The Dark Lord's Mistress

Chapter 18

Hermione POV

'Hello Hermione.' He said.

‘Oh bloody hell’, I thought to myself as I looked upon the father of the sleeping baby I now held in my arms. He looked at me with those black eyes and I saw nothing. The life in those eyes that once was there was gone. Merlin only knows what happened to him.

I looked up to him and smiled. This was going to be hard but I knew it was best for everyone.
“Hello Severus, you look well,” I said as I cradled Syria in my arms. Being polite and distant was the only way I could get through him being so close to me. He reached into his pocket as I laughed a bit to myself and looked back towards Syria.

He enlarged the box and handed it to me. 'I thought you would like this back. I found it in the spare room where you left it.' He said quietly as I placed Syria in her bassinet and set the box on the bed. I opened and gasped when I pulled the black and green cloak from the box.

The night he had given the cloak to me played in my head as, I held it to my chest. It smelled of his rooms and reminded me of better times. I blinked quickly to keep the tears from rolling down my cheeks. 'Thank you Professor.' I said quietly as I laid it across the foot of my bed

“Yes, well thank you Miss Granger.” The formality of the name stung like a stupefy to the chest. He knew what I was doing and reciprocated. “I merely came to offer my congratulations on your daughter. Elladora Lysandra Riddle isn't it? Naming her after the Black family matron, Narcissa or Bella must’ve had something to do with that.” A deep chuckle escaped his lips and I nodded in agreement, as I looked back to Syria's face.

"Narcissa had given me the idea, but it was ultimately Tom's decision.' I said stroking her cheek lightly. I took notice that he had stopped speaking so I turned my gaze toward him only to be returned with the cold, menacing stare an unlucky student out of bed would find. His face froze in shock at the use of Voldemort’s muggle name. Only Bella and I were allowed to call him that. Our eyes locked for a brief moment but were broken when Syria started to cry.

I picked up my daughter and held her to me as I sat down in the white rocker next to her bassinet and gently rocked her back and forth. I looked up as Narcissa entered with a bottle and a house elf following behind her. 'I knew that the little miss was going to be cranky soon. Let me take Sy- I mean Ella for her bottle and a nap and you get some rest Hermione.' She said as she took Syria from me.

I gave Narcissa a looked before surrendering Syria to her. Severus stood silently with his eyes following the baby as they left. I stood up, faltering only slightly and made my way toward the nightstand where my wand and the latest potion book I was reading lay. As I went to make my exit, I felt a hand reach in front of me to shut the door, and trapping me in between him and the door.

“You call him Tom now? Oh, I forgot, you’re the whore he is trying to woo. How the mighty have fallen. He will leave you, you know. When the child becomes of age, he will rid himself of you and simply move on to the next. You should have stayed with me! That child should be mine!” his silky voice purred into my ear.

Standing so close to him, I almost lost any and all sense of what happened until his words hit me full force. I pushed my way past him standing towards him in the “striking lioness” pose Cissy says I do in my defensive mode.

“How dare you? You know nothing about me and lost that right when you MURDERED Dumbledore! You're the one that turned your back on me! You think I wanted any of this? You betrayed me Severus Snape and yet you stand here calling me a whore!” I practically screamed at him. If that man only knew, she was his… I watched as his features hardened at the mention of Dumbledore’s name. My temper calmed and I mimicked his actions by walking towards him getting as close as possible.

'You were the one that left me Hermione Granger. You didn't even let me explain what happened that night or up to that night. You didn't tell me anything, you just packed and left. I searched for weeks. Weeks Hermione! I spent every spare moment I had looking for you and those two dunderheads.' He snarled at me. I stood toe to toe with him and glared at him in disgust.

'Why should I have given you a chance to explain? You should have told me from the beginning what was going on! I shouldn't have had to come to you to get an explanation! I was there that night, Snape. I was there when you murdered Dumbledore.' I said as I choked back a sob as my mind relived the night Dumbledore had been murdered.

