Chapter Ten – Mistress of Slytherin
On a Sunday morning it was natural to find most of the compartments of the Hogwarts Express empty. Snape and Jessica took up one of the compartments near the front of the train and sat opposite each other, both gazing aloofly out the large window.
Snape kept glancing at Jessica, knowing very well that she had nothing to say to him for the time being. Regardless of the warmth of the compartment, Jessica kept the hood of her cloak up and the buttons fastened all the way up to her collar. Her fingertips were softly tapping against the glass as she watched the passing landscape.
Nearly an hour into the journey, an elderly witch came by with the trolley, and with one sinister look from the Potions Master, she carried on to the next compartment without so much as a single inquiry. Jessica watched her leave and then sneered in her direction as her hand clutched her stomach.
"I appreciate that, Severus," she said sarcastically. "Really. I'm practically starving and you scared the food away." Jessica shook her head intolerantly and then looked back out the window.
"I will get you something to eat once we are in London," Snape told her in a low, malevolent whisper.
"Excellent," Jessica retorted in a whisper as equally menacing. "We'll be there in a few hours, which works out well because I thoroughly enjoy going on long trips with an empty stomach."
"You have no one to blame for that except yourself," Snape reminded. He caught Jessica's eyes and glared furiously. "Today will be the last time you and I travel this way. I guarantee it. You will soon learn to use the Floo Network, and once you are ready, you will be trained to Apparate."
"Stop it, Severus," she said immediately. "I don't want to talk about that rubbish right now."
Snape looked at Jessica knowing how close she was to tears. Of course, how could he blame her for feeling so betrayed? She'd spent her whole life avoiding magic and the dangers her training might lead to.
A stronger Jessica, a stronger Voldemort.
Snape knew she was right. Her power gave Voldemort strength and once he forced her to side with him, the rest of the wizarding world barely stood a chance. Snape also knew just how capable Voldemort was of ensnaring her senses, which would force her to align with him in wickedness and evil. As strong as she was, Jessica could not defeat him.
Unless…
Snape could train her to become stronger than Voldemort. It was unlikely, but Snape was willing to try. It would take years of hard work, and with Lucius Malfoy's threat of a quick return it seemed almost pointless, but Snape had nothing more to lose if he lost Jessica. He knew he would either die or be forced to rejoin the Death Eaters… provided Voldemort didn't kill him for his treason.
"I know this isn't what you want," Snape began in a sombre, compassionate tone, "but I want you to believe that you have it in you to defeat your father, or at least resist him. I will not pretend this will be easy, but I do want you to try. I want you to believe in what we are trying to do for you… for our kind."
Tears dripped down her cheeks at these softly spoken words. Jessica immediately lifted her hands to her face and wiped the teardrops away. She had thought plenty about the decision she had made all those years ago to forego the seven years at Hogwarts. Sometimes she regretted the decision she had made, and other times she swore she had made the right choice.
Her decision had always been based on the time of her father's return. Had he returned before she finished school, Jessica would not have stood a chance against him. She would have been trained enough to please her father, but not skilled enough to combat his dark magic. There was still so much to learn after seven years. After that time Jessica still would have been ignorant of all the magic in the world and that tiny bit of ignorance would have cost her dearly.
It was better to be completely ignorant of magic and its powers, thus rendering her useless to the needs of the Dark Lord. To be a half-trained witch was futile. Voldemort would wear her like a puppet and nourish her with the darkest of spells and potions until she was as powerful and malevolent as he. She stood no chance against him unless she knew everything and a little bit more than he did.
Not even Snape knew as much magic as Voldemort, so how could he teach her to be more powerful than the Dark Lord? He couldn't, and Jessica knew it.
"Your plan will never work," Jessica told Snape. "You can train me to fight off the Death Eaters, but come the time where my father is strong again, he will return, he will come for me and once he has me, he will poison my mind with darkness even you can't imagine."
Snape slowly began to nod in agreement. He knew he couldn't prepare her to battle against the Dark Lord, but he knew who could. "I can teach you what I know," he said in a velvety voice that was hardly audible. "Your uncle can teach you everything else. You father fears Dumbledore and that is precisely why the Dark Lord chose Espiranza to mother his child. You have the power and strength in your blood that the Dark Lord cannot defeat. His hope was to turn that power you possess into his own."
