From Wedded Bliss to Hogwarts Castle

The people and places that you recognize belong to the creative genius of J. K. Rowling. I make no money, I take no credit.

As always, I would like to thank my terrific betas, JENGEORGE and NervousAboutAngels, for the many hours they have spent, sifting through my tangled tale, to make it readable. And, for the same reason, I also extend my eternal gratitude to the staff here at the Petulant Poetess. They all work hard to make this a better story.

Another personal note: The song lyrics at the beginning of this chapter were written back in the 1940's by my father, Mr. Hershel Gilley. It is a beautiful song. I wish you could also hear the haunting melody that goes with it. The lyrics just seemed to fit the scene perfectly, so I used them here.

This chapter is the main reason for the NC-17 rating, so if explicit love scenes aren't your thing, you might just want to skim over it. But there is a great deal of other important info that you should be careful not to miss.

Chapter 24

"From Wedded Bliss to Hogwarts Castle,

Keeping the Secret Can Be a Hassle"

The romantic Muggle music set the mood for the newlyweds as they began to explore their temporary home. "Quite a step up from the broom cupboard, eh?" commented Severus as he began to peruse the collection of books surrounding the fireplace.

Sienna laughed. She picked up a piece of the pottery to examine it more closely. "No kidding."

"But I must admit that all of this, the art work for instance, did not come from my mind."

"I would assume that Babaji tapped into both of our imaginations to create this, just to be fair. I know I saw a bathroom almost identical to that one in New York a few years ago. After I finished my training here, Mum took me to America for a couple of weeks as a reward. She wanted me to see how the other half lived. We took a Muggle airplane, we used Muggle money to pay for everything, and we stayed in Muggle establishments. One of the really posh hotels in New York City had a bath just like that, with the two person Jacuzzi and everything. I had my vision of us together by the Lake only a few months before the trip. I immediately thought of you and how romantic it would be to enjoy your company in such an environment." She began to blush as she placed the work of art back on the shelf, and they moved closer together.

Just then a slow waltz with a haunting melody filled the air, coming from the Muggle stereo.

"And here's Ram Seshadri Rambachanan with his rendition of 'Would It Break the Spell,' by Hershel Gilley," the announcer informed them. His voice faded just as the singer's came in.

The spell of the night rules my emotions,

Your eyes are dancing without a motion.

Dare I tell you I have a notion,

Or Would It Break the Spell?

They stood face to face in front of the fire. She didn't even have to ask him. He reached one arm around her waist and took her free hand in the other as she reached up to caress his neck. Slow dances had not been part of the musicians' repertoire at the reception. But Severus considered a sensual slow dance to be an investment of energy instead of a waste. Consequently, he took great pleasure in leading the way as they swayed slowly and gently to the music. "I wouldn't want to bring us bad luck," he confessed in a whisper.

The fire in my heart is burning brightly,

Your lips are parted, now they invite me.

Dare I kiss them ever so lightly,

Or Would It Break the Spell?

"If I kiss you will you turn into a frog?" she teased him.

"I'm more worried that if I kiss you I'll wake up from this perfect dream and be back in the nightmarish life I left behind."

"Shall we try anyway?"

He gave her a devilish grin, then leaned in and lightly touched his lips to hers which only left her wanting more.

Magic Spell, can this moment last?

Must I soon live in the past?

Speak to me Spirit of the Night,

Tell me please, what's wrong or right

The look she gave him overflowed with longing. He knew she had been waiting for this night a lot longer than he had, probably ever since she had seen him on her first day at Hogwarts. He had given up on love long before she managed to wiggle her way into his life. He felt a surge of gratitude as he pulled her closer. He let go of her hand and wrapped both arms around her tightly, feeling a sudden rush as her body pressed against his.

The moon and the stars high up above you

Nod their approval, they know I love you.

Dare I say it, "Darling, I love you,"

Or Would It Break the Spell?

Don't ever break the spell.

"Thank you," he whispered sincerely as the song faded.

"For what?" she asked as her left ear listened to his heart beat quicken.

"For loving me, for not giving up on me."

She didn't respond verbally, but he felt her grip tighten.

After a few moments of simply standing there, wrapped in each others' arms, she looked up into the limitless blackness of his dancing eyes. Each moment just got better and better. He never knew life could feel this good.

"Could you help me with this zipper?" she finally asked. "I think there's also a hook at the top."

