Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That, Who's Afraid of the Big Black Bat?

Whew! FINALLY after over a month of writing and scraping, changing and deleting, loving and hating the scenes in this chapter, it... is... FINISHED! Sweet cuppin' cakes, I am NOT kidding when I say this is and will probably always be the most difficult chapter I've ever written! It's chapter 13, which means it was meant to be unlucky anyway. Go figure.

I have to give EXTRA SPECIAL thanks to Lady Peeves who encouraged and helped me along the way. "Um... men don't knee men in the groin, Melissa. That's just... weird." ;) Tee hee!

Special thanks to my mom, my sister (even after that nasty review she left), Lord_and_Lady_Peeves, yutamiyu, and Jade_Orchid my beta for everything you lovely ladies (and gentleman) do to encourage me.

Disclaimer: I have never owned any of these characters from the Harry Potter series and I never will. They all belong to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling, however this story belongs to me, spewing forth from my very own sick and demented mind. I don't plan on receiving any sort of profit for these stories. I just love the characters so much that I HAVE to write about them.

Please, no lawsuits.

Also, this is my FIRST story, so please, be nice and helpful. Enjoy! :)

WARNING: There's a rather graphic scene where Severus attempts to extract information from a Death Eater through "unorthodox means." If you're a little squeamish about this, then you may want to skip that part of the chapter. You've been warned.

__________________________________________

Chapter 13: Riddle Me This, Riddle Me That, Who's Afraid of the Big Black Bat?

Harry's eye grew wide as he stared at the Death Eater that sat at the edge of his bed grinning like a Cheshire cat behind his mask. Good God, how did he get in here? What was he going to do? Harry tried vainly to shout out and yell to the outside world, but he couldn't speak beyond a whisper. It was useless.

"What's the matter, Mister Potter?" the Death Eater taunted in a gruff voice. "Are we feeling a bit under the weather?"

That voice. Harry recognized that voice, but he couldn't remember who...

"Come along now, Mister Potter," the Death Eater hissed rising from the bed. "We've got to get you to the Dark Lord before anyone notices you're gone."

"N-no," Harry stammered.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter. Now, get up!"

"Even if I wanted to go... I can't... I can barely move."

"Oh, you'll move all right. If you don't I may just go down to your common room and have some fun with a few of the students, especially that little redhead girl that sat next to you today. Ginny, wasn't it?"

"You leave her out of this!" Harry growled as dangerously as he could.

"Then you'd better get yourself out of bed now!" the Death Eater ordered. "I know you have enough strength to make it down to the dungeons."

"Why are we going there?"

"You ask too many questions, Mister Potter, and that's how innocent lives get hurt. Now are you going to stop asking questions and cooperate, or am I going to have to find that Weasley girl and make her my new toy, hmm?"

"You leave her and the others alone... and I'll come quietly," Harry glared.

"As long as you don't make any mischief, I'll spare her and the rest. Death Eaters' honor."

"There's an oxymoron for you," Harry whispered snidely.

"Ah, ah, ah, Mister Potter. Let's not say or do anything that would make me angry. Now tell me, where is that invisible cloak I've heard you posses? It'll make it much easier to take you."

"Under my bed. Where are we going and why..."

"Enough chatting!" the Death Eater sneered. "Get up and moving!"

As Harry began to crawl out of bed, the Death Eater wrapped Harry's Invisibility Cloak around himself so no one would see him kidnap the Boy-Who-Lived. Lumbering to the door, Harry felt the tip of the Death Eater's wand pushing into the small of his back. Slowly, he took a deep breath and opened the door, praying that his friends would be spared and someone would notice how strange he as looking as he tired to walk clumsily out of he common room. As he came down the stairs, Harry saw the first and last person he wanted to see in there that evening, reading on the couch.

"Hi, Harry," Ginny said with a smile after looking up from her book. "Are you feeling any better?"

"No," Harry sighed, happy to look at Ginny one last time before facing Voldemort. "I'm going to Madame Pomfrey."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"N-no, Ginny. It's all right."

"But you look like you're ..."

"Really, I'm fine. Please, just let me be."

"Oh, well, okay then, Harry. I'll stop by later to see how you're doing."

"Good-bye, Ginny," Harry whispered, afraid his voice was going to crack with emotion. "You're a great friend... and... and a beautiful woman."

"Oh... Oh my! Why, thank you, Harry," Ginny said as she blushed.

Before she could reply further, Harry was ushered out of the common room by the Death Eater, and they made their way towards the dungeons. All the while Harry only pondered about Ginny, and how he had never taken the chance to tell her his true feelings.

Time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl for Harry. Seconds stretched out to minutes, and minutes seemed like hours as he slowly made his way to the dungeons with the Death Eater prodding him along with his wand. Oh, if only Dumbledore were there! If only he hadn't left for London!

Harry's thoughts were broken as the icy damp air from the dungeons hit his flushed cheeks. The dungeons always had unusually cold air, but that night it felt even chillier than ever before. The coldness was not helping Harry at all, especially since his legs were becoming heavy with fatigue and his body ached with exhaustion. To prevent the risk of collapsing, Harry slowed down to a stop and leaned against a cool wall.

"Get a move on, boy!" the Death Eater hissed in Harry's ear.

"I can't," Harry panted. "You don't understand... I feel very sick... It's to the point where I feel like... like..."

"Harry, is that you?" a voice asked.

