OK readers, here's where I'm wanting to press forward in the story so I hope this doesn't go to slowly for you! Please click the button at the bottom and submit a review. Advice for what you want to hear about would be great. After Remus, Severus, Hermione and Liam work things out we'll get back to Harry, Ron, Voldemort and Grumple!
Chapter 24: Knights and QueensHermione woke up the next morning after an evening of celebrating. She'd finally enjoyed some serious quality time with her new 'family'. The Italian food was good, the conversation light and warm. She'd seen Severus smile more than he had in her memory. A natural face lift. It made him look younger. So handsome.
She had finally told Severus about her love for him and to her relief he managed not to bolt in horror. She imagined he was still afraid however, and as this was her first (and only) relationship, she'd have to be careful and cautious with his feelings, careful to give him enough space and learn how to confide in him. The last part would be difficult. Over the years she had grown too accustomed to keeping things to herself and if she wanted her… what to call him life partner? Husband? She'd work on that…If she wanted him to trust her, he was guarded and defensive by necessity, she would need to trust him and divulge things she ordinarily wouldn't.
Remus looked better than his usual scraggly exterior; she was certain the magic that freed him had resulted in his obvious health and vigor. Though a close friend to her through the years, Remus was as good as family now, they were bonded in a way. No, they were bonded, period. Liam had said as much to her about her mother and him after Leyna unmade him.
Liam was like an uncle of sorts. Over the years they had become very close. He was there when she needed him, at graduation, helped her to get and set up her first apartment, had been a shoulder to cry on as she cried out her lonely tears for Severus one particularly despondent birthday three years ago. He was a good listener, and as a result, she felt he hadn't always told her the whole truth, all of the beautiful and ugly things about the Clisha, and his role. But she felt there was a balance to things, a time and place for everything. Just like she timed when to tell Severus about her premonition she felt there would be a right time for Liam to tell her about his secrets. She noticed at dinner, he seemed a little distant as she talked freely with Remus. He was a fine chap, she heard Liam refer to Lupin. But there was something else there she couldn't put her finger on. She resolved to ask him about it. He was still in town.
For almost the first time in nearly seven years she slept. Easily. Well. Deeply. Soundly. She didn't wake up once, she was soothed by Severus' presence in their bed. They had a lot to talk about and she wanted to make use of their additional days he had off. She rolled over and faced a very awake man, staring at her hungrily. Breakfast and discussion would wait.
"Good morn…" he cut her banter off with a kiss. Talk is overrated.
I took the words right out of your mouth. Severus thought and smiled a bit breaking off the kiss. A whine from Hermione indicated she didn't wish him to stop there, reaching her arms behind his neck pulling him toward her. This time the kiss was longer, lingering… She wrapped her legs around his calves, a physical plea for additional contact. Her nightgown was thin, but in the way as he began kissing her face and neck in a series of kisses and nibbles which led to the taut peak of her nipples that showed through the transparent fabric.
"Aren't you sore?" He asked seriously. The activities of the previous evening were quite vigorous and lengthy.
"Not enough to encourage me to chose a different… activity," she said with a squeeze of his bum. Her fingers were quite low and Severus drew a sharp intake of breath at the rather aggressive contact.
"Would you like me to perform a healing spell?" Severus asked seriously. He feared any additional contact would honestly hurt her.
"I already did."
Really?
Really. She whispered seductively through their link and kissed him passionately. Each kiss deepened and their minds plummeted into deeper oblivion as they explored each other, bodies entwined, more slowly and sweetly than the previous evening. They treated each other with great and delicate care as they made love. They could hear each others thoughts echoing cries of delight with each pleasurable touch. The brutal honesty of it was electrifying as their bodies joined again. Their fiery climax no longer resulted in a burst of light, but the coupling still felt powerful. Severus was easily slipping into the newer gifts of telepathy, quite shocking to Hermione as she had struggled with it so long.
At 10 o'clock, she finally managed to drag herself into the kitchen to make some Tranquility- Energy-Wellness tea. She toasted some English muffins and brought out some honey and blackberry jam. Snape strode into the room with the full command of his surroundings. King of the castle. Maybe it was because he was already King of the Bedroom...God he was wild man. It looked like he was already making himself at home and she was glad of it.
