Part III, chapter 7

AN: Sorry if you got the notification for this chapter twice. My browser freaked and didn't show that it had added it, so I went and did it again.

Thanks, Southern!

Hermione woke suddenly, the feel of a foreign hand on her stomach bringing her to instant awareness.

A shadow was by her bed, and for an instant she thought it was a Lethifold raising itself up before smothering her, but soon her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she saw it was a man kneeling beside her. Snape. He had pulled back her covers and was gently running his hands along her body, barely touching her skin.

Her gasp of awareness stilled his hands, and she could feel him looking at her, even if she couldn't see his eyes.

"You are my prisoner." His voice was rough, but very quiet. His tone was indecipherable, but she heard it as a threat.

"Yes, I am."

"My word is law." His hands rested upon her more firmly. She started trembling, though she still wasn't clear whether it was from desire or fear.

"Yes, it is."

He moved his hands along her body, this time with a firm touch, though it was still gentle.

"You will obey me or suffer the consequences." One hand had found a breast while the other was on her thigh, threatening her crux. She felt herself moisten, but still couldn't distinguish fear from arousal.

"Yes."

His hands moved, teasing her with their proximity, but not touching the sensitive areas. She squirmed, trying to get stimulation, but he withdrew completely. She bit back a whimper.

He leaned over, putting his mouth next to her ear. "Tell me, Granger," he whispered, "when your fingers smell of sex in the morning, who did you fantasize about?"

"You," she whispered back before thinking.

"And tell me, was it Wormtail's cock that made you come, or was it having me watch you?"

She whimpered before whispering, "You."

He let out a ragged breath just under her ear, sending shivers down her neck. "Who do you think of when you let Wormtail inside you?"

She closed her eyes in defeat before whispering, "You."

"What do you want right now?"

She could hear her voice trembling when she breathed, "You."

Suddenly, his mouth was on hers in a frantic, needy kiss. It felt as if all the indifference, all the mocking, all the violence had been hiding a growing need that was now near desperation. It was almost violent, it was so overwhelming, and it was not what she wanted. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she was afraid of what he'd do if she did.

He continued to kiss her hungrily as he moved up onto the cot. He lay down half beside, half on top of her, continuing to ravage her mouth while his free hand calmly slipped between her thighs and found her sweet spot.

She cried out, surprised and pleased that while he was kissing her like a teenager, his fingers were well trained. Her cry quickly became a moan as he demonstrated how skilled he was. Just as she was about to climax, though, he withdrew his hand. This time she didn't bother hiding her whimper.

He moved his mouth to her neck and started nibbling it delicately as he shifted over her. When he was positioned at her entrance, he lifted his head to look at her – almost as if he was asking for permission. She smiled mockingly at herself for even thinking such rubbish.

Just after she smiled, though, he slowly eased into her, not stopping until their hips met. She released a shaky breath and was surprised when he did as well. She could feel his eyes boring into hers and, even though she could barely see them, she was awed by the intensity.

He started rocking his hips gently and whispered breathlessly, "Tonight, when you stripped for your shower... For weeks now... Every time... I've wanted you... Tonight, I couldn't look at you without... Every day since I found you in bed with Wormtail... I've thought about what it would be like to touch you, feel you... to fuck you... and I've wanted to kill him for..."

He stopped speaking suddenly, lowering his head to nuzzle her neck.

"For what?" she asked, starting to tremble under his ministrations.

"For doing what I wouldn't," he said, stopping his movements abruptly and raising his chest off of her. He was watching her, but the darkness shadowed his thoughts completely.

"What do you want?" he asked out of the blue, his tone somber rather than seductive as it had been before.

She stayed silent, thinking only of freedom, but not daring to voice that. He lowered himself back onto her and gifted her with another soft kiss, as if he was trying to coax the answer out of her. It started out almost chaste, but he started teasing her lips with his tongue and teeth until she allowed him in. His kiss grew in desire, but it wasn't the fierce need he'd attacked her with before.

When she moaned quietly, he gently rocked his hips, making her gasp. He broke off the kiss to lower his mouth to her ear.

"Tell me what you want." He rocked his hips again, making her moan in pleasure and anguish.

"Knowledge. I want knowledge."

He chuckled darkly. "Of course you do, but what do you want to know?"

"Everything," she whispered, moving her hips to meet his.

"Tell me," he said, continuing to slide in and out of her slowly and gently. "Tell me what 'everything' entails." He then descended on her neck once more.

"I...I want to know your caresses and kind words." He began to stroke her hair again before moving a hand down her body, almost tickling her with the gentle touch.

"I want to know how to pleasure you." She felt him smile against her neck, and he hummed contentedly as he slid back into her, breaking the gentle rhythm to push into her as far as he could.

"I want to know if you could ever be pleased with me, and if so, what sacrifices do I have to make?"

He stopped moving and lifted his head to look at her.

"Hermione..." His voice was surprisingly soft, much softer than she'd ever heard it before. It made her angry and very, very sad. It also made her brave and careless. She shook her head slightly and could feel her throat closing with tears.

"I want to know how you could betray us. I want to know how you managed to fool him."

He was tense now, and she tensed in reaction, waiting for the blow that was sure to come but refusing to look away. She was very surprised when he didn't hit her, but answered.

"Betrayal comes slowly, covertly, changing one thought at a time until your mind has rationalized that what you're doing is the right thing, or if it's too reprehensible for that, then it's the only way, and there's no point in resisting."

She was still tense when he raised his hand, and she flinched when it moved toward her face. He stopped moving for a moment before slowly resuming the path he'd taken till his hand was gently cupping her face.

"Spying is betrayal, and it wields truth as its weapon. It's easy to manipulate people into believing you when what you say has the ring of authenticity.

"This is war, Granger." His voice was still soft, but she could hear a bitterly sharp edge underneath. "Right and wrong lose meaning as we search for ways to win. By the end, it's usually difficult to tell who the enemy really is."

He rubbed his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the fresh tears. He then leaned down and kissed her again.

"I wish I could make it easier for you," he murmured, lightly resting his forehead on hers, "but I can't. I can only help mask the pain temporarily."

She closed her eyes as the despair grew, overtaking her heart.

"Help me. Please," she begged, her voice thick with tears again.

He paused and then lowered his head for another kiss, almost as if trying to soothe her broken spirit with his lips. He started moving once more but let her set the pace. It wasn't long before she was panting beneath him, straining her body to meet his. She could feel the energy build within her, pulsing in a manic rhythm till she could barely stand it.

Snape's pace became more demanding, reacting to her body's pleas for more. She could feel his excitement growing in tandem with hers until he was straining to stay in control.

"Is this better?" he growled between heavy breaths. "Is this what you want?"

She groaned her approval, unable to articulate.

"Good," he replied, his voice brittle with tension. "Now come."

And she did. The energy burst through her like electricity, forcing a scream of pleasure from her as her body convulsed from the shock. She felt him surge within her and cried out again and again as he lost his battle for control and sought his own release.

After what was both an eternity and an instant, the feeling passed, leaving them breathless and sweaty. She was aware that he was still on top of her and in her, but she found the invasion of his weight utterly appropriate and oddly comforting. It wasn't long before she found herself yawning and drifting off to sleep.

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Oh, fuck. What have I done?