Criminal Ravishment

Thank you to my beta, MadAboutHarry for helping me with this story. She has done a fabulous job.

Chapter 9

In the morning, Severus and Hermione were each eating a cream puff before taking off to their morning classes. Hermione was quite aware that something was bothering Severus, but she waited until he was ready to share with her. After breakfast, they each gathered their things and headed off in opposite directions for class, but not before kissing each other good-bye.

Hermione did not have potions today, but she did manage to see Severus at the high table, scowling and glaring at the Gryffindors and this made her smile because underneath his scowl and glare was the man she loved. After classes were over, she met Harry and Ron in the library.

“I have taken the privilege of creating a study schedule for each of us,” Hermione said proudly as she handed the schedules to Ron and Harry. Normally Ron threw a fit while Harry rolled his eyes, but this time, they were so grateful to have their her back, even with study schedules, that they just smiled.

“Thank you Hermione,” said Harry as Ron inspected his, making a few alterations to it, like adding extra time for going to Hogsmeade.

“We need to study extra hard this year since it is our last year at Hogwarts and I expect you two to stick to the schedule I made,” she said as she waved her wand at Ron’s schedule, changing it back.

“Hermione!” said Ron as she and Harry laughed, “Okay,” said Ron in defeat, “I will follow your schedule, but only because I am so glad that you are back, and because you are the reason I have scored so high on my finals in the past.”

“Yes,” said Harry, “Ron is right. If it wasn’t for you, we would not have done half as well on all of our finals.”

“So are you saying you like my study schedules?”

“No!” they both said.

“What we mean is…” stammered Ron.

“What we mean is that we do not like to study but we like the fact that we can count on you to make us study,” said Harry as Ron nodded in agreement.

Hermione eyed the both of them and then she smiled. “Well, let\'s get started,” she announced and the three studied late into the evening.

When she returned to the tower, Severus was sitting by the fire grading papers.

“Hello Severus,” she said as she put down her books. He looked up from his papers and smiled, watching her walk toward him. His heart had felt so alive since they had shared their first kiss, but he knew he had to talk to her.

“Hermione, we need to talk,” he said as he put down the papers and moved to the couch.

“I know,” she said quietly, “I could see it in your eyes this morning at breakfast.”

“Come over here and sit with me,” he held out a hand and she took it as he guided her to sit next to him. “Hermione, the reason I have been here in this tower with you is because I am helping you with your recovery. The ultimate goal is to give you back your life and this includes resuming your residence in the Head Girl’s room.” Hermione closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying not to let her self cry because she knew where this conversation was going.

Opening her eyes, she looked at him, “I knew that this day would come, but I don’t want to leave you Severus.”

“I won’t lie to you by saying that I don\'t have feelings for you, but a man my age should not have feelings for a woman your age. I have never experienced a more passionate kiss than the ones we have shared, but I am supposed to help you with your recovery and I am starting to feel that I may inhibit it as long as you stay here,” he said firmly.

“Severus, my feelings for you will not interfere in my recovery,” Hermione protested.

“Hermione, we have been in each other’s company for over five months. You have shared the most intimate details of your life and I have listened and comforted you. It is natural for you to have an attraction to me, but if I let you stay, I am afraid that I will assume the role that Lucius was trying to portray.”

“You will never become what Lucius is!” she cried, “I cannot believe you would even consider comparing yourself to that… that bastard! I won’t leave you Severus, I can’t!”

“I am not asking you to leave me; I am only requesting that you move back to your Head Girl rooms and I move back to the dungeons. I need you to resume your normal life again. You may discover that your feelings for me are not real and that is okay,” Hermione began to cry as she listened to him. “I will understand if you no longer have feelings for me, but you need to live your life as you once did. That is the only way whether we will ever know if your feelings are real.”

Hermione wiped away her tears and looked at Severus. “I will go back to my Head Girl room and resume my Head Girl duties, but you better be ready Severus Snape, because my feelings for you will not change; they will only get stronger!” She leaned up and kissed him with all the fierce passion she could muster while Severus kissed her back, afraid of letting go, but knowing it was the right thing to do. She was a dream and would remain a dream because he knew her feelings for him were not real. That would be much more than he deserved.

