Author's Notes:

Warning! This story is rated M and contains adult themes.

2006 April. Warning spoilers: this story has been re-edited to fit The Half-Blood Prince. So read book six first.

This chapter was beta'd by Nakhash Makashefah.

Disclaimer. J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.

The Improper Use of Potions

Chapter 03. Hunger and Sacrifices.

Severus pointed his wand at the lock on the warehouse door. Concentrating as hard as he could, he whispered, "Alohomora! " He felt a sense of relief as the lock clicked and fell open. Severus knew he'd be in a lot of trouble if Bellatrix discovered he was almost powerless. He pulled the large door open and followed her into the abandoned warehouse.

"Just what do you want, Black?" Severus asked, with a spiteful smirk on his face. He knew using her maiden name would anger the female Death Eater. If he could keep her off balance, he might be able to survive this encounter.

"My name is Lestrange, Severus. Lest you forget."

"Come now, Bella; it's been seventeen years. Isn't it time to give up that ridiculous delusion you call a marriage? No one could care less about Rodolphus' sexual preferences now."

"My marriage isn't any of your concern, Snape," she said angrily.

Bellatrix was never any good at hiding her emotions. Severus could tell he was getting under her skin.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to attended your wedding; I hear it was quite beautiful. The honeymoon must have been spectacular; but of course you wouldn't know, as you weren't invited. Tell me Bella, just how distraught was Rodolphus when he found out that the love of his life had been kissed by a Dementor on the very night of the Dark Lord's rebirth?"

Severus knew that she wouldn't be able to contain her anger much longer. He didn't want to provoke an attack, just anger her enough to cloud her judgment and make her vulnerable. Severus decided to push her just a bit more. "Bella, do you know what the other Death Eaters use to say when you, Rodolphus, and Barty, Jr. entered a room? Here comes Mr. and Mrs. Lestrange, and their wife."

"We are not here to talk about me, Snape. Our Lord wishes to know about you," she was barely able to control the anger in her voice. Severus knew he had the upper hand now.

"Just what about me does the Dark Lord wish to know?"

"There is a rumor going around that you are no longer the head of Slytherin House. Some have even suggested that Dumbledore himself sacked you. Our Lord wants to know if it is true. Have you been forced out of Hogwarts?"

"No, I was not forced out. I left on my own," Severus said coldly.

"Why?" she asked.

Severus really didn't feel like explaining the events of the last couple of days to Bellatrix. But, he knew the only way to get rid of her was to tell her something. "There was an accident in the Potions classroom involving a prominent student. The circumstances around the accident made it impossible for me to remain there."

"Was it Potter?" she asked, with a gleam of hope in her eye.

"No, but it was someone close to him."

"Was the accident your fault?"

"No," he answered.

"Then why leave? Surely they wouldn't hold you responsible for the actions of a careless student. Your not the potions professor anymore."

"I am responsible for everything that happens in my classroom. I was only teacher in the potions classroom at the time. What occurred in that classroom is too much for Dumbledore or the Ministry to ignore."

"How can you be so sure, Severus? Dumbledore is well known for defending his Professors."

"Not this time. There is no defending what happened to that girl."

"Was she killed?" Bellatrix asked.

"No," he answered tersely.

"Then, what's the problem?"

"Bella, this is none of your concern," he said curtly.

"On the contrary, Severus; your presence inside Hogwarts concerns our Master and therefore, all his servants as well. We need your eyes and ears close to Dumbledore. Our Master will need to know if he or Potter is planning anything. You also need to be there if it is necessary for you to fulfill the vow you made my sister."

"If Voldemort values my presence so greatly, then why in the two years since his return have I yet to be called before him? He only speaks to me through my floo at home and his servants. A strange way to treat his favored servant?"

Bellatrix flinched at the sound of her Master's true name. It was still uncommon for even Death Eaters to use it. Bella quickly put a false smile on her face. Severus knew the next words to come out of her mouth would be a lie.