Harry slowly turned his head toward the voice and his heart sank and he saw Hermione standing there with a quizzical look on her face. Oh no! She had probably just left Snape's lab. He had to get her to leave before the Death Eater decided to involve her in his plot. Harry felt the Death Eater grab his arm and squeeze it tight, warning him to not do anything heroic.

"Hi," Harry replied quietly, trying not to meet Hermione's eyes.

"What are you doing down here?"

"Uh... I was..."

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked with a concerned look.

"Yeah... I'm fine," Harry whispered as the invisible Death Eater pushed his wand harder into his back.

"Are you sure? No offense, but you don't look so good."

"I'm all right... Listen, I have to go."

"Oh," Hermione said in an unconvinced tone. "Where are you going?"

"Please, Hermione... I can't explain."

Hermione gave Harry a very disapproving look. Why was he down in the dungeons? Why was he acting so strangely? Why was he trying to get rid of her?

"Harry, what's really the mat..."

That was when Hermione noticed the snagged fabric on his arm. Why would his shirt be bunched like that? Suddenly, all the pieces began to fall into place, leading Hermione to the sudden realization that Harry wasn't acting this way of his own free will. He was trying to protect her from something or someone.

"Come on, Harry," Hermione said taking Harry by the hand. "Let's take you to Madam Pomfrey."

"No!" Harry whispered harshly. "Hermione..."

Despite how weak Harry was, he barely moved away from the wall. That only confirmed Hermione's suspicions that someone was grabbing his arm. Harry was in danger!

Suddenly, in one swift movement, she pulled her wand from her robes and exclaimed, "Flabrorum!"

Yellow sparks flew out of the end of her wand and a cold wind blew onto Harry, blowing the cloak right off of the Death Eater and slamming him into the wall. Harry felt the Death Eater release his arm, and he turned to Hermione.

"RUN!" Harry cried as loud as he could.

Hermione didn't listen. She wasn't about to leave one of her best friends behind. Instead she grabbed Harry's arm and attempted to run off with him back into Professor Snape's lab. He attempted to clumsily force his limbs to keep up with Hermione's pace. Unfortunately, he was mostly deadweight and staggered only for a few steps before collapsing onto the floor, dragging Hermione down with him.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she hit the dungeon floor. Her wand went flying out of her hand from the impact and down the steps. She felt Harry's hand slide out of her own as he tried to pick himself up. As she tried to do the same, she heard her friend say, "oof" as the Death Eater kicked him back onto the ground.

"PROFESSOR SNA..." Hermione blurted out before the Death Eater cut her off with a swift kick to the ribs, knocking the wind out of her. She dropped back onto the floor, clutching her side in pain.

"Shut up, you little Mudblood bitch!" he hissed digging the tip of his wand into the nape of her neck. "You're NOT going to spoil my plans! Get up; you're coming with us! I don't want you running off to tell! Come on now, get up!"

The Death Eater grabbed a fistful of her hair and lifted Hermione to her feet, causing her to squeak in pain.

"Leave her alone!" Harry barely croaked.

"Then you'd better come quietly, Potter, unless you want your little friend to get hurt."

Harry slowly rose to his feet, using the wall for support. The Death Eater grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him towards the stairs. Harry stumbled forward and griped the wall as he made his slow descent. Hermione whimpered as the Death Eater tugged at her hair and pulled her down with him as he pushed Harry down the rest of the stairs, slamming him into the door of Snape's lab.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped. "Leave him alone!"

"You're not in a position to give orders, Mudblood," the Death Eater hissed. "Now both of you get inside before someone sees you."

He herded them into the lab and threw them on the floor before warding the door with a silence and locking charm. Hermione's eyes darted around the lab. Where was Severus? Had he already gone back to his chambers? Her heart sank as she surveyed the room only to see it was completely empty. Oh no! That was NOT good! She turned to Harry lying next to her on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Hermione whispered to Harry.

"I feel so weak," Harry panted. "How are you?"

"My side hurts and my head aches, but other than that..."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" the Death Eater shouted before slapping Hermione hard across the face, causing Hermione to squeak.

"Stop!" Harry demanded, trying to get off the floor, but the Death Eater pushed him back down with his foot.

"Are you Mudbloods deaf as well as stupid?! I said shut up! Unless you really want your friend to die, Potter, then both of you stay quiet while I look for the Portkey."

"A Portkey?" Hermione moaned. She immediately regretted it as the Death Eater kicked her again while she was on the floor. She grabbed her side and clenched her teeth in pain, not giving him the satisfaction of hearing her whimper or scream again.

"If I have to tell you to shut up one more time, you Mudblood whore, I swear I'll..."

At that moment, the door to the storage room burst open and Snape came flying in, yelling: "Expelliarmus!" at the top of his lungs, wand pointed at the Death Eater. The wand flew through the air toward him. He caught it with his left hand, and pocketed it into his robes, with a sneer.

Snape had been in the storage room when he heard the loud bang against the door. He'd

frozen and listened carefully. When the lab door opened and three voices filled the room, he knew it couldn't have been anything good. He distinctly heard Hermione's voice first, followed by Potter's. Then he could have sworn he heard Burton's voice, but he was a Death Eater. How did he get into Hogwarts? Snape opened the door just a crack in time to witness Burton backhand Hermione across her delicate cheek.

Snape's eyes narrowed until they were merely slits. How DARE that bastard strike his little lioness in such a way?! Suddenly a rage began forming in Severus, a rage he hadn't felt in years, a rage that not even the Marauders had invoked in his school days. Voldemort himself hadn't ever made him this irate. Snape's hand clenched tightly around his wand and ground his teeth as the rage was building.

