Trading Places | By : snippyandsnarky Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 18385 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. |
Draco Malfoy rubbed his towel over his hair, tousling the blond locks. He'd just
gotten out of the shower and wore a white towel wrapped around his lean hips. He
now stood in front of the large cheval glass mirror in his room and studied his
reflection.
Tonight would be a turning point in his life. There could be no going back. He
squared his shoulders and squared his chin. Draco hoped that he could fulfill his
purpose tonight. Hoped that he could play the part he seemed to be given in this
strange play. For some reason, his gaze lingered on his own eyes. Silvery blue and
unfathomable. He sought the liar within, the villain he knew he was destined to be. He
moved his stare to the black robe laced with silver that hung shadowed in his closet.
A Death Eater shroud. Malfoy began to smile.
*********
Snippy and Snarky were balancing on the doorjamb in Snape's living room. The
Professor was pacing back and forth before the fire. "Come on, just a bit closer." Snippy
said, holding the balloon coiled in his tail.
"You can do it, Snippy." Snarky enthused. "You must do it, for all snake kind.
This bad breath must end."
Snape surprised them both by throwing himself into a chair.
"Aww, man." Snippy complained.
"Go on, you know what you have to do."
Snippy slithered down the door and onto the floor while Snarky hummed the
'Mission Impossible' theme. They'd both caught the movie when the Weasley brothers
had smuggled it in. "Get him good!"
"Don't worry! I will." Snippy answered as he slunk up the back of Snape's chair.
Just then, Snape stood once more.
"Holy freakin' Merlin!!"
Snippy was rapidly turning red. "I could think of a few places I'd like to put this
balloon and on his skin ain't one of 'em."
"Calm down!" His friend hissed. "We're gonna get through this."
Just then, Lockhart's book snuck through the doorway. "Hey there." Snippy
whispered in greeting.
The book waved and then yelled. "IIIIII'M BAAAACK!!"
Professor Snape jumped and then he pasted on an annoyed expression. "You'd
do well to be quiet or I'll take you to a place of real dark magic."
"But you couldn't because I contain THE Blackest M-"
"Pssst, Book, we're trying to hit Snape with this potion, could you help?"
"I'd be delighted!" The book agreed.
"Who are you talking to?" Snape asked, turning his head, both snakes ducked
out of sight, Snarky flattening himself to blend into the doorjamb.
"The evil spirts I commune with. Are you scared?"
"Petrified." Snape said, deadpan.
"That's right, that's right! FEAR ME!" It jumped up and down. "Bow down to
the frightening, all-powerful-"
"Don't forget long-winded." Snape added, turning away to the window. He was
hoping it would clo closer. Maybe if he aimed for the lake. . .
"You'd better learn to respect evil or I'll. . . I'll-"
"Thanks for the help!" Snippy and Snarky beamed at the book. Snippy tossed
him the potion and made for the doorway where Snarky slithered down to meet him.
The book grinned. "Throw something at you." It lobbed the blue liquid filled
balloon and hit Snape square on the back, soaking through his robes.
"You. . .you . . " Snape was trembling with rage, unable to speak. His eyes were
thunderous as they settled on the book.
"Evil thing? Menace to the wizarding world? Demon?"
Snape advanced on the book. "You're a freckle. . .no, a boil on the ugly ass of
evil."
"Ewwww." The snakes said.
"An ass pimple!??! An ass pimple!" The book stopped, pondering for a moment.
"Wait, I think that's on page 47. Hold on. . ." It flipped it's pages. "I'll really put
pimples on your-" Snape produced his wand and grabbed up the book. His eyes were
filled with a wicked glint. "You're breath isn't as bad as usual."
The snakes grabbed the opportunity to slither out the door. "Sssssucker."
***********
"I say that's ten points each for that!" Snippy crowed in elation.
"I agree." His fellow snake nodded approvingly.
"That only leaves one question."
"Who do we hit next?" Snarky questioned as they slithered leisurely towards
the kitchens.
"What about Haze?" Snippy offered.
"Oh, c'mon. It wouldn't even be worth a point." Snarky pointed out. "We could
sneak up behind him after one of his sessions with Sprout and just pour it on him!"