"Severus, you already know the answer to that. It's for your own safety. If Dumbledore were to discover that you have rejoined our Lord it could easily mean your death. That is why our Lord has entrusted Wormtail and the others to keep you informed of his wishes."

A lie, just as he had suspected.

Severus knew the true reason Voldemort never called him. Since taking the Dark Mark nearly twenty years ago, he had only appeared before the Dark Lord four times. It wasn't a lack of trust that kept him at a distance from Voldemort; it was fear. The Dark Lord's inner circle was filled with ruthless, power-hungry men. What were missing were men of high intelligence, like Dumbledore and himself. Voldemort knew if he had men like that near him it would only be a matter of time before they would uncover his weaknesses.

"Regrettably for the Dark Lord, I'm no longer employed at Hogwarts."

"You must try and regain your position, Severus. Our Lord commands it."

"That is impossible. Even if Dumbledore agrees the Ministry never will."

"Unfortunately Severus, without your position at Hogwarts, you are really of no use to our Lord. He already has a quite capable potions maker at his disposal. You remember Peter Pettigrew, don't you, Severus?" Bellatrix said with an evil smile.

Severus knew she was trying to take control of the conversation. He closed the distance between them until he stood only a foot in front of her. "You would dare compare Wormtail to me?" he said in a low whisper, as his dark eyes glittered dangerously at her.

Bellatrix didn't answer. Severus noticed her hand slowly slipping into the right pocket of her robe, presumably reaching for her wand. She feared him, as did most of Voldemort's Death Eaters. Before the Dark Lord's first fall, he had tortured and killed two of their members he had framed as Ministry spies. Voldemort had been suspicious after so many of his plans were thwarted by the Order. Severus made sure that no one would ever question his loyalty again, not openly anyway. Of course Bellatrix's natural paranoia meant she always had doubts.

"Your also forgetting the Unbreakable Vow, you gave my Sister. You can't protect Draco, if your not there," Bella told him as she eased her wand out of her pocket.

"I doubt you have any real concern for your nephew, Bella. You hate him as much as you hate his father. You would love to see Draco fail the task the Dark Lord has given him," he suggested.

"Not true," she said weakly.

Severus reached out and pushed back the hood of her cloak, exposing her face. He could see the fear in her large blue eyes. He could feel the fire burning hotter in his blood as he ran his right index finder down the side of her cheek.

"You look quite beautiful for someone who just spent fourteen years in Azkaban Prison, surrounded by Dementors," he leered at her. "You look ten years younger than when you and your sister visited my home only four months ago."

"Rejuvenation potion, twice a week," she answered nervously.

"It must be a very powerful potion. You look as young as you did the day you entered Azkaban." Severus studied her porcelain skin. "Morgana's Eternal Youth Potion." It was more a statement than a question.

"Yes it is," Bellatrix answered.

"Well, I see that Wormtail still has what doesn't belong to him. He been going through my Dark Potions texts while I'm away," Severus said bitterly.

"Peter is a loyal servant of the Dark Lord. That's something you need to work on, Severus," she said with as much courage as she could muster.

"And are you still a loyal servant of our Dark Lord?" Severus asked in a treacherous sounding voice.

"Of course, I'd give my life if he asked."

Severus stared into her brilliant blue eyes; she had the same arrogance in them as her cousin Sirius. Bellatrix resembled Sirius so much; she could easily be mistaken for his sister. He wondered just how well Sirius's father knew his brother's wife.

Severus knew there was one thing that all the members of the Black family cherished above anything else - their pride. Severus was going to enjoy stripping Bellatrix of hers. "Tell me Bella, does your sister know that her husband not only took her virginity but yours as well?" he asked, with an evil grin on his face.

"WHO TOLD YOU THAT?" she screeched, as rage filled her.

