Chapter Four
Chapter 4 of 15
_Levicorpus_Years after the Final Battle, a new professor strolls into Hogwarts only to captivate Severus to the point of obsession.
ReviewedChapter Four
Author's Note:: I apologize a thousand bajillion times for not updating in so long!! Hopefully the excitement of this chapter will make up for my absence...
Severus had the castle to himself on the second weekend of October. All the older children were having a Hogsmeade weekend while the first- and second-years were scarce. He prowled the hallways whilst reading, which he had become quite good at. Minerva had required that he stay behind, which was fine by him. He was tired of rejecting invitations from other teachers. He simply did not care for drinking in the company of acquaintances. Close friends were an entirely different matter.
Each time he drank with Draco, a much more rapid occurrence now that the boy needed a receptacle for his lewd musings about the new Ancient Runes professor, he was subjected to one battle plan after another. He had to pretend he had not, just weeks prior, been entertaining an embarrassing, sickening crush on the same woman Draco mused about. The two were well suited age-wise, and so Severus soon became the most enthused supporter of Draco’s ideas. This, he realized sometimes, was in an effort to drown what he himself had been feeling.
But your feelings had no basis in reality, he reminded himself whenever he strayed from his own battle plan. Draco and Granger are of a similar age. You are the ‘bat of the dungeon.’ He now had an even more substantial grounding for his self-loathing, which gave him a sick feeling of victory. But even so, he still thought Draco didn’t have a chance. She was kind and good, and the two had been rivals since childhood. She was too smart to forget all that. So he took some solace in these thoughts beneath all the others.
Life had been so much easier for Severus before the new professor had come along. All had worked in accordance with a plan. But when a bright light came into a dark place, all a prisoner could do was watch it. And watch he did—with stolen glances at meals and when he passed her in the hallways. He watched her read in the teacher’s lounge and watched the sparse sunlight concentrate itself in the radiance of her hair when she took her students out-of-doors. He, the cold, reclusive bat of the dungeons, had developed an undeniable obsession.
“Good afternoon, Professor.”
He looked up from his book and saw it was she. It was as though his most worshiping of thoughts had conjured her as an illusion. She wore a long-sleeved black sweater that dipped in a vee that was altogether too sensuous for a British boarding school teacher. Beneath, her white camisole was in view. Her skirt was a little shorter than usual, though not noticeably to the untrained eye. Her heels were a little higher than usual too. An artificial blush coated her cheeks, and her eyelashes were upturned with charcoal. Her hair looked so soft…
“Are you going to Hogsmeade?” she asked, and all the coldness she had had in her voice the last time he had spoken with her was not there. Forgiveness, he mused. Why, I’ll be damned.
“No,” he replied, lifting his hand carrying the book. “I’m watching the castle while you all go out drinking.” He had not intended for it to sound self-pitying, but too late. No excuses.
“Aw,” she said, pursing her lips. “I should have liked to see what you’d have ordered.”
“Would you?” he asked. He felt a jolt, comparable to his mind hitting a brick wall. He was flirting with her. He was flirting with her.
She grinned in response, swaying on the spot a little as she rearranged her feet on the stone floor.
“Herbridian Ale,” he replied, his expression a little more giving than a smirk.
She raised an eyebrow. “Have a nice evening.”
He turned and left, opening his book as though he hadn’t a care in the world, even though his eyes were too jumpy to read it for quite a while after the encounter.
He watched the students return from the window in the clock tower. They came singing with linked arms, walking with hands in pockets and running after members of the opposite sex. The hormones, for once, floated up into Severus’s lofty vantage point and stirred something within him. He decided that obsession only went so far. He had to talk to her, get to know her as a woman and not as his student. He had to make some progress. Severus turned around to pace the corridors, and he heard footsteps. He knew this was nowhere near a dormitory, so he was obligated to find out who was roaming about so close to curfew. He heard hushed giggling and whispers and hoped it might have been two girls out on a walk. He proceeded forward as the footsteps wended about several corridors until their location got more and more remote. As soon as their footsteps halted, he drew himself into a shadowy corner to listen.
