Quinto

Forbidden Obsession

Quinto

Severus Snape's rooms were lit only by candlelight, flickering and casting an array of shadows against the walls. Severus sat motionless in his chair. He had removed his dress robes and jacket. The top button of his black trousers was unfastened, and his white dress shirt was unbuttoned and open, its sleeves rolled up. His black, limp hair was disheveled, covering part of his face. His expression was hard and cold as he considered the events of the evening.

The only movement was when he raised his glass of cognac to his lips. The sip of liquor warmed his throat as it began its journey to helping him forget yet another mistake -- but had it been a mistake? In all his years of being who he was, he had made it a rule never to drink from an acquaintance. He had been warned about such things long ago and had abided by the restriction until now. Now he had fed, not just from an acquaintance, but from his student. It had not been a complete feeding, yet he had as much energy as if it had been.

Taking another drink of his cognac, he closed his eyes as he swallowed slowly, concentrating on the heat of the alcohol. The chill of the dungeon's air was sharp against his throat as he breathed in, causing his attention to return to the problem.

Covering his eyes with his free hand, he slowly rubbed his temples. It was difficult enough trying to convince himself he had drunk Miss Granger's blood to save his life, but it was even more of a challenge to convince himself his life was worth the sacrifice. He was well aware that his life was in the hands of others, yet he made decisions to always protect his own life. Because of these decisions, he was merely a pawn, while others controlled the game.

Removing his hand from his eyes, he raised his glass in the air, saying a silent, meaningless toast, and then finished the cognac in one quick swig. Putting the glass down, he waved his hand and every candle in the dungeons was snuffed out.

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

The intensity of the sunlight shining through Hermione's window was what finally woke her. Opening her eyes, she quickly shut them, thinking someone had turned her light on. Instinctively covering her eyes with her hands, she slowly removed them so that her eyes could gradually adjust.

She looked around her room, realizing the source of the light was from the sun. "It can't be," she whispered, looking at her clock. It said 2:12pm. Hermione Granger had never slept past nine o'clock, but today she had.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, crawling out of bed. "That cool air last night was more relaxing than I thought."

Getting out of bed, her legs were weak, but she assumed it was due to being in bed for so long. Pulling her lavender cotton nightgown over her head, she gingerly walked into the bathroom. Tossing it onto the floor, she rubbed her eyes, heading to the sink. Squinting into the bathroom mirror, she cringed at her reflection. Her hair looked like a bird's nest. It was going to take several detangling charms to undo that mess, she thought while reaching for her toothbrush.

When her teeth were clean, she filled the bathtub with hot water and Sandalwood oil. It was one of the scents given to her by Tonks. She was a bit insulted that Tonks would give her an oil that was for nervousness, anxiety, and acne, but Tonks whispered to her that it also contained the power to stimulate arousal and awaken erotic desires.

Until now, she had never wanted to use it. Removing her knickers, she carefully stepped into the tub and allowed the water to envelop her body.

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

The following Monday, Hermione was walking two paces behind Harry and Ron who were busy discussing their latest plot to defeat the Hufflepuffs in the next Quidditch match. Hermione was relaxed, thinking about potions class. They had been assigned an essay on the properties of dragon eggshells and how they varied from species to species. She was mentally going over her essay, making sure she covered every aspect of the objectives that Professor Snape had outlined, while following Harry and Ron.

Lost in thought, Hermione began to notice Harry's and Ron's voices fading, to the point that she could see that they were speaking, but could not hear what was being said. As if moving in slow motion, she turned to look at the students in the hall who were slowly walking past her with their voices softly fading but still she could not decipher what was being said.

Confused by what was happening, she raised her hand and reached out for Harry. He had been within arm's length of her but now he was more than an arm's length away. She tried to reach further out to touch him, but he seemed to always move just out of her reach.

"Harry," she said, but he didn't respond.

Her heart rate began to increase out of panic, but she became acutely aware of a second heartbeat that was echoing in her ears. The sound of the heartbeat increased to the point that she could not only hear it, but she could feel it. Fear struck her and her heart rate increased as she realized it was approaching her from behind. Just as she saw a person coming into her vision, she felt her heart rate instantly slow down and come into sync with the other pulse. As the two heartbeats merged into one, Hermione saw who the person was. Professor Snape moved into her line of vision.

As if time had stopped altogether, their eyes met. Their breathing was synchronized, as were their pulses. She couldn't look away. She didn't want to look away. His dark eyes looked past her eyes and into her soul. For a second she thought he had entered her mind.

"Hermione."

"Hermione."

She was vaguely aware that someone was calling her name.

"Hermione!" Ron repeated sternly.

Hermione snapped out of her trancelike state and realized that Ron had been calling her.

Unsure what was happening she whispered, "What?"

