The Dark Lord's Mistress

Chapter 4

Severus POV

It was well past midnight when I had begun to make my final rounds around the castle. Memories from the Revel earlier still haunted me but I pushed them from my mind as I walked on. As I headed toward the Slytherin Common Room, I met up with Draco and I listened to his endless drabble of how the Dark Lord wants him to woo Ginny Weasley to aid his cause. Damn boy complains about such a simple task! If he only knew the horrors I had faced, he would not complain so.

Upon leaving young Draco with some small token of advice, I made my way toward Gryffindor tower. “Hmm, I wonder if the Granger girl will be out again. More house points to deduct from that insufferable know-it-all.” I thought aloud. As it became clearer that she was not around, I decided to finish my rounds in the dormitories and head elsewhere in the castle.

It was well after 4 in the morning when I had finished making final rounds for the night. I headed back to the Slytherin Common Room and I was once again faced with Draco Malfoy sitting by the fire. We chatted about his mission and what had happened at the revels when suddenly, we were greeted by a silver-white otter. “Draco, I need you. Please help me.” The otter spoke in a voice of which I was all too familiar with. Draco’s eyes grew wide as he quickly got to his feet and started for the portrait. “Go to your room at once. If I catch you out wandering, I will NOT hesitate to deduct points from my house. So DO NOT make me do it.” I scolded as I headed for the portrait. He sulked off to his room as I followed the white otter toward the forbidden forest.

After about 20 minutes of following the patronus, I was led to a dark secluded area of the forest where I saw a lonely figure laying upright against a tree whimpering in pain. “Draco?” the voice called weakly. “Guess again, Miss Granger” I replied in a hushed tone as I kneeled beside her. “Oh Merlin” she moaned as she passed out in my arms. I scooped the girl up and headed out of the forest toward my chambers, the first few rays of daylight shining behind me.

By the time I had returned to my chambers with the Granger girl it was well past seven o’ clock in the morning. I laid her down gently on the bed in my spare room, so as not to hurt her more than she already was. I stood back for a moment to inspect her and her injuries. “Merlin, what could that girl have gotten herself into? And what would Draco have to do with any of it?” I wondered aloud, knowing she couldn’t hear me. I fluffed up a few pillows to give support and headed to my stores to find a healing potion.

After about ten minutes of searching, I re-entered the room with a handful of healing potions. Hermione was still unconscious on the bed and, after saying a few healing spells, I decided to check out her injuries. My body sweeping spell showed no internal bleeding, but did show enormous amounts of bruising. “Hmm” I wondered aloud, “This seems to be an adverse affect of the Cruciatus curse.” I stood above her watching her sleep like a defenseless child. “How on earth? Who?”

Out of my own curiosity, I moved up her sleeve looking for a mark. I was relieved when I found nothing but pale skin. I decided to gently turn her over and check her spine for any more adverse affects or bruising. It was then, the moment I gently lifted her shirt, that I saw it.

The Dark Mark was located over her spine on her lower back, however it wasn’t quite the same as the monstrous mark I bore on my own arm. Looking closely at it, I realized this wasn’t an ordinary Dark Mark; it was the mark of Voldemort’s mistress, a similar one proudly worn by Bellatrix Lestrange. My eyes widened when I realized that SHE had been at the Revel the other night. She had been the hooded figure Bella handed over to the Dark Lord. I re-cast the sweeping spell, administered a healing potion to her and laid her back down on the bed. I decided I would confront her when she was awake and let her heal for now. As I exited the room, I turned back toward the sleeping Gryffindor cub and whispered, “Good gods girl, what have you done?”

*****************THE NEXT DAY****************

Classes came and went as usual. After each lesson, I would go back in to check on Hermione and her condition. 'Since when was I calling her Hermione?' I thought to myself. 'Since she almost killed herself by being Voldemort’s mistress.' I answered myself aloud. She had slept through most of her classes for the day so I decided to excuse her by telling Minerva she was feeling under the weather at her detention last night so I let her sleep in my spare room and would remain in my chambers for the remainder of the day. She seemed to buy it.

It was nearly nightfall when I finished my final lesson of the day. I returned back to my chambers and found Hermione still unconscious so I decided to grade my fifth year essays. After an agonizing hour of those horrid essays, I stood from my desk, shed my school robes and decided it best to take a shower, knowing she would not wake any time soon.

Hermione POV

I awoke in a dark room cringing in pain as I tried to sit up. “Am I with Draco?” I thought to myself. “This is definitely not the Slytherin dormitories.” I noticed as I looked about my surroundings. I was in a bed of black and green silk sheets with a silver canopy hanging down. Bookshelves surrounded the room along with a fireplace which had been lit recently if I had judge by looking at the roaring fire before me.

I suddenly became frantic as to where I was and who had found me. Was it Lucius? Voldemort? Another Death Eater? I had to find out for sure. Slowly I got out of bed and limped out into the main living room looking around to see if anyone was there. My body protested every move I made so after deducing that no one was there, I picked up one of the many books on the shelves before me. “A poetry book?” I commented aloud. “Better than nothing I suppose.” I sat down and began reading.

