Chapter 42

Severus turned the trembling girl over on to her back, laying her on the hearth rug as he pushed his desperate tongue into the deepest caverns of her mouth, his need as urgent as hers, despite no longer being under the compulsion curse. His cock hardened ridiculously fast as Granger responded to his open-mouthed kiss, feeling the arch of her body as she lurched up to touch him.

He roughly pushed up the vest top of her pyjamas, baring her hot tits against the cool palm of his hand, grasping one and fondling it as he continued to snog her, meeting her needs, giving her what she needed.

And what you need, Severus, you deluded bastard.

"Please," she gasped, pulling her mouth away from his devouring kiss with some difficulty.

The compulsion was wracking her body, he could feel it and see it. He must attend to her, for the girl needed to orgasm to release the pain. He moved his mouth from her lips to her tit, suckling deeply on the nipple that was nearest to him, as his hand ripped her tiny pyjama shorts firmly down her legs with one movement, and he felt her kick them off in frustration.

Severus knelt up and swung her legs around him, positioning her dripping little cunt for the touch of his fingers. As he spread her, she gasped in pain, and he realised he needed to be even more gentle. Scooting back on his knees, he bowed his head to her mound and poked just the tip of his tongue between her labia, pushing it into her cleft and feeling her clitoris pulsing like a second heartbeat beneath his touch.

He slithered the flat of his tongue around her clit in slow circles, needing to relieve her, but trying to not to hurt her, for she was so sensitive that any rough movements would cause her further pain. Severus fastened his mouth around her bud, and hummed, and the gentle vibration tipped her into her first climax, as she squeaked and began to writhe her cunt against his face.

"Don't stop," she begged. "Please, there's still more."

Oh, I know, sweetheart, he thought, his Slytherin heart delighted, despite her predicament.

He began to lick her harder, now that her initial sensitivity had been relieved, swirling the sharp end of his tongue from the top of her labia to the cleft of her arse, where he allowed it to flicker like a tormenting snake, watching the silky arousal fluid drip from her vaginal opening.

Granger was panting, and cresting her second orgasm as he sat up, his fingers taking over the masturbation duties of her intoxicating little pussy. He took hold of her clitoris, pulling it upwards and twisting it, whilst tickling just below it, and her scream of bliss sent a further rush of blood to his cock, which had now burst free from the thin covering of his dressing gown, beneath which he was naked.

"Holy fuck!" she screamed, clenching her arse cheeks as she thrust her hips up and rigid as she came, and he tormented her clit throughout her climax, despite her protests.

Severus then let her lay on the floor for a few seconds, watching her cunt pulse open and closed in post-orgasm, and her chest heaving, regaining her breath.

"On your knees, Granger," he growled, once she had recovered a little.

She obligingly turned over, her knees underneath her and assumed a position on all fours, her enticing pussy wide open for his intended invasion.

"Teasing little witch," he muttered, giving her arse a quick slap since it was presented so beautifully, enjoying the gasp of pleasured surprise that she let out.

Drawing in behind her, on his knees, his thin dressing gown now hanging open, Severus watched his erection find its own way to her wide open hole, dripping wet and ready for him. Holding securely to her hips and lower back, he crammed his girth inside her in one movement, shouting out himself at how fucking amazing she felt, her walls clenching his needy cock like a vice.

"Oh, my good god!" he roared, beginning to thump himself against her arse in a fast, pounding rhythm.

The pants and squeals that she was releasing goaded Severus to move faster. He couldn't help it. It was like driving a train that had lost its brakes. Bloody Merlin, he wanted to fuck this girl as if his life depended on it. The fact that the whole future of wizarding Britain was currently resting on his shoulders meant nothing when he was balls-deep inside the tight cunt of Miss Hermione Granger.

He rested the flat of his hand on the tailbone of her spine, pushing down to tilt her channel up towards him, continuing to thrust inside her, knowing that the new angle would be hitting her sweet spot with every stroke, agitating yet another orgasm from her.

"Are you going to come again, little witch?" he demanded, pounding into her like a wizard possessed, knowing that his own climax was not far away.

"Yes," she gasped, panting hard. "Yes … again … more!"

Severus drilled his final flurry of thrusts inside her, hearing her scream and feeling her channel contract around his cock, jerking the first spurt of come from the end, followed by several more as he expelled the contents of his balls inside her, slowing his thrusts but keeping them deep to give her everything he had.

"Fucking Merlin," he panted, holding her hips as he drew his now limp and sore dick out of her. "Fucking bloody hell."

He got to his feet, for his knees were about to give out from their punishment upon the none-too-soft hearthrug, and he leaned down to pull Granger to standing, also.

"Is your compulsion relieved?" he asked, turning her to face him, his robe hanging open, and she was naked apart from her pyjama vest pulled high above her pert tits, that he still wanted to suck, even after his explosive orgasm.

"Yes," she answered, trembling, and he enveloped her in his arms, wrapping his open dressing gown around her back.

They stood in silence for a few moments.

"Can I stay?" she asked.

"That is not wise, Hermione. If I am correct, all the signs indicate that everything the Order has been working towards will come to a head tomorrow, if not sooner."