"Why Bella, it's one of Lucius' favorite stories, how the Dark Lord gave you to him as a reward for getting secret information out of a top Auror." Bellatrix was so angry she couldn't get any words to form in her mouth. Not waiting for Bella to collect herself, Severus continued his attack.

"Bella, do you know how much your chastity was worth? Just two and a half galleons. That's what Lucius spent on rum to get that Auror drunk. The funny part is the Auror was just a braggart; nothing he told Lucius was true. The Dark Lord traded your virginity for a couple of shots of rum and some braggart's lies."

"SHUT UP!" she roared. Severus briefly looked down at the wand that she had withdrawn from her pocket. She was holding it in her now trembling hand.

"Why so upset, Bella? That wasn't the only time you were awarded to a Death Eater for his loyal service to Voldemort; it was just the first. I would have assumed you had gotten use to the idea by now."

She raised her wand to his throat and yelled, "Shut your filthy mouth or I will kill you right here where you stand." Severus didn't look down as he felt the tip of her wand under his chin. He continued to stare her in the eyes.

"It's a bit naive of you to be upset about it now, Bellatrix. Surely you understand the position our Lord has chosen for you. You're his whore, Bella, and that's all you'll ever be. Why else do you think he has Wormtail making you such rare rejuvenation potions?"

Bellatrix's perfect white skin started to turn bright pink as the anger showed in her face. Severus knew she had no answer for what he had alleged, she couldn't argue with the truth. He took a step toward her. She instinctively took a step back, continuing to hold her wand to his throat. He took another step toward her and she retreated again. He continued forward until she was backed into the warehouse wall.

"Stay back," she said, as Severus pressed against her. Some of the anger in her eyes was slowly being replaced by fear.

"I'm curious Bella, why did Voldemort send you and not Fenrir Greyback or one of the others to find me?" Severus asked.

"Our Lord trusted me to find you and convince you to regain your position at Hogwarts. And if you refuse, I am to kill you as an example to those who would dare disobey our Lord."

"No, I don't think so," Severus said with a hungry look in his eyes. "If the Dark Lord merely wanted to threaten or kill me, he would have sent more that just one Death Eater after me. No, I think he sent you here to convince me some other way." Severus leaned in and sniffed her. Bellatrix smelled like lavender, 'She has just bathed,' Severus thought to himself.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Snape," she said tensely. The anger was gone from her face, replaced by abject fear. Her wand hand still shook, but from fright instead of rage. Severus grabbed the wrist of her wand hand and quickly pinned it to the wall next to her head. He used his other hand to grasp her by the neck and press her into the wall.

"He sent you here for me to use as I see fit, didn't he?" he cruelly asked. He tightened his grip on her throat as he felt her trying to swallow. "Our Lord has given me two choices, hasn't he, Bella? I can take you right here, right now, or I can simply snap your neck like a twig and send you straight to Hell to join that arrogant son of a bitch cousin of yours," he said, with a fearsome look in his eyes. He leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "Of course, I could always do both."

"If you harm me, our Lord will hunt you down and torture you until you beg for death," she weakly threatened.

"I seriously doubt that, Bella," Snape said with a thin smile on his face. "I would be very surprised if the Dark Lord made anything of your disappearance. You see, Bella, he has never been very fond of witches. He considers them weak and unreliable, like his mother who died and left him alone in a muggle orphanage. The man really does have issues."

"I should kill you for saying such things about our Lord," Bellatrix said, trying to cover up her fear.

Snape just let out a low cruel laugh and said, "I don't think so, Bella, you don't have it in you to kill; you're as weak as your stupid cousin Regulus. He couldn't bring himself to kill anymore than you can. That is why the Longbottoms are still alive, isn't it, Bella? Avada Kedavra, like the rest of the Unforgivable Curses, only works if you really mean it. You are twisted enough to cause pain with Crucio, but don't have the courage to take a life. You're just a spoiled little pureblood slut, trying to play with real dark wizards. Truly pathetic."