He twirled her around playfully and gently kissed the back of her neck. Then he unlatched the hook and nuzzled her shoulder with the tip of his nose. Then he pulled the zipper all the way down (it led his hand just past her waist), and ever so lightly ran his fingers up her backbone. Then he once again touched his lips to the spot on her skin that the hook had just occupied.

She turned towards him, and her pale grayish blue eyes were sparkling like moonlight on water. She stood motionless, studying every detail of his face, his hair, the anxious and hungry look in his eyes, the quickening throb in his temple. Oh, Merlin, how he wanted her, but he also wanted to take his time, to let it last as long as possible, to relish every moment of this glorious night, and to commit each tantalizing sensation to eternal memory, the kind of memory that hovers like a shadow lifetime after lifetime.

His hand came up and gently cupped the side of her face as she tilted her head to meet it. Her closed eyes and parted lips begged for a kiss, which he gladly bestowed. Then his hand gently meandered down her neck, lingering at her exposed collarbone for just a moment before pushing the elegant gown off first one shoulder and then the other. It slid with a rustle to the floor, leaving an assortment of sexy undergarments exposed. He tried not to smirk when she blushed slightly.

Just as he began to wonder if she would be too shy to disrobe him, her slender fingers found his neck. The silk robes, bow tie, and top coat had long ago been shed in the Indian humidity during the reception, so she only had to unbutton his white linen shirt. But the stiff, heavily starched fabric proved a challenge as she tried to hide the trembling of her hands.

"Are you nervous?" Severus asked with sincere concern. He truly wanted her to enjoy this as much as he planned to. She had seemed so sure of herself in Aberforth's broom cupboard.

"A little," she admitted reluctantly, followed by a deep sigh.

"Perhaps we should slow things down a bit then." He tried not to let the heavy disappointment show in his tone.

"No!" Her lips pursed in determination. "I've been waiting for this longer than you have. We don't need...I just...it's just that..." Her voice trailed off as if she realized she sounded like a babbling idiot, not the type of woman her new husband would want, not at all.

His gaze met hers with amusement as he took both of her hands in his and kissed her fingertips; then he began to put her fingers in his mouth, one by one, and gently sucked each in turn. He could feel her pulse quicken, and he inwardly smiled. Perhaps he could drive her so wild with lust that her nervousness would soon evaporate.

When he ran out of fingers, his mouth found the nape of her neck as her newly freed hands went back to the daunting task of those pesky buttons. His sensitive nose buried itself deep into her hair and relished the light lavender scent that always seemed to mingle with her aura. His hands slid down over her shoulders and around the small of her back, pulling her pelvis to his so she could feel how hard he had become. So hard.

Her fingers became frantic until she finally gave up and dug them in between the buttons and the fabric, and with an angry growl, she ripped the shirt open. Severus watched with delight as the buttons rained noisily over the tile floor.

"Well, I suppose that's one way to do it," he announced with a grin.

"Sorry, I'll fix it later."

"Winky will fix it later, with pleasure, I'm sure," he corrected her.

Her fingers began to explore the soft exposed skin on his chest. He wondered if she would have the nerve to touch his nipples. As if in answer to his unvoiced question, she lightly encircled one with her index finger. Will she kiss it? Indeed, an instant later he got his wish as her lips and tongue began to play with a nipple that was already almost as hard as his privates. He gave her lower back another tug and ground his pelvis into hers. In response, she began to suck on the second nipple while her fingers continued to play with the now wet first nipple.

Oh, GOD! How he wanted her. How many years had it been? No, don't think about that right now. All that matters is right here, right now, this moment. That's all, nothing else, no one else.

He found the straps of her silky slip and pushed them off her shoulders. It piled silently on top of the wedding dress which she was still standing in the middle of. His hands found her face as he pulled her lips from his chest and directed them towards his own with reckless abandon. As his tongue found its way into her eager mouth, his hands found the clasp of her bra, and hers found his belt buckle. But when that bra popped off, he could think of nothing else. Again, she anticipated his needs and threw her head back, exposing those supple breasts with nipples so hard that they looked prickly – as if they had been exposed to sub-zero temperatures.

She continued to fumble blindly against a belt that refused to cooperate, but his hands came to her rescue, dislodging the bloody thing and leaving the snap and zipper exposed for her still trembling hands. Only now her hands were not trembling from nerves but from heated anticipation and years of hidden desire. Desire for me, Severus Snape... this beautiful, intelligent, talented witch... What could she possibly want with me? He kept expecting to wake up and find that it was only a dream.

Suddenly, she stopped pulling at his zipper and grabbed his head, pushing him away far enough to look into his eyes. Her stare ripped into his soul. His return look betrayed his momentary feelings of self doubt.

