Taming the Snake

Chapter 4

Hermione woke in a straggled, messy pile on top of the bed. She knew immediately she was dehydrated, probably because of all the tears she had cried since when the kind man with the soft voice had left.

She tried to sit up, but found she had a horrible ache in her stomach. So she settled for laying back down slowly and staying put.

She looked around her room, seeing the petty excuse for a room she was on the large black bed and that was the only thing in the room besides a small, barred window. She noted, happily, that the lights were still on. The lights in her room were almost always on, unless Lucius turned them off. When the lights were off, the monsters came and brought her to the edge of death before leaving her there to heal. Once she was semi-healed they brought her back to the edge again and so on. So she left the lights on to keep the monsters away.

Her meal of the day, the mornings she got it, was nothing but a piece of bread and a small cup of soup. She received a meal this morning from the house elf, Tinsy, which meant Lucius and Fenrir would be in to visit her today. She accepted the food, hoping to make the pain in her stomach go away, and didn't say a word as she ate and Tinsy watched. When she was finished, she thanked the tiny elf, handed him the tray back and decided to sit on the edge of the bed by the window.

She had wanted so bad to watch people, but no one was in the garden this morning. Instead, there was a family of deer, grazing peacefully. The girl smiled down at the babies. She wished she could toss them food or something to help them, but she knew the trouble she would get in and how painful the Crucios were, especially when Lucius cast them. She was all too familiar with the whips, cane, and belts, too.

Oh, how she wished she could sprout wings like a bird and fly. Fly far away from this dreadful place, fly away and never return. Or that the kind man who had spoken softly to her a few days ago would return and take her where she'd be safe like he had promised.

No, she'd been foolish when she'd believed him. She'd been promised many things and none of them had occurred. That was simply in the past days, too. She began to cry again when she acknowledged, once again, that she couldn't remember anything before her capture. Besides the fact everything she knew now had been told to her by Lucius.

She didn't hear when Lucius entered her small room. She jumped when his velvetty evil voice laced through the room.

"Why are you crying again, my pet?" Lucius asked, placing a hard and cold hand on her shoulder.

The young girl tensed at the action. She had had the manicured hands touch every part of her before and was not looking forward to it occurring again.

"No reason, sir. I simply was watching the deer again and so hoping to go outside. Like they do. They're beautiful and free, you see. You'll never find one alone, though. They're always together." She absentmindedly rambled, hope lacing her voice with a desperate need. A need to go outside in the sunlight, to feel the grass itch her legs and the flowers smell nicely. She longed to do all this and more because she could not remember any of it. Her memories had been ripped from her entirely and all she knew was she had been in a better places not weeks ago.

"Ah, pet, why are you not grateful for what you have? I have given you so much and still you want more." Lucius answered in a tsk-tsk tone. "Well, I am a loving master so I shall give you more. Come here, Hermione." Him saying her name sent am icy chill down her back.

She obeyed nonetheless, following him over to the side of the bed. She bent over the bed, her rump extruding, when he motioned her to.

"Since I am being so kind today, pet, I will allow you to pick your treatment. Whip? Chains? Belt? Cane? What will it be? I will enjoy them all, I am sure." He said and though she could not see him, she pictured his evil smirk lacing across his ugly mug.

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Severus skipped classes for the next few days, as instructed by Minerva. He was to focus his entire time on finding a way to rescue Hermione. The school, including Draco, had also been on lockdown by Minerva for the safety of the students, but she knew Lucius only had one prey in mind and that was Hermione.

Severus was pacing the dungeons again when Minerva's head appeared once again in his fireplace. Rolling his eyes, he stalked over to the flamed head and muttered something unkind under his breath.

"I heard that, Severus. Now, any new information?" She asked briskly, her eyes darting around as a sign of distraction.

"No, Minerva. Not since you asked me last class period." He said agitatedly. This was the hundredth sixth call he had received from Minerva since he returned and began his search for a solution.

"Well I'm sorry if some of us are truly concerned for the welfare of Miss Granger." She snapped back angrily.

"How dare you say that to me, Minerva! You know I care for the girl just as much if not more than you do!" The teacher replied, snappier.

Taken aback, Minerva's face sank, realizing how unkind she had been to her friend. Severus, seeing Minerva's reactions to his words, sank defeatedly as well, knowing he would never be good enough for the girl he was trying to rescue. He was a monster and everyone could see it.

"I-if any new information comes in, w-will you notify me immediately?" She asked warily, unable to look the dark wizard in the eyes.

"Always." He replied, quickly masking his emotions behind his usual facade. He questioned his passion for the girl, for who could ever learn to love a beast?