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Embracing My Very Own Darkness	By : TheTVJunkie Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 44434 -:- 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
- 4
- 5
- 6
A/N: Now then, let's see how it goes with Hermione's shopping tour. ;)

Chapter Five - ' Know Thy Enemy'
Deeply lost in thought, Hermione wandered through the familiar hallways and corridors with the accuracy of a sleepwalker in his own home. Before long she found herself in front of her chamber door and, automatically mumbling the password, Hermione realised that the odd piece of parchment Snape had been given her was still in her hand.
Folding it neatly and placing it securely in her trouser pocket, the young woman couldn't help but shake her head in amused disbelief as she thought of its delicate content...
Hell, I'm not even reconsidering this option!
It was just then when the penny dropped. Once more, Hermione had to admit that she had succumbed to Snape's subtle manipulation without even noticing it! By providing her with that tempting protective Wizard's Oath, her sly former Potions Master had already made the decision for her concerning seeking out Lucius for "broadening" her sexual horizon at a time Hermione herself had not even taken it into serious consideration.
Ts, Slytherin to the core!
Snape must have known that, once Hermione would become aware of the far-reaching possibilities ahead, her eagerness for 'exploring the unknown' surely would prevent her from wasting such a unique opportunity. For a few seconds Hermione wasn't sure if she should either be offended by being tricked and lured to willingly accept this thrilling challenge or rather being grateful for Snape's as likely as not self-serving foresight.
After some humming and hawing, Hermione decided for the latter, even if she had no idea on how Malfoy was supposed to know about her decision.
I'm definitely not going to give that egocentric bigot the satisfaction of paying him a visit and beg him for his participation...
Hermione thought grimly as she let herself into the sparse guest room in Gryffindor Tower. Making a mental note on asking Snape about the issue in the evening, a sudden inspiration brightened her face. Quickly stepping over the various items and the suitcase that still sat in the middle of the room, waiting patiently to be unpacked, Hermione headed for her small desk to hastily scribble some additional sentences on the lower edge of the precious Oath.
Very well, two can play that game!
Satisfied with herself, Hermione smirked wickedly and carefully tucked the parchment back into her trouser pocket.
Since she was still in need of several utensils for her work as assistant to Minerva the following Monday, Hermione made quick work of unpacking by using magic. Being the paranoid she had become over the years, she even wrinkled the sheets and pillow of her bed; just to make sure that no-one had any reason for getting suspicious about her nightly whereabouts.
Eventually she grabbed her bag and threw some Floo powder into her fireplace. Stepping in the greenish flames, she firmly said: "Diagon Alley!" and vanished with a crack.

About an hour later Hermione was done with her shopping and happily carried her heavy shoulder bag which was stuffed to the rim. Strolling through various shops and leisurely wandering through the freshly fallen snow in Diagon Alley had successfully distracted her from her earlier worried, yet wanton thoughts.
Entering 'Flourish and Blotts', Hermione inhaled the familiar and soothing odour of old books. Lazily, she looked into some of them until suddenly the sinister undercurrent of an all too familiar voice made Hermione jump in surprise and she almost dropped the book she had been reading.
"Well well, now who do we have here?" Hermione heard Lucius Malfoy purr as she quickly turned around facing him; eyes wide in surprise. Before she could help it, Hermione felt her cheeks turn crimson.
"I told you we'd meet again soon." Lucius stated matter-of-factly; obviously amused by her tell-tale reaction.
Hermione cursed her bloody hormones for making her being read as easily as an open book. Stubbornly ignoring the lump in her throat, Hermione tried her best to retort coolly: "Malfoy. No, Lord Malfoy. "She mocked and raised her chin in defiance."To what do I owe the doubtful honour of your precious pure-blood presence?"
Giving her his trademark smirk, Lucius stepped closer to Hermione; enjoying her instant recoil to his deliberate invasion of her personal space. "Truth to be told, Miss Granger, I was looking for you..."
Hermione, who pressed herself hard against the bookshelf in her back, gasped. "And why would you do that?" She asked, her voice sounding not as confident as she had hoped for.
