Slytherin Tactics

Many thanks to Lariope and Lulabelle72 who have given me endless advice and praise. I couldn't do this without their support and their beta work. Thanks to Chivalric for her comments and dealing with all of my 'then' words! Thank you, RedSkyAtNight, for taking the time to Brit-pick my madness--especially dealing with the word, 'figure'. Ha. Ha. I genuinely appreciate your hard work.

---

Hermione rolled over, brought the covers up over her shoulders and snuggled down into her pillow, desperately wanting to fall back asleep. But, as she lay in the bed for the next several minutes, she knew her body wanted her awake. Through narrow eyes, she flipped onto her side and looked at the small clock on her beside table: nine twenty-three a.m.

"Oh, damn! I never sleep in this late--wait, why am I at Hogwarts and not at home?"

Hermione jumped from the bed, ran to the bench that sat in front of the footboard and quickly dressed. Panic was washing through her. She couldn't remember much of the night--couldn't even remember what happened after Snape left her room--SNAPE! What had he done?

She finished lacing up her trainers and pulled on a pink vest-top that was sitting out for her on the bench--all her other clothes were from the previous day, except her shirt. All of a sudden, a horrible image came floating to the front of her mind. Her shirt had been ripped. Ripped by a Death Eater who had attacked her.

She shook the thought from her mind as she snatched her wand and stormed off to the sitting room. Quickly scanning the small room and finding nothing out of the ordinary, she walked over to the fireplace and Flooed to Snape's office.

He was sitting at his desk as if he had been waiting for her appearance.

"What happened last night? I was supposed to be at home... Nobody knows where I am!" she said, her voice rising higher and louder.

"Calm down. Potter and Weasley were informed that you were going to stay. They let your family know. After the attack you suffered from... the Death Eaters, we thought it would be best if you stayed here for the night," he said.

"So--so it's true then? I was attacked by Death Eaters. I had this horrible image of my shirt being ripped by some... some men, but I thought that it was just the remainder of my dream."

"Yes, it's true. I gave you something to help you sleep after we finished discussing your assignment, then you went into your room, and I left. Some of the house-elves have been checking on you all night."

"I--I would like to go home."

"Of course. After you have started your day's work. You were too tired to walk the grounds yesterday, so I think that's where you need to start," he said.

Hermione sighed deeply, but knew that she needed to get started.

"Fine, I'll just grab my supplies. I'm going to start at the top and work my way down," she said, turning on her heel and stepping through the Floo.

She found her bag sitting on the ground next to the sofa. She opened it, grabbed a Muggle notebook and a pencil and headed to the Room of Requirement.

She decided she was going to start with the most obvious and magical location she had known. She would tell the Room that she needed to know the locations where Tom Riddle had hidden anything.

But, it wasn't that easy.

The only thing the room would materialize as was the castle itself. Each time she asked, she would end up being outside the main doors to the castle. The landscape was the same; she could see everything just as if she were really standing outside. Then, she would open the door, and everything on the inside was the same. She even went up to the Room of Requirement inside the fake castle and asked the same question. Again, she was back outside, in front of the main doors. This became confusing for her, so she closed her eyes and willed the room to turn into the beach that she visited with her family down on the Cote d'Azur. When she opened her eyes, there was a blanket and umbrella sitting next to her. She settled down onto it, pulled her knees to her chest and watched the waves roll in and out.

"This is just the first day of your special project. No need to get a headache by already stressing," she told herself.

She let the sun warm her back a few minutes longer before finally deciding it was time to leave. She stood up, and a door materialized to the left of her. She went through and found herself in the hallway of the seventh floor.

"Well, first things first. I need a map. A map that will show me every room, corridor, staircase, passageway, statue, as well as any magical locations and anything else relevant to my search." She repeated this twice more, then opened the door to the Room of Requirement. Inside a small room, lying on the ground, was a folded piece of parchment. She picked it up and started folding and unfolding the pages--it was strikingly similar to Harry's Marauders map. It was a bird eye's view of the school and included Hogsmeade. She opened the page to the seventh floor and saw a small square room labeled, Room of Requirement.

