By: Pirate-Girl1017
Chapter 6Remus laid Bluebelle down as gently as he could on the antique divan in her living room, careful of her injury and tried not to jar it any more then he could prevent. She sucked in her breath as he sat her on the plush cushions then turned to give out instructions to the others that had surrounded the piece of old furniture.
"Tonks, go get any healing supplies you can find. Alastor get me some hot water and cloth to use as bandages," he barked like an army officer. They nodded and hurried off in separate directions to do as they were told. "How are you hanging there?" he faced her again.
"I've been better," she hissed as she clutched a cushion.
"I believe it," he reached down to rip the remnants of a formerly gray, no black with blood, stocking from her leg. But when he did something caught his eye, she pulled her skirt over her leg when she realized what he was staring at.
"Leave it," she wheezed. The others hurried back into the room with the most appreciated timing, at least on her part, their arms laden with supplies. They used the herbs she kept in the pantry for healing purposes to clean, treat and clothe her wound. But no matter how much she needed the treatment she knew each of them had seen the serpents crawling around her ankle and disappearing underneath her dress.
After the poison had all been drawn out, rather painfully by means of an odd shaped metal tool with a glass vial, Tonks began to smear a green gunk over the open puncture holes. The disgusting stuff bubbled and sputtered when it touched the infected areas, festering and giving off a sickening smell.
"What is that?" asked Moody as he covered his mouth and what was left of his nose with an old and moth-eaten handkerchief.
"An advanced potion using bubbertuber puss," Tonks answered calmly as though she was the teacher. Bluebelle cringed and nearly lost her lunch when the acrid stench reached her.
"Kill me now," she pleaded, "anything is better then having that on me!"
"Oh be quite you big baby."
"Nyphmadora." The younger woman's unnaturally colored eyebrow twitched at the sound of her first name.
"You just got yourself a double dose of bubbertuber puss," she slapped a huge amount of the reeking slime on her leg, "you may have needed it anyway." The putrid looking concoction had thickened as she spread more on her friends leg and began to bloat out large bubbles of air as it killed the infection. Eventually it began to harden and change color, now it was a hard casing that resembled a shell on the beach of a strange yellowish color.
"That should do it for now," Tonks said wiping sweat from her brow. Lupin nodded and with a low and exhausted 'good bye' then left the room headed for the one he had been given to sleep in a few days prior to that. He would be returning home early the next morning, probably before dawn. Moody said he had a meeting with the ministry and soon too left, but only after having a few cups of tea laced with his favorite brandy that just so happened to be stored in the cellar. Soon the two women were left alone with only the light from a few oil lamps and the moonlight to brighten the room.
"Blue…" she began, "those snakes-"
"Don't tell anyone you saw them," she interupted. "I can't have any one else find out about them. Am I clear?"
"Yeah but what are they?"
"Don't ask me that, just forget that you ever saw them, okay?" She stood there, held her hands up in the motion for surrender and took a step back from her friend on the couch.
"What ever you say, Blue," she picked up her medical supplies and put them back in the cabinet where she found them before coming back to the room. "Do you want me to stay?"
"If you want."
"Then I will," and so she made herself comfortable on a neat by chair with some blankets that were lying about. Once she was situated to her needs, a footstool at her feet a pillow behind her head and three covers her legs, she looked at the invalid. With a flick of her wand she conjured up two steaming cups of tea, took one for herself and gave the other to Bluebelle. "Since you won't tell me about those snake things then tell me what's been going on at the school."
"Why do you want to know about that?"
"Oh nothing special," she twirled a short strand of her currently peach hair. "But didn't you tell me once that you had a sweetheart there?" Bluebelle neat choked on the air in her lungs and stared at Tonks like she'd just grown a red cap out of her head.
"I never said that!"
"You did so, can't really remember when but you did say that there was a special some one at the school."
"Are you sure that you weren't dreaming?"
"Sure."
"I'd really not rather talk about it, Nymph," she sighed tiredly. Her friend, sensing her true discomfort dropped the subject, for the moment at least.
After five days of lying around the house, doing nothing but recovering from a very itchy and irritated venom wound she had just about enough. The other aurors had left three days ago when she insisted that she had regained enough strength to move off the couch on her own. Now here she was, petting her purring cat in front of her fireplace, listening to her antique radio as Serena the singing sorceress pelted out one of her many top ten hits but staring through the window at the starry sky. A knock at the door disrupted the chorus of the song and ruined her concentration as she tried to find Leo among the constellations. At first she ignored the tapping, but the more she did the louder and more insistent it became.
"I'm coming!" she shouted and plopped Puffy on a cushion as she stood. The noise finally ended when she opened the door, her mouth ready to give the unwanted guest a tongue-lashing but kept it shut when she actually saw whom it was. "Severus, what are you doing here?"
