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Chapitre Six
As the first rays of the sun peaked over the horizon, Hermione knocked on Severus' door. Striding to it quickly, Severus threw it back rapidly. "Hermione, where were you?" he asked, relieved.
Swaying a little, Hermione smiled wanly. "I'm so sorry, I was unwell, but I came this morning because I just had to see you," she told him breathlessly, sinking into his welcoming arms.
For endless moments they stood there holding onto one another. From his vantage point, Lucius studied Hermione. Her skin was pale, and she did not seem well, but he could not detect an aura that would suggest she had been bound to his counterpart. Vaguely, he wondered if he could tell such a thing in his transparent form.
Ending their embrace, Hermione made her way to Severus' bed and reclined against the pillows, looking despondent. Severus did not follow her as was his habit of late. Instead, he sat down on the settee, deep in thought.
As Lucius watched them, a deep scowl crossed his face. Something was changing between the two lovers, and an unsettled feeling struck him.
Turning to Hermione, Severus opened his mouth but promptly shut it. Then, with a determined look, he asked, "Hermione, where were you last night?"
Staring out the window, Hermione replied, "I told you, I wasn't well." Finally, she turned her head to look at him. "Severus, we have to stop seeing each other."
"What, why?" he barked, jumping up from the chaise to join her on the bed. Taking her hand in his, he prompted her to look at him. "But you love me—"
Pulling her hand from his and rising to the window, she was silent for a moment. "I do, but Horace knows about us, and it is only a matter of time before the duke will find out too. We haven't been careful enough." She wrapped her arms around herself. "There is also the matter of my arrangement with the duke."
Severus did not reply; he simply remained motionless on the bed, his face unreadable. Lucius knew this face in the present Severus, and it did not bode well. He knew beneath, his anger was simmering.
When Severus didn't reply, Hermione went on. "I have to sleep with the duke on opening night, and the jealousy will drive you mad."
Silently, Severus stood and strode through the French doors onto the balcony. Leaning against the bars, he closed his eyes tightly. Coming up behind him silently, Hermione placed her hand upon his shoulder, and he stiffened.
With resignation, she withdrew her hand and turned toward the door.
Looking out over the city, Severus told her poignantly, "I can control my emotions, Hermione. And while I cannot say I am not jealous, I can surely control my feelings."
Stopping at the sound of his voice, Hermione closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "Occlumency? That is what you are talking about. Severus, you know those practices don't always work." Hermione closed her eyes when she heard his soft footsteps.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around. "Then I'll write a song for the show. A song that will remind you, whether you hum it or sing it or think of it, it will remind you of our love. And that no matter what happens, we love each other. I promise to control my feelings."
Sighing again, Hermione pushed out of his embrace. "Severus, it doesn't work that way…" She trailed off, moving across the room to gaze miserably out the window.
From the balcony, Severus' words reached her. "Never knew… I could feel like this – like I've never seen the sky… before. Want to vanish inside your kiss." He moved behind her, pulling her around to face him.
Tears glistened in her eyes when Severus' rich voice caressed the words that told her his heart was hers. "Seasons may change; winter to spring, but I love you… until the end of time."
Squeezing her eyes shut, tears slipped beneath her lids when his deep timber proclaimed, "Come what may… come what may. I will love you… until my dying day."
As his words died, his lips found hers, providing comfort from her distress. Without saying a word, Severus guided Hermione inside and laid her down gently on the bed. They made love with a clinging need, caused by fear of what the future entailed. A feeling Lucius knew well.
After their lovemaking, Severus and Hermione dressed and made their way to the theatre. Immediately, Severus introduced the song into the production, and they began rehearsing the final scenes for the opening which would occur the following day.
Neville seemed to be having a rough day as he kept falling asleep every fifteen minutes. Rolling his eyes, Lucius silently sympathized with Horace who appeared very put out with the delays. Suddenly, time stood still when his gaze fell on the reincarnation of Narcissa once more. Her blonde hair was drawn up in a severe bun, but it was her. Almost in a trance, Lucius walked toward her. She was striding toward the duke.
As he got closer, she leaned over the duke, and despite the full chorus of the final scene in the background, Lucius heard her.
"This scene doesn't make any sense. I mean, why wouldn't the courtesan choose the sorcerer who can clearly give her everything she desires? More so than the impoverished writer – I mean – Potion maker."
Lucius suddenly felt cold. This woman, though she looked like Narcissa, did not act like her. She lacked the sereneness, the sophistication. Moreover, though his wife had died scant days ago, he realized their love had not been the burning love he had observed in this vision, but one of comfort. Which was not bad, but it planted a seed in his thoughts about whether he would be brave enough to seek a different love when it came time to do so.