There were first the sounds of ruffling fabric—warning sign number one. More giggling, and this time it was nervous—warning sign number two. Silence—warning sign number three. Last year, he would have plowed right in and separated the kissing teenagers, but now their passion in the face of his frustration and loneliness intrigued him. He felt a shock of heat run up his neck and coil in his throat when he heard a soft, lusty sigh. Clenching his fists, he tried to work up the courage to break them up. But the woman became louder, her gasps more deliberate. Her partner, decidedly male at this point, was becoming vocal as well. Though he continued to assume it was a pair of teenagers, his more reasonable side pointed out that no teenage boy he had ever met was capable of eliciting sounds like that from a woman. He listened a little longer, all guilt rapidly vanishing as he pushed his back into the cold wall and imagined that he was holding Hermione right there, like the two students held each other around the corner. He imagined her dazzling eyes catching the moonlight and her rosy lips stretched in a smile whose intent was utterly forbidden.
And that was when the feminine voice cried out, and all the heat in him quickly evacuated. Cold fury replaced his longing when he distinctly heard the voice cry, “Draco!”
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Latest 25 Reviews for Captivation and Obsession
255 Reviews | 6.53/10 Average
Wow....what a disappointing ending..............Ron and Hermione makes me sick. Well written though. God speed in your future efforts.
I liked this story, in spite of Hermione's lame ass explanation there at the end. I guess it's a way to keep almost strictly DH compliant, anyway. Not many will try to incorporate the epilogue so faithfully in a SS/HG fic. Thanks!
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
Thanks for respecting the effort
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
Thanks for respecting the effort
there is nothing quite as cathartic as reading a truely sad story - i love it poor bless the snarky bastard
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
What a releif! I saw that I had a review for this story and was gearing up to hear another person say that hate it! I'm glad you enjyed it despite the sad ending. Thanks for your review :)
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
What a releif! I saw that I had a review for this story and was gearing up to hear another person say that hate it! I'm glad you enjyed it despite the sad ending. Thanks for your review :)
Good writing, but it was the worst ending I've read yet on this website. I absolutely hated it. I wish I had never read it, because it made me so sad that I fucking cried. D:<
I don't think your writing is shoddy and I don't think the story is bad. I'm bummed by the ending, sure, but, you know, Hermione didn't really get to grow up because of the war, so I think she's entitled to a little bit of confusion and flippancy.At least Severus is happy in the end even if he is still alone.
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
That was the problem about adhering to canon! I keep wondering if I should write a post-epilogue but I think it's time to move on.
Please don't discount your writing. Sure, it doesn't have the happy ending that we all are looking for, and yes, I have wanted a good time for Severus and Hermione for more years than I can count...but look. You started this three years ago, you were different, we have all changed. this story tells yet another twist in the characters personalities that could have been a progression to a logical conclusion.
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
I LOVE YOU! :) Hey, though, I'm seriously psyched about this new story! I hope you check it out!
Response from maridesalyn (Reviewer)
I am looking forward to it!!!
Don't take this the wrong way, but I think a lot of people will be really really dissapointed in the last few chapters of this story and the way it turned out. It really wasn't a "Happily Ever After" story about Severus and Hermione staying together despite the odds like we are all used to. Don't be suprised if you don't get the reviews for the ending, either. It left me feeling quite lousy too, and I seriously thought of not reviewing, but then I thought, what would that prove? That I just walk away from stories I don't like the ending to? Yeah, I've done that more times than I care to admit, but you're such a great author that I don't believe you deserve that. I think this Hermione is very immature. I find her fickle and unsure of exactly what love is. No, she didn't "love" Severus. She liked him enough to find potential in him, but she didn't have the emotional maturity to stay exclusive with either Draco or Severus. And to flip flop to safe old Ron after playing with both of them is really odd. Draco as well, wasn't thinking with his upper brain. To bounce between Camille and Hermione and lead Severus to believe there might still be hope for him...then to go shagging with Hermione to me shows relationship immaturity as well. And where does that lead Severus? Let down again, by another woman he loved. Why did he have to get the short stick again? It really wasn't fair to him. No, life doesn't always have a happy ending, but I'd rather at least have sad endings be because someone was a prick and not because they were led on again.
