Chapter 4

Two weeks had passed since Hermione and Lavender had been captured and forced to live with Snape. The days were long and boring, though she did appreciate that Snape allowed her to fill her days with reading – aside from the dusting and cleaning he had her do. It seemed that he never told Lavender anything for slacking in her duties.

In fact, Lavender stayed in her room a good bit. Hermione's suspicious mind told her that Snape, who was conspicuously absent often, spent much of his free time behind that closed door as well. She saw him mostly in the evenings when they'd all have dinner together. Afterwards, she would retreat to his small sitting room and sit on his threadbare couch to read, and he would join her, quietly reading something of his own and speaking only to bid her a good evening.

In retrospect, she found it odd that Lavender never intruded on this private time. Any other time, the girl would flounce about, shaking her arse, in an attempt to keep his attention on her instead of Hermione. 'Sadly,' Hermione thought, 'it's working. His eyes are always trained on Lavender when she's with us.'

She suddenly wanted to slap herself. She knew she should be glad that she didn't have to wear any of the ridiculously revealing clothes that Lavender wore. Looking down at her dark, floor-length, high-collared dress, she frowned. It was probably something that his mother had once worn. Most days she tried to tell herself it was a compliment, but on others, she was certain that he was just making sure he didn't have to see more of her than he had to.

Placing the last plate on the table, she vowed to herself, 'Tonight will change things. My plan of getting revenge on Ron and of showing Lavender that she's not always first choice will be realized – once and for all!'

At that moment, a giddy Lavender flounced in and sat in the chair that Hermione was pulling out for herself. "Thank you," she said, beaming brightly. "Severus will be along shortly."

Grinding her teeth, Hermione moved to sit in the next chair, watching through narrowed eyes as Lavender buttered a slice of toast. The instant Snape came into the room, she dipped her finger into the butter and then brought it up to her lips to lick and suck it away in an obvious attempt at seduction. Snape watched her display with an arched eyebrow before sitting down across from the two of them. He said nothing as he began to fill his plate with stew.

"Hermione, you've cooked beef stew about ten times since we've been here! Can't you cook anything else?" Lavender asked, whinging and pouting.

"There's never much choice when I decide to make something, and I am quiet partial to beef stew. If you don't like it," she said brusquely, "fix your own food."

"You don't have to be so testy. It's just that you could have done something differently with what was provided." Turning to Snape, Lavender said, "Isn't that right, Severus?"

"I think, Miss Brown, that it would be prudent for you to eat your meal in silence, lest Miss Granger does force you to fend for yourself at mealtimes."

Hermione smiled internally. It was the first time Snape had taken her side on something. The victory was short lived, however, as she watched the way his eyes were drawn to the low cut of Lavender's blouse and the large swell of breasts there.

Eating as quickly as possible and refraining from looking at them, Hermione left the room in search of her book so that she could at least lose herself in an alternate universe. She was fuming by the time Snape finally ventured in, which wasn't until Lavender had fluttered by towards her own rooms. Carefully placing her book aside, she glared at him and stamped her foot on the floor.

"It appears you are bursting to say something," he commented, not even looking at her.

"This arrangement is unfair!" she exploded.

"Meaning?" he said, tone bored.

"I have to do the cooking and the cleaning here while Lavender does nothing but... but laze about in her room. You treat her better than you treat me! Y-you give her better clothes to wear, a bigger room, anything she wants but freedom." She stood and placed her hands on her hips. "If you're so satisfied with her as your captive, why can't you just let me go? There's nothing that you need me for."

He was upon her in an instant, causing her to step back a few steps until her back connected with the wall behind her. He stopped only a few inches from her.

His voice was a whisper when he asked, "Have I ever asked you to clean my home?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "You told me to make certain to tidy up when I finished reading."

"I meant for you to place your books where you'd found them when done with them and put back anything else you might have used while using my room," he said.

"Oh, but I thought..."

"You took it upon yourself to cook meals. I don't recall ordering you to do so," he added when words failed her. He stepped closer, leaving nearly no space between them. "I think, Miss Granger, that you are quite jealous of Miss Brown."

"I am not!" Hermione said forcefully. "I just hate that she always seems to win and that she's so damn smug about it. What's so good about her?"

One pale hand rose to cup her chin and to force her eyes to look into his. "Do you remember what I said that first night you were here?"

She swallowed thickly. "Yes." Visions of his lean, naked body over hers while she was chained to his bedposts came to mind. She could nearly hear herself pleading with him to not stop as he moved between her welcoming thighs. "Oh." She could feel her center heating.

Ever so slowly, his lips lowered until they were pressed tightly against hers. Opening her lips in surprise, his tongue invaded her mouth, exploring and moving with her own eager tongue in rhythm. She could taste the elf-made wine that he'd drunk for dinner. Breathing raggedly, he pulled away finally, still crushing her body to the wall with hers, one his legs nestled between hers, thigh slowly rubbing her hot crotch.

