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Embracing My Very Own Darkness	By : TheTVJunkie Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 44436 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I don't own 'Harry Potter' or anything related to it. There's no money made of my stories; all my works are written for entertainment purpose only!

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
A/N: First of all - Thanks a lot for all your lovely feedback, my dear readers!!! ^^ Your response really made me very, very happy (Keep that coming, please!^^) and I'm so glad that the majority of you even enjoy the...well...more extraordinary kinky bits. ;p So sorry for the belated upload; life's been busy...
Another big thanks goes to my dear beta, "GabbyFreak/WolfInTheShadows" who, apart from doing a continued awesome job with beta-ing, kept the unwanted fluff in this to a minimum. XD
Alright, after all those lovely lemons I have to push on with this fic, hence, this instalment will be a little less lemony than the one before. But no need to worry; this story has only about three more chapters to go and I'm determined to plant quite a few lemon trees along the way.^^ So bear with me trying to mix in some substance into all this smutty goodness. Thanks.
Hope you enjoy. ;p

Chapter Thirteen - 'Sheep In Wolf's Clothing'
Gagging severely, Hermione coughed up some icky mucus when the torturous pressure to the back of her throat eventually stopped. Thanks to the devious o-ring gag that Lord Malfoy had placed in her mouth and much to Hermione's dismay, her saliva had started flowing uncontrollably down her chin, mixing with her tears in the process and, now that he had pulled out of her, pooled in a considerable puddle before here. Hermione was disgusted by herself about both dribbling like an infant and enjoying the humiliation and helplessness that came with it all the same. Her aching jaws had successfully been spread wide open for what seemed like an eternity, giving Lucius unrestricted access to yet another of Hermione's orifices. And no doubt, he had been making thorough use of it along with the barrage of profanities and verbal abuse Malfoy had spat expertly in her direction.
The young woman had not even finished on gasping for air as her abasement culminated in her tormentor sending his creamy white release over her face and tousled hair accompanied by a spine-chilling and surprisingly vocal grunt of completion by the otherwise so self-composed blonde wizard. The unbearable throbbing in Hermione's lower regions unexpectedly also peaked, sending her tumbling over the edge as well, not hard this time but yet enough to come down from a psychological induced height that Hermione had never thought possible and leave her sated on more than just a physical level.
Momentarily slumping down in the wooden restraints of the pillory, it took Hermione a moment to adjust the rhythm of her breathing back to normal and she closed her eyes in exhaustion.
*SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*
The horrifying sound made Hermione's mind snap back to attention instantly, her eyes widening when she realised that Lucius must have left her field of vision whilst she had her eyes closed.
"What was that?" She asked tentatively, not sure if she truly wanted an answer to her question. Hermione held her breath when she spotted something red-hot from the corner of her eye.
"This, my dear Mudblood..." Lucius purred silkily, revelling in Hermione's genuine horror given the blazing hot and scarily incandescing poker-like device in front of her. The glowing upper third ended in a flat piece of metal which showed the elegantly curved Malfoy family crest. "...has always been a special highlight for me. " He turned the branding iron to and fro for emphasis and once again Hermione's excitement was severely outweighed by a paralysing fear. She paled visibly, all the rosy flush of her cheeks gone when the blood fled from them, leaving the young woman unhealthily pale and seriously writhing in her restraints. A premonition told Hermione that this was getting out of hand, oath or not.
"The permanent marking of my new possessions." Lucius finished his sentence in a malicious fashion, and moving out of Hermione's field of vision once more. "Once they've been deemed worth keeping, of course." He added, patting Hermione's bum cheek.
"Now stop that. Please. This is no fun anymore." The distressed young woman pleaded but was not rewarded with an answer. "I'm serious Malfoy, this is going too far!" Now Hermione's courage got the better of her and she set for a more aggressive but unknowingly high-pitched and unmistakably desperate tone. "I don't need a freaking piercing and I definitely don't want a bloody branding either! You CAN'T DO THIS!"
"We'll see about that." Came the clipped reply. Lucius was really making the most of this scenario, enjoying to be so perfectly in character of his former self. Without further ado, he slowly lowered the iron towards Hermione's right buttock, curious as for when the oath would kick in and spoil the fun. For a moment he had considered charming the poker so he could actually brand Hermione without leaving permanent damage, making the skin grow back within minutes. However, Malfoy had ultimately decided against it. There were other, more...rewarding ways to test Hermione's resilience for pain. Who knows, maybe she was even more into it than she anticipated?
Meanwhile Hermione had started screaming incoherently in earnest, the radiating heat of the branding iron gradually indicating for her that she was very close to having her flawless white skin being burned from her flesh, probably hanging in macabre flaps from the wound and scar her for the rest of her life. Due to her panic, poor withering Hermione was totally forgetting about the protective magic which, once again, was long in coming.
With a final resounding cry of anguish, Hermione suddenly went limp, collapsing in the pillory, fainting. Lucius arched a brow in suspicion. Was she playing dead? No, she didn't react to pinching either. Hm. He brought the iron to her buttock once more, ever so gently to not actually burn her.
Now that was weird. There were no angry blue little stars coming to Hermione's rescue, no magic protecting her and there were only about two millimetres between her and the branding iron. Why wasn't the magic kicking in? Was Hermione really more of a pain sucker than she let on?
Lucius dropped the glowing instrument of torture and smiled deviously. He had just found a diamond in the rough.
Bloody brilliant.