"So, this is how James, Sirius, Remus and Peter created the map. And I'm sure they added their own special touches to it, such as a locating charm for each person who entered onto the grounds. What they forgot to do was show magical locations as my map does!"

Excited at her find, she turned and left the room.

It seemed that the castle did indeed have magic running through its walls. On the fifth floor alone, Hermione found three magical rooms, a hidden passage that took her directly to the Quidditch pitch and a portrait that swung open to reveal an alcove that was hiding several brooms that seemed to have been confiscated at some point in time.

She was surprised at how easily the map would reveal the magic of the room or corridor that she was standing in. Since there were no students at the school, having a locating charm like Harry's map had seemed useless. Except for having one on Snape. She attempted to charm the map to reveal his location, but nothing was working. She even went back to the Room of Requirement to ask for another map with a locating charm on him; however, the room didn't produce another map, nor would it adjust the map she already had.

She presumed that because she hadn't specified that special touch the first time, the room was not going to help her out. Disappointed, Hermione left the seventh floor and went back to her suite. She pulled out her notebook and reviewed her day's work. She made a list of magical rooms and what each of them did. Then, she made a list for corridors, then one for portraits. She also started putting a plan together. Every other day, she would explore the castle for its magical secrets and locations. On the other days, she would do research about the items inside the castle and would examine different objects that might be used as a Horcrux. With the knowledge she had of Voldemort and his chosen pieces that contained his soul, she thought she could narrow down the items in no time.

She had skipped lunch and looked up at the grandfather clock that sat in her suite: three thirty. She cleaned her papers up and used the Floo to enter Snape's office.

It was empty.

"Professor?" she called out into the dimly lit room.

Again, she called out, hoping he was in his suite, but when he didn't turn up, she decided to take this time and... look around. His office was a part of the castle. And wasn't she here to search the entire grounds? Surely, this meant his office as well. She walked over to the wooden desk and timidly ran her fingers across the edge, waiting for something to jump out and attack her for being so close to his personal items. The top had a few spare parchments, quills and ink wells lying off to one side, an intermediate Potions textbook was opened to page three hundred, and several opened envelopes; the top one had a golden crest in the corner and a large 'M' scrolled in the middle of it. She had seen this symbol before.

Malfoy.

Hermione tried to swallow the dryness in her mouth as she reached out for the letter, but she nearly choked due to the lack of wetness. She swiftly picked up the letter and peaked inside. It was a short note, written in green ink.

Severus,

Narcissa and I would like you to accompany us this afternoon for lunch. We will be hosting a small party in honor of your godson's return trip from the States. He said he didn't want a fancy dinner party as usual because he has plans--with a new girlfriend.

Lucius

P.S. Is she at the castle?

Hermione closed the envelope and laid it back exactly how she found it.

"So, that's where you've been all day while I'm here working!" she said as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the small table to the right of her. Then, she spotted something that nearly made her heart fall down to her gut. The files of his most recent ex-students were sitting in a small box. And hers was on the top.

Something inside Hermione was telling her that she needed to run. Now. But she had to know. She had to see what he had written about her--what type of comments he had made over the years. No--she couldn't do that, that would be wrong! She tried to turn away, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. She had to know.

She should have just left, like her instinct had dictated.

She reached out for her file and lifted the top open. The first page was a photo of her on her last day of school. It was from the waist up, and she was smiling and looking off to the left. Then, she would turn and slowly face the camera, blink once, hair blowing in the wind and then the process would start all over again. She hadn't known her photo was taken that day. She thought she looked stunning. Hermione never thought of herself as gorgeous, but the way she was glowing in this photo made her feel very beautiful.

"Why would he have a photo of me, though?"

She flipped to the file under her own: Lavender Brown--a girl most people thought was pretty. She opened it to find another photo. But this one showed Lavender shaking Dumbledore's hand, then waving to the spectators. She didn't look any different to how she normally did--in fact, Hermione was surprised to say that for once, she actually looked better than Lavender Brown.

