Octavo

Forbidden Obsession

Octavo

The storm increased. The howling wind in addition to the rain made it almost impossible for the three to stay together. The lightning helped them find their way, but in the darkness, they continually got separated. It was too dangerous to use the light from their wands, so they trudged ahead to the edge of the forest.

After a good hour, Hermione was completely separated from Harry and Ron. With the wind blowing her hair tie flew away she was left with her hair whipping around in her face, her visibility was down to a few feet in front of her. She didn't dare use her wand to point her to her destination because the wind would blow it away. Instead her hand clenched around it, knowing that it was the only thing that would save her if she came into contact with a Death Eater. Holding her hair back with one hand, she ventured forward, hoping to catch up with Harry and Ron.

Lightning flashed against the black sky and within seconds its thunder shook the ground. Hermione managed to make out a figure during the flash of lightning about 100 meters ahead. Cautiously she circled around, moving toward the place she had seen the figure. She needed to know if she had seen a Death Eater or a member of the Order.

Again lightning flashed. The figure had its wand drawn in a defensive position, looking at someone or something off in the distance, which caused Hermione to look around at what or who was threatening him. She tried to identify if this person was wearing a Death

Eater's mask, but darkness engulfed the sky once again.

Lightning struck again. In that split second, the figure swung around to her with his wand drawn but in the same instance she felt a hand cover her mouth, slamming her down to the ground. The back of her head hit the ground hard, and her hand fell open, releasing her wand. A single hand grabbed her by the throat and pinned her down.

She tried to fight by kicking, punching, and clawing, but quickly halted in her actions when she felt the tip of his wand pressing into the side of her neck and his body shifting over hers, preventing her arms and legs from moving.

The lightening lit up the sky and she saw her assailant's face. It was Snape. His body pinned hers to the ground.

"You stupid girl!" Hermione's eyes lit up with fear because his mouth was not moving and she knew the wind was howling too loud to hear him speak, yet she could hear his voice. "Stay here and don't move or I will kill you myself!" She nodded, too terrified to move.

Severus moved off of her and quickly disappeared into the darkness. Hermione's breathing was fluctuating, as was her heart. The anger she saw in Snape's eyes was intense, as intense as she had ever seen. Slowly feeling the ground around her, she realized she was next to a tree. She cautiously sat up, pressing her hand gingerly to the back of her head. It felt as though the skin had split, but with the hair drenched from the rain, there is no way to distinguish if there was blood.

The lightening flashed again and standing in the near distance was Remus. Forgetting about her head or the warning from Severus, she jumped to her feet and ran to him.

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

"Where's Hermione?" mouthed Harry. Ron shrugged his shoulders and squinted back into the darkness. Harry gestured with his hand to move forward. They continued for another two hours before reaching the edge of the forest.

Ron grabbed Harry's arm and pointed to their right. In the bushes was Tonks. They went to join her.

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

Remus quickly grabbed Hermione, protectively pulling her into an embrace as his eyes scanned the surrounding area. His wand was drawn. He sensed the danger approaching them and he pulled her closer. Lightning lit up the sky again, disclosing a grove of trees.

Being out in the open left them too vulnerable, so he kept Hermione close and cautiously made his way to the nearby grove of trees.

"Hermione, what are you doing here?" he yelled, still watching the darkness. The wind had calmed down, but it was still raining hard, still making it difficult to hear.

"I couldn't let you do this alone," she yelled back, still watching darkness around them. Lightning lit up the sky again.

"Hermione, you don't understand. I didn't take my Wolfsbane potion," but she didn't hear him as the thunder rolled, shaking the ground. The time span between the lightning and thunder was becoming longer and longer, indicating the storm was beginning to pass in addition to the rain letting up.

"What?" she yelled. Suddenly Remus' face came into view in the darkness. Their eyes darted the sky. The clouds had parted, unveiling the full moon.

"Oh gods!" he yelled, pushing her out of his arms. He tried to run, but the transformation took control, leaving him powerless against his other self.

"Remus!" she cried, going after him. "Remus, it's okay. I won't leave you!"

His limbs began to shake as hair grew over his body. His jaw became long and protruding. His head transformed along with the rest of his body. His size increased, causing his clothes to tear and fall from his body. His snarls could be heard through the

storm.

"Remus, relax!" she cried, knowing that in this form, he would be nothing but a timid dog. She rushed to him, throwing her arms out to embrace him.

The werewolf snarled at her, growling defensively. He swiped at her, shredding the front of her robes and slicing her skin across her chest. Realization hit Hermione. She turned to run away, but the werewolf grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

"NO!" she screamed, "Please, Remus, no!" Her screams were muffled by the snarls and gnashing of his teeth. His claws ripped into her flesh again and again and all she could do was scream in pain.