"I think that should be obvious," he eyed her leg that had was now wrapped in white bandages. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"Of course," she stepped aside and shut the door behind him. Leading him into the living room she limped and favored her healthy leg, hoping he wouldn't mention it. As he walked she noticed his cold face was firmly put on, his stride was ridged, his eyes blank of emotion. That could only mean one thing when he was like this around her, he was terribly upset with her. He sat down on the sofa she used as a bed for the last few nights and made it plain that he left plenty of room to accommodate her as well. Taking the strong hint she sat next to him, letting her injured limb rest straight in front of her. This was going to be a long visit.
"What were you thinking going into the meeting like that? You could have gotten yourself killed!"
"I've done this for years, there's nothing to worry about."
"Do you call that nothing?" he pointed to her leg.
"I've been in worse positions," she countered defensively.
"You're not an auror anymore, you're a teacher and a guardian. Going into large gathering of Death Eaters is not your job any more."
"I needed to get away from the school for a while."
"So you try to play the heroine by defeating Lord Voldemort in a single night?"
"That's not what I was doing! It's complicated and I don't want to talk about it. Besides, you're a teacher yet you still go to meeting after meeting with those…those people and I don't scold you about it."
"But you left that world behind when you decided to take Potter in and work at the school. You should have never even left the grounds."
"The others needed another wand for the raid, so since I was here already I took the offer."
"And what would have happened if it wasn't such a great success?"
"Don't ask me that! I've known that answer for a long time," she turned away from him, turning off her radio on the small table next to the couch.
"Then why do it?" He got no answer, a deep and long sigh escaped his thin lips. "I saw Bellatrix send her serpent after you, I could see right through that disguise of yours. If I knew anyone else could too."
"You know me to well, you would be able to know it was me," she still didn't look at him.
"Malfoy knows you're a teacher at Hogwarts, and he knows that I've known longer then him."
"I know he knows, we ran into each other in Hogsmead, it wouldn't be hard for him to ask his son about me."
"You've been careless, Belle, he is probably already making plans for you. He wants you and has for years, I still don't know why but sooner or later he'll come for you…and your nephew. Most likely at the same time, you're an easy target now."
"I can take care of Harry and myself."
"Against Voldemort? You are strong, but not that strong he'd have you in his clutches faster then we could ever think of. Don't you realize the danger you've put yourself in?"
"And what about you? Haven't you put yourself in danger too? Working for Dumbledore but pretending that you're loyal to him spying on our side? You can't tell me that isn't dangerous."
"I do it because no one else can." Finally she did face him, her eyes like blue fire, her fists clenched at her sides.
"But you don't have to. You could have never joined those murders but you did! It could have been so different now but you had to follow your house mates and become a Death Eater."
"I did what I did and we can't change the past," the emotionless mask began to slowly fade away.
"Why did you do it?" her voice softened. "Everything could have been better."
"No it wouldn't, Voldemort would still have come back into power even if I hadn't joined him."
"But why did you in the first place?"
"I, like others, was offered something if I went to the dark side. How could I refuse?"
"Easily! What could they possibly give you that would make you turn so evil?"
"It was originally my fathers idea, my mother had no say and went along with whatever he decreed," she winced as she remembered him telling her about his shattered life at home as children. "He told me it was in the family blood, pure blood, to follow what was decided by the heir of Slytherin. I wouldn't do it, he punished me."
"You told me about him once," she touched his shoulder, he didn't shrug her off. "But you never gave into his beatings, so why join if not because of him?"
"I was offered something I wanted, and foolish young man that I was then, gave into the temptation." He stood, rubbing his hand over his face, holding the bridge of his nose in thought. "I've said too much about this, I came to see how you were healing. I can see you're fine now and I should be going," he barely turned to leave when she tugged on his cloak.
"We're not done yet."
"Yes we are, Belle," he pulled it back but she stood as well and tilted her head up so she could see his face. "I must be getting back. Promise me you won't go on any more auror business."
"If I'm needed I won't stop and ignore a plea for help, teacher or no teacher I need to do what ever I can to stop the enemy."
"Don't you dare go back," he hissed, "you've been wounded this time and lived but next time you act so stupidly your good luck my run out."
"Is that supposed to frighten me?" That apparently caused him to loose his temper, as his normally pale complexion turned dark red. He shook her shoulders, not noticing her wince as her hurt ankle jerked with each movement.
"Why are you being so stubborn? You could have died that night!"
"I did it for Harry," she gritted, "I want him to live a world free of those monsters. And I did it for you, so you don't have to keep returning to them at their beck and call."
"And if you die what good will it do me or him? I can't loose you!" Then she was deep in his embrace, his arms wrapped tightly around her, her face buried in the fabric of his shirt.
"Severus what-"
"When I saw her snake bit you, I knew that it's poison could kill you within hours if not treated quickly enough. But if I stayed to help, then I would be putting the both of us in danger. I thought I would never see you again." One of his hands cupped the back of her head, delving through her thick hair, the other locked around her waist.
"But you must have known the others would take care of me," she slipped her arms around his middle and lifted her face toward his.
