The Unfortunates

Well, back again at last... Am curious to see what people think of this... :)

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CHAPTER FIVE: SPY VS SPY


If Harry Potter had known what his ex Potions Master was up to at that very moment with one of his best friends, he would probably had hexed the man to oblivion, brilliantly talented spy or not.

As it was, Harry had no idea that Snape’s hands were currently on the insides of Hermione Granger’s clothes – nor did Snape, for that matter – and besides, he was otherwise occupied.

It had been six months since Voldemort had gained control over Hogwarts, Diagon Alley and the rest of Wizarding Britain, and those months hadn’t been unproductive, not even for the small resistance group that Harry was currently in charge of.

According to Snape, six of them were on the Death Eaters’ “7 Most Wanted”-list (the seventh person was Hermione, whose location was unknown to them all, much to the distress of everyone, particularly Harry and Ginny). That wasn’t bad at all, considering how many there actually were of people opposing the Dark Lord, wether in secret or openly.

Apart from the six on the list, Harry and the others in the Resistance had managed to gather up several other witches and wizards who were on the run or willing to give their lives to fight for the light. They’d even gathered allies from outside Britain (much thanks to Lupin and Bill, who had numerous trustworthy contacts from abroad), and shortly they would be arranging a rather grand gathering of allies to form plans for the future.

Harry had, as far as he could tell, lost both his best friends in the last battle. Although neither of their bodies had been accounted for, he suspected the worst. What were the odds of both Ron and Hermione surviving, when no one had seen or heard from them for half a year?

So apart from his friends amongst the Rebels, there was only one thing which kept Harry Potter going:

The prophecy.

Sybill Trelawney’s prophecy, which had yet to be fulfilled, haunted his every waking hour. It had been a real prophecy; it would at some point be carried out. The question was when.

Harry had decided he was going to be ready. When the day came when he would be face to face with Voldemort again, he was going to win. He was going to be the surviving half, and he was going to kill the Dark Lord.

It was only a matter of time.

Harry’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw Ginny giving him a faint smile.

“They are arriving.”

---

Who on earth was this man?

What god could possibly produce such brilliance?

Although she’d spent the better part of the last six months being intimate with men, Hermione had never experienced anything like this before. This man – “Tiberius Granger” – was nothing short of amazing.

She’d never been so turned on in her entire life, not once. This was a whole new experience for her.

As his finger rubbed her clit more intently, and his wonderful mouth was back at kissing her neck, she swore the entire world stopped turning. Nothing else mattered anymore – all that mattered, was this man and what he was doing to her. She didn’t care if the Death Eaters would come for her first thing tomorrow, a long as he didn’t stop. She would do anything to make him continue.

Abruptly, he pulled away from her neck and lifted his head to look at her. She still couldn’t make out his face, though she could smell his masculine scent and see he had shoulder-length hair. His hand didn’t leave her clit, but it stopped moving.

“Mira,” he said silkily, the voice sending shivers down her spine, “I believe you have a certain Mr. Malfoy as your regular client...?”

Ah, yet another question. He’d been doing this for the last three quarters of an hour, building her up and then asking the occasional question, mostly about her “profession”.

She frowned slightly; why would he ask about Draco Malfoy?

A stroke between her thighs made her forget all about questioning the man’s motives, and she answered in a moan, “Y-yes...”

“Yes what?” snapped the man, his hand threatening to pull away.

“Y-yes, he’s a regular,” muttered Hermione, squirming desperately under the stranger’s body. “H-he comes to see me every night whenever he’s in Diagon Alley...”

“Found himself a favourite, has he?” questioned the stranger.

“It could almost seem so, yes,” she said, moaning again as his left hand caressed one of her breasts. “He... he’s rather possessive...”

“Fond of you, is he?”

“N-no... not fond...” She struggled to find her words; his hands were really all that mattered, weren’t they? But if she didn’t answer, they’d go away...

She tried again. “He’s more... addicted, at the most...”

“Addicted?” The stranger sounded slightly surprised. “Draco Malfoy?”

“Y-yes...”

“I don’t suppose he ever – ah – tells you anything at all?”

“Tells me... about what?”

“Anything, really,” said the man dismissively, “anything aside from dirty talk... Work, personal experiences, friends and relations...”

“Er...” Hermione hesitated, forcing herself to think despite what this man was doing to her. Had Malfoy ever shared anything with her? Oh, if only she could remember something in particular, then this stranger would be pleased and continue his marvellous ministrations...

“He – he tells me about his father, from time to time,” she whispered, her eyes closed to better feel his hands, her fingers grasping the bed sheets.

“His father?” echoed the stranger. “Do go on.”

“Er... He talks about his father’s profession... He’s an important man...”

The stranger’s thumb stroked at her nipple, causing another moan from Hermione.

“And this father... A Death Eater, is he?”