He watched on, the fury inside him growing. He could barely hear what was happening over the roar from the blood rushing in his ears. His body began to shake as the scene continued. Suddenly, Burton kicked Hermione and called her a filthy name, causing Snape to see nothing but red. At that moment, something in Severus snapped. He could no longer stand around to see what would happen. Years of being inconspicuous and spying no longer mattered. As he burst through the door and cast the disarming spell, his only thought dwelled on one thing: revenge for Hermione's pain.

"Snape, what in the hell are you doing?!" the Death Eater demanded. "It's me, Burton! I've got the Potter boy for the Dark Lord! Give me the Portkey you have, and I'll take him straight to..."

"SILENCE!" Snape shouted, spit flying out of his mouth. "YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

"What?! What are you talking about, Snape?!"

"You're a fool, Burton, if you think you're going to just waltz out of here with Potter and the girl!"

"You've gone mad! Why would you..." Suddenly Burton stopped mid sentence as a thought suddenly came to mind.

"Of course," he said quietly, "you don't want me to take Potter away because YOU want to bask in the Dark Lord's praises! Always have to be the 'Golden Boy,' don't you? Well, you're not going to take this opportunity from me! Share the spotlight with someone else for a change, Snape, and give me the Portkey!"

"As I said before, you are a fool, and so is your 'Dark Lord.' I meant what I said, Burton... You're a dead man."

Slowly, Burton began to process exactly what Snape has said, and his eye grew wide behind his mask in realization. While the Death Eater was distracted by his thoughts, Hermione seized the opportunity to crawl over to Harry and helped him along as they crawled behind Snape's desk and watched the scene from there. Hermione couldn't express her joy when she saw Snape standing there, but she couldn't say that she wasn't intimidated by his presence. He had never looked so angry or mad! In truth, it even frightened her a bit.

"So," Burton hissed, "there's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there? You... you're a traitor... a spy... you actually WANT to help this Potter boy and his Mudblood bitch!"

"SILENCE!" Snape spat. "Don't you ever..."

"YOU MUST DIE FOR BETRAYING THE DARK LORD, YOU TRAITOROUS SCUM!"

The Death Eater charged at Snape, but Snape punched him right in the face with a left hook. Burton flew back and fell over one of the workbenches, hitting the floor with a sickening thud. The mask slipped off from where Snape had punched him, revealing a bloodied face and some matted brown hair. Snape picked Burton up by the hood of his robes and threw him into the wall on the other side of the room. The Death Eater hit the wall hard on his right side before dropping to the ground with a thud. Snape sneered in disgust before striding over to the bloodied Death Eater, who lashed out at him while crawling on the ground.

Snape merely dodged him, remarking: "Not so great without your wand, hmm?"

Hermione was in shock the entire time. She had expected for Severus to fight with magic. However, he was definitely hanging up the wand so to speak and desired to use physical force instead. Why? Wouldn't have it been easier if he had just used a body bind on the fellow? However, it seemed as Severus was taking this to a personal level. This was more than just fighting to save Harry. Severus was fighting for something else as well, but what that was, she didn't know.

Hermione's thoughts were broken as Snape kicked Burton hard in his left shoulder. A loud crack filled the room and caused the Death Eater to cry out before grasping his dislocated shoulder. She gasped upon hearing the sickening sound. Hermione looked up at Snape who stared down at the Death Eater with hatred flashing in his eyes and a twisted sneer on his face. He was doing it on purpose. He WANTED to cause pain. There wasn't an ounce of remorse in his face. He'd deliberately broken the Death Eater's shoulder, and thought nothing of it. Despite the situation, this didn't sit well with Hermione. It was one thing to subdue a criminal, but it was completely another to be brutal.

She looked on in horror as Snape pulled Burton to his feet and pushed him against the wall, his right forearm on the Death Eater's neck pinning him there while pointing the wand at Burton's face.

"Tell me what the Dark Lord told you!" Snape demanded in a bellow.

"You're wasting your time," the Death Eater said. "I'll never talk."

"Is that so?" Snape challenged, removing his forearm, "We'll see about that!"

Snape punched Burton hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to double over with pain. He pushed the Death Eater down to the floor until he was completely sprawled upon it, look very odd since his shoulder was dislocated. Hermione and Harry could only look on in disbelief. Snape was pummeling this Death Eater with his bare hands! Where did he learn to fight like that? Why wasn't he using magic now?

"Snape, you traitor!" Burton panted as he unsuccessfully tried to get up. "Helping the Potter boy... and his Mudblood bitch?!"

"Quiet!" Snape growled, kicking him hard in the side just as Burton had with Hermione.

Harry and Hermione distinctly heard a rib crack as the Death Eater moaned in pain. Hermione looked away and buried her face in Harry's shoulder. He slowly moved closer to her, wishing he could wrap her in a tight embrace, but he as still too weak. This was scaring even him. Why wasn't Snape getting McGonagall? Was he actually getting some sort of pleasure out of this? Well whatever the reason was, it was appalling both him and Hermione.

"Doesn't feel very good, does it, Burton?" Snape taunted in a whisper with a crooked smirk on his face.

"I'm going to inform the Dark Lord about your betrayal!" Burton seethed. "I'll tell everyone! You'll be destroyed!"

"Well, that doesn't give me much incentive to let you go, does it?"

"You can do whatever you please, Snape, but no matter what I'll remain a loyal servant to the Dark Lord! I'll never betray him! I'll never talk!"