"You are the most amazing wizard I have ever met, even more amazing than Albus Dumbledore! You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I love you more than life itself." A motherly scowl crossed her face. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," came his obedient reply.

They stood, returning each other's intense gaze for a moment as Severus' mind and heart let the sincerity of her words sink in.

"As you were." Sienna smirked.

After returning her smirk with a seductive smile, his lips dove back to her nipples as her fingers pushed his pants off of his hips, and they slid down to reveal his bulging shorts. He tried to step out of the trousers, but he tripped and almost fell in the process. His nose had been buried in her cleavage at the time, and he gasped as he grabbed at her arms and breasts to steady himself. She seemed to enjoy the jostling and fondling. For him it was a definite turn on. But, then again, just the sight of her naked breasts had been almost enough to make him reach orgasm.

When he took the time to pry his boots off, the pants easily followed. Finally, Severus simply couldn't stand it any longer. He vanished both of their remaining under-garments, then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her the short distance to the bed where he laid her down gently. He crawled over her and lay on his side with his elbow cocked and his head resting on his hand. He raised an eyebrow and tried to look suave, but from her expression, he had only succeeded at looking like a delusional geek.

Great... Erection? What erection? It became painfully obvious that the wrong look from her would deflate more than just his ego. He wasn't a teenager any more. Would he be able to get it back? He would most definitely need some help in that regard. Perhaps if he could get her to suck on his nipples again...

No sooner had the hope crossed his mind then she had pushed him down flat on his back and was straddling him with her fingers running through his chest hairs. Her lips and tongue kissed and tickled their way from his embarrassed face, past his collar bone, to his nipples, and she began to work her wandless Muggle magic on them. His penis twitched.

Perhaps if she rubs my balls..., While her mouth and one hand remained busy with his nipples, the other hand groped around in his nether regions for his very sensitive testicles. She clumsily began to fondle. Not too rough... Her fondling instantly became a caress. His blood began to rush again, but he still wasn't nearly as hard as he had been before.

He stared up at the ceiling, trying to get his concentration back. Perhaps if she kissed my balls. Could I ask her to do that? On the very first night? No, that's too much to expect. There has to be another way. Suddenly he realized, as he looked back down, that her lips were meandering south. One hand remained at his chest while her lips and tongue worked in concert with her other hand to stimulate him like no one ever had. Oh God, she's good. Should I stroke myself? What if she stroked me, what would that feel like? Her hand was there in an instant, caressing his length with her fingertips. His stiffening cock jumped. Oh, Merlin, if her fingers would only go around it... Yes... Now stroke. Up and down... Don't squeeze too hard...Fast, faster...

She was reading his every thought, his whims, his desires, his fantasies! This was absolutely incredible. Before he could get hold of his own imagination, he had fantasized about having an orgasm in her mouth. She obediently licked the head of his penis and put it between her lips, slowly working up and down on him, taking in just a little of his length at first, then a little more, then more still. No one had ever done this for him before. Did he just feel her teeth lightly skim his skin? It was the most arousing sensation he had ever felt in his entire life.

He was on the very edge of ecstasy when he remembered that this was her first time and he had wanted it to be as special for her as she had already made it for him.

"Stop!" he insisted out loud.

She lifted her head with a puzzled look as his erection stood just below her chin like a monolith at Stonehenge.

Severus' breathing was ragged as he attempted to regain his composure. "Sienna," he began slowly, almost cautiously, "you were reading my mind, weren't you?"

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"I'm not. You anticipated my every desire," he snorted incredulously. "You're every man's wildest dream. Look at that erection." He directed her gaze and didn't hesitate when she blushed a deep crimson. "I've never been so hard in my life!"

"So, what's the problem?" Her color began to return to normal.

He took a deep breath and felt himself tremble as he let it out slowly. Then he looked into her eyes with all the love in his heart. "This night is for you as well." He reached for her hand and led her back up to lay beside him. "Now it's my turn to drive you wild, to fulfill your every fantasy."

She smiled and blushed again even deeper if that was possible.

He bit his lower lip as he thought of what to say next. "But I can't read your mind, so you're going to have to tell me what you want."

"That's just the problem, isn't it? I've never done this before, so I don't know what I want."

"Perhaps if I try a few things you can tell me what feels good and what doesn't. I do have some experience in these matters, but I have also found every woman to be a bit different."

"Sounds like a plan," she quipped.

"Something else you should know. When I actually go inside you, it may hurt a bit, at least at first. I'm rather on the large side... if you haven't noticed."

