Author's Note: So, I've been out in the wilderness for a couple of days, which is the perfect time to decompress and think of ideas (also to keep small children from face-planting in the fire pit, but I digress). So, now that I'm back and everyone is successfully de-grimed, I'm hoping to bring you back to your regularly scheduled fanfiction.
Chapter 38: The Vampire Who Would Be A God
"Stay close, Hermione," Severus said softly, squeezing her hand as they came to a halt near the Whomping Willow, "no matter what you see or hear. Ancient vampires can affect younger vampires in much the way that you or I can affect the average human. It is not common knowledge, but it may very well be the difference between life and death."
He pressed his wand into his temple and muttered a spell that Hermione was unfamiliar with.
"Do you trust me?" he said after a moment, pointing his wand at her tentatively.
She nodded and closed her eyes as the tip of his wand pressed lightly against her temple. There was a pulse of energy and light danced under her eyelids for a moment before it faded.
"Open your eyes. Tell me what you see."
Hermione shuddered and peered out towards the tree, her eyes widening with surprise.
The Willow drooped sadly to the right, looking for all the world as though it had been knocked unconscious by a sucker punch from a giant. Its thick bludgeoning arms rested heavily against the grassy hillside ending in globe-like knots that almost looked like massive boxing gloves in the divots of earth made by their impact. A shadowy figure leaned against the trunk of the tree with one knee bent up as though casually waiting for a bus. A cigar dangled from the man's mouth, the ember at the tip burning as brightly as a tiny sun.
"I can see almost as clearly as though it were the middle of the afternoon!" she whispered back excitedly.
"We must find and recover Draco first. Once he is safe, the Blood Oath should be satisfied and whichever of us is able to send up the sparks will do so." Severus said, his voice both whispery and grave.
The man tapped the cigar and turned his head to the side as something rustled in the bushes to his right. Hermione continued to look pointedly around the base of the Whomping Willow until she noticed that a shadowy bundle lay slumped against the side as though resting uncomfortably against the bark of the tree.
Draco.
"We can't use stealth because he knows that we will be coming," Severus said bitterly. "We must simply go in quickly and hope that our brashness surprises him."
"Do you think it will work?" Hermione asked hopefully as they drew ever closer.
"No." Severus replied flatly. "But, if we are lucky, this bond that Sanguini believes that we have together will be enough to shield us."
"You don't believe in his theory?" Hermione asked, sounding somewhat hurt.
"It does not matter what I do or do not believe in." Severus replied, squeezing her hand. "It only matters what is true. I know it in my very soul that we are connected more deeply than anything I have ever experienced in my life. Whether this is what Sanguini believes in or some other phenomenon, it will not change how I feel about you, how I choose to feel about you. That is the only truth that I can confirm. But something tells me that the depth of its strength is something that Garbor will not be expecting."
"Ah, the two lovebirds have arrived and are still chirping away without a care in the world. How quaint." The voice that issued forth from the side of Garbor's mouth as he sucked in the taste of his cigar was surprisingly high, nearly nasal, though it also managed to hold a richness and power that even Erheldt would have been unable to match.
His arms were dark as though he'd spent years under the sun and he'd rolled up his sleeves to show off his well-defined biceps, which were covered in dark black tattoos from his backs of his hands and stretching up to his upper arms where they disappeared under his clothing, giving him an oddly muggle punk look even though he was still wearing dark burgundy robes. As Hermione looked closer, she realized with a surge of nausea that the black designs were moving across his skin. They were some sort of magical tattoo that she'd never seen before. Though his skin was tight and youthful, his hair was a shockingly bright white. It was cut short and stuck out from his scalp in tiny perfect spikes that made him appear as though he'd been electrocuted recently.
With her enhanced sight, she could tell that his eyes were an icy blue, and she shuddered as they alighted on her and swept over to Severus, who stood at her side like a tall shadow.