"I understand," she replied, her shoulders falling, and she extricated herself from his embrace, pulling her vest down to cover herself and finding her pyjama shorts from the floor.

Once clothed, she turned back to him.

"Please. Be careful, Sir."

"I intend to, Granger."

He bent down and kissed her lips softly, just the once, and then turned her towards the fireplace, where she picked up a handful of Floo powder and tossed it in, calling out for Shell Cottage. Ah, of course, it was the full moon tonight and Lupin would be transformed. The girls and the baby must be staying at the Weasley cottage tonight.

Nothing happened.

She tried again.

"What is happening?" he asked.

"The Floo!" she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "The Floo connection to both Shell Cottage and Grimmauld Place are sealed, due to Remus' transformation. I can't get back!"

"Fuck," he muttered. Hogwarts was currently not a safe place for Granger to be.

"How did I manage to get through?"

"You called me. Charlie would have left the Floo open for outgoing calls, and if you remember, I pulled you through physically, you did not use the powder."

"Shit."

"Language."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the unnecessary admonishment.

"I shall conceal you here. But, be warned, you are not to leave this office, under any circumstances, whatever you might see, whatever you might hear. And you are to continue to regularly test the Floo between here and Shell Cottage, and return there as soon as it is reconnected. Do you understand?"

"I do understand you, but what is happening here at the castle?"

"Come with me," he sighed, taking her hand and leading her to his bedchamber, for it was likely that his explanation of every that had happened at the Ministry and at the Riddle House would take an awfully long time.

They settled themselves in bed, two small candles burning, and he began to tell her everything that had been planned.

-xxx-

Surprisingly, they did manage to get a few hours of fitful sleep, and were awoken just after dawn by Kingsley's lynx Patronus bounding on the bed.

"Severus. It is done. Once the Ministry opens for the day's work, Umbridge will be bringing all her followers and supporters to Hogwarts, to confront you. I shall explain, but at six am precisely, lower the wards of the castle, for I am bringing us our own army."

They looked at one another, fear and hope in their eyes. Snape cast a tempus charm, revealing they had little over twenty minutes before he needed to lower the wards. He squeezed her hand in a gesture that conveyed more than words ever could, then left the bedroom to wash and clothe himself quickly.

Hermione sent her otter Patronus to Charlie, asking him to please wake up and unblock the damn Floo. She was trying the fire in the office, as Snape had instructed her to, when she was surprised by Charlie walking through himself, fully dressed and with Garth under his arm.

"Charlie!"

"Don't worry, Hermione, I worked out you and Sev ages ago," he teased, smirking at her skimpy attire and tossing her a handful of her own clothing. "You'll need these, my lovely. You can't go into battle in your pyjamas."

"Miss Granger is not going into battle, whatever she is wearing," drawled Snape, arriving fully dressed from the door of his bedchamber.

"Maybe not," retorted Charlie, sealing the Floo connection behind him, "but if she's stuck here then at least she's not doing it with her arse hanging out."

"Why can't I go back to Shell Cottage?" she asked.

"Do you want to go back?" Charlie replied, his eyes serious.

"No. I feel like I should be here."

"You should not be here," Snape interjected.

"Aw, look at you two, bickering like an old married couple, already."

They turned together to see Charlie, and Garth, grinning broadly. Seriously, how could a fucking dragon smile?

"Right then," Charlie continued. "Fleur and Filius are at Shell Cottage, along with Orla and Teddy. Remus should be untransformed by now, but probably sleeping things off. He's secure at Grimmauld, as he blocked himself in before night fell. I'm going down to Hagrid's, and I'll secure the hut so that he can remain there safely, and I will remain there as back-up, as I'm presuming things are going to get ugly. The gamekeepers' hut is a great place watch over the grounds undetected, as I can obscure the windows. Hagrid can look after Garth, should I need to get involved."

"Should you?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When I get involved," Charlie conceded, dropping his shoulders. "That bastard took my entire family, in the most vicious of ways, and I intend to avenge every one of them."

The last remaining Weasley gave them a small salute at the side of his head, and left the office to head for Hagrid's, Garth tucked under his arm. Hermione indicated that she was going to wash and change, and Severus was left in his office, with ten minutes before he needed to lower the wards as Kingsley had instructed, and a ball of fear grumbling in the pit of his stomach.

His Floo glowed green, and Minerva McGonagall and Pomona Sprout came tumbling through.

"What are you doing here?" he asked his colleagues, tersely, extremely thankful that Granger had just that minute left to attire herself more appropriately.

"I believe, Severus," Minerva said, her pointed hat wobbling dangerously, "that today we retake our school. Whatever assistance I can provide, I shall."

"Very well. We have but a few minutes until Kingsley is arriving, and I do not know how many people he is bringing with him. Shall we proceed to the main hall?"

The two witches nodded, and they all walked out of his office door. He hesitated for a moment, before locking it behind him, and securing it with the strongest locking spell he could muster. Granger would be mad as hell, but he could not risk her revealing herself if the Dark Lord was to be summoned here.

If something happened to him, and he was unable to get back here to release her, she could free herself using the Floo connection.