Snape sat up from his seat and went to sit next to Jessica. She kept her attention on the passing landscape as he leaned over and spoke into her ear. "Knowing that you may side with your maternal heritage, your father took a risk in creating a child capable of becoming more powerful than he. You Jessica, are taking a risk by not becoming the powerful witch he knew you would become."
He carefully settled his hand on her shoulder and turned her body to face him. Jessica resisted a first but then grudgingly twirled around to look him in the eye. "I do realize that if I had gone to Hogwarts when it was time, I would be that powerful witch right now," she said. "I was playing it safe when I said no, and for that I lost the bet. I know I'd be fully trained if I had been training for all these years, but I haven't been. I can't change that. Perhaps if I knew I had the time to prepare myself for his return, I would stop at nothing to learn all the magic I needed to know in order to bring my father down. A fact remains, Severus, that no one knows how long it will be. You wake up every morning fearing that today may very well be the day."
Jessica watched as the lines in his face slowly turned down and the very little colour in his face washed away. As well trained as he was to block Jessica from sensing his thoughts and emotions, there were still times he could do nothing to stop her. In the wee hours of the morning when his mind was still half asleep was very much one of those times.
* * *
A tiny bell rang from somewhere inside when Snape opened the door to the narrow, shabby shop of Ollivander's. He held the wooden door open and allowed Jessica to pass under his arm. For the very first time, Jessica stepped into the small shop lined with rows and rows of slender, dust-covered wand boxes.
They seemed to be poorly aligned and disorganized, but the young witch had absolutely no doubt the wandmaker could find his way to any particular wand in a heartbeat.
"And who have we here?" Jessica heard an old man speak.
She spun around and watched as Mr. Ollivander came out from an office in the back of the shop. "Hello," she managed to whisper. "I'm-"
"Jessica Van Eden," the elderly wizard finished for her. "I have been waiting a long time for you. Better late than never, I suppose." His thin, pale lips spread into a smile and his wide, silver eyes twinkled as he walked towards her with his hands held out to her. Mr. Ollivander shook Jessica's hand and then nodded at Snape. "Fancy seeing you again, Professor."
Mr. Ollivander walked behind the counter, the wooden floor creaking beneath his feet with every step. Jessica had read the gold lettering outside of the shop, Makers of Fine Wands Since 382 BC, but she wondered if the shop was equally as old.
She watched as Mr. Ollivander tapped his finger against his chin as he perused the wand boxes in the rows above. "Ah," he said and stretched his arm up for a black box a little more than a comfortable reach away. He turned back to Jessica, opening the box and lifting a wand of dark red wood from it. "Go on, give it a try. Your mother used a wand quite similar to this. Willow, 12 inches and a core of unicorn hair."
Looking at the wand Mr. Ollivander held out to her, Jessica could feel her stomach beginning to tighten. She had a gut feeling that something about the wand wasn't right for her.
"Don't be frightened, my dear," Mr. Ollivander said and practically pushed the wand into Jessica's hand. She awkwardly held it in her right hand and held it in front of her. "Give it a wave."
The illness in her stomach didn't cease but in fact grew stronger. Her hand began to sweat and the wand's handle began to irritate her skin. Regardless, Jessica smoothed the wand in front of her, waving it delicately.
The tip of the wand she held began to crackle and smoke. All three of the shop's occupants watched with wide eyes as it ignited sparks and then emitted a puff of dark, purple smoke.
Jessica let out a muffled scream and skipped backwards into the Potions master as she dropped the wand to the floor. Snape's hands clamped over her arms and held her tight.
Once the smoke cleared, Mr. Ollivander knelt down and picked the wand up from the floor where a small black hole had been burned into the wood. When he stood up, he flexed his brow curiously and inspected the tip of the wand as it continued to spurt little, yellow sparks and tiny puffs of smoke. "How peculiar," he whispered to himself.
Jessica and Snape could see that the tip of the wand had splintered into dozens of tiny, charcoal-tipped slivers. Jessica turned her head over her shoulder and looked into the Potions master's ebony eyes wanting to hear an explanation.
"I have never seen that happen," Mr. Ollivander finally said and replaced the ruined wand in its box. "I have lost several furnishings over the years when helping beginners buy their first wand, but I have never seen a wand destroyed like that before."
Feeling slightly guilty, Jessica apologized for the damage. "Perhaps I should choose the next one," she suggested afterwards.
