She awoke dazed, head throbbing. The last thing she could remember was being in Hogsmeade, out on a weekend visit. It all suddenly flooded back. Death Eaters had ambushed the students, causing the streets to erupt in chaos and confusion. She had tried to run for a shop, but before she could make it, had been caught by a dark robed figure. After that it had all gone black. She could hear voices and willed her eyes to focus, an almost panicked feeling growing inside her to need to know what was happening around her…

She became aware she was naked, the floor a cold stone beneath her. Her thighs felt sticky, caked with something she could not see from the angle her head laid at. None of the voices made sense until she recognized a voice that made cease in her struggles to comprehend what was happening. She laid still, terror building in her chest as she listened to the serpent like rasp.

"Dearly devoted, we are gathered here on this night to honor one of my most loyal followers."

"This man I speak of has treaded a dangerous line for me throughout these long years and has remained faithful through it all. He has been unmatched by any other in the information and resources he has given to our cause, and his intellect and skills have helped us numerous times over. As you all know I have already awarded him once with one of our top honors. He bears a bride of my choosing that has given him two superior heirs that will carry on his noble bloodline. But this man that stands before you deserves so much more. And that is why we are gathered here. Soon, the final battle will come. We will be triumphant with Dumbledore no longer in our way. We owe our gratitude to him for this. For that, I am going to make him my head confidant and with it comes this prize…"

The dark lord had stood in front of him until this point, blocking most of the scene from view. All he had been able to see was his fellow followers crowded in a semi-circle in the stone chamber, a sea of black robes and silver masks. When their leader stepped aside he looked forward to see a gap in the crowd and a girl lying naked on the floor, blood coating her thighs and pooling onto the ground; a riot of curly hair obscuring her face.

He could feel the blood draining from his face and was grateful for the mask he wore. Even with her identity hidden, he knew without doubt who lay sprawled like a wounded lamb in the midst of a pack of starving wolves.

"Come forward, Severus Snape," His dark lord beckoned him. "And claim your slave bride."

She awoke screaming, though barely any sound escaped her throat, the last words she remembered hearing echoing through her head. She struggled to sit and realized she was in a bed, a warm down comforter the color of a dull gray covering her. She pushed back the cover to find she wore a simple nightgown of white cotton. The room was dim, the only light coming from a dying fire in a fireplace centered directly opposite of the bed. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, she felt a calm that seemed to fill the space. She vaguely wondered if it had all been a dream. Where am I? she thought, looking at the wall on her right containing large overflowing bookshelves. She noticed a battered wingback chair sat next to a fireplace on the wall across from the bed. There appeared to be a decanter of liquor on the mantle, a glass half filled with amber liquid sitting next to it. The wall to the left held only two doors, one closed and the other slightly ajar but no light flowed through to give a hint of what laid beyond the threshold. She was debating trying to get out of the bed when she saw the wall between the two doors shimmer and the person who walked through sent both relief and horror through her at the same time.

"You're awake." He remarked, his voice almost sounding like he was relieved. She tried to give a response, but once again found she could really make no sound. Noticing her building distress, he picked up a vial from a nightstand and uncorked it. "This will help." He said as he handed it to her. "I believe you screamed your vocal chords raw."

She obediently tipped back the vial, the liquid thick like honey coating her throat. She concentrated on how it tasted like grass. Fresh cut grass. Part of her was starting to rapidly think even this must be a dream. "What is this?" She asked after swallowing. She found even though her voice was ragged, it was much stronger than it had been.

"My own concoction I devised to help deal with the strain on my throat after having to deal with one of the Dark Lord's punishments."

She sat a moment in silence, stunned by the frank confession that fell from his lips. She looked at him, numerous questions rising up when he cut her off.

"I know you want the answers to all the questions I am sure are buzzing around in that head of yours, but for now I suggest you take it easy. You're still weak from your… ordeal."

"Oh Gods…" the words flowed from her mouth without even realizing she was saying them. "It wasn't a dream." She struggled with the covers and threw them off and then attempted to try and get out of the bed.

