Intimidation

A/N: Thanks Lariope, Lulabelle72, and RedSkyAtNight for the hard work and support.

Hermione's heart stopped beating, and her stomach plummeted to the pit of her bowels when she realized that Snape had not Apparated them to Hogwarts, but had taken her to Malfoy Manor instead. It wasn't the Manor itself that caused fear to surge through her body, electrifying her nerves--no, it was the way a single beam of moonlight cast down eerily upon the front of the brick façade, shining on the row of men who lined the stone steps leading to the heavy oak doors. Each was dressed in black robes and holding a silver Death Eater mask in their left hand.

Standing in the center, slightly in front of the men, was Voldemort. His silk robes fluttered in the breeze, and his red eyes glowed against his white skin. Lucius was on his left, a prime example of a Pureblood aristocrat--his blond hair was straight and perfect, his chin was held high, and he was using that fucking cane to hold some of his weight. To Voldemort's right was Rodolphus. His nostrils were flared, and he appeared to be irritated. Greyback was next to him, nearly salivating at the sight of her and Snape. Hermione felt lightheaded, and she didn't bother to note who else was present; it didn't matter anyway--she was in extreme danger.

She knew she had to be brave, but reflexively, she took a tiny step backwards, almost cowering away from the sight in front of her. The grip on her arm tightened, and she remembered whom she was standing with: the man she loved, the man she had made love with only hours ago.

A man who happened to be a fucking Death Eater. Merlin's Beard, he is going to hand me over to Voldemort!

Wait, Granger! He said that he would never let anything harm you, and you trust him--there must be a logical explanation for this!

"Severus?" she said quietly, voice wavering. She looked at him, her eyes wide, quivering lips and furrowed brows.

He turned his head slightly, cutting his eyes at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked just as quietly, lips barely moving.

Everything in her wanted to say no--he was risking her life for Merlin's sake! Voldemort was standing only a few yards from her and could kill her in a second if he so chose. Or worse. But despite her inner cry, and a desperate urge to just run, she said as evenly as possible, "Yes," and nodded her head.

He looked away from her and addressed Voldemort and the others. "Satisfied?"

Voldemort glided towards them and stopped halfway between her and Snape and the Death Eaters behind him.

There was the slightest twitch from Snape's hand before he squeezed her fingers. Before she could process what was happening, an agonizing twinge shot through her head, and images of her life whirled around her eyes like a Muggle film.

Do you trust Severusss, girl?

Hermione tried--oh, how she tried--to block the words that bubbled up in her throat like foul vomit. "I--I love him," she shouted, not recognizing her voice as it left her mouth, traveling over her lips and out into the dark night for everyone to hear.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, and she nearly collapsed against Snape as soon as Voldemort pulled out of her mind.

"Yesss, Severusss. I'm very satisfied," he hissed, vanishing into a black swirl of vapor.

Not knowing where he had gone was worse than seeing him standing in front of her. Hermione's breath hitched, hoping he wouldn't make another uninvited appearance in her mind. Or her body.

"We, however, won't be satisfied until we see the filthy Mudblood withering--"

Before Rodulphus could finish his sentence, Snape Apparated them, and she was being squeezed by the familiar force of magic again.

Relief washed over her as the gates of Hogwarts materialized in front of her. She wanted to fall to her knees and cry, wanted to shout at him for his unexpected surprise, but he roughly tugged her by her arm, dragging her up the rocky hill toward the metal gates.

"Get inside! Stop bumbling, girl! Walk!"

Behind her the pops of multiple Apparation were thunderous to her ears.

"GET 'EM!"

"Stupefy!"

A streak of red zoomed by Hermione's temple--it was so close to her face that she felt the heat radiating from the jet of light. She slipped on the gravel beneath her feet and stumbled. Snape gripped her wrist, yanking her across the ground while he used his wand to open the gates. Dirt and pebbles crept beneath her trousers and socks as she tried to find her footing. As she stood up, he gripped her forearm with his other hand and flung her through the opened gates. The magic of Hogwarts' protective wards prickled her skin as she passed through, and it felt like a blessing.

She lurched across the ground, skidding to a halt on her knees and ripping holes in her trousers, scraping her skin. She snapped her head around to see Snape slamming the gates behind him.