Malfoy casually reached for one of the wayward locks of her hair, twining it around his gloved fingers. "Let's put it that way..." He explained in a languid tone, faking boredom. "A little bird told me that you might be interested in some sort of..." Lucius gave her a smug smile. "...carnal arrangement with me in order to nurture and enhance the more physical side of your kinky little desires."
He drawled the last couple of words and Hermione's stomach did little somersaults until she suddenly realised that it must have been Snape who told Lucius about it.
"Little bird???" She replied sulkily; her face now flushed with indignation. "That's a miserable overgrown bat you're talking about and I..."
...I'm going to kill him for that! Dare he blurt this out! And to Malfoy himself at that!
A disturbed visitor in the next row of shelves harrumphed annoyed at Hermione's audible outburst.
"Shhhhh, my little wildcat," Lucius shushed her, placing his index finger on her lips. Hermione stiffened. "You rather ought to be grateful for Severus' forethought." Lucius reprimanded her, leaving poor Hermione shivering visibly at the commanding harshness of his words. "He had predicted your hot-headed reaction. So actually, he has even granted you a favour letting me in on this since we all know that your foolish pride would have forbidden you to seek me out, wouldn't it?"
Ts, my pride?
"So..." Lucius continued."It's still your choice after all, but if my instincts serve me right, and that's what they usually do, you've outgrown that silly Gryffindor principles and would rather find out where this will be leading you to..."
Hermione cringed as Lucius eventually violated the last bit of her personal space; whispering suggestively into in her ear. "I recognise an expectant masochist when I see one." Hermione's heart skipped a beat when she felt Lucius' hot breath against her ear. "You do fear me and you have no bloody idea how desirable that makes you for...someone like me." He continued knowingly. "And since we do share the purest form of hatred for each other this even kicks things up a notch, don't you think...Mudblood?" Hermione felt a jolt of wanton need go straight to her core as he emphasized the last word with a click of his tongue.
Even though Hermione didn't like it, she had to admit that both Snape and Malfoy were right. Her already suffering self-esteem most likely wouldn't have allowed her to condescend herself to being pathetic enough to beg that arrogant git to bed her. It had already taken her great effort to ask Snape for it but Malfoy? Never. Alright, maybe if she had been plastered enough, but...
Oh, bollocks to that!
"Fine." Hermione finally found her voice again. "Since the cat is out of the bag anyway, I would suggest we take this conversation elsewhere, don't you agree?"
"As you wish," Lucius replied silkily and couldn't help but continue with a mocking "Your place or mine?"
Hermione gave him a nasty look. "Easy, Malfoy. I have not yet decided on accepting your 'grateful offer', have I? We have still haven't outlined the rules of engagement. So we'd better go somewhere..." Hermione put the book she had been reading back into the shelf in a noisy fashion and sardonically added loudly "...away from eavesdropping persons!"; addressing the harrumphing visitor from earlier who had, without a doubt, intently overheard their talk.
"Quite some temper for sure. This is going to be so much fun." Lucius thought to himself wickedly as he reached for Hermione's heavily laden shoulder bag. "Allow me?" He offered chivalrously.
Hermione arched a brow in suspicion. Evil or not, much unlike his son, this Malfoy did have manners.
"Thanks." She answered brusquely, reluctantly following Lucius, who headed towards the exit of 'Flourish and Blotts'.
Back on the street, Hermione instantly felt a certain degree of discomfort form in her belly when she saw Malfoy naturally turn into the gloomy entrance of 'Knockturn Alley'. This place had always given her the creeps and the adrenaline started pulsing furiously in Hermione's veins. Both her common sense and survival instinct inwardly screamed at her: "Stop, Hermione, don't! Danger!"
Danger.
An alarmingly uneasy feeling shivered down her spine, but at the same time a desperate need for thrill made her knees go weak with longing.
Malfoy and I alone in 'Knockturn Alley' and nobody knowing about my whereabouts. Bloody hell, what he could do to me...
Her mouth went dry when Hermione desperately tried to banish all those distracting, naughty pieces of thoughts that kept persistently popping up before her inner eye.
