An Unlikely Situation (Part II of III) - A gift for pristineungift! Title: An Unlikely Situation Author:aleysiasnape Recipient:pristineungift Pairing(s): Severus/Hermione Word Count: 4,488 Rating: R Warnings: AU, EWE Summary: Hermione finds herself imprisoned in the dungeon. Who will help her survive? Author's Notes: I really hope the recipient likes my results. I really had fun writing this and many thanks goes to my betas. You know who you are! Disclaimer: I don’t own anything except the plot.
Once Elsy Apparated back into the study, she found her master pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. She feared that he had gone mad, noticing how swift he was moving.
Turning around, Lucius saw her standing there waiting patiently for him. Sighing, he sat down in his high back chair, signaling for her to report.
"Master Severus wanted to know when he is supposed to be released. The young miss appears to be well."
Lucius stroked his chin thinking. "Elsy, take them to the family chambers. Give them food, water, whatever they need. And bring Severus to me once they have finished."
"Yes, Master."
Lucius sighed wearily. He hadn’t been told when Severus would be released. He wasn’t privy to the information like he used to be.
Elsy entered the family chamber that was housed in the dungeon area. She looked around, snapping her fingers, cleaning the dust away from the bed, wardrobe, bookcase, and table.
She was making sure everything was in its proper order before releasing Master Severus and the young miss. Satisfied, she went to the cell to release them.
"Master Severus, young miss, please come with Elsy." Elsy opened the cell door for them to follow her.
Severus recognized the chamber and glanced over his shoulder to find Hermione looking a bit frightful. Lucius had shown Severus the family chamber before the Dark Lord had decided to make Malfoy Manor his headquarters.
"Here is some food, water and the shower is in the next room. And Master Severus, Master Lucius wants to speak to you after you have finished."
Elsy then Disapparated, leaving them alone.
Severus raised a sardonic eyebrow as he saw Hermione’s questioning look. "The elf knew Lucius in the cradle."
"At least we are now a little more comfortable. Is it possible this room we’re in can be used as an escape route?"
"No, this is the Malfoy family cell; it’s warded against all but the master of the house. Each pureblood home has one. Even at Prince Manor, my grandfather had a family cell, which he used to store brandy."
Hermione, satisfied with Severus’ explanation, looked the room over.
"Still, this is a better cell than the one we were in, sir," Hermione whispered tiredly to him.
"Miss Granger, I suggest that you use this opportunity to take a shower." Severus implored her, knowing that she had been in that dank cell longer than him.
"But what am I going to change into…" her voice drifted off as Severus walked to the wardrobe by the bed and opened it, finding all sorts of clothing.
"I’m sure you can find something suitable, Miss Granger," he whispered tiredly as he sat down to eat his meal. Suspiciously, he sniffed the goblet for any trace of potion in his drink.
Worried, Hermione glanced at him as she found some clothing to her liking and hurried to the bathroom. She sighed in relief, feeling the hot water cascade down her naked body.
She had started to have feelings towards her Headmaster; had been having feelings for him for a long time. She dropped her head under the warm spray to wet her hair; her crush was starting to reemerge. Hermione, this isn’t going to happen, her inner voice was scolding her, but a part of her wanted him to like her like she liked him.
She snorted as she started to wash her hair. "Me in love with Headmaster Snape?" she whispered to herself. Then her eyes widened in surprise as she realized that she could perhaps save his life.
She closed her eyes as she let the warm water pour down her hair, fantasizing that Headmaster’s Snape’s hands were massaging her hair, shoulders, and down her back. His hand had traveled up to massage her breast and she moaned, relishing his touch. Snapping out of her fantasy, she heard banging on the bathroom door.
"Miss Granger, hurry up in there, we haven’t got all day!" Severus exclaimed irritably to her.
He was miserable, as his thoughts started drifting to the image of her naked underneath the shower. He was trying to ignore the tight bulge in his pants, shifting the robes to cover the signs of his growing attraction to her.
