The Wicked Games We Play

Warning: Although I generally do not care for author's warnings that spell out what will happen in the chapter, I feel the need to say that this chapter contains explicit and extreme details of violence and torture. Please do not read this if you can not handle the evil truth of the life of Death Eaters. I will say that Severus is not the one doing the torturing, nor is Hermione on the receiving end, so no worries about your favorite characters. However, I ask you to step outside of your comfort zone and follow me in this chapter--this was difficult to write because I do not approve of this behavior, but it is extremely important to the character of Snape and to the plot. Just so you know, I succeeded in squicking my two betas, Lariope and Lulabelle72, who have stomachs made of steel, although, my Britpicker, RedSkyAtNight, did her country proud and maintained a classic English stiff upper lip throughout. I also would like to give a special thanks to SiriuslySnogged for taking the time to read this chapter. If you would rather skip this chapter, but would still like to know the importance of it so that you can continue reading, please email me and I will be happy to give you a quick explanation, but I am urging you to please leave your safety zone and read it. Thank you to all of you who are pushing themselves and reading even if they are uncomfortable at times. And thank you for your support with reviews. Many hugs, Shell~

Several days after Snape had taken Hermione to the Grotto, Dumbledore returned to the castle. They met for their usual, brief meeting, with Snape updating him on any news. It ended, as usual, with Snape asking the same, boring questions about the Headmaster's trip and receiving very little information in return.

As it was the weekend, Hermione was at home, and Snape found some time to catch up on some of his experimental potions. While he was diligently working late Saturday night, his left forearm began stinging. Voldemort was calling him.

He knew from the intensity of the burn that it was a special calling--not just a typical Death Eater meeting--and that the Dark Lord was in a good mood. Severus quickly cleaned up his private lab and went back to his room, pulling out his best traveling cloak. He flung it over his work clothes, grabbed his silver mask and disappeared into the night. The Mark transported him to an old, abandoned Muggle hospital that sat atop a steep hill.

Although the building itself was mostly dark inside, the fluorescent glow of the remaining lampposts along the winding street that led up to it bathed the industrial monstrosity in an eerie glow. The exterior of the building was decaying--bricks were missing, windows were broken, dirt and grime replaced the white trim around the windows and door frames, and weeds, dead grass and litter replaced the once lush grounds. Even the rusted bars on the top floor windows looked like they could fall off at any second.

When he walked inside, the horrid smell of urine flooded his overly large nostrils.

Filthy Muggle tramps using this place as a hideout. Disgusting.

He was inside a large room, which used to be the waiting room. There were at least thirty Death Eaters, mostly senior members; however, the best of the junior followers had been invited. Seven of the younger members were holding torches, which lit up the room in a creepy glow. To the left, wide stairs led to the top floor. To the right, a reception area once stood. Graffiti and holes marked the walls. In the center of the room stood several hospital beds with leather straps and strange metal contraptions attached to them. There were several tables that held old and rickety Muggle medical instruments.

But what drew his eye were the three naked women, most certainly Muggles, standing in the middle of the circle, shaking with fear and cold.

"Glad you could join ussss, Severussss," Voldemort hissed from the opposite side of the room where he was sitting in an oversized, throne-like chair. Snape inclined his unmasked head and murmured a greeting. This was a special occasion, and the Death Eater mask was not to be worn so that Voldemort could make sure everyone was watching the show. He liked to see people's emotions play out on their faces.

The women had their heads bowed, scared to look in the eyes of Voldemort, but as Snape walked across the room to take his place next to the Dark Lord, one of the captives lifted her head and looked directly into Snape's eyes. Her mouth dropped opened a bit, but Snape didn't understand why. He held eye contact for a moment longer before suddenly realizing why she seemed surprised. He tried to cover his shock.

Standing before him was Jezzie.

Snape took his place calmly beside Voldemort as though Jezzie was simply another, anonymous piece of Muggle filth and watched as the rest of the Death Eaters gathered around in a circle, enclosing the women, beds and instruments.

As soon as all his followers were accounted for, Voldemort pointed a long, skeletal finger at the girl in the center and said, "Bring her forward."

Dolohov stepped from his place in the circle and snatched the woman by the nape of her neck, pushing her towards Voldemort. "Get on your knees and kiss the floor," he commanded. The woman began to sob; her breasts bounced with every intake of breath. She slowly lowered herself to her knees and obediently kissed the begrimed floor before sitting back on her knees, head bowed. Dolohov stood behind her and waited for the Dark Lord to speak.

