Deeper than Blood
By TaywaHowse
"You all need to understand that the magic we preform here tonight must never be spoken of again" The old man looked upon the three teenagers sternly, waiting and fully expecting compliance.
"This magic is very old, very powerful and very dark. One must make a pact with Death himself."
"Bloody Hell, I'm not sure I'm cool with this" Ron spluttered, his pale freckled face turning sickly green.
"Nor am I, Which is why we had to bring him here" Aberforth nodded glancing down at the dead man's body.
"Harry" He suddenly barked, broken from his reverie, "This is where you dropped it?"
The shortish boy with glasses stumbled forward.
"Yes, yes sir, right around here" as he spoke his head swivelled surveying the small clearing.
"Very well, Accio stone!"Aberforth commanded with a demanding flick of his wand. After a tense moment of absolute silence, the resurrection stone floated up of the ground, from just to the left of Hermione's feet, and drifted in to the palm of the old wizard's hand.
"We will harness the power of the pact made on this stone to satisfy Death. The stone will be absorbed in to your dear Professor's body, and destroyed, thus granting him life renewed. Reanimation if you will."
Both boys turned to their resident know it all for conformation, and when she nodded solemnly they simultaneously gulped.
"The spell requires two people, one both older than the other caster and also the deceased, the other…"
"I'll do it," Harry stepped forward with a grimace, unsheathing his wand.
Aberforth Held up his hand.
"I'm afraid you can't Mr Potter, nor you Weasley, it must be Miss Granger" Aberforth turned the power of his dark eyes on the bushy headed girl.
"Why me sir?"
Somehow it almost appeared as if Aberforth was blushing under his unkempt beard.
"Because, you are the only virgin present tonight, it must be your blood we let"
"You're a virgin Hermione?" Ron's mouth dropped open, whilst Harry just stared at the ground uncomfortably.
The girl flashed a look of pure annoyance at the red head, and folded her arms, in defiance.
"Yes in fact Ronald I am and I see no reason to be ashamed of that fact."
"No wait no, I didn't mean" Ron blanched backtracking.
"Enough dallying. Miss Granger unbutton Severus's shirt and kneel astride him" Mr Dumbledore ordered frowning at Ron's display of intensity. When Ron blushed redder at Aberforth's glare, the old man produced a moth bitten roll of parchment from the folds of his slightly battle scared regal robes.
Hermione nervously crouched over the former bat of the dungeons and divested him of his shirt and cravat.
"Good now sit down on him woman, I haven't got all night" Aberforth ordered with a roll of his eyes.
Hermione blushed and gingerly eased herself down on to Snape's somewhat bony hips.
"Hold out your hand". She glanced up to see Aberforth standing beside her, a deadly looking knife held firmly in his grip. With a deep breath, Hermione raised her porcelain white palm up, her hand shaking slightly. To her surprise he did not slice her hand, but simply relinquished the knife to her.
"You must cut from the tip of your wedding finger, to your wrist, not to deep, we don't need another fatality on our hands" Aberforth warned.
"Then speak these words clearly" he ordered placing the resurrection stone carefully over Snape's still heart.
"I give my pure blood, to your tainted.
I give my vitality and virtue to your fragility and deprivation
And my strength and presence to your abyss.
I call upon Death and give up to thee, a gift, of undefinable importance,
I name thee resurrection stone to be returned to its creator in exchange for the one Severus Tobias Snape." Aberforth recited from the ancient scroll.
Hermione, with a look of determination and absolute concentration, dragged the sacrificial dagger through her flash and repeated the vows word for word.
A burning heat travelled down her arm and she realized that Aberforth was casting a spell that twined down through her and flowed sluggishly in to the corpse of the man who had thanklessly protected them all for so long.
Aberforth was chanting darwfian and a flaming pentagram erupted around them announcing Death's presence. Hermione could her nothing over the howling winds created by the devilish magic.
Then suddenly everything stopped.
The chanting, the flames, the forest, Harry, Ron, Aberforth, they all just melted away. Hermione found herself looking in to black bottomless eyes. A shadow fell across them both. All the warmth faded.
Snape took in a ragged breath.
"TAITOR!" Something more animal then human screamed. Harry and Ron spun, to face Fenrir Greyback bounded on four legs towards them. He charged through both boys knocking them aside with a single vicious swipe of his talon like nails.
Aberforth raised his wand but was lifted up and thrown like a rag doll against a tree. Greyback leaped, tackling Hermione to the ground.
"YOU DARE BRING THE TRAITOR SCUM BACK YOU FILTHY MUDBLOOD WHORE!" Fangs snapped inches from her face, flinging saliva at her face.
Before Hermione could even scream from the terrible burning sensation, there came a half gurgled growl, that did not come from the werewolf and then abruptly his weigh flew off of her.
Snape staggered, half naked, and covered in Hermione's blood, fresh blood oozing from the gaping hole in his neck. Greyback tried to scramble to his feet, but he never got the chance.
Snape rose both fists up in the air and swung down with almost inhuman strength, repeatedly pelting the wolfman until he stayed down.
His face was contorted with absolute hatred, no one dared interrupt him.
With both hands he gripped Fenrir's matted head, and with a sharp yank snapped his neck with a sickening click. The fight left Fenrir's body immediately. The werewolf who had terrorised so many, including Remus Lupin, lay dead at Severus' Snape's feet.
The golden trio stood frozen in shock as Snape stood panting heavily.
"Severus my dear boy" Aberforth called softly, holding his hands out towards him.
Snape's body spun in a flash of an eye, to face the voice his teeth clenched.
"Hermione, quick, come on" Ron hissed motioning towards her with his hands.
Snape roared suddenly aware of the other people standing in the clearing with him and Mr Dumbledore.
"Err hi Professor, how are you feeling" Ron rather stupidly asked, causing Snape to charge forward at them, intent to kill again.
"NO!" Hermione screamed.
He immediately skidded to a halt. Relief swept through Hermione's slender body, until he turned his black eyes on her and began to stalk towards her.
"Oh my poor child" Aberforth croaked, getting to his feet.
Snape backed Hermione up in to a corner; she whipped her wand out and pointed it right at his newly beating heart. Snape froze mare inches away from the tip of the wand.
"Stop! Don't come any closer! Don't make me hurt you!" her voice was firm even though her wand hand shook.
Snape frowned and tilted his head to the side.
"He won't hurt you Miss Granger" Aberforth's voice rung around the forbidden forest.
Snape let out a confused whimper, his hand reaching up to grasp the end of her wand.
"Let him come to you child" Dumbledore spoke calmly, even though his face was grim.
Slowly Snape pushed her wand downwards and he took a loping step forwards.
Hermione's eyes where wide, as he reached forwards with a feather light touch, caressed her face with his blood stained fingers. His touch was delicate and shaky, at odds with the trail of blood he left behind.
Hermione couldn't help but flinch at the foreign touch, and the effect this reaction had on Snape was devastating.
His hand jerked away and the man let out a pained whine. He sunk to his knees pitifully and stared at his violently shaking hands; painted red with Fenrir's spilt blood.
Snape cried out in anguish.