A Sense of Obsession
Disclaimer: All these fabulous characters belong to J.K Rowling. I do not own them in any way nor am I making any money from them.
Summary: In Chapter 1.
A/N: I am so sorry for the delay. I was busy last week, semester had started back up and I couldn't get online very often, if at all.
Thank you all for all the kind reviews. Your comments were all wonderful.
I have no beta, so I'm sorry for any mistakes. I try my best to spot any before I post, but I know I do sometimes miss a few.
Here is Chapter 11. I hope you all enjoy it! ^_^
Chapter 11
It was an excruciating pain. It shot through his entire body, causing all of his nerve endings to scream for the torture to stop, yet, no such scream left his lips. In his torment, he remained silent. His eyes closed in a desperate attempt to control the agony and his knees buckled, causing him to lose his balance, falling onto them with a dull thud that made even Lucius Malfoy cringe.
Severus Snape had not done as he was told.
He had not delivered the potion to his Dark Master the second he found out it was at full maturity. Instead, he had waited until now...over a week after the fact.
Other Death Eaters would have been writhing on the floor under the strength of the Cruciatus Curse the Dark Lord was administering. But, not Snape, no, Lucius knew he was far too strong to display pain publically. It was one of the traits he admired in his friend; the ability to keep everything so tightly locked away inside that shell of his. Emotional detachment was both a blessing and a curse.
It was a blessing because it was useful in repelling even more torture by their Dark Master. Yet, it was a curse because it had overtaken his life.
Lucius Malfoy sighed noiselessly. Even though he was a follower of the Dark Lord, he had managed to find love with Narcissa Black and sire a son; an heir to his fortune and legacy.
Severus had not. Severus had no one; no wife, no child, and no heir to the Snape name.
Soon he saw the discomfort in his friend's expression fade as the curse was lifted.
"I trust you have brought the Imperitaserum, Severus?" he heard his Master say with a hiss. "Or is a more severe punishment necessary?"
Lucius observed his friend stand shakily and bring his hand into the lining of his cloak. He pulled out two bottles filled with a pale blue liquid; the Imperitaserum.
Severus had managed to brew it successfully. He was impressed to say the least.
"Ahh..." Voldemort sighed as he snatched the vials from Snape's hand. "Well done, Severus."
Snape lowered his head in a respectful nod.
"Tell me..." the Dark Lord began. "Did you use Potter's Mudblood friend?"
"Yes, my Lord." Lucius heard Snape utter. "I did. Her knowledge with Potions proved to be most useful."
The Dark Lord swooped closer to the raven-haired man. "You used her blood?"
"I did, my Lord. She gave it willingly." Snape did not raise his head when he spoke.
"Excellent. Soon, my friends, we shall no longer have to worry about Harry Potter or the Order of the Phoenix." Voldemort raised the two bottles into the air, displaying them for all of his followers to see. "As soon as this potion is shoved down his filthy Mudblood friend's throat, we shall have all of the information we require to finally destroy them."
Lucius could have sworn he saw guilt in his friend's eyes... guilt and self-disappointment.
He had no idea how right he was.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
It was a day before classes resumed and to her surprise Harry and Ron had completed their essays for Snape, writing the full three feet required of them. She was immensely proud of her friends, and it meant that they could finally have one day to relax.
Hermione had suggested a trip out into the grounds. It was a cool, crisp afternoon, but the sun was shining and there was not a cloud to be seen. So, the boys agreed.
Hermione directed them into the Forest and Harry knew where she was taking them. He was nervous all of a sudden but he trusted her, so he followed.
She led them into the clearing where the Thestral herd lay. Salem spotted her and galloped towards them, coming to a stop a few feet away. She smiled and stepped towards him, patting his neck before turning to her friends and laughing at their wide eyed gaze.
"Salem is very gentle," she told them as Salem whinnied and scraped one hoof on the ground two times.
"Yeah, sure he is...he wasn't with me when I last saw him," Harry moaned.
Hermione sighed, "His mate had just given birth, Harry. He was very territorial."
"Whoa, wait a minute... are you saying this is Snape's Thestral?" Ron stuttered, moving his hands restlessly.
"Yes, Ron. It is," Hermione replied while watching Salem as he extended his wings, moving one forward slightly, and flicked his head towards his back.
"Uh, Hermione... is he telling you to sit on his back?" asked Harry, his expression one of confusion and shock.
"How does it know you so well?" questioned Ron a few seconds afterward.
Salem trotted towards her slightly, urging her to climb up onto him. "I've met him before, Snape...erm, introduced me to him." She placed her hands onto the animal's back and pushed herself upwards and onto him.
Harry noticed that Salem looked very pleased that Hermione had accepted his offer. The Thestral trotted forwards, but away from the two boys. Harry heard him call and soon enough he felt the nudge of a snout against the back of his right arm.
