Chapter Forty: The Ending of the Dark Veela Curse

(i) The characters and world of Harry Potter are the property of the J.K. Rowling. I make no money from this.

(ii) Thank you to all the readers who have stayed with me through the writing of this tale. You are all amazing. You're reviews are so appreciated.

(iii) Finally, much gratitude to my gracious beta, Queen_of_Stars. All errors that ultimately remain are my own.

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Their passion had barely abated, and now Hermione was faced with a stunning revelation. She was not sure how to respond to Severus' narration, but one look at his tentative and uncertain expression, visible clearly to her through the tightening of his shoulder muscles and the shiftiness of his eyes that were not quite able to meet hers, made her realise that, even despite their obvious manifestation of love both at the soul binding and the reversal of the Dark Veela curse, he expected her to even now reject him.

She wanted to shake him for doubting her. If he had been Harry, she would have yelled at him. But she knew her dark Slytherin's insecurities were a result of all the times that people had turned away from him. Thinking through what he had told her, she realised that the rejections must have been the Veela curse making Severus a pariah from his earliest days.

Doing her best to, therefore, reassure her lover, she smiled gently. "I don't care what you are, my love," she said, reaching out to stroke his hand. "I adore you. You must know that. I've given myself freely to you and I will continue to do so. Just because you've got Veela blood in you is not going to make me love you less. I'll just have to be more careful and learn a few especially vicious hexes if the other witches get too close in their attentions to you."

Severus' eyes darkened at her words of possessiveness and jealously. His body became less tense as he gathered her even closer to him. "You are so precious," he murmured even as his mouth closed, hot and hungry, over hers.

Soon the passion between them rose once again, and Hermione suddenly remembered Narcissa's words about what to do after they first made love. Hoping that she was not too late, she gently pushed herself away from Severus and his embrace and worked her way down. At his inquiringly raised eyebrow, she blushed. He was just so sexy when he did that. "Cissy told me that I must clean our emissions from you and have you do the same for me. It is to strengthen, seal and bind our bond. I think its women's magic."

"Ah," said Severus with a smirk that made her feel all trembly and wet.

Then imperiously he added, "You may continue."

Hermione laughed and went back to her task. She had wanted to explore Severus for ages, and ever since her frank discussion with Narcissa on her birthday, she had imagined licking Severus clean. Slowly, teasingly, she allowed her tongue to circle his by now hard and straining head before taking long, leisurely licks, as though she were enjoying an especially tasty ice-cream on a hot summer's day.

Severus groaned in desire. "Witch," he said heatedly even as he readily submitted to her torture. Before long, though, the playfulness in her manner altered, and she set to her task with more serious intent. Once she felt that she had cleaned their emissions, she looked up to meet his eyes. "First blood, first pleasure, now I am yours, forever."

Once she had said the simple words, a feeling of contentment and peace settled over her. She knew instinctively that it was their love being strengthened even further. As Severus continued to watch her, she smiled at him and said, "Now it is your turn."

"Is it now?" said her devilishly smirking lover. "Right, then, Madam Snape." Suddenly her darkly dangerous wizard moved to push her on to her back so that he could attack her core.

Hermione squeaked at his unexpected show of strength, but then giggled at his superciliously arched brow. "Beast," she said fondly. Humour soon vanished though at Severus' display of masterful skill. He was now more than confident of her acceptance, and he set about showing her how much he adored her. His tongue was a weapon used to bring her to the brink of explosion, even as he cleaned their emissions and repeated in heated whispers the words she had used.

His words further bound their love together. They could both feel their magic combining, uniting. It was a very physical sensation of how closely their innate magical senses were now entwined.

Marvelling to herself at how much blood and magic brought into a consensual relationship, Hermione could not but be thankful that she had met the Malfoys. If she had never known Narcissa, she might never have been able to practice or perform these intimate magical practices. She knew from listening to the giggling comments of house-mates that many of the girls who gave their virginity to their boyfriends had not done any of the things she had done. The most, if they were clever, was to collect their first blood for healing potions.

However, her thoughts were soon brought back to the man who had loved her so thoroughly, for he was now, following the rapture, making his way towards her. "I can feel our love deep in my magical core, covering my soul, healing all the fissures that had opened up within me because of my Dark Magical usage." His voice was tinged with awe.

"Oh, Severus," she said in equal wonder. "I love you so much. I'm so happy our love has the power to heal."