Lying on her back, Hermione's eyes snapped open when she slowly regained consciousness about half an hour later. Her vision was blurry and it took her a few seconds to realise that she must have been moved from the dungeons to...elsewhere. The young woman blinked several times and little by little she sensed the change in surrounding, the cosy mattress underneath her and the evenly warm and inviting blanket she found herself wrapped in indicating that it was...a bedroom in which Hermione found herself in. The lights were dim and she cringed when she unexpectedly heard a voice on her left.
"Ah, awake at last."
Turning her head towards the source of the sound, Hermione learned that she was not alone in that bed. Next to her, propping himself nonchalantly on his elbow, was Lucius, the smuggest of smiles plastered across his face. He looked absurdly perfect, not one strand of hair in disarray and not the slightest remnant Hermione's dried blood on him. Probably, he had been showering while Hermione was unconscious or at least scourgified himself thoroughly. The young woman had not been so lucky.
Hermione frowned. "Where am I?" She asked and turned to her side to face him.
"In my bed." Lucius replied matter-of-factly.
"In your bed?" Hermione repeated in disbelief. "What am I doing in your bed?"
Malfoy raised brow and smirked. "Would you rather be back in the dungeons? Or spend the rest of the night in one of the cells? Surely that..."
"No!" Hermione cut him off quickly, eyes wide. Her body was aching all over and no matter how exciting and satisfying her little kinky adventure down there had been, for the time being Hermione had not the slightest desire of returning to that gloomy place. "No, Sir, your bed is fine. It's just...I haven't been expecting this." She admitted honestly.
Truth to be told, Hermione hadn't even undreamed of ending up in Malfoy's bed. Well, at least not unless he had the intention to bang her head against the headboard while fucking the shit out of her. No, all in all Hermione had indeed expected to spend the night in some rather uncomfortable position; either cramped in some tiny cage or, just as he had just suggested a moment ago, in a cell or even chained to a wall. The latest development, however, confused her.
"Umm...so, what happened?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject.
"You fainted." Lucius stated, still amused.
"Oh."
Great. Fainting like a little girl. Damn.
And then Hermione remembered just why she had fainted.
The branding!
Terrified, she reached her hand down to her still bruised buttocks and let out a silent sigh of relief to find no burned skin there.
Seriously? Don't you think you would have screamed in pain the moment you woke up if you really had a branding? Stop embarrassing yourself! Hermione's inner voice chided her. For the time being she was not sure if she wanted to know if it had been the oath that had saved her or not. After all, it had proven to be rather...unpredictable.
Hermione was abruptly cut out of her haze when she felt Malfoy reach around her waist, pulling her closer until Hermione rested against his chest. She stiffened in alarm and quickly averted Lucius' gaze. Not knowing what to expect had always made Hermione nervous and even though it might have sounded ridiculous, she felt way more helpless in this very moment than she did down in the dungeon.
Of course, Hermione's cringing did not go unnoticed. Lucius loosened his grip on her waist and carefully tilted Hermione's chin instead. Reluctantly, Hermione returned his look. Arching a brow, Lucius then spoke to her softly.
"In all seriousness Hermione, do you really fear to get hurt, beaten or worse whenever I touch you?"
Hermione???
Blinking in outright confusion, the insecure young woman was not sure of what to answer. "I...I don't know, Sir. Hasn't that been some sort of...basic condition of the arrangement between the two of us?"
"Well, it appears this is a matter of interpretation." Lucius replied, smirking. "Basically, you're right." He let his hand wander to Hermione's shoulder and languidly started drawing circles with the tip of his index finger. Bizarrely, his well-meant gesture indeed soothed Hermione's nervous mind and she gradually felt herself relax against him.
"Nevertheless..." Malfoy continued. "If memory serves me right, you equally demanded to be treated with respect between our encounters, didn't you?"