"Why did you pick her?" Voldemort asked him.

"She's a squib that has been working as a spy for the Order. She works at the Leaky Cauldron as a housekeeper. I overheard her giving some information to that wolf, Lupin."

Voldemort pulled his wand out and flicked it at the young lady. She automatically raised her upper body while she was still on her knees, terror in her eyes. He was forcing her to look at him, and suddenly, he delved into her mind. After a few minutes, he said, "I'm finished with her. Do with her as you please--however, she knew very little, so I am a little disappointed in you; therefore, you are not to use any magic on her."

"Of course, my Lord," Dolohov said, bowing. He seized the woman again by the neck and led her to one of the beds, pushing her roughly onto it. "Get on and lie down," he said forcefully.

"P-please don't do this!" she begged.

Dolohov grasped her neck and squeezed. "Get on the damn bed and lie down," he said between gritted teeth and pushed her onto her back. Her eyes were large, and she was trying desperately to push his hand off her throat, but she pulled her legs onto the bed and laid her head down. Dolohov removed his hand and picked up one of the large leather straps hanging from the side of the bed and threw it across her arms and under her breasts. He walked around to the other side of the table and locked it into the buckle. Twice more he did this--one across her mid section and one across her knees. She whimpered and tried testing her range of motion by attempting to buck widely. But it was no use--she was strapped securely to the bed.

Dolohov went to the table and grabbed a long, thin knife. He brought it up to eye-level, then ran his finger across the blade. Blood bubbled up on the tip, and he sucked it clean and smiled. His eyes scanned the table widely, and stopped. "Yes, this is perfect," he whispered.

He picked up an extremely long needle and syringe, grabbed a clear bottle that held blue liquid in it and walked back to his waiting victim. He stepped on a small branch that must have blown in from the missing front doors, picked it up, tore the dried leaves off of it and shoved it into her mouth. "Bite down on this--you're going to need it," he said, laughing madly.

For a few moments, Snape couldn't tell what Dolohov was doing--he was hunched over her stomach region. Then her screams pierced Snape's ears. Dolohov finally moved, and Snape could see a word carved into her abdomen before it was obscured by her blood: Squib.

Snape snorted. Very original, Dolohov. Like that hasn't been done before.

Then, the man opened the clear bottle with the blue liquid. The smell was strong and overpowered the urine stench. It was some sort of a Muggle cleaning solution--Snape had smelled that before when he was younger. His father had never liked his mother using magic to clean the house, so instead, she used the harsh chemicals. The smell had always nauseated him.

Dolohov stuck the needle into the bottle and sucked up the liquid. He tapped the air out of the syringe then rotated the arm of the woman, pierced her skin with the needle and injected the contents into her veins. He did this about five times, at various points on her body.

By now, she was hoarse from her screaming, and the other two women were holding each other, crying. It didn't take long for her body to start convulsing. White foam bubbled out of her mouth. He could hear her gagging on it, then suddenly, he watched her stomach muscles crunch together as she started retching--most of it was blood. Within minutes, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body was shaking. Then, all was calm, and she was finally dead.

Much better, Dolohov--now that was original.

Dolohov nearly skipped back to his place in the circle.

Voldemort pointed to the blond woman and said, "Bring her forward."

The woman released her hold on Jezzie and started to run, but Davis, a newer Death Eater, who was an official at the Ministry, Stunned her, then dragged her body across the dirty floor and placed her in front of Voldemort.

Her wide chestnut eyes bore into Snape's and for a split second, he thought he was looking into her eyes--into Hermione's beautiful, long-lashed eyes. Underneath his robes, unseen to anyone, his foot twitched. Momentarily confused, he tried to quell the rising emotion. He could not remember having such a reaction before to something so mundane in the life of a Death Eater as simple torture.

"Why did you pick her?" Voldemort asked.

"She works at the Ministry and had promised to join us. She got cold feet when I tried taking her to you to be inducted, and she attempted to go and warn the Aurors about me, which would cause my position at the Ministry to be lost. She was going to spy on us for the Order."

"Did she succeed in informing anyone?"

"No, my Lord. I've been holding her captive in my cellar for the past week."

"Excellent. Do with her as you please."

