Bargaining

Thank you to karelia for all her work!

Hermione showered and changed. It was a stupid thing, really, but it gave her the illusion of control. She needed an illusion desperately because the cold, hard facts were crushing her with their weight.

The paper had reported that another Death Eater, as yet unidentified, had been hiding out in Ipswich when he had turned. Forty Muggles had been killed before Unspeakables had arrived to put an end to its rampage. Hermione was nearly crippled from the knowledge that by dragging Snape to the one place the Ministry couldn't find him, she had also dragged him to a highly populated area. She felt a certain amount of relief that the Ministry did, in fact, know how to deal with the situation, but what comfort would that be if she failed? If Snape escaped and more Muggles died because of her?

Did she know enough now? Did she love him enough? Her feelings were confused and complicated. She knew she adored him, but it had all happened so quickly. Was it the right kind of love, or just infatuation? It felt different from what she'd shared with Ron.

One thing was certain: she was going to do this. Even if she didn't love him the right way, she knew fair from foul and what was happening to Severus was foul. It would not happen if she could help it. The mysterious entity slithering around in the books had told her the price wasn't his soul. Her research had shown her that if that was the case, then she didn't need to love him enough. She just needed the strength of her convictions. What else was a Gryffindor, if not sure in their convictions?

She shook her head.

Life was strange.

It had taken her all night and most of the next day to research what she'd needed to know. Books continued to drop off of shelves throughout the night, and she continued to zap Severus with her spell whenever it started to wear off. When the books stopped thumping to the floor in the sitting room, she had zapped Severus one more time and passed out next to him. She'd woken with a headache and a mouth that tasted vaguely like old socks. A weak cup of tea and a slice of burnt toast was all she allowed herself before she went back to her notes. Eventually, she decided she knew as much as she was going to. Her Petrificus wouldn't keep Snape alive forever.

It only took an hour to gather her things and prepare, and then she found herself back in the bedroom, staring down at her former teacher and new lover. He wasn't handsome, although he grew more so every day to her. He wasn't even remotely what she had pictured in her mind in her young-girl fantasies.

She snorted. He wasn't what anyone imagined.

Snape was far more than he'd seemed. He had been all along. Only she knew it. Perhaps Lily Evans had once, before she became a Potter. Hermione felt the secret rush of possessiveness wash over her. What he was was hers. The way he had made love to her let no room to doubt his feelings. He had not only claimed her, but he had given himself to her to hold until the end with no reservation. Nothing held back. She wondered if he would regret how vulnerable he had allowed himself to be once he was saved. It was one thing to declare your feelings when you thought you were going to die. Quite another to wake up the next day and have to live with your words.

She felt a stab of anger. They should have been allowed more time. Just a few more days and she would have been certain, one way or another, if what she was feeling was really love, or just neediness that had run out of control again.

She wiped at the tears forming in her eyes. There was nothing to be gained by these thoughts. One way or another, she was going to save him, or die trying. The man that had given her his home, that had held her to his shoulder and finally let her mourn her own loss, that man deserved everything she could do for him.

Several cleansing breaths helped orient her, and she then reached out and pulled the blanket off him. Smoothing her hand over his cold, hard chest, she placed her palm over his heart.

"Conservac Ormeum," she intoned, gripping her wand. She watched, surprised, as the darkness flowed away from her hand, as if recoiling from her touch. It had to be the spell. It hadn't done that last night. She tilted her head and stared at the pale skin, noticing such banal features as a tiny mole, and an even smaller red dot where a capillary rose close to the surface.

She smiled, even though the darkness flowed right back when she took her hand away.

Raising her wand, she whispered, "Incarcerous!"

She bound him to the bed securely before canceling the Petrificus. She didn't use an Ennervate, hoping he might sleep through the next step.

He woke with a hiss of indrawn breath when she pricked the inside of his left arm with the lancet. Laying the pipette to the wound, she began to siphon off his tainted blood. She knew when he became lucid, because he started hissing like a snake.

"What are you doing? Stop, you stupid little girl! Listen to me, whatever you are thinking you must know that you can't do this. Hermione, STOP! God damn you! I'm not one of your fucking causes! Hermione! At least look at me! Stop! Don't!" His hisses broke off, as she resolutely ignored him, but not for long. When his voice came again, it almost broke her resolve. "Hermione, please. You fucking promised! I'm begging you... Is that what you want? You want to make me fucking beg? Don't! You'll die! I'm not..." She heard him swallow, inwardly intrigued by how attuned she'd become to his smallest sound. "I'm not worth it."