Snape stared at Burton for a moment before he spoke, collecting his thoughts and regaining his composure. Wouldn't talk, would he? Well, that could be remedied with a certain form of... persuasion.

"So," Snape said softly, "This is how you want it. Fine by me. I would have thought that you of all people would remember why the Dark Lord always uses me to extract information from prisoners. However, I'll be more than happy to demonstrate my tactics."

Burton's eyes grew wide and his mouth partially dropped open. Hermione and Harry looked at each other. What did Snape mean by "tactics?"

With a snap of his fingers, Snape opened a cupboard in the right far back corner of the room. Suddenly, a dark black vial shot out of the cupboard and into the palm of his hand. He looked at the vial while Burton visibly shook beneath him.

"Scared, Burton?" Snape asked barely above a whisper. "You should be."

Burton said nothing, but forced himself to stop quivering while Snape placed the vial on a near by workbench. If anything was going to make Burton talk, this was definitely going to do it.

Hermione looked at her Professor, the object of her affection, as Snape shed off his teaching robes and threw them over a chair. As he unbuttoned and rolled up his sleeves, Snape said to Hermione and Harry gravely, "You would do well to depersonalize what follows."

Hermione's eyes grew wide in shock as he turned his back to her and Harry. Severus didn't even look the same. This was someone she had never known, someone colder and harder than Severus. This no longer was Severus the Potions Master of Hogwarts: this was Snape the Death Eater, and the thought unsettled her.

Burton tried to lift himself off the floor again, but Snape's foot came down hard on his back and pinned him there.

"Where are you going, Burton?" Snape taunted as he swiped the vial from the table. "The fun is about to begin."

Snape pushed over the Death Eater with his foot, causing Burton to flip onto his back. With a flick of his wrist, ropes shot out from the end of Snape's wand and bound Burton's arms and legs down to the floor. Another flick of his wand and Burton's black Death Eater robes were ripped down the middle from the top of his chest to just below his navel, exposing the pale skin underneath. Slowly and carefully, Snape uncorked the vial containing the strange clear substance before taking a glass stirring-rod from the work bench. He dipped it into the vial and held it over Burton's bare chest.

"You know what this is, correct?" Snape asked in his silkiest voice. "I am sure that you do since you've seen me use it before."

"It's Flamma Liquidus," Burton spoke bitterly, hoping his voice wouldn't crack under fear. "Liquid Fire."

"Correct, Burton. This happens to be a product of my own design. I made it especially for the Dark Lord when I was first recruited many years ago... It has never failed in uncovering even the darkest of secrets."

"Well there's a first for everything, Snape!" Burton spat. "You can use the whole damn bottle! It doesn't matter, because I'm NOT a double-crosser like you!"

"Let's test your theory as well as your loyalty, Burton," Snape scowled. "Now, tell me before you regret it... What did the Dark Lord tell you?"

"Piss off!" the Death Eater hissed back. Snape dug his heel into Burton's diaphragm, causing him to cry out in pain. He took his heel off and asked again, getting only the same reply.

"Piss off!" Burton spat. "You've gotten soft loving these dirty Mudbloods! Unlike you, I took pleasure in poisoning Potter and hurting that little Mudblood bitch over there. Oh, it was wonderful to hear her moan after..."

Suddenly, Snape sneered down over Burton, rage and hatred burning in his eyes "You will pay for hurting her!" he said ominously in a whisper only Burton could hear. "I will personally make it my priority that you will feel her pain tenfold."

Slowly, Snape pushed the tip of the stirring rod to the left side of the Death Eater's chest and dragged it across towards the right. The man shook and screamed in pain. Hermione stared wide-eyed in shock and horror. She had never heard such a blood-curdling scream in her life. It seemed to ring in her ears even after Burton stopped. By the hem of Merlin's robes, what in the HELL did Severus think he was doing, especially inside of Hogwarts?

When Snape removed the rod from Burton's chest, Hermione gasped in shock. There was a huge raised red line across his chest with a few heat blisters that had already begun to form. It was as if he were being burned by a flame itself. Soon, an empty feeling began growing in the pit of Hermione's stomach. She looked up at Snape who was sneering down at the Death Eater, as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. This wasn't the Severus she knew and loved. This wasn't the real him...

Was it?

"Let's try another question," Snape said calmly to the Death Eater after dipping the rod into the vial for a second time. "How did you get into Hogwarts?"

Burton was clearly in immense pain, but he remained silent.

"Speak!" Snape hissed.

This time he held the tip of the rod in the middle of the Death Eater's stomach, concentrating on that area. Burton writhed and screamed in pain again as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his body seized. Again, Hermione buried her head in Harry's shoulder. She was seeing a side of Snape he had hidden from her and she did not like it at all! After what seemed like an eternity, Snape stopped again while the Death Eater tried to catch his breath. The smell of burnt hair wafted up to Hermione, causing bile to rise in her throat that she forced back down.

"A flea!" Burton spat out as his body already ached in anguish. "That's how I got in! I can transfigure into a flea!"

"Is that how you REALLY entered into Hogwarts?" Snape asked with his arms crossed as he dipped the rod back into the vial.

"Y-y-yes."

"I don't believe you," Snape sneered as he brought the end of the rod toward Burton's face.

"NO, it's true! I SWEAR IT!"

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere," Snape smirked coolly withdrawing the rod and putting it into the vial. "I knew you'd see things my way. Now explain to me your plan. You've already made it clear that you snuck in Hogwarts undetected in a form of a flea, but by what means did you enter?"