Hermione spent the night in her Head Girl rooms that night and continued to do so, pleased to be back in her rooms. Although she missed Severus terribly, a feeling of relief and satisfaction came over her as she realized that she had complete control of her life again. She did keep in regular contact with him, sharing her thoughts and ideas, but they did not talk about their feelings for one another, too afraid that the other had changed their mind.

As the end of the year approached, so did the pressure of the upcoming exams. Hermione made Harry and Ron stick to their schedules and study hard, but she did cave in by agreeing to go to Hogsmeade with them this coming weekend. It would be her first time away from Hogwarts since arriving at school that year.

The Dream Team was back in full swing as they took off for the Three Broomsticks. Upon entering the pub, the three took a seat at the table in the back and ordered a round of butterbeers.

“Gods that tastes good!” said Hermione as she drank almost half of her butterbeer in one swig.

“You’ve got that right!” said Ron as he brought down his empty glass, smiling. “I will go get some more.”

When Ron returned, he gave each of them another butterbeer and sat down.

“Hermione, we were wondering… ” Harry was not sure how to ask, “ …about your relationship with Snape. I mean that you two spent a lot of time together and from what Ron and I saw while visiting you, you two got along like, well, like friends.”

“We are friends Harry. Severus helped me out at a time when I wanted my life to end. He helped me see that life is worth living and at the same time, we developed a close friendship,” said Hermione.

“You know,” added Ron, “he has been more tolerable in class, even if he did take away all of those points for sneaking food from the kitchen. Did you know that he even confiscated our food?”

“The cream puffs were delicious!” giggled Hermione, and Harry joined her, laughing together.

“Well, at least they did not go to waste,” said Ron as he drank his butterbeer.

The three spent the afternoon visiting and relaxing until dinnertime came. Most of the students had cleared out of the Three Broomsticks and returned to Hogwarts.

“We had better get going or we’ll miss out on dinner,” said Ron.

“Hermione makes sure that we study and Ron makes sure we eat,” said Harry, smiling as the three left The Three Broomsticks.

“Oh, wait, I forgot my book,” said Hermione as she turned to go back.

Ron rolled his eyes, “Only Hermione would bring a book to drink butterbeer.”

“Leave her alone Ron; just be glad that she is back.”

“Oh I am Harry, believe me, I am,” said Ron.

Hermione entered the pub again; walking to their table she found the book and tucked it into her arms. Turning, she came face to face with Lucius Malfoy.

As she almost stopped breathing, she felt her legs collapse from under her and dropped to her knees.

“My, my,” he sneered, “I did not know my Mudblood whore was so anxious to be fucked in the mouth. As I do not want to disappoint you, I suggest we go somewhere a little more private.” Lucius grabbed Hermione by the wrist and jerked her to her feet. Trying to find her voice, Hermione could only struggle in his grasp, but was unable to free herself as he snaked his arms around her and apparated out of Hogsmeade.

~*~*~*~*~

“What is taking her so long?” asked Ron.

“Something is wrong,” said Harry as the two rushed back into the pub looking for her.

“Here’s her book, but where is she?” panicked Ron as he picked her book up off the floor. They quickly searched the pub, hollering for her, but there was no answer.

“We need to tell Snape!” cried Harry as the two sprinted back to Hogwarts.

Upon entering the castle, the boys darted for the dungeons and began banging on Severus’ door.

Opening it, he hissed, “This had better be good!”

“Hermione is gone. I think Lucius took her!” yelled Harry as Severus squeezed the door tight at hearing his words.

Severus turned and walked further into his private chambers, retrieving a small container that resembled a pensieve and placing it on the table.

“Where was she?” he hissed.

“At The Three Broomsticks; she went back inside to get a book she left and never came out,” said Ron.

Severus waved his wand over the container and muttered, “Exquirere Hermione Granger.” The container began to glow blue and an image began to develop.

“What is that?” asked Harry.

“It is a device to help me locate Hermione. As a precaution, I placed a tracking spell on her when Lucius took her the first time and… ” Severus was looking into the container that showed an image of Lucius, “SHIT! He has her!”