She offered him a demure smile.

"And at this point, I'm so excited that when I enter you I probably won't last long, so I will need to get you just to the edge before I go in. Then we can both climax together."

"Yes, sir, professor." She giggled.

He pursed his lips in mock irritation then put his mouth on hers without waiting for an invitation. His lips caressed hers and their tongues began to dance, long, languid movements that let him taste her mouth with just a hint of pumpkin juice and wedding cake still lingering. As his kiss deepened, his hand found her breast and he gathered it up in his palm. Then he momentarily let go and slipped two fingers in between their engaged lips to wet them and then quickly returned them to her breast, where he found the nipple and teased it into rock-hardness.

Oh, Merlin, his erection was so stiff that it hurt.

"Does that feel good?" he whispered between kisses.

"Yes."

His fingers pinched her slightly. When no response was forthcoming, he pinched harder and twisted the tip of her nipple in between his thumb and forefinger.

"OW! It's not a wizarding wireless knob, ya know!"

"Sorry. As I said, every woman is different," he apologized meekly.

"It's OK. I think we may safely assume that I'm not aroused by pain."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said as he softly kissed his way down from her lips to her breasts and began to gently suck. "How's this?"

"Oooooh, I like that. Can you suck just a little harder?"

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I'll let you know if you do."

Apparently the sucking felt quite different from the twisting because it didn't seem to matter how hard he sucked; as long as he didn't also bite, she became more and more excited. She even began to moan under him.

"Yesss," she hissed between clenched teeth in a rough voice that he had never heard before. Her back arched slightly as he moved one hand along her belly and down over her hip. As he moved his body towards the foot of the bed, his rock-hard cock rubbed gently along her inner leg. His hand followed her curvature and came back around to her inner thigh. Then he slowly tickled his way back up to her crotch. He wet his fingers again, then reached back down and just barely touched her clit. A sharp intake of breath let him know that he had come in right on target. Now the trick was to figure out just how she liked to be touched there. An up and down motion was soon stopped by her hand as she guided his fingers to move lightly from side to side instead.

"Yesss."

He hungered for the sound of that word as it escaped her lips. He imagined her screaming it in the throws of passion in a husky, guttural voice. With the deep desire to drive her wild, he redirected his lips to her most sensitive spot. Her fingers entwined themselves in his long, silky hair as she guided his mouth to just the right place. As his tongue moved back and forth, recreating the motion of his fingers, she held his head still and moved herself beneath him.

"Top to bottom," she whispered. "Just lick from top to bottom." With this, she held still and let him try the new technique. He could feel her body quivering with excitement. "Yessss." That word was music to his ears.

He slipped two fingers quickly into his mouth for lubrication, then inserted them into the mix as well. But as his fingers began to explore her, he knew that she was already so wet that no extra lubrication was necessary. Oh Merlin, she was wet! The mere thought of sliding in and out of that hot wetness almost sent him over the edge. Was she close? Oh God, please let her be close. He knew he wouldn't last much longer.

And then he heard it, that voice, the wild animal voice of exquisite desire that he had never heard from any woman's lips. Not for him, not for the likes of Severus Snape. Not until this... very... moment.

"Severusss...Yesss...Severusss...Oh god, Severus I want you. Inside me. NOW!!"

With a trembling hand, he guided his engorged cock into her soft, wet heat as his lips found her open mouth. He was afraid to thrust too hard. He didn't want to hurt her. He tried to go slowly at first. But her legs swept up around his thighs as her hands curled over his butt, and she pulled, taking in all of his length in one sudden thrust. Then again, and again, harder and faster. Just when he knew he could no longer contain himself, he heard her primal moans and felt the spasm of her muscles around him, and he exploded.

But the mutual orgasm was only the beginning. As the two became one, something extraordinary happened. He wasn't just one with her physically, he felt one with her spiritually. He became Sienna, and she was him. It was an ecstasy beyond words. But it got better as their combined consciousness expanded. They became the ashram and its inhabitants. They became the Ganges and felt themselves flowing down to the Indian Ocean. They rose above the rest of the earth as the great Himalayan Mountains. They were all of India, and then, finally, the entire earth filled their consciousness. Severus could actually feel billions of pairs of feet walking across him, but he also was the feet as he shared the joys and woes of their billions of owners. He could hear the sun burning in outer space. His breath became the wind, the earth's crust his bones, the ocean's current his blood.