"Never think that she is more appealing than you are, Hermione," he said, rich baritone seeping through her pores. "She simply has her uses."

She wanted something more. If his kiss could leave her breathless and if his body against hers could make her so needy, what more could he do to her? Ronald had never left her wanting him the way that Snape was.

"As soon as I am done with her, and I nearly am, I shall send her back to Rodolphus where she belongs," he informed. "She's his by our laws." His mouth found hers again for a fervent kiss before he pulled away. "Once she's gone... I shall make good on that first promise I gave you." With that said, he was gone in a swirl of black robes, leaving her panting and filled with conflicting thoughts.

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Ron Weasley watched from the shadowy doorway as Harry stood by the fireplace and listened to Malfoy's pleading.

"Potter, I know that if anyone can help me, you can. We've been over this time and again."

"Yes, your family is important to you," Harry said, turning around to face Malfoy with a cold expression on his face. "And look how your family...and you...have treated me and my friends! I don't owe them anything, but you... you I'll keep safe."

Ron heard the quaver in Harry's voice and hated it. The git had broken up with his sister because he supposedly didn't want any attachments, but if he didn't know better, he would swear that Harry had a thing for Malfoy. He was right protective of the tosser. His eyes widened as Draco fell to his knees at Harry's feet.

"My mother, Potter... she's not like him! I swear it. If you could just ask one of those Order members to go there and..." He leaned forward and rested his head on Harry's stomach, arms coming up to hold onto Harry's thighs. "Is this about that night then? Are you still angry about that?"

There was no reply. Ron couldn't believe what he was seeing... and hearing. 'What night is he going on about?' he wondered.

"I didn't force you to do that... not really, and you know it!"

Harry's hand came up to rest on Malfoy's blond locks. "Why did you Obliviate me? I could have helped you then. Things would have turned out differently for us all...especially Dumbledore."

"I couldn't. The Dark Lord, he would have known. Snape would have found out – or someone else would have. There are spies all over. I..."

Moving to kneel down, Harry suddenly kissed Malfoy. Ron put a hand to his mouth to keep from crying out in disgust. There had to be an explanation for this. His friend was not gay and did not feel any attraction to bloody Malfoy. 'He's just trying to get more information from him, is all,' he thought hopefully. However, in the next moment, Harry was pushing down his baggy trousers just enough for Malfoy to reach down and stroke his hard cock.

'He's right convincing,' Ron thought in shock. 'Almost looks like he's truly turned on by the git.'

"Ah... yeah... fuck..." Harry mumbled, head thrown back, as Malfoy's lips took his cock inside his mouth.

Not wanting to see any more, Ron backed away and went up to his own room to think things over. He'd have to have a talk to Harry about this. Something wasn't adding up. He sure wished that Hermione or Lavender were there to comfort him in his time of need. "Pity they've both gone missing at once," he said aloud. He felt immediately guilty, knowing it was his fault for their disappearance and likely demise. However, there was still cause to hope that he'd find them one day. Malfoy had reassured them that most of the time, captives were kept alive for a while.

He reached down to fondle his own erection and closed his eyes, planning to stroke himself to release. Try as he might to picture either Lavender's jiggling breasts or Hermione's tight body, he could only think of Malfoy's lips on Harry's cock.

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Hermione had just turned down the lamp next to her bed when the door to her room creaked open slowly. She could hear soft steps padding over to her bed. Had Snape changed his mind?

"Mione?"

It was Lavender.

"Yes?" she asked in irritation. Her bed dipped, and the girl was pulling down the duvet to get under it with her. "What do you think you're doing?" She could feel that Lavender was shaking, obviously cold, and relented by scooting over to give her room. "Well?"

She froze as a slim arm wound its way around her waist and a head rested against her breasts. "I'm afraid," she said, still trembling.

Softening, Hermione asked, "Of what?" Had she overheard Snape when he'd said that Rodolphus Lestrange would be returning for her?

"Just don't want to be alone," she whispered.

Feeling pity, Hermione replied, "'S all right. You can stay here tonight."

"Thanks," Lavender murmured sleepily, pressing her lips against Hermione's clothed breast.

It sent a jolt through Hermione's body. 'Surely, she has no idea as to what she's just done?' Hermione thought to herself, feeling her nipple respond to the small kiss regardless. Minutes later, she was still stiff from uncertainty, but Lavender's light snores were lulling her into relaxing. Obviously, the girl meant nothing by it. With those thoughts, Hermione drifted off to sleep, wishing she wasn't so bloody compassionate all the time.

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A/N: I hope this finds you all in high spirits. Someone asked for a longer chapter, and this was the result! Thank you for helping, Madam_GoodSnatch, and thank you, all, for the reviews you've left. I am simply happy that so many of you like this tale.