She pulled her instruments away and healed the wound before turning and looking at him. "Yes, you are," she whispered. She leaned down and kissed him, and despite his anger, he lifted his head and kissed her back hungrily, straining against his bonds. Whatever she felt for him, it was certainly powerful.

"You were my one joy I could take to the other side," he said when his head dropped back to the pillow. "Why would you take that away from me?"

She brushed his hair out of his eyes, looking down on a face now utterly sculpted in shadow. "I am as much a guilt as I am a joy for you. If I succeed, then perhaps we can erase the former and enjoy the latter."

He shook his head. The low light and darkness of his skin made it hard to see his expression.

"If I fail..." she swallowed "...well, perhaps we'll get a chance to speak of that on the other side, yes?"

She kissed him one more time and, before he had a chance to reply, Petrified him again. This way, with any luck, he would never know if she failed until he was safe on the other side.

She backed away from the bed and carefully set her things down before flicking away the ropes that bound him. Letting her mask fall, she gave in to the terrified shaking that she prayed he hadn't noticed.

She grabbed her things and headed back downstairs.

Cleansed, purified, and as clear of mind as she was going to get, Hermione held the vial of blood, a paintbrush, and her breath. One mistake at this point, and she was dead. There would be no shields, no protective spells, just the blood construct. She was grateful to the Balion Bardo for their help with her research. It would have been just like her to use the correct words, and not the right words. She would have fallen into that trap without their intervention.

She began to outline the circle on the floor of the library. At each of the four compass points, she chanted a name, "Amodel, est. Maimon, est. Paymon, est. Egion, est."

That done, she scribed a pentagram inside the circle, mindful of the hem of her loose robe.

At each of the five points, she chanted a word. "Aura, Umbra, Fidem, Infidelitas... Aequipondium."

Once she was finished, she poured the rest of the blood into her hands. She smeared it on the bottom of her bare feet before pushing aside the open front of her loose robe and pressing them to the bare skin over her racing heart. She knew this part wouldn't go wrong. Her research had shown her that she didn't have to know the demon's name. She didn't need to summon it at all. With the essence of evil found in Severus' blood, she could transport herself to the demon. If Severus truly loved her, the demon could do her no harm unless she crossed the protection of his blood.

It was a devil of a gamble.

She stood in the center, facing the point of balance, and yelled, "Hermione sum! " She gripped her wand and threw her head back, crying, "Venio, Daemon!"

Pain tore through her as the blood on her hands and feet seemed to burn its way to her heart. She screamed and heard a thousand answering screams as the air around her began to scorch and smoke. She fought the pain, knowing she needed to keep her wits about her, but it became increasingly difficult.

She heard a sound, and as the sitting room began to fade, the last thing she saw was Severus exploding out from behind the bookcase door with his wand in his wand. He was rage sculpted in jet. "NO! You promised!"

Her eyes widened as she heard the deep roar of his voice. The demon had finally healed his throat just in time for him to curse her for her betrayal. She should have realized the spell she'd laid on his heart, anchoring her to this plane, would have had the power to eradicate the spells she'd used to hold him when she began to leave it.

Damn.

She pushed him from her thoughts, trusting that he would know better than to breach the circle. She had more important things to concentrate on than how furious he would be with her later. If there was a later, she would welcome it.

Her view of the sitting room faded as the air beyond her construct began to glow hot and then combusted into flames.

:

It seemed an eternity later when she became aware of movement beyond the wall of flames. A shadow appeared, and then a pale hand parted the flames like a curtain. A blindfolded Severus stepped into view, stopping at the edge of her circle.

She felt curiously disappointed when she saw him.

He was himself, but better. He stood before her naked, rippling with muscles as his thick, glossy hair danced about his head in a capricious wind. His skin was flawless and in the pink of perfect health, and his teeth, as he smiled at her knowingly, were perfect and straight. His sex dangled between his legs, but began to lengthen under her perusal. It was... well, pretty ridiculous, to be honest. No human was that large.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Is that supposed to entice me?"

IT IS WHAT YOU COULD HAVE, it replied, again with Severus's voice, and again, overlaid with other voices.

These ones screamed.

"For what you owe me?" she said, diving straight to the heart of the matter. She added a snicker. "I think not. I prefer him as he is, thank you very much."

The creature before her sneered, and even that was more magnificent than the true man's. STATE WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE AS PAYMENT THEN, it demanded.