Mr. Ollivander looked curiously at her, as if it were the first time anyone had offered to choose his or her own wand. He looked behind her at Snape as if wanting his approval. "Well, I suppose," Mr. Ollivander agreed. "Please, take your time."
Snape released Jessica and let her step around in a small circle as she eyed the thousands of boxes. She turned around again and again, both of the wizards watching her in silence.
For a long while she gazed about the shelves, still not sensing anything useful in choosing a wand. She sighed at her frustration and wondered if perhaps she should let Mr. Ollivander try again.
"It's the wand that chooses the witch," Mr. Ollivander whispered.
She looked at him standing near the shop door next to Snape. Beside the brooding Potions master, Mr. Ollivander looked very tiny in comparison. The top of his head nearly came up to Snape's shoulders.
"The wand chooses the witch," Jessica repeated.
She turned around again and closed her eyes. She breathed deeply and then slowly lifted her arm up in front of her. Still breathing in a shallow rhythm, she tried to summon the appropriate wand, the one that wanted her.
Vaguely aware of the wizards watching her carefully, Jessica began to sense something unusual. She could feel a presence. A longing.
It was coming from somewhere ahead. The connection grew stronger and to her surprise, Jessica heard something rattle. She opened her eyes and gasped, knowing she had found the one. Looking at both Mr. Ollivander and Snape, Jessica could tell that they had heard it, too.
Jessica held her hand out again in the direction the rattling had come from. Then, sure enough, they could hear it again. This time the rattle was louder but she still couldn't see any of the boxes moving towards her when she summoned the wand.
She tried again and this time the rattle was accompanied by a thump as if something were preventing it from coming to her. Jessica looked at Mr. Ollivander and saw a trace of trepidation in his eerie, silver eyes.
The wand she had summoned was locked in his office and was banging against his door wanting to be held by its new owner.
"What is that?"
It was Snape who decided to ask the question they were all wondering.
Mr. Ollivander let out a sigh and looked hesitant to fetch the wand from his office. "That is a wand that has been concealed for nearly a century," he told them, his voice sounding grave and serious. "Professor, I presume you are quite familiar with the tale of Esmeralda Demedeiros."
Jessica looked just in time to Snape nodding his head. She could tell that he had mixed emotions regarding the woman in question but he wasn't letting her in on any of those feelings quite yet.
"Who… who is she?" Jessica asked Mr. Ollivander.
She watched the wandmaker go down the hall and into his office. A moment later her reappeared, the wand that had been making the ruckus in his hands. Unlike the rest of the wand boxes, the one he was carrying was shiny and free of dust. The lid of the box had silver letters written so small Jessica couldn't make out the words.
"Esmeralda Demedeiros was very beautiful, but a very powerful, very persuasive witch in her time," Mr. Ollivander began. "Nobody knew where she had come from or if she was even human. Some say she had the power to bewitch the minds of even the strongest of wizards. They would fall at her feet offering her everything they had to give. Fortune and glory was lost only to give her power and strength until one day she met the wizard immune to her bewitchment but absorbed by her beauty. The one wizard who conquered her enchantment and captured her heart was none other than Salazar Slytherin."
Mr. Ollivander looked deep into Jessica's eyes as he spoke the name of her ancestor. He took the wand from its box and held it up for Jessica to see. It was long, dark as ebony and had exquisite, intricate details carved into the wood of the handle. Its delicate trim at the hilt was silver.
"Eleven and a half inches. Ebony. The heart of a dragon embedded in its core. This wand once belonged to the witch known as the Mistress of Slytherin," Mr. Ollivander said as he handed the wand out to Jessica. "And now, it belongs to you. I trust that you will put it to better use than that of its previous owner."
Just before Jessica's hand touched the handle Snape stepped up to her. "Legend has it that this wand was destroyed after Esmeralda's disappearance," he said.
Jessica drew her hand away before Mr. Ollivander spoke. "There were many attempts made to destroy it, yes. However, like many Ollivander's before me, I knew that this wand was destined for another. And it appears that the young Miss Van Eden here shall be the one to share in its magic."
* * *
The train ride back to Hogsmeade was just as silent as the journey to London. Only this time instead of sitting opposite each other, Jessica and Snape embraced each other in their arms. Jessica let her head rest on Snape's chest as she twirled her new wand around in her fingers, studying its unique carvings.
"What happened to Esmeralda?" she asked after a long bout of silence. "You said she disappeared. How did that happen?"