Sylva was behind him, making the same movements Salem had only a few moments before.
He spotted the young foal standing behind its mother, looking rather mischievous. It started to prance around Ron's ankles, causing Hermione to giggle.
"She's very playful, Ron. Keep her company for a couple of minutes, will you?" With that Salem extended his wings again and reared up onto his back legs, just enough for him to begin a speedy run. With two flaps, they were up in the air, soaring high above the tree tops.
Harry and Ron looked on in wonder as Hermione directed him to hover, both wondering when on earth she became comfortable with flying.
Sylva soon copied her mate and took to the skies. Harry held tightly onto her mane during take-off, but released some of the pressure when she also began to hover.
Salem looked at his partner with a gleam in his eyes. Sylva mirrored the gaze and before long they both shot off towards the Black Lake, flying side by side. Harry was momentarily stunned by the sudden speed and had to grab Sylva's mane to stop himself from falling. Hermione laughed wholeheartedly and asked Salem to turn.
The two Thestral's were synchronised as they flew, dictated by what Hermione told Salem. Harry found himself chuckling as the adrenaline moved through his system. There were occasions where Salem and Sylva moved the way they wanted to and not the way that Hermione had asked of them; diving steeply before straightening their flight path.
Neither boy nor girl noticed they were being watched from the lakeside.
Severus Snape was collecting some ingredients for his stores when he heard the unmistakable coo of his Thestral from high above him. His head snapped up towards the sky, catching a glimpse of Sylva and Salem, along with their passengers.
His eyes remained on them from that moment.
You have never been one for play, Salem... so why are you now? You will always continue to astonish me, my friend.
He quickly gathered the ingredients he needed before placing them into a pocket within his robes, and then sat back to watch them with his full attention.
Salem spotted his owner and flew lower, but Sylva this time did not follow. She had noticed Snape and flew back towards the Forest clearing. She landed softly and walked over to where her foal was playing, allowing Harry to slip off of her back before laying down to stare at her baby.
"Where's Hermione?" asked Ron when Harry sauntered towards him.
"I don't know. Everything was fine, Sylva was following Salem and we were having a laugh. But then Salem noticed something by the Lake and flew down to inspect it, while Sylva came back here," he answered breathlessly.
"Should we try to find her?"
"Actually, no," replied Harry. "Salem seems attached to Hermione, I don't think he'll hurt her, nor let anything hurt her."
"Okay, well, we better make our way up to the Castle anyway. We may bump into her on our way there."
Salem, meanwhile, had landed at the lakeside and walked up towards his Master. Snape stood and Salem greeted him affectionately, batting his snout against the palm of his owner's hand. Hermione smiled at the interaction and her gaze was fixated onto her Potions Master when he stepped up to Salem's side and reached out his arms, offering to help her down from the animal's back. She accepted and placed both hands onto his shoulders while he gripped her waist, slowly lifting her and placing her feet onto the ground.
"Thank you," she whispered while staring directly into his onyx eyes.
"You're welcome," he answered and removed his hands from her person. "I didn't expect to see you out here today, least of all with Salem."
"Yes, well... I wanted to visit him and see Sylva and the baby again. Harry and Ron didn't mind, although Harry was nervous to approach Salem after last time."
He hummed, "I have no doubt." He smirked wickedly before he said, "I'm sure Potter was not best pleased when he saw Salem."
"Not at first," she giggled. "But when Salem did not attack him, he calmed down a little. And then Salem wanted me to fly with him, and Sylva allowed Harry to fly with her."
His lips curled into a half smile before things fell silent for a few moments. He caught sight of her wrist—and the bracelet—and it felt like all of the air was knocked from his lungs.
"You're wearing it," he murmured. It was so quiet; it took Hermione several seconds to realize he had said something.
"Yes, Severus... of course I am. You gave it to me. Why wouldn't I wear it?"
He shifted slightly. "Perhaps you were only being polite before Christmas. I haven't seen you since that night, as you left to spend Christmas with your family, so I didn't know if you had in fact worn it at all since then."
She grinned at his obvious uneasiness. "Well, I have... several times, including now."
"I see." It was hard to tell, but she was sure that she saw his ego swell.
Again things fell silent. Hermione studied his face. He looked tired; the bags around his eyes had doubled in size since she had last seen him, and, if it were possible, she would have said that his skin appeared to be more pallid than usual.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly. Her expression had changed from humour to pure concern, it amazed him how much emotion she could portray in just one look. "You look... ill."
He shook off her comment. "I'm fine. It's nothing to worry yourself over at this moment. Although I must warn you, the Dark Lord now has the Imperitaserum." He exhaled a long breath. "It will only be a matter of time before we are forced to drink it."
Her face contorted in shock. "He called for you on Christmas Day, didn't he?"