"And what will happen when I do?"

I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU, AND IF IT EXCEEDS WHAT I OWE, YOU WILL PAY ME THE OUTSTANDING DEBT."

Hermione snorted in derision. "And if you still owe me? What more are you prepared to pay?"

The demon snarled, and the simulacrum began to wither. Severus' skin began to crinkle like discarded parchment, and smoke began to curl from its nostrils.

The pain roiling through Hermione's blood escalated, but she shunted it aside, knowing it was as much an illusion as the oversized cock before her.

I WILL NOT OWE YOU! DO NOT TRY TO TOY WITH ME! I COULD TAKE YOUR SOUL!

The flames around the circle died back, revealing a cavernous space filled with sulfurous stalactites and rivers of lava-like blood. Agonized shrieks filled the air, but she could see no one else around her.

Hermione stared down at the pulsing red of Severus's blood glowing with strength around her. "No, you couldn't," she said primly, quelling her fear.

I WILL TAKE HIS!

"No, you can only take his body. His soul is not yours. What level Demon are you? You're not very bright. Severus is going to be dreadfully insulted when I tell him."

The Demon gave forth a mighty bellow and huge, webbed wings ripped from its back, feathered along its bones with rusty knives. The rest of the Severus façade shredded as the Demon's chosen form burst forth.

It had four heavily muscled arms that clawed at the air around her circle. It stood twelve feet high, at least, on massive legs that bent backward like a bird's. Smoke billowed from its flat, pig-like nostrils, and puss dripped from its razor-like teeth and fell burning to the ground. Its eyes were missing. Flames leaked from the two gaping holes. The warty hide of its face was split with twin slashes across where the eyes had been.

Hermione's gut clenched, and in that moment, she almost lost her hold on everything. Only the shock kept her from taking a step back and breaching the inner form of the pentagram.

Fear brought pain as the illusions gained reality. Hermione kept her face blank, but inside, she was struggling to master herself.

"The wings are very impressive," she said in a polite voice. "Third level then?"

MORTAL BITCH! I AM SONNEILLON! FOURTH IN THE ORDER OF THRONES! I AM THE LORD OF HATRED AND HAVE THIRTY LEGIONS AT MY COMMAND!

Hermione couldn't believe her luck. The demon's vanity had handed her its true name on a platter.

"Oh! I know you! Fascinating. I read about you, you were very naughty back in the 17th century. Hatred. That makes all kinds of sense. I'm very impressed. Very impressed indeed."

The demon nodded, apparently mollified, and its wings flared wide. Hermione had the strangest impression it was showing off.

"So... indulge my curiosity. Why does this place look just like all the pictures? Have many humans come here and survived?"

WE PRESENT OURSELVES IN UNDERSTANDBLE SYMBOLISM. IN YOUR CASE, COMMON WESTERN THOUGHT. OUR TRUE FORMS WOULD OBLITERATE YOUR MINDS.

IT'S ANNOYING.

"I see. That's reasonable. And very polite if I may say so. I'm meeting all sorts of your type lately, and I'm just trying to keep them all straight. Being the Lord of Hatred, does that mean you hate everything? Or do you just feed on our hatred? Because if it's the latter, you must be very busy."

The Demon snorted, dislodging a grotesque clot of pestilence that fell to the floor with a wet splat and sizzled.

I FEED ON THE HATRED OF THOSE THAT CALL UPON ME. The massive head tilted to the side. WHO ELSE HAVE YOU MET? DOES ANOTHER DEMON OWE YOU?

"No, only you and the Balion Bardo."

The demon snorted again with the same result. THOSE COWARDLY BASTARDS.

Hermione smiled, warming to the subject. "They are a bit cowardly, aren't they? I found them hiding in some books."

THAT IS JUST LIKE THEM. THEY CREEP AROUND, SERVING NO PURPOSE AT ALL. WHAT DID THEY WANT?

"Well, according to them, they don't want anything. But that was clearly a bit of a lie, wasn't it? Because they obviously wanted me to help them."

The demon shook its head. THEY CANNOT LIE. NEITHER CAN THE OTHERS. THEY WOULD NEED TO HAVE A SPINE TO DO SO.

Hermione sighed. "Then it is a paradox, too complex for my simple brain."

The demon nodded, whether in agreement or sympathy wasn't clear.

"Can I ask you another question?"

YOU MAY. I FIND THIS EXCHANGE AMUSING IN ITS WAY.