He nodded. He had never heard that the act of making love could actually heal the damage done by the use of Dark Magic. Amazed at the many gifts finding Hermione had given him, he set to demonstrating his devotion to her in the most physical way he could. As he slid into her wet and ready core, he murmured his adoration in passion roughened voice.

Again, their ardour was raised to blinding heights, and when they both came, it was to united expressions of love. Hermione was especially vocal, her moans and gasps interspersed with her declarations of love and desire for him.

This time, when Severus regained his senses after his orgasm, he rolled on to his back and covered his eyes with his arm. He could not believe the feelings that were coursing through his body.

Hermione too was lost to the sensations that were making their way through her. She could feel her synapses firing, her nerves tingling with magic. She could do nothing but lie as she was, feeling the power of her magic and their combined love altering her. She did not know if what she was feeling was normal, but if it was, she could not understand how Dumbledore could have ever managed to make blood and sex magic into Dark and Evil practices. What she was feeling was life affirming. It was the very antithesis of Darkness. Finally, feeling more in control of her actions, she turned to Severus.

Seeing him so completely overawed by the power of what they had done made her smile in spite of herself. Sliding her arm around his waist, she drew close enough to hide her face in his chest and cuddle his side.

She heard him sigh and draw her more securely to him. "I don't know what's going on," he said, his voice laced with unexpected confusion. "I don't think what we just felt is normal, Hermione."

She forced herself to raise her head and look at him. She felt completely spent.

"I know," he murmured at her exhausted expression. "It could be the Dark Veela curse lifting, together with all of the blessing of the Veela coming into full effect. I didn't really do enough research to find out what being part Veela would bring to our relationship. I guess there was a secret part of me that thought that the curse would never truly be broken."

"Would Fleur know?" wondered Hermione aloud.

"Possibly. Although it might be better if we speak to one of the Veela elders. Now that the curse is truly broke, I will have to try and reconnect with that side of my family in any case. We'll need to because male Veela tend to impregnate their mates pretty quickly."

"What?" shrieked Hermione.

Severus began to laugh. He had just thrown that statement in there. Hermione's face had been scrunched up in thoughtful zeal. He could see the wheels in her head turning as she took on the task of researching all that she could about the Veela especially because he knew Veela males never seemed to be studied.

"Beast," said Hermione in exasperation. "I never know what you're going to say next," she said grumbling.

Severus smiled. He felt young and completely unlike the man who had woken up this morning in nervous anticipation of his binding. It was as though years of Darkness had been lifted from his psyche. He could see the years stretching before him, years in which he would be able to shock and surprise his precious Hermione.

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Hermione and Severus were now irrevocably joined together. Their coming together had played the final part in sealing their union. The Ministry's register would have been magically notified at their completion of the consummation of their vows.

However, tradition called for an official marriage ceremony, one that was more formal and social. This ritual followed the engagement because if the couple could not be soul bound or did not wish for so permanent a tie but merely wanted a blessing by the Priestess of Hera, then the purely legal service could be conducted to bind a couple for a lifetime, or until they decided to part. Magical marriage allowed for many different ceremonies, customs, bindings and vows. All were valid, all were meant to give couples the kind of union they desired. None of them were meant to coerce or force a couple into something that would not grant them happiness.

Severus and Hermione had, however, agreed to put off their official marriage ceremony until the school closed for the Yule holidays. Thus, Hermione returned to the castle, knowing that she would most likely not be residing in the Headmaster's comfortable chambers.

However, as Hermione spoke to the castle on her return following the binding, she was gladdened to hear the very walls rejoice in their union. Every staircase and doorway wished them well as she made her way to her room in Gryffindor Tower. Meanwhile, all the portraits and suits of armour welcomed her as their Châtelaine. And once she entered her chamber, the castle surprised her by the addition of an ornate and gilded arched door. Curious, but suspecting what was behind it, she opened it to reveal the Headmaster's master bedchamber. Smiling in thanks as she caressed the wedding present from the castle, Hermione wandered into her lover's most private domain. Knowing that he would not have yet made his way into his private rooms, but had instead gone directly into his office, she left him a gift on his immense four-poster bed from some of Narcissa's specially purchased trousseau. She knew that the scraps of emerald green and gold silk would most certainly gain her lover's interest especially since it was placed so strategically on his vast expanse of blindingly white, high thread count, Egyptian elf-made cotton linen, even if by some amazing stroke of absentmindedness he were to miss the new exit from his bedroom.

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A/N: Love it or hate it, please let me know what you think.