the evening.

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It was late Friday evening when he arrived, the burning of his arm ceasing as he bowed before his leader. "My Lord. You wished to see me?"

"Yes, Severus. Sit. I wish to know of your progress. And I trust there is progress..." Voldemort said, casting an appraising look at his most faithful servant.

"As a matter of fact, there has been progress. I have finished some preliminary testing and have determined that the potion will be possible to brew, safe to ingest, and most of all, it will achieve the desired results," Snape said, taking a seat across from Voldemort.

"It is about time, Severus... My patience wears thin with each passing day. It has been two years since you have started working on finding a proper restoration for my physical form... I know it takes time to produce pleasing results, but that does not make me anymore of a patient man... When do you begin brewing it?"

"I must gather some of the ingredients yet. They are, for the most part, easy enough to procure. It shall take very little time... Well, all except for the last item. That may take a little more work. However it doesn't get added until the moment before the potion is to be finished. It will take three weeks to brew, so I have the additional time. Unfortunately virgin's blood is no longer as common as it once was."

"Virgin's blood... A very rare and potent ingredient indeed. Just where you do plan on finding that? Not that it matters."

"There is a student who may have what we are looking for. I doubt she would pass up an opportunity to 'help' with such a new and complicated potion. The little know-it-all would most likely jump at the chance," Snape muttered, doing his best to describe the girl without giving a specific name. He assumed that a mention of one of Harry Potter's best friends would only serve to rouse his master's ire.

"Come now, Severus. You must do better than that. Who is the girl?"

Apparently he had hesitated one second too long as Voldemort raised his wand. Legilimens.

Snape could feel his mental blocks being pushed aside before an image of Hermione Granger passed his eyes. Just as quickly as he had invaded his mind, he had removed himself.

"Severus... Tell me who that woman is," Voldemort spoke softly, his eyes now closed. Those eyes... Those dark amber eyes...

"Hermione Granger, my Lord. Surely you have seen her before..." Snape answered carefully.

Oh yes, he had seen her before. More times than anyone would venture to guess.

"You are my most trusted, Severus... Swear to me that what I am about tell you will not leave your lips, nor your mind, unless it is by my word."

"Of course, my Lord. I shall breathe a word to no one unless it is by your leave." Magic swirled through the air and wrapped around the men sitting opposite each other. Ah, a promise bound in magic. Now he would most certainly hold to his word.

Voldemort smiled as he leaned back in his chair. "You see, I have seen Hermione Granger before... Long before... I was in my seventh year then. I was graced with the most amazing vision of a witch. I was able to watch her duel... It was extraordinary. To this day I have not seen a witch duel with such skill, grace, and accuracy. She was of exceptional skill. The power that flows through her is veins is more pure and more intense than any witch I know. I am certain that given the chance, she could easily best our Bellatrix.

I digress. The witch with the long chestnut curls... As much as I wanted to, I could not see her face... I would catch a small glimpse, though nothing full. But then, before the vision ended, I could see her eyes, as if they were boring into me. Those eyes. The dark amber... The small black flecks... So very expressive...

That vision has played through my mind so many times, both before and after my rebirth. Every time I would get close to forgetting, I would see it again. She has haunted my dreams like no other. I knew that one day I would see those eyes again. Then, during that nasty debacle at the ministry two years ago, I saw Miss Hermione Granger again, ever so briefly. I thought at first, perhaps the witch of my visions had borne a child, but I was informed that the girl was a mudblood. The girl's mother nothing more than a common muggle...

Seeing her now, through your eyes. There is no mistaking the witch she has grown to be. It is her, Severus... The witch I have waited over 50 years for. Harry Potter's mudblood friend, no less. But, blood can be overlooked for power. And this witch has it, Severus. She has it in spades..."

Snape sat quietly, genuinely surprised at what the Dark Lord had imparted to him.

"I want you to help draw her to me. Make her see the truth. Help her see that the side she is on will not win, and that the people she stands by are not nearly as pure as they appear. She is the key, Severus. This witch will sway the tides of the war, and I wish to have her by my side as she does it."

"Of course, my Lord. I will do whatever it takes."

They sat in silence for a moment before a slight smirk slid over the Dark Lord's face. "How are Miss Granger's marks in Potions, Severus?"

"As much as it pains me to say it, my Lord, her marks are nigh onto perfect. She has yet to brew anything to less than utter perfection. She is by far the smartest of my students. After all, she is said to be the smartest witch of the age, and if you ask any of the other faculty they will sing her praises as the smartest to have graced Hogwarts in generations."

Now the Dark Lord smiled in earnest. "That is just the answer I was hoping for. Though I expected no less from the witch. I have an interesting proposal for you. Why not let Miss Granger brew my restorative?"

Severus raised his brows for a moment. "My Lord?" he asked, intrigued.

"From your description I believe she is completely capable, and there is of course, the fact that this potion is quite some distance from "white" and "pure"... It calls for blood. If she would use her own, it would tie her to me, as well as help bind herself to the dark."

"Yes, I see what you mean, My Lord. I could easily give it to the girl as her upcoming assignment this next week."

"Very good. Do remember to help her see the light... You are dismissed."
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Had he heard about it second hand, Severus wouldn't have believed a word of it, however the news had come from the Dark Lord himself... In his mind this just proved that the old saying was right.
Truth is stranger than fiction.