"She had managed to anger a lot of people on her quest for power," Snape began. "Her endless greed left many with almost nothing. It was decided that in order to restore their lives, Esmeralda would have to be destroyed. They planned to burn her at the stake once they captured her."
"How could anyone capture a witch as powerful as she was?" Jessica asked.
"As powerful as Esmeralda was, she could not fight off the hundreds of angry witches and wizards who came after her," Snape explained. "She saw her defeat coming and knew that there was nothing she could do to stop them. Some say she killed herself, others who believed she was not human said that she vanished just as quickly as she had appeared."
Jessica repositioned her head on his chest and secured her wand in her robes. "What do you think happened to her?" she asked.
"I cannot begin to hypothesize what happened one thousand years ago," Snape told her. "Because she never returned, I can only assume that she was in fact killed."
With a full stomach resulting from the fulfillment of Snape's promise to provide Jessica with a wonderful meal, she quite easily fell fast asleep in his arms. She awoke just as the train was pulling into Hogsmeade station. It was already dark and the fire beaming through the windows made Hogwarts castle illuminate like a jack-o-lantern.
Snape brought Jessica straight up to her quarters where tea, sandwiches and shortbread awaited them on a silver platter in the sitting room. The herbal aroma filled the room and brought the pair over to the sofa and table immediately.
"Mmm," Jessica moaned after her first sip of hot tea. "Was this your idea?" she questioned.
Snape shook his head. "No. I suspect the elves were anticipating our late arrival."
"Brilliant." As far back as Jessica could remember, the elves had never brought food to her quarters without first being asked to. They ate in silence, still mildly exhausted from their expedition in London.
"I want to start training tomorrow," Snape said after finishing the last of his ham and cheese sandwich. "Get a good sleep tonight and we will start at five in the morning."
"Five o'clock!" Jessica repeated in disbelief.
"Yes, five o'clock," Snape assured. "I have classes tomorrow, as you know."
Jessica picked up a piece of shortbread and began to nibble along the edge. "Is Professor Lockhart aware of this?"
Snape narrowed his eyes and sipped at his tea. "Professor Lockhart will not be joining us in the morning," he declared.
"Severus, I'm not very enthusiastic about him helping you either, but you heard what my uncle said about-"
"Yes, I heard what the Headmaster said about him, but he will not be joining us tomorrow morning," he said in an unwavering voice. "He will be free to offer his professional assistance in the evening when we practice again."
Jessica nodded her head in understanding and finished the last of her shortbread. "Very well," she said softly. "You'll wake me in time to get ready?"
"Of course," Snape promised.
"And you'll spend the night with me?" Jessica asked, sensing his temptation to leave her quarters.
Snape nodded affirmatively. "Yes," he answered in a shallow whisper. "I must return to my chambers for a short time this evening. You go on and get ready for bed. I will return shortly." He stepped up to Jessica and leaned down to kiss her.
Jessica closed her eyes and stretched her fingers up along the side of his face as their lips met. With even just a simple kiss, he warmed Jessica's body to the core. He would only be gone for a moment, but she had already begun to miss him. A part of her wanted to beg him to stay, but Jessica didn't realize the importance of his departure.
Snape rose to full height and smiled crookedly at Jessica. "I won't be long, Love."
After he left Jessica slipped into the bathroom and quickly poured herself a tub of steaming, hot water. She undressed and pinned her hair atop her head before stepping into the bubbly warmth. The liquid heat quickly melted away all of the stress the last two days had produced.
Jessica relaxed, basking in the warmth until she heard Snape return. He came in as quietly as he could and stepped into her bedroom. He could hear splashing coming from the bathroom and knew that Jessica was just getting out of the tub.
In his hand he carried a small, empty, glass vial. He set it down next to the bed and began to peel some of his clothes off. When he was left wearing only his shirt and trousers, Snape sat up on the bed and leaned back into the headboard. He closed his eyes and anxiously began to rub his forehead.
He had been dreading this evening almost as long as he had been anticipating it. Still unsure if this was the best thing to do, Snape knew that this was something he had to do. He was more than willing to make love to Jessica, but less willing to accept the consequences.
Lucius Malfoy and probably several other followers were expecting him to take her Virgin's Blood and give her a child. The Virgin's Blood he could handle, but to get her pregnant was a task he was not up for. He would never be up for that particular task. The danger and heartache of bringing their child into the wizarding world could not be estimated. All Snape knew was that it would be worth his life if he could prevent it.
