Twice Bitten ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 12 ~ Ron Comes Through

Hermione found herself with a belly full of lacewing flies when she walked down the dungeon corridor that night. How would she react to seeing the Professor after last night? And how would he react? Would he pretend there had been nothing between them? Most likely he would because of Ron and Harry, particularly Ron who would no doubt go ballistic if he knew the Potions master had accomplished what he’d been unable to do despite his best efforts.

Get past her knickers.

She tapped the bricks in the established manner, took a deep breath and entered the stairwell.

”Good evening,” the Professor crooned in an almost a perfect imitation of Bela Lugosi, standing on the landing, his dark eyes resting on the Disillusioned witch.

Hermione removed the spell and looked at the wizard, feeling breathless as Snape slowly walked up to her.

”I hope our interaction last night didn’t leave you in any great distress,” he purred at the witch, taking her hand and kissing the back of it gently.

”Not . . . not too much,” Hermione replied, her voice quavering as she drew her hand back, the place where his lips met her skin still tingling.

He studied her, noting the witch’s increase in heart rate.

”I see being intimate with me has done nothing to cool your attraction, Hermione,” he said to her softly, “All you have to do is ask . . .”

”Let us go, Professor. We have things to talk about,” she said to the wizard, quickly walking past him. It was embarrassing he could divine how she felt so easily, while she couldn’t tell how he felt at all. Yes, he was being solicitous but that didn’t mean anything really.

Snape stood there and watched Hermione start to descend the stairs. Then suddenly he zipped forward, swinging her into his arms and flashing down the stairwell and through the passageways to his chambers, the witch barely able to finish her surprised shriek before they arrived. He set her down slowly, letting Hermione slide down his body before reaching the floor.

She looked up at him, her eyes resting on the wizard’s cruel mouth, the mouth that brought her so much pleasure the night before. She swayed forward helplessly and Snape began to bend to meet her lips when . . .

“Hi Hermione!” Harry’s bright voice rang out, causing the two to straighten. “I smelled you. How cool is that?”

“Hi Harry,” Hermione said, smiling at him and a little relieved he arrived when he did.

Snape however, had a distinct sneer on his face as the-boy-who-cockblocked entered his domain. Ron walked in after him and headed straight for Hermione.

”Hey ‘Mione,” he said, about to give her a hug.

Suddenly, Snape's lean frame appeared between them.

”Go sit down, Mr. Weasley,” he said to the wizard, his eyes hard as Ron obediently turned and sat down on Harry’s bed. He frowned at Snape, who still stood in front of Hermione protectively. Harry sat down beside him, both wizards silent but very aware of Snape’s territorial display.

Snape turned to Hermione.

”First, the blood,” he said to the witch, his eyes still hard.

Hermione nodded and walked over to the lab table. Snape pulled out the large bowl, standing over the witch, watching as she tapped her wand to her vein and added a few drops of blood to the bowl.

“Look at him,” Ron seethed to Harry. “Just because she’s helping him, he acts as if he owns her. He wouldn’t even let me hug her. I always hug Hermione.”

Harry studied the pair, watching as Snape added the replenishing potion. He was standing very close to Hermione. The Professor rarely got too close to anyone unless he was purposely menacing them. Hermione didn’t look menaced, but then again, she was watching the blood volume grow.

”I don’t know, Ron. Something’s going on though. I can feel it,” Harry said darkly.

Snape filled three tankards with blood and waved the two over as Hermione turned the chair into a stool and perched on it, going over what she was going to say in her head. Ron, Harry and Snape drank in silence, Ron finishing first and taking the opportunity to approach Hermione.

Snape watched him with narrowed eyes, but made no move.

“Hermione, what’s going on with Snape?” the wizard asked her in a low voice, his eyes narrowed. Snape was able to hear him clearly however and was interested to see how the witch replied.

”What do you mean, Ron?” Hermione replied, hoping she didn’t look guilty.

But she did, a little.

”He’s all hovering over you like a big bat,” Ron hissed at her, suspicious now.

”Ask him. I don’t know why he’s doing it,” Hermione lied. “He’s been hovering over people ever since our first year. It’s a Snape thing, Ron.”

”Well it seems different. Like he thinks you belong to him or something,” Ron said, frowning.

”Mr. Weasley, return to the bed. Miss Granger has something to tell us,” Snape called over to him. Ron stalked back to the bed, pissed. He wanted some answers. Harry joined him, also looking at Hermione as if trying