They were safe.

Lucius sauntered over to the wrought-iron, his cane striking the ground with each step he took. "The Dark Lord may be impressed with you, Severus, but we aren't. Stop playing these games and just hand her over to us--we'll make sure we get what we want from her." His gaze drifted down to Hermione, still panting on her knees on the ground.

"Willing to go against the Dark Lord's wishes, Lucius?" Snape snorted. "You should know better than that by now."

Another man Hermione didn't recognize stomped over to where Lucius was standing. "You think you know everything, Snape. Well, you don't. Do you honestly believe our Master cares about your plans and your fucking Mudblood whore?"

"Now, now, Yaxley. Let's not tell Snape all our secrets," Lucius said suavely, holding his arm out to block the other man from attempting to come to closer to the gates.

"Watch your pet, Snape--you never know what might happen to her," Greyback growled, staring at Hermione and flicking his tongue lasciviously at her.

Hermione was horrified at watching the Death Eaters arguing. And arguing about her! As though she was just a bone, caught between dogs in a fray.

Snape gripped his wand, and although she couldn't see his face, she knew he was raging. "If you lay one fucking hand on her, I will--"

"Severus!" she bellowed.

Snape whipped around, and Hermione hardly recognized him. For a brief moment, she wondered if that was the look on his face before he killed. But his features changed as soon as he recognized her, changing to worry. She rose unsteadily to her feet as he marched over to her, ignoring the threats from the people outside the gates.

"Don't listen to them, and keep quiet."

"D-don't listen to them! What the bloody hell is going--"

Snape snatched her jaw in his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Hold. Your. Tongue," he threatened.

"Defiant pet, isn't she, Severus?" Lucius said loudly.

"Yeah, Snape! She's out of order--how are you going to punish your little slave?" shouted another Death Eater.

Snape looked fiercely in her eyes and slightly shook his head from side to side. She blinked back her tears and tried to nod her head in his harsh grip. He roughly shoved her backwards, clutched her upper arm and forcefully guided her toward the castle.

Calm down, Hermione. He is treating you like this because they are watching. He will not let anything happen to you. But what the fuck is going on? Why did he take you in front of them--what is he playing at?

As soon as the heavy doors to the castle closed behind them and they were safely in the Entrance Hall, Hermione jerked her arm out of his grip, whipped her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at his chest.

"Explain!"

"Hermione, I had no other choice." He looked coolly down at her wand.

Magic tingled through her veins and fingertips, almost throbbing--she hadn't felt this out of control since she was young and knew nothing of magic. Her hair swirled slowly, blowing in an unseen breeze, and the crackle of her magic snapped with each twitch of her enraged body.

Snape sensed her instability and took a slow step to the left, raising his hands to his chest, palms out.

"Hermione, I can explain," he said in a low voice. "Lower your wand, and let's--"

"Shut up, Severus! Y-you got no idea what I have been through since you left! And combined with the adventure we had less than twenty-four hours ago and us being... being together... I-I've... been through so much... and I was worried about you!"

As she shouted those last words, all her magic broke loose from the barely tenable hold she had on it within her tense body. A surge of gold sparks shot out of her fingertips, and a burst of pink magic erupted from her wand, bouncing off the wall opposite her and rebounding back towards her.

Snape dived out of the way of the exploding magic, tackling Hermione to the ground, covering their faces, and using his wandless magic as he shouted, "Protego!"

The embers of her magic rained down around them, disappearing once they hit the stone floor. Her body shook from releasing that much power at one time, and she couldn't help but cry, the events of the last twenty-four hours far beyond her immediate capacity to cope.

After her fit settled to small sniffles, Snape removed the protective charm and lifted himself from her. He bent over, slipped his arm beneath her neck and the crook of her knees, and lifted her off the ground, clutching her tightly to his chest.

She fell limp in his arms, drained off all energy and emotions, not caring where he intended to take her. She loosely hooked her hands around his neck and buried her face in his chest.

"Stay with me tonight," he whispered hoarsely.

"You still want me? Even after I lost control?" she whispered.

"Of course, Hermione. I want you to be with me always. Besides, I owe you some explanations, and I would not feel comfortable leaving you alone tonight." He kissed her gently on the forehead.