Hermione nodded silently. Actually, she had insisted on the respect aspect as a form of self-protection in order to save her from public humiliation, not for some unforeseen 'after care' behind closed doors. "Yes, Sir."
"Well, about the 'Sir' thing...I'd rather have you call me Lucius for now."

Hermione looked at him, flabbergasted. "I beg your pardon?"
"Why you heard me." Malfoy repeated, getting slightly annoyed. "Unless we're not playing our little Muggle/Death Eater game, I deem it appropriate to be on less formal terms with you."
Hermione swallowed hard. She wasn't sure if she was liked this change in dynamics. Getting emotionally attached to Lucius Malfoy, no matter how little, had not been on her agenda when she had signed up for this. But how was she supposed to raise the subject subtly?
Considering his request for a moment, Hermione decided to honestly express her concern. To be frank, I'm not sure if that's a good development."
"And why is that?" Lucius pushed.
Hermione's lips became a thin line and she stared at the ceiling. So why exactly didn't she welcome this? She lay there in silence, thinking hard to come up with just one convincing reason on why she should turn his request down.
Damn it. It just doesn't seem appropriate to me! It feels wrong. But unfortunately that's no proper reason... Can't he just leave everything as it is and enjoy???
More silence followed.
"Very well..." Malfoy ended the awkward silence after a while. "No answer is an answer." Now there was a tone in his voice that Hermione was all too familiar with; a certain degree of haughtiness which she almost welcomed after this weird touch of sloppy sentimentality.
"Since words seem to fail you, let me enlighten you then." Lucius stated patronisingly, obviously a little offended by Hermione's silence. "Judging by your rare state of lacking words there are two possible reasons bothering you, whether you realise it or not."
Hermione perked up her ears.
"Either you're afraid of losing the 'danger and fear element' which has proven to be so vital for you to enjoy yourself or you are uncomfortable with the idea of seeing my person beyond the handy image of the ruthless monster you like to portray me as."
Hermione frowned. Lucius had hit the nail right on the head and she didn't like that fact one bit.
"From what I've learned so far you never had any qualms being a monster. Neither today nor in the past." Hermione snapped angrily. "So at least your second statement couldn't be farther from the truth, could it?"
"Oh, I beg to differ." Lucius grinned. "As I recall it was you who had been asking for exactly those memories which...shall we say...didn't cast the best light on me."
Again, Hermione had the impression to be made to look silly. She was getting angry with herself but held her tongue since there was nothing she could think of in order to justify a sudden outburst of temper. Malfoy's statements seemed perfectly logical and made undeniable sense so what was she to do? Admit it? Deny it? Run?
"Has the cat got your tongue, Hermione? Oh, Severus will be so envious of me." The blonde wizard chuckled.
"Yes, yes, I know." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I've been an insufferable little know-it-all when I was a student."
Too bad I couldn't learn this kind of things from books. Interpersonal relations really suck!
"So you have decided to talk to me again?" Lucius teased her. "How kind of you."
Frowning once more, Hermione replied petulantly. "Fine. Be it as it may, I still don't understand. What's wrong with my intentions then? Even though I had the impression we both benefit from this arrangement I can't get rid of the feeling that you're trying to make me feel...guilty of sorts. Why?" She then narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Is this just another form of torture?"
Lucius shook his head. "Oh, there's nothing wrong with your intentions, my dear. As a matter of fact the obvious resourcefulness that has been fuelling your motives is indeed quite an adorable trait. However, a Slytherin trait that is." He smiled smugly at her and Hermione gave him an icy glare in return. "And far be it from me to make you feel guilty, on the contrary. All I'm aiming for is for you to fathom the truth of your nature."
Now Hermione blinked at him rather sheepishly. "So you want me to accept that deep within I'm all bad and twisted?"