"I was thinking we should do it as public service. You have to admit, he always
has that smokey sweet scent lingering about him . . .and I'm not talking about patchouli
either . . ." The snakes chuckled.
"Alright, maybe-" Snarky made a choking sound as his slithering was abruptly
stopped by a heavy object landing on his tail. Looking over at Snippy, he noticed a
large golden paw on his tail as well.
"And where are *you* going?" It was Griff-gruff. He looked displeased and
bored, which was to say, he looked as he always did.
"To get a sssssnack." Snarky hissed. "Care to take your paw off me?"
Griff-gruff looked from one snake to the other. "And what are you planning to
do to Hazel?"
"To Haze? Nothing, of course." Snippy gave him ageligelic look, and whipped
his tail away from the griffin.
"Mmmm, yes. I almost believe you." He stepped off of Snarky's tail. "I better
not hear of anyone hurting him or--"
"Or what, Griffyndor? You'll glare at us?" Snippy challenged. "You think you
can take us on?"
Griff-gruff peered past the snakes. "Is that a spider coming down the hall? It's
so big!"
"Sssspider! Where?" Snarky and Snippy leapt into the air, spinning to look
down the hallway.
"Must've been my imagination." Griff-gruff polished his talons on the front of
his fur. "Oh, well."
"That wasn't funny." Snarky glared.
"Strange. I thought it was quite amusing." He turned on his heel and headed
back to his tower. "Sweet dreams you two! Don't let the bed-bugs bite . . ."
"Oh, we are so getting him." Snippy bared his fangs.
"Right after we get a big, big bottle of bug spray." Snarky affirmed.
**********
Hermione gingerly made her way down the castle corridors, mindful of her
footfalls. She purposefully make them softer. She rounded each corner quietly, wary of
rousing another person, ghost, or worse yet, mascot. She was going to Professor
Snape's private apartment. She thought she might have found the answer to the
protection spell and she also had a book of his to return. Of course, she could've
accomplished both of these tasks tomorrow but she was curious.
Hermione wanted to ask him about the folder but she hadn't been able to muster
the courage. Maybe if she saw them out of the teacher/student space she'd be able to
ask him. She wasn't sure what it meant. Was simplimply an exceptional student? Was
he keeping tabs on one of Harry Potter's best friends? If so, why didn't Ron have a
folder? She needed to sort this out before she made more out of it than there really was.
Hermione had nearly rounded the corner to Professor Snape's rooms when his
door opened and he stepped out. She sucked in a breath as she saw him. Snape was
garbed in a formal set of robes shot through with silver. He had a taller pair of shiny
black boots thateredered his knees. On his face was an inscrutable expression, neither
familiar sneer nor rare smile. He turned on his heel and headed down the hallway away
from her. She moved from her place behind the stone wall and followed him. She
carefully matched his steps, lest she make some tell-tale noise.
Rationally, she knew this wasn't the best idea she'd ever had. She was risking
the loss of House points, a tongue lashing, and perhaps even putting herself in danger. .
.but she had to follow him. She needed to follow him. Hermione knew he'd was going
to Apparate to a Death Eater meeting, there was no other explanation for his clothing
or demeanor.
Hermione had a feeling that this wasn't her professor gliding along in front of
her. This was the Death Eater, a disciple of the Dark Lord. Who knows what sins he'd
committed or what acts of treachery he'd been party too. She was fascinated, she didn't
understand how he could be so duplicitous, how he could keep his wits about him
when faced with death for a minor slip up. Hermione told herself that she merely
wanted to see him off. Be in his presence a bit longer.
Hermione lost some of her nerve as he entered The Dark Forest. His robes
swished around him, yet, not even passing twigs and shrubbery snagged the fabric.
Snape had an ominous air about him but that could be said of him on a good day.
Tonight, he was extra sinister and more than a little frightening. She still couldn't turn
back and run for the safety of the castle.
Abruptly, he stopped and she bent down behind the cloaking branches of a pine
tree. She lay her hands against the trunk to steady herself and was dismayed to find
sap there. She pulled her hands free and tried to wipe them on a fallen leaf. When, she
looked up, he was gone.
Had he already Disapparated? Hermione got to her feet and cautiously moved
into the open. She looked around but saw no sign of him. "Blast!" She yelled as she
stamped her foot.