I soon fell into a comfortable daze as I read until I heard a deep silky voice I recognized quite well. “Edgar Allen Poe, Miss Granger? A wise choice and a great poet.” Severus Snape stood before me in nothing but a black bath towel. I looked up in shock, slammed the book down on the table and jumped out of my chair faster than a Dragon at feeding time. “What on Earth? How did you get here? How did I get here? And WHY ARE YOU IN A TOWEL?” I screamed at my scantily clad Potions Professor.

He held his hands in front him as if he was trying to calm a wild animal. 'What am I doing here, professor?' I said with my teeth gritted. I was slowly backing away from him. 'You were injured. Given the state of our injuries and the fact that it was well after curfew when I did find you, I thought it best to bring you back to my private chambers. As to my rather embarrassing state of undress, I had just gotten out of the shower. You slept through an entire day of classes.' He said still trying to placate me.

I wrapped my arm around my ribs as I started to hyperventilate. 'Calm down Miss Granger. You are perfectly safe within my chambers. No one knows the password to enter them and even if they did, they can't enter without my permission.' He said as he backed away. He reached for his wand and transfigured the towel into a pair of pants.

'You seem to be hurt, let me take a look at you.' He said. I looked away from him. 'If it makes you feel more comfortable, I can put on a shirt.' He said reaching for a shirt that hung on the back of a chair. I rubbed my arm where a cut I had received a few weeks ago was still healing.

'Here, change into this. I'm afraid I'm out of hospital gowns, but this will serve our purpose.' He said handing me a white button down shirt. 'The bathroom is through that door right there. Please don't be all day, I do have rounds to make.' He said giving me my wand and pushing me towards the bathroom.

I walked through the main living space and quickly closed the door behind me. I looked at the mirror and saw that it was indeed foggy as if someone had just stepped out of the shower. I slid my dress over my head and winced as I did so. 'Damn ribs.' I cursed as I pulled the shirt over my shoulders and buttoned it up.

I transfigured the dress I had been wearing into a pair of soft shorts and pulled them on. 'If only I had been able to make it back to my common room instead of calling for Draco to come get me. I wouldn't be here right now.' I thought as I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair that had been in soft curls was now a tangled mess and one of my eyes had been blackened. 'No wonder he brought me back here.' I thought as I used a charm to untangle my hair and put it in a french braid.

I opened the door to see Professor Snape had taken the seat that I had just vacated and was reading the book I had been reading when he'd startled me. 'I didn't know that you read muggle authors.' I said quietly. He looked up from his book and took in my presence. 'My father was a muggle. Before I came to Hogwarts, I had been in a muggle primary school.' He said.

'"Be that word our sign in parting, bird or fiend," I shrieked, upstarting- "Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!" Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."' I said quoting my favorite poem by Poe.

'Before we begin Miss Granger, would you care to explain why you have been branded with the Dark Lord's mark?' He said looking up from the book that now laid forgotten in his lap. 'Oh Merlin.' I thought. 'It is none of your business Professor.' I said backing away from the chair he sat in. 'None of my business? A muggleborn witch, one that was put in my care by her parents, has been branded by the Dark Lord. Not only that. She has been given the mark of his mistress. Very few women carry that mark. Bellatrix Lestrange is one of them. Do you really want to end up like her?' He said staring me down.

'It is my choice. I made it, I will live with it.' I said heatedly. 'Do you know what it's like to be an outcast Miss Granger?' He said rolling up his sleeve and showing me his dark mark. I cringed at the sight of it. 'I have lived with this mark of over 15 years. Even as a spy for the Order, I remain an outcast. Do you want that for yourself, Miss Granger?' He said as he stood and towered over me.

I drew myself up to my full height and stared at him with cold eyes. 'I have made my choice Professor.' I said coldly. 'And a damn poor one at that.' He muttered as he turned away from me and stalked towards the back of a portrait.

'Where are you going?' I asked, suddenly afraid of what he might do. 'I'm going to speak to the headmaster, maybe he can talk some sense into that thick skull of yours. What you are doing is dangerous, Miss Granger. You are to remain in my private chambers until I return. If you so much as put a toe outside this room, I shall know and I will put you in detention with me from now until you graduate.' He said as he left the room.

I picked up a pillow and threw it at the stack of books he had sitting on the coffee table. 'Curse that damn, insufferable, thick-headed potions master!' I screamed before I collapsed on the couch and throwing my arm over my eyes while I waited for him to return with the headmaster. 'I should have just stayed in the forbidden forest. Bloody hell, I should have just let the Dark Lord take me in the hallway. Anything has to be better than this.' I thought as I curled up into a ball on the couch.

'This is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into Hermione. Snape knows what you are now.' I thought to myself as I stared at the roaring fire. 'He has no right to tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm almost 17. I can do what I please.' I thought as I started to fall asleep on the couch.

'He has no right to judge me. I'm doing this for my friends and family.' I thought as my eyes closed and I drifted into a fitful sleep.