"I... I came with... Potter," Burton panted, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth.

'WHAT?!' both Harry and Hermione thought in surprise.

"Explain!" Snape demanded with a hard nudge into Burton's ribs with his boot.

"I was in Hogsmeade," Burton began, "and I knew Potter and his friends would be at The Three Broomsticks... I slipped in through the back of the pub and disguised myself as a waiter... biding my time until the perfect opportunity came when young Malfoy and the Longbottom boy began arguing over who would pay for their bill."

Harry's eyes grew wide as he suddenly realized how he knew why the man's voice was so familiar: he was the waiter that had served Ron and him their drinks! That's why he'd looking at Harry strangely. That's why he hadn't known the soup specials for that evening. That's why Rosmerta had looked so flabbergasted when they had their drinks before she arrived at their table. He was a Death Eater!

"At that moment," Burton continued, snapping Harry out of his realizations, "when all eyes were on them, I took two butterbeers from the bar and poisoned the one I gave to Potter."

"What did you poison him with?" Snape interrogated.

"What? You're a Potion's Master and you can't figure that out? I must admit I'm a little disappointed."

Snape glared as he dug the rod into the Death Eater's left cheek. The man screamed in agony again. Hermione looked at Snape's face. There was absolutely no emotion at all. It didn't seem he was enjoying it, but he wasn't disgusted by it either. Finally, he stopped and said something to Burton she couldn't hear.

"The Lethargy Potion!" Burton coughed as more blisters began to form on his skin. "It would make him easier to kidnap as well as easier for the Dark Lord to kill!"

Harry nodded slowly, remembering how he suddenly became so tired and weak after drinking the Butterbeer. Well, that explained the onset of fatigue.

"This still doesn't explain how you came into Hogwarts," Snape interrogated relentlessly. "Would you care to explain or am I going to have to apply the serum again? You know I don't mind doing it in the least."

Hermione shuddered at the eerie tone in Snape's voice as he spoke those words. Who was his man she thought she knew? Was she in love with the real Severus or was this man, this monster, the real Severus?

"Please, Snape, don't force me to tell you!" Burton pleaded from the floor while Snape looked down his nose with a cold hard scowl. "If the Dark Lord finds out..."

Snape didn't wait for him to finish. Instead he put the tip of the rod on the Death Eater's dislocated shoulder. Hermione almost felt sick to her stomach as she watched the scene. The man suffered loudly again before Snape stopped once more. Burton looked like he was about to pass out soon, as his body shuddered uncontrollably. His mouth was moving slightly but no words were coming out.

"I'm waiting!" Snape snarled.

"After I served them... I went to the back of the pub again and transfigured into a flea without anyone noticing... I waited for Rosemerta to come along and I jumped on her."

He paused for a moment to catch his breath.

"I traveled with her until she finally came to Potter's table again. When she set down the drinks, I jumped onto the Potter boy in his hair where I waited until he was alone and the potion had taken effect."

Harry's eyes grew wide again. Of course! No wonder his head had itched so much! It suddenly all made so much sense!

"Why did you bring him down here?" Snape demanded of the Death Eater.

"I... I can't..."

Snape slowly dipped the rod into the vial.

"The Portkey!" Burton exclaimed. "The Portkey that you keep here that will take you straight to Lord Voldemort. I was going to use it to take me and the boy to him."

Snape looked down at the Death Eater in disgust. Of all the worthless people who blindly followed Voldemort, why on EARTH would he send one of the weakest and stupidest Death Eaters to get the precious Boy-Who-Lived? What was more important to Snape was why Voldemort hadn't told HIM of his plans. Did he know that he was a spy? Of course not. Burton wouldn't have said he'd tell the Dark Lord of Snape's betrayal if that were the case. Snape decided it was time to dig deeper into the Death Eater's head and find out Lord Voldemort's plans.

Snape slowly paced around Burton as he spoke in a silky tone, "It seems you've wised up a bit, which is beneficial for you. The more information you reveal, the longer you get to live."

Hermione couldn't help but give a stifled gasp at his words. He didn't really mean it. He wasn't going to... no, not Severus.

He wouldn't.

He couldn't.

Could he?

"Now," Snape continued in a smooth voice, "since things are coming along so nicely, let's start with the first question again: What did the Dark Lord tell you?"

"N-n-nothing."

Snape growled as he laid the rod onto the Death Eater's face, over his right cheek. Hermione turned her head away as Burton screamed in severe pain again. His body writhed on the floor as the white-hot pain seared through his body. His nails dug into his palms and his eyes were squeezed shut. Despite that he was a Death Eater, Hermione couldn't stand to see him in pain. She couldn't stand it even more that Severus was the one causing it. Why was he using such barbaric methods? Why didn't he just use Veritaserum or Legilimens? She looked at Harry who also turned away from the ghastly scene. She wasn't surprised. Finally, Burton stopped screaming when Snape stopped, allowing Hermione to slowly turn her head back onto the scene.

She heard Snape say smoothly, "Let's try this again. Tell me all that you know this instant!"

Burton panted in response, trying to catch his breath after he had screamed at the top of his lungs. Snape was too impatient and laid the rod across the Death Eater again. He cried out loudly as the pain seared and pulsed through him. Snape glared down at the lowly miscreant as he continued, secretly hating and enjoying ever scream the man uttered, even forgetting that Hermione and Harry were in the room. The only thing on his mind was revenge!