She flipped to the file under Lavender's: Dean Thomas. Again, a photo was on top. It was the exact same picture as Lavender's, only it was Dean in the photo. She quickly flipped through the rest.

"Well, he's got one of all of us. I wonder if the other teachers have this, too?" she said out loud as she laid the files back into the box and returned to her own folder.

Her photo was the only one that was different. She looked at her picture again. She looked like she was glowing in the sunlight. The edges of the photo were crumpled more than the others had been--like it had been held one too many times.

"Like what you see?"

Hermione shrieked, snatched her hands out of the file box and looked up at the man standing across from the desk. He looked positively livid.

"I... I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have been--"

"Snooping?"

You should have warded the door! You're such an idiot! She felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Erm... Yes. I'm sorry. I came in here to tell you that I was finished for the day and wanted to go home."

She was trapped behind his desk and a wall. The only way to run out of the room was to the left of her, and all he had to do was take one step into her path, and he would have caught her. So, she stayed rooted to the spot. Waiting for his inevitable form of punishment.

And she was shaking with fear. She had been caught with her hand in the biscuit tin--but worse. Far worse. She couldn't blame him for what he did next. No, she had brought this all on herself. Her stupid, curious self.

He walked--no, slithered--over to her. With one long, slender finger, he touched her tightly squeezed fist, and then gently traced his nail across her skin, traveling in a wave-like pattern up her bare arm. The sensation was almost too much. The gentle, yet firm touch of this man, this wicked, demeaning man, gave her shivers that she never thought possible.

He felt her fear and was going to play off it for all it was worth.

"Miss Granger," he hissed as his finger traveled toward her shoulder and then swiped underneath her vest-top and bra strap.

She was sure he heard the hitch in her breath.

"Do you know what happens--" He took a long curl and started twirling it around his finger, dropped it, then traced over her top, across her back, just beneath her neck, to the other shoulder and continued playing with another strand of hair, "--when a cat gets too curious?" he whispered barely an inch from her ear in that low, deep voice of his.

Her mouth opened as if to say something, but she couldn't find her voice. It had disappeared--just like she should have done a while ago.

She could feel his body lightly pressed up against her--it was not as if they were in a wide area. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, too. He's been drinking. But how much? Enough to keep him relaxed? Or is he a nasty drunk--

Suddenly, she felt him grab a fistful of her long hair, and he slowly bent her neck backwards. With his other hand, he ran the same finger across her exposed neck. From left to right. Like a swipe of a blade.

Her eyes went wide at the symbolism that he was expressing.

Oh, gods. Please don't kill me--oh, gods!

"I'm not going to kill you, Miss Granger," he said, looking down at her.

She quickly shut her eyes. Ha! As if a skilled Legilimens needed to be looking directly into the eyes of his victim. You stupid girl!

"When, in the past seven years, have I given you the hint that I would appreciate you rummaging through my personal belongings?" he said, pulling her head back further.

"Never, sir," she said in a raspy voice.

"Then, do tell me, what made you think it was okay now?" he growled.

"I... I can't explain myself; I'm nosy. I'm sorry. I didn't see anything!"

He roughly released her hair, and she stumbled forward. She whipped around to face him.

"I'm sorry, sir. Please forgive me. I shouldn't have done that. I was just taking a moment to look through here, since it is technically part of the castle, and that's what I was requested to do."

She said the wrong thing.

He launched at her and bent her backward across his desk. She heard one of the glass ink wells knock over and felt the cold ink running down her arm. The books were stabbing her in her shoulder and upper back, and he was inches from her face, hands on either side of her, pinning her to the table.

"Are you suggesting that I would have something of his because I'm a Death Eater? Are you forgetting that it was I who suggested you look around here because I'm concerned that there is another Horcrux? And you have the audacity to even think that you would have to search my office and my rooms for said object! How ridiculous can you be, Miss Granger? I thought your potion for your N.E.W.T's was pathetic--but this reason for meddling in my business is your all time low!" he said in a dangerous voice.

"N--no, sir! I--I just--"

He pushed away from her and pointed his finger toward his door. "Out!"