“Yes!” moaned Hermione, arching her back to better feel his touch. “Yes, he is... high ranking... His son’s one as well, I think... Oh, gods! Yes...”

“Does he ever visit you, the father?”

“He has done so...twice...”

The thought of Lucius Malfoy made Hermione stop her squirming, falling suddenly back to earth. That man... She shuddered. Luckily, she’d only had to deal with him twice... Hopefully never again.

The stranger seemed to notice her reaction to his question, because he moved back to the subject of the son.

“Has Draco Malfoy ever told you anything of... importance? Regarding his being a Death Eater?”

“Why – why do you ask?” whispered Hermione, suddenly realizing how unusual it was for a client to ask such questions... As much as she wanted nothing more than to answer him and have him continue his beautiful handiwork, she couldn’t help but wonder.

Who was this faceless stranger?

He quickly pulled away his hand then, and she groaned in frustration.

“Sorry,” she begged, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry...”

A hand at her throat, a thumb caressing her jaw line, made her go quiet again.

“Now, answer my question,” said the stranger.

“Er...” She thought carefully. Sure, she would answer him. Why not? The feeling when he’d pulled away had been horrible; as if someone had bereft her of something so wonderful she couldn’t go on without it...

“I don’t think he has,” she replied. “He’s never had any reason to do so...”

“Well,” said the stranger slowly, “if you were to give him a reason to do so... Would he?”

Hermione frowned for a moment, thinking. Would Malfoy answer her, if she asked about what went on with the Death Eaters? Surely not. She’d be taking a big risk, doing something like that.

“I... I doubt it. I don’t see how he would tell me such private things...”

“Perhaps if you were to do to him as I am doing to you now...”

“I – I beg your pardon?”

“Think, Mira... What am I doing to you now?”

She was quite for a moment. Then, she sighed in defeat. “You’re distracting me.”

“That I am.” He paused. “Now, if you were to make young Mr. Malfoy just as desperate as you are now... Would he answer, do you think?”

“He... he might,” replied Hermione.

She was rewarded with a thorough stroke at her clit, which almost sent her over the edge. Arching her back and writhing, she almost forgot all about the unbelievably abnormal conversation she was currently having with a faceless stranger.

“Then... how about we strike a deal?” whispered the stranger seductively, leaning forward and licking at her earlobe.

“A... deal?” she moaned.

“You talk to young Mr. Malfoy...” Both his hands worked magic on her body now, driving her to ecstasy, “and in return I’ll let you experience this again...”

As he said “this”, she felt it – shaking from head to toe, she lost all ability to think coherently as her orgasm flowed through her, wilder and more powerful than she’d ever felt before... Gods, but this man was brilliant! She gasped, moaned, and his fingers stroked her through the entire experience, cradling her body as she was shaking.

Once she’d calmed down, she found she was still wrapped in his arms, breathing unevenly against his chest.

“Do we have a deal?” he whispered.

“We... we have a deal,” she whispered back, breathlessly, and savoured for a moment the feeling of just being in the arms of a man who could bring this sort of excitement to her otherwise horrible, humiliating life...

There was definitely something different about this one, and she was more than willing to find out more. By agreeing to investigate Malfoy, she’d not only be seeing more of him, she’d be experiencing more of him. In many ways, that was what she was looking forward to the most.

Feeling his hands across her skin again...

He pulled her face to his, capturing her lips for one last, possessive kiss before he got to his feet, pulling on his cloak and hood again, thus covering his face.

“Lumos,” he whispered, and the light flashed back on.

Hermione stared intently into the hood, but his face was too well hidden.

She sat on the edge of the bed as he moved towards the door.

“I’ll be in touch,” he said, opening the door.

She nodded, never taking her eyes off him.

“Thank you, Mira,” he said silkily as he withdrew, “for a most entertaining evening...”

Hermione sat for a few minutes just staring at the door. She was still breathing unevenly, could still almost feel his hand on her.

Wow.

Shooting a glance over at the desk, she spotted to her surprise a rather large sack containing what had to be a lot of Galleons.

Getting to her feet and pulling a robe around her, she inwardly cursed herself for forgetting all about the money...

There really was something special about this man. Any other client would have left without hesitating if the prostitute forgot to demand the pay...

But this man had somehow, even without her noticing, managed to leave behind more Galleons than she’d earned whilst working months on the streets of Diagon Alley.

Hermione sat back down on the bed, her eyes frequently returning to the door. There was a strange feeling tingling at her, an aching sort of feeling... Almost like the one she felt every time she thought of Harry or Ron –

Was it possible? Could she be missing this cloaked stranger already?

No, she firmly told herself, shaking her head. Don’t push it, Hermione. He was amazing – gods, was he ever! – but that’s it.

“That’s it,” she said aloud, as if making sure.

Of course she couldn’t have enjoyed it that much. He was still a client, still a man paying to use her body... These rather mixed feelings surely just came from his mystical, sensual appearance and that silky voice of his.