He wasn't sure how long it lasted. It could have been a moment, it could have been hours. One thing was certain: he wanted it to last forever.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. He felt like a prisoner, locked in his small, insignificant body, with only his own five senses to guide him. He opened his eyes in disbelief. Did he imagine the entire experience?

"No, love, you didn't imagine it," she said breathlessly. "It really happened."

Severus sat up in the bed and stared at her, confusion and questions going like a blender in his mind. "But... ?" was all he could manage to ask.

Sienna, who seemed also to be giddy from the experience, sat up next to him and snuggled up to his shoulder. He put his arms around her and they eased back down. There they stayed for quite a few minutes as they let the experience soak in.

"Babaji must have had something to do with this," he finally managed to say.

"I'm sure of it," she added. "But I had a similar experience when I died. Remember how I described my expanding consciousness to you?"

"I remember, but it was impossible for me to understand what you were talking about until now."

More time passed. Severus wasn't even sure how much. He was too busy reliving the experience. But he still had so many questions. "Is this what we can expect every time we make love?"

"I doubt it. Once we leave here and are no longer under Babaji's direct influence, it will probably just be a normal sexual experience."

"Whatever that is..."

"What do you mean? This is my first time, but I never dreamed that at your age this was your first time, too!"

"Oh, it's not. But I've been in love before, and I've been with a woman before, but never a woman I was in love with. I just assumed that that would make some kind of difference in the way it felt."

"I'm sure it would." Now he had piqued her interest. "What was so abnormal about your other encounters?"

Severus stared at the ceiling and shuddered as he raked through his memories. "There were only a few others. After The Dark Lord murdered Lily, he felt the need to play matchmaker for me, and he insisted that I spend the night with Bellatrix Black. She wasn't married back then. It was a nightmare, like trying to have sex with a Blast-Ended Skrewt! I felt as if I had been violated – even raped – by the time she got through with me. For about two years after that, I couldn't even look at a woman with romance in mind. It was sickening..."

Sienna gave him a look of deep sympathy mixed with distress. "That must have been horrible for you."

He gave Sienna a little squeeze. What a different type of person she was from Bellatrix. So warm, so giving, so gentle. "With the exception of a few meaningless one night stands along the way, there was only one other, a Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts about ten years ago. She took a liking to me for some reason, but I had no interest in her whatsoever. Her adoration went on for about six months, and one night, she invited me up to her quarters. I didn't really want to go, but she insisted, and I could find no graceful way out of it."

Sienna smirked this time. "As my grandfather used to say, 'la noblesse oblige.'"

"The nobility obliges?" Severus raised an eyebrow, and then his lip curled. "Something like that. Anyway, that went on for a few months. I needed the stress relief, but she meant nothing to me. I finally began to feel guilty about using her when she obviously cared deeply for me, so I broke it off. She took it rather hard and turned in her resignation at the end of that year. I haven't seen or heard from her since."

More silence followed as they remained lying on the bed with her face on his chest and their arms wrapped around each other. He found great comfort in the feeling of her body pressing down on his. Her breath tickled his skin as he watched his own breath move the hair on the top of her head.

"Well," she turned her face up and looked into his eyes with mischief lighting up her own, "there's only one way to find out what 'normal' is..."

A huge grin spread across Severus' face as he felt his blood begin to rush again.

*****

The next morning bathed the mountains in bright sunlight while the cascading water and birds' songs filled Severus' ears. A year ago he would have gagged in disgust at the idea of such a happy scene, but now he soaked it up and relished the feeling of joy in his heart. Sienna stirred beside him. She opened her eyes and stretched out her arms, then wrapped them around him. He reciprocated and kissed her lightly on top of the head.

"Sleep OK?"

"Never better," he replied sincerely. "Did you go somewhere last night?"

"Oh, I thought you were asleep. Yes, I got up and went out to the temple to meditate for a couple of hours."

"Really? As late as we finally went to bed, you still had the energy to meditate?"

"When you know what you're doing, it is actually more restful than sleep. I'll probably get up in the middle of the night back at the castle, too, if you don't mind. I would rather do that and come back to bed because I really want to wake up beside you in the morning." She gazed into his eyes lovingly.

"Yes," he admitted, "I've been looking forward to that as an everyday occurrence." He tightened his grip around her.

"You know, that tub was sure a lot of fun last night. Do you think we could duplicate it in the secret room?"

"Are you reading my mind again?" he asked with a touch of mock irritation.

She started laughing. "No, love, that thought came directly from me."

"I believe we can come up with something like it. It's certainly worth a try."