Snape stopped and towered over the badly beaten Death Eater with his arm crossed over his chest. Despite all the information he was able to extract, it didn't satisfy him, nor did he forget about how Burton had abused Hermione! He glared at the man who dared to harm his lioness, his Hermione! He told the bastard that he'd pay for hurting her!

"How long is it going to take in order to loosen your tongue, Burton?" Snape said with a spiteful look. "Believe me, I can do this all night long. It's up to you."

"Snape... please..." Burton managed to choke out, "I know nothing... Have mercy."

"Have mercy? You didn't show any to Potter or Miss Granger. Why should I? I will NOT show mercy!"

"Wait, I..."

"Don't waste my time!"

With one swift movement, Snape brought the rod to the Death Eater's chin and slowly trailed it down his neck, chest, and stomach; not stopping until he had reached the naval. Meanwhile, the Death Eater screamed louder than he ever had, causing his throat to burn. His body arched as he howled from the pit of his stomach. The nails digging into his palms drew blood and the blisters on his chest began to bleed as well. Even Voldemort didn't cause this amount of pain to Burton when they played the humiliating game of mercy.

Hermione wanted to scream for Snape to stop, but she didn't dare. She didn't know what to expect from him. Good God, she never expected him to torture information out of anyone. Who knew what else he was capable of? He showed no emotion whatsoever, almost as if he didn't care. This wasn't the Severus she knew night after night in the labs, this was the Snape that turned to Voldemort. At that moment, for the first time in her life, Hermione was absolutely terrified of Snape.

Burton panted hard while his body shook and he winced in pain. Snape looked down at him in disgust, unaware of Hermione's fear.

"What did Voldemort tell you?!" Snape demanded again this time pressing his foot down on the Death Eater's dislocated shoulder. Burton could only whimper in pain like a child since his throat was so raw from screaming. Snape threateningly dipped the rod into the vial again, which was the breaking point for Hermione.

"NOTHING, HE KNOWS NOTHING!" Hermione stood and yelled from behind the desk. "PLEASE, HE KNOWS NOTHING! STOP IT!"

For the first time, Snape looked over at Hermione. He was definitely surprised by her reaction. He was even more surprised to see her slightly trembling and sorrow filled her eyes. Snape's heart sank as he looked at her with pain in his own eyes. Slowly, the anger was dying down and being replaced with shame. He looked back down at the Death Eater saw, for the first time, the pain Burton was experiencing, remembering his own when he was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse and other forms of torture from Voldemort.

"It's true," Burton said in a hoarse voice. "She's right... The Dark Lord had nothing to do with this... I planned it all."

"WHAT?!" Hermione and Snape gasped.

"I... I organized it all... without telling Lord Voldemort."

Snape stared down in disbelief at his former comrade, but didn't show it.

"Are you telling me that the Dark Lord doesn't even know of your plans?" Snape asked angrily. "You're acting without his permission?"

"Why would it matter if I had his permission or not, Snape?!" Burton spat with new fervor before breaking down into a coughing fit. Snape waited patiently with his arms crossed over his chest while the Death Eater tried to catch his breath before continuing. "I was humiliated at the last Dark Revel... when the Dark Lord used the Cruciatus Curse on us... I didn't even last five minutes. He told me I was weak... that he couldn't afford to have weak followers... that I deserved to die... I thought if I could bring Potter to Lord Voldemort... He'd see I was a strong... loyal... and cunning servant... It would have worked too if YOU hadn't become a spy!"

Burton strained his neck so he could glare up at Snape

"I always thought it odd that YOU who have been residing in the same castle with the boy for YEARS could not bring him to the Dark Lord," Burton hissed. "Now I know why, you traitor!"

"Burton, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," Snape drawled. "When the Dark Lord finds out you've acted without his consent, you're as good as dead."

"NO! I'll have the Potter boy! I'll..."

"But you've been caught, and when Dumbledore returns, he's going to make damn sure that there's no way something like this will ever happen again. You just made it a hundred times harder for the Dark Lord to apprehend the boy. You don't think he'd blame you for that? You don't think you'll be punished for doing such a thing?"

Burton stared wide-eyed at Snape, the color draining from his face.

"No, he wouldn't," Burton whispered.

"Yes, he would," Snape said gravely. "He doesn't care about you; you're expendable. He only cares about one thing: power. He'll stop at nothing to get it."

"You're one to talk, Snape! Don't think I don't know why you're so close with him... Everyone knows he'll have you on his right side when he comes to power. Oh, if he only knew the truth. I bet he was already thinking on how you two would spend the day playing that stupid silly game of riddles you tell each other!"

Hermione's hands flew up to cover her mouth as she gasped loudly at those words. Frankly, she couldn't help herself. Dear God, Severus actually played that game with that monster?! She closed her eyes as her heart sank with grief, tears threatening to spill out from her eyes. How could he do such a thing? How could he?

Severus wasn't blind to the absolute horror on Hermione's face after Burton's proclamation. The one secret Severus wanted to keep from his lioness had just been unexpectedly reveled in a manner that was less than sensitive. That damn fool! He was going to pay for it now!

Snape sneered, anger pulsing through him as he turned the vial upside down and poured all of the Flamma Liquidus all over Burton's trunk. The Death Eater's screams echoed off the walls, as his entire body arched against the restraints. The scalding liquid sizzled his skin, turning it from a pale white to a scorching red. Previous blisters began to bleed with the smell of his own burnt flesh and hair invading his nostrils. If Burton didn't know what Hell was like, he had an idea at that moment.

