Chapter 21
"Your Hermione is alone in the top floor of the tower right now," Artemis told Severus as she whipped the reins again. "As the night fades, my brother has gone to ride his chariot across the sky, and Ares is gone, summoned by Aphrodite in a jealous rage."
Severus watched as daybreak crawled after them across the sky as they ran in her chariot, carting the moon along behind them. "What should I do?"
"I suspect," Artemis said, "that your Hermione already has a plan. She does not seem the type to lie in wait for a rescue."
Severus smiled. "She's not."
"Be ready, now," Artemis warned. "You have one jump to get in, and then you are on your own."
Severus readied himself as a huge, towering structure emerged. He could see an open window on the top floor, and he braced himself.
"Go!"
Severus hurled himself through the air, flying forward with the momentum of the moon's chariot still. He ducked at the last second and hit the ground inside the chamber hard, rolling as he landed.
"Who's there?" Hermione's voice demanded. "Who's there now?"
"It's me," Severus gasped. He coughed, regaining himself. "Hermione, it's Severus. I've come to help."
"Severus!" Hermione sounded ecstatic, and Severus turned to look.
Hermione was sitting on a small bed inside the tower, her eyes still firmly shut. In her hand was a thorn dipped in some sort of blue ink, and Severus blinked.
"Hermione," he breathed, looking at her fully. "What have you done?"
All down Hermione's left arm were woven knots and bands of tattoos. They ended in a triskele on the back of her left hand, and Severus thought he could see swirls of other Celtic knots underneath her white dress, ending on the bone of her ankle.
"I'm binding myself to the earth," she told him. "I've almost done it, but I can't finish this part without someone else. Please, I need your help."
"Hermione..." Severus moved over to her, aghast. "Your skin... it's all tattooed."
"It's fine, Severs," Hermione told him. "I know what I'm doing. Here – eat these."
She pushed a plate at him full of pomegranate seeds, and Severus took a few just to quiet her.
"Fine, Hermione," he said, swallowing. "But I don't see-"
His words died away as a foreign presence entered his head, filling his mind with an overpowering sense of glowing light.
"That's Gaia," Hermione said happily. "She's going to help me. Just listen to her, and she'll tell you how to finish the tattoos."
"Hermione, I-"
"There's no time," Hermione said, shoving the bowl of ink and thorn into his hands. "Just do."
Severus took the bowl reluctantly, recognizing the ink as crushed berries from the nearby fruit bowl. He hesitated, looking at her unmarred foot.
"...are you sure?" he said finally, and Hermione tutted at him, even with her eyes closed.
"Severus," she said. "Have you ever known me to do anything halfway?"
With a sigh, Severus bent over her form and put the thorn to her skin.
Hermione passed out immediately, but the warm presence in the back of his mind told him that this was normal, that this was part of Druidic binding. Hermione was experiencing the full extent of Gaia's power, and it was too much for her human consciousness. It wasn't until he finished tattooing the interference loop on her that Gaia's presence would be reduced to something Hermione could comprehend and interpret without losing her mind. He supposed he was lucky that Hermione had worked some kind of magic on the pomegranate seeds so Gaia could temporarily talk to him. Without that...
Severus worked quickly, keeping an eye on the dawning sun. Apollo would be back soon, he knew, and if this really was their only hope...
He kept tattooing, his eyes sharp.
Her skin was so smooth under his hands, the sole of her foot like silk. His hand stroked it idly as he reloaded the thorn with ink. Even as he tattooed, he could see her leg stretched out in front of him, a long expanse of skin. Her tattoos looked beautiful, now, decorating her and vanishing up her skirt, and Severus swallowed hard and went back to work on the inhibitor loop.
Gaia guided him on the finishing touches, and he put the thorn down and set the bowl aside.
"All right," he told the odd presence in his mind. "Go for it."
The presence nodded, and then was gone.
Hermione reacted in front of him, stretching and crying out as she felt the full power of the earth touch her, flowing through her tattoos and into her magical core. Her eyes flew open, meeting his, and Severus panicked.
"No- Hermione-!" He threw his hands over her eyes, knowing he was already too late. "You can't-!"
"What is all this?"
Severus and Hermione both turned. Apollo was standing in the doorway, his head ringed with a crown of fire.
"You steal my bride?" he accused. "You dare-!"
"I'm not your bride!" Hermione cried out. "Severus, come on!"
She pulled him to the window, tugging on his hand, and they jumped out, Apollo screaming after them as they fell.
"Hermione!"
Severus screamed, the ground rushing up to meet him, but suddenly, he wasn't falling anymore, he was flying...
He opened his eyes.
He was flying, flying over the plains, the sun beaming down on him. He was riding an great black horse with wings, only the wings were of skin, instead of feathers, and the horse's skin was taut against its bones.
"You're a thestral," Severus breathed, wrapping his arms around Hermione's neck. "That's why some of the others could see you while some couldn't."
With a great beating of her wings, Hermione flew higher, Severus holding onto as they went.
They flew over a great river and another plain, and Severus saw a group of wild horses running underneath them as they flew. Gradually, they coasted down over a ravine and into a glade, where Hermione landed. Severus got off, stroking her mane lightly, and then Hermione transformed back.
"Hermione," he said, relieved. "We made it. We have to tell the others-"
"Shhh," Hermione said, stepping towards him and putting a finger against his lips. "We have other concerns now."
