Authors Note: Sorry that this chapter is late. For some reason, I couldn't seem to log on to the site. Oh, and if certain words are strung together, I apologize, but the site isn't uploading chapters correctly now. Go figure.
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Poison
The werewolves refused Voldemort's offer outright, and an hour later, Emily found herself in an all-too-familiar situation: prostrate at the feet of a furious Lucius Malfoy, readying herself for the inevitable 'discipline' that was to come. But, to her great surprise, as she waited, every nerve tensed in anticipation of agony, he turned on his heel and stalked to the hearth instead.
A handful of floo powder preceded his call for Severus, and she cringed, knowing that he had some new wickedness in mind. When the tall, dark wizard entered, he was wearing his typically cold, bored expression. It shifted instantly when he spotted Emily on the floor behind Lucius. He was afraid, that much she read in his eyes, in the instant his guard fell. The mask of indifference was back in place before she could take a second glance, though, leaving her to wonder if she had only been imagining his concern.
Lucius, for his part, circled behind her sprawled form and conjured a chair and a glass of wine before finally speaking.
"Severus, this woman has disobeyed a direct order to mate with the creatures of Dering Woods and in doing so has ruined any chance of alliance." he said carefully, sliding into the seat.
Severus waited a moment before prompting, "And, why have you interrupted my work?"
"I have had an immensely trying day and find myself too exhausted to discipline her. As I am familiar with your gift for causing pain, I shall allow the task to fall to you, instead."
Her heart began to race. 'This is going to be bad', she thought, barely stifling a panicked laugh.
"You wish for me to punish her?" Severus asked, seeming only to need clarification of his task. But Emily knew well that slight waver in his tone and it sent a great surge of warmth flooding through her. For Severus, it was damn near representative of a state of panic.
He didn't want to hurt her.
She smiled softly, hiding her face in the crook of her arm. Maybe there was still something there.
Apparently, there was a silent exchange between the two of them, not unusual, for the soft steps of Severus approached her without further discussion, and she heard the soft sound of an unsheathed wand. A moment later, he spoke the words that sent her world erupting into blistering agony.
It continued for a long, long while, the unrelenting suffering, but even as she screamed, the part of her mind which remained coherent realized that this was not even close to being as intense as the pain that Lucius Malfoy could cause. And, as Severus was just as powerful a wizard, possibly more so, she had to conclude that he was holding back for her sake. Silently, she rebuked him. Holding back was dangerous, very dangerous indeed.
Unfortunately, having become accustomed to the gut-wrenching pain, it was a long while before oblivion claimed her. Even then, she was not allowed to rest, but was immediately revived.
When she opened her eyes, she was staring at Snape's kneeson the stone floor in front of her face. Lifting her gaze, she watched in horror as Lucius, his hand tangled in long, black hair, forced his head back, exposing his throat, drawing his gaze to him. Snape's hands were empty, meaning that Lucius had disarmed him... not a good sign.
"What was that pathetic display supposed to prove?" Lucius growled in his face. "Do you think me a fool? Do you think that I can't see the truth? Weak! Pathetic! Useless, the both of you!"
He released him, then, allowing him to rise to his feet and shake his robes and hair into place.
"Damn you, Severus! You've rendered the girl's greatest weapon utterly worthless! She feels she's far too noble to use her body to our advantage, preferring to save herself for a man who will never love her. That ends tonight.
"You are going to take her, Severus, and you will continue taking her, until she no longer reeks of innocence and virtue. And, if you are not man enough to fuck the girl," he added, being intentionally nasty, "then I will."
Emily gazed at the silent group whose attention was riveted solely on her and smiled. "I never would have believed it, not if Sev himself had confessed it to me. But, I was there to bear witness when Severus, the most dignified man I know, twisted his mouth into a snarl and spat directly into Malfoy's face. I needn't tell you, I was in absolute shock! So was Malfoy. That, at least, gave me a moment to applaud Sev's response."
"And, what was that?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide with fascination.
Emily winked at the girl, knowing a childhoodcrush when she saw it. "He told Lucius that he had no idea what it meant to be a man, and likely never would. I had just one moment to revel in the sweetness of it all beforehe retaliated."
"What did he do?" Ron asked, his face wide open in awe.
"He petrified us, set us ablaze, and sat back to listen to us scream as we burned to death," came the cold response from the doorway.
Before anyone could even register their shock, Emily was around the table with her arms thrown about Snape's neck. And even as he simply allowed the embrace, not returning it, she gushed into his shoulder. "I was so worried! Where were you?!"
"I shall inform you of that when we return home," he returned tightly, gentlypushing her away, but retaining a tight grip on her arm. "Headmaster," he greeted shortly, ignoring the rest of the room.
"Wait a moment! How did you escape?" Harry called out as Severus fairly dragged her through the door.
"I'll tell you later!" she returned before the door swung closed.
