I am so so so sorry it has been so long since my last update, but I have had a lot of ugly, unpleasant things to deal with in the last couple of months. I can't promise a quick update, I'm sorry. I can only promise that I am 100% determined to finish this story. Thanks for staying with me!
Chapter Twelve – Leaving Hogwarts
Jessica wiped yet another pair of tears from her eyes as she sat alone in her quarters. She was still dressed in the same sweatpants and shirt she'd worn that morning to the ballroom. Her back was aching and her legs felt bruised from all of the spells and duelling Snape had taught her. It was nearly eight o'clock when Dumbledore had summoned the Potions Master to his office.
Professor McGonagall had agreed to escort Jessica from the ballroom back to her quarters and from there to the Hospital Wing. The Transfigurations professor was waiting patiently in the sitting room for Jessica to change into some appropriate clothing. Jessica had barely managed to slip her small sneakers off before collapsing onto her bed with tears rolling down her face.
Professor McGonagall could hear the soft sobs and gently knocked on the door. "Jessica… dearest, are you all right?" she asked. "May I come in?"
Jessica sniffed and wiped her eyes once more before letting the elderly witch into her bedchambers. With arms wide open, McGonagall took Jessica into a hug and hushed in her ear.
"There, there," she said and pat Jessica gently on the back. "Now, do you want to tell me what the trouble is?"
Jessica squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms tight around the elderly witch. She tried not to sob into the green, velvet material of McGonagall's robes, but the need for comfort and solace was far to great for Jessica to control her tears.
"Oh, Minerva," Jessica cried and hugged her tighter. "The trouble is about to get much worse."
* * *
Snape stepped off of the spiral staircase leading up to the Headmaster's office and cleared his throat before entering. After closing the door behind him, Snape went up another small set of stairs and approached Dumbledore's large desk where he and another wizard were standing engaged in a quiet conversation.
"Severus," Dumbledore welcomed in a very low, despondent voice. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
Snape nodded respectfully towards the Headmaster and then looked at the wizard in his company. "Minister Fudge," Snape formally greeted with an extended hand.
"Good morning. I hope you are doing well, professor," Fudge said as he briskly shook Snape's hand.
"Very well, sir," Snape fibbed. He had a distinct feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him that the start of his day was about to go from mediocre to miserable before he walked back through the office door.
"Minister Fudge has come to Hogwarts to advise me that he has arranged for my grandniece to leave the castle this afternoon." Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him and looked anything but happy about this announcement. "One of the school governors has offered to take her into his home until this crisis has come to an end."
When Snape heard some heavy footsteps approaching him from behind, he was certain that his day had gone to hell as he turned around and saw a third wizard entering Dumbledore's office. With his snakehead cane in his hand and a particularly pleased look on his face, Lucius Malfoy joined the circle of wizards and smiled proudly at the three.
Snape eyed the Headmaster dangerously as if silently conveying that he do something. In return Dumbledore looked at Snape with severe caution in his baby blue eyes, warning him not to holler out the words of protest that were collecting on his tongue.
"All ready here, Fudge?" Lucius asked and cocked each of his brows as he looked at the Minister.
"Yes, yes indeed, Mr. Malfoy," Fudge answered. "I was just telling Professor Dumbledore here how pleased and honoured I am that Miss Van Eden will be accommodated by one of the most highly respected wizarding families in the country while the mystery behind these attacks is further investigated."
Lucius nodded in appreciation of the kind words. "My wife and I will share in the honour and delight of having the lovely Miss Van Eden as our guest." Lucius looked over at Snape and smiled cunningly.
It took every ounce of strength for Snape to control his tongue and his actions. He managed to bear a teeny, crooked grin void of any happiness or admiration.
"I have placed my grandniece in Professor Snape's care since she has arrived at Hogwarts," Dumbledore began. "He will assist Jessica in preparing for her departure."
"Very well," Fudge agreed without hesitation. "I'll be on my way." The Minister took one step towards the office door but then stopped in front of Snape. "Please see to it that Miss Van Eden's personal belongings are prepared to be taken to the Malfoy Manor by six o'clock, Professor. Mr. Malfoy will personal escort her to his home thereafter."
