XI

XI

The thirst was reaching a painful pitch when Hermione sprang through the ground level window in Snape's rooms. She sent the panes crashing against the wall, shattering the glass. The sound seemed remarkably loud to her ears, but it seemed as if no one else noticed. She could not hear Snape's voice at the edge of her thoughts, only the raging thirst that consumed her. It took her no time at all to reach the cooler hidden behind the pile of books in the sitting room.

She grabbed a handful of bags and crouched in the corner with them, not bothering to pour them into the bowl on the table. Venom rushed into her mouth. She grasped the first bag in her fingers and sank her teeth into the packaging. Blood squirted out of the tears and dripped down her chin. Hermione sucked greedily until the first bag was emptied. The other four followed suit quickly.

Satiated, she lay on the plush sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Cedric was up there, sleeping soundly and perhaps dreaming of her. She sighed as she felt the red tint fade from her eyes until they were her normal, roasted honey color. His thoughts were playing around the edges of her mind. It was strange, seeing her face in his thoughts that way. She'd never thought herself beautiful, but it seemed that both Cedric and Severus did.

Severus, she thought with a pang of guilt. His presence crept into the edges of her mind, and she reached her thoughts out toward him. It felt as if she hadn't seen him for days. She drew in a deep breath, tasting the mustiness of their dungeon home on her tongue, before she thought his name again.

Severus, where are you? she thought, pushing her mental voice out with all her might. His thoughts toyed at the edge of her consciousness, as if he longed to answer her but wouldn't. She reached further, feeling the warmth spread through her as the pinprick of awareness grew and bubbled out into the form she knew so well.

She could see him, see what he saw, feel what he felt. The cool night air was blowing across his face as he lay on his back atop the Astronomy tower. His long legs were stretched out, his heels resting up on the parapet. The blackness of the sky with its myriad of stars filled his vision. Her face filled his thoughts.

Oh, Severus, she cooed when she felt the joy sweep through him at the thought of her. She smiled and pushed outward with her thoughts. I'll be with you soon.

Severus was staring up at the stars, his arm outstretched, tracing the constellations with his finger. Dawn was coming, and Venus could just be seen over the eastern horizon as a bright speck of light. The moon was close to the western edge of the world, its full orb glowing silver. He'd always liked the watching the skies at night, and had taught himself Astronomy and Astrology in the past centuries. It gave him something to do. He couldn't ever sleep.

He felt her thoughts before he saw her, vaulting lithely over the parapet where his feet were propped up. Her lips were drawn back in a satisfied grin, and her brown eyes sparkled as she looked down at him. I jumped all the way up here on the first try, Severus, she thought with glee.

He couldn't help but smile in return. The moonlight filtered through her perfect curls, making it look like she was glowing. It turned her skin the most beautiful white marble. It made lights dance in her eyes. It made her even more beautiful, and he tried in vain to understand how that was even possible.

She lay next to him, wrapping her fingers around the hand that lay between them. Her smile broadened as she felt him return the pressure. I've missed you. It seemed right to speak to him with her mind rather than break the perfect silence in words.

He was silent for a long while, alternately staring up at the stars and back at her profile. His thoughts seemed to stifle a sigh and a deep well of regret. Have you, Hermione? Have your thoughts not been taken elsewhere?

The guilt returned to her in brutal waves. For a moment, Cedric's crystal blue eyes flashed through her thoughts. The image made Severus wince in pain.

I really am sorry, she thought softly. A rush of agony overwhelmed her at the sight of her maker's pain. She pressed her cheek against his shoulder, fighting the dry burning behind her eyes. I hate to cause you pain, I really do. You must know that.

Must I? he replied, a grim smile in his thoughts. I know that you do not mean to. And yet every thought you have of that boy is as painful as a thousand knives. But I cannot expect you to understand, not when you cannot control yourself.