Two minutes later, they arrived in the sitting room where Severus promptly collapsed into a chair and dismissed her to her rooms. It was the first time she'd been given a chance to really study him, and was disconcerted to see that he was paler even than usual, his mouth set in a grim line and his eyes haunted, nearly hidden in the shadow of a deep scowl.
Slowly, she knelt in front of him and brought his rigid, shaking hand to her cheek.
"Severus, what's happened?"
He sighed heavily, still glaring into the distance. "Not now. I told you to go."
"And I'm not leaving," she snapped lightly. "What do you know about that? I must be Emily," she added sarcastically.
He closed his eyeswearily,and the skin around his jaw twitched as he ground his teeth.
"Not even a smirk?" she said lightly. "We are surly tonight." Emily smiled wickedly as her free hand wandered languidly up his thigh. "I'll bet I have something that can remedy that."
He was on his feet in an instant, nearly knocking her aside in his haste to get away.
She followed, but very cautiously. This was more than just a foul mood. Something was very wrong. Severus' control never reached such a tenuous point. That was why people feared him so.
Though I think I fear him a great deal more in this state, she thought nervously.
It was impossible to fail to notice that he was breathing rapidly and trying to hide the fact, sucking in shallow little gasps of air.
"We will discuss this in the morning," he said tightly, black eyes glittering dangerously in the firelight. "I am in no fit state for a civilized conversation. Now, go."
She took a tiny, tentative step forward, trying to refrain from startling him. The warning in his eyes gave way to something that, in any other man, would've been fear. But, there wasn't much that Severus feared; he certainly did not fear her.
"No," she replied quietly, bringing a hand to his face to brush away a stray hair. "I will not leave you alone, not like this. If you don't care to talk, then don't, but I'm staying."
With a sweet smile, she brought her lips to his in a tender kiss, meant only to calm him, but the change it wrought in him was terrifying as, suddenly, something seemed to release within Severus. In an instant, her gentle gesture of affection became a furious joining of his mouth with hers as he pushed his tongue between her lips, tangled powerful hands in her hair and yanked her head back, baring her throat. She whimpered when he brought his teeth to the delicate column, but he didn't tear at it as she almost feared he would. Still, the combination of sharp bites and kisses left her body quivering as she gasped for breath.
She was afraid, more afraid than she'd ever been of him when he spun them around, crushed her back against the wall and lifted her skirt. In a few quick, violent motions, his straining erection was freed and she was bare beneath the rich fabric of her robes. She hadn't a moment to even gasp before, in a ferocious shove of hips and hands, she was lifted, pinned to the stone, and impaled.
It was as breathtaking as it was horrifying: the pain, the sweet sting of his body joined so fiercely with her own and he gave her not a moment to acclimate before he began to drive into her, scraping her back against the stone in a brutal rhythm.Cries of protest were muffled as his mouth came to hers in a savage gesture hardly akin to a kiss. Mercilessly, his body continued its assault on hers, ridding itself, without his conscious consent it would seem, of some terrible inner demon that had somehow consumed him and hands, as tight and sharp as claws, tore at her thighs.
Far sooner than she would've expected, he shuddered, then froze, his head thrown back in a choked cry as he poured his rage into her body.
There was a long silence as he tried in vain to catch his breath and calm himself, but it availed him little. As if in surrender, his head fell, raining black silk onto her shoulder, and with a tiny sob he began to whisper her name - tenderly, so tenderly that, even after such violence, she stroked his hair and feathered kisses on his head.
"It's alright," she soothed. "It's alright, love."
It was all she could think to say, bewildered as she was by his actions.
"No," he moaned into her hair. "It isn't."
After a time, he lifted her gently, swept her into his arms, and carried her to his chambers where he sank into bed beside her andcradled her aching bodylike an infant.
For a long while he watched her in silence, running tender fingers through her hair, an unuttered plea for forgiveness in his eyes. She didn't bother to tell him that remorse was unnecessary, that once she'd recovered from the initial shock and fear, she'd quite enjoyed the breathless, furious abandon with which he'd taken her. He was too deeply buried in his own guilt, though, to even hear her, so she merely smiled. Reverently, she whispered her desperate love for him as his head sank to her shoulder and, at long last, he surrendered to exhaustion and drifted off into the forgiving oblivion of sleep.
Emily didn't question him when he woke the next morning, merely waited patiently as he yawned and stretched and stared in brooding, contemplative silence at the canopy high above. At long last, he turned and fixed her with a solemn gaze.
"I hurt you," he began quietly.
"No," she countered softly. "No. You didn't. You shared your pain with me. That's what I wanted." She smiled into his disbelieving scowl. "But, I do hope at some point you'll tell me where you were and what wounded you so deeply."
His gaze wandered for a long while, assimilating her words. Then, finally, "I was with Isabelle."
That struck a chord.