Yes, the voice...

It struck her then: she knew that voice. She’d heard it before, she was certain of it.

The problem was; Hermione was simply incapable of remembering exactly where she’d heard it before.

---

“Ah, Severus,” said Lupin as he entered. “There you are... We were beginning to wonder.”

“Did you find out anything?” said Tonks eagerly, looking up at him.

Severus groaned inwardly. Around the table in the old dining hall, there sat four people which he in any other circumstance would never have even caught dead in his Father’s old estate: Potter, Lupin, Tonks and Bill Weasley.

“Yes,” he replied as he took a seat at the table, rubbing his temples. “After a fashion.”

“How do you mean?” asked Potter to his left, frowning.

“Where is Miss Weasley?” asked Severus, ignoring Potter’s question. Normally, all six of the old Order members were gathered around the table in the evenings.

“Ginny’s tending to our guests,” said Tonks with a slight smile.

“They have arrived?” asked Severus, raising an eyebrow.

“Some of them have,” said Potter. “Fleur and her companions aren’t here yet... Apparently they had some complications. Hopefully they’ll be arriving sometime during the night.”

Severus nodded. This gathering of witches and wizards from outside of Britain was important – with enough allies, they might be able to, at some point, overrun the Dark Lord and take back control, finally letting Potter fulfil his destiny.

“So,” said Bill after a few moments of silence, slightly impatiently, “did you find out anything from that Gideon girl?”

“Ah, that,” said Severus, glancing around the table. “Yes. As I said, after a fashion.”

Silence again.

“Well?” said Potter impatiently. “Are you going to inform us at all?”

Severus sighed in defeat.

“She knew very little about the Death Eaters’ activities as such – but it is true that Draco is one of her regular clients. Apparently, he is rather addicted to her.”

“Poor thing,” muttered Bill.

“Quite. But it could work to our advantage. She is willing to try and get something out of him for us – for me,” he corrected himself.

“How much did you tell her?” Lupin’s eyes narrowed.

“Nothing whatsoever,” replied Severus. “She has no idea who I am, where I am from, that I work with you... Nothing.”

“Why is she so willing to help you, then?” asked Tonks suspiciously.

“Because I offer her more money than she would earn a month in that place.”

“Ah.”

“That’s good, then,” said Potter, rubbing his forehead with his left hand. “If she’ll be able to find out something, that’s a start.”

“We’re on the brink of having an inside spy, aren’t we,” observed Tonks.

“We might be,” said Severus. “If Draco is as dependent on her company as he seems to be.”

“This is good progress,” said Potter, getting to his feet. “We really should be getting to bed. It’s late, and we have a lot to discuss with the foreigners tomorrow.”

Nods and murmurs of agreement followed this, and everyone got to their feet and left the hall.

Severus lingered behind; his eyes wandered across the great hall and its decorations. He’d grown up eating his dinners in this hall. It held so many memories to him, it was almost unbearable...

“Severus?”

He turned to see Lupin standing by the door, as though waiting for him.

Severus got to his feet and approached him.

“It’s really a grand hall,” Lupin commented.

“I have no doubt you think so.”

“You don’t?”

Severus remained silent.

“Listen, Severus...” Lupin hesitated. Severus raised an eyebrow, waiting.

“Look, they’re – they’re rather young, the rest of them,” muttered Lupin, his eyes wandering across the big dining hall. “They wouldn’t know... There’s so much they don’t know.”

“What are you trying to say, Lupin?”

He turned to face Severus again, his eyes hard. “What I’m trying to say, Severus, is that both you and I have been at this for years. Ever since the eighties. I was even there, the night you were introduced as one of us. I used to be around whenever you came back from your revels... I remember it, Severus. What it was like.”

“If you have a point, please make it better.”

Lupin frowned, looking very serious.

“I remember what you used to do,” he said slowly. “Back then, whenever you needed to obtain information... Don’t tell me you simply talked that Gideon girl into working for us tonight.”

“Ask me no questions, Lupin, and I will tell you no lies,” replied Severus, turning on his heel and stalking away.

There was no point lying to Lupin about this – the man was right, he did know all about how Severus worked. Lupin’s suspicions were probably dead right, and Severus wouldn’t do good lying to him. The werewolf would never tell the younger ones what he’d really done anyway. He was too moralistic, too intent on sparing them the worst truths...

The fact was, no matter how much Lupin loathed Severus’ way of gaining information from young girls, he would never share the information with Potter and the others.

For a werewolf, he was a real coward.


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A/N: Okay, so: What do you think of THAT? Thanks so much to my beta JessiokaFroka!

Thanks so much to my reviewers - vblum12, ladyevilfaerie, Shinohime, destiny black, Lu Ling Qi, kris, NobisSolonNon, Anna, Bella, J and Emily!