They both put bathrobes on and Sienna called Winky for some breakfast. Then they couldn't resist more fun in the Jacuzzi before getting dressed and sadly making the necessary preparations to return to Hogwarts.

"Before we leave, I would like to find Babaji and thank him for everything," Severus informed her.

"Why don't you go on, then? I'll finish packing."

It didn't take long to find the guru. He had just finished breakfast and was leaving the cafeteria when Severus caught up with him.

"Sienna tells me you had everything to do with our spiritual experience last night. I want to thank you for that. It was the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me." Severus reached up and touched Babaji's bare shoulder in a gesture of sincerity.

Babaji smiled wistfully. "What do you think the world would be like if everyone could feel the way you felt last night?"

"It would be a paradise, I imagine."

"Yes, Severus Snape. No famine, no wars, no crime. People would spend their lives helping each other because they would finally understand that to help someone else is to help yourself. We are all truly one in the infinite ocean of spirit."

"I can finally understand that now, thanks to you."

"You could get there on your own if you would only learn to meditate. Sienna can show you how."

"I'm afraid my duties as Headmaster keep me rather busy. I don't know when I could find the time."

"Still, you should try. Speaking of your Headmaster duties... be prepared for trouble when you arrive back there this morning. Much has happened during your absence. You and Sienna will have your work cut out for you in the hospital wing, I'm afraid."

With that ominous message, Severus gave his final thanks, combined with a sad goodbye and rushed back to the stone cottage. He found Sienna and Winky ready to go when he got there.

"Don't you want to say goodbye to Babaji?"

Sienna smiled and began to radiate a sense of peace and joy. It made Severus feel warm and almost giddy.

"I don't have to. He never leaves me."

Winky extended her tiny hands, and in an instant, they found themselves back in his quarters at Hogwarts. He then took Sienna by the hand and led her through the arch to the secret room.

"Here you are," Severus gazed around the room. I'm not sure if you can make changes to it, or if I'm the only one. If you can't, just make a list of things you want me to add."

"It's lovely. The only thing I can think of is a couple's size Jacuzzi in the bathroom."

He smiled broadly as they both peeked into the bath. "You try. Then we'll know."

"Room," she asked, feeling a bit awkward, "please add a tub large enough for two people to relax in, with the ability to squirt the water from several locations for massage and therapeutic purposes."

Severus raised an eyebrow at her exact description, but the tub appeared before them just as she had described it. "Good. You can tweak things to your liking then." He turned to Winky. "I guess you should take me to the Hog's Head so I can walk back. I can't just mysteriously reappear in my office." He couldn't see what was going on in his office since he had put a Locking Charm on the door to his quarters before leaving for the weekend.

He gave Sienna a quick kiss. "I'll be back."

With a pop, they Apparated into the back room at the Hog's Head. Aberforth was in there retrieving a few more bottles of mead for out front. He was understandably startled by their sudden appearance.

"Oh, thank Merlin, you're back. All hell broke loose over there while you were gone!"

"What has happened?" Severus asked as his heart jumped up into his throat.

"Amycus and McGonagall got into it some kinda fierce, and Alecto came up from behind and hit McGonagall with the Cruciatus Curse."

"Do you know what they were arguing about?"

"Probably, the treatment of the students that ended up in detention. Several of them had to go to the hospital wing Saturday after Alecto got through with them."

"What did they do?" Severus felt his blood pressure climbing.

"The word I got was more graffiti and some big disruption in the Great Hall during breakfast Saturday morning."

Severus shook his head and let out a sigh of frustration. "Why can't they just behave? Don't they understand what they're in for?"

Aberforth could only shrug. "McGonagall got hit several times with the curse. I think she ended up in the hospital wing too."

Severus was mortified. "Winky, go directly to the hospital wing. Do whatever you can to help Madam Pomfrey. Tell her I'll be right there."

"Yes, Headmaster Snape, sir." She didn't bother to bow. The look he gave her was enough to convey the urgency of the situation.

"Thanks," he said hastily to Aberforth. He then swept out of the back room and through the front door of the Hogs Head. Once outside, he felt it best to hasten his return and decided to take flight. In seconds he had landed by the great oak front doors. He let himself in and took off at a run for the hospital wing. When he arrived, he found an irate Madam Pomfrey, taking her frustrations out on poor Winky as if it was all her fault. The elf cowered in the corner, trembling with fear. "But Headmaster Snape sir sent Winky to help, ma'am," she insisted.

"How DARE you berate my house-elf when I sent her to help you? What is the meaning of this?" demanded Severus as he stormed up the ward.