"I have fulfilled my end of the bargain by arriving by the appointed time with Hermione Granger, as per your instructions." Severus said stiffly, his wand out but pointed at the ground. "You must release Draco unharmed."
"Oh, you would like to think that, wouldn't you?" Garbor grinned, looking more like one of those deeply tanned surfer dudes from California than an ancient vampire with a mysterious grudge. His cold voice was at odds with his body language, but even so, both Hermione and Severus could feel the temperature around them drop as his power flared around them.
"Come on, then, girl. Let's see your fangs." It was not a request.
Hermione averted her eyes from him, but still, she felt her fangs loosen and retract without her conscious thought. Her mouth watered and she felt a strange haze fill her mind as she bared them at the ancient vampire. The air around him shimmered for a moment and then...he was suddenly inches away from Hermione, his fingers resting lightly under her chin and lifting her mouth to inspect her fangs as she desperately tried not to panic and flinch away from his touch.
"Very good. So she's fully Changed, then?" Garbor asked casually, as though asking about the weather, stroking her throat softly with his warm fingers. "I wonder, was she a good fuck, then? Did she squeal and writhe when you poured your seed into her? Did she beg you to implant an heir in her womb?"
Hermione turned scarlet even as her body pulsed with the memory of all that had transpired. It did not escape her notice how Severus inhaled sharply before he was able to regain control of himself.
"It is of no consequence what we do in private." Severus replied, his voice deadpan as he pulled Hermione closer to his side, away from the tattooed vampire's touch. "With all due respect, Dominus Garbor."
"Oh? So you do know my proper title! What a surprise, especially for one who has chosen to remain so disconnected from his heritage!" Garbor turned to face Severus and let out a booming laugh that was as cruel as it was jovial. "Severus is truly a rather fitting name for you, for you sever your ties with our traditions and abilities, only using them when they suit your ends. Why, it is as though you are not a true vampire at all, merely a mortal with a fondness for blood!"
"The Need is not a fondness, Dominus Garbor, as you well know." Severus replied through gritted teeth, his fangs slipping past his lips as his eyes went hard.
"Ah, yes, but then again, you haven't suffered the Need for a few days now, have you?" Garbor said sharply, his grin spreading like a gash across his face.
"I've fed, if that is what you are asking me." Severus replied, his voice as flat and emotionless as his eyes. Hermione could feel his shields slamming down around him, and she did her best not to show how much it hurt to feel cut off from so much of him.
Garbor's grin widened even further until he looked like a cartoonish impression of a human face smiling ear to ear. His nostrils flared as he sniffed twice, his eyes closed as he seemed to catch a scent that only he could smell.
"Ah, but you've only fed from your pretty little mate here." Garbor replied, his eyes snapping open again, the mania in those icy blue orbs finally reaching his voice. "Technicalities are a fun little game to play, but I must confess that I am far, far better at it than you can ever hope to be."
"We would like Draco back." Hermione finally found her voice as she stared fiercely at Garbor's black leather boots. "Unharmed, as Severus said."
"Oh, I am sure that you would like that!" Garbor replied with a sharp laugh. "But first...yes...but first, let's play another game!"
"I abhor games." Severus replied unamusedly. "Especially when it does not take the powers of a Seer to realize that any game you would want to play would be hopelessly rigged in your favor."
"True, true." Garbor replied, looking at the sharpened points of his fingernails, which were painted a glossy crimson that made them appear to be coated in blood. "But seeing as you have no other choice, I suppose that you will have to play anyway. The game is simple, actually. You must get to your little human student before I do. If you get there first, you shall have him, unharmed. But if I get there first…"
Garbor's form went hazy and he reappeared nearly instantaneously behind Draco, pulling the boy up by his hair. Hermione could see that Draco's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. There were ropes twisting around his body, fastening his arms to his sides.
"I do so hate such easy prey, but...an example is an example…" Garbor's fangs dropped from his lips lightning fast and he laid them lightly against Draco's neck without drawing blood.
"We understand what is at stake." Severus replied, eyeing them both cooly.