Think, think, think! He could kill you within seconds and nobody would ever know! Do something, stupid cow!
"Ummm..." Hermione quickly called after Lucius. "...where are you going, Lord Malfoy?"
This time, she had used his title without any touch of mocking; her brain dictated her better not to unnecessarily provoke him out here. The sun was set already and there were only very few passers-by left on the streets; now that it had also started snowing slightly. At once the whole situation had become agonisingly perilous; surreally accentuated by the continuous fall of glistening snowflakes.
Ts, even if I screamed bloody murder the odds of being heard and rescued are not the best at this time of the day.
Lucius turned around at a leisurely pace; his elegant, fur trimmed robes billowing flatteringly around him. Pointing with his cane towards the other end of 'Knockturn Alley' he replied nonchalantly. "There's a nice little pub down the road..."
"I would rather stop by the 'Leaky Cauldron'" Hermione cut him off, nervously fiddling with her hands. "...please. I know they got a Pensieve there and...and we'll be needing that." She tried to give as a lousy excuse.
Eyeing her suspiciously, Lucius walked back to her; smirking devilishly. "Now, now, Miss Granger; you wouldn't impute lower motives to me, would you? Like dragging you into dark alleys in order to..."
Hermione caught her breath. "...what? Kill me? Rape me? Beat me to a bloody pulp?" She finished the sentence in her head.
Lucius scowled. "Well...now we'll never know, dear." He brushed past the trembling girl, conceitedly waving away her fearful unspoken question. "Too easy."
Malfoy inwardly chuckled; deep within he was in fact glad that Hermione had acted wisely; thereby inadvertently making this challenge even more exciting for him. Actually he hadn't expected any less from her than not following him blindly down there to her doom...
"Clever girl." He purred suggestively. Offering his arm to a very confused and still shaking Hermione, he continued. "Apart from that, this would have ended our arrangement, given that you are going to accept it, before it had even started."
Somewhat dazed, Hermione simply accepted his arm and blushed. Eyes closed, Lucius inhaled with relish and purred appraisingly. "Mhhhh. I can literally smell your fear, my little Mudblood. It's intoxicating and promising; leaving me craving more of that..."
Shit. I must be tired of living letting this perv anywhere near me! And yet...who am I to judge him; obviously being a sicko myself; responding to this so intensely?

Much to Hermione's dismay, Lucius and she attracted much more attention than she liked when they entered the 'Leaky Cauldron' together. The room went silent almost instantly; apart from the a few excited whispers here and there and blatant staring.
It was just then when Hermione realised that it had been quite some time that she had been seen in public; let alone accompanied by a well-known declared Muggle hater. Deep within Hermione had never been a sucker for attention, but since obviously her fading fame still rang after her; it appeared that for the time being she would have to deal with people's stupid curiosity.
Frowning, Hermione headed straight for the counter and ordered something to drink.
"Hiya. One mulled wine please and..." She turned around to Malfoy who obviously didn't mind all the curious glances from the other guests at all. "What would you like, Lord Malfoy?"
"Same for me," The handsome blonde replied politely and the freckled waitress that helped Tom every now and then behind the counter turned crimson as he concluded with a disarming "...please."
Rolling her eyes, Hermione added: "Make it a double for me, will you? Oh, and we need that separate room with the Pensieve. Is it available?"
"Sure Miss, just a second." The waitress quickly filled the two mugs with hot, fuming mulled wine. Then, she opened a nearby drawer and took out a key; pointing towards a door in the rear part of the pub. "This way, please."
Hermione heard the volume in the room rise again when Malfoy and she vanished from sight. For sure those bloody rubberneckers were gossiping viciously about what kind of business would lead this ill-matched couple behind closed doors...
Hermione sighed inwardly as Lucius gallantly helped her out of her winter coat. Not that she didn't enjoy that kind of flattery; no, in that respect she wasn't any different from other women. What rather made her shudder, if she was honest with herself, in both fear and gleeful anticipation was the fact that she was actually seeking out the monster she believed was lurking underneath this façade of suave sophistication.
