Chapter 20: Lord Of The Keep
{A/N: A long awaited update I know...}
My Thanks To All Of My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
{"Time will take our place...We return it back to one...The calm before the cold,...The long and lonely road...Look for the light that leads me home...Tired of feeling lost, tired of letting go...Tear the whole world down, tear the whole world down...Failure..."} Failure, Breaking Benjamin
Unknown Room, Selsmire Keep, Unknown World...
Darkness had been all that surrounded Severus Snape as he stood in the center of Versileius Sebastian's inner chamber. He had drunk from the chalice of blood sight in the center of his father's chambers. He had seen the hollowed echoes of his blood memories and the face of his most hated enemy since The Dark Lord Voldemort. He had witnessed the massacre of The former Lord of the keeps family and friends at the claws of the demonic fiend Harrkon. His obsidian eyes took in the sight of the twisted creature hidden beneath the rotted pale flesh of his ancestral Grandfather. Snape had been naked as he stood in the opened ended cold air. It had no real effect given his status as a vampirian lord. He could see the steam from his exhaled breath in the center of the room. Focusing on the effort his father put into this obviously painful lesson, Snape had not been phased when black leather bound wings sprouted from the pale flesh of his back.
He gritted his teeth as the evident wings of a bat flapped in the vast open space of his father's empty chambers.
With a bit more concentration Snape's pale flesh began to take on the jet black hue akin to his lengthy raven hair.
"AHHHHHH!" shouted Snape as his eyes shifted from their usual obsidian black to those of blood red.
The Potions Master found himself doubling over as his bones extended and his flesh stretched increasing his size and height respectively.
Snape's palms stretched and shifted into lengthy claws with black tipped finger nails on the end. The skin had been thick and hard to penetrate. His legs grew in muscle mass and his spine stretched. Blood surrounded him as he quivered in the wake of his apparent transformation. He could see the sorrowful eyes of his father as his body continued to shift and change.
At the end of the apparent transformation, Severus Snape had not resembled the dour pale wizard of his usual form. In his place was a rather large bat like creatue with the face and head of a bat with large monstrous wings powerful enough to carry his massively ripped humanoid form complete with muscular claws going all the way down to what use to be his feet.
His fangs had been razor sharp like the rest of his perfect fitting white teeth that lined his gums. His nose had been in a twisted snarl like that of a conventional bat and his lengthy raven hair fell to his massive shoulders. His massive legs had been filled with power and capable of propelling him at great speeds should he feel the need for hand to hand combat.
Between them had been his equally massive cock in it's most primitive form. The folds of skin had formed a kind of protection pouch over it. The deep rooted blood memories of Versileius Sebastian had been burned into Severus Snape's mind. He saw images of his dearly departed mother possibly some years prior to her marriage to the human slug Tobias Snape.
She had looked to be quite happy with this vampire lord.
It was also clear that being a knowledgeable witch she had known a good deal about him and his race.
Severus reached out to his mother as the long buried ache of her loss came back in full force. He had only been a boy when she was killed and stood a weary man in the form of a jaded creature shaped by that of his true blood heritage. The agony of her death and his own vivid memories seemed to cause him a good deal more sadness.
Tears of blood fell down his ghastly darkened cheeks.
Outside The Chamber Door...
Hermione Granger stood sensing the ever rising despair in her mate. She ventured over toward the door and beat against it determined to reach out to Severus. She had not known what had triggered such an intense feeling of melancholy in him but she knew it could not be good. The counsel tried their best to keep her from entering the room explaining to her that he needed to go through this alone. The bushy haired witch wiped away the bloody tears that streamed down her cheeks as she stood at the door.
She had not know how to help him.
Her mate was in agony and the Vamipirian in her wanted nothing more than to tear the door down and make him feel better. The witch in her knew all too well what it meant for someone to have to face their inner pain in order to gain personal growth but that didn't mean what he was going through hurt any less. She had read enough in his personal journals to know just how hurt he had been for much of his life.
"SEVERUS!" she shouted from behind the door. "Severus can you here me?"
There had been no reply.
Worried and unable to just let him wallow in his agony, Hermione pushed passed the elders and entered the inner chambers. She made her way over toward the downed creature that had been her mate in his pure vampirian form. She didn't cringe as she dropped down to her knees at his side. Snape's eyes opened and he began to revert back to his normal form.
"Severus." said Hermione in a sorrowful tone.
Snape leaned against the young witch letting her hold him close to her.
"I'm here." she said softly as she stroked his tear stained cheeks. "You don't have to do this alone."
Snape closed his eyes taking in the scent of jasmine that always lingered in her hair.
"Hermione." he said in almost a whisper.
She wiped the tears from his eyes and pressed her lips to his temple.
"I love you." she said softly.
"Hermione." said Snape coming to his senses. "I love...Hermione."
Hermione smiled as she held him close.
After taking some time to bask in the silence, Snape and the bushy haired witch emerged from the inner chamber. The elder counsel had been waiting with respect in their hearts and determination in their eyes.
Forengar had been the first to greet them.
"Have you accomplished it then my lord?" he asked.
"It is done." replied Snape looking into the faces of his father's loyal subjects from the ancient world long forgotten. "I have acquired my father's blood memories."
Cheers erupted all around. Snape appeared largely unaffected by them. He gripped Hermione's hand as she stood by his side.
"The Prince has ascended." announced Forengar proudly. "All hail Severus Snape lord of Selsmire Keep."
"All hail!" shouted the rest of the group. "All hail Severus Lord of The Keep."
Hermione looked into Snape's tired obsidian eyes. He had seemed more like his old Potions Professor self. The weight of responsibility for so many peoples lives and the impending war on the horizon had been attributed to it. Not to mention the non conformation on his newly discovered father's demise.
"I am in no mood for festivities." said Snape in an emotionless tone. "My mate and I shall retire for the evening...do with this evening what you will but within reason...the old man's rules still apply and I intend to up hold them."
"As you wish lord Severus." said Forengar. "I wish you a speedy and relaxed rest."
Snape said nothing more as he made his way toward his private bed chambers with Hermione in tow. The bushy haired vampirian witch said nothing as she accompanied him. She had known that he had been in a good deal of physical and emotional pain in the wake of ingesting his father's blood memories and attempting the new transformation.
Snape for his part could still see his dead mother's face and the agony of it ate away at him. The only time it seemed to hurt less was when he found himself in Hermione's arms. The two vampirians ended up in bed where he had done just that. Hermione held him tight to her chest as he drifted off into a pleasant sleep.
Whatever was to become of his subsequent rule over Selsmire keep it would have to wait until tomorrow to be seen in full. Forengar made the announcement that Selsmire Keep had been under new management. All the inhabitants had been pleased at the succession of Severus Snape as lord of the keep. He had been the only son of Versileius and it seemed rather fitting that he take his place.
It also meant they were one step closer to the inevitable battle with Harkkon's forces. As much as Severus hated to have to be the one to shoulder all the responsibility when it came to the number of people in Selsmire Keep, he knew that he was the only one who could defeat the ancient vampirian Harrkon.