dexstarr

Title: Squared Stars
Author:

dexstarr
Word Count: 100 x 5
Rating: PG
Challenge:

grangersnape100 Prompt: Stars
Characters: Hermione Granger, Severus Snape
Author's Notes: Everything turns into a drabble series these days.
Disclaimer: Not mine.

***

“I smell the taint of a Mudblood,” hissed Voldemort, his flat nose sniffing along Snape’s neck, pausing at the exact spot where Hermione had pressed a desperate kiss before he’d left her.

“You did order me to seduce her, my Lord,” Snape reminded him, the words flowing effortlessly. “She is, for all her knowledge, still a girl. I have to be… romantic.” He sneered the last word, eyes dark.

The Dark Lord nodded. “What progress do you have to report?” He twirled his wand in his long, pale fingers, waiting.

Snape tensed. “She is extremely cautious; I need more time.”

***

In a very soft, very dangerous voice his master said, “More time? And will she be singing your praises then? Crying your name?”

“I do not care whose name she cries, my Lord; I just want information on Potter.”

“I will give you two more weeks, then I will turn to other methods of loosening the Mudblood’s mouth.”

Taking that as a dismissal, Snape bowed. “I will not fail you,” he said, and then turned on the spot to Disapparate.

“Not so fast, Severus. You need incentive.” Voldemort pointed his wand at the other man, red eyes gleaming cruelly.

“Crucio!”

***

From the sharp intensity of the pain, Snape knew that the Dark Lord was very angry with him for failing to bring Hermione properly under his control. White-hot stars burst behind his clenched eyelids and exploded in the black hole of his mouth as he struggled to stay silent, to show no weakness in front of Voldemort.

As the Cruciatus curse continued to devastate his body, Snape felt fingers brush against his agonized mind. Urgently, he Occluded, barricading his thoughts and shoving forward feelings of scorn and revulsion as he gazed at a visibly lustful Hermione lying in his bed.

***

He’d never gone to her fresh from the Dark Lord’s presence, still clothed in Death Eater black, smelling of death, with Cruciatus aftershocks still attacking his nerves.

But tonight he couldn’t hide from her.

“Severus!”

She was awake, sitting up in his bed, a book open on her lap. She’d evidently been waiting for him to return.

“Hermione.” Carefully, Snape sat beside her. “We have two weeks.” His voice cracked slightly; he sighed inwardly at his weakness.

Her hair brushed against his robed shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. “Shh, Severus, we’ll worry about it in the morning.”

***

Snape tipped his head back, looked at Hermione’s face. There was no disgust, no horror – only love shone in her brown eyes.

“Shh,” she whispered again, her breath tickling his ear. Hermione twisted around until she was sitting in front of him, arms still securely about him. She leaned forward, her soft lips soothing his bite-marked ones.

The fake feelings he’d projected for the Dark Lord faded in the display of her acceptance and love.

As Severus kissed her back, stars once again burst in his body – starbursts of joy.

Hermione: his North Star as he served the Dark.

***