Davis charmed her body to float over to another bed, next to the one with the dead woman. He placed her feet in long metal contraptions, strapped her in, slid her bottom to the edge of the table, pushed open her legs as wide as they would go, and locked them into place.

He then took the Stunning Hex off of her, and she immediately began begging to be let go--just like the last one did. Davis pulled a metal, clamp-like tool out of his pocket and slid it inside her exposed quim. He started fumbling with it, but Snape couldn't see very well so he leaned a little over to the right to get a better view and, oh! That's what he's doing...

Davis used the speculum to spread her pussy wide, revealing the inside of her. He then pulled his wand out and sung an incantation over her hole--it was some sort of a drying spell--he had heard Lucius use it before. After he was finished, he released the clamp, tossed it behind him, removed his cloak, unzipped his trousers and pulled his hardened cock out. Again, from his pocket, he pulled an object from it. It was a small ring-type clasp that had tiny, sharp spikes poking out in all directions. He clamped it to his member and pushed himself and the ring into her.

Sexual pain--what a sick cunt!

This was not Snape's cup of tea. Yes, he had done some horrible things to Miss Granger, but nothing that would ever hurt her like this. Between the stench of the cleaning solution, the old urine, the vomit of the dead woman and now this, Snape was beginning to sweat as he held his own stomach contents down. But he knew he couldn't turn away nor do anything about it--Voldemort thrived on seeing how long his victims could last before they died--and if he disobeyed by turning away, he was sure the torture that would be brought onto him would be extremely slow and painful, drawing out his death for as long as possible.

Snape looked at Jezzie--she was covering her eyes. He couldn't even imagine what was in store for her.

He looked back at the scene. Harder and faster, Davis fucked her. She tried fighting with her upper body, screaming for help, but Davis held her in place--she was no match for him; he was over six feet tall. Blood seeped out and down onto the dirty floor--a small puddle was forming between his feet. Finally, he let out a satisfied groan, squirting his cum deep into her.

Snape presumed that he was finally finished, but he was wrong. After Davis pulled out of her and cleaned himself up, he walked over to the table holding the rusted instruments and picked up extremely thin and long scissors. Before he continued, he placed a Silencing Charm on her, and since she was half-way down the table, he used the leather strap in the center to lock her head down onto the table.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bella dancing from foot to foot--she also thrived on sexual pain. He noticed that her hand was between her legs, circling madly over her robes. Snape couldn't watch any more of this cruelty. He scanned the circle looking for a junior Death Eater. He needed someone who wouldn't have the powers to notice that he was searching their thoughts.

Ah, Ferguson.

He relaxed as he slipped into the young man's mind. He quickly went searching for childhood memories--anything to not have to watch the disgusting performance--but he wasn't quick enough. He caught a glimpse of Davis running the tip of the scissors over her nipples, then the opening of the instrument over her hardened tit. Suddenly, he was watching Ferguson waddle around in a nappie with his thumb in his mouth, holding a wand. A stout woman was chasing after him, laughing as the tiny boy ran, flicking the wand at objects around the house. Yellow sparks shot out of the tip each time he did it, and the little boy would squeal with laughter. Then, another memory floated into his mind. Ferguson was lying underneath a tree reading when a bunch of silly girls walked by him. He quickly eyed one with long strawberry-blond hair. She looked over at him, blushing, and gave a small wave. Snape felt the emotions of the young man--the fluttering of his stomach, the twitch of his cock and the rapid heartbeat in his chest.

Feeling like he had been relieved for long enough, Snape slowly pulled out of his mind.

He saw Davis giving a slight bow before he walked back to his place in the circle. Snape couldn't look at the woman, but he knew that behind that silencing charm, she was moaning in pain and wasn't dead.

She was slowly bleeding to death.

Finally, Voldemort pointed to Jezzie, whose eyes were as round as Galleons. "Bring her forward."

Greyback and Rodolphus stepped from the circle, each grabbed an arm and dragged her towards Voldemort.

"Why did you pick her?" he asked a final time.

"Several reasons, my Lord. First, she is a Muggle that knows about our world. Second, she is the Muggle cousin of Hermione Granger, who is best friends with Harry Potter. And third, because she was seen being a bit too cozy with a fellow Death Eater--a man who should be considered a traitor!"