She slid off the wooden table onto her feet and said, "But, sir... I want to go home--you've got to escort me back, just like Dumbledore said."

"OUT!"

Now, she was nearly crying, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her tears. "I've got no other way home! He's not here to take me home, and he doesn't want me Apparating without an escort! Please, sir."

"Then I suppose you will be spending another night at the castle, because I'm not escorting you anywhere until I feel like it! Now, GET OUT!" he yelled as his office door magically slammed open, rattling the jars and bottles on the shelves next to it.

Hermione ran from the room.

She bolted up the entire staircase toward her suite, tears flowing from her eyes, wondering how this man was the only one who knew how to make her scared to even breathe. She should have trusted her gut feeling and left his room. Hell, she should have said no to Dumbledore, because she knew when he asked her to do this stupid exploration that it was Snape's idea. He was purposely being evil to her, and she didn't know why.

Of course, violating his personal belongings didn't help much either.

---

It was dusk outside when Hermione opened her eyes. She had cried herself to sleep earlier, and now her rumbling stomach woke her up. She rubbed her eyes, which felt puffy and heavy, and went to the bathroom to splash water on her face.

"What's wrong with you? Why did you feel the need to search through his belongings? That's not like you," she said to herself.

She dried her face, walked into her small dining area and called for a house-elf. Within minutes, she was scoffing down fish and chips and butterbeer.

As she was cleaning up her mess, there was a knock. Surprised that anyone knew where her suite was located, she opened the door.

Snape was standing there.

"Are you ready to go home for the evening, Miss Granger?"

"I--I thought you said--"

"I said I would take you when I felt like it. And now that I have had some time to think about things, I've decided that I will take you home. I apologize for behaving the way I did earlier. But you must understand that spying through a spy's own possessions is--"

"I know. I am truly sorry. That's not like me," she sighed heavily. "And I don't blame you for reacting the way you did."

"Very well. Now, would you like an escort home, or are you going to stay here again?"

"Home, please. Let me grab my bag."

She darted to the bedroom, threw her papers into her bag and then followed him down the stairs toward the Apparating wards outside the gates. No words were exchanged between the two, although he did offer his arm so she could do a Side-Along. When she arrived in front of her house, he nodded, then turned on the spot and was gone.

Feeling even more exhausted, Hermione went into her house, greeted her family and went straight to her room and called Jezzie.

"You'll never believe what mess I got myself into today..." she said into the phone.

---

As soon as Severus returned to his office, he put the files of the students that had recently left school back into his cupboard and warded the door. But, not before he pulled the picture of Hermione out of her folder and stuffed it into an inner pocket in his robes. Then, he tossed the letter from Lucius into the fire.

Everything had gone exactly as planned.

He knew she couldn't help that curious nature she possessed. And that given the chance, she would want to snoop through his belongings. And with a special enchantment inside his room, he made sure she rifled through the carefully placed items--he couldn't have her really search through his things. That would have been too dangerous.

He had already planned for her to see the files. And the letter from Lucius was an added bonus. He had wanted her to see the picture he had taken of her. That was his job during the ceremony--every year, he had the tedious task of taking fucking pictures of the dunderheads. And every year, it was the same. Same pose. Same smile from Dumbledore. Same everything.

Except this year.

Yes, he had taken that same picture of her--just to satisfy his requirement. But, he had also made himself a special photo. A photo he would keep with him at all times. And he wanted her to see that photo. He wanted her to know that he had it. He wanted her to know that he could look at that photo any time he so desired. And he knew that would make her uncomfortable--yes, she would worry herself to death wondering why he had that photo--that exquisite photo of herself. And that fact alone was stimulating. Yes, torturing her from afar was a very invigorating thought.

And the note from Lucius--well, would she know that she was the subject? It didn't matter. She would eventually work that out.

And oh, how he played his part well of getting angry and throwing her out. The look on her face was priceless--she had really thought she was going to have to stay another night in the castle. He loved dangling the fact that she had to depend on him as an escort right in front of her face. It quite obviously drove her insane.

