Winter's Shadow

Chapter 18

Take It Off

Draco watched Hermione storm from her room with wand in hand, a fiery determination of her face. She crossed the common room in no time at all and was out the portrait hole before Draco could process what she was doing let alone ask what she was doing. He had no doubt where she was going however.

"Glad I'm not Snape."

He shook his head and went to his own room for sleep.

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Snape settled in front of his fire with his usual nightly glass of firewhiskey. How Dumbledore could of sent him on such an outing was beyond him. More to the point was why. He thought it was stupid of the older man to allow these students out in such a way. It was asking for trouble. And that Granger girl--what was she thinking? It was enough to drive any man nuts. And Sirius salivating all over himself about her? How pathetic. Couldn't he find his own woman to harass...the simple thought caused Snape to down the remainder of the firewhiskey in his goblet. 'Gods! I sound as if I have some claim on the witch.' As Snape finished another goblet of drink he began drifting off right there of the sofa...

~Snape sat at his desk grading essays. He heard his classroom door open and shifted his eyes up to see who it was. Peering through the shield of ebony hair he saw Hermione walking in--wearing the exact same uniform she wore out for her birthday. Snape found it rather difficult to breath.

"By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes."

Hermione smiled at the sound of his deep voice.

"Professor, I am here to serve my detention."

Hermione walked up and around his desk, slowly pulling herself up onto the desk. His eyes followed her. Crossing her legs, she took out her wand and with a swish music filled the dungeons.

'Don't be aroused

By my confession

Unless you don't give a good goddamn about redemption

I know

Christ is coming

And so am I

You would too if the sexy devil caught your eye

She'll suck you dry

Soon you'll cry

To be back in her bosom

To do it again

She'll make you weep

And moan and cry

To be back in her bosom

To do it again

Pray--shall I go blind?

Pray--cos nobody ever survives

Praying to stay in your arms

Just until I can die a little longer

Saviors and saints Devils and demons alike

She'll eat you alive...'

Hermione reached out, putting her hand under Snape's chin she lifting his face up to look at her.

"So what is my punishment?"

He could see the black onyx resting on her chest rising and falling with her every breath. She was leaning over some so if he so chose he would have quite an eye full--he kept eye contact.

"Miss Granger, I believe you will be scrubbing the cauldrons--over there." He pointed to the same spot she previously scrubbed cauldrons for him.

She leaned over even further--mere inches from his lips. For a moment Snape thought he stopped breathing.

"Yes, sir."

She hopped off his desk and slowly made her way to the cauldrons, twirling pigtails and glancing back at him on her way. As any dungeon in Hogwarts it used to be used as...well, a dungeon. Hence there were areas where one would see chains and shackles.

Snape told his self to continue grading the essays and not to bother looking up to check her progress. It didn't work when he heard her voice.

"Oh, professor, could you please come here a moment?"

With a forced sigh to seem irritated by the girl, Snape rose from his seat and crossed the room to the girl.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

She smiled again and walked closer to the wall. He watched her run her hands over the shackles and entwine the chain in her hand.

'Jesus is risen

It's no surprise

Even he would

Martyr his momma

To ride to hell between those thighs

The pressure is building

At the base of my spine

If I gotta sin to see her again

Then I'm gonna lie and lie and lie

She'll make you cry

I'll sell my soul

To be back in your bosom

And gladly help

Please suck me dry

And still you'll cry

To be back in her bosom

Do it again

Pray--shall I go blind?

Pray--cos nobody ever survives

Praying to stay in your arms

Just until I can die a little longer

Saviors and saints

Devils and demons alike

She'll eat you alive...'

Hermione ran her hands down one set of the chains and looked at Snape. With a devilish grin she picked up a set of the chains off the wall and draped them over the front of her.

"What are these for, PROFESSOR?"

'My pulse has been rising

My temples are burning

The pressure is so overwhelming and building

So steady and heavy

I'm ready to blow

She waits, what is she waiting for?'

Snape stepped closer to Hermione. "Shall I show you?" ~

His door crashed open rather aggressively startling him awake. Sitting straight up on his sofa he saw Hermione standing in the doorway in her pajamas brandishing her wand. He knew how she got passed the wards he kept on his door--Hermione Anne Granger was the top of her class at Hogwarts for a reason. The fury that surrounded this young witch was utterly fascinating to him and despite his denial, quite worrisome.

"You!" She pointed her wand at him as he stood up and she continued to walk toward him.

"Me."

"PROFESSSOR Severus Snape, what in the name of Merlin have you done to this necklace?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Isn't it obvious?"