'Know-it All.' He said

'Greasy Dungeon Bat!' I shouted back at him

'Insolent Hussy!' He snarled.

'Mudblood Lover! You only ever thought of me as a replacement for Lily!' I shouted at the top of my lungs.

I didn't stop when I saw the hurt flash briefly in his eyes. 'You saw me as Lily from the day I turned 16. You didn't love me. You loved the woman I resemble. You say the child should be yours. Ha! I think you are referring to Harry, not Ella. As a matter of fact…..' I was cut off by Severus crushing his lips to mine. ‘Oh sweet Merlin’ I thought as the kiss deepened and his arms came to settle on my waist. When oxygen became necessary, we broke apart and he rested his forehead on mine.

“Hermione” he said in barely a whisper. “You are nothing like Lilly. I loved her once, but she has been dead for 17 years. I love….' He said quietly but was interrupted when the rattling of the doorknob broke us from our little bubble. I stepped backwards looking at the intruder only to realize it was Voldemort.

“Ah Hermione, my love, I’m glad to see you up and talking.” He said as he walked to my side and kissed me lightly on the lips. I turned my head down with a deep red blush creeping into my cheeks.

Severus looked from me to Tom and replied, “Yes, My Lord, I came to congratulate Hermione on the birth of your Heir. The child is beautiful and her name suits her.”

Tom nodded in response and said, “Thank You, Severus. I had heard from Narcissa that you were visiting with Hermione and I said why bother with a summons when you are already here.” He turned back to me and kissed me again before leaving and signaling Severus to follow.

Severus bowed in response and turned to follow Tom stopping only to ask me, “Hermione, what were you going to tell me?”

I faltered and while fighting back tears replied. “Nothing Severus. It was nothing.” He looked at me, his face full of disappointment, and then turned to follow Tom out of the room.

Once they left, I sank to my knees and let the tears fall freely. Things were such a mess and I had no one to blame but myself.

***************************Severus POV***************************************

About 2 hours later

The phrase ‘foul mood’ doesn’t even begin to describe how I was feeling after meeting with Voldemort. No matter how hard I tried, I could not take my mind off my audience with Hermione. I kissed her. Oh, Sweet Merlin I kissed her.

Upon my release from my meeting with the dark lord, I headed back to my chambers at Hogwarts, fortunately catching a few Gryffindors out after curfew along the way. As I entered my chambers I poured myself a large glass of firewhiskey, downed the contents and proceeded to mull over what had happened tonight.

According to the Dark Lord, the Final Battle was approaching rapidly and my sources, namely Draco, told me that Potter and Weasley had discovered the remaining two Horcruxes locations and would be returning to Hogwarts by tomorrow night. This meant the youngest Weasley would be with them posing as Hermione.

“Hermione.” I whispered aloud. Just speaking her name brought back the last few hours and hit me full force.

“She thinks she’s a replacement of Lily. Foolish sentimental Gryffindor!” I cursed aloud as I stood up and began to pace furiously, having entirely too much on my mind. My mind wandered to our encounter and the fight leading up to the kiss.

‘She’s right, you know’ my conscious, disguised as the voice of Albus Dumbledore, chided me. ‘You should not have jumped to conclusions my boy.’

“Oh do shut up, old man. She was the one who jumped to conclusions.” I responded aloud. She was the one who left before I could not explain. She was the one who pretended to love me. She was the one who betrayed me!

The voice inside my head ceased to reply and I continued to pace while thinking about Hermione’s last few words to me. We were arguing about the baby’s paternity (seeing as she should have been mine) and Hermione’s undying love and devotion to the Dark Lord. We bantered back and forth and she, just after I said Elladora should have been mine, said something that stuck with me.

“You say the child should be yours. Ha! I think you are referring to Harry, not Ella. As a matter of fact….”

What did she mean?

Standing for what must have been the twentieth time tonight, I resumed my pacing and thought about it.

“Ella…Hermione…Mine…As a matter of fact…”

Suddenly it hit me…

“Merlin!” I said aloud and, just as Hermione had done, I sank to my knees.