“How?” a Ron Ron.

“It doesn’t matter how it happened, Mister Weasley. I need to know where they are. This device shows me what Hermione sees,” hissed Snape, as he stared intently at the image. All three watched quietly, looking for the slightest clue as to their location. They could see Lucius circling her as she watched him carefully, not looking away.

“There! That is the Malfoy crest,” growled Severus, pointing to an object just above the fireplace on the mantle, “He has her at the Malfoy estate. Tell Dumbledore what has happened. I am going to bring her back!” Snape left through a side door of his chambers as Harry and Ron stormed out of the dungeons to find Dumbledore.

~*~*~*~*~

“Where should we begin my Mudblood whore?” sneered Lucius as Hermione stood in front of him, trembling. “Did you really think I was going to let you go?” he hissed as he grabbed her and forced a kiss upon her. She raised her hands and pushed him back, refusing to let him have his way with her.

“I am not afraid of you anymore,” she hissed back at him. He sneered at her before slapping her across the face, causing her to fall to the ground.

“You should be afraid whore!” and he spit on her. Hermione got back up and faced him, determined not to show fear. Lucius smirked at her, “So, you want to play. I hope you know what you are in for!” he growled as he grabbed her by her hair with one hand and unfastened his pants with the other, exposing his erection. She clawed at his hands, trying to free herself, but she refused to scream because she knew it was what he wanted her to do.

“Oh gods, how I love it when a woman struggles,” he hissed as he forced her head down so that her mouth was lined up to his erection. Hermione kept her mouth closed as she tried to move her mouth away, but his hand was too strong and the tip of his penis kept rubbing her lips.

She knew the only chance she had was to give in to his needs. Her stomach turned as she opened her mouth, allowing him in.

“Oh yes, Mudblood, that’s it. I knew you wanted me in your mouth,” he gasped as she took him in. She tried not to gag as he entered her, but before he could began thrusting in her, she clamped her jaw together and her teeth dug into his flesh.

Screaming, he tried to pull back, but she locked her jaw on his penis as blood spilled out of her mouth and down her face. Lucius began to kick her, forcing her to let go. Hermione crawled back from him quickly and got to her feet as she saw Lucius crumble to his feet, grabbing his crotch.

“YOU FUCKING BITCH!” he spat as one hand protectively covered his groin and the other drew his wand, “Avad… ”

“EXPELLIARMUS!” Hermione yelled a second before Lucius’ curse, and his wand flew into her hand.

Hermione stood facing Lucius, “Surely you can do better than that. For gods’ sake, you are a Death Eater Lucius.” Her voice was calm as she began to circle Lucius like a vulture, smirking as blooblood continued to spray out of his limp penis and Lucius grew paler by the second.

A door behind Hermione blasted open and she spun around, defensively holding Lucius’ wand in one hand and her own wand drawn in the other. Severus was standing in the doorway, wand drawn, displaying a degree of anger Hermione had never seen before.

“I’m okay,” she quickly said as she ran to Severus, almost collapsing on him. Severus protectively put one arm around her, pulling her toward him as, wand still drawn, he looked at Lucius who was now unconscious on the floor in a puddle of blood.

“What did you do to him?” Severus asked her as he closely examined Lucius.

“I fought back,” she said proudly as she wiped the blood from her mouth and face.

“Gods, are those teeth marks around his…” Hermione interrupted before he could finish the question.

“Yes they are,” she said sternly, “I was not going to let him do it to me again.” Severus took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he hugged her.

“I was so scared that I had lost you,” he said as he hugged her. At that same moment, several Aurors, along with Dumbledore, walked into the estate, shocked to see Lucius Malfoy on the floor.

“Hermione,” Albus asked as he saw the smears of blood on her face, “are you injured?”

“No, Headmaster, I am fine,” she tried to smile, but was still trembling as she continued to hold onto Severus with one arm and handed Lucius’ wand to Albus with the other.

“Sir,” her voice was shaky, “if you use Prior Incantatem, you will discover that he tried to use the Avada Kedavra curse on me.”
Albus smiled as he performed the charm, revealing the last spell. “Avada Kedavra” revealed itself and the Aurors immediately took an unconscious Lucius into custody.