"I DO NOT WANT THE BLOODY THING! TAKE IT OFF NOW!"

"No, it is for your own safety as I have already said."

"NOW!"

She raised her wand further to insure he saw she was armed.

"Miss Granger, put your wand down. Now. You are no match for me." Snape looked at her rather lazily--as if this whole situation required no effort on his part what so ever. Flames flashed in Hermione's eyes--a look Harry, Ron, and now Draco were familiar with but on a higher level. Before Snape could react, the words left her mouth in a deathly low, cold voice.

"Petrificus Totalus." When the professor fell over stiff as a board, she approached him. Bending down she patted his cheek. "Sleep well, Professor. I know I will." Hermione stood up and walked out the door.

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Hermione woke bright and early for classes as always. Draco sat in the common room reading from their potions text book. His face was scrunched up in confusion. He saw Hermione come down from her room looking rather pleased with herself. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered why she appeared so, but his first problem was something in the potions text. As Hermione passed him on her way out she called for him to follow.

"Draco, are you coming?"

He looked up at Hermione, who had stopped at the portrait waiting for him.

"Oh, yeh. I just need to go down to the dungeon to try to catch Snape before he goes to breakfast."

They walked out the door together.

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

Draco stopped walking and looked at Hermione. 'What did she do?'

"Why?"

She shrugged and continued walking. "He gave me the impression last night that he would be tied up this morning."

They entered the Great Hall and separated to their house tables. Ron and Harry waved as Draco waved to them on his way to his table. Hermione sat down next to Ron and across from Harry. Ginny and Harry seemed to be in their own conversation. Hermione looked at Ron; he shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "I don't know either."

Hermione looked up at the staff table. Snape wasn't there. It didn't take long before Hermione noticed Professor McGonagall get up from the table and rush away.

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Professor McGonagall looked at the empty seat between her and Lupin. She looked over at Dumbledore.

"Did Severus mention skipping breakfast?"

"No, Minerva, he did not."

Her forehead crinkled up into a scowl. "I know he does not think he can escape me that easily." She stood to go find the missing professor. It was common knowledge that the first quidditch game would be between Gryffindor and Slytherin and it was also well known that Snape and McGonagall always placed bets between them about their teams performance in said match.

McGonagall swiftly walked through the castle to the dungeons. When she approached his rooms she found the wards not in tact. He always kept the wards in tact and this sent her immediately into a defense mode. She pulled out her wand and slowly opened his chamber door.

"Severus!"

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Hermione ate her breakfast with her DADA book propped on a pumpkin juice jug, reading. Through the corner of her eye she saw McGonagall rush in almost in a panic. She whispered to Dumbledore who smiled and looked at Hermione with a twinkle in his eye and a nod.

"Albus, it was awfully strong. I could not lift it at all."

He nodded. "Yes, a powerful witch must have placed the spell."

"Witch? How do we know it was not a wizard?"

He looked to Hermione reading as usual and a smile grew on his face.

"Oh, I know quite a powerful witch who may have done this. Not to worry, Minerva."

Slowly, still smiling, Dumbledore stood and silence spread through the Great Hall. Some students, Hermione included, continued eating.

"I am pleased to tell you, any students in Professor Snape's morning classes will have a free period as the professor seems to be...in a bind at the moment. After noon classes will meet." Dumbledore seemed to chuckle with his own words.

Hermione snorted into her porridge. On top of Dumbledore's odd announcement, this caused the whole of the Gryffindor table to look at her. She looked up.

"What?" They just kept looking. Then she noticed Draco across the hall smiling, knowing this was her doing. They wouldn't stop looking. "Ugh! I have some work in the library." She stood up taking her bag and stormed to the library. She was determined to find how to remove the necklace before she had potions the next day.

Hermione's determination paid off. It only took her an hour to find the spell Snape had used to keep the necklace on her and the counter-spell to go with it. In her room before DADA, she pointed her wand to the onyx and mumbled the words. She then reached out to take the necklace off at it slid off willingly.

She left a few minutes early for DADA in order to go to the dungeons first. Sure enough, Snape at his desk grading essays not even noticing someone had walked into his class room--or seeming not to notice.

"What is it, Miss Granger. I do not have all day to wait while you sit there gawking." He didn't look up as he said this, but continued grading.

Hermione did not say a word. She swiftly walked up to his desk and dropped the chain in a swirl of silver and the onyx in a splash of black in front of Snape, on the paper he was grading. Then, she quickly turned and walked out of the dungeon room leaving Snape to sit and stare at the necklace in wonder.