Her protection was all that mattered to him.

-xxx-

Severus felt the castle's protection leave him as he lowered the wards at exactly six o'clock. A few seconds later the Great Hall began to fill with Ministry workers – Aurors, Unspeakables, secretaries, curse-breakers, maintenance men, even the witches that ran the restaurant in the atrium. Most of the staff, it seemed, were firmly against Umbridge's rule.

When the pops of Apparition finally stopped, Shacklebolt indicated that Snape should replace the wards, which he did, and the enveloping protection of the school wards surrounded them all.

"These witches and wizards are the future," Kingsley explained, using a Sonorous Charm that all those gathered could hear. "These are the silent majority, who want peace and tolerance returned to the world. The news of our plan has filtered through the Ministry, down through each department, from person to person. Nobody but those who are supporters of Dolores Umbridge will be presenting themselves for work today."

A ripple of approving applause ran around the room.

"I have advised the Minister to come here this morning and confront you, Snape, hence why we are all here so early, so that the Aurors, the fine witches and wizards you can see uniformed here, who are not corrupt, can station themselves around the castle and grounds. The Ministry workers will be protected here in the Great Hall."

"Then it is time for me to summon the Dark Lord," Snape replied, his voice equally enhanced by the Sonorous Charm. "I shall advise him that Umbridge is on her way, as he instructed me to do. Voldemort will bring the Death Eaters to conceal themselves in the grounds, for I shall tell him that I will be meeting the Minister outside, to give him the most amount of space for his army."

The assembled Ministry workers looked terrified at what was being proposed.

"You must be brave, all of you," Severus told them. "For it is only by being bold that we will regain control of our world."

He turned on his heel, his cloak billowing in a black circle around him as he stalked out of the Great Hall, leaving Kingsley to station the Aurors and McGonagall and Sprout to organise the others as he walked towards the main doors and out into the courtyard, where so much blood had been spilt.

In the cool, early-morning light, Severus took a deep breath, and touched the tip of his wand to his Dark Mark, summoning Voldemort, as he had promised.

-xxx-

Remus came to, naked and exhausted on the mattress in the Grimmauld Place cellar. Checking himself over quickly for injuries, as he always did, he saw only a small gash on his chest, which he healed simply once he had retrieved his wand from its hiding place at the back of the cupboard.

There were deep scratches in the woodwork and chunks of plaster and brick torn from the walls. Clearly, his werewolf self had become enraged at being contained, and scrabbled desperately to free itself. No wonder Remus felt so exhausted now. He must have been in torment, all night.

Shaking his head in resignation, he left the cellar as it was, closing the door on the hated room for another month, and headed upstairs for a shower, and then to bed. Orla and Teddy would be spending another day at least at Shell Cottage, for he would need the time to recover himself. The first day and night of a new cycle was always the worst, for he was so physically exhausted from the exertions he'd put his body through, during the full moon.

A few hours later, he awoke, now ravenous, and so headed downstairs in search of breakfast, which would be waiting on the kitchen table under a stasis charm, left by the delivering house-elf from Hogwarts.

There was no food to be seen.

Remus searched the pantry, and the dresser cupboards, but still nothing.

What had happened?

He could live without the breakfast, he was just concerned. Not once since Severus had set up this arrangement, had the Hogwarts kitchens failed to deliver. Was something happening at the castle that was preventing the elves from leaving?

Lupin hastened to the grate, and sent a green flare through to Snape's office, which was answered by Hermione, who seemed scared and agitated.

"Remus!" she cried.

"What is happening, Hermione?"

"Severus has locked me in his office. Your Floo and the Shell Cottage Floo were blocked, so I couldn't get back. But, oh, Remus. Things are happening here. I can hear so much noise, so many people are here, from all sides."

"There is a battle happening?"

"I think so. Severus and Kingsley have engineered a confrontation between Umbridge and Voldemort. It's happening now."

"I'm coming through."

"No! You can't! You'll be discovered."

"Get out of the way, Hermione."

Lupin had thrown his Floo powder and had joined Hermione in the headmasters' office before she'd had a chance to block the connection, and they both ran to the window, where she'd clearly been watching from, since there was a dent in the cushion on the sill.

"What the bloody hell is all that?" he asked, incredulous, as he looked down on the scene below them.

-xxx-

Severus swallowed hard as he stood at the edge of the courtyard, looking down upon the school grounds spread before him, as Dolores Umbridge puffed her way up the hill from the gate, followed by a good crowd of Ministry toadies who had attached themselves to her power and status.

To all intents and purposes, Snape was alone, a solitary figure, clad in voluminous black, who awaited the censure of the all-powerful Minister for Magic for his alleged treason.

Only Voldemort knew that he and his Death Eaters were concealed all around, ready to mount an attack upon Umbridge and her followers, for her attempt to usurp him.

And only Severus knew that Shacklebolt's Aurors were concealed even further, ready to arrest any Death Eaters or corrupt Ministry workers who were not killed in the upcoming battle, for surely, there would be one.

It was unlikely that an altercation with either of these psychopaths would end without bloodshed, on both sides. He could only hope that Granger had not found a way out of his office.