Snape nodded slowly. "He did indeed and he was not pleased that I had waited over a week after the potion's maturation to give it to him."
Her hands clapped over her lips. "Oh, tell me he didn't..."
"There is no need to worry about me, Hermione. I have been tortured many times before," he hissed.
"Why shouldn't I worry?" she snarled back. "You could have been forced to drink the potion there and then. For all I know, that could have happened and you are under his control right now!"
He sneered which caused her to wrinkle her nose in fury. "Hermione, believe me when I say... if that were true, you would most certainly know."
She huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Oh and how would I know?"
He grinned at her behaviour, such a typical, stubborn little Gryffindor. "Salem would not have greeted me as warmly as he did several minutes ago. He would know that it wasn't truly me"
Her arms dropped to her sides. "Oh... okay." Her gaze travelled over him again. "But, you were hurt?
He sighed in defeat. "I received the Cruciatus Curse,yes... for not obeying instructions fully."
Snape told Salem to return to his herd and the Thestral did as he was told immediately. He then gestured for Hermione to walk with him. "You see, I was told to bring the Imperitaserum to him the second it was matured. I failed to do so, therefore, I was punished."
Her expression was sad, he noticed... and it pained him to see her upset. "Hermione please, I am not worth your sadness. I am used to torture; I have grown to block at least some of the pain caused by it."
"You shouldn't have to go through this," she uttered. "You have been through so much; lived through so much... you shouldn't need to do anymore."
"My life has been fraught with danger, Hermione. I made many wrong choices in my youth." He stared straight ahead; his hands were clasped together at the small of his back. "I am only now making up for those mistakes, and no matter how much good I have done, it doesn't match up to even half of the evil."
She stepped in front of him, causing his stride to cease. "You have done nothing but good since the end of the First War. You were a Death Eater for less time than you have been a member of the Order. Surely, you have done more good than evil?"
"Not in my eyes," he stated mellifluously. Hermione's eyes softened in sorrow. "Come now, we must figure out a plan to battle the Imperitaserum. As I have said, it will only be a matter of time before we are forced to drink it."
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Enoch sat on his perch regally; his head was curled around his body, pruning his feathers. His owner sat at the head of the dining room table, chin sitting in the palm of his hand, blond strands of hair brushing against the side of his handsome face, thinking deeply about what had transpired over Christmas.
His Dark Master now had the most dangerous potion known to the Wizarding world. It was impossible to say he wasn't scared for his life—not to mention the lives of his family.
He loved his family, being a Death Eater didn't change that.
He feared for the lives of Narcissa and Draco... the Dark Lord had always been privy to changing his mind, so what was to say he would not give that Imperitaserum to them, or himself for that matter?
He glanced at his Eagle owl, who turned his head and stared at him with those wide amber eyes. The owl hummed and then returned to its grooming.
Lucius sighed. What was he to do?
Severus was balancing on a very thin rope. No other Death Eater apart from himself trusted the raven haired man. The Dark Lord himself was seemingly having doubts about his allegiance as well, given the torture he had administered on Christmas day.
But, how could they mistrust him? He had prepared the Imperitaserum, used Potter's friend's blood in the brewing, created it perfectly... and even though it was a little late, he had still given it to the Dark Lord.
The blond man ran his hands over his face, threading his hair between his fingers and pushed it back out of his vision. He was tired, tired and stressed. He had to find out what exactly Severus was trying to do... whose side Severus was truly on. It would be the only way to stop his inner battles.
He called for his majestic bird and tucked a note into a band on Enoch's ankle. It then took flight and soared out of the open window, in the direction of Hogwarts School.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Harry and Ron had reached the covered bridge that led to the School's entrance. It was there they stood, hiding behind a large bush, watching the scene before them.
Hermione and Snape...together... chatting like old friends?
Something was very weird with that picture.
She was giggling. He was... smiling? Was that really a smile?
One side of his mouth was curled upwards; his eyes were narrow in what seemed to be humoured expression...
It's a half smile I suppose, thought Harry. When does Snape smile?
As far as he could tell, they were discussing something, but it had veered off track. That was until he saw Snape become serious and direct her back to the Castle, saying something that looked suspiciously like, "Meet me in the Dungeons at seven pm."
Years of sneaking around the Castle had given him a pretty sound lip reading skill.
But why would they be meeting up, yet again?
He was having just about enough of it, if he was perfectly honest.
Maybe it was time to break out his invisibility cloak and find out just what these secret meetings were about?
A/N 2:
Oooh more drama, more tension, more friendship and more sneaky Harry!
This chapter is a little shorter than my others, the next one will be longer ^_^
It took me a few rewrites before I was happy with this chapter. I hope you have enjoyed it. Please review? I appreciate all comments. Maybe we could reach 160 reviews? I would love to reach 200 reviews before Chapter 15.