"I don't like this ending!" the duke bellowed, rousing Lucius from his thoughts. The final scene had ended, and the duke was now standing in the center of the theatre, his face red. It was plain to Lucius that Narcissa's words had hit their mark. "Why would the courtesan choose the Potion maker? He isn't the mysterious Lord. She should choose the sorcerer; he has all the power to give her what she wants."
"But that isn't what this is about, this show is supposed to encompass all the ideals of the magical Bohemian wevolution—" Sirius incurred but was interrupted by the duke.
"But I am the investor, and I don't care about your ridiculous beliefs. What I understand is that the courtesan would never choose the Potion maker, she would choose the powerful wizard—"
"But she does not love you!" Severus shouted angrily at the duke, causing several gasps among the players.
Staring at Severus with a calculating gaze, the duke clenched his jaw.
"I-I mean… him. She doesn't love him – and love is what the story is supposed to be about. Not about power—" Severus looked toward Hermione. Her eyes were downcast; however, Lucius saw the resolve settle over her.
Lifting her chin with defiance and descending the stairs of the set, Hermione addressed the room in general, "I am appalled! Why are we treating the duke with such disrespect? Let me see… Why don't we have a wonderful dinner and spend some more time together this evening, then, in the morning, we can let everyone know which ending we prefer? Hm?"
The duke's eyes glazed over with desire. Severus' mouth dropped open, then shut again. Lucius knew what she was doing, and though it was admirable, it was foolish. Her actions would do more harm to Severus' attempts to control his jealousy than she knew. But Lucius realized Hermione was only trying to protect Severus, something a jealous man wouldn't see until it was too late.
Coming closer to the duke, Hermione slid her arms up around his neck and looked into his eyes. "Opening night is just a day away," she coaxed, her eyes holding promises.
The duke seemed to forget about what was going on and one side of his mouth quirked up. "Indeed it is, my sweet. Very well, I will see you tonight." Hesitating slightly, he stepped back, taking her hand in his and lifting it to his mouth. Releasing it slowly, he motioned for Riddle to hand him his coat as they strode away.
Pivoting, Hermione's eyes met Severus' briefly but shifted away when she moved toward the dressing rooms. As she disappeared behind the curtain, Lucius saw Severus look at Sirius, who gave a simple shrug and shook his head. Tilting his head down, Severus walked rapidly away from the stage area behind the sets. His face set in determination.
Beneath the stage, Severus cut off Hermione before she could get to her dressing room. Glancing behind her nervously, she swallowed and faced him. "Severus, what are you doing?" she whispered with a pained look on her face.
"You cannot sleep with him, I—"
Closing her eyes tightly, Hermione let out a deep breath. Opening them once more, an exasperated look crossed her face. "Severus, you promised me you could control your feelings. The duke, he could ruin everything we've worked so hard for. I have to go to him, it's the only way. I'm doing this for us. Please... don't do this. I have to go."
"No, you don't have to do this—"
"There's no other way, Severus. You can't write us out of this one. I'll be okay, it will be okay," she assured him, taking him in her arms. Quietly, she murmured in his ear, "Come what may…."
Leaning away from her embrace, Severus whispered back, "Come what may…" Casting his eyes downward, he moved aside as Hermione skimmed past and entered her dressing room, shutting the door with finality.
Resting wearily against a column, Severus closed his eyes tightly, fighting back his feelings. Bringing them under control, he shoved his hands in his pockets and went back above to join the others.
Around the stage, the dancers stretched to cool down, Harry added notes to the final song and informed the musicians while Sirius went over his lines again and again. Emerging from below, Severus strode dejectedly toward Sirius but was met halfway by Narcissa.
"There, there, love. You'll get what you want just as soon as the duke gets what he wants first." Raising her hand, she caressed his arm seductively.
Clenching his teeth, Severus grabbed her arm hard and pulled it away from him, wrenching a gasp of pain from her. "Don't touch me, never touch me," he ground out, allowing her to pull her arm from his vise-like grip.
Curling her hands like claws, Narcissa started toward Severus, but Neville grabbed her from behind by the shoulders. Pulling her to his chest, he murmured, "No, he cannot help his actions. Do not provoke him more, dear lady." Narcissa's eyes met his, and she nodded silently, permitting him to push her away from Severus.
Confronting Severus, Neville moved closer. "This is why you should never fall in love with a woman who sells herself – it always ends badly!" Severus leaned back, looking away when Neville pointed in his face. Seeing Severus' remorse, he sighed, turning away.
"There is a dance in Buenos Aires that contains all the facets, all the emotions, a lover experiences in a relationship like yours," Neville growled, walking toward Narcissa, who watched him with hungry eyes.