“Albus, I need to get Hermione back to Hogwarts,” said Severus, not wanting to let go of her.

“Yes Severus, that is a good idea. Mister Potter and Mister Weasley are very concerned about her,” Albus smiled with a twinkle in his eye. Severus apparated to the edge of the grounds with Hermione and led her to his dungeons.

Going into his private stores, he retrieved a bottle of clear liquid to give to her, but when he returned, he saw her running to the bathroom. She was leaning over the toilet, vomiting from the horrid tastes in her mouth. Severus’ heart sank as he knelt down next to her and held her hair back for her. When she was finished, Severus handed her a towel to wipe her mouth.

“Here, drink this,” and he handed her the bottle, “It is expurgare and will cleanse your mouth.” She drank it, immediately feeling its effects as she gave Severus a small smile. He helped her up and could still feel her body shaking.

“You are trembling; let me give you a bath. It will help you relax,” he said and she nodded in agreement. She was willing to do anything to stop feeling so violated. He drew a bath for her, adding a few Phoenix tears to help her heal. Hermione remained silent as he helped her undress and placed her in the bathtub.

The water felt so invigorating as she laid her head back and closed her eyes, letting Severus pour the water over her shoulders and through her hair. The feelings Malfoy had stirred up were quickly melting away as a sense of energy and well-being took over her body.

“What are you thinking?” he asked gently.

“It’s over. It’s finally over,” she said as she turned to look im. im. “I stood up to him and I fought him.” She closed her eyes again, allowing the water and Phoenix tears to do their job. Severus’ heart ached because he knew that she no longer needed him, but he would always remain close by to protect her.

Hermione stayed in the bathtub for almost an hour as Severus sat by her. “I am ready to get out,” she whispered. He nodded as he stood up. Reaching for a towel, he opened it for her while she stepped out of the tub. Wrapping it around her, he waved his wand to dry her and then led her to his bed where a set of fresh clothes was waiting for her.

“I had the house elves bring you some clothes. I will let you change, and then you can eat some dinner,” he said as he left the room. Hermione dressed quickly as she had a newfound energy taking over her body. Leaving the room, she saw Severus sitting at his desk working and she approached him.

“I feel wonderful!” she said, giving Severus a big hug. As much as he wanted to, he did not return the hug. Hermione sensed his hesitation as she let go of him. She knew he wanted her to discover her true feelings about him on her own, but when he did not return her hug, she thought that he had changed his mind about her.

“I have sent for a tray of food for you,” he said without looking at her.

“I need to go find Harry and Ron. I am sure that they are worried about me. I will eat with them,” she said and quickly left. She did not want to intrude if he no longer had feelings for her.

As the door shut, Severus put down his quill and dropped his head into his hands. He was trying to remind himself that it was only a temporary infatuation and he had to let her go.

Over the next couple of weeks, Severus saw Hermione in class, wanting so badly to give her detention or ask her to stay after class, but he didn’t dare. She no longer came to him to talk or to visit him. ‘It was for the best,’ he told himself but his heart ached to hold her. Once in a while he would see her in the halls, laughing with Harry and Ron and a part of him rejoiced that she had her life back. At the same time though, a part of him still ached to have her near him. He missed her.

Hermione kept herself busy, studying for finals and making sure that Harry and Ron studied for their finals. The three had spent endless hours in the library, reading every book they could find that would help them with their finals. As final’s week finally came, so did the light at the end of the tunnel. The three took their finals, counting down to the final exam on Friday.

“Oh thank gods!” moaned Ron, “It is over! It is finally over!” He collapsed on the ground next to the oak tree by the lake as Hermione and Harry joined him.

“I can’t remember a time that I was more relieved that final’s week is finished!” said Harry as he lay on his back, staring at the clouds.

“It really wasn’t that bad,” Hermione said as Harry and Ron each gave her a scowl. “I mean… uh… well,” she decided to just say it, “You guys know that I love taking exams, so to be honest with you, I enjoyed this week very much and I am sad that it is over.”

Harry and Ron laughed. “That’s our Hermione!” said Ron and the three relaxed by the tree until dinnertime.