Response from Severus49 (Reviewer)
I just realized I spelled disappointed wrong! My bad.
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
I completely agree. I'll be honest, I have a hard time standing by this work since it was done so long ago. I am working on a new one, which is in the queue right now, that I hope will make up for the incredible suckitude of this shotty piece of work. Here's the 1st paragraph of the 1st chapter:"The ruins of Hogwarts were bathed in the scant light of a crescent moon. And gliding through the darkness below was the imprint of a lost hero. The spirit flexed its growing permanence, feeling the unnerving sensation of swallowing boulders with its newfound form. It, or rather he—he had been a ‘he’ at one point—moved through the dewy, body-strewn grass tense with the memory of the extraordinary choice he’d been given."
I’ll be working with what JK left in order to create a much more solid, formed love story. The love story all of you fans deserve. I am so sorry that this one was put together so poorly. I hope I can make it up to you.
I kind of feel let down by the ending, but at the same time it makes sense.
Poor Severus getting the completely rotten end of the stick. But, I thought he was supposed to be dying? I kind of expected to find Hermione mourning and lamenting at his graveside for her shoddy treatment of him.
Oh well, thanks for sharing!
I followed this story hoping for a happy ending and THAT's what you give me? So bummed right now. yuck. I hate Ron and Hermione about as much as I hate Draco and Hermione so boo. Well written but very disappointed. That should not be listed under Sev/Mione without a warning on the first page that they don't end up together!
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
I think I would have a lot more energy to argue if I hadn't finished writing this 3 years ago! I actually agree with you. Shotty writing, shotty ending, cheap cop out. I was so struck with guilt that I wrote a new chaptered fic, which somewhat follows Canon, will give readers a more real Sev and Hermione relationship--one that is actually worth reading. Here's the summary preview:"The ruins of Hogwarts were bathed in the scant light of a crescent moon. And gliding through the darkness below was the imprint of a lost hero. The spirit flexed its growing permanence, feeling the unnerving sensation of swallowing boulders with its newfound form. It, or rather he—he had been a ‘he’ at one point—moved through the dewy, body-strewn grass tense with the memory of the extraordinary choice he’d been given."
So the story will deal with the idea that Severus has died, but Ghost Severus and living Hermione will fall in love. This will be interspersed with flashbacks, dreams, et cetera so it won’t all be depressing. The challenge here was to take all of book 7 into account (except maybe the epilogue) and still find romance for Sev and Hermione despite the book’s bleak end.
So I hope you haven’t given up on me!
EXCELLENT!!!!!!
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
I'm so glad you liked it! I was worried that the semi-Canon ending was too depressing! And please, please, please read this new Sev/Herm fic I have in the pipes--I am super excited about this project! It's coming from a place of understanding canon in a way that creates obstacles to their love, and then conquering the obstacles in order to make a really unique love story. It's all I think about! How strange to get a second wind for fan fic after several years away!
i'm lovin' severus in this great story!!
love the plot, so far!!!!
I've just caught up reading this incredible story! I hope you don't wait very long to update again. There aren't many readers who will journey four years through a story, let alone inspiration that will let someone continue while life goes on. Severus is dying. Draco is flitting around with everyone. Severus hasn't confronted Hermione about the tryst with Draco - even though they're well past the 'how do you do' stage themselves. So, what is going on with her? Is she seeing Draco on the side? Does she know about Severus' health issues, but is trying to act like she doesn't know and it's bothering her? Things need clarified, and I hope it doesn't take two more years to find out!
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
Bless your heart,
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
! This chapter took forever to make it through the queue. I will post the next chapter (and stick two chapters together so you'll get a little more out of it.. or maybe three... I'll see what I can get away with) tonight. The problem is that I did write this so long ago, and my style has changed so much... I did write a Bellamort recently, maybe I'll post that as well... Thank you so much for your perserverence! I hope to reward it!