Garbor seemed somewhat disappointed in the lack of reaction he was receiving and dropped Draco abruptly as though forgetting about him altogether. The unconscious Slytherin student slammed against the root of the Whomping Willow, his chest moving slightly up and down as he breathed.
"You know," Hermione said thoughtfully, "It might be more fun if you added a bit of a challenge to it."
"Oh?" Garbor appeared next to Hermione, his body so close to hers that she instinctively backed up a step, which seemed to please him even more.
"Yeah, I mean, you'll still totally win, but...it might give you a bit more of a thrill." Hermione continued, glancing at Severus, who was giving her an irritated look that she knew was actually his worried look.
"What do you propose? Do tell me before I lose my patience." Garbor's fingers were curling around Hermione's hair as he moved to stand behind her.
"Why not race around a predetermined course in your bat-forms? Severus has only recently been able to transform, so he's nowhere near as coordinated as I am sure that you are. It would be a more traditional challenge and you'll be almost guaranteed to win, leaving you with not only the novelty of the race, but the enjoyment of knowing that you earned it instead of simply teleporting in a fraction of a second."
"Hmm...the girl is right, it does indeed sound like novel fun." Garbor said, more to himself than to anyone. "Very well, but a couple of rules. No wands. No cheating. And, to sweeten the pot, if I win, I get to take the girl as well. I mean, I was going to take her anyway once Erheldt finished carrying out his orders, but this way, it feels more like a real prize."
"What do you want with me anyway?" Hermione replied irritably, before she could use the good sense to stay quiet. "It's not like I'll want to go with you."
"Ah, but it is not you that I want." Garbor said, his hand sliding around the front of her and lightly tapping the tips of his fingernails against the fabric of her robes as Hermione gritted her teeth at his touch. "It is this."
Severus went very still, his hand still in Hermione's, but she could tell that he was fighting with himself, doing his best not to turn his wand on the ancient vampire who was touching his mated partner.
"You must be mistaken." Severus replied, his eyes looking somewhat frightened as he seemed to guess Garbor's meaning. "Vampires are sterile. They cannot reproduce the way that regular humans do."
"True, true." Garbor replied, clicking his tongue briskly. "But, there's this interesting phenomenon that happens from time to time. Very rare, in fact. And when it happens, a pair of vampires becomes a breeding pair, one that can do what all others cannot. They're drawn to one another. They can't help it."
"Breeding pair? What...are you saying?" Hermione asked slowly, realization finally dawning upon her.
"I'm saying that your little soul mate here has been filling you up with high-octane semen for, what, three, four days straight? I can smell it on you. Your womb must be filled to the brim with it. I am almost surprised that you don't make cartoonish sloshing noises when you walk." Garbor smiled rakishly, his fingernails pressing more painfully against her her abdomen. "But at least one of those tiny swimmers has made contact, of that I am certain."
"That's ridiculous!" Hermione snapped, color rising on her cheeks. "You can't know so soon. No one can."
"Ah, but I have what you might call a very specialized sense of smell. I can smell when a man is about to die. I can smell the true age of a mortal, give or take a year. I can also, as it happens, smell pregnancy as well." Garbor slowly walked around to face her and sniffed at Hermione's cheek before traveling down, sniffing at her belly and then lower until he reached the apex of her thighs. "You are, as they say, with child. Knocked up. Up the duff. Etcetera. It is a very special time, as I am sure you are aware. And your daughter shall be very special, more special than you shall ever know."
"How could you possibly know what the gender will be?" Severus finally said, his voice shaking ever so slightly.
Hermione merely stood there, her wand tucked back into her sleeve as she used her free hand to touch the flat expanse of her abdomen with disbelief. Even though she'd said she would gladly carry his child, the reality was a bit more shocking than she could properly handle.
"That is for me to know and for you never to find out." Garbor said cryptically. "Besides, it's almost time for you to lose horribly for my amusement."