"If I did my research correctly, all of the Death Eaters are bound to you through your bargain with Tom Riddle. How were you planning on taking over more than one Death Eater at a time?"

It laughed, a booming, desolate sound, and stood up. It spread its arms wide, and separated into several demons, each one different from the next. They each split until there was quite the crowd before her, growing at an exponential rate. It clapped its hands, and they all clapped as well. The air crackled from the deafening crash.

I COMMAND THIRTY LEGIONS, it repeated with obvious pride.

"Impressive," she said in a choked voice.

There was a wet, sucking sound that accompanied the reintegration of his legion. In a moment, there were none left but the original.

She cleared her voice. "Yes, well. Thank you for answering. Getting back to our issues..."

OUR ISSUE IS CLEAR. AS YOU ARE AWARE, I OWE YOU. THIS STATE IS REPUGNANT TO ME. YOU MUST TELL ME WHAT YOU DESIRE AND RELEASE ME.

"Yes, but we still need full disclosure. If I tell you my price, and it is less than you owe, you will not be free."

The demon roared and stormed around the outside of the circle, making the ground tremble under her feet. She nearly took a step to keep her balance when she realized that was the intent. The illusion evaporated as understanding lit.

"Very clever," she said admiringly, "but you're cheating. Of course, that's to be expected, isn't it? Jolly good."

Again, she marveled at how susceptible the demon was to flattery. It preened and then suddenly changed back into naked Severus.

I COULD OFFER YOU A LIFETIME OF SERVICE IN THIS FORM, it said, stroking itself. DEATH BY NATURAL CAUSES AND NO CONSEQUENCES OTHER THAN THOSE YOU ACCRUE ON YOUR OWN. WHEN YOU DIE, YOU'LL GO WHERE YOU DESERVE.

She kept her shudder of revulsion in check. Clearly the Lord of Hatred had no clue what a woman might find appealing, and yet, it was obviously trying to be reasonable. "Yes, but after a time spent with that," she nodded at its prodigious member, "I suspect natural causes might come faster than I would like, and I doubt I would go where I intend."

It roared a bawdy laugh that looked unnatural on Severus's face.

It snapped its fingers, and gold started to rain from the unseen ceiling, piling up quickly around the outer ring. YOU COULD TAKE ALL OF THIS WEALTH AND SPEND YOUR LIFE DOING GOOD DEEDS. CERTAINLY THAT WOULD ENSURE YOUR PLACE IN HEAVEN.

She smiled innocently. "That would be splendid. However, one cannot buy one's way into heaven. It's in the rules."

The demon growled and snapped its fingers again. The gold vanished without a sound.

TELL ME THEN, it said, obviously frustrated. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR PIECE OF TOM RIDDLE'S SOUL IS WORTH?

And there it was.

The Horcrux.

Tom Riddle had owed this demon his soul and had tried to cheat. She had destroyed one of the pieces that would have kept him from paying the price.

Understanding exploded across her features, and she let out a small squeal of delight before she could stop it.

The demon realized its mistake and screamed with rage, bursting back into its natural form. BITCH! YOU THINK YOU CAN TRICK ME AND GET AWAY WITH IT?

"It wasn't a trick! I never said I knew what my part of the debt was! You assumed!" She tilted her head to the side. "How is Voldemort, anyway? Is he enjoying his just deserts? I can only hope that you are making him pay for his hubris. He did set out to deceive you, after all."

The demon's anger guttered as it followed her to a new subject. Honestly, it wasn't very bright.

HE SUFFERS. This last was said while stroking its demonic phallus, and Hermione didn't know if she wanted to crow with glee or wince in sympathy. THE FOOL CALLED TOGETHER HIS FAITHFUL FROM THE PITS AND TRIED TO STAGE A REVOLT. HE THOUGHT HE WAS A BEING OF SOME CONSEQUENCE IN HELL. THE MASTER OF LIES HIMSELF CAME AND TAUGHT HIM HIS INSIGNIFICANCE. NOW HE SPENDS HIS DAYS HOWLING UNDER THE LASH WHEN HE IS NOT... SERVING.

Hermione couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. She took herself to task. The gates of hell weren't the place to indulge in vengeful thoughts. She shook her head.

"And may I inquire about the Malfoys?" she asked in a far more subdued voice.

HE IS NOT HERE. HE SITS AND WAITS. AS FOR THE WIFE, SHE WIELDS TOM RIDDLE'S LASH.