Hermione covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push out the agonizing screams and the image of the broken and burning body in front of her. By the hem of Merlin's robes, what had Snape done?! He had got all his information. He had only done that out of pure anger, out of pure hatred. He was acting no better than a Death Eater, and that caused Hermione's heart to break. Oh, Severus, why? Why did he do it? Soon, a sob escaped from her lips as she cried not just for the loss of her innocence, but the realization that Severus was not the man she thought him to be.

Harry was forced to watch the horrific scene, as he could not do much else. He looked at his Potion Master and saw the anger in his twisted face. Every ounce of Snape's bitterness and wrath went into that act of rage and it showed. But why? Who cares if he exchanged riddles with Voldemort? Was it because of Hermione's appalled reaction, and why did she find it so shocking anyway? Harry didn't have the answers, but he knew one thing was certain: Snape was very close to killing Burton off.

Finally, the pain was too much for Burton to bear. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out, while his body slightly shook from the shock. Snape stood there breathing hard, never looking angrier in his life. His hands were in tight fists and his body shook with rage. His black eyes flashed with fury and his yellow teeth were grinding as he sneered. His eyes were narrowed into little slits as he glared down at the Death Eater, the one who hurt his lioness, the one who revealed his dark secret about the riddle game with Voldemort. Well, he'd gotten what was coming to him for hurting Hermione.

Hermione!

Snape looked up quickly to see if Hermione was indeed all right. He drew a sharp breath as he saw her sitting there with her hands coving her ears and her eyes squeezed so hard together that tears leaked out and trailed down her cheeks. Her body shuddered as she broke into another sob. Feeling Burton would no longer be a threat, he removed the ropes that tied the Death Eater to the floor and strode over to Hermione, not even giving Harry one glance.

"Hermione," Snape whispered as he stood in front of her. "Hermione."

He gently took hold of her hands and attempted to pry them off her ears. She flinched at his touch and backed away. Her eyes flashed open and, upon realizing it was him, gave a startled gasp before snatching her hands away.

"Hermione," Snape repeated but she only back farther away, causing his heart to sink.

'She's afraid of me,' he thought to himself.

"Hermione," Snape repeated more calmly, "tell me if you're all right."

Hermione stared at Snape for a moment, as if she couldn't understand what he was saying. She had a blank look in her eyes, but behind them grew sorrow, fear, and anger. So many emotions filled her mind at once that it seemed overwhelming. This morning she was head-over-heels in love with her Potions Master. Now she just wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

Finally, she looked over at Harry and whispered: "Harry... he needs the antidote."

Snape turned to Harry and glared as if he was the cause of all the events that had occurred that evening. He strode to a near by cupboard and quickly scanned through the vials before selecting the antidote to the Lethargy Potion.

"Drink this all in one gulp, Potter!" Snape commanded shoving the vial into his hands. "You're lucky I had this already. It'd take too long if I had to brew it, and you'd die from suffocation because you'd be too tired to breathe!"

"Thank you, sir," Harry whispered before drinking the entire vial. He immediately began to feel much more energized and awake as he felt the antidote go down his throat. His strength was returning while Snape turned his attention to Hermione.

"Hermione," Snape whispered standing beside her. "Hermione, are you all right?"

Hermione said nothing as she continued to look down at her feet.

"Hermione," Snape said a little more firmly, but still she remained silent.

Seeing how this was probably going to take more of an effort on his part, he whipped around and barked, "Potter! Once you have completely recuperated, floo to Professor McGonagall's office immediately and fetch her along with some aurors to collect Mr. Burton!"

"Yes, sir!" Harry said, jumping to his feet and running to the fireplace (rather grateful he could run again).

Just when Harry grabbed the floo powder, Snape stopped him saying, "By the way, Potter: after Mr. Burton attacked me and we fought in my laboratory, he stumbled into some of my experiments, breaking the vials and spilling the contents onto his body. Do you understand?"

Harry looked at Snape in shock. Snape was asking him to lie. No, he wasn't even doing that. He was TELLING him to lie, not just to McGonagall, but to Aurors as well! No way! He couldn't do that!

"Potter!" Snape snapped. "Do you understand? Unless you want certain people in the Ministry to know that I am a double agent for the Order, you'll comply with my commands."

Harry looked down at his feet for a moment, wondering it Snape's words were a warning or a threat. Finally, he looked up at the Potions Master and nodded whispering, "Yes, sir."

"Good, now go."

Harry looked at Hermione before he flooed to the temporary Head Mistress's office, wondering if she was feeling uncomfortable about the secret as well. When The-Boy-Who-Gave-Him-A-Headache had finally left, Snape turned all his attention back to Hermione, who had not changed her position or demeanor since Potter's departure.

"Hermione!" Snape finally growled, frustrated and annoyed that she was ignoring him. "Dammit, answer me this instant!"

Suddenly, Hermione's mood changed from somber to surly in a matter of moments as she turned to challenge Snape. Her eyes reflected her anger and hurt as she hissed, "Or what? You'll play a game of mercy with me, too? Just like you and Voldemort play together? Just like the game of riddles you two love even more?"

As much as Snape was surprised at her words, he was more hurt as they stung his heart. At least she had waited until Potter was gone before she ripped him apart.

"Hermione..." he began, but she cut him off.

"Oh, by the way, the answer to your riddle is 'few,' just like it seems that there's only a few things about the real Severus Snape I knew about."

