Chapter 8: Whispers of the Past
My thanks to all my readers and reviewers...Enjoy-S.S.
The Grounds, Hogwarts castle, Wizarding World...
Hermione had been on her way from the Library when she was suddenly seized by the arm and pulled into a semi-darkened location. She had gone on the defensive but found herself quickly unmatched as her "attacker" was much faster than she had anticipated. The scent of firewhiskey had been heavy in the air as she realized that she was pressed against a lean ebony clad figure. She relaxed when the familiar scent of herbs and fresh earth filled her nostrils. There had only been one man that she had ever known to carry that scent.
"P-Professor Snape?" she said slightly confused.
"Do you know what tomorrow is...insufferable know it all?" asked Snape clearly drunk but taking care not to slurr his words.
Hermione nodded slowly.
"Y-Yes." she said in a small voice.
"Good." said Snape letting her go. "I suggest you prepare yourself thoroughly Miss Granger...for this farce you call a wedding and all it entails..."
"I know what it entails." said Hermione sure of herself once more as she glared at her Slytherin git future husband.
"Really?" asked Snape with an arched eyebrow.
It had been dark where they stood but the dim lighting from the surrounding torches gave it some illumination. Snape studied the young bushy haired Gryffindor for a moment. In truth she had not been a bad looking witch, at least her presence wouldn't kill his libido any time soon.
"Yes." replied Hermione summoning her Gryffindor courage.
"So you don't mind that it means that you and I will become quite acquainted in the coming hours." said Snape making emphasis on the last word hours as his obsidian gaze flickered with heat from the implications of the coming night.
"I know perfectly well what is to come." said Hermione stepping away from him. "Thank you... very much."
Snape smirked again. It had been a rather wicked little smirk of course worthy of a true Slytherin.
"So you are not in the least bit daunted at the prospect of having your Potions Master's enormous cock invading your most private of places?" he asked with the glint still in his eyes.
Hermione waved her wand and lit the room. She could seen in the better lighting just how glossy his dark eyes had been from overdoing it with the drink.
"Perhaps you should go and lie down Professor." she said meaningfully. "It wouldn't do to show up for our wedding in a hungover state."
"I'm sure." said Snape sarcastically.
Hermione made her way toward the door when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She froze at the instant of his touch but she wasn't too sure if it had been from fear.
"I am not a nice man." hissed Snape not bothering to conceal his annoyance. "Do not expect me to be gentle...virgin or not..."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't get why he was always trying to scare her into reconsidering this marriage. She had been through all the lists of Pros and Cons when it came to marrying the greasy git. He was the best option and even he had known as much. Still, she got the sense that the impending marriage was adding to the already overwhelming pressure that had been placed on him that he had not particularly cared for. If his excessive drinking had been any indication she believed that was precisely what it had been.
"Kindly take your hands off me...Professor." she said boldly.
Her amber eyes staring into his cold obsidian ones with the same flicker of defiance as before.
Snape did as she asked. Though he was more or less disappointed that he could not change her mind, even with his most brazen antics. He had been no fan of marriage and it seemed his was iron clad in the making.
"I'll see you tomorrow at the ceremony." she said un-phased by his words. "Dear."
Snape cringed at the pet name.
"Watch it Granger." he growled angrily. "People who are foolish enough to test me do not often live to see another day."
Hermione smirked and made her way out the door. She could not believe how cleverly she had handled her future husband's antics and that he didn't take a single house point in the wake of her cheek. He must have really been quite drunk.
Snape rolled his eyes and made his way out of the door behind her. Their paths diverged possibly for the last time as she made her way to the Great Hall for dinner and he took off toward the front gates. He had one last night of freedom as far as he was concerned and he wanted nothing more than to enjoy it to the last second.
The Great Hall...
Hermione entered the hall like usual giggling with her friends and chatting it up as if she had not single care in the world. She glanced up at the staff's table and had been slightly unnerved to find that Snape had not been present. She caught sight of Dumbledore and Lupin doing the same before they turned their attention to her.
The Headmaster offered the young witch a warm smile. She returned it and went back to enjoying her evening.
"So it seems we meet Slytherin on the field this week." said Harry looking over at the Slytherin table.
Draco Malfoy gave him a wicked little smirk for his attention.
"I hope bloody Malfoy Junior doesn't cheat." said Ron. "It's bad enough they'll be on the faster brooms."
"Don't worry Ron." said Ginny lifting her fork to impale it into her slice of roast. "Malfoy won't get the chance."