"Oh! What justice!"

The demon stretched its wings in a shrug. THAT IS OUR FUNCTION, IS IT NOT? SHE WILL NOT BE HERE LONG THOUGH. SOON SHE WILL JOIN HER MATE TO AWAIT THE FINAL TALLYING.

"Really? I was under the impression that she had sold her soul for her son."

SHE DID. SHE IS A CANNY NEGOTIATOR. SHE SERVES WILLINGLY, BUT NOT FOR ONE MOMENT LONGER THAN THE AGREED TIME. It settled his wings against its back. NOW. LET'S GET BACK TO OUR OWN NEGOTIATIONS. YOU GAVE ME PART OF A SOUL. I CAN GIVE YOU PART OF A SOUL, OR ITS EQUAL VALUE. DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS?

"Agreed." She folded her arms across her chest. "Would releasing your hold on Severus Snape's body be equal to stabbing a Horcrux? After all, you won't get his soul one way or the other, and if you do assume command of his body, then you will only have a few precious moments of freedom before you're right back here again. It hardly seems worth the effort. In fact, one could argue that having just a mere taste is a torment that one would wish to avoid."

The demon crouched down until it was leaning forward on the knuckles of its four fists. It pressed its face up against the invisible wall of her circle. THEIR BODIES ARE MINE. RIDDLE GAVE ME HIS MINIONS WHEN HE HAD NO FURTHER USE FOR THEM. SO FAR, I HAVE KILLED SEVENTY-NINE INNOCENTS IN THE SHORT TIME I WAS THERE. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL BRING ME SATISFACTION UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD.

The open lust in its face froze her blood. Her smug feelings from having bested the demon in a contest of wits evaporated as she understood just how depraved and devoid of humanity the creature before her was.

BEING FREE TO KILL JUST ONE MORE WOULD BE WORTH IT.

She swallowed down her fear and raised her chin. "You won't get the chance. You know the Ministry is already isolating the... minions. You won't be able to kill anyone but Severus, and that is happening passively. Would that satisfy? Because I can tell you that he is already being watched. You will wake up in his body, trapped in a place from which you cannot escape, and they will destroy you before you have a chance to even get your bearings."

The demon grumbled, obviously displeased. THEY CANNOT HOLD ME, it said without conviction.

"They didn't know what you were at the hospital. Only Severus knew how to handle you. Now everyone does. Tell me you can't feel the loss of the others." It was a gamble, she really had no idea what the Ministry had done with the other Death Eaters. All she had to go by was the look on Kingsley's face that had sent her running, trailing Snape behind her like a kite. "You won't last five minutes."

The demon leaned its head closer, trying to push its snout through the wards protecting her. YOU LIE. I CAN SMELL IT.

"Do you want to bet everything on that? Do you know which part is a lie?" She balled her hands into fists. "That one piece of Tom Riddle's soul would have been enough to deny you his entire soul for eternity. I might not have killed the man, but I prevented him from cheating you. You owe me."

HE IS THE LAST MINION LEFT. I HAVE BEEN CHEATED OF THE OTHERS. THAT INCREASES HIS VALUE.

"He has no value. You will take his body and die for the effort with no gain. If you take him, you will still owe me, and I know your name. I will give your name to the others you owe. And you will be forced to bear the burden of serving them as well. What is five minutes of freedom compared to that?"

It recoiled and spun away from her, pounding the ground with its fists and lashing its tail. It turned back quickly and straightened to its full height, looking down on her.

VERY WELL, HUMAN. I WILL LET GO OF HIS BODY. IT IS WORTH THE PRICE OF THE BIT OF TOM RIDDLE'S SOUL. IT IS EQUAL. It leaned down and sighed, blowing a scorching gust across the barrier Severus' blood created. STATE WHAT YOU WANT.

Hermione almost sagged with relief. Drawing herself up to her own height, she declared, "Sonneillon, I want the life of Severus Snape. I want your hold on him broken forever, as payment for the Horcrux I destroyed. Do this, and you will be released from your debt to me."

The demon screamed, and Hermione's hair began to stand up when she realized it was a scream of triumph. She'd done something wrong. Her mind raced in circles. What had she missed? What had she forgotten?

When she remembered, she began to shake.

The demon leaned down again and pressed its blind face against the ward.