"Good morning sweet," he purred with the gravelly voice of a still sleepy man.
"Sweet?" She looked at him with astonishment.
"Just trying it on for size. What, doesn't fit? All right then I'll try another…" He pursed his lips in thought as he crept around her back, kissing her neck slowly, massaging her shoulders. "How about… My Queen."
She tensed immediately. "I really don't like that."
He stopped the kneading and addressed her. "I'm sorry, why did it offend you so?"
She faced him and looked at the ground, searching for a relevant memory, "I don't know, I can't explain it. It just feels wrong." Hermione looked very serious and Snape understood this wasn't a minor issue.
"Alright, promise me you'll talk to me when you figure that one out?" He tipped her chin up, difficult for her to get used to, it made her feel too much like a little girl instead of the grown woman she was. He heard her comment and made a mental note not to do it as much.
"Promise." She kissed him, briefly at first, but things were so new it was hard for them to keep from drowning into a morning of lovemaking. "Severus. Stop. We. Need to… talk." He laughed and gave up. For now. He hadn't permitted himself to explore this in years and he was enjoying making up for lost time.
She sat across from him at the round claw foot table, hot tea in hand. "Any regrets?"
He face was shocked as he realized she was serious. He put down his tea immediately and took her left hand in his own. "Certainly not. Why would you say such a thing?"
"I feel like I've just been shot out of a cannon and I'm feeling a little apprehensive. I don't know what happens next."
"Is it really important for you to always know what happens?" Now he was sounding like Master Qian.
"No," she said a little frustrated. "It's just mom's diary has prepared me up to now. There are important things which need to be done and I don't know how to proceed. I mean, there's Grumple, and my job and your job and your mark is gone… and Harry still has to defeat Voldemort," she ticked off on her fingers. "There might be something we need to do to help him with that." She was rambling her thought in one long run on sentence. She finally stopped her tirade of worry and sighed. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm not so sure you'll be so eager to press on once we find out what we have to do." What did my mother do? She and Merlin were killed. Why were they in danger? She met him when she was 761, how did I wind up here?
He listened carefully, hearing and feeling her wariness. Her fear. "Maybe you should talk to Liam."
"I plan to. I need to ask him some things. And…the diary has changed from time to time over the years. It's like, it knows what information to provide at certain times. Maybe I should take a look at it now. I haven't read it since before we joined."
"That's a good idea." When all else fails, consult a book.
"Hey! I heard that." Her eyes were scolding him in a playful way.
'Sorry. I'm going to have to work on better Occlumency from my own…" Mercy. What to… "Hermione luv, let me give you some time. I need to run some errands." He clamed up and she could feel it. Before she could object, she agreed it was best and he kissed her before he disapparated.
Luv… I like that.
She walked into her bedroom and pulled her mother's diary off of the bedside table where she'd left it several days before. She cracked it open and skimmed the pages looking for answers. But what's the question? Liam.
She rubbed her pendant and Liam arrived at the flat 10 minutes later.
"I thought it was time we talked," the commanding Irishman said taking the words right out of her lips. Strange, he always had an Irish lilt but dark brown hair, brown eyes indicating more of a Middle Eastern decent. Striking man.
"Really, why is that?"
"You have that look about you. Your mother had that same look. Course she had it for different reasons." He casually poured himself a cup of tea.
"Liam, stop speaking so cryptically and be straight with me."
"It's overwhelming, she told me, waiting all of your life for one person and then suddenly getting your wish. We were friends of a sort for years before she met Merlin. I comforted her, and watched out for her. I honestly don't know what prevented me from attempting to turn her."
"You mean, you wanted to make her a vampire like you?"
"I knew better than that of course, she would've kicked my bloody arse. But the lure of a Clisha's blood is strong Hermione, you have no idea how seductive it can be. And we were close. She came to me after she joined, and when she freed me I'd never been so scared in my life. Being unmade was thrilling, I was so glad to be rid of that existence. I had long since lost my taste for it. Your mother at least had a guide. Her mother had raised her. But she had long since passed on and Leyna only had her visions to guide her after you were conceived. Merlin was murdered shortly after their joining and she fled."
