Cruciatus and Curses

This story is concurrent with HBP. Thank you, JaneAverage for your wonderful advice and beta skills!

In Chapter 7, Emma and Severus continued their chaste domesticity; Emma thinks she's falling in love; the team worked to break the enchantments on Ravenclaw's bracelet and Emma has begun teaching Muggle Studies.

One snowy Saturday, Emma and Snape shared a relaxing lunch together in the Great Hall. All the older students and most staff were in Hogsmeade that day. That afternoon Snape planned to replenish Madam Pomfrey's potions stores and had asked Emma to assist with the prep work. They finished lunch and walked companionably toward the dungeons. As they walked, their fingers brushed, and impulsively, he linked his with hers, unseen under the long sleeves of their robes. He quizzed her about the ingredients for the headache potion. She identified all of them and he smiled at her ability. Their moment was broken, however, by a Ravenclaw second-year rushing to them, screaming, "Katie Bell's been cursed! Professor Snape, help! Help!"

Without a word, Snape ran to his suite, strode into his private lab, then Floo'd back to the Hospital Wing, carrying several vials of potions. "Severus, do you need my..." Emma began; Snape's response was little more than a growl. "No! Stay in the suite!"

He returned hours later and knocked on Emma's door. She was sitting on the bed writing a letter when he returned. Snape smiled tentatively and sat down on the bed, facing her.

"Severus, is Katie all right?"

"I hope so. I was able to stop the spread of the curse. Katie was taken to St. Mungo's, the wizard hospital, for long-term care." His voice broke and Emma realized the man was exhausted and overwrought. She scooted down to him and gently cupped his face with her hand. She leaned in and lightly kissed his cheek.

"Katie's lucky to have you here, Severus."

He recoiled from her touch and her words and leapt up. "You have no idea, Emma, of the idiocy of what you have just said," he hissed. "In truth, it is because of me that Katie is in St. Mungo's right now."

"So, sometime during lunch, when I wasn't looking, you CURSED her?"

"No, you foolish woman, it's more complicated than that."

"Then explain it to me, Severus, I want to know your truth."

"NO!" he raged. "I cannot. You will have nothing to do with me once you know 'my truth,' as you call it, and I could not bear that." Shocked at his own admission, he strode from her room and into his private lab, slamming the door.

****************

Dinner in the Great Hall was subdued, to say the least, that night. Severus did not show up. Emma hardly ate. Minerva told her about the cursed opal necklace and that Katie's prognosis was uncertain.

Emma became lost in thought, reviewing their disagreement again and again. Obviously Severus had nothing to do with that necklace. Why was he willing to take the blame for such a Dark act? Why did he see himself as the focal point of Dark Magic at the school?

Emma knew a bit about his dark past...faculty gossip had taken care of that. And she was not frightened of what she might hear, but rather more frightened that he may never open up to her. She made up her mind to press the point tonight, despite any discomfort he may feel.

He was nowhere to be found in his suite. Probably down at the Hog's Head, drowning his sorrows, she thought. I'll leave the door between our rooms open, so I'll hear him when he returns.

***

In the hour before dawn, Snape slumped against the outer door to his dungeons. "Buck up, man, you've made it this far. Another lovely evening spent with the Dark Lord," he spat. Somehow, he managed to get himself through the wards and into the inner hallway. In front of his suite door, he felt another crashing wave of pain and nausea. Retching, he fell to the cold stone floor. He had taken himself as far as he could on sheer willpower. He lost consciousness and gave in to the pain.

With a crack Winky appeared in her new mistress' bedroom. She frantically shook Emma awake and announced, "Master Snape is needing of you, Miss. He is sickened outside the door."

Emma flew out of bed and found Severus unconscious, trembling, laying in a pool of vomit. She tried, but could not lift the dead weight of him. "Winky, please help me. Can you do something?"

"Yes, Miss, step aside. Winky is sending Master Snape to his bed." The elf closed her eyes and screwed up her face and, extending her long bamboo-like fingers over Snape, levitated him six inches off the floor. Winky propelled him into the suite and Emma helped lift him onto the bed. Still unconscious, Severus groaned in pain at her touch.