Emily's heart constricted painfully in her chest, then relaxed. Severus was a terribly dark soul, but an honorable one, nonetheless - even ifthathonorwas unintentional and unwelcome. Be patient, she counseled herself. Listen.
He watched her carefully, gauging her reaction, perhaps testing her foresworn trust. When he finally spoke again, he did so haltingly.
"She and I had... a rapport, of sorts, on the most basic of levels and I... felt that I should explain to her why I would not be returning."
"Thank you."
"Not yet, Emily," he continued sadly, silencing her at once. "Someone had been there before me - an hour before, perhaps less."
"Oh, Sev," Emily breathed, knowing what was coming.
"She wasn't dead yet," he continued, his voice carefully toneless, "merely suffering. She bore no visible wounds, so I tested her for various magical injuries and discovered that she'd been poisoned... fatally."
Emily shook her head, unable to accept it. "How did you know that?"
"Because I know the poison," he returned bitterly.
"It was yours," she finished for him.
He nodded wearily. "Slow-acting. Progressively painful. Inexorably lethal - only certain high-ranking Death Eaters and I have access to it."
"So, you stayed with her."
He nodded. "She had some personal matters she wished to sort out with her... remaining time. And, of course, she didn't wish to be alone." He rubbed his temples with a small groan. "I did what I could, which wasn't much. And, when it became too much for her to bear..."
He stopped. Sighed. Fell silent.
"You ended it," Emily whispered.
His eyes shut tightly against the sound of it, and for a time, Emily was as still as he.
The room lightened with the growing dawn and soon she sat up to feather kisses across his brow.
"You're a good man, Severus."
"Then, why do I feel likea fiend?"
She placed a soft, warm kiss on his mouth. "Because you're a good man," she whispered.
He didn't smile. She didn't expect it. But, his face did lose a bit of the tension between his brows. Slowly, he brought a hand to her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb.
"A careless man could easily find himself hopelessly in love with you, Emily Grey."
She smiled down at him. "Then it's a pity you're not a careless man."
"Am I not?" he questioned softly, drawing her mouth to his for a tender kiss that kept them in bed until the sun had climbed high into the sky.
Quietude: I miss you! It's awfully quiet around here.
Oya: It's okay. Sev's back - whole and healthy. No worries.
Elessar Evenstar: Wow, thanks! I appreciate your enthusiasm. It's words like those that keep me writing. Harry and his gang, with the noted exception of Hermione (occasionally), are not my idea of great people. I am less than fond of them and I'm afraid that does rather bleed through in my writing. Glad that doesn't offend you. Frankly, I can't believe I've forgiven Lupin forhis lack of balls where his friends were concerned enough to write of him in such a favorable way... but I have.
Sev lover: A good theory. He just might have been jealous. Sev is back. Don't get upset.
Sesshomaru's Angel: Remus Lupin is pretty fine. I agree. He doesn't hold a candle, in my humble opinion, to Severus or Lucius... but then I've always gone for bad guys... when I go for guys at all. As you and I share a love for werewolves, please note that I made even the feral ones quite a bit more honorable than your basic bad guy. That was kinda fun for me.
Silverthreads: The chapter did move fairly quickly. That's true. I think this one raced by as well, but I should post the next one right after Thanksgiving. Glad you're enjoying it.
born2act05: Thanks. Did you mean for there to be a link in your review because nothing showed up? I'm always interested in new sites, so if you don't mind, could you please try it again?
Darklit Snapefan: Whoa! Two in the morning? Get some sleep! Still, I'm flattered I made you splutter. Yay me! I update fairly often, so don't be a stranger.
Intel Ewok: You like Emily even more? Quick, tell me why. I have to know! It's okay about the werewolves. As you've undoubtedly discovered now, it was just a flashback within Emily's storytelling. I wanted to do it this way because she would have, no doubt, censored a few aspects (children in the room and all) but I wanted the readers to get the whole story. Cheers!
Lady Jenilyn: Thank you forcaring. I am indeed over that dreadful flu and now have only a minor cough and a sultry, sexy voice left over. Unfortunately, the latter will, no doubt, fade and my usual, sticky-sweet voice will be returned to me. That's exactly how I wanted to portray the twins, and doing their customary back and forth dialog was just irresistible. I've often had issues with the Weasley family in general, but one of my pet peeves has always been the way Molly seems to idolize Harry even over her own children. But, the thing that really pisses me off is the way she treats Fred and George. It's a wonder either of them have any self-esteem at all the way she's constantly belittling them. In other news, I am eagerly awaiting your e-mail and the Springeresque stories. It's always nice (how selfish is this) to hear that other families are just as screwed up as mine... sometimes even more so. I am working until midnight tomorrow, so I will be literally on the pallet of POA when it hits the floor, just as I rode the OOTP book pallet to the stationary department. Yeah, baby, YEAH!!! WHOO!!! Severus is coming home with mama... again.