As soon as the waitress had left, sinking into one of the comfy chair next to the Pensieve, Hermione hastily reached for her mug and took a gulp; hoping that the alcohol would bring back her faked self-confidence and dispel her god damn nervousness. Equally, having made himself comfortable, Lucius slowly sipped at his steaming beverage before he ended the awkward silence by referring to the giant pink elephant in the room.
"Now then, to the heart of the matter." He stated demandingly. "Since you dragged me all the way to this...establishment" He arched the corner of his mouth in disapproval; probably due to the lack of luxury in the plain old pub. "Am I correct in assuming that you will now present me with your rules of engagement as you so nicely termed it?"
Hermione took another gulp, nearly emptying her mug. Luckily, the alcohol was starting to produce the desired effect. "As a matter of fact, I am." She reached for the piece of parchment in her trouser pocket. Handing it over to Lucius, she started explaining her conditions.
"As you can see, this Wizard's Oath will magically prevent you from causing me any sort of severe, permanent or even deadly injuries. Meaning, you can do me no harm unless I sexually benefit from it." Hermione caught herself shooting Malfoy's ever present snake-headed cane a somewhat anxious look at her last statement. She continued her clarification.
"I realise that, for exploring this very specific part of my bordering masochistic inclination a certain degree of brutality on your part and hence a certain degree of physical suffering on my part is required to do the trick for both of us, but since I cannot be sure that your limits are consistent with mine, I have to insist on you taking this Oath or the whole deal is off."
Hermione paused as she watched Malfoy skimming the exact wording of the Oath. She could tell from the grim look on his face that he wasn't overly pleased with these restrictions. "Severus gave you this, didn't he?" He snarled.
Hermione nodded. In this very moment she was unutterably grateful for Snape's wise interference.
Malfoy snorted. "Party pooper." Dismissively waving his hand, he growled. "Go on."
"Furthermore, and I think that is in the interest of both sides, no living soul will know about that arrangement, except you, me and the professor."
Malfoy nodded in approval; he wasn't keen on making this liaison with a Mudblood publicly known either. The whole blood line thing had become less and less important to the Wizarding society after the fall of Voldemort and personally, Lucius didn't actually care much about it himself anymore, but still – old habits die hard in certain circles and especially in those the Malfoys associated with.
Eventually, Hermione concluded her demand. "Apart from that I expect you to treat me with respect outside of these...umm, 'sessions'. I wouldn't like you pushing me around in real life, Milord. To my understanding, this is some sort of exciting game if you like and I have no intention of you treating me worse than your poor house-elves. I know that this is not written down here but, heaven help me, if I ever experience you treating me like shit I swear I'll hex your balls like I did with Roderick..." Meanwhile, the wine had clearly gone to her head.
Lucius wrinkled his forehead. "Roderick? Roderick Bucklesworth?" He asked, amusement evident in his tone. Hermione blushed and cursed herself for her being such a blabbermouth. It had never emerged that it had been her hexing Roderick and now, here she sat, blubbering it out to none other than Lucius Malfoy!
What a way to start! Now that is perfect blackmailing material, is it not? What a silly cow you are, Hermione Granger!
Nevertheless, Hermione's worried train of thought ended right there due to Malfoy's surprisingly hearty laughter. Irritated, Hermione looked at him. She couldn't remember to ever have seen Lucius Malfoy laugh so natural and casual. She had to admit to herself that she liked it. A lot.
"Now seriously, that was you?" Lucius asked her, still laughing. "My my, Miss Granger; how Slytherin of you!"
Hermione cringed. There was really something to it...
"That sorting hat has definitely placed you in the wrong house, my dear." Hermione couldn't help but hear approval in Lucius' statement when he handed her back the parchment. "Too bad..."
Then suddenly, his voice was dropping dangerously in register. Pointing at her scribbled handwriting at the bottom of the Oath, he asked imperiously. "Tell me, what's that supposed to mean? This clearly isn't Severus' handwriting, is it?"
Glancing at the part he was pointing at, Hermione answered truthfully. "No, it is not. This is my final condition and Snape doesn't know of it."