I started this because I was intrigued, and saw that it had been recently updated. Keep going! It's proceded uniquely, and I'm curious as to how it will pan out. Who came to Hermione that night? Is Severus really going to die? Please, please, more!
Severus has no idea how to behave, does he?
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
nope! :)
Long indeed! I had to go back and re-read the entire story because I couldn't remember what it was about.
Now this sad twist is my reward. How devestating. But Hermioine did fall in love with him, so he must believe in miracles, right?
Or will this be one of those "he lives on in his children" kind of fics?
Either way, I enjoy your writing and anxiously await the next installment. I just hope it doesn't take quite so long.
A lethal dose curse syndrome...with more than one victim? Hermione may well have received bad news herself. While wizarding HIPPA rules may be in force...a little exposure to research 'in the public eye' is only to be wished for.
The engagement of passion after a curse making things worse...the 'Dork' Lord's evil post mortum nastiness?
Your Snape characterization and his passion is finely drawn. Your foreshadowing subtle...till it isn't. I say, "Take your time with updates, if your story benefits." JF
"Lethal Curse Survivor’s Disorientation." This is terrible news. Surely there is something that can be done? A way to isolate the infection? Please tell me that there is a way.Perhaps Severus and Hermione can figure out just what is causing this infection and develop the magical equivalent of an anti-biotic. I know I'm grasping at straws, but it seems so unfair for this to happen just when he and Hermione have found love. I remember that when he was in St Mungo's just after the war part of his recovery was that he had been told that his passions had declined and he'd begun to read potions journals so he would be able to teach again: "The healers said that while in his coma, Snape’s passions had lessened. He believed them, since he had found an especial lackluster in all that he saw. He’d had to read potions journals for days on end while recuperating to be able to teach again. From what the Healer told him—“Well, the good news is that you can continue to teach. But the bad news is that Headmistress McGonagall may soon have difficulty keeping you employed if the disease continues to get worse.”—I can't help feeling that this Lethal Curse Survivor’s Disorientation will cause him to become confused and forgetful. Is this why Minerva might have trouble keeping him on the staff as the curse progresses? Now on top of everything that has happened it's Valentine's Day and he has to hear all of the snide remarks about his apparent lack of a love life. I'm glad that he and Hermione are still together and still in love, but it all seems so unfair.Please don't go so long with the next update. I love this story and want to find out how this resurgence of Severus' curse affects him and Hermione... and hopefully that they will be able to find a way to cure him. Please, please, please.Glad to see you back! I reread this story from the beginning so I could remember everything that had happened before.Beth
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
First of all, the next chapter is in queue! Secondly, all I can tell you about the disease is that it won't be the forefront of most of the story, but a shade of Severus's character. I'm so glad you are enjoying the story! I will definitely keep updating.
Thank you for the update - good to have you back! :) Wow, what a twist. He seems so complacent and accepting of it. (Even though he's clearly not as unaffected as he wants to be.) Is he going to tell Hermione, or just carry on as if nothing's wrong? Do we have a time frame on his infection? Looking forward to seeing what happens next!
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
It is always interesting to have someone so strong and stoic battling with a disease. It has been a really interesting way to write Severus.
First it's so good to have to have you back. And second how sad. I don't want him to die, I mean so soon. Surely like the great potions master that he is, and maybe with a bit of help there is a cure somewhere, well hidden that they can dig out?
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
I'm glad to be back! And you'll just have to see what happens to our dear Severus... :)
okies loving this story
draco may have been her first choice but snape is the better one
i hope you arent planning on killing him off
and who the hell was hermiones visitor grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr i hate cliffe's
hugs and chocolate julie
facinating story! thanks muchly
wonderful update! so glad you were haunted. thanks muchly
You leave us wondering what's up with Hermione and then throw in what's up with Snape?? Is it going in two different directions or are the two related? Eagerly awaiting more!
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
You'll see! And an update is in progress!
Something is definately up with Hermione. First avoiding Severus, then not wanting to kiss him. I hope she is not just using him. Can't wait to find out what is up with Severus either.
Response from _Levicorpus_ (Author of Captivation and Obsession)
You are such a perceptive reviewer! I love it!