"I think that unwise." He remarked as he watched her through hooded eyes. He made no attempt to hinder her however and she defiantly swung her feet over the edge of the bed and made to stand up. Her knees promptly buckled underneath her and she fell to the floor, giving a cry of frustration as she did so. With a small sigh he flicked his wand and muttered the spell to lift her back onto the bed, knowing better than to touch her in her current state. "Would you like some calming draught?" He tried asking in a tone that was less severe than usual.

"What I want is to know just where I am and why am I here?"

"We're at Hogwarts, in my quarters. I have informed the Headmaster of our return and have related to him the details of the meeting-"

"You mean he knows I was beaten for sport and violated by spell then presented to you as a prize?" She interjected hotly.

"You act like I asked for this. I had no say in the matter, Miss Granger. And I definitely had no choice." Despite his efforts, some of the anger he felt bleed into his tone. "I have never said it due to my position would not allow me to, but you a brilliant young talent. I never would have wished to have you shackled to me."

She laughed, a dead hollow sound that echoed through the room. "Shackled. How appropriate. Such a fitting term for the slave."

He inwardly flinched at her mocking tone. "You already bear the tie that binds." He said in a soft voice.

She wondered what he meant until she felt a slight sting at her lower back. Her hand curled round her back and even through the fabric of the gown she could feel the irritated skin raised at the base of her spine. She looked up at him, feeling panic start to build inside her once again. Her cinnamon colored eyes locked onto his midnight gaze as he began to speak.

"Even though I do not wish it, you are now mine."

She took him up on the offer of the calming draught and found she drifted off to sleep once more, her body still exhausted and her mind too overwhelmed to cope. When she came to the second time she found she was alone. She noticed a tray sat next to the bed on the nightstand. Oatmeal, lightly buttered toast and a goblet of cold pumpkin juice sat under a stasis charm, waiting for her. Hermione eagerly took up the pumpkin juice and took a hearty gulp, feeling as if it had been a lifetime since she had drank anything. After quenching her thirst, she picked up a piece of toast and began to nibble on it lightly. She decided the sleep had given her enough strength so once again she made an effort to get out of the bed. She was wobbly on her feet for a moment, but was relieved to find she did not collapse as before. She slowly made her way over to the wall that held the doors and walked up to the door on the left. She wrapped her hand around the handle and tried the handle to find it unlocked. She twisted the knob and pushed it open, the light from the fireplace creeping in through the doorframe to reveal the door led into a bathroom.

She released a breath she did not realize she had been holding and walked into the room. A small flick of her wrist directed the torches in the room to flare to life and as her eyes adjusted to the light she found she was standing in front of a mirror. She may have felt better, but she looked horrible. Her caretaker must have only cast a simple scourgify on her for she found herself clean of blood and dirt. Her hair was a tangled mess of knots and frizz, dark bags hung under her eyes almost giving her a raccoon appearance. Bruises splashed across her face, green and yellow, giving testament to how a decent length of time must have lapsed while she slept. She gathered her courage and staring straight ahead at the mirror raised her hands to the neck of her nightgown and began to undo the row of buttons that ran down the front of it.

She refused to look directly at her body, rather observing herself as she unbuttoned the gown through the mirror. The white fabric fell back to show a body she hardly recognized as her own. It seemed as if nowhere on her torso was free was free of bruises. Claw marks, cuts, and bites covered her, overlapping, making morbid patterns on her skin. She dropped the nightgown to the floor and noticed the trauma traveled down onto her thighs and for the first time felt an echo of the pain she had experienced at being violated by her captors. Her mind drifted back to the sensation she had felt on her back before she fallen asleep and slowly she turned away from the mirror and craned her head around to observe her back. Her back had been spared relatively compared to her front, the most damage visible to her being fading bruises. But then she saw what must have caused her discomfort. Right above her buttocks, on the delicate piece of skin that rested above the base of her spine, was a tattoo. In flowing script were the letters HJS with a serpent wrapped around them in circle, its mouth clasping its tail.

She crumbled to the floor, tears in her eyes. She was his. She was now Hermione Jean Snape.

Ending A/N: Well, here is chapter one for another idea bouncing around in my head of a potential HP Fic. I'm sorry if things are misspelt, but I was being lazy on consulting one of the novels for how to spell the spells. Hopefully I didn't butcher anything. Please review. I am plugging along on the next chapter and could always use some motivation to know I am doing something right. Till Later- JediScully