When they arrived in his rooms, he gently placed her on his bed and said, "Wait there for a moment."

Hermione closed her eyes and drew in several deep breaths, calming her nerves with the familiar scent of Severus on the pillowcase.

His finger tracing her brow startled her, and she opened her eyes. She was surprised to see him shirtless, wearing only his trousers and black socks. "A hot bath will do us some good," he said as he helped her sit up.

She swung her legs off the large bed, and he stood between her knees. "Raise your arms," he said, holding the bottom of her shirt. Her body ached as though she had been building pyramids, not just exploring them, as she lifted both arms above her head. He gradually lifted her shirt, slowly exposing her waist, her breasts, and finally up and over her head and arms.

The room was chilly, and she wrapped her arms over her midsection, holding herself. Snape reached behind her, clutching the strap of her bra, and with one flick of his fingers, she was unhooked. He slipped the bra off and began circling his thumbnail over her left nipple, teasing her.

"Severus... please stop."

He snatched his fingers away from her, and his thin lips tightened, as if she had offended him.

"Severus, don't be upset--I like it when you do that, but I'm just knackered."

A moment passed before the crease between his brows relaxed. He helped her stand up and finished undressing her. When she was fully naked before him, he once again scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bathroom, which was clouded with damp, hot steam.

The large bath was nearly filled to the brim with hot water and pale blue bubbles. Snape stood on the side and lowered Hermione into the water.

She hissed the moment the scorching water came in contact with her arse and feet.

"It's too hot," she said, gripping his neck tighter, trying not to fall into the pool of water.

"Your muscles need it, Hermione. Let go of my neck and submerge yourself."

She whimpered as she removed her grip around him and dropped herself into the water.

The initial shock was horrid, and she thought her skin was actually blistering off her bones. The pain didn't last long, and she began to feel like she was floating, the heat from the water enveloping her body as if a multitude of hands were on her, massaging her sore muscles.

"How does that feel?"

"Magnificent," she sighed, opening her sleepy eyes. She was surprised to see Snape sitting in the water across from her.

"It's the bubbles--I brewed it myself. It took me almost a year to find the correct combination of ingredients to get the effects I was looking for. It is the only thing that got me through the night after I... suffered from... certain punishments and tortures," he said softly.

"It's brilliant. I have never felt so relaxed. And my energy is coming back. Thank you."

Beneath the water, Snape found Hermione's hand. He tugged on it and said, "Come here."

She pushed off the bottom of the stone tub and floated over to him.

"Turn around," he said, guiding her.

She settled between his opened legs and leaned her back against his chest. He embraced her, burying his face against her neck. His erection was noticeably hard against her back, and as much as she wanted to flip around and slide his hardness inside her, she wanted answers first. But before she could ask any of her hundreds of questions, he started whispering.

She strained to hear his low mutterings.

"Severus? What are you saying?"

She felt him take a large breath of air and huff it out like he was getting ready to say something important. "You said you loved me in front of them."

Hermione lowered her head, embarrassed that she had let that happen. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"You don't love me." he stated.

"I--I didn't mean to say that aloud. It was private." This time she was the one to inhale and exhale deeply before continuing. "I wanted to tell you when we were alone. But yes. I do love you. I'm sure you think I'm being ridiculous--"

He squeezed her closer to his body and kissed the top of her shoulder.

"You really love me," he muttered, now kissing up and down her neck.

"Yes, I do," she admitted again, smiling. She had thought it would be harder to tell the cynical man her true feelings, but it was so very easy. It was like the words just flowed out of her mouth, skipping around happily.

His cheek was pressed against the side of her head, and he was holding her very tightly against him. His lips brushed against her earlobe, and he softly breathed, "And I love you."

Through the hot bathwater, Hermione could feel the hairs on her arms standing on end as chills swept through her body. Hearing him say those words... admitting to feelings that she was positive he had never had... Well, it was mind-blowing. She had assumed he had feelings for her, but never did she imagine he would tell her so nor tell her after such a short amount of time. She tipped her head back on his shoulder, exposing her neck, sighing in relief.

He loved her.

It was an incredible feeling to be loved, to be wanted. And if she felt like this, she couldn't even imagine what it felt like for him--for a man who secluded himself from others on a daily basis. Has he even loved or been loved before?