"Look at what those HIRED THUGS of yours did in your absence!!" She pointed frantically around the room at the injured students. Then she lowered her voice so only he could hear. "And as if this is not enough, poor Minerva is suffering the after-effects of multiple Cruciatus Curses. She should be in St. Mungos, but those GOONS of yours won't let me send her!" She was incensed, more upset than Severus had ever seen her.

He searched the room with his eyes, but didn't see McGonagall. A bewildered look at Pomfrey gave him the answer.

"She's in her quarters. There's nothing I can do for her here. Flitwick put a Muffliato Spell on the door so the students couldn't hear her screaming."

"You just left her like that?" Severus scowled, horrified. He knew full well what she must be going through, having gone through it himself about three and a half years before. "Come, Winky," he cocked his head towards the exit and marched in long, quick strides so the elf had to run to keep up.

"As if you give a DAMN!" Madam Pomfrey shrieked after him.

They made their way quickly over to Gryffindor Tower and Minerva's quarters. Severus let them in amidst the cries of pain coming from the writhing tangle of blankets on the bed. He turned to the door and put a complicated locking spell on it. "Winky, go get Sienna and bring her directly here. Tell her it's an emergency!"

"Yes, Headmaster Snape, sir."

Minerva's cries suddenly stopped just as he knew they would, and he cautiously approached the bed.

As she noticed his presence, her face contorted with spreading resentment and contempt. "What do you want?" Her voice was weak, but defiant.

"Minerva, I'm here to help you. I know what you're going through. It happened to me a couple of years ago."

"I don't want your help! Get out, you murderer. You and your Death Eaters have ruined this school! Hogwarts is better off closed... " She looked away in distress. "... destroyed."

"Please try and calm yourself, Minerva. Help is on the way."

"Who – you sent for Alecto to finish the job?"

Just then she had a flashback, and the pain overcame her. She began to shriek and wail, and her body contorted from the pain. While she was still screaming, Winky arrived with Sienna.

"Oh, no!" Sienna gasped as she rushed to McGonagall's side. "Just like you at the end of my first year here."

"Can you help her?"

"I'll try. But we need to get her clothes off."

"We'll have to wait until she calms down." Severus looked skeptically at the squirming, screaming mass on the bed.

The pain finally subsided and McGonagall opened her eyes. "Sienna Kaolin? But...I thought you were dead!" Then she looked back at Severus with great suspicion.

"Dumbledore fell prey to an extremely powerful dark curse the summer before his last year. It made him terminally ill, despite all my efforts. He planned his own death, using me as the instrument, so as to cement my appearance as the Dark Lord's man. But, I assure you, I am not."

"Oh, please, do you expect me to believe this cock and bull?"

"It's true, Professor. Severus promised Albus that he would do his utmost to protect the students after Albus was gone. I'm a healer. Severus has been bringing me here in secret to help heal the students that have been injured in detention."

"The Dark Lord thinks he killed her." Severus glanced at Sienna and smiled triumphantly But then his expression darkened as he turned his attention back to McGonagall. "I'm afraid that, after Sienna has worked her Muggle magic on you, I'll have to wipe your memory clean of all this to keep her cover as well as mine."

McGonagall stared at him, and he could see from her look that she was quickly sifting through many years of memories. "Lily Potter..." Understanding began to dawn across McGonagall's face. "You cared for her and he killed her. That's why you came to work for the Order. That's why Dumbledore trusted you."

Severus knitted his brow, and his gaze became intense. "Yet another reason for me to wipe your memory clean."

"There's not much you can do here, love. But I think I could hear someone's voice in your office. Sounded as if he was trying to get into your quarters. You might want to go back and check it out."

Severus reached over with his left hand and patted McGonagall's arm.

"What's that on your finger?" McGonagall reached for Severus' left hand just as he was about to turn and leave. "And yours?" she added as she looked at Sienna's left hand.

Sienna blushed slightly, and Severus felt his own face redden as his memories of the previous night came to the surface. Their eyes met and joy radiated from both of their faces as well as Winky's. Minerva couldn't help but notice it.

"I guess we'd better put a Concealment Charm on the rings," she said reluctantly as she admired hers and then showed it to McGonagall.

"Good idea." He touched his wand first to his own ring and then to hers. They both became invisible, but he could still feel the weight of the gold on his finger.

Severus turned to Minerva. "Sienna and I were married yesterday. That's where I've been all weekend."

McGonagall's jaw dropped as she stared, bug-eyed, back and forth at the two of them. Then suddenly, she gasped as another flashback began to overtake her.