"No, silly. I want you to embrace being that twisted little masochist you've proven to be!" Lucius explained, almost enthusiastic. He then winked at her."You're no more twisted or bad than I am."
How reassuring.
"As for your worries that getting too personal might take away the tension between us, you're fatally mistaken." Lucius scowled at her which sent a promising flush of anticipation through Hermione's veins. "Even if I allow you to call by my given name every now and then, it won't change a thing regarding our concerted dynamics." His voice then dropped thrillingly dangerous in register. "With my record you'll be scared out of your wits in a trice, that I assure you."
Hermione didn't doubt that in the least. Especially not after the stunt he had pulled with the almost-branding.
Oh. So that's...good, I suppose?!
"Don't expect flowers or something."
Hermione snorted since the mere thought was ridiculous. "I wouldn't dream of it!"
"Good. So that's settled then. Which brings me to your second concern..." Once again, Lucius tilted Hermione's chin, making it more difficult for her to avoid his gaze when he spoke softly. "I guess I know exactly why you'd prefer to keep thinking of me as a cruel, abusive prick." He paused for effect.
"It's easier for you on so many levels. It allows your consciousness to put yourself in the role of the eternal victim; the little Miss Goody Two-Shoes you claim to be for appearance's sake. The former Gryffindor princess that has been captured by some very, very evil Death Eater and now suffers her fate. All in all, you're actually using me for running from yourself, Hermione. Yourself and social conventions."
Hermione hadn't even realised that she had started trembling at the inconvenient truth of his words; the scales falling from her eyes. She stifled a sob.
"Why did you have to tell me that?" Hermione fought back burning tears of anger and discomforting self-awareness. "I came here to hate you and now I start hating myself instead."
Giving her a weak smile, Lucius unwittingly began stroking Hermione's tousled hair. "That shall pass. Believe me."
Merlin, I hope so!
"Speaking of passing..." Malfoy continued, changing the awkward topic. "There are a few other things I need to discuss with you before you leave for Hogwarts in the morning."
"And what is that?" Hermione asked, curious.
"Will you come back?" He asked.
Hermione blinked. As of yet she had not wasted a single thought on this option. "Well...my week at Hogwarts is almost over and..." She hesitated for a moment and then added. "I'm afraid I will have to return to my regular life after that."
*sigh* And my bloody monotonous job as well.
"That's no answer to my question." Lucius pressed the issue further. "You could still apparate here if you wanted to."
"No, I couldn't." Hermione shook her head. "My bloody job is too time-consuming to allow regular extra spicy nightly experiences, and apparation in Muggle London is still a risky thing." She explained honestly. "There are lots of nosy people living in my neighbourhood, you know."
"I see." Lucius nodded. "But if this wasn't the case, would you want to continue our little arrangement, Hermione?"

"Umm...I guess so." Hermione admitted after a little moment of hesitation. Today's evening had been an awesome experience and she had the feeling that this had just been the tip of a very promising iceberg. She inwardly sighed at the thought that this would be over all too soon. "Hypothetically yes."
"Good." Malfoy seemed to be satisfied with her answer and Hermione was glad he didn't keep pushing her.
"Which brings me to my next request." Lucius shot her a mischievous grin. "I'd like you to come back to Malfoy Manor tomorrow...with Severus."

A/N: Well well, that sounds like a VERY tempting proposal, don't you think?^^ Will Hermione go for it? *evil grin*
Please let me know what you think of the latest developments and leave a review. :) Thanks a lot. Next instalment is already in progress!
Btw - For those of you who have not yet read it and might be interested in just why 'good girls' so often fall for the 'bad guys' in Harry Potter, you might enjoy reading 'The Potter Bad Boy Phenomenon' which you can find amongst my works on my profile page. :)
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Embracing My Very Own Darkness