"My father was murdered? And she fled? From what? How?"
"Merlin was betrayed by one of his own apprentices. Young, appeared trustworthy, poisoned him. Merlin had faith in the boy, and he was not accustomed to his new gifts yet enough to sense the danger in his own house. She used a time turner to come into the future to deliver you. She foresaw her own death and had to prepare for you to have parents and a safe life. She had a very dangerous life Hermione, always running. Too many people knew about the Leanhaum-shee back then. The vampires especially always sought her out. She didn't want that life for you. She feared if she were to deliver you back then, that you may not make it to your joining."
"So she conceived me hundreds of years ago, time turned to 1980 and delivered me, adopted me out to my parents and asked you to look after me?" Hermione summarized in disbelief.
"Yes."
Hermione was still in shock from that, Seven years hadn't changed the magnitude of that reality. "What happened to the boy?"
"I took care of that," He said with a finality which left no ambiguity. He drank his tea without a trace of regret.
Hermione read his expression, and he sensed it. He responded before she could call him out.
"I loved her. Always did. It was painful to see anyone hurt her. When Merlin died, you were the only thing that kept her going. She knew she had to protect you." His voice cracked on the words. She felt him look straight through her to her very soul. "You look very like her Hermione. I apologize for staring. It's remarkable."
"It must have been so difficult for you Liam, I'm so sorry." She reached for his hand and held it firmly.
"Don't be. She was as close to family as I could have ever gotten. She was a dear friend and like a sister to me. I was glad to look after you." A sharp intake of breath signified he was gathering himself. "Now. What next? Maybe you don't have as many hunters as your mother, but they are certainly there. Your challenge is to work through the Voldemort issue, while keeping your identity secret, and it won't be easy. I know you Hermione. You are so confident now you may slip into your old patterns of confiding in your friends. Do you honestly think you can keep most of these details to yourself and not tell Ron, Harry or Albus? Because of these threats and secrecy you need support. That's where Remus comes in. We need to train him."
Hermione started to feel a bit unsettled at that description. "Train him? For what?" God. You told him Hermione. You told him that he was free. Was he really?
"Hermione, you need to knight Remus." Her jaw went slack. "You are a Queen, and he must be knighted."
"I am not royalty for God's sake! I will not indenture him to servitude!" She blanched considerably, almost sick. She remembered Severus's words and her reply. And will Remus lead a life of service as well? …. Is that what you thought? That the broken spell binds the man in life of service to me? The life of service is to life. To mankind, to goodness. That's how a man redeems himself—in faithful service to his own ideals. She winced at remembering her choice of words. ...not uncommon for dark creatures to feel so grateful for their freedom…don't expect that will be much of a change for him… He's had to live such a solitary life. It will be nice for him to be free to do as he chooses, and do what's important to him.
"You've used the word 'Queen' more than once Liam, I have to say that makes me a little more than uncomfortable."
"Hermione, I know your strong sense of honor and loyalty. But you can't help what you are. The Clisha used to number in the thousands, all were strong powerful women. You are a Queen. They all were. Just because you are a powerful woman won't make you a tyrant. You are a born leader. You must lead."
She gave a disgusted look of … fear. For she was afraid, she finally felt free of Lucius' stalking, more able to defend herself against the likes of Grumple, perhaps finally able to get out of her unnatural sequestered lifestyle. The last thing she wanted was more responsibility stuffing her back in the cage.
"I'm twenty three Liam. My mother was hundreds of years old when she joined. She was a powerful witch. How am I ever going to get there?" Liam felt her doubting herself and Hermione's face grew long and worried.
"Remember you got your magical abilities from your father. Your mother was a Clisha, not a witch. She was powerful even without magic. But she only truly reached her height of power until she took her mate. You are joined now Hermione. Age wasn't responsible for making your mother more powerful and your youth does not make you weak. All of the waves of energy you experienced over the years was just a indication that you were coming of age. Leyna went through the same process.
"You were supposed to be born hundreds of years ago. If you were born then or in 1980, you would have still chosen Severus. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Don't doubt that. You are very powerful, more than most of the Clisha. Because you are the last, you have most of their abilities."