I can’t possibly have feelings for the little-know-it all now, can I? he wondered, denying that he was falling for her. And how would he hide his feelings for her from you-know-who? Hearing the door creak open he noticed that she was wrapped in a towel with her hair still damp.
"Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to take up a lot of time."
Hermione replied blushing as she noticed that he was eyeing her up and down. She laid the clothes she had picked out on the bed, turning around finding him already gone.
Sighing softly, she quickly dried off, dressed, and pulled her hair up in a knot as she sat down to eat. Soon, she heard running water coming from the bathroom and wondered what he looked like naked underneath the shower. She shook her head as she ate her food, thinking of ways they could escape.
Five minutes later, Severus came out dressed and had his hair tied neatly back. He sat down on the bed watching her eat, wondering how they were going to get out of this predicament.
Elsy appeared before him as Severus turned towards Hermione who was still eating. "Miss Granger, I must go now to meet with Lucius. Don’t worry; I will get us both out of here."
Hermione hoped that it would be true, that they would get out of here, and that Headmaster Snape could persuade Lucius that her being here was not planned. She blew a strand of hair that was getting in her way. She bunched it up the best she could without the use of her wand.
*
Severus stood before Lucius, his eyes never wavering as he took in the aristrocrat’s appearance. If he looks like how I feel then he knows there’s a better situation.
Lucius caught Severus’ gaze as he motioned for him to sit down. He rose, pouring a glass of Firewhsky for the both of them. "How are we going to get out of this?"
"Well for starters, you could let Miss Granger go. Or you can make her a Portkey. I can help your family defect and we can all get out of here." Severus spoke rather calmly as he laid back in the chair with his arms crossed and a determined look on his face.
"She’s Muggle-born, Severus," Lucius started to say to his friend, but stopped when he saw the scowl on Severus’ face.
"Muggle-born or not, she is coming with us. I will not allow her to be harmed," Severus spat out his anger building by the minute.
Lucius was startled by this. "I thought you despised the little know-it-all?" He was answered with a scowl.
"All right, I will see what I can come up with. Please wait here," Lucius told Severus as he left the study.
Severus looked around the room, having a feeling there was a Portkey hidden somewhere. But where? Hermione’s life is dependent on it. Frowning, he paused as his hand hovered over an old dusty book. It hit him like a ton of bricks that he was developing feelings for her.
Scoffing, he thought, I will never make it through this war. She is better off with Weasley," continuing his search for the hidden Portkey.
An hour later, Lucius entered the room seeing Severus seated, drinking a brandy. "Here is your Portkey." Lucius handed the charmed necklace over to Severus.
Severus raised an eyebrow curiously. "This better be the right one, Lucius. Let’s just hope we survive this, because if we don’t, I will personally haunt you for the rest of your life."
Lucius gulped as he found the hidden Portkey in his desk. "Take this one as well, as a precaution if she doesn’t want the necklace." He handed Severus a ring.
Severus smirked and was escorted by a house-elf back to the family cell.
Lucius sat down, feeling very exhausted, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "This had better be worth it," he muttered.
Severus noticed that Hermione made well use of her time as she found paper and quills, watching her scribbling down notes as she lay across the bed.
Once the house-elf was out of range, he sat down next to her, examining her work. He raised one eyebrow questionably at her.
"What? It will work. You said if we could escape from this cell we could…" her voice trailed off as he pulled her into an embrace, kissing her.
He sensed someone was approaching their cell.
He pushed the Portkey, paper and quill underneath the pillow just in case as he heard keys jingling in the lock. Hermione had wrapped her arms around his neck, making it appear that they were snogging.
"Ahem, thought you might like to know, old friend, that he is coming back tonight." Lucius smirked as he watched them jump apart.
Hermione smoothed down her top as Severus somehow had managed to sneak his hand underneath her shirt. Trying to calm herself down, she waited patiently for Severus to speak.
"Then tell Naricssa and Draco to be ready. Let’s just hope your information is correct, Lucius."