Again, his cock prodded against her, and she wanted to push his hands towards the ache between her thighs, but her mind argued against her physical cries.

She sat up straight, turned around, scooted back to her side of the bathtub and said, "Severus, will you please explain what happened tonight?"

Snape locked eyes with hers. "He demanded to see you. He wanted to know how much you trusted me. If I had told you what the plan was, your reaction would have been false, and he would have seen through that."

"I understand. I must admit that it was a bit of a nasty shock. And I was terrified. But, he seemed satisfied, right?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, he was completely satisfied. Although the other Death Eaters..."

"They are envious of your rank," she said, adding, "and are disgusting bastards."

"Perhaps. But they are dangerous, Hermione. Especially Greyback and Lestrange."

She nodded her head and inhaled the salty scent of the blue bubbles.

"What--what happened when you left because your Dark Mark was burning?"

"I'd rather not say," he muttered.

"It was bleeding--I was so scared," she cried out.

"As was I. Yes, he was angry with me, but only for a while. I can't tell you any more than that."

"You've got a slight limp when you walk."

The muscles in his jaw flexed, tensing. "Indeed."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"It's for your own good."

Hermione slammed her fist into the water, splashing everywhere. "My own good?" she shouted. "Don't you tell me what is for my own good! I have had enough of other people deciding for me what I should know or not know! I will decide for myself!"

"I don't want you knowing, Hermione," he said, his voice rising, tensed.

She knew he must be embarrassed to tell her what happened to him when Voldemort was beyond angry, but she couldn't help but prod. She wanted to know what her lover endured--and she wanted him to get it off his chest. But most of all, she wanted him to understand that she was there for him now, that he could lean on her when he needed.

"I know I can't help you with that, but you aren't alone anymore. Please confide in me."

His oversized nostrils flared, and his eyes narrowed. "Why are you so damn nosy?"

"I-I just--"

"You just what, Miss Granger?" he growled.

The use of her surname made her heart leap out of her chest--she had pushed him too far.

"I-I--"

"Do you get some sort of thrill out of knowing that I had to fucking crawl on my sodding knees in front of him and grovel? That he hung me upside down by one ankle, shackled in a metal strap that had fucking rusty spikes on the inside of it, digging into my flesh and bone? That my fucking ankle broke because of the amount of weight and pressure on it?"

Horrified, Hermione burst into tears, covering her face with her hands, shaking her head. "No!"

The water around her was disturbed, and a wave sloshed onto her chest.

"Look!"

She peeked through her fingers and saw him holding his left ankle up, out of the water.

"Look at it!"

She removed her hands and looked at the discoloration around his ankle and down to his toes. The purple was stark against his pale skin, and there were several puncture holes pierced into his skin with dried blood crusting around the holes.

Hermione gasped. She didn't know what to say nor how to help him.

He lowered his leg underneath the water. "Happy?" he snarled. "My attempt at healing it before I came back to the hotel room is only temporary--so yes, I have a damn limp!"

Hermione imagined herself in his position, being abused. Whenever she had hurt herself when she was younger, her mother had always kissed away her tears, healed her the best way a Muggle knew how, and held her until she felt better. It was a comfort she missed. And it was a comfort that he had never had.

She moved towards him, straddling his legs. He flinched as she wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head. "I'm here for you," she whispered, gently rocking him.

It was all she needed to say for him to break his walls and relax in her arms. He raised his arms out of the water and clenched her body. He buried his head in her chest, trembling.

Hermione closed her eyes as she nurtured her man. This night alone, he had gone to hell and back, protected her from Death Eaters, and taken care of her when her magic had become unbalanced and she had lost all her energy. One night--how many nights like this one, or worse, had he had to endure? It was a wonder he didn't have more break downs than he did.

He became very still, and she wondered if he had fallen asleep, so she gently let go of him and tilted her head sideways to see his face. But he wasn't sleeping. His eyes were open, and a calmness had overtaken him. He slowly looked up into her eyes, and she grinned. He let go of her, slid his hands to her waist and guided her onto his lap.

She wasn't surprised to find his cock hard. She slipped her hand below the water, grasped it and slowly began stroking it.

