Chapter 123: The Torture For The Damned

{A/N: Here's Another Long Awaited Update...Lost my concentration for a while...}

My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.

The Grounds, Hogwarts Castle, Scotland, Wizarding World...

Irma Pince could feel the omen upon the wind as she awaited the outcome of her unwanted son's arrival. The clouds swelled in the sky above and even the castle seemed to be on edge. She caught sight of him, in the distance knowing full well what he'd been after. Her attempt on his life and the subsequent reversal had failed and he'd been seeking vengance as a result of it. The barren courtyard had been an ideal place for a standoff as she readied her wand in an attempt to fend off her son's soon to be arriving onslaught. Unfortunately for her, her brazen attacks had saw to the fact that he'd no longer be holding back as he began to give in to his rage and hatred for the woman that had purposely ruined his life in more ways than one.

Obsidian eyes blazing with fury fixated upon the aged harpy that had been the ailing Professor's so called "mother" with a seemingly unending hatred as he sent forth wave after wave of wandless magic effectively levitating her into the air and catching her off guard. Irma struggled some in the gust of her son's magical grip and attempted to ready counter curses as a result of swift movements on her part but they were to no avail, Snape blocked them all reading her mind effectively and shutting her out of his as his rage continued to intensify. There would be no escape for her this time around, she had gone too far in her attempts to make his existance even more unbareable than it already had been. He could deal with the attacks on himself and his person from her vicious standpoint but there was nothing to justify her very nearly bringing his young wife and children to harm.

Snape leapt into the center of the courtyard causing the ground to crack and rumble as he moved. Irma continued to struggle as the wandless magic gripped her about the waist and pulled her forward. The enraged Potions Professor had no intention of incuring casualties as he ensured none would be able to aid her this time around. The combination of rage and the surfacing impact of his magical aura had seemingly bonded together causing a faint glow to engulf the dour wizard and he found himself showing off his more than skillful ablities. As Snape stood seething and wandlessly letting his magic flow to the point of dangling his own dear mother in the air via her throat, she struggled still, her face as ghastly pale as his own and her eyes buldging in the wake of the pressure.

He had been quite dead set on making the old crone pay for her insolence and he had the means to do so, despite what others wished to believe about him.

The sheer volume of his magical strength had exceeded even the despot's wildest expectations, a possible side effect of being born of pure blood from two of the most ancient and powerful lieniages. To say that he wasn't enjoying every moment of the sheer force as well as his mother's anguish would have been a lie.

Snape was beginning to enjoy it more so than he had the fall of the despot and the subsequent murder of Tobias Snape.

Tighter still his magic gripped the old woman whom had been fool enough to challenge him and still he relished it after all her attempts to destroy him and all he held dear.

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The Granger Residence, London, England, Muggle World...

Hermione had returned from her brief visit with her children at Malfoy Manor to find that her ailing husband had been gone, She frantically searched the house for him fearful of what would become of him in his current condition. When she stumbled upon her father, her eyes narrowed and the threat of hexing him came to mind as she tried to figure out what occured in her absence. John had been just as clueless as she had been, when it came to Snape's whereabouts and assured her that he had been done doing the bidding of the wizard's vile mother and then some. The pain he had caused his own daughter in the wake of his previous actions had been far too great to continue with any agenda to keep them apart.

"Herms." said John noting the tears that began to stream down his daughter's cheeks as she stood with her arms folded across her chest and her gaze harsh as she looked upon him.

"You'd better not have had anything to do with this." she said in a rather dangerous tone.

"I swear to you Hermione, I did nothing this time around." replied John.

Hermione had given no indication that she believed him, due to his past manipulations.

She only hoped that it wasn't to late to catch up to Severus as her mind had left the possiblity of her father's involvment and focused right at the source of all their anguish these recent years. If John had not assisted Irma in trying to further bring harm to her husband, than her husband must have taken it upon himself to punish Irma severely. The revelation that he'd been under the imperious curse had been rather startling for him and the implication of what harm he could have caused her and the children while not being fully in control of his mind and body had seemingly terrified him.