"Severus," he heard a soft, angelic voice call.
Snape opened his eyes to see Jessica standing in the doorway. She had her dressing robe tied tight around her body and her fluffy pink slippers were peaking out from beneath the hem. Snape had teased her about those slippers countless times but his snide comments never stopped her from wearing them.
"You weren't falling asleep, were you?" she asked as she approached the bed and climbed up on top of him, leaving her slippers on the floor.
"Of course not," he answered and settled his hands on her knees where he began to rub her affectionately.
"Good." Jessica glanced over at the bedside table when something shining in the candlelight caught her eye. "What's that?" she asked and pointed at the glass vial he had brought up from his chambers.
"It appears to be an empty vial," Snape said shrewdly.
Jessica smiled and teasingly slapped the side of his face before leaning forward to kiss him.
She closed her eyes and let her lips dance upon his, nipping and stroking, not settling down until Snape lifted his hands to hold her steady. He captured her with his warm mouth and began to pry her lips open with his own. Jessica willingly obliged, letting his tongue explore her mouth as she did his. She moaned into his mouth and felt his hands beginning to spread her dressing robe apart.
Snape could feel an unusual material beneath her dressing robe and backed out of their kiss to give the mysterious material a glance. "What is this?" he asked as his fingers found the corner of a very see-through piece of fabric.
Jessica smiled devilishly and began to untie the cloth belt around her waist. "Something I bought today when you weren't looking," she told him. Jessica tipped her dressing robe back to expose the elegant lingerie she wore beneath.
Snape's eyes immediately fell to the enticing see-through chiffon bodice and then trailed down to study the matching g-string. His brows popped up in approval as his eyes continued to caress her luxurious body. Snape growled excitedly as he reached his hands out to touch the deep, plum-purple fabric made of pure seduction.
"I should look away more often," Snape said enthusiastically as his hands grazed over her soft, creamy skin.
Jessica let out a soft giggle as his fingers tickled her sides. She leaned her head down and kissed him passionately on the lips. Snape responded quickly, pulling Jessica tight against his body and letting his tongue dip into her mouth to enhance the intimacy of their kiss.
Without interfering with their kiss, Snape reached down and tried to adjust his trousers to accommodate the enlarging organ that had already begun to expand beyond comfort.
Feeling his arousal, Jessica pressed herself down against him, wanting to feel him rubbing against her. Snape groaned in pain as the intensity of Jessica's body pressing hard against him added to the agony of his stubborn erection. Unable to stand it any longer, Snape pushed Jessica away from him until she slid down past his knees.
"What are you -?" she began to ask until she saw his hands gathering at the front of his trousers. He hastily unbuttoned his fly and slipped the trousers down his legs before kicking them off.
"That's much better," he said as he held his hands out to welcome Jessica back into his embrace. She smiled as he kissed her hard, wanting to taster her like he never had before. They both moaned as their most intimate regions rubbed agreeably together. Snape put his hand to the small of Jessica's back and began pressing her body down into his as his hips came up to thrust against her. He used his other hand to knead greedily at her breast, feeling her nipple harden under his fond caress.
"I love you, Severus," Jessica breathed into his ear as she rolled herself onto her side.
Snape rolled with her, crowning her body with his own. He looked deep into her beautiful, green eyes and knew how much she meant it. "I love you," he whispered and combed his hand through her hair.
Jessica brought her legs up on either side of him and held his body close to hers. "Would you marry me, Severus?" she asked him. "Would you take me as your wife?"
She stroked the side of his head, moving his soft tendrils of hair behind his ear. "Jessica, you and I are as good as married already," he said, clearly indicating to Jessica that he was ignorant of what it truly meant for two people in love to be married.
"In some aspects that may be true," she admitted. "However, there are some particular things married couples do that we haven't done yet."
Snape picked Jessica's hand up and dotted each of her knuckles with a single kiss. "You mean making love," he said knowingly.
"Well… yes… and other things." Jessica watched Snape pick up her other hand and kiss it the same way. "We don't share quarters, we haven't planned our future together, but most of all it's making love."
Snape gathered Jessica's tiny body in his arms and smiled down at her as he slowly leaned down to rub his nose against hers. "Tonight my love, that is all going to change."
Okay, just fair warning to you all… the next chapter is going to be R rated. Those of you who have been following this story since the beginning are in for a treat. I'm about to make up for everything Severus and Jessica missed out on last Christmas!!!