"We shall set the rules by blood oath." Severus said flatly, his voice cracking slightly. "We shall both be bats, follow a predetermined course, no usage of magic allowed, no teleporting and no cheating. Whoever wins will be entitled to Draco in his current state and return home with Hermione."
"You took the words out of my mouth, Severus." Garbor replied with a smirk. "It is too bad that you shall never see your mate swell with your child. I hear that females become even more insatiable the closer they come to giving birth. But I suppose I shall be able to provide an alternate option when she is incoherent with a very different sort of need."
Hermione recoiled with disgust at Garbor's implication, but he merely smirked wider.
"Ah, does that upset you? Then perhaps I shall take her in full view while you are forced to watch helplessly once I have received her as my own to do as I wish. I'll just bend her over and slip inside of her and neither of you will have any say in the matter."
"Take. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Her. Now." Severus hissed, stepping in front of Hermione abruptly and raising his wand to Garbor's neck. "Head of the Council or not, you will not treat her in such a disgraceful manner. Especially if she is, as you stated so crassly, knocked up."
Hermione felt a prickle of not altogether unpleasant heat shoot through her body when she heard Severus say those words. Even in their dire situation, she still held out hope that they might somehow be able to escape and build a life together as she'd naively begun to hope would be the case after escaping Pansy and recruiting the Viper with a Deathstrike out on Severus as an ally.
She should have known that things would never be that easy.
"The course shall be lighted like so!" Garbor tossed up blinking fairy lights, which illuminated a space of sky that stretched out above the Black Lake and flew around back to where Draco lay, nearly face down now, on the grass.
With another unnervingly fast motion, Garbor changed into a reddish bat with mottled black markings on his wings that looked eerily like his tattoos, and he flapped towards the start line. Severus began to follow, his face growing pinched as he began to focus on the change.
WAIT! Hermione called out in his mind, and Severus stilled at once, his eyes darting to the side.
She pulled at her robes a bit and fiddled with the beaded handbag until she'd finally pulled out a tiny little flask of familiar golden liquid.
There isn't much left, but it is better than nothing. And no one said that potions were prohibited.
Hermione smiled hesitantly, waiting for Severus to react. His eyes shone slightly, and she could feel the rush of heady desire that filled him as he saw her standing there with a rather un-Gryffindor-like plan.
I would kiss you right this moment for your brilliance if it wouldn't also draw his attention to us.
Hermione's eyes went wide.
That's it!
She pulled the stopper, standing with her back to the starting line, and drew the Felix Felicis into her mouth. Then she looked up at him with a sly expression, sending the words into his mind.
Kiss me, my love, and do make it convincing.
The look he gave her burned with desire.
That shall not be a problem.
He drew her lips up against his, then, slowly siphoning the golden liquid into his own mouth, drinking it down quickly as he kissed her and tasted her, holding her tightly to his body as though he would never let go.
He drew back after what seemed like hours, their bodies crying out for more, and with a final squeeze of her hand and a determined look at the fluttering speck that was Garbor, who was squeaking and looking rather annoyed at their display of affection, he shifted into bat form almost seamlessly, taking to the air in moments and pumping his wings quickly to reach his opponent. The orb of light that hovered between the two bats turned from red to amber to green and then they were off, zooming down the lighted path in a race that looked almost silly as they swooped and squeaked, but was for higher stakes than Hermione wished to dwell upon. She could still taste the sweet flavor of Felix Felicis in her mouth and she swallowed slowly, hoping that a drop or two would give her just a little bit of luck as well. Her hands absently stroked her abdomen as she wondered if Garbor was actually being truthful, or if he was simply trying to unnerve her, throw her off guard. It was then that she wondered if they'd unintentionally doomed themselves by breaking physical contact, but she also knew that it was far too late to worry about that now.
Hermione was far too busy watching the action in the sky to notice that someone was creeping towards Draco's silent body; someone who cast a shadow that looked unnervingly like a wild-haired witch who'd been dead for more than a year.