---

The next morning, Snape was sitting comfortably under a Disillusionment charm on a bench across the street from Hermione's home. It was Saturday, his day off from duties at the school, and he had decided to use his free day to keep an eye on Hermione.

He had been sitting on the bench since sunrise. He knew she was an early riser, and instead of sneaking into her private bedroom, he decided to watch her from the opened window. He knew she wasn't going anywhere until that Muggle girl came to visit. So, he waited.

And sure enough, around nine o'clock, a small car stopped in front of the house, and the young lady hopped out and nearly skipped to the front door. Snape was fast on her heel and very carefully sneaked in behind her when Hermione opened the door.

"Hey, 'Mione," she said, stepping through the threshold.

Snape made his way to the furthest corner of the living room and waited to see where they would go--the kitchen or upstairs. He nearly relaxed against the wall when he noticed Hermione was still standing near the front door. She was like a statue.

"'Mione? What's wrong?"

"Shhh! I... I feel..."

She senses me. She's too young and naive to be able to feel magic--who am I kidding? She's brilliant and will work things out faster than the average witch.

"I feel funny. I've got goose bumps all over. It's weird, but I feel... magic."

"Don't you always have that feeling?"

"No. I only sense magic when I'm in the Muggle world--where there is a tiny supply of it. When I'm in the wizardry world, I don't sense it because there is an abundance of it."

Very good, Miss Granger.

"And I've only started sensing this a few times now. I read that as a witch or wizard gets older, this sense becomes more prominent," she said in a low whisper. She was still frozen in front of the entry--like she was waiting for something to pop out and attack her.

Snape was starting to wonder if he should just Apparate and get the hell out of there, because it was obvious she wasn't going to just let this little feeling pass by, or if he should stay where he was and hope the Muggle would take her mind off things.

But, if he Apparated, she'd hear the crack and would quickly follow. However, if he used his Dark Mark and went directly in front of the Dark Lord, she would never be able to chase after her intruder. No. He didn't want to that. He wasn't in the mood to deal with his dark master today. So, he stayed and hoped for the best.

He watched her rub her left arm, like she was pushing down the hairs that were standing on end, and thought she was finished panicking. Suddenly, she whipped her wand out. Snape pulled his wand out too, but before he could press it to his Dark Mark, she screamed, "Homenum revealio!"

FUCK!

He felt the trickling of warmth as his body re-appeared from under the charm. The Muggle screamed and Hermione shouted, "Snape! What are you doing here!"

She held her wand out, ready to curse him. His was still pointing at his Dark Mark.

"Miss Granger," he said smoothly and stood very still.

With wide eyes, she looked at the position he was frozen in: a Death Eater standing--no, hiding in her private home, attempting to use that fucking tattoo to call his master. He could see the sheer terror flash through her eyes.

"Don't you dare!" she hissed. "Expelliarmus!"

But, he was faster. He quickly Disapparated and appeared behind her. Her spell hit a lamp, knocking it to the ground. The other girl shrieked.

Hermione whirled around to face him, her wand jutting into his stomach. He had tucked his wand away before she faced him, and he had both hands up, palms facing her. "Miss Granger, I am unarmed."

"You're never unarmed! You're a wizard who can use wandless magic! What. Do. You. Want!" she demanded, jabbing him with the tip of her wand as she said each word.

"I came here to warn you. I didn't reveal myself because of your... friend."

"She knows about our world. Warn me about what?" she commanded, not lowering her wand.

He slowly dropped his hands whilst coming up with a sufficient lie.

"I came to warn you about Lucius Malfoy."

She pulled the wand out of his aching side and stepped back. "What about him?"

"I'll get to that in a moment. Right now, I can tell by the look on her face that your friend is frightened."

Hermione continued walking backward, her eyes never leaving his, wand at the ready until she hit the coffee table. She slowly turned to the other girl, whose eyes were wide. "Jezzie? You okay?"

"Well, I would like to know what's going on here," she said in a shaky voice.

Snape glided over to her, hand outstretched and said, "I'm Severus Snape. I was Hermione's professor."

