Chapter Sixteen - Flooding

A/N - Finally, another chapter. Sorry for the wait. Really shouldn't have kept my faithful readerrs hanging right after the last chapter's events. evil manical Bellatrix-type laughter Oh, and please forgive me if the story changes character slightly. I haven't been in the flow of things for a while.

Night passed into morning. Awaking early, Bellatrix gently disentangled herself from Snape and, leaning over the large bed, reached into her bag, drawing out a small vial of potion. Why she always carried it with her, she didn't know, but she took a sip from it anyway, and it tasted nasty. She stifled a cough and twisted the phial around to read the peeling label on the back, as she had so many times before. the small, flowing letters on the back simply read, 'Witches Contraception Potion: take one sip morning after; stops semen flow'. She smirked and, twisting the lid back on it, threw it back into her bag. It wasn't like she was able to have children anyway.

She still could not believe that she'd made love to Snape... Or had she? Her memory of the night before seemed pretty hazy. But she had definatly woke up next to him. And she was naked. Memory seemed to slowly come back to her, almost as if it was a dream... though it couldn't have been. And every hazy memory was one of intense rapture and pleasure. She turned around to find Snape leaning against the pillows, naked, watching her intently. Her heart skipped suddenly. If he had any thoughts, he did not show it. In fact, his face was unusually devoid of any emotion.

She toyed with a long strand of hair and let him watch her silently for a moment, her long, pale limbs shivering. Snape sat up and moved to put a shirt on, before grabbing his wand and igniting the dying fire.

'You're cold.' He muttered flatly, pulling up his trousers and zipping them. 'Put something on. It has stopped raining and if the flooding is down then we should be able to leave today, Train or no.'

As if in answer, the intercom crackled, the voice of the man introducing them to the castle the night before spoke.

'We have unfourtunatly experienced flooding due to torrential rain and we are still unable to sight the road out. Those wishing to leave today we ask to put off until tomorrow as the helicopter service is busy in other parts of the country. We apologise for the inconvenience.'

'Ah.' Snape looked at the intercom at the corner of the room. 'We'll just have to disapperate then.'

Bellatrix stretched her lithe, naked body across the bed, her skin glowing under the glare of the watery sun. She smiled deviously at Snape, who had turned to her and abruptly stopped buttoning his shirt.

'Come, spend another day with me.' Bellatrix said happily and patted the spot on the bed next to her, urgeing Snape to sit.

He sat and leaned over her, planting an awkward, yet gentle kiss on her mouth, his greasy hair sweeping over her face and tickling her skin. In response, Bellatrix touched his neck with her long fingers, running them over his naked, pale chest, down to his stomach.

'This scar...' She murmered. 'How did you get it?'

Snape's eyes narrowed and he pulled away, his mouth stretching into a firm, humourless line.

'Oh come on, you must tell me, now that I have seen it.' Bellatrix wanted to smile cheekily but the expression on Snape's face told her this was no laughing matter. His eyes were distant and glazed, as if a very unplesant memory had suddely come to him, one he did not particularly want to share. Turning away from her, he sat on the edge of the bed, staring fixedly out the window.

'James.' he sighed finally.

'James Potter? But what spell could this be? Surely not the result of one of your little playground fights?'

Snape's face darkened, and he turned away, a distainful, unhappy smile spreading across his face. 'Your nephew will probably bear the same, unremovable scars after James' son afflicted him with the same curse.'

Bellatrix sat up, recognition dawning on her face. 'Sectumsempra.' She said blandly. 'But how did James know...?'

'He found my potions book after it dropped out of my bag one day, read the whole thing, the notes he copied into his own book. Little did he know that Lilly had been helping me with a lot of the potion formulas and curses, the little witch.'

Bellatrix gasped. 'I knew that girl had potential. Shame she had to waste it.'

Snape nodded silently, the only noise in the room now coming from the fire that was now crackling warmly in the corner.

'Put your clothes on Bella,' Snape said finally, 'I'm sure you would provide the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters with some entertainment if you disapparated in the nude, But i'm afraid the tempurature outside isn't nearly as willing.'

Bellatrix pouted, her chin jutting out. 'But i'm warm.' She insisted. 'And why do you turn away from me? Come here, I want to make love to you again. I want to have your child.'

Snape choked on his saliva, and Bellatrix indulged herself with a gleeful laugh. 'I was only joking, Severus, I love you. Kiss me.' She tugged on the collar of Snape's shirt playfully before he pulled away, unamused.

Leaning over, she swiftly pulled the curtain of black hair away from his face and placed a thick, lingering kiss on his cheek. He stiffened, unmovable, then eventually let out a sigh as her small, fluttery kisses melted him to butter and forced him to consent.

'You temptress.' He muttered grumpily as she pulled him to her, her kisses now warm and heavy on his neck, her long, thin fingers here and there, sliding his shirt off his shoulders, trickling down his torso and advancing on his belt.

He put his hands out blindly to stop her, half-heartedly muttering something about no excuses for time, but failed; both his hands found her breasts and he was massaging them feverishly, he was shiverring. Bella's nails dug into the stifftened bulge in his pants and he let out a cry.

'Good, its hard.' Bellatrix said suddenly, satisfied, hopping off him and searching through her belongings for fresh clothes. Swiftly she pulled on a corset, underwear and a pair of fine black dressrobes.

'What are you doing?' Demanded Snape, looking at her reproachfully.

'Getting you back for last night.' Bellatrix answered a matter-of-factly. 'Now are you ready?' She grabbed her make-shift wand off the dresser and magicked her items into her suitcase, where it zipped itself up. 'Because I am.'

She turned her back on him, a wide grin spreading across her face as she listened to him mutter curses under his breath and magick things violently into his suitcase, the horcrux wrapped in cloth his other arm.

He stood up finally and shot Bellatrix a reproving look.

'You first.' She exclaimed, a smile illuminating her face.

'Ladies first.' Snape answered.

'You don't have to be such a Gen-'

'Goody. Mind if I grope you while we apparate then?'

'Be my guest.'

Snape let out a snort. 'Women.' He spat, and with a loud 'crack' he dissapeared.

Bellatrix laughed and followed suit.