Decimoséptimo

Forbidden Obsession

Decimoséptimo

"Potter! Where is he?" cried Professor McGonagall. She and several other staff members were hurrying toward them with wands drawn.

"He's gone, and he has Hermione!" yelled Harry.

"How?" asked Flitwick.

"Malfoy and Lestrange were with Voldemort. I don't understand..." Harry's words broke off.

"Hermione jumped in front of Voldemort as if she were protecting him," continued Ron. The professors looked at each other questioningly and then back at Harry and Ron.

"Listen carefully, boys: was Professor Snape with them?" asked McGonagall. Harry and Ron looked at each other quickly and then pulled out the map. Snape's dot was gone.

"He was here. According to this map he was here, but we didn't see him," said Harry. McGonagall wrapped her arms around herself as her expression grew solemn. Deep in thought, she did not hear what the others were saying.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

'Thump!' went Snape's body, as Lucius threw him onto the stone floor. Hermione tried to go to him, but the Dark Lord grabbed her by the throat and brought her face to his. Voldemort's eyes had a cunning expression to them, which made them all the more threatening.

"Your Master was punished for lying to me. You will heal him, and then I shall decide if you are of any use to me." He threw her onto the floor and left the room. Hermione could hear the wards activate on the door as it sealed itself.

Hermione immediately went to Severus and knelt next to him. Her eyes scanned his body, noting the blood on his torn clothes and unnatural positioning of his limbs.

Gingerly she touched his face and whispered, "Severus, what did they do to you?" His head turned toward her and slowly his eyes opened. Both eyes were red and swollen. In his left eye the blood vessels were ruptured.

Realizing it was Hermione, his lips slightly parted as if to speak but no sound came out.

"Shhhh," she gently whispered, cradling his face.

Severus closed his mouth along with his eyes and rested in her arms. He couldn't move. He couldn't think. All he could do was breathe.

Hermione comforted him while she silently cried.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Snape killed Dumbledore and now he's kidnapped Hermione!" snapped Harry. "Come on, Ron, we're going to get her back and kill that bastard!" Ron took his place next to Harry. Their expressions of hatred left no doubt that blood was going to be shed.

"You boys will not leave the school grounds," snapped McGonagall.

Harry marched over to her. Looking into her eyes, he hissed, "He took Hermione. We are getting her back." McGonagall quickly raised her wand and cast two stunning spells, one for Harry and one for Ron. The red light blasting from her wand rendered both boys unconscious.

"Forgive me, boys, but you are not seeing the entire picture," she whispered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"He gave that Mudblood to Severus!" shrieked Bellatrix. She was pacing her rooms frantically, displaying her frustration and anger. "After Severus' betrayal he..."

"Shut up!" hissed Lucius, who was staring out the window. "Severus' lies about Lupin were enough for him to be punished – but why give him a Mudblood?"

"You fool!" she snapped, "Severus has chosen a life mate. He has chosen that Mudblood!" Lucius' face paled. He turned to face Bellatrix. His eyes narrowed and his jaw was trembling with anger. Grabbing her by the throat, he slammed her against the wall.

"Severus Snape is a pureblood wizard. He despises Mudbloods," he hissed. His voice turned dangerously low. His fingers closed tighter around her throat with each word. "Don't insult the name of Snape by even suggesting he would choose a filthy Mudblood as a life partner. The Mudblood is nothing more than a sacrifice to get to Potter."

Bellatrix was clawing frantically at his hand to release her. Her vision was blurring. Instinctively she quickly raised her knee and thrust it hard into his groin. Lucius immediately let her go and fell to the ground with both hands covering his groin. Bellatrix slid down the wall, gasping for breath.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

With her eyes closed, Hermione continued to hold Severus while whispering to him. Her tears fell freely down her face and onto his.

"Please," she whispered, "please tell me what to do."

Somewhere in her mind she was aware that the man she was holding had killed Dumbledore and that she herself had prevented Harry from dueling Voldemort, yet the only thing that mattered was her saving Severus.