Hermione wished again that she could cry, knowing she would feel better if the tears could come. She pressed her face into the rough wool of his coat, wishing with all her might that things could be different. The tears were evident in her thoughts. I'm sorry, Severus. Really, I am. If it will make you happy, we can leave.

There was a dark laugh in his mind as she thought this. Leave? I could not be happy unless you were, my darling. And leaving Hogwarts would make you miserable. Besides, I will not separate you from the boy now even though I so desperately desire to.

The quiet settled around them as Hermione pondered his last thought. She could sense Snape's mind in touch with her own, letting her think in peace. He was good to her, even though she did not deserve it. How many times had she broken his heart in the last twenty-four hours? How many more times would she break it in the centuries to come?

Centuries? he wondered, astonishment in his mental voice. You plan to stay with me for centuries, Hermione?

She was startled at his surprise. Drawing back, she stared into his fathomless eyes. It was difficult to make out their color in the darkness. I want to, if you will let me. Cedric or no Cedric, you are my maker. And I love you. Dearly. Can't you understand that?

He pulled his hand free of hers, stuffing it in his pocket. Understand? Yes, I understand. But believe? No, I do not think I can believe it.

Hermione fell silent as he looked away from her. A sob choked in her throat, making it constrict and burn. You do not love me, then?

Of course I love you, Hermione. My love, my darling, yes, I love you. More than you could ever know. He stared at the sky as he thought, letting his mind reach out to hers. His hand was drawn to her, tracing the soft line of her face. It is only that I don't believe you could live without Cedric, as much as I wish you could.

They spoke no more, lying beside one another in silence. The stars glimmered and faded above them as dawn broke over Hogwarts. The moon dipped at last over the western horizon as Venus rose in its last brightness, heralding the rising of the sun. Severus stood, pulling Hermione up gently. They stood together in the early morning, the ghost of Cedric dispersed in the faint orange dawn. The golden light rose over the edges of the world and glittered like the facets of a thousand diamonds across their skin.

"We must go inside now, Hermione. It would be dangerous for someone to see us like this," Severus whispered, brushing dust from her perfect curls. He smiled, a gentle upturn of the corners of his mouth.

She opened her mouth to respond, but felt all thought drain from her mind as she saw the glowing reflection of his skin in the morning light. He was radiant, every beam of light infinitely reflected from his face and hands. She knew instinctively that the rest of him would glow and shine just as radiantly were it not for his clothes. "Do I...?"

"Yes," he replied with a genuine smile. "You are a more perfect reflection than I, my darling. Now, let's go before someone sees." He took her by the hand, drawing her to him as he stepped upon the parapet with ease. "You have come up, now let us go down!" He bent his knees and sprang from the top of the tower. She followed behind him, her silken hair billowing as the air rushed past her face. It was hardly a sixteenth of a second later when they landed softly on the balls of their feet at the bottom.

Cedric blinked his eyes tightly. Perhaps it was the sun reflecting off the windows of the tower, or some remnant of the dream from which he had just awoken. He was certain that he saw some glowing thing fall down the side of the Astronomy tower. It was impossible. No one could survive a jump from that height.

He groaned and threw himself face down on his bed. He was trying to figure out if the late night visit from Hermione had been a dream. Wincing, he stretched his arms out to the sides, brushing his fingertips against the worn stone of the walls. They encountered a smooth depression in the surface.

Surprised, Cedric sat up and faced the wall. His eyes traced the distinct outline of a small person pressed into the stone. His fingers traced over the smooth indentation as he remembered Hermione shrinking away from him in the darkness. Her visit hadn't been a dream. She had sat there on his bed last night.

Hermione, he thought softly. Her face swam into his vision, her eyes glittering in the pale moonlight. He placed his palm flat against the depression in the wall where her heart would be. My Hermione.

For a moment, his curiosity of what he'd seen earlier was forgotten. He crawled out of bed, struggled into a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants, and headed off to the prefect's bath before breakfast. Perhaps she would be in class today.