Ah. So that's why they beat the shit out of me that night. They followed me and saw me fucking socializing with Hermione and her idiot cousin instead of catching one of the trio and bringing her to Voldemort! So they took it upon themselves to--

"And who would that be?" Voldemort asked. His pet, Nagini, slithered next to him and placed her large head in his lap. A white, thin finger emerged from the dark green robes and stroked the top of her head.

"Severus Snape, my Lord," Greyback said.

Nosy bastards!

"Severusssss? Explain yourself," Voldemort said, looking deeply into Snape's eyes.

Snape tried swallowing the dryness that suddenly overtook his mouth and let all thoughts of Hermione drift to the back of his mind.

"My Lord, I was gaining information and had a role to play to achieve my goals. If I captured Miss Granger, then my position as a spy in the Order would have been ruined. This girl," he said, gesturing to Jezzie, "knows of our world, so much in fact that she could nearly pass as a squib--I was merely trying to retrieve all the information from her that I could."

"He's lying. That could have been easily done--you didn't have to walk arm in arm with her--you didn't have to hold doors open or do any of that nonsense! You enjoyed it! My Lord, I believe that he is in love with the girl and is jeopardizing all of us!" Greyback growled.

"Severussss, he has a point. Why go to all that trouble? You could have gained anything you wanted within a few moments. Do you love her?"

Red eyes gazed into his own, and he could feel the intrusion on his mind--the searching for... something.

And since he in no way loved Jezzie, he let Voldemort search his memories.

"No, I have no feelings about the Muggle whatsoever," he said after he felt Voldemort leave.

"He's telling the truth. I knew it couldn't be true--Severusss loves no one, not even himself. So, Rodolphus, what use is she to me?"

"She could lead us to Harry Potter via Hermione Granger."

"You fool. I know where Harry Potter is located! You know my plans--you know Dumbledore must be killed first before I can touch the boy! So what good would she do me? None! Kill her and make it quick," Voldemort hissed. He clearly was in a foul mood because his time had been wasted.

Jezzie was looking at Severus, tears falling down her face--she was pleading with her eyes. Rodolphus pointed his wand at her--

"Wait," Severus said just before the other man could cast the Killing Curse.

"She could be of use, my Lord," Snape said.

Voldemort faced him and Rodolphus dropped his arm and glared. Bella snorted.

Snape glided over to Jezzie. Her eyes were puffy, her face was as red as a strawberry, and her body was trembling.

"She could become a spy for us." He cocked his head at her as though gauging her usefulness. "Miss Granger tells her everything--everything Dumbledore does--this could be our chance to get a step ahead of him--to know his next movement and eventually capture and kill him, my Lord."

"Yesss," Voldemort whispered, his attention now sparked.

Snape walked behind her and gripped her upper arms, tilted his head to her ear and in a soothing voice, he said, "You would like to help us out, wouldn't you? It could be so very... beneficial to you." He released her left arm and swept her hair to the opposite shoulder, then he ran his hand down her neck, slowly.

"You're jealous of Hermione. I can feel it."

"I-I'm not jealous of her-r," Jezzie stuttered.

"You can't lie to me, you know. Deep down inside, you wish you could have the powers that she does--it's only natural. For example, wouldn't you love to be able to do this?" He reached into his pocket and pulled his wand out and waved it quickly over her body. She was suddenly wearing beautiful, blue robes. Another flick of his wand and they disappeared, leaving her naked once more.

Still standing behind her, he ran his right hand down her arm and snaked his hand under hers, lifting it straight out and pointing it at Greyback. His fingers opened wide, hers were limp as they rested on top of his. "Or how about this?" Sparks flew from of his fingertips and hit Greyback squarely in the chest, changing his black robe into a pink, flowering design. He chuckled into her ear before saying, "You could feel the magic leave my hand, yes?"

"Y-yes," Jezzie said, as she leaned against Snape's chest. He lowered their arms.

"You want that power," he stated.

"Yes!" Jezzie cried.

"And you can have it," he whispered into her ear. "I can make you a witch if you become a spy for us."

Snape saw a few of his fellow Death Eaters looking at each other and whispering. They were most likely questioning his method. Only Voldemort was grinning--even Lucius looked confused.

Yessss. Very well done, Severusss, Voldemort said in his mind.

Snape knew he couldn't give the girl any powers, but he needed her to believe that he could--she must agree of her own accord. He could have easily placed the Muggle under the Imperius Curse, but he knew the magic of the curse. She would fight the spell, and Miss Granger would certainly suspect her as being under the influence of the enchantment.