"Release my arm and I will show you just how wrong you are, Snape," she challenged.

Snape shifted his grip from her wrist to her hand with the wand in it. With force he suddenly bent her hand back into the wall behind her. A loud SNAP echoed through the empty warehouse as her wand broke in two against the brick wall. A look of absolute surprise and terror appeared on Bellatrix's face. She must have realized that the only reason he would destroy her wand is if he never intended her to leave this place alive.

"Sorry Bella, no second chances," Snape said, with a pitiless smile. He released her arm and then put his left hand on her right breast and began to slowly squeeze.

"You would take me, a woman you have despised all your life?" she asked, as her body began to tremble.

(Edited for contain.)

"It will just make it that much more enjoyable," he said maliciously. He released her neck and grabbed the front of her robes with both his hands. With incredible strength, he ripped open her robe, exposing her dark green blouse and matching skirt. Without any warning, he slipped his left hand into her blouse and began to massage her firm breast. Taking his right hand, he slowly slipped it under the waistband of her skirt. As his hand passed over her pubic bone her breathing became shallow, but she did nothing to stop him. When he reached all the way between her legs, he used his long fingers to push aside her knickers. Bella let out a loud gasp as he invaded her.

He brought his head forward until their lips were less than a breath apart. "You have a decision to make, Bella," he whispered in a smooth voice. "You can let me take you willingly, or by force. One way I guarantee you immense pleasure, the other immense pain. Either way, you probably won't survive. So which will it be?"

In a raspy voice she whispered, "Pleasure." Then brought her lips forward to meet his.

After a minute of exploring her mouth with his tongue and bringing her to the edge of orgasm with his hand, he broke their embrace. He then looked deeply into her eyes and in a commanding voice said, "Remove them." Bellatrix reached under her skirt and pulled her knickers down and stepped out of them.

"Turn around" he said to her, with a wicked look on his face as he unbutton his fly. As she turned, he placed a hand on the center of her back, forcing her to lean forward and place her hands on the brick wall for support. With his other hand he lifted her skirt up onto her back. He moved forward, positioning himself directly behind her. Without saying a word of warning, he took her. There was no tenderness in his act. He simply used her body for his own pleasure. She moaned with pleasure, but it meant nothing to him.

Eventually, he began to once again feel himself getting ready for release. Knowing that he had not done all that he intended to do, he removed himself from her. With one arm he grabbed her waist and pulled her away from the wall. He quickly spun her around and pushed her backwards until she was flat against the bricks. He grabbed her hips and lifted her up a foot in the air. He then positioned himself underneath her. She moaned as he lowered her. Instead of letting her feet touch the ground, she wrapped them around his waist. She was much better than he had expected; of course, this might be the first sex she had had in fifteen years.

He began to push himself up while he kept her back pinned to the wall for leverage. He continued for a very long time, there seemed to be no end to his stamina. It was late December and the inside of the warehouse was below freezing, yet sweat poured from both their brows.

Without any warning, he grabbed her off the wall walked her over to a pile of wooden pallets ten feet away. The wooden pallets were stacked about three feet high. Instead of gently lowing her to the pallets, he simply released his grip, letting her back hit the pallets with a loud thud. He reached out and tore open her blouse, exposing her perfectly white skin. He slowly ran his hands down her chest to her belly. Her skin began to goose pimple under his touch. Now free of her weight, he was able to as much force as he wished.

By her rapid breathing and the tightening of her muscles, he could tell she was getting close. Without her noticing, he withdrew his wand from his robe. He had always believed there was a close relationship between pleasure and pain. Now he planned to see just how close the two could be. As soon as he saw her begin to tense and arch her back, he pointed his wand at her chest and shouted, "Crucio." He only held the curse for a brief second, just enough to charge all her pain receptors and open up all her nerve endings. Every one of her muscles contorted with both pain and pleasure at the same time. Instead of a painful scream, she let out what could only be described as a very loud howl. The site of this beautiful woman that he had hated years, writhing beneath him was too much. He quickly let out his own howl of relief. This was better than anything he'd experienced with the prostitutes. This was almost as good as…He stop that thought before his brain could finish it.

