Noveno

Forbidden Obsession

Noveno

Severus inspected the other wounds along with the bite mark. His eyes closed for a moment as he weighed his options. Thinking aloud, he quietly spoke, "Her blood is already carrying the werewolf enzymes throughout her body. Transformation has already begun."

Kingsley moved his lit wand over the rest of Hermione's body, also inspecting her wounds.

"The rest are claw marks," confirmed Kingsley. Severus nodded, still keeping his attention on the bite mark.

"Kingsley, I can save her, but I will be of no use afterwards. When I am finished you will need to get her to Hogwarts. She needs to be placed in Pomfrey's care."

Severus looked down at Hermione and saw the tears streaking down the sides of her face. Her eyes were full of fear. He gently wiped away the tears with the back of his hand and then looked back at Kingsley.

"I am placing her in your care."

"I understand, Severus." Accepting the assignment to be Hermione's protector and guardian, Kingsley agreed, pledging that his own death would come before Hermione's.

Severus looked back at Hermione. The choice had been made. Slowly his lips pulled back, revealing his fangs. Hermione's eyes widened, but she didn't make a sound. Severus lowered his mouth to her side and, directly over the bite Remus had inflicted on her, Severus bit into the damaged, sensitive flesh. All that was heard was her scream from the indescribable pain he brought her.

Draining the tainted blood from her body, Severus felt his energy draining from him. He forced his mind to stay focused on the task at hand so that he wouldn't drain too much of her blood. The contaminated blood had a sharp, bitter taste to it, but he kept drinking it until finally he tasted the sweet, clean blood that he had experienced once before.

Severus' instincts to protect himself from the tainted blood were taking control of his actions, preventing him from stopping, but if he didn't stop draining her blood, Hermione would suffer the most unbearable of all consequences. With his body fighting his mind he abruptly pulled himself back as a low, primal growl escaped. His mouth dripped with blood as he stared at Hermione, who was now unconscious. Severus was still fighting the intense need to finish feeding from her.

Kingsley watched Severus stagger to his feet and stumble away from them. Narrowing his eyes, Severus took one last look at Hermione and then Kingsley before Apparating into the night.

Kingsley slowly shook his head, knowing his friend's life was in serious jeopardy. Gently, he scooped an unconscious Hermione into his arms and Apparated her to the edge of Hogwarts.

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

"This was a waste of time if you ask me," complained Ron. "The entire Order was out there, waiting, and You Know Who never even showed, not even one Death Eater and now Hermione is missing. I swear if this is his idea of a joke, I'll..." They had just turned the corner when Harry grabbed Ron by the arm and stopped him. They watched Kingsley Shacklebolt carry someone into the infirmary. Looking at each other, they followed him."

"Madame Pomfrey," stated Kingsley in his deep, slow voice that was very calm under the circumstances. "This young lady requires your assistance.

A few beds over was Madame Pomfrey attending to another student when she looked up, and for a brief moment, froze, recognizing the injured girl in his arms. Shaking her head, she immediately pointed to another room.

"Put her in here," she snapped, rushing over to the only bed in the room.

Kingsley carefully laid her down. Poppy opened her blood soaked robes, revealing Hermione's wounds, and carefully inspected them.

"Hermione!" gasped Ron. Poppy and Kingsley looked up at the doorway to see Harry and Ron both entering.

"Out! Everybody out!" snapped Poppy. "Miss Granger needs immediate medical attention and I will not tolerate any disturbances." She pointed her wand at Harry and Ron, causing them both to fly backward and the door to slam shut. Turning her attention back to Hermione, Poppy continued to inspect each of the wounds, but paid particular close attention to the bite wound.

"There are two different sets of bite marks. Whose are they?" she asked Kingsley while keeping her eyes on the wounds.

"Remus and Severus." There was no sign of hesitation in his reply. Kingsley understood by Severus' request that Madame Pomfrey could be trusted.

Poppy sighed and continued inspecting the bite wound. After a few minutes, she sat down in a chair next to the bed and slowly shook her head before looking at Kingsley.

"There is nothing I can do for her. Evidently she had the proteins imbedded in her from Remus' bite for over an hour before Severus could remove them. The proteins contain a retrovirus that goes directly to her cell's DNA and begins the transformation of becoming a werewolf from within, mutating her blood and then her tissue. Severus has removed these proteins, inhibiting transformation, but her body is fighting the changes that have already taken place. If I were to heal her, with or without magic, it would inhibit her own immune system from transforming back to her normal self." In silence they both watched Hermione.

