Chapter 6

The look of surprise on Severus Snape’s face would have been priceless to any of Hogwarts students. He’d looked as if someone had put Doxy eggs in his tea. Sarah’s heart hammered in her chest as she awaited his response.

“You want to perform the Great Rite, with me, tonight?” he repeated slowly, as if he’d misheard or that she was in some way simple.

“Yes. You want to know more about Wiccan ritual, so I’m giving you the chance to see my magic first hand. If you cannot show me your magic, it would benefit me if you could assist me in mine. Plus, you are clearly a very magical man; I can sense it.” And if there is any foolproof way to see if you are my true love, this has to be it, she thought.

The corner of Snape’s mouth twitched. The girl wasn’t backwards in coming forwards, was she? Slytherin fortune again, handing him sex on a plate, all in the name of research! He cleared his throat before speaking.

“And how does one go about this Great Rite? Are there any documented procedures on how it is to be enacted?” He fought hard to keep the tone of amusement out of his voice.

“Actually, there is,” she answered breathlessly, reaching for her bag. She rummaged around and pulled out a book. It was bound in black leather and had “Book Of Shadows” along with a five pointed pentacle embossed on the front cover in gold. She handed it to Severus, whose face remained impassive, although inside his stomach gave a triumphant whoosh. Now this is what I call research, he thought.

“Chapter eleven,” she said quietly, looking at her hands. There was silence while Severus flicked to the appropriate page and began to read. She watched his face for any sign of shock or disgust, yet he carried on reading without a flicker of emotion on his face.

Sarah was glad for the opportunity to study him. He wasn’t what you would call classically handsome, yet his dark features held an intense, almost magnetic kind of attraction to her. He was wearing a crisp white high-collared shirt with ruffles at the sleeves with smartly tailored black trousers. Very Goth, very Karl Lagerfeld, very nice! Her eyes flicked to his lips which, she now noticed, looked soft and sensual within his hard face. Is this man really my true love? she asked herself.

Severus looked up. “You have never done this before?”

Sarah smiled. “Not in the ritualistic way of the Grand Rite, no,” she replied. Severus breathed deeply through his nose.

“Are you quite sure you want to do this?” he asked her quietly.

Her eyes found his. “I absolutely want to do this.” He gazed back at her for a few heartbeats. “Do you want to do this?” she batted the question back at him.

“I see nothing unpleasant in this ritual, and I think it would enhance my knowledge,” he answered steadily. And I haven’t felt a woman’s flesh in years, and you’re offering yourself to me wholeheartedly, you pretty young thing, and I need the sweet release, he thought, slightly ashamed.

Sarah looked at him. “You do realise that the rite must be continued to the very end? That we would be unable to stop once we’d started?”

Severus nearly laughed, but raised an eyebrow instead. Is she getting performance anxiety on my behalf?

“It’s written that, as this is a powerful rite, you should see it through to the end as the power it produces can backfire if the rite is performed but left incomplete.”

Severus nodded. Yes, we’ll do all your mumbo-jumbo by the book, my dear, and you will get a thoroughly good shagging at the end of it! “I assure you, Sarah, I have no intention of leaving you… incomplete,” he drawled. The suggestion of his voice sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.

“And you do realise you will have to be fully naked, like me, for this ritual?” she asked carefully. Snape paused for a second, thinking of the Dark Mark. Damn thing can be passed off as a tattoo, he decided. It still irritated him that with the Dark Lord now deceased, the bloody mark was still there, clear as ever. He’d got used to the idea of having it for the rest of his life, as a reminder of the era of cruelty of which he’d been a part of.

“I’d find it difficult to conceive of enacting the ritual thoroughly if this were not the case,” he replied smoothly. Once again, she shivered with anticipation.

“Then we must prepare. It’s already dark and the ritual must be completed by midnight.”

Merciful Goddess, she thought. What am I doing?