She shook her head as she imagined what abilities those would be, she was scarcely taking it in. Why hadn't they had this conversation before?
"What do we do first?"
"Remus must be knighted and trained, Hermione. That's the first order of business."
She was silent, her face stubborn stone.
"You may not like it, but that's what we are here for. You need someone who knows you to watch your back. And believe me, as I've already done this once, I know you won't want to put Severus in the line of fire. Leyna wanted to protect her husband this way also. I'll give you a piece of advice though—don't keep him from this duty. In the old ways, a Clisha chose a vampire or werewolf for a mate and they became both partner and knight. Severus both as your partner and as your protector will feel this responsibility doubly so. It is wrong I think, a mistake for you to refuse his assistance by vainly attempting to hold him back. He doesn't seem to be a man who'd respond well to that intervention."
She snorted. "You got that right."
"Severus lived a long while as a spy, don't forget now, and already he's making a lot of changes. Be patient with him. Everyone glorified Merlin to almost godlike status. But he was just a man, Hermione. A powerful wizard yes, but he had his skeletons. You may have chosen a wizard, but all Clisha are attracted to dark men. Merlin was extremely complicated, a hard man to get to know, shrewd and deceptive, liked playing mind games." She realized as he spoke that her father's description could easily apply to Severus.
"So how did my mom convince him?"
"Leyna could neutralize anyone with a look. Merlin didn't stand a chance against your mother's brains. Merlin thought he was sly, but he was a simpleton next to your mother, the Queen Cheshire cat. He couldn't play her."
She smiled. Hermione had worked hard to express her desires secretly through the outlet of anonymous packages she sent Severus over the years. While she felt she couldn't be totally open with him back then, she could be a little sneaky. She wondered what Leyna had done to capture her father's eye.
"Severus still has his past to contend with, as did I. I'm sure there are painful things he may never forgive himself for. That kind of pain makes it difficult for him to get close to someone. Love makes those sins all too real. What's more, it would kill him if something happened to you. You are both in danger and you need protection. Don't refuse it."
"I guess it couldn't hurt to have a knight." I hope he'll want the job. What will Remus think?
"Don't forget. Now you have three."
Liam let the air hang. Hermione smiled finally, an acceptance of sorts.
"We have a lot to do. Can you take some days off of work so we can take care of things?" Liam proposed.
Hermione made a grim face. Fudge may likely still try to rope her into a trial. She really wanted to keep and eye on things at the Ministry. "I think so. I brewed plenty of good potions for distribution to the Aurors. I'll owl my director."
She whipped out a quill and parchment and her own well known owl.
Dear Meg,
I need to take a few days off to take care of some family matters. I can return to work next Monday. Is that alright with you? If you have a potions emergency, an owl sent to Remus Lupin will find me.
Many thanks,
HG
She felt nervous putting anyone's name in writing associated with her. But Meg was discreet. She knew what was at stake. "Go on Spanky, be careful now. To Meg okay? To the Ministry. No stops!" And she opened her window to let him fly free.
Remus apparated into the den. Wards had already been changed to permit additional visitors. "You needed to see me?" Hermione looked down at her pendant, she had been continually rubbing it in worry without noticing. She looked up at him apologetically and then at Liam.
"Your mom used to do that to me all the time," he said addressing Hermione. Then Liam turned to answer his question. "Yes she does, Remus. Let me let you two catch up. I'll be here if you need me, Hermione." He picked up his coat, kissed her cheek and left. Hermione realized upon seeing his back that she didn't get a chance to ask him what he'd been bothering him at dinner the night before.
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Author's Notes:
Thanks to all the reviewers!
leloupblanc ~ Thanks! And keep reading! Hermione is too cool. Wait til you read the next chapter…. (hints about Imperial College experiences).
Chibidaima ~ Thank you very much…more to come.
PainfulLove ~ No, not Chinese, but my husband is. Research on-line rocks! More about the school of meditation next chapter!
Auriana ~ Thank you for such flowery complements! J I actually do plan to begin to write original works. I hope that it will include the character Hermione is in (the details of the Clisha have been written in my mind for 15 years!)
Thanks also for anonymous reviewers too… your feedback encourages me to keep writing!