Part 19 – UNEXPECTED LEGILIMENCY. TWICE.
or, as the sky changes its hue,
As Hermione choked and spat out some drops of Snape's seed, she felt herself revolving around the room. It made her think about a basin of water slowly emptying itself. She closed her eyes, and when it was over she saw she was in an unknown place.
Someone moaned behind her, and she jumped.
Snape was standing against the wall, nursing his wrists. He was very pale. When he saw her looking at him, he quickly readjusted his trousers and she blushed.
«What are you doing here?» she said, trying to hide her embarassment.
«Since we are back at Hogwarts, you should call me sir».
«I'm sorry, sir,» she stammered, «But you – you said the spell would work only for me.»
«Disappointed, aren't you?» he drawled, moving towards a cabinet.
«Of course not!» she said quickly. «It's just –»
«It seems to me that you are a very naughty girl, Miss Granger.»
He took out a jar and turned to look straight at her.
«If I am here, it is because you had already imagined to do exactly what you have just done.»
Hermione blushed scarlet. She had never thought that someone would find out about that. She remembered his note on her pillow, and what she had done that night...it seemed like years ago.
«Which is very flattering for me, but slightly sick on your part,» he continued, opening the jar.
Hermione felt indeed sick. She was feeling so horrible about everything. Shacklebolt was dead, or worse than that, and moments later she had smiled with her teacher's sex in her mouth. She still had the taste of his seed on her tongue, and she thought she would vomit.
And on top of it all, Snape now knew about her secret fantasies. She didn't dare to look at him, but she felt his eyes on her. And then she heard him gasp.
She raised her head, and saw her reflection in the window.
Her hair were chestnut again.
Snape put the jar on his desk with a sharp noise.
Of course, he thought, moving towards the rug.
«Professor Snape-»
«Not now, Miss Granger!» he barked, as he limped through the room.
One minute later he had disappeared in a bunch of green flames, and Hermione collapsed against the foot of the bed, closing her eyes.
You are back to Hogwarts, she said firmly to herself. Everything else has no importance whatsoever. You are safe.
But her brain refused to be shushed, and one moment later, Hermione understood.
Sex with him had changed her back to normal. And sex must have had other consequences, if he had stormed out of the room in that way.
All of a sudden, she felt angry and used. He had known this from the beginning. Professor McGonagall as well, judging by the look on her face after her meeting with Dumbledore. She wondered if he hadn't danced with her at Christams just to annoy his law-abiding colleague.
But wait a moment. That meant-
Oh god. Everybody was going to know that she had had sex with him.
Relax. Breathe. It had been to save her skin, hadn't it? Nobody would have accused her to have sook out Snape for her personal entertainment.
But he had been saved too. They will know that I had fantasies about that.
She had to get out of his rooms. She really wanted to take a shower and to wash her teeth.
She got up and went to the door, but it was closed. She tried the Floo network, but it wouldn't work. She stared at the green flames, angry tears coming down her cheeks. He had imprisoned her there – well, if he needed something else to humiliate her completely, that was it.
«Severus! What happened? Where is Hermione?»
«Never mind that now! Where is the book?»
Albus Dumbledore looked at Snape. His Potions Master was pale and bleeding, but he had a triumphant look on his face.
«Severus, where is Hermione?»
«Give me the book!»
The attack was quick and unexpected. Snape felt his mental barriers fall, and he gripped the desk in front of him, forcing the Headmaster out of his mind. By the time he suceeded, Dumbledore had found all the informations he was looking for.
«Very well,» said Dumbledore, surveying the panting man. «I have been checking on it, Severus. And I do believe that some of it will help us to defeat Voldemort.»
Snape blinked.
«I have called for a meeting of the Order at sunset, and I do have pressing matters to attend till that time. Would you be so kind as to accompany Miss Granger to the Hospital wing?»
Snape was still looking at him silently. The blood impregnating his black robes was dropping to the floor.
«Severus.»
«Yes, Headmaster.»
«I will give it back to you this evening. You know I need your help to decipher it,» added Dumbledore kindly.
Snape nodded and turned, limping back into the fire.
When he stepped out of the rug in his personal chambers, he found Hermione furiously staring at him.
«You knew!» she spat. «You knew all this time!»
«I knew what, Miss Granger?»
«The book! Me – blonde! And how- how to-»
Snape looked at her, trying to remember why he had become a teacher in the first place.
«Of course I knew,» he said slowly.
«Why didn't you tell me?»
He walked towards her, a hand over his injured leg. When his face was at one inch from hers, he stopped. To her merit, she hadn't moved.
«I – won't – be – spoken – to – like – that,» he hissed.
Hermione lowered her eyes and took a step back.
«My apologies, sir. But I want to know-» she murmured, blushing.
«The Headmaster didn't think it suitable.»
Hermione glared at him.
«Although, if I had known that you would have enjoyed it as much as you did, I would have suggested it earlier, Headmaster or not,» he added venomously.
Hermione blushed angrily.
«Now go away. Hospital wing.»
«I-I tried to get out of here, but everything was blocked,» she explained, feeling completely humiliated.
«Security measures.»
Hermione looked at him. He was standing with his arms spread, his back to her, and a little dagger was flying around him, cutting his clothes off.
Transfixed, she stood there observing him. The muscles on his back were well-defined, and on his pale skin the wounds of a whip were clearly visible. There were other marks, too – burnings and blackish signs.
«Miss Granger,» he said, and she started, «may I ask what you are still doing here?»
«You're wounded.»
«Thank you for telling me. I hadn't noticed,» he said dryly.
He turned to face her, and she gasped. A deep wound ran across his chest, blood dropping slowly on his pants and to the floor.
All of a sudden, it was too much. The dungeons, Kingsley's torture, the sleepless night, what she had done to Snape, his body covered in blood...she started to cry.
«Miss Granger,» he said, but she turned away from him, covering her face with her hands.
«Act your age, please. What's your problem now?» he asked impatiently.
She pressed her hands on her eyes and she tried to restrain her tears.
«It's all so horrible. I feel so dirty. I didn't know it was going to feel like this, afterwards,» she mumbled, looking at the wall.
«Well, at least there is something you don't know,» he said, as to himself, stopping the knife as it was starting enthusiastically to attack his trousers.
«This thing in my mouth is so awful. I feel horrible,» she whispered.
«Why should it be awful?» he asked, bewildered. «Human seed is used in the preparation of some very powerful potions.»
Hermione didn't speak, but her eyes, shining with tears, were so wide and sad that he felt her answer pouring into his mind.
For me it means only that you are done with me. That you can throw me out.
He continued to look at her, oblivious of the dagger in his hand, as more of her thoughts went out to him.
You- You there, so peaceful and relieved – tending to your wounds, without a single care in the world.
I'm just – just useless and alone.
I'm a whore.
Snape felt the words leave his mouth but was barely aware of having spoken them.
«You're not. For a decent man, this is the moment he loves you most,» he said softly, and she blinked, startled.
A/N In case there is someone out there not leading the dangerous life I lead ;), if you've managed to end up with large, open wounds or serious burning you cannot simply take off your clothes, since they stick to your skin and eventually take it off with them. That's why Snape is cutting through them. And, I just love to see him with silver daggers in his hands...sigh...