Snape merely nodded, wanting very much to propose an entirely different course of action. However, he knew that any opposition would push him into a very tight corner. His alliance with both the Ministry and the Death Eater before him would only appear loyal if he complied with the arrangement without question.
* * *
Immediately after leaving the Headmaster's office Snape attended to his Potions classes as scheduled. He had decided against informing Jessica of what he had learned that morning thinking that it would be best if he waited until he could tell her in person. The thought of Jessica having to spend weeks, even months at the Malfoy Manor put the vile professor in an especially irritable mood. By the end of the last class Snape had taken nearly one hundred points from each of the Houses, including his own. His only caution was wrought by the presence of Draco Malfoy.
Snape assumed the second year Slytherin was already aware of the houseguest his parents would be receiving this evening, and if he wasn't he would be soon. Snape also knew that the boy would be sharing any news of his Potions professor seeming particularly distraught over the matter with his father. For that reason Snape did his best to conjure a thin smile when he crossed Draco Malfoy. It bothered the hell out of Snape that Jessica would be living under the same roof as Lucius Malfoy, but he had to pretend it didn't. Snape's feigned support for Lucius to accommodate Jessica was absolutely necessary in order to remain incorporated in the realm of Death Eaters. By the afternoon he did come to realize that perhaps things could have gone much worse. At least Snape knew what Lucius was up to. For better or for worse, Snape would not be left wondering if Jessica would be safe so far away from him.
Once his last Potions class was dismissed, Snape hurried up to the Hospital Wing to tell Jessica the news and to help her pack. He'd barely even opened his mouth to speak when Jessica's green eyes turn cold and almost murderous. He knew then that she knew precisely what he was about to tell her. Jessica strode quickly in front of the Potions master to her quarters not speaking a single word to him until they were both behind the closed door of her sitting room.
"I will NOT live with that wicked, ghastly man!" she shouted and pounded her closed fists against his ribs. "Severus, I can't believe you! Why didn't you do anything? You could have stopped this."
Snape wrapped his fingers around her wrists and held her still for the moment. His dark eyes bore into her and the chill of his gaze held Jessica hostage. "You do realize what you and I have to lose should Lucius Malfoy and I turn against each other, do you not?" he asked softly. "Believe it or not, Jessica, the closer you are to danger, the safer you will be. Malfoy will not dare let any harm come your way so long as he is responsible for you. He too has a lot to hide, and he has done very well doing so as it was the Minister himself who granted him permission to accommodate you."
Jessica's beautiful eyes were glazed over with pain and misunderstanding. Her body trembled in fear as she fought to find a way to understand him. Pearls of tears dribbled along her face as she looked hard into the eyes of her lover.
"Promise me something Severus," she began, "promise me everything is going to be all right."
He thinned his lips and looked doubtfully at her. "I can only promise to protect you if you do exactly as you are told. Go with Malfoy and be his bloody guest of honour. You have no reason to fear him Jessica. To harm you would be signing his own death warrant."
Snape let his hands slip down the sleeves of her ivory nurse's robes until he had her fingers clasped between his own. He lifted her right hand to his lips and delicately pressed small kisses into her knuckles.
Jessica watched his ebony eyes carefully as he kissed her. She wanted to believe that she would be safe at the Malfoy Manor but she knew that there was no place as safe as she was in the arms of her lover. Snape's embrace gave her all the comfort and assurance she would ever need. He would be there for her and he would die for her.
That much she was sure of.
"We have a few hours before Malfoy returns, and I don't expect he will be a moment late," Snape assured. "May I suggest we use these last moments together wisely?"
Jessica spread her lips into the first pleasing smile he had seen all day. "Yes, you may. Let's make a memory neither of us will forget." She slowly put her arms around him and hugged him dearly.
"First of all, we should see to it that you are packed," Snape suggested.
"I am packed," Jessica told him. "Minerva helped me this afternoon."
Snape unnervingly wiggled his brow. "I see," he whispered. "Dare I assume that it was Professor McGonagall who told you the Malfoy family is to accommodate you?"
"No," she said, gently shaking her head. "I knew so shortly after you met with my uncle." Jessica moved her fingers up to stroke his raven hair aside. "You and I are lovers now," she reminded. "We share a link that cannot be broken. It is stronger than I ever could have imagined. I can feel almost everything that's going on in here," she said and gently rubbed his temples.