So, instead of placing her under that curse, he was going to have her make an Unbreakable Vow to him. It would be stronger than the Imperius Curse because her intent was true--she wanted to be a spy because she desperately wanted to be a witch. Of course, the girl probably didn't know how the Unbreakable Vow worked and wouldn't know the difference if he didn't promise her anything in return.

"Will you do that for me, Jezebel?" he said in a soft, coaxing tone.

"Yes."

"Excellent."

He turned her around, snapped his fingers at Lucius and motioned for the blond man to come and stand next to him. He caressed her hand between his and looked at his friend. "Be the bonder of an Unbreakable Vow," he stated.

Lucius touched the tip of his wand to their joined hands.

"Do you vow, Jezebel, that you will become a spy on my behalf?" he asked.

"Yes, I promise."

A red jet of light flew out and wrapped itself around their hands. Jezzie gasped at the magic binding them, but Snape gripped her hand tightly to bring her eyes back to his.

"Finish the bonding, Lucius," he said, eyes never leaving Jezebel's. He wanted it done quickly before she remembered that he had promised to make her a witch, and she attempted to trap him in a reciprocal vow.

As soon as the bonding was over, Snape quickly removed his hand. After the last vow he had been forced into making, he had promised himself he would never tie his soul to someone like that again. He felt disgusted by having to do so again.

"Now, the rest of you continue doing your duties and watch for anyone else who attempts sabotage our cause. Oh, and Severusss, make sure the Muggle is returned safely to her home. We don't want anyone to miss her presence if our plan is going to succeed," Voldemort said, thereby ending the meeting. Within seconds, the Death Eaters and Voldemort had all Disapparated, leaving Severus alone with Jezzie and the bodies of the two other women.

She flinched as he pointed his wand at her. With a swish, she was dressed in a black t-shirt and trousers.

"T-thank you."

He nodded and turned around so that he could hook his arm through hers and do a Side-Along, but the sight of the two women in the beds stopped him. He scowled at the two bodies on the tables, pissed off that he had been left to dispose of the evidence. Again. Of course, he could simply leave them like he usually did--Muggles rarely ventured up here anymore, believing the old hospital haunted. He tightened his grip on Jezzie's arm, intending once more to Apparate. But he noticed the chestnut eyes that were frozen open, staring at death.

Hermione, he thought. What if that woman had been her? He would never leave her like this, like carrion for stray dogs. Of course, he would never allow anyone to touch her in that manner to begin with.

Aggravated at himself for no discernible reason, he sighed heavily and said, "Stay here."

Slowly, he walked over to the beds. He ran his wand over the first woman, vanishing all signs of her sick, blood and foam. He sliced the leather straps off her body, then used the same spell as he had on Jezzie to cover her body in a black robe. Finally, he placed his fingers on her eyelids and pushed them closed.

He walked over to the blond women, removed the Silencing Charm, and was horrified to hear her weak whimpers. She wasn't dead yet. He carefully unlocked the metal that was holding her legs wide open and lowered them slowly down, careful not to slip in the puddle of blood. Then, he removed the leather strap across her forehead, looked into her eyes and said, "You will suffer no more." He pointed his wand at her, closed his eyes and found the strength he needed to shout, "Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light shot from his wand. He placed his fingers over her now lifeless eyes and closed them as well--before also covering her body in a black robe.

Then, he spelled the bodies to float in front of him. As he walked past Jezzie, he said, "Follow me."

He went outside, to the side of the building which faced no other Muggle habitats and laid the bodies on the ground. Then, using a blasting spell, he made a large hole in the ground. He magically lowered the bodies into the grave and covered them with the excess dirt. A few more waves of his wand, and sticks and litter from the area covered the freshly dug earth, concealing the new grave.

He turned to Jezzie, grabbed her arm and spun.

They landed in front of Hermione's house.

"Sev--"

"Shh," he said cutting her off. "I'll be in touch."

Then, he held the wand to her forehead and Obliviated all her memories of the night, leaving only the part about the Unbreakable Vow--she needed to know what she had promised him, even if she did not know why she had. He also told her to come up with a lie as to why she was at Hermione's house in the middle of the night. The girl agreed, and he took one look at Hermione's window before he Disapparated back to Hogwarts.

Up Next: Jezebel learns something useful. And Snape's boggart makes an apperance.