Snape had spent years surpressing his instincts and memories of certian events, which included his time as a death eater in the despot Voldemort's employ.

He had not said much about his time being streched between two worlds but Hermione deduced it had a profound effect on him that he had largely put behind him until this mother's incessant meddling.

Making up her mind to seek out Irma, Hermione decided that, that was indeed here her ailing wizard husband had gone and she hoped to stop him before more bloodshed occured.

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The Courtyard, Hogwarts Grounds, Scotland, Wizarding World...

The titian grip Severus Snape's wandless magic held upon his agonized mother had not let up as his more perverse thoughts began to take hold. Torment of any kind being revisited upon the old woman whom had made his life a living hell ever since his conception had been all too enjoyable for the dour wizard as an arrogant smirk filed across his sallow pale face. His eyes blazed with glee as she continued to struggle losing her air supply while her complexion changed via the dying of many cells. For all her talk and all her might beforehand, she had been no match for her newly awakened pureblood son.

"How does it feel?" growled Snape his eyes even more giddy as he continued to become drunk on power. "How does it feel to be powerless to the whims of another...you wanted so badly to make me into the monster you claimed my father to have been and I suppose now you have your wish."

Irma continued to struggle as she found her arms dropping in the wake of the pressure on her throat.

This seemed to delight Snape all the more as her body slowly weakened in the wake of his might.

"You wanted so badly for me to be capable of killing you." he continued relishing in his minor victory over his latest tormentor. "I feel it is time that I oblige you."

"SEVERUS DON'T!" came the voice of Hermione Granger-Snape behind him.

A low growl escaped the power drunk wizard as he glared in his young wife's direction.

"Not now love, I've got pressing business to attend to." he replied in annoyance.

"Severus, don't do this..." urged Hermione not at all sypathetic about Irma's plight but for that of her ailing husband's.

She knew that if he had done the unthinkable he would never forgive himself nor would he be the same.

"I said LEAVE ME ALONE WOMAN!" hissed Snape half distracted via his wife.

"Killing her won't undo the harm she's cause you or our family." reasoned Hermione. "Please, Severus let her go...she's not worth a lifetime of anguish no matter how much she's done."

Snape glared at Irma, murderous in his intent and still with the magical grip on her throat. She'd been fading fast and barely had the strength to keep her eyes open.

"Consider yourself fortunate that my wife has a heart." he growled before releasing her and letting her fall to the ground.

Hermione let out a sigh of relief, although she made no move to cushion the older witch's fall.

Snape kept his back to them as the rage continued to rediate off his person. Before Hermione could approach him, he'd been gone in a rumble of thunder.

The Gryffindor witch sighed pleased he had been of the mind to listen to her counsel and turned her attention to the now gasping Irma.

As the older witch rolled onto her back and took in her surroundings, she noted the weakness in her limbs subsiding as she met Hermione's rather stern gaze.

"H-He nearly killed me." said Irma gasping. "That's the monster you chose to bind with Granger girl...never forget that."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Severus is no monster, which is more than I can say for you." she replied indefense of her lover.

Irma set about ignoring her as she checked her person making sure she had been all in one piece, a startling conclusion had been made in the process.

"He's taken it!" said Irma both upset and enraged all at once. "THAT BLOODY FOOL HAS TAKEN THE RING!"

Hermione looked upon her so called "mother-in-law" with an arched brow.

"What do you mean?" she asked inquisatively.

"SEVERUS HAS TAKEN MY FAMILY RING!" shouted Irma scrambling to her feet and launching into the sky after the now long absent wizard.

Hermione had been utterly confused for a few moments before she too came to the same conclusion as the older witch.

"Abraxas." she said before taking off in a resounding clap of thunder as well.