"Winky, what is wrong with him? Do you know?"

"Yes, Mistress, Winky is knowing, but cannot be telling. It is evilness, Mistress, pure evilness. Master Snape would punish Winky fierce if she tells you."

Emma made up her mind. The man needed help, now. "Winky!" she commanded in a loud voice. "Go get Madam Pomfrey."

At that Snape's eyes flew open and he croaked, "NO! Elf, do not call Poppy. Leave me be."

Winky stood frozen, not knowing which master to serve. She had been obligated to the Muggle lady, but the Potions Master's authority seemed stronger at Hogwarts. Winky twisted her ears and moaned softly.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Winky, don't hurt yourself. Get me a cauldron of ice water, a stack of towels and a flannel," Emma said sharply. Relieved, Winky disappeared to fulfill Emma's request. Severus' eyes were on her as she removed his cloak and started to unbutton his frock coat.

"What do you think you are doing, Madam?" Snape croaked out.

"You refused Poppy's help, Severus, so you are stuck with mine."

Snape sighed deeply, exhausted, as a new wave of pain made him tremble and jerk violently. Emma lay down next to him, covering him with her body, to try to still his movements. He groaned; from pain she thought, but he knew differently. When he had calmed, Emma went into the bathroom and returned with two phials. She slipped her arm behind his head to raise it and brought the first phial to his lips. He refused it, asking acerbically, "Trying to poison me, Emma?"

"Well, if your skills were not up to par on the day you brewed this, possibly," she retorted. "Severus, it's just a potion for pain and one for nausea. Surely you can identify them."

He grimaced in reply and swallowed the potions without complaint. Emma ran her hand down his face to feel for fever and she could tell that each touch brought increasing pain to him. She guessed that his nerve endings were inflamed. She quickly and efficiently began again to undress him.

"Emma, what are you doing? I beg you, please leave me be."

"Severus, your nervous system is overtaxed. I am applying a principle of Muggle sports medicine. I'm going to chill your body to ease your pain."

"Emma, you know I don't trust Muggle doctors," Snape said scornfully.

"All right, then, it's just what the Muggle teacher ordered. Now be still!" Emma slipped her cool, soft fingers underneath the waistband of his black wool trousers and started to undo the buttons. Despite his pain and exhaustion, Snape felt himself responding to her touch.

"Unhand me, woman!" he cried, sitting up, wincing with pain.

"Severus! Lie back down! You're hurt, badly, and you need assistance," Emma said forcefully. Then, cupping Snape's cheek in her palm, looking deep into his eyes, she said softly, "Relax, dearest, and I will take care of you."

The little house-elf and the Muggle woman worked cooperatively to undress Snape. The pain and nausea potions were kicking in, and the tremors were lessening. Emma delicately turned away while the little elf placed a thick wool blanket over Snape's groin. He sighed deeply and gave over to Emma. But soon he found himself regretting his decision as she began the treatment.

His glittering eyes watched her every move as she wet, wrung and lovingly placed a double layer of icy, moist towels on his legs.

"GREAT MERLIN, WOMAN! What are you trying to do to me? I beg you again, LEAVE ME IN PEACE!" Snape thundered, trying vainly to kick off the thick layer of toweling; he growled from the pain and exertion and frustration.

"I'm sorry you are uncomfortable, Severus, but that is temporary. In fifteen minutes, I will take the towels off, and I promise you that you will feel much better," Emma replied, enunciating each word carefully and slowly. In the time it took her to respond to him, she had covered his torso, arms and legs with the icy toweling. "Winky, can you charm these to stay at their current temperature?' Emma asked.

"Yes, Mistress," replied the Elf, raising her knobby-knuckled fingers over Snape.

Snape groaned in reply, but did not complain, as he was beginning to feel significantly less pain. This had been the worst bout of Cruciatus he'd ever had. While enduring it, he had toyed with the idea that he might not recover...this was a familiar thought pattern for him, and in the past it was of some comfort...only now, he fought to live and keep his sanity during the blinding pain, the image of Emma in his mind.