"I asked are you planning on attending the Quidditch match this Saturday?"

Looking past Ron, she noticed Professor Snape passing by. Every other time Professor Snape had walked past them, he had never looked back, but just now, for a split second, his head snapped toward her, making eye contact for a fraction of a second before he disappeared inside the classroom.

"I ... yes," she said half heartedly, trying to figure out what had just happened. She was sure she had been hit with a spell, but as soon as it had happened, it was over. Shaking her head, she continued into the classroom.

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

A meeting of the Order was taking place to discuss the latest demands of Lord Voldemort. Everyone was gathered, quietly visiting with one another.

Usually Severus made a dramatic entrance, flaunting the power he held but tonight he sat in the front of the room, facing the others.

With his long legs crossed, he rested his elbow on the arm of the chair while his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. He was very still, barely breathing. It appeared that he was staring at the stone floor, but he was so deep in thought that the intensity of his dark eyes prevented anyone from approaching him.

The whispers quieted down as Albus moved to Severus' side.

"Again, thank you for being here. You are all quite aware that the short notice for this meeting has set the tone for the evening, but I will allow Severus the opportunity to share his information with you."

All eyes fell on Severus, who made his first movement of the night by closing his eyes for a brief second. Taking in a deep breath, he slowly let it out. Opening his eyes, he focused directly on Hermione. Standing up, his tall, thin figure, adorned in black, dominated those who were seated. There were no sneers or smirks or displays of power tonight. Severus' voice was smooth and deep as each syllable rolled off his tongue.

"The Dark Lord has ordered the next slaying to take place during the full moon." He

looked at Remus as he spoke his last words, but didn't wait for a response from him. "He has ordered your death, Lupin and it shall take place during the full moon, when you are at your weakest. The Dark Lord wants to finish off the last of the Marauders." There were hushed whispers among the members.

"He won't kill him," shouted Harry, jumping to his feet. "It ends now. I'm tired of death and I am tired of just sitting by, allowing it to happen."

"And I suppose the rest of us are just allowing it to happen, Mister Potter?" sneered Severus. "Do I need to remind you of the work I have been doing for the past three years?"

"I am well aware of your work, professor, since you regularly remind us of it."

Hermione stood up and grabbed Harry's arm. "Stop it," she hissed in his ear.

Harry jerked his arm out of her grasp and continued, "The only reason I am not out there fighting with you is because all of you treat me like a child." His voice was angry, but remained in control.

Severus moved closer to Harry and hissed, "The reason you are not out there fighting is because you would get killed within minutes, fulfilling the prophecy in the Dark Lord's favor."

Harry stood his ground with his fists clenched at his sides. The look in his eyes displayed his hatred for the man standing in front of him. Harry still blamed Snape for the death of Sirius, and if Remus died it would be Snape's fault too.

Severus also stood his ground; his stance was less defensive but more intimidating. Severus' black, limp hair fell on either side of his face. He slightly tilted his head forward so that his eyes looked down, glaring at Harry. His black eyes bored into Harry with such intensity that Ron could be heard, swallowing hard.

"I believe Mister Potter has a point," said Albus. "I do believe that past seven years have allowed him to prove that he is fully capable of participating in the battles."

Severus glared at Harry for a moment more before looking sideways at Albus, but didn't say anything. Instead he stepped back, taking his position at the front of the group.

Albus continued, "If Voldemort wants Remus dead at the next full moon, then we all need to prepare ourselves, including Mister Potter."

Harry slowly nodded at Dumbledore, thanking him for his support.

A stern voice was heard next. "I refuse to allow anyone to fight my battles." It was Remus, who was making his way to the front of the room. "If Voldemort wants me, then he shall have me, but not without a fight."

"Don't be ridiculous, Remus. With your Wolfbane potion, you will be as defenseless as a mutt," Severus said with a distinct sneer in his voice. The insult was clearly understood, but Remus did not back down.

"I will not allow you to fight my battles, Severus."

"Remus," said Albus gently, "I am afraid Severus has a point. You are in no condition to fight while transformed. Even if you didn't take your potion, you might cause far worse damage to those around you as a werewolf."

Remus ran his fingers through his hair and glared intently at Severus, who smirked in return.

This was too much for Remus, who turned and stormed out of the kitchen. Hermione stood up and took off after him. She knew he was already under enough stress trying to find his place with the Order. Dumbledore siding with Snape was too much for him.

"Don't go to him, Hermione. You are only playing into his game," hissed Severus.

Hermione turned back around, glaring straight at Snape. He returned her look for a moment and looked away. She looked at the others, but they showed no reaction to what Snape had said. Looking back at him, she narrowed her eyebrows in confusion and then shook her head. "I must be going crazy," she thought, realizing the voice had only spoken inside of her head. She proceeded out the door.

~TBC