(End of edit.)

After catching his breath, he moved away from her. Snape felt a strong sense of composure filling him. This time had been different from the others. Three days ago, in the Potions classroom, he had felt like an uncontrollable animal, hungering with lust. The prostitutes he had used were just an attempt to relieve the fire that burned in his blood. This time he was in complete control; he used her how he wanted and for as long as he wanted. And now that he had finish, the fire was completely gone from his blood. He reveled in his new sense of self-control.

Snape buttoned up his trousers and moved back over to Bellatrix. Her whole body was shivering; the sweat on her skin made the cold night air bite. He reached out and pulled Bella's robe back over her, covering her naked skin. He leaned down next her and brushed the loose hair off her face. Her eyes were barely open as he began to speak.

"Bella, you know I always thought you had a lot of potential when we were young. You could have been a very powerful witch if only you had the will. Instead, you decided to be a slave to a mad man. What a waste," he said in a disappointed tone.

"You are his slave too, Severus," she said weakly.

"No Bella, I'm not. Like our dear friend Lucius, I am merely his servant. I did what he commanded, but always expected something in return. I no longer believe he can hold up his end of the bargain. You can tell him from me that my services are no longer at his disposal," Snape said seriously to her.

"He will kill you," she said, barely above a whisper.

"He is welcome to try. But tell Voldemort to come himself, Bella. If he sends only his servants, I will send back the pieces of their bodies that I don't use in my potions," he said point-blank. Snape then got up and headed for the door.

"You can not just walk away, Severus," she called after him. "You carry the mark, same as me. The mark means we belong to him until the day we die."

Snape stopped before he reached the door. He pulled back his sleeve and looked at the mark on his arm. He knew she was right; the mark linked him to the Dark Lord. He had received the mark on his eighteenth birthday and had carried it for eighteen long years. Half his life it has been with him; Severus figured that was long enough. He pointed his wand at the center of his left elbow said, "Albus Incendium".

"AWWWWWW!" he screamed, as a white-hot jet of flame shoot out of the tip of his wand. A loud thud echoed through the warehouse as his left forearm hit the floor. As the pain subsided, he stared at the blackened stump that was his elbow. The instant his arm fell to the ground he could feel the difference within him, as if a dark shadow had been pulled from his mind. Severus wondered if he was still bond by the Unbreakable Vow he gave Narcissa. The hand he swore upon now lay at his feet. The only way to break the vow for sure was to kill Narcissa. He had considered it many times. But he knew Narcissa was not the same as Bellatrix. Her love Draco proved that. Another possibility accrued to him. Maybe if the Bonder was dead that might break the vow.

Snape reached down and picked up his arm by the wrist and carried it back over to Bellatrix. When he suddenly dropped it on the pallet next to her head, she recoiled in fright at the sight of it. The fingers were still twitching as if trying desperately to grasp something.

"Give this with my compliments to your Lord, Bella. My pound of flesh is paid in full," he said defiantly. He moved closer to stare her right in the eyes. "Bella, if I ever see you again, you will wish I had killed you here tonight," he said coldly, as his dark eyes bore into her. Severus knew he would never see her again. The dark lord would kill her as soon as she returned with his arm. Voldemort was a firm believer in always kill the messenger, if it's bad news.

He turned and headed back to the door. He reached out with his left hand to grab the door, but felt nothing. He looked down at the stump he mistakenly tried to use. "This will have to be the first thing I fix," he said, as he pulled the door open and stepped out into the night.

Next chapter coming soon.

Once again this Chapter was edited for contain. If you want the smutty version, see the link on my author's page.