Circling Narcissa, Neville reached out, grasping her shoulders and pulled her to him. "It contains desire… passion… suspicion." Together, Neville and Narcissa swiveled around each other, their feet weaving in, out, and around one another intricately, then stomping loudly when Neville crushed her body against him.
Dropping her head back, Narcissa sighed, exposing her neck. Neville caressed it obsessively. Jerking her upright, he leaned in menacingly, bending her backward and a look of fear crossed her face. "Jealousy, anger, betrayal… when her love is for the highest bidder, there can be no trust!" Looking up at Severus, breathing heavily, Neville pulled Narcissa up and let her go.
In two long strides, he stood in front of Severus once more. "How can there be love when you do not trust her?" he barked, and Severus lifted his chin defiantly. "The jealousy will drive you MAD!" He spun around, walking away.
Severus simply clenched his teeth. Lucius realized Severus knew this, but there was little he could do. His heart was already lost. Lucius longed to comfort his friend, to tell him all would be well, but that was not something he could do even if Severus could see him.
Suddenly, Neville's voice carried across the room when he faced Narcissa once more. "Roxanne, you don't have to put on that red light, walk the streets for money. You don't care if it's wrong or if it is right. Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight. Roxanne, you don't have to sell your body to the night."
From the sidelines, one of the performers approached Narcissa, holding her from behind. He then released her and she pivoted around to face him. They circled, slightly dragging their feet, their upper bodies remaining rigid, then stomped again when they stopped.
As Lucius studied him, Severus seemed to be thinking aloud, "His eyes upon your face, his hand upon your hand, his lips caress your skin, It's more than I can stand!"
Neville sang on, "Roxanne…."
Standing up from his piano, Harry raised his baton, directing the orchestra in a dolce melody to accompany Neville's song.
The male dancers in the troupe took turns dancing with Narcissa passionately. One approached from the right, running his hands down her arms while she caressed his face. Another approached from the left, grabbed her wrist and spun her around, leaning over her provocatively. Then, she stood and one more came from behind, turning her into his arms.
"Why does my heart cry?" Severus cried out.
"Roxanne…."
"Feelings I can't fight. You're free to leave me, but just don't deceive me. And please… believe me when I say, I love you," Severus beseeched the scene in front of him.
"Roxanne…."
Soon, the other female dancers joined the tango. Each couple circled slowly, their arms reaching out and twining about their partner. Stomping once, the men twisted their partner's body around, dipping them toward the floor.
"Why does my heart cry?" Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Severus strode down the main aisle of the theatre.
"You don't have to put on that red light."
The sound of the theatre amplified Neville's and Severus' singing, making it sound like a duel while the group danced in defined, tango, tantric grace.
"Feelings I can't fight," Severus entreated, shrugging his shoulders against an unseen force.
"You don't have to wear that dress tonight. Roxanne…"
"Why does my heart cry?"
"You don't have to put on that red light."
"Feelings I can't fight," Severus called out, throwing his head back.
"You don't have to wear that dress tonight. Roxanne…."
"Roxaaaannnnneee!" Severus shouted, pushing through the double doors and stumbling into the street.
Lucius felt for this Severus. And while he did not know how he felt, he could well imagine the pain he was enduring. For even though he and Narcissa had been in a comfortable place in their relationship, the pain he felt at her death was still raw.
Floating along beside Severus, Lucius looked away in an attempt to stem the emotions rising to the surface. Looking up at the buildings as they passed, Lucius saw them first and sucked in his breath.
Above them, Hermione and the duke stood on the balcony of the Northeast tower. The duke's arms were around her in a possessive way while his lips brushed the delicate skin of her neck.
Slowly, she leaned back into his embrace, allowing the full light of the moon to glint off of the bejeweled necklace around her neck. Lucius raised one eyebrow; this was surely a gift. A sharp intake of breath to his right informed him that Severus was now also aware of the couple standing above.
"Come what may…" Hermione's words floated down to them but were followed by a brusque sigh. Her eyes met Severus' black ones and widened.
Clenching, his hands tightened into fists but he did not move. He stood stock-still, watching as the duke continued his path along Hermione's neck. Abruptly, Severus' body began to shake, and he spun on his heel, striding away.
Lucius watched Hermione watching Severus. Until she had seen him, she had seemed to be wearing a mask. But when Severus turned to go, her façade broke. Leaning forward, she reached out and uttered a pained, "No!"
"No?" the duke asked, furious. Leaning forward, he looked at Hermione, then followed her line of sight. "Oh, I see!"
Grabbing her shoulder, the duke pushed his wand into her throat. "There is something you should know about me, dear girl; I do not like being made a fool of!" he ground out, pulling her back into the room.
Releasing a scream, Hermione clawed at the hand on her shoulder.
Hearing her shout, Severus jerked back around just in time to see the duke drag Hermione away from the balcony. Muffled screams continued to flow from the open door.