He moaned loudly, resting his head against the tiles. She sat on her knees and leaned into him, her breasts pressed against his chest. "Do you like that?" she whispered seductively, kissing the side of his neck as she stroked him faster.

He aggressively sat up, gripped her body to his, dug his fingers in her hair and began kissing her like there was no tomorrow. His mouth was wild on hers, his tongue and lips devouring hers.

She jumped when his fingers touched her lower lips, finding their way to her clit.

She panted, "Oh, yes," between their kisses as he pressed on her nub, sending pulsating shivers through her.

It wasn't long before his deft fingers ignited a deep throbbing sensation--she wanted his cock inside her, filling her up and stretching her open.

"More... please!" she cried, wiggling her legs from underneath her and opening herself for him.

Water splashed out of the bath as he pushed her off his legs and sat up on his knees.

"Slide under the water and lie on your back with your knees drawn to your chest," he demanded.

Not sure of what was about to happen; Hermione nervously took a large breath of air and slipped below the water, lying on her back. She kept her eyes closed, and he helped push her knees to her chest. His hand was holding his cock, prodding her clit with the blunt tip of it. She could feel him slide a bit lower, teasing her. As she slowly blew a small amount of air out of her nostrils, he rammed his cock inside her.

And oh, gods did it feel good.

His thumb was on her clit as he thrust in and out of her, the water above her slopping in waves over the sides of the tub.

She began to lose control, tottering on the edge of coming. But because she wasn't concentrating on holding her breath, she began panicking under the water once her chest became constricted. She lowered her legs and reached out of the water, hooking her arms around his neck, pulling herself up and letting him slip out of her.

She took several large gulps of air before she let go of him and splashed back into the water.

"Flip onto your hands and knees."

Hermione rolled over and pushed herself to all fours, tipping slightly forward, her face skimming the water. He entered her again and leaned over her back, placing two fingers on her clit again.

"Ooooohhhh!" she moaned, the sound echoing against the stone enclosure of the bath. He pumped in and out her, his long shaft sliding deeply into her, hitting a sensitive nerve. She rocked her body into his, ignoring the water that was splashing in her face and up her nose.

Finally he groaned and plunged into her. At this angle, the sensation of his come squirting into her was greater--she felt him coating her insides. She rotated her hips as he grinded his fingers into her clit, making her cry out his name as she fell over the edge.

She collapsed in the water, her body quivering from head to toe.

Before she slipped below the surface, his strong arms lifted her up. Eyes closed, she leaned limply against him.

"Let's go to bed, sweet one," he said softly as he helped her out of the bath.

"Mmmm... I like it when you call me that--it's much better than Miss Granger," she said groggily.

Snape chuckled as he dried her off with a grey cotton towel. She loved hearing him laugh. He wrapped the towel around her hair, squeezing the excess water out, and kissed her neck. "Sweet one," he said gently.

She whirled around and kissed him, clasping her arms around his neck, and standing on tiptoe. He moaned with pleasure and lifted her off her feet, walking them to the bedroom where he gently sat her on the side of his bed.

She let go of him and climbed beneath the cool sheets as he walked to the other side and slid in next to her. He lay on his back, and she positioned her head on his chest and laid one leg over his. She rested her hand on the patch of wiry hair above his cock, swirling her fingers through it.

"I've got to go home in the morning--I need to check on my family," she said tiredly.

"Of course. I've got duties to attend to tomorrow as well. But, you will spend the night with me again tomorrow night."

Hermione giggled. "Of course."

Hermione's slumber was sweet, content, and filled with dreams that she couldn't remember, but that left her pleasantly drowsy upon waking. And every time she awoke during the night, no matter how brief, she only had to move a hand, a foot, and she felt his reassuring touch in return.

Several hours later, the morning light peeked through the draperies in Severus' chambers, waking Hermione. For a while she lay in bed thinking about the busy day ahead of her. And although she didn't want to be away from Severus, she was excited about going home and telling her cousin, Jezzie, about the adventure in Egypt, losing her virginity to the man she loved, and the mysterious spell that would help her locate the last Horcrux.

A/N: I wanted to do a quick Thank you to, Livvy6. Her Severus calls Hermione 'sweet one' in her fic that I am betaing and I just loved that, so I used it in here! Thanks for your inspiration!

Up Next: The reason Voldemort was angry with Snape.