'Heal him,' she thought. Voldemort told her to heal him. 'But how?'

She opened her eyes to look at the man in her arms. His face was almost unrecognizable from the swelling. Leaning down, she gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. When she leaned back, she noticed some of her blood from where Lucius had slapped her smeared onto his lips. His tongue slowly came out to lick it. The swelling around his mouth decreased.

Hermione realized what she had to do. She was aware there were consequences, but it would be worth the sacrifice to save him. Sucking in her bottom lip between her teeth, she bit down on it, reopening the wound. Touching her lips to his, she let him slowly suck on them, taking her blood. She closed her eyes and caressed his face as she gave him life. Breathing deeply, she could feel her energy transfer to him. Warmth and desire spread across her body.

Letting go of her lip, he whispered, "More." Hermione sat up and pushed her sleeve back to expose her wrist. She knew this is what she needed to do. Placing his wrist on his lips, she felt a sharp pain that was quickly overshadowed by concupiscence.

In Severus' mind there was a battle for survival. He drank fully, swallowing full gulps of the life-blood she offered. The warmth and energy flowed through his veins and arteries, overriding his ability to comprehend he was drinking from Hermione. His instinct to survive consumed his actions as he drank more and more from her. He felt his body trying to heal, his legs starting to stretch and resume a natural position, but the blood she offered was not enough. His bones and lacerations began to repair themselves, but he needed more energy. His head slightly jerked, trying to release her wrist. He needed her jugular. He needed to kill to be complete.

His eyes flew open and he released her wrist. Grabbing her head and pulling it toward him, he brought her throat to his mouth. He opened his jaw wide, his teeth extended to make the cut. This was the most powerful bite of a vampire, and took the most energy, but in return it guaranteed life for him and death for his victim. His tongue licked the skin then his teeth pierced it, slicing through each layer of skin to the muscle. His lips covered the area, ready to receive life.

Hermione's heart was beating with his. She was consumed with his needs. She tilted her head back, offering her life to him.

"Please, Severus," she whispered, encouraging him to continue. His desires became hers and she was going to give him anything he needed. She was under his power.

Severus' eyes flew open at the sound of her voice and realization washed over him. Quickly he shoved her away, breaking the connection.

"No," she cried. "You need me..." her voice trailed off. She looked at him, still injured and lying on the floor. Her eyes scanned her surroundings. The connection was broken.

"Severus," she said. Her voice cracked. Her eyes filled with tears and they began to roll down her face. "How can I heal you?" she whispered.

He looked away and said, "There are other ways." Gingerly Severus got to his feet, wincing at the pain from his injuries. Closing his eyes, he took several calming breaths. Between his injuries and pain, his head spun and he fought not to lose consciousness. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. His hand shook as he pushed his hair back and away from his eyes. 'Her choice.'

Hermione watched him take a step to the bed and collapse onto it. He lay motionless on his side, his body on the bed with his legs hanging off. With tears streaming down her face, she went to him.

"Severus, I need you," she whispered. He did not respond, as once again he was unconscious. Hermione tried moving him further onto the bed, but he was too heavy. Dropping to her knees, she cried.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron was sitting in a small wooden chair when Harry woke up. Gingerly he sat up and looked at his surroundings.

"McGonagall must have hexed you a lot harder than me," smirked Ron.

"Where are we?" asked Harry, putting on his glasses.

"I'm not sure, but I imagine it's near the same place Dumbledore had Hermione. The location is not too clear on the map."

"Hermione!" gasped Harry, suddenly remembering what had happened. "We need to get her!" He jumped out of couch was lying in and headed for the door.

"It won't open," said Ron. "And yes, I used magic," he added. "There are too many wards placed on it." Harry kicked the door and then turned to Ron.

"So you are just giving up?" he snapped. Ron smirked.

"Never." He took Harry's wand from the side table and tossed it to him. "I was just waiting for you to finish getting your beauty rest so that we could bring down the wards together. After all, two wands are better than one." Harry gave his friend a smile. "But I do need to mention one thing – Hermione did betray us."

~TBC