Severus looked down at her, seeing her eyes dilated, and his own breath caught.
"Hermione," he said, tentative. "Hermione, what-"
"Oh, be quiet, Severus," she chided, and she leaned up, sealing her lips on his.
It was like tinder catching fire, and Severus could feel the full extent of her power in her kiss.
Heat surged through Severus as he reacted, kissing her back for all he was worth. He pulled her head closer to him, his other hand cupping her cheek as he tangled his tongue with hers, emotion and heat searing through his skull. It was wild, it was primal, and it sent a feeling of liquid heat through his blood to pool around his middle. Hermione was scrabbling at him, pulling him closer, and she'd somehow gotten a hand underneath his tunic to caress his chest, driving Severus mad. He nipped at her lips and she whimpered against him, and he licked over the small bites, and her whimper turned into a heady moan.
They were wearing too much. Hermione tugged his tunic and wrap off, taking breaks from his lips only briefly to tug the garments over his head, and he pushed her dress down to expose her breasts, bending to take a nipple into his mouth, and she moaned and writhed against him.
Somehow, they lost their balance, and then they were falling backwards, Hermione with him, limbs entangled with his, kissing him still, possessive and fiery and unable to stop.
Her hand reached down between them, stroking him, and Severus swore and pulled back, breaking them apart, gasping.
"Hermione," he said, and he was shocked to hear how raw his voice was. "Hermione, what-"
Hermione's eyes were a liquid with desire as she came over and kissed him once again. After several mindless moments, Severus pulled back once more.
"Hermione," he said. "What are we- what-"
"Druidic binding ritual," she told him, kissing her way down his front. "Apollo is coming to kill you. Have to protect you. Sex magic – old, powerful. It'll bind our lifespans together."
The thought was slow to process in Severus' mind. "It'll- bind us? Together?"
"That too."
She kissed him again, and Severus kissed her back, all his emotion welling up inside of him. Hermione was kissing him, wanted to bind herself to him, to him, and she would be his...
She was grinding on top of him, her core wet against his erection, and Severus pulled back from her kiss reluctantly.
"Hermione," he gasped. "We- we can't-"
"Oh, why not?" Hermione moaned, grinding against him, and Severus swore.
"Hermione. Hermione, listen to me," he said, sitting up and grabbing her upper arms. "Hermione, you've been struck by Eros' arrow, and I was the first man you saw. The lust burning through your veins right now is artificial. We have to stop."
Hermione paused to look at him, tilting her head, and Severus relaxed slightly.
"Don't you want me?" she asked him, and Severus laughed.
"Hermione, I love you," he told her, grinding himself against her center, making her gasp. "Of course I want to do this with you. I've dreamed about it for weeks, now. I love you, and I will take anything you give to me and be grateful for it, even if it's just a smile, but I can't let you do this to yourself. You've been bewitched – you're not-"
She moved suddenly, pinning his arms down above his head, and she ground against his hips once more.
"What," Hermione said, "if I told you I love you too?"
"I told you this, Hermione," he said, nearly mindless with her heat against him "Eros' arrow-"
Hermione scoffed.
"Bully for his arrow," she said. "I burned the damned toxins out of my system the second you were done binding me to the earth. Why did you think I did it? I could have transformed and flown away at any point, you know."
Severus' heart leapt.
"But then- you-"
"I've loved you for ages," Hermione said, kissing him fiercely. "Ever since I watched you transform into that beautiful horse."
She sank down onto him, and Severus saw stars.
"You love me-?" he gasped, holding her hips. "You mean it?"
Her eyes held his, open to him; he was falling into her mind, feeling all her love and wanting and longing for him. He was just meeting her, and he could feel her first glimmers of attraction as they bantered about the Blood Replenishing potion. He was watching himself in the Incan temple, feeling a rush of respect and gratitude, and then he was looking up into his own eyes after the healing in the Chinese pagoda, feeling a rush of desire. He was holding himself on the mock battlefield, everyone else unconscious, tracing his lips lovingly before finally awakening him, staying to talk with him before going to get the others. He was watching himself in the streets of Delphi, unable to stop himself from running his hands through his hair under the guise of helping him tie it back-
He broke away, gasping, and he pulled her down to kiss her fiercely, thrusting up inside of her, and Hermione cried out.
"I love you," he told her, his eyes holding hers, all his shields down. "Hermione, I love you-"
"I love you," she cried out. "Ah, more, Severus, more-!"
He rolled them over and thrust into her deeply, kissing her breast as she keened and wailed. Beneath them, the earth shook, plants growing and flowering around them, but Severus ignored it as he gave her more and more.
By the time they had both finished, lying next to each other in the nude, panting, a giant willow tree had grown up next to them, shadowing them in a friendly shade.
Catching his breath, Severus managed to roll over and meet Hermione's eyes.
"Hello, love," he said, pushing a piece of her hair behind her ear.
Her eyes were soft.
"Hi," she said, and she leaned over to kiss him. It was sweet and nearly blinding in its innocence and love, and Severus felt a sense of loss when she finally pulled back.
She looked up at the tree, surprised, then she began to laugh.
"Think Gaia's happy with us?" she said, her eyes dancing.
Severus chuckled. "I'd imagine so."
She leaned down and kissed him again, moving against him, and Severus was only too happy to respond, all worry of Apollo gone.