Betrayed

None of the characters are mine, they belong to J K Rowling

There was a pause. Hermione closed her eyes before she spoke.

“At the moment, the only feelings I have for you are resentment, and a feeling of being deceived. I used to look up to you, and admire you. Now, I’m nervous every time I look at you. I thought you were a decent man, one to be respected, for his great potions work and ability to spy for the side of the light. But I’ve realised in the last day or so, that I have absolutely no idea what you’re capable of. You killed your mentor, the one person that has always believed in you, always stood up for you. You killed him, destroyed the Order’s faith in themselves, and many pupils’ as well. Life without Dumbledore ill affect so may people, and here you stand, calm, telling me my body will be used, in any way, at any time, that you wish. You do not seem to show any remorse, or feelings. I do not hate you, for I do not believe you are completely in the hands of Voldemort, but I do not trust you, nor is it likely that I ever will again. I have admired your mind on several occasions, but now I see how twisted and warped that mind has become.” There was a slight pause. “Master.”

Hermione kept her eyes closed. She did not want to see Snape’s reaction after she had poured out her heart.

There was silence. Snape’s mind was frantically trying to process everything Hermione had just said. He had no idea that anyone looked up to him, let alone someone like Hermione, who he had always perceived as a child. Remembering what she had just said, Severus realised that Hermione was far from a child. The actions of those around her had caused her to grow up fast, trapped in this war. She had not had time to be innocent. Instead, those around her had suffered, and died, and she had done all she could to help them. In a way, Snape admired Hermione, he realised suddenly. He didn’t think that he would have coped this well at her age if faced with such problems. She was definitely the smartest in the year, and worked hard. Her mind was almost as quick as his, but she was too naïve, he thought with a bitter smile. If only she knew his version of the events that evening.

The silence was starting to get to Hermione. She slowly opened her eyes, and watched Snape for a few seconds.

Severus felt her gaze upon him once again, and got up without warning, making Hermione jump.

“I have things to attend to,” Severus said curtly. “I shall be back before too long. Is there anything that you would like in my absence? Of course, I cannot give you your wand, or anything that you may use to escape, but you may have a couple of books if you like.”

Hermione was puzzled. She just couldn’t work out what was going on in his mind.

“A book would be lovely, Master,” she replied demurely.

“I hope a potions book will be satisfied. If you would like to read anything in particular, you should let me know as soon as possible, so I may have chance to obtain it.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“Very well. I shall be back soon enough. I suggest you rest in my absence. When I return, we shall see what skills you have managed to acquire whilst with Neville.”

Hermione gulped, and said, in a much braver voice than she felt, “Very well, Master.”

It was nice to see she had accepted the situation well, and would not fight him too much, Severus mused.

He moved towards the door briskly, his black robe billowing behind him as he moved. He paused by the door, aware Hermione was watching him cross the room. He gazed upon her as he opened the door, then left the room, closing and locking the door behind him. Listening carefully, Hermione could hear his footsteps echoing down the hall.

A few seconds had passed after hearing his footsteps fade away before Hermione broke down again. She curled up into a foetal ball, holding herself tightly, tears flowing down her face unhindered.

She remained this way for a few moments, then pulled herself together a bit. She sat up on the bed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Hermione allowed herself to stare into space for a few minutes, letting her brain try and make sense of everything.

Footsteps getting louder on the stone floor outside the room startled Hermione out of her stupor. She had no idea how long he had sat there like that. This time, the footsteps were slower, and there was another sound that she couldn’t quite decipher, possibly as if something heavy was being wheeled or dragged along the floor.

The door opened slowly, and Snape’s head peered out, probably to make sure she wasn’t hiding behind the door, ready to hit him with something. Seeing her sat on the bed, Severus walked in, dragging a trunk behind him.

The trunk was made of a dark wood, polished so it almost looked black. There was a large padlock on the front of the front, darkened with age. Both the trunk and the padlock looked as though they had seen better days.

Hermione looked on in curiosity. Severus closed the door, and locked it behind him once more.

Walking over to the trunk, he made sure he could see Hermione clearly. He still did not trust her not to try and run off, or attack him physically. There were other ways to win a fight than with magic, he remembered ruefully.

Hermione sat on the bed, watching his movement. Snape opened the trunk, and bought out a book from it. He stalked over to the bed, still holding the book. Handing it to her, he spoke.

“I hope this book is satisfactory, for now at least. It is of a higher level than you would find at Hogwarts, but I trust that you will be able to understand it.”

“Thank you, Master,” Hermione took the book from his hands, and looked at he cover. The book was in very good condition, although it was obvious it had been read many times. She ran her fingers over the brown leather binding, marvelling at its beauty.

Snape spoke again, drawing her attention back to him. “In the trunk are several things. There is some clothing, separated into two different piles. One pile is for your personal everyday use, and you may choose what you wear and when. Night clothes are included, as are undergarments. I shall take dirty clothes from you once a week, there is a basket in you bathroom where you should place them.”

With a wave of his hands, a door appeared in the stone wall on the left, and opened, showing a fully equipped bathroom.

“The other pile of clothes, however, you should only wear when I tell you to. I shall give you warning of what I would like you to wear, and I suggest you wear it, or the consequences will be severe. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Master,” Hermione replied, wondering what kind of clothes they would be.

“You will also find several vials of potion in the trunk. The blue labelled potions are contraceptive potions. I suggest you remember to take them, one every week, unless you wish to find yourself pregnant with my child,” raising an eyebrow and smiling at the paling face before him, he continued. “The red labelled potions are for small pains. If you have a headache, or your muscles are sore, or even if you have a small cut, these potions will aid your recovery. Anything larger than that, I shall provide you with potions myself. Let me know if you start to run low on these potions.”

“Thank you, master. When should I begin my course of contraceptive potions?” Hermione asked, blushing and not meeting his gaze.

“I would suggest straight away. I am going to wash up in our bathroom now, and I suggest the potion is taken as soon as possible, as I plan to assess your bedroom skills very soon.”

He walked over to the door in the wall that had only recently appeared. Looking back, he simply said, “I shall be five minutes, Miss Granger. That should be more than ample time, don’t you think?”

He disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door, leaving Hermione in her cell with the trunk, her heart wildly throbbing in her chest.


A/N

Thankyou to everyone who has reviewed, and helped keep me on the straight and narrow!
As always, comments are appreciated!
(Thanks Darkwolfe!)