BUT WE ARE NOT EXACTLY SETTLED, NOW, ARE WE, LITTLE ONE? YOU THOUGHT I WAS STUPID, DIDN'T YOU? SO FULL OF YOURSELF, YOU ARE. IT'S TOO LATE, NOW. YOU INVOKED MY NAME, WHICH I GAVE YOU. YOUR WORDS ARE BINDING. YOUR REQUEST HAS BEEN STATED, AND I AGREE. NOW WE JUST NEED TO AGREE ON HOW YOU ARE GOING TO WORK OFF THE REST OF YOUR DEBT. AFTER ALL, I ALREADY PAID PART OF MINE, DIDN'T I? YOU HAVE HARMED ME WITHOUT CONSEQUENCE, HAVEN'T YOU?

Hermione stared at its missing eyes and slowly nodded. "You did something to make me forget them while we spoke, didn't you?"

I CAN DO NOTHING TO YOU WHILE HIS HEART HOLDS TRUE.

"Nevertheless..."

It smiled and the effect was truly wretched. HOWEVER, I CAN DO SOMETHING TO MYSELF. YES, I PLACED A DISTRACTION ON MY FACE SO IT WOULDN'T BE AS NOTICIBLE. I DID IT AFTER YOU DISTRACTED YOURSELF WITH YOUR SO-CALLED CLEVERNESS. THE FAULT LIES WITH YOU.

"And if I leave and don't pay the balance?"

IF YOU VOID OUR AGREEMENT, YOU FORFEIT THE DEBT. I WILL TAKE HIM OVER AND COME AFTER YOU. YOU TETHERED YOURSELF TO HIS BODY, FOOL. REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG I LAST, I WILL BE ABLE TO TRAVEL THE LINK TO YOU. I WILL TAKE YOU AS WELL. THERE IS NO WHERE YOU COULD HIDE FROM ME.

She slumped. How could she have been so incredibly stupid? She shunted her emotions aside. She knew the rules when she came. There was no need for Severus to suffer because she didn't play the game well. "Fine."

FINE?

"Yes. Fine. What part was unclear?" she snapped.

The demon tilted its head to the side. I WAS EXPECTING MORE... TERROR.

"I am afraid. I'm sorry it's a bit underwhelming. I think I used up a lot of my craven terror hunting Riddle's soul. One can only be terrified for so long before it just becomes mundane, you see?"

The demon opened and closed its four fists. NO. I DON'T, THANKS TO YOU.

She blanched. "Sorry, poor choice of words."

PAYMENT IS DUE, the demon intoned in a dreadful voice. YOU MUST BREAK THE RING TO END THIS.

"What is the price?" she asked in a broken whisper.

THE PRICE FOR THE OUTSTANDING DEBT? OR FOR YOUR HUBRIS AND PRIDE? YOU SHOULD HAVE WORRIED ABOUT THAT BEFORE YOU INVOKED MY NAME. NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY WHATEVER PRICE I SET. It stroked itself again. I FIND YOU AMUSING. I THINK I SHALL KEEP YOU AROUND TO PLAY WITH FOR AN EON OR TWO.

She shook her head. "He won't let me pay that. He will find a way to destroy you if you make me stay."

The demon laughed. HE HAS BEEN TRYING THAT SINCE YOU CAME HERE. EVEN NOW HE TRIES TO SUMMON ME, BUT HE WEAKENS WITH EVERY DARK SPELL HE CASTS. IN ANOTHER MOMENT, HE WILL THROW HIS VERY LIFE AWAY SO I CANNOT FULFILL THIS BARGAIN.

"You mustn't let him! We have no agreement if he dies!"

OH, THERE IS NO HURRY. TIME RUNS DIFFERENTLY HERE. YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO DECIDE TO PAY WITH HONOR, OR RUN AND DIE LIKE A DOG.

Hermione wrapped her arms around her stomach, nauseous at her folly.

I SENSE YOUR RESOLVE WEAKENING. PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE A LITTLE REMINDER OF WHAT IS AT STAKE?

The demon lifted an arm, and it disappeared as it reached into space. When it brought it back, she screamed.

Severus was dangling from the demon's hand by the neck with red fire boiling up and down his body, pulsing in time to his racing heart.

AN: We are looking for volunteer voices to help create podcasts of fanfic for the reading impaired. We would like to get this up and running soon to benefit a fangurl who has recently developed trouble reading. If you think you could help read a chapter or two, (or more!) we would love to hear from you! If anyone is interested, contact the Admins for further information on how and a list of stories we have received permission to record so far. :-)