Hermione stood in front of the mirror in Snape's sitting room, twisting her hair around her fingers. Her face was pale, and there were dark purple bruises beneath her eyes. I wish I could sleep, she thought dejectedly. I look absolutely horrible.

No, no you don't, my darling, Severus thought as he began setting up the day's potions experiments in the lab. There was a smile in his thoughts as he set out bottles of lacewing flies. You are a beautifully made creature. Now, eat something before you go to class. And remember to come back every few hours, just to be safe.

She smiled at her reflection, her teeth showing pearl white. I will... I love you.

Cedric was waiting at the top of the dungeon stairs when she appeared. He felt his heart begin to race as she smiled up at him; the deep bruises beneath her eyes seeming to disappear. Her eyes were a pale brown, and her hair was drawn back into a loose knot at the back of her head.

The overwhelming sense of losing himself washed over Cedric the moment she was close enough for him to breathe in her scent. He remembered what happened the last time they had met in the entrance hall, and his blood began to pulse in his ears. She had complete control over him. Every other thought was driven from his mind.

"Good morning," she whispered, flashing him a wide smile. The air between them seemed to sizzle and pop as they stood facing one another. Her hand lifted of its own accord and placed itself over his heart. She could feel the thudding beat beneath her fingers, just as he could feel the icy coldness of her fingers.

He smiled back and folded his warm hand over her cold one. "Morning."

It seemed as if the world around her shimmered and disappeared when she felt the blazing warmth of his hand. Her skin felt as if it were blistering in some painfully pleasant way. She felt the color in her eyes begin to change. It was a dizzying sensation, to see the world swimming in rainbows of colors before settling into beautiful tints and hues. For the moment, the world seemed unable to make up its mind as to what color it would be. Cedric's face grinned at her through a scarlet haze that faded to a golden shimmer. At last, her world was tinted sapphire.

Cedric gasped when he saw the change in her eyes. His hands began to tremble and sweat. He traced his thumb over the pale shadows beneath her eyes. "Hermione, what...?"

She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes firmly. Every cell in her body wished that she could will her eyes back to their normal color. Her eyes changed on their own, as her mood and feelings changed. Her throat constricted, and the backs of her eyes began to burn. Keeping her eyes closed, she whispered, "I'm sorry, Cedric. I'm not the same as I was. I know that. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Hermione," Cedric whispered back. He held her face in his hands and stared down at her. "Open your eyes."

Hermione slowly opened her eyes, struggling to see through the sapphire hue of the world around her. She stared up at him with fear pounding through her. Cedric was looking at her seriously, his gaze flicking from her dark blue eyes to take in the rest of her face.

The side of his mouth twitched upward in a lopsided grin. "I kind of like them, actually," he said. "They may be a way to keep you safe, so that you don't do something you'll regret."

"Keep me safe?" she exclaimed, startled by the way her voice echoed through the entrance hall. "What do you mean? The vampyr mosp..."

"Don't give me that. I'm not sure what happened to you, Hermione, but I know for sure it wasn't a vampyr mosp." His eyes were sure, the set of his lips firm as he discarded her lie. "I won't ask you to tell me if you don't want to, but I think your eyes can help. Like last night. They turn red when you could do something dangerous, so we just split up when they do."

Hermione looked at him with awe. He was taking this so calmly! And he didn't even understand the half of it. "And when they're black. That's when I'm gonna get mad, and that can be almost as dangerous as when they're red."

"Red and black it is then. Now, let's get some breakfast before class."

Severus felt Hermione's rush of joy and wondered what could have made her so happy. Even though he was loath to admit it, he was almost certain it had something to do with Cedric Diggory. He would have to get used to the feeling of Cedric making her happy.

The Blood Claim had complicated their lives, but he would not deny Hermione anything that would make her happy. She could sense that there was some strange connection with Cedric, though she still loved her maker fiercely. He could not keep the secret from her much longer. Tonight, Severus would have to explain the Blood Claim to her.