"It says you want me to answer any questions you might have on whatsoever topic. That's a very woolly phrasing and totally unlike the meticulous nerd Draco has complained about over and over again." He leaned forward, flashing his eyes at her. "I've got the vague suspicion that you're just coming up with yet another Slytherin trait, luv. Slyness."
Hermione didn't answer, being too embarrassed to admit that she just got busted.
"However, this point intrigues me. I might be willing to agree to it as long as you will explain the ulterior motive behind it." Lucius tilted his head towards the richly ornamented bowl sitting in the corner of the room. "Is that what you need the Pensieve for?"
Swallowing, Hermione forced herself to stop nervously wringing her hands. This point was not an actual deal breaker, but Lucius didn't know that and since Snape was so stubborn in telling her about certain things, having Malfoy spell-bound to tell her the truth might satisfy her curiosity and supply her with answers.
"Well, yes; I added that paragraph since the professor is very secretive about many things I'd like to know more about. Since you are...friends..."Hermione was careful not to make any implications any other than referring to the two of them as friends for the moment. "I think you share many equal memories and...sometimes a picture says more than a thousand words."
After pondering her plea for a little while, Malfoy shook his head. "I see your point. And still I don't feel like giving you a carte blanche access to all of my memories."
Hermione couldn't cover her disappointment. "However..." Lucius softened his tone a bit. "Maybe I would be willing to share some selected ones; given that you are going to accept my condition as well." He purred temptingly.
His condition???
Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Hermione mentally head-slapped herself of acting so short-sightedly to not even consider the possibility of Lucius making demands in the first place. She couldn't help but feel incredibly stupid due to the fact that while all her focus had been on providently saving her own skin, Hermione had actually overlooked the part of a second party being involved in this, too.
Selfishness. Her inner voice mocked her. And the list of true Slytherin traits goes on...
Clearing her throat, she cocked her head defiantly; trying to cover up her mistake. "And what would that one condition be?"
Alright, maybe it isn't so bad after all and heck, I really want those answers!
Shooting Hermione a wicked grin, Lucius enlightened her. "For the sake of the old days I always want you dressed in your school uniform..."
Hermione shuddered with excitement at that idea. Even though she might never admit it freely, slipping back into her school uniform would even amplify the hatred-dynamic between the 'evil Death Eater' and the prime schoolgirl.
Jeez, that's hot!
"Agreed." Hermione replied a little too eagerly.
Lucius smirked. "Now then, since all crucial conditions appear to be settled I suggest proceeding to make this official."
"Fine. Please read the Oath out loud and I will say mine afterwards." Hermione insisted, her heartbeat increasing significantly.
As soon as either of the two had voiced their part of the Oath, a swirl of sparkling blue stars whirled around them, sealing their arrangement magically.
"Good." Lucius said while getting up. "I'll be expecting you tomorrow at seven in the evening." Hermione also got up. "Use Severus' fireplace; it will take you directly to my library."
"I'll be there." Hermione confirmed with a silent sigh of relief; her pent-up tension slowly easing since the lethal part of the danger that was Lucius Malfoy had successfully been neutralised.
"You'd better be." Lucius growled sinisterly, sending shivers of excitement through Hermione. "Or I might come and get you." He promised darkly. "No magic will save you from that, my dear."
"I will be there." Hermione repeated her reply firmly but instinctively recoiled when Malfoy drew his wand from within the head of his snake-cane. Pointing it to his head, Lucius said. "As a sign of my generosity regarding your Pensieve request..." He waved his wand, ready to extract a memory. "This one time I'm granting you a glimpse into one memory of your choice. So think carefully what you wish for..."
Hermione gasped. She hadn't expected that! Before Hermione knew what was happening, she heard herself stutter. "The Revels...I want to see what the 'Dark Revels' were like!"
(dramatic music ^^)

A/N: Hmmmm, lots of tension here, don't you think? Hahahah, Snape the party pooper. ^.^ Good for Hermione though; Lucius really shouldn't be trusted just like that. ;) Oh, and don't worry - there'll be lots of smut soon! ;)))
Anyway, please review! I feed reviews to my muse and she's quite a hungry little thing. :D
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Embracing My Very Own Darkness