The girl smiled. "Ah yes. I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She reached for his hand to shake it, but Snape turned it over, palm down, said, "The pleasure is all mine," and gently kissed the top of her hand while looking directly at Hermione, who stood there looking surprised at his chivalry.

He released her hand and drew up to his full height. Hermione snorted. "Come into the kitchen," she mumbled.

Snape took the other girl by the arm and escorted her towards the other room and said, "So. You've heard about me?"

"Oh, yes. Since she started at Hogwarts. She's always had something to say about you. I'm Jezebel, by the way--or Jezzie. I'm Hermione's cousin."

He led her to a seat at the round table sitting in the middle of the kitchen, nodded and said, "Well, Jezebel, I doubt you've heard anything... pleasant about me." He smirked.

Hermione was fumbling around with mugs and the tea pot, clattering them together, making her displeasure at his appearance apparent. Both Snape and this Jezebel girl ignored her.

"Well, to be honest, she's said some pretty nasty things about you. On the other hand, she's never held but the highest respect for you and constantly strives to please you."

"OKAY! That's enough chit-chatting," Hermione said loudly and nearly threw the mugs and saucers on the table. She turned to Snape and said, "Why are you trying to warn me about Lucius? And why didn't you just use my Floo! Or send me an owl." She leaned over at him, inches from his face, and in her best threatening voice, which was, he had to admit, a bit alarming, said, "And why were you hiding in my house, ready to use that filthy Mark of yours, Snape?"

The use of his surname indicated how upset she was. She had always respected him enough to address him properly and would correct anyone who called him just Snape. And he hated being called that. It made him feel like he was a kid again, that he was someone people would pick on. And when used in that tone--that loathing and repugnant tone--it made him want to rip that person's insides out.

And he had done it before. Twice, actually.

Using his own creation, Sectumsempra, he had sliced open the chests of two wizards that were three years ahead of him in school. They had been teasing him while he was doing some shopping in Knockturn Alley, two years after he finished school. And he'd had enough. After he'd dissected them, he'd used his own two hands to disembowel them. Then, he had shoved their intestines in their dying mouths and hissed, "Don't ever call me Snape like that again!" And he marched off, robes billowing behind him. It had felt so good to act upon his feelings that he had become hard and had Apparated directly to his home. Standing in the hallway, he had wanked-off for a full twenty minutes, squirting his cum across the wall.

But, he had deserved her disrespect. He did get caught hiding in her home. And now was the time to pull his best Slytherin tactics out of the bag.

"Oh, come on, 'Mione. If he were here to harm us, he'd have done that already."

"You don't know him like I do, Jezzie," she snapped.

"Miss Granger, please sit down so that I can explain," he said softly.

She huffed, but pulled the wooden chair out and plopped down into it. Her lips were pursed as she crossed her arms over her chest and sat very upright, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

And little did she know, her performance was just turning him on.

In a graceful movement, Snape crossed his leg to hide his growing erection, grabbed the mug and took a sip, and said, "It has come to my attention that Lucius is looking for you."

Ah, yes. Lucius's little note will be working out perfectly here. He had wanted her to see that subtle question, "Is she at the castle," for another reason, but seeing as he needed a good story, he was going to use it for another purpose.

"For me? How do you know?"

"I thought you were supposed to be clever, Miss Granger. You know I see him because of my duties--"

"That's not what I meant! I know that you have contact with him! What did he say to you to make you think that?"

"Well, he asked about you. In a note. I believe you read the letter yesterday while you were meddling in my belongings," he said in a low tone.

She blushed.

"Then, when he wrote, "Is she at the castle?" that was in reference to me? Why? Why does he want to know where I am? Did he say anything while you were having... lunch with him yesterday?"

She may have been rather embarrassed about him bringing up the subject of her rifling through his things, but she would never deny her act. If it had been anyone other than her, they would be stuttering with excuses.

"Indeed. He had heard that you were going to be there. I couldn't deny it. So, that's why I'm here. Last night, after I returned to the castle from escorting you home, he sent an owl, wanting to pay me a visit. I took the wards off my Floo, and he came stumbling through it. Drunk and babbling about you."