The loss of her virginity destroyed Jessica's telepathic and empathic abilities; say for the bond she shared with Severus Snape. He was now the only man she would ever be able to read again. Jessica had known almost all along that the better of her abilities would be lost to the blood Snape had hidden away in the depths of his dungeons. Time had almost worn the memory of it all away, but now, when all Jessica had ever wanted was to be rid of those abilities, she wanted them back for one simple purpose. How could she walk into the home of her enemy and feel safe not knowing what his devious mind was plotting? She was vulnerable, and Lucius Malfoy knew it.
A warm pair of hands slid across Jessica's shoulders and caressed her carefully. Lips brushed along her earlobe and whispered softly. "I don't regret what happened last night," Snape told her. "But I feel as though you may."
"No," she whispered immediately and shook her head. "I would never change what happened between us, not for anything." Jessica slowly turned around within his arms. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight when she looked up at him.
"Then what is the problem?" Snape asked.
Jessica squeezed his robes in her hands and sniffed. "I don't trust that man," she began. "Nor will I ever trust him. I feel like I'm walking into a lion's den with nothing but a pork chop tied around my neck."
Snape pulled his lover into a tight embrace and stroked his hand over her head. He could almost feel her fear and apprehension in the fibre of his own being. He didn't expect her to be brave heading into the home of the wizard who was once Voldemort's right hand. He'd have thought her foolish if she did not illustrate some sort of trepidation.
"You have every right to be frightened," Snape assured, "but perhaps you may find a way to tame the lion. You're a clever girl, Jessica. I believe that in a few days you will find a way to coexist. Dangle the promise of a tasty pork chop before his hungry eyes and Lucius Malfoy will be your slave. He already thinks of you like a goddess."
Jessica slipped out of his embrace and strolled over towards her bed. She sat down on the edge and spread the palms of her hands across the quilt. "When you say that, you mean to tell me that he knows all about Esmeralda, don't you?"
"Yes, Malfoy is very much aware of the reincarnation and I have no doubt that his wife is as well," Snape told her. He slowly began walking towards her, peeling his robes back as he did so. He smirked mischievously at his lover as his black cloak fell to the floor and his hands came up to work away at the buttons of his frockcoat. "Is that what you'll be wearing when Lucius comes for you this evening?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Surely not," Jessica assured.
"Good," Snape said with a swift nod and reached for his wand. He pointed it directly at Jessica. "Hold still," he whispered and took two slow steps backward. "Ropa Evanesca!"
Suddenly Jessica's entire body felt a gentle, cool draft. She looked down and gasped in shock as she realized every piece of clothing she had been wearing had completely vanished. "Severus!" she cried and scrambled to cover herself with the bed sheets.
Snape secured his wand back in place and then crossed his arms over his chest. He looked anything but amused as his lover hid herself beneath the bed sheets. "When you said let's make a memory we will not forget, perhaps I was mistaken in assuming that that meant we would make love once more before you leave."
Jessica pulled the sheets right up to her neck and held them tight. "Well, yes, I was implying that I want to make love to you again." She could see the offence in his eyes and feel the resentment he was emitting. "I'm sorry," she quickly said, "you just scared me, Severus."
Jessica smiled weakly and slowly leaned back into the pillows. She let go of the bed sheets and rubbed her palm across the empty spot next to her. Snape's brow rose slowly and conspicuously as he eyed the patch of ivory sheets Jessica's hand was caressing. He tapped his fingers against the sleeve of his frockcoat and let out a long breath that ended in a sigh. His hands reached up to continue undressing as he stepped towards the bed and Jessica's smile broadened when he sat down on the edge.
"How long do you suppose I will have to stay with Lucius and his wife?" Jessica asked curiously and began to rub Snape's back as he casually unbuttoned his shirt.
"As long as it takes for whoever is behind these attacks to be discovered," he said. "And if I may say, that may depend on you."
Jessica abruptly ceased her ministrations and looked over Snape's shoulder. "How do you mean?" she asked, eyeing him curiously.