"Go on, love. Winky and I will take it from here."

Severus gave Sienna a worried look and then swept from the room, his cloak billowing behind him.

He didn't even have to look in his office to know that Amycus must have been the one that Sienna had heard, trying to break into his quarters. Alecto was probably with him. And as much as he was tempted to kill them both for what they did to Minerva, he knew that that reaction wouldn't go over well with the Dark Lord.

But invading his privacy was another matter. Voldemort could appreciate the need for their punishment in this case, perhaps even killing them, but then Severus would have to worry about replacing them. And as bad as they were, anyone else he could think of would be much worse. At least these two were not the sharpest knives in the drawer and easy to outsmart when necessary. In any case, he would have to catch them in the act to justify any actions that he might wish to take. So it was with great care and stealth that he tiptoed up the spiral staircase and listened at the door.

"We've been 'ere since breakfast," commented a gruff voice. "What if 'e comes back?"

"'e was supposed to be back last night – right? 'e ain't back yet – maybe 'e ain't comin' back!"

"'e'll be back – that greasy git's indestructible."

"Yeah, and I'm beginning to think, so's this bloody door!"

"No Locking Charm could be this complicated!"

"Ya think? Care to give it a go?"

A pause filled the air as Severus strained to hear them. Would the dimwit come up with the complicated counter curse to his intricate locking charm? He held his breath in anticipation.

"Alohamora!"

"WHAT?!"

If he wasn't so angry, Severus would have laughed out loud.

"'ello every one. I'd like you to meet my brother... the certifiable MORON!!"

"Well, you've been tryin' all these long drawn out counter curses, maybe 'e used somethin' simple."

"This is Severus Snape we're dealin' with – ain't nothin' simple about 'im."

As they continued to argue, Severus inched open the door. They didn't seem to notice as all of their attention and energy was focused on his quarters' entrance.

His Expelliarmus Spell hit them both with such force that they slammed up against the door face first. Their wands flew up into the air and gracefully landed in his waiting hand. When they turned, horrified, to face him, they both had blood trickling from their flared nostrils.

"Severus, mate, you're back," smiled Amycus, but his eyes betrayed his worry.

Alecto took a different approach. "About time you got back. We thought somethin' 'appened to ya, and so naturally, we felt the need to..."

Severus crossed the room with silent rage in his eyes, and he stuck his wand up to her throat. "I could kill you both for trying to break into my quarters, and the Dark Lord would probably reward me for it," he finally said quietly with a 'calm before the storm' sort of quality to his voice. "But the time and paperwork involved in replacing you is more than I can spare at the moment." His emphasis of the last three words assured them that he had not ruled it out for some future time. He eyed them both suspiciously as he lowered his wand, and they began to relax a bit. "But if I ever catch you in here again without my permission... " He raised his wand again and watched their eyes grow wide with fear. "... it will be my pleasure to watch you die a slow... and agonizing... death." His silky smooth voice lingered on every word, sending chills up and down the Carrows' spines.

Intimidation was so much fun. At times like these he actually missed teaching.

Severus glanced up at the ornate, centuries-old clock on the wall. "Didn't your first class start 15 minutes ago?" he glared back at them. "Get going!"

With great relief, they started to shove each other out of the way in a fight towards the exit. Then Amycus stopped and turned back to Severus. "What about our wands?"

"I think I'll keep them for a day or two."

"WHAT?!" objected Alecto loudly. "We can't teach without our wands!"

"What if the students don't listen – what if they turn on us?"

"Then you'll just have to deal with it. Alecto, I would think that you could do a better job teaching Muggle Studies if you have to live like one for a couple of days, don't you?" He raised one eyebrow and curled his lip.

"That's suicide – suicide, that is!"

"We can't face those brats without wands!"

"Perhaps," he suggested with mock helpfulness, "if you don't tell anyone you are wandless, they won't notice."

With scowls on both of their faces, they turned towards the door.

But as Severus glanced around his office, he noticed several things out of place and thought something was missing from the little table with the silver instruments on it that had been such a source of amusement for Dumbledore. With a flick of his wand, he silently cast the Levicorpus Spell, and Amycus suddenly found himself hanging upside down by one foot.

"What the bloody hell?"

The missing instrument fell from his pant's pocket onto the floor.

"Worse than Mundungus Fletcher," Severus mumbled as he walked over to pick it up. Once he had returned it to its rightful place, he removed the spell, sending Amycus to the floor in a heap.

"Now GET OUT!"

They didn't need to be told twice.