She heard something rustling to the side of her, under the bushes. This wasn't
good at all. This *was* The Dark Forest, after all. She backed away, the thing in the
bushes rattled again. She began to back away a little faster until she hit something
solid. . .like Professor Snape's back as he was Disapparating.
*************
"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Hermione babbled. "And not in the detention sense of
the word, huh?" Professor Snape continued to stare at her, his face a study in shock,
apprehension, and fear. There were on a stone pathway in the center of a forest. The
pathway led to a small clearing that was lit by torches embedded in the earth. This
place held ancient power, the kind that could be harnessed without paying a price.
Hermione could feel it penetrating the soles of her feet, humming under her skin. It
was heady and seductive and oh-so-wrong.
Severus had found his voice. "We will discuss this later. Disapparate out of here
this instant."
Hermione nodded and closed her eyes, summoning the magical force within
herself. She concentrated on Hogwarts. . .her room specifically. But nothing happened.
Magic was influenced by emotion for good or ill and her fear was blocking her magic.
"I can't!" She whispered, her panic rising. "I'm too afraid."
"Dear girl, there is nothing to fear in the place you wish to go. Horrors await
you here." Severus said.
"Thanks!" She bit out. "That really helped calm me down."
"You should be fearful. Do you know what they do to pretty little Muggle-born
girls like you?"
She grasped at the only thing that didn't scare her in the sentence. "You really
think I'm pretty?"
Severus sighed. "That is not the issue at hand." His mind was rapidly playing
out and discarding scenarios. None of them produced desirable outcomes. That is to
say, one that would allow Miss Granger to return home safe, sane, and sound. "Try
again."
She did, willing herself home with all of her might. "Oh God." She breathed. "I
can't. I can't!"
"It's alright." He soothed, wary of drawing attention to them. Luckily, he'd been
the first to answer the summons.
"No, it's really not!" She was irrationally angry with him. "Right now I'm on the
other side of world from the 'alright place'."
"Precisely. This is a time for calm deliberation. I can not Dissapparate you
home. They've already sensed my presence here. We need to find another alternative."
They heard the snapping of a twig under a booted heel. "Severus, there you
are!" The sultry tones of Lucius Malfoy's voice froze the blood in Hermione's veins.
"Well, well, well. An unexpectedat. at. I see why you've been so busy lately, Severus."
"One must have a hobby." Severus said carefully, watching Lucius.
"Hmmm. . .the Granger chit, I believe. Isn't she a friend of," His smile widened,
she thought he resembled a shark. "Harry Potter?"
"My name is Hermione." She said steadily. "And, yes, Harry's my best friend."
"It speaks!" Lucius said, eyes alighting with amusement. He walked in slow
circles around her. "That's unfortunate."
Snape placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back against him. With
a swirl of motion, he encompassed most of her form with the voluminous folds of his
cloak, concealing her from Lucius' gaze. "You'd do well to keep your eyes off my toys,
Lucius. You should know by now I don't play well with others."
"And since when do you bring your toys to important meetings?" Lucius' eyes
narrowed. "What's going on here?"
"The last I checked, Malfoy, you were not in cha" Sn" Snape's voice was calm
and mocking. "I don't explain myself to you." He met his eyes. "Perhaps one as
ambitious as yourself should remember his place, lest the Dark Lord find your hunger
for power a little too strong."
"What are you implying, Snape?"
"That you might start watching your front as well as you do your back. That
might keep your nose out of my business, where it belongs." And with that he swept
away from the angry man, bearing Hermione along with him, his grip on her shoulders
somehow reassuring, his mastery of the situation giving her hope.
Hermione couldn't resist a glance back over Snape's shoulder. For a moment,
Lucius Malfoy stood, watching them. Then, as if some small noise had grabbed his
attention, he turned to the side. Another man in a cloak, maybe an inch shorter than
Lucius appeared at his side. As she watched, Lucius put his hand on the man's
shoulder, then pulled him into a brief, fierce hug full of pride. When they turned to
follow her and Snape up the stone path to whatever lay before them, she caught a
glimpse of the young man's face before he put his mask in place. Draco? She couldn't
be sure.
"Don't bother looking back, Miss Granger." Snape's grip tightened. "We must
confront what's ahead of us now."
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