Severus could feel Hermione's pain as her screams echoed in his mind. Concentrating he Apparated to her location.

Severus drew his wand and yelled, "Stupefy!" The werewolf stiffened and became motionless while his body remained on Hermione, smothering her. Severus then levitated Remus off of her. He knew his magic would not hold a werewolf for long. "Run, Hermione!" he yelled. At that precise second, the werewolf broke the spell and launched for Severus, throwing him to the ground.

Hermione struggled to her feet as the pain pierced her body like sharp knives. She looked around for the others. They had to be near. The members of the Order had to be close.

"Where are you?" she screamed out of desperation. She looked at Remus and Severus and her heart sank. It was at that point she understood why she had not met any other Death Eaters or Order members in the forest tonight. It was Severus who was to kill Remus.

Severus' words echoed in her mind, "Run, Hermione!" She saw Severus pounding his fist on Remus' back with strength that a normal man would not have. If she walked away now, one or both of them would end up dead.

'I must stay,' she told herself, but the pain of her injuries was unbearable. It took all of her strength to stay on her feet.

'Run!' Severus' voice again echoed in her head and she began to run. She glanced back to see Remus throwing Severus across the ground, but she forced herself to continue running and not go back. She knew she was injured and had to seek shelter. An uneasy feeling was over taking her body and it begged her for rest, but she continued

running.

The air burned her lungs as she held on to her side. The worst of her injuries was just below her rib cage on her right side. She could feel the warmth of the blood oozing through her fingers, yet she continued to run until her body collapsed onto the

ground.

Lying flat on her back, she fought to catch her breath. Her lips were dry and her throat was raw. She stared into the night sky. The storm had dissipated and the stars twinkled above her. She tried to concentrate on staying conscious. Her heart was pounding as if it was going to burst out of her chest. She looked at the stars again and tried to identify constellations.

'Stay focused, Hermione,' she demanded of herself. "Orion is made up of Betegeuse, Rigel, Mintaka, Alnilam, Alnitak, Meissa, and Bellatrix."

She inwardly laughed at the irony. The one constellation she picked to name contained the star Bellatrix. She squinted at the stars, trying to keep them in focus, but despite her effort, everything went black.

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

It was the Dark Lord's plan for Severus to kill Remus. Voldemort was fully aware that a werewolf's bite did not affect a vampire, so given the position Severus was maintaining for the Order and with the Death Eaters, Voldemort felt it ideal for Severus to be the one who brought Lupin to his death. It was not revealed to Severus until tonight that he would be given the task, or honor, as Bellatrix referred to it, of killing Lupin. Now that the werewolf was attacking him, Severus had little choice but to kill Remus, even if it was a hastily made decision based on self-defense.

Severus' head snapped back again as his body flew across the ground, but he jumped to his feet and charged the werewolf. It was all instinct for Severus to have his teeth displayed, ready for a fatal bite, but he forced himself to resist. He would only kill if it came down to preventing his own death. Quickly scanning the area, Severus saw what he needed to do. He stepped back and then rushed the werewolf, slamming him against a large tree where a broken branch stuck out. With all his strength, Severus thrust Remus' body onto the branch, piercing the wolf through the back and puncturing his

lung.

The silence of the night was broken by the painful howl of the werewolf.

There was a pop and Severus turned with a start. Kingsley Shacklebolt Apparated not more then five feet from him and scanned the area for other Death Eaters. His eyes fell on the werewolf whose breathing was ragged.

"Severus, is he dead?" asked the dark wizard.

"No, but he needs help. As long as he remains a wolf under the full moon, he is alive, but if he changes – " Severus stopped in mid-sentence. His senses were overloaded and he whispered, "Hermione." Severus couldn't feel her or hear her. Not being able to locate Hermione he turned to run, in search of her. Kingsley followed, knowing it had to be important if Severus was leaving Remus.

After searching for an hour, Severus located her. She was unconscious, her left hand still covering her injured side. Both men dropped to their knees on each side of her.

"Enervate," Severus whispered, pointing his wand at her. Hermione opened her eyes and looked startled. Her eyes moved about rapidly trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Placing a hand under her chin, Severus guided her face so that she could see him. His eyes met hers. She was locked into his gaze as he began to transfer his energy into her.

Their breathing became synchronized, as did their heart rates.

Kingsley watched, understanding fully what was occurring. He was well aware of Severus' secret and although he didn't understand his connection with Hermione, he didn't dare question Severus' actions.

After several minutes of silence, Severus spoke, "Hermione, did he bite you?"

She closed her eyes and winced at the pain that consumed her body.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"Lumos," whispered Kingsley. He held his wand over her body. Severus gently opened what was left of her robes and clothes so that he could see her injuries. There was no doubt that the wound she had been protecting was teeth marks.

~TBC