Ron saw the flicker of determination in his younger sister's eyes and smiled.
"Yeah." he said in agreement. "He won't know what hit him."
Hermione shook her head. She had been no fan of Quidditch but to see her friends enjoy it with such conviction was a wonder in it of itself.
"Well you have my support when it comes to the upcoming match." she said with a warm smile.
"How about a good luck kiss to really make sure we win?" asked Ron waggling his eyebrows.
Hermione shook her head.
"Not even in your dreams Ronald." she said with an amazed smile.
Ron grasped his heart in mock anguish.
"Madam you wound me." he said and made a big production of falling dead to the floor.
His antics got the attention of Professor McGonagall who fixed her familiar stern gaze onto the younger Weasley boy. As if he could hear her chew him out for his "Tom foolery" Ron sat quietly back at his seat. Hermione tried to stifle her giggles out of respect for McGonagall but Ginny burst out laughing and the lid was blown off her attempts to keep the laughter in. Harry followed suite as did the others at the table. Soon the entire Gryffindor table was busting up from the antics of Ron Weasley.
Headmaster Dumbledore seemed to be quite amused as well chucking from the staff table.
Despite the apparent giggles Hermione found herself wondering where Snape had gone. She had hoped that in his drunken state he had turned in for the night but the way Dumbledore and Lupin both seemed to be watching for him it seemed that was not the case. The amber eyes of the bushy haired Gryffindor again traveled toward his unusually empty chair.
Where was he tonight?
Unknown field, Wizarding World...
The black smoke a tall tale sign of his arrival as Bellatrix stood facing a single oak tree with a small gray headstone beneath it. Her face had been twisted in a mask of indifference much like Snape's had been when he made his way beside her. The evening sky had loomed above them with twinkling stars and a sizable moon. Bellatrix did not turn to meet his gaze but simply stared at the gray stone with the name Snape Boy carved onto it.
"It's been twenty years." she said in a cold emotionless tone.
"Yes." he agreed staring at the stone as well.
"You're late." said Bellatrix not bothering to mask her annoyance.
"I know." he replied un-phased by her tone. "Couldn't be helped."
"I'm sure." replied Bellatrix still annoyed.
Snape said nothing as he turned his attention back to the headstone.
"It should have been me." he said in an icy tone.
"Not even you deserve what was done to him." said Bellatrix finally turning to face him.
"I have failed you both." said Snape emotionless. "It would have been nothing less than what I deserve."
Bellatrix sighed.
"There's no point in dwelling on it now." she said.
"I suppose not." he replied.
"Lucius tells me you are to be married." said Bellatrix.
"I am." said Snape simply.
"I am to believe it is your Dumbledore that demands this." said Bellatrix snarling at the name of the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"It is." replied Snape truthful.
"Of course he conspires to keep my half-blood from me." she said reaching up and stroking his sallow pale cheek with her hand.
Snape simply stood and allowed it.
"He had your eyes." she said.
"Bella." said Snape in warning.
"Why mustn't we speak of him?" she asked. "No one else is around and it is his birthday."
"No good will come of it." replied Snape.
"Because of your so called marriage?" asked Bellatrix with a wicked smirk. "I myself am married and that never stopped us before."
She let her hands trail down the front of his lean body and stop at the belt of his trousers. Snape wished that he did not bow to her touch. That he could simply ignore the wanton deranged witch before him reeking of heavy emotion. What she wanted could not happen no matter how she tried to make it so.
"Bella." said Snape.
The deranged witch closed her eyes and pulled him close to her. The scent of herbs and fresh earth filled her nostrils as she clung to him.
"He would have been twenty today Severus." she said softly.
"I know." he replied in an emotionless tone.
Bellatrix suddenly pulled away from him. She seemed to have been visibly shaken for the first few minutes.
"You remember what you promised me." she said composing herself.
The flicker of danger behind her dark eyes familiar as he stared into them with his own deep obsidian ones.
"How can I not." he replied still in an emotionless tone. "It was an unbreakable vow if I recall."
Bellatrix nodded.
"I will have my vengeance." she said as a look of determination flashed across her pale face.
"As will I." replied Snape with a dangerous flicker of malicious behind his obsidian gaze.
After taking one last look at the tombstone both Snape and Bellatrix apparated away from the apparent grave site. Both assured that their vengeance for the tragic outcome of a vile act from the past would become an all too anticipated reality.