"Hermione, please ..."

"Did your Dark Lord tell you that riddle, too, or did you tell it to him already? Well, in case you did, here's one you can tell him: What is that which goes out of the body when death comes in and is also the part of you that sees a dream? I'll give you a hint: YOU seem to be lacking one, from what you did to Burton!"

"That's not fair!"

"You know what's not fair, Professor? What's not fair is leading a person to believe that only they had something special with you, that they were the only one who..."

Hermione stopped and turned her head away from Snape, already afraid she had said too much. Snape's heart jumped into his throat as his chest tightened at her ultimatum. He looked at her, trying to read her face to see what she was going to say.

"Finish your statement," Snape said calmly, hoping it was the declaration he was looking for, and yet dreading it at the same time.

Hermione shook the thoughts of love for her Potions Master out of her head before whipping around to face him again. "You had no right to do what you did," she continued. "You're NOT an auror! Leave the questioning to them!"

His hope faded at her remark, and his anger and resentment settle in his chest once more. "I was doing it for the Order!" he said defensively.

"Don't you dare use the Order as an excuse!"

"It wasn't like he was a saint! The man was going to murder you and Potter, or have you forgotten how he abused you before I intervened?"

"I haven't forgotten!"

"Then why are you upset that I saved you?!"

"I'm NOT upset that you saved us, I'm upset about what you did AFTER you saved us as well as not telling me about your 'game' with Voldemort!"

"I gave that man what he deserved! As for the ga..."

"And what do YOU deserve, Professor Snape? If everyone is getting what they deserve then what do you think YOU deserve?"

Snape stared at her in stunned silence while she gave him a cold hard glare. What hurt him the most was that Hermione called him by his title when they both very well knew she could have addressed him by his given name. Then there was her question: what did he deserve? He knew things he had done in the past were ten times more horrible than anything Burton had ever accomplished. That being the case, if HE was to get what he deserved...

Snape shook his head, not even wanting to think about it. Besides, he had changed his ways. He still couldn't be held accountable for his past transgressions. She was just trying to make his feel guilty! After what he did for her and that prat Potter THIS was his thanks?! With a sneer he spat, "You have NO idea what you are saying, you silly girl, but I suppose it is too much for a child to understand!"

Hermione was hurt by his comment, but didn't show it. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Instead she glared and him and said dangerously, "It is one thing to defend yourself or others against a threat... It is completely another to cause pain because you can, or out of anger, as if it were using the Cruciatus Curse! You just made yourself no better than the rest of the Death Eaters!"

At that point, Snape was outraged. He couldn't believe the words that came flying out of her impertinent mouth. How could she even think that? He was nothing like them! Despite his love for the lioness, she had pushed him over the breaking point.

Snape took a step forward and roared, "HOW DARE YOU COMPARE ME TO THEM?"

Hermione was unfazed as she took a step towards Snape and shouted back, "HOW DARE YOU TAKE ME FOR GRANTED?"

"WHAT? I NEVER..."

"YOU DID! YOU WERE RUNNING OUT OF RIDDLES FOR YOUR DARK LORD, SO YOU DECIDED TO PICK MY BRAIN!"

Snape looked at her in shock. That thought had NEVER crossed his mind. He was playing the game because he liked her company. He had never even used one of Hermione's riddles to the Dark Lord.

Before he could speak to tell her how he truly felt, Hermione continued spitefully, "I would have helped you if you would have asked, but to deceive me and pretend... pretend to be my friend..."

"But, Hermione," Snape started in a firm tone, "I..."

"I can't stay here any longer," Hermione said softly as a lump began to form in her throat. "If the aurors want to speak to me tell them they can find me in my room!"

Hermione dashed for the door and grabbed the handle.

"Stop!" Snape demanded. "Don't..."

"Don't tell anyone happened tonight?" Hermione interrupted in a stern tone. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret safe. Besides, you're going to have to live with yourself about what you did. I pray that you can only remember what is right when the time comes. Good bye... Professor Snape."

She quickly yanked open the door and slammed it shut behind her, hoping the sound would echo and mask her sobs as she ran up to her room. Snape stood there as the sound of the door slamming in his face reverberated off the walls, filling the room with an empty feeling before it slowly died down and the silence roared in his ears. He was alone... ashamed... and dejected. He stood there looking at the place she had once stood, wishing he could have taken her in his arms and told her that he did care and love her, that he wasn't taking advantage of her, that he was sorry for what he had done.

But it was too late.

He was alone.

Perhaps this is what he deserved.

Snape continued to stand there with his arms limp at his sides until Harry returned with Professor McGonagall and the aurors, none of them knowing the real tragedy that had occurred that night.

________________________________________________________________________

Yea, there's chapter 13! I hope you all liked it (I worked too damn hard for you not to)!

Sorry it took so long to update, but as I explained before, this one kicked my butt!

5 points to your house if you knew the answer to the previous riddle, which was "few." You can get 5 more if you figure out the latest riddle!

The Alan Rickman quote in chapter 12 was "It's just a mushroom." said by David in Dark Harbor. Yeah, that was tricky, but if you've seen the movie, you know there's significance behind his words. ;) There's another quote in this chapter. Happy hunting!

Also, as an added bonus since this chapter took SO long, if you can figure out the significance of the chapter title, then I'll award you even more points. Hint: the more specific you are (actor, character, movie, etc), the more points I'll give your house.

Thanks for all the support! You all are the best! You rock my socks!

"We fight against those who control the darkness."

- DADA Mistress