Fifteen excruciatingly cold minutes later, Emma smiled and announced, "Time to get warm again, Severus! How are you feeling?"

"A bit better," he said, grudgingly; actually, he was feeling better than he had a right to feel after the abuse he had endured.

"Excellent. Winky, please bring me a cauldron of lukewarm water, and more towels, please."

"Now what?" Snape asked, pretending to be more exasperated than he was.

"I have to repeat the procedure with some lukewarm toweling, to bring your body back up to temperature. After that, I will clean you up; you were sick all over yourself and you smell," Emma said, exaggeratedly holding her nose when finished.

"Ah, now I am something to mock, Madam? Do not treat me as one of your schoolchildren."

"You always were 'mockable,' Severus, you just didn't realize it!" Emma laughed, as she repeated the process of layering him in towels which were much warmer this time. Snape made no sounds of protest as his pain was nearly gone and the weight and warmth of the toweling was so . . . soothing. He suddenly felt very tired, and realized it was more than twenty-four hours ago that he had slept ...

A new sensation, a very pleasing one, partially awakened him. He felt warm, sudsy water as it was tenderly stroked onto his body. Emma sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over him. Smiling sweetly, she set to work cleaning the sweat and sickness off him. At first, her touch was firm and quick and businesslike, but soon, Snape felt her actions slowing, the mood changing. Fully awake now, he feigned sleep and watched her, fascinated, through half-lidded eyes.

Emma's breathing was shallow as she ravished his tight, lithe body with her eyes and tended to every part of him save what was hidden under the wool blanket. Mesmerized, she watched the rise and fall of the flannel over his muscled abdomen and ribs, which were a bit too prominent for her taste, and she made a mental note to make sure he ate better. She smiled to herself as the flannel caressed his chest and unconsciously, she circled each dark nipple with a sudsy finger.

Snape watched her, enthralled, as she traced the outline of a scar on his chest with a feather light touch. Her eyes brightened with tears while she caressed his scar, and Snape felt a pain in his chest, in his heart, that puzzled him, at first. But then realization flooded his mind, his senses, and for a moment, he forgot to breathe. No one since his mother had comforted him, cared for him, with such obvious love and concern. And no woman's ministrations had ever elicited this depth of feeling, or arousal, from him. The heavy wool blanket at his midsection tented with evidence of his desire.

"But is she doing this to 'Steven' or Snape?" he wondered to himself.

Several hours later Snape awoke, and he found himself looking straight into Emma's eyes as she lay curled next to him. Emma raised herself up and gently laid her hand on his cheek. "No fever, good. How are you feeling, Severus?"

He took stock of his physical state before answering, "Much better. Weak, still. But no pain. What have you done to me, woman?"

Emma laughed and reached over, laying her hand over his heart. He covered her hand with one of his own, stroking small circles with his thumb.

"Just a bit of Muggle medicine, dearest. I'm glad you've 'responded' so well," Emma said, saucily, as the heavy wool blanket tented again. Snape looked away quickly, disdainfully pretending not to see her reaction. She laughed gleefully at his pretense, and called for Winky, ordering tea and fruit and toast for both.

"Severus, in all seriousness, I'm so glad you are better," she said, leaning into him, initiating a chaste kiss. He responded by pulling her toward him, deepening the kiss as his tongue sought entrance, which she willingly allowed. Their tongues met and caressed and Emma found herself on the receiving end of one of the loveliest, most sensual kisses she had ever gotten.

The pop of Winky appearing with the breakfast tray startled them out of their embrace.

Emma smiled and whispered, "I hope there's more where that came from!"

But Snape struggled to sit up, pushing her off him as he went, his face a mask of seriousness. "Emma, about last night . . ." he began.

Emma interrupted him. "I know enough about medicine to realize last night was due to more than just a hangover from the Hog's Head. I still think you should see Madam Pomfrey for a checkup."

"No, Emma, I'm fine. In truth, this is not the first time that has happened to me and the worst is over."

Emma jumped off the bed, yelling, "Who would do that to you? Why would you let that happen again? Severus, what in the name of God are we dealing with?"