As Snape reached down to pull his boots off, he glanced at Jessica and answered her question. "Lucius Malfoy has plenty to gain so long as these attacks continue," he began. "Should you use the pork chop around your neck to your advantage, you could discover many things."
Jessica helped him peel his shirt back and folded it in her hands before putting it aside. "You could very well use this to your advantage, too," Jessica said and rubbed a pair of fingers along the Dark Mark. "As far as Lucius is concerned, you have as much to gain from these attacks as he does."
"If these attacks continue and your father returns to power, lives will be lost, and I will not hesitate to take them," Snape said in the most serious voice Jessica had ever heard from his lips. He reached his hand up to her head and stroked his fingers affectionately along her face. "I will stop at nothing to see that you are never taken by him again. I want nothing more than to see him destroyed, by my own wand if need be."
Something inside Jessica twitched uncomfortably. A strike of pity she had never felt for her father before settled in the pit of her stomach. She closed her eyes and clasped her hand around Snape's warm fingers. "I don't want you to kill anyone, Severus. That's not who you are anymore," she spoke softly. She slowly turned Snape down onto his back and lifted her body to lie atop his. She gently smoothed his hair away from his face with her fingertips and searched his eyes and his mind for his true feelings.
She could sense fear, loathing, and passion all at once. He feared losing the only woman he had ever loved this much to a man he once idolized. Knowing that her leaving Hogwarts was going to devastate him as much as it was her, Jessica quietly hushed and bent her head down to kiss him softly.
Her fingers played with his hair as their lips touched. Snape let his hands roam about her body, stroking her carefully and easing her hips towards his own. Jessica could feel his arousing length pressing towards her intimacy. He shifted her back and forth, teasing Jessica until her desperate moans compelled him to make love to her now. Then just as he found his way into her warmth and intimacy, Jessica eased herself down until their joining was complete.
Still sore from the first time they had made love, Jessica moaned in discomfort before slowly continuing to rock herself back and forth atop her lover. Snape could see the distress in Jessica's eyes. He let her thrust forwards and backwards at her own pace until her tender cries turned into a plea for more.
Snape wrapped his hands tight around her tiny waist and pulled her towards him as he thrust himself deeper inside of her. He closed his eyes and pressed his head back into Jessica's soft pillows. He let the sensations of making love to Jessica consume him. His own soft moans of pleasure matched those of his lover and together they built a memory they would not soon forget.
Jessica's lips spread into a smile as she watched Snape buttoning his pants. His back was to her but she marvelled in watching this man dress after making love to her.
Snape could hear her giggling and turned around. As he watched her laughing his face curled up in perplexity. It was the sort of face that would make any one of his students wipe the joy off of their faces immediately, but immune to his intimidation, Jessica carried on smiling.
She was still naked beneath the twisted bed sheets. Her face was glowing and she was casually rubbing the inside of her foot up along her leg. Jessica had her pillow curled up tight beneath her arms and her hair, slightly untidy, was flowing along her back and across the bed mattress.
"I love you," she said in a whisper.
Snape slipped his belt through the loops of his pants and quickly fastened it as he stepped towards her. "Is that what you find so amusing?" he asked.
"Don't you?" she challenged.
Snape sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly moved the sheet down to expose her flesh. His eyes feasted upon her and his hand slowly manoeuvred up her leg and settled on her hip. He tapped her twice before standing up again to finish dressing.
"Put you clothes on," he ordered. "Your escort will be arriving shortly."
All it took was the mere mention of Lucius Malfoy to wipe the joy off of her face. Jessica sat up and pulled the sheets back around her body. Snape gave her one more look of warning as he slipped his boots on.
"I expect you to be at the Entrance Hall in twenty minutes," he said. Snape began walking towards the bedroom door. He reached his hand out to open it and then stopped to look back at Jessica.
There was a hint of sorrow in his expression. His lips quivered as if he were going to say something to her. A gently sigh admitted his defeat and before Jessica could ask, he disappeared.
Author's Note: I wasn't quite finished with this chapter yet, but I just can't take the time to write right now. I really wanted to include a final scene with Jessica and the Mirror of Irised, and Lucius' arrival. Perhaps it'll be the start of the next chapter. Please leave a review if you've been reading, I could use the encouragement and inspiration!!!