"I couldn't know that for sure. Do you even understand why I was so tempted by the Death Eaters promise?" At the strange change of subject she was a little confused, but still she shook her head. "Voldemort said I could have whatever I wanted if I joined him, whatever I wanted above all thing on this earth. How could I refuse such an offer?"
"But what could he possibly give you?" He turned his eyes away from her, took a few deep breaths and gulped.
"You." Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in surprise. For a few moments that seemed like eons she didn't say a word, but when she did the shook was only just getting to her.
"Me?"
"Yes, with Sirius Black trotting after you like a lovesick puppy how much longer could you have avoided his charms? For me that was a harder blow then I could bare. If given the choice who would a beautiful young woman want: him being so handsome and popular or me?"
"You can't think so low of yourself-"
"Can't I? Why do you think I wanted to take you with me to them? If I could get you to join like I had then you could be as far from Black as possible and closer to me. Don't you get it?"
"But Lily…"
"Your sister? What does she have to do with any of this?" Bluebelle pulled her hands over her face, and felt her skin turn pink with embarrassment. "You can't think I cared for her?"
"How could anyone not?"
"Belle, look at me," she timidly looked up again feeling lower then she ever had in her life. "I could never choose any girl over you, ever." Tears, of joy or sadness she couldn't say, built up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, he bent his head ad to her shock he kissed them off her face. "I foolishly let the desires of a young man's mind lead me down the wrong path. And because of that you've paid too dearly for my mistakes. All you've gone through his my fault."
"No, don't say that, please," she buried her face in his chest again and tried her best to hold in the sobs that were in her throat but to no avail.
"Why not? It is the truth."
"I've done things I regret too you know, don't you dare take all the blame!" She pulled away from him to sit on the armrest of a small love seat near the bay window where she put her arms around herself as though she was extremely cold.
"But not nearly as much as I have."
"Stop being so damn pessimistic, it's aggravating." To hands came down on her shoulders, a head rested on top of hers. "And being soft won't make me forgive you." He chuckled, a real one, not the evil one he usually reserved for the rest of humanity. Then the room was curiously silent.
"Promise me you won't go on any more raids."
"I can't do that, and you know it."
"That is not your responsibility any longer, all you have to worry about anymore is the next lesson you have to teach." From under her long, aqua lashes she looked up at the man behind her.
"And what is I'm needed again? How can I reject a call then?"
"If that comes up then there is no other choice, but that can be easily taken care of."
"You'd stop the others from summoning me?" That wasn't overly out of his personality to do, if he decided on something then there wasn't many people who could make him change his mind.
"If necessary."
"If you say that's for my own good I'll break your nose."
"Will you?"
"Don't put it past me."
"Now promise me."
"I promise," she sighed. The hands on her lifted and his presence was gone as he made his way to the door. "Wait," he turned slightly his cape swishing around his ankles. "Why would you want me in exchange for being a Death Eater?" He looked right in her eyes and she felt as though he could see straight through her.
"Because you were the only good thing in my life, still are, and I wanted to keep that as long as I could."
"Joining them wasn't the way to do that."
"My father wanted me to, and with my mother long gone who would have defended me against him, no one. So, when he brought me to my first meeting Voldemort must have seen that I did not want to be there. He looked into my mind and saw what would coax me into siding with him."
"He saw me?"
"Yes, and so he said if I would become a Death Eater and bring you to him then he would make sure Black would never be in the way and I could have you."
"Do you…I mean…" she took a deep breath to calm her stumbling tongue. "Do you love me?"
"Yes, since the day we met." Now she burst out into uncontrollable sobs and nearly fell off the armrest if not for Snape catching her.
"Why are you crying? Belle please stop," he felt like a total idiot, not knowing the first thing about women.
"You don't know how long I've waited to hear that!" From all her hysterical sobbing the weight on her wounded leg became too great and she fell to her knees, bringing him down with her. Then for some reason unknown to him she began to laugh.
"Belle, have you been drinking again?"
"No, it's just that I've always thought that you loved Lily," she continued to giggle and cry at the same time. "You don't know how happy that makes me!"
"Well…um…" he stuttered nervously, "if it makes any difference I always believed you loved Sirius Black."
"Dog boy? Never!"
Then Severus Snape received a kiss for the first time in the entirety of his thirty-eight years of living. Not exactly a good record but considering who was kissing him and how long he'd been wanting to do this (and quite a bit more according to his adolescent fantasies) it seemed right that he had never indulged in other females.
"Sev," she sighed. Her eyes were more then half closed, her cheeks flushed and her lips parted. "Kiss me back, please."
Needless to say when the first one was beyond good, a second was impossible to resist. His arms locked around her slender frame in a tight hold she was loath to break and she snaked her own long limbs around his neck in return.
"Mistress why is you be out of bed!"
Disclaimer: Well it's shorter then my usual but I thought that ending was a rather nice touch. If you're wondering what took me so long all I can say is that the new Phantom of the Opera movie went nationwide this month. I would give up my left arm before missing anything that has to do w/ Phantom. Until next time then.