"I need to change her clothing and clean her wounds to prevent infection. Cleaning her wounds will not inhibit her body from healing itself from within," Poppy added in a whisper before Kingsley could object.

"I am staying with her," Kingsley stated. His tone indicated there would be no discussion or argument. Poppy had spent enough time attending to Severus while he was a student and a servant for the Dark Lord to understand that Kingsley had been assigned to protect Hermione. Poppy had a general understanding of vampires and their guardians, so Kingsley's presence made his role clear to her.

"Very well, but I request that you turn around while I undress her." Kingsley did so without argument.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Bellatrix slowly twirled a silver dagger between her fingers while she impatiently sighed. Her eyes narrowed, but remained on Severus. 'Enough,' she thought. Suddenly seizing the dagger in her clenched fist, she raised it above her head and brought it down, stabbing the mattress. The blade was inches from Severus' ankle.

"Damn it!" she cried, "Wake up, Severus! I don't have the luxury of time!" Pulling the dagger from the mattress, she stood up and began to pace the room. Her fingers fidgeted around the handle, occasionally stopping and pointing it to Severus. "I get what I want," she hissed, "I always get what I want." Severus remained unconscious in Bellatrix' bed.

She stopped in mid-stride as a mischievous grin spread across her face. Changing her tone, she stepped toward him.

"Perhaps you just need a bit of motivation to wake up, lover." She sat back down on the bed and began to run the dagger along his ankle, blade down.

"Last chance, lover," she whispered, pressing just enough to make an indentation.

No response. She pushed the blade harder, splitting his skin. She admired the blood that oozed out. Removing the blade, she brought it to her lips and licked it clean. Her eyes gazed at the deep scarlet liquid coming from the cut.

"I'll just do it myself," she hissed. Lowering her mouth down to his leg, she began to greedily drink.

"It doesn't work that way," said Severus. His voice was weak and raspy. Bellatrix sat up, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.

"What do you mean?" she hissed. Severus ignored her and sat up. He looked down at his body and was not surprised that she had kept him unclothed. He was still very weak. Cautiously he looked around. It appeared that they were alone, but with Bellatrix, appearances were deceiving.

"Bellatrix, I need to return..."

"No!" she snapped, shoving him back onto the bed. "You owe me, Severus."

"Yes, I owe you, but not this way," he hissed, trying to sit back up again. She raised an eyebrow and moved closer to him.

"Perhaps," she purred, waving her wand, "you just need a little motivation?"

She transfigured her robes into a black, silk nightdress. Leaning her body into his, she claimed his mouth.

Severus' lips were firm and non-responsive. She continued kissing him, but still he did not respond. Pulling back abruptly, she slapped him.

"Bastard," she hissed. Getting to her feet she pointed her wand at his throat. "I will do it, I swear to the Dark Lord himself that I will do it."

Severus knew she would kill to please their Master, but he also knew that what she desired most would prevent her from killing him.

"Bellatrix, for me to perform such a task requires a level of energy that I don't possess at the moment."

"I'm not an idiot, Severus," she snapped, "I am offering myself for you to feed from and then you can complete my transformation."

"When I feed," he said, getting to his feet, "I do not allow my victims to survive."

"You lie, Severus. I saw you feed from that Mudblood and then you allowed Shacklebolt to take her away." Severus glared at her, but maintained his composure. Bellatrix had clearly witnessed more than she should have.

"What makes you think she was still alive?" he sneered.

"I'm not a fool, Severus. I know the werewolf bit her. I know you healed her. I heard you tell Shacklebolt to protect her. If you do not want our Master to discover this information, then you need to give me what I want, what I deserve."

"Deserve? You ignorant bitch!" he spat. He knew exactly what she deserved, but refrained from commenting. "No one deserves the life I have, not even you, Bellatrix. I have told you before: I will not do it."

His wand was on the small table by the bed. He took it and conjured himself some clothes.

"It was not in our Master's plans for the Mudblood to die tonight. I suggest you forget what you witnessed."

"Perhaps," she purred, "if I get what I want." Severus' eyes narrowed, staring intently at her. "I always get what I want, Severus."

"Don't count on it, Bellatrix." Severus then Apparated. Bellatrix took her wand and blasted the bed into pieces.

"I will have your power, Severus. You will not deny me," she hissed. The evil glint in her eyes was more apparent than ever.

~TBC