Spreading his arms wide, Lucius floated up to the veranda to inspect the situation.
Inside, the duke threw Hermione forward onto the bed. Her foot came up, knocking his wand from his hand. With a clatter, it slid across the floor and the duke scrambled after it.
Quickly, Hermione lifted the folds of her dress to pull her wand from a holder high on her leg. Grabbing his wand from the floor, the duke rolled out of the way before Hermione's binding spell could hit him. Rolling over, a leer upon his face, he shot back Sectumsempra.
Diving from the bed, Hermione landed on the hard floor, the strap of her dress falling away from her shoulder and bright, thick blood trickled down her arm. "Oh!" she gasped, covering the wound with her other hand.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha," the duke laughed slowly, rising from the floor, wand aloft.
Panting heavily, Hermione rose from the floor, attempting to keep her dress from exposing her laced corset underneath. Soon, she just let it hang, pointing her wand at the duke in defense.
The duke laughed again. "My dear, modesty doesn't become you. It's funny how things change when you decide to be exclusive to only one man. But I am about to help you get over this poor affliction. You see, you are to be only exclusive to me." Flicking his wand slightly, Hermione's dress tore further and fell to the floor.
Gasping, a frown crossed Hermione's face, and she fired off a spell, but the duke jumped aside to avoid it. He shot back at her, the red arc hitting her arm, dislodging her wand, and causing it to clatter to the floor.
The duke took this opportunity and advanced toward her quickly. Bending over, Hermione seized her wand and stood up, but the duke was already close enough that she could feel the heat of his breath as he leaned into her face, his wand pressing into her neck.
Lucius, from his vantage point just on the other side of the bed, clenched and unclenched his hands. He hated this feeling of uselessness. It was exactly how he had felt when they had gone to the Forbidden Forest in search of the scourge root for the potion Severus said may be the cure for the wizarding plague he and Narcissa had contracted. But it had been in vain. They couldn't find it in time, and Severus and Narcissa had died. Clamping his teeth together, Lucius tried to lend support just by being there. But his counterpart pushed Hermione back against the wall, slamming her wand hand against it.
Holding her wand tightly, Hermione did not drop it this time, but she turned her head away when the duke leaned in and ripped the necklace from her neck. Tossing it aside, he raised his hand to caress her breast, trailing his fingers delicately downward while holding her wand hand aloft.
Looking away, Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, swallowing hard. A single tear escaped, but then her resolve seemed to come back. Lifting her other hand up over her head in a motion indicating submission, the duke was encouraged to continue his journey down her torso.
Suddenly the door slammed open, and Severus was there. Taking the opportunity, Hermione took the wand from her trapped hand with her free one, aiming it right at the duke's chest.
Turning from her abruptly when Severus forced open the door, the duke was hit simultaneously by a Blasting spell from Hermione and a Binding spell from Severus. He flew backward, hitting the wall on the opposite side of the room, passing out cold.
Raising a shaking hand to her mouth, a muffled sob burst from her mouth, and Severus was instantly by her side. Taking her in his arms he murmured, "Did he hurt you?"
Shaking uncontrollably, Hermione shook her head. "Oh, Severus, I couldn't do it! I tried… for everyone, for us, I tried… But I saw you below us, I saw the hurt in your eyes, and I couldn't pretend anymore. I couldn't bear to hurt you that way, but I've ruined everything," she confessed, crying harder.
"Sh, it's over now. Everything will be fine," he told her, holding onto her tightly.
Gasping, Hermione leaned back. "But, he knows! He will never leave us alone now that he knows about us," she told him, looking over at the duke.
"That doesn't matter now. We'll run away – far away – where he'll never find us. Just come with me," Severus pleaded with her, his eyes bright.
"But… The show – your writing?"
"It doesn't matter – none of it – can't you see that? Hermione, the only thing I care about is you. We can leave all this, build a life somewhere else, away from the duke. I love you."
Swiping her face with her hands, Hermione took a deep breath and looked around her. Nodding her head she told him, "Okay, yes, yes… We'll leave tonight?"
"Yes, go and get your things. We'll leave as soon as you come to me," he told her, pulling her to him, his mouth claiming hers once more before they parted.
Grabbing up her crumpled dress to hold in front of her and shuffling away from him, Hermione looked back one last time, granting him a small smile before she left the room.
Looking down at the duke, Severus sneered once at his unconscious form, then left the room, pulling a relieved Lucius behind him.
Songs featured in this chapter:
Come What May ~~David Baerwald
Roxanne ~~ The Police
A/N: Many thank yous go to my wonderful betas and friends: ladyinthecloak, luvsev, Sempra, and OSUSprinks. I could not have come this far without you ladies. =o)