Hermione was buying it. She was on the edge of seat, like her cousin, listening to his story.

"He claims he needs an assistant to do some research for him at the Ministry. It's a lie though. He knows you are the brains of your little group and thinks that if he can nab you, then he can get the attention he wants from the Dark Lord. He said he had been trying to follow you, that he thought he found your home and the next morning, he was going to abduct you. So, I've been outside your home since he left last night, watching over you and your family. Then, it occurred to me, that he might try and do an attack from the inside of the house, so I knew I needed to be in here. It just so happened that your cousin turned up, and I followed her so that I could make sure you were unharmed. And as soon as you started sensing me, I knew you were going to be alarmed, so I tried to disappear using my Dark Mark--it doesn't have the audible crack that Disapparating does."

"Why didn't you just get a member of the Order to come and watch over me?"

He sneered at her. "As you recall, Miss Granger, I am an Order member."

Again, she blushed and sat back into her seat.

"Oh, Hermione. Can't you tell he was risking himself to make sure you weren't attacked by this Lucius character? I think that's very charming, Severus. And I'm sure Hermione thinks so too. Don't you, 'Mione?"

Hermione glared at her cousin, then turned back to face him. "I apologize for my disrespect, sir. I just don't understand why you didn't tell anyone else about him wanting to abduct me."

"Well, most of the time, when Lucius is intoxicated and makes threats, he forgets them come morning. But, in this case, I wanted to be sure before I put the Order on high alert. Besides, I can deal with him. And if he had attacked you and the Order was here, there would have been unnecessary blood shed. Since I am a fellow Death Eater and his friend, I could have spared you and your family more easily than the Order could have done."

"Oh. Well, in that case, thank you. But, as you can see, we are fine. He probably doesn't even remember--like you said."

"Indeed. He likes to strike early and would have done so by now."

"Good, so now that we have established that I am safe, you can now leave."

"Hermione!" Jezzie shouted.

Snape liked watching the silent exchange of the two girls in front of him. And he knew exactly how to crawl under Hermione skin. He was going to woo her cousin.

"It's all right, Jezebel. My presence often frustrates her."

"I never said that," Hermione said in a tight voice.

Ignoring her, he continued, "You see, it's difficult to be considered the brightest witch of her age by everyone, except me."

"Yes, she mentioned that you think of her as an insufferable-know-it-all."

"Am I wrong?"

Jezzie looked at Hermione with truthful eyes and said, "Well, he's got a point."

Hermione gawked at her.

"I mean--you've grown out of that stage of being annoying, but old habits die hard."

Snape took another sip of his bland tea and watched Hermione's annoyance elevate.

"Jezzie! After everything I've told you about him--"

"'Mione! Look, he's grinning--we are just teasing you. I'm sure Severus thinks very highly of your intelligence."

"Indeed," he said quietly.

"Then why did he nearly fail me at Potions if he thinks so highly of me!"

Jezzie ignored Hermione and said, "Severus, 'Mione and I were going to go out to lunch this afternoon. Would you like to join us?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the look of horror on Hermione's face. It was priceless.

"How could I refuse such a generous offer? Of course."

Hermione roughly pushed back her chair and stormed out of the kitchen.

Now was his chance to get information out of the Muggle. He wanted to know everything Hermione had told her about him and the Wizardry world.

"So, tell me about yourself, Jezebel," he asked.

As she started off with what she did for a living, he fell into her blue eyes, slowly retrieving the information he wanted from her mind.

After a few moments of the girl's constant talking, Hermione reappeared.

"Let's go. I want to eat before it gets too crowded," she said, standing in the doorway. "And we'll Apparate to the alley behind the café--it will be quicker."

Snape knew she wanted to eat lunch as quickly as possible so that he would leave.

He followed her and the girl inside the living room, where Hermione looped her arm through both of them and dropped them inside a dirty alleyway. She quickly released Snape and took off walking to the main road, leaving both of them in her wake.

Snape loved seeing her in such a bitter mood.