Mystery of Loving the Dark

Chapter 7: Darkness

Hermione was no stranger to the darkness

Severus admitted it on a regular basis. He was the shadows that light produced. Unsuspecting and secretive. It's as if he was the night sky, not quite black or blue but a background for the stars to shine. The harsh contrast between a cold truth and a hopeful lie. When unleashed his demons can be vindictive and vicious. But he controls the demons instead of letting them control him. That is one word to describe Severus, he is the epitome of control. His darkness emphasizes it. His darkness surrounds me and it silences all of the noise. I am able to think clearly with him. It comforts me.

Tobias also produced darkness. It was no wonder what with who his son was. But this disturbs me. This darkness swirls in chaos. He is as sharp and cruel as the blade he uses on his victims. His mere presence makes my blood curl. He is insane and yet evasive. Catching him is like trying to hold smoke in your hand or to put lightning in a jar. It's unstable.

Hermione woke up to find herself chained down on what she could only describe as a torture rack. She could smell the dried blood around her. Feel the rust scratching against the bare skin on her shoulders. She was still in her sleeveless shirt and jeans that she was wearing when she came home from visiting Harry and Ron. She was in some rundown warehouse. She was still hazy on where she was. Her head ached from the blow it received earlier. Looking around she jumped in surprise and tried to pull away but she found that she couldn't. Her wrists were strapped down but her legs remained free. Tobias Snape was sitting right next to her.

He had his son's dark hair though it was buzzed short. He had aged significantly though you wouldn't have been able to tell from the way he walked confidently. It was clear to see that Severus inherited the aquiline nose, but that was the extent. Where Severus was tall and lanky, Tobias was bulky. But it was his eyes that were the most unnerving. Severus's eyes were always devoid of any emotion but Tobias's were wild and red-rimmed. They held the look of a lion about to attack its prey.

"I am curious," Tobias said from his seat. "What is a woman like you doing with my lowlife son?"

Hermione had no response. From what Severus told her about his encounters with him. Tobias was often drunk and not coherent but right now Hermione didn't smell a drop of alcohol on him. He appeared to have as much of a clear mind as a psychopath could. The one thing she did know about serial killers from her father was that the best thing to do was to keep them talking and not give them what they wanted. This could be applied to all dangerous offenders. When she was being tortured by Bellatrix she didn't give it much thought but at the time she lied and delayed the inevitable as long as possible. Looking back, stalling had saved her life. Hopefully, by now Severus had gotten her message and will know that she is missing. All she had to do was stall.

"Well then I guess this is going to be a rough start," Tobias said after a minute of unresponsiveness. He moved out of his chair. With him out of the way, she could see a table behind him holding what looked like a dentist tray full of tools. But Hermione knew that these objects would be much larger and much more painful than any tooth cleaning tool. When Tobias came back into sight he was carrying a large jug full of what looked like water and a gag.

Coming closer he stuffed the gag into her mouth. She didn't have a chance to protest with her mouth propped open when he began pouring the water on her face. At first, the cold water felt nice on her parched and dry throat. Then it began to burn as it quickly filled up her mouth and she couldn't swallow the large amount continuously being poured. Choking and gasping for air when all she got was water began to make her panic. Then just as quickly as the pain came it went away when Tobias stopped pouring.

"Shall we try this again?" Tobias asked. Hermione was too busy panting and attempting to catch her breath to focus. "No? Very Well?"

Hermione tried to take a deep breath but it was of no use. With the gag preventing her from closing her mouth, water poured in. This was what drowning felt like. It left one wondering how one died when they drowned. Is it from lack of oxygen or because a person's lungs fill up with water? Either way is a painful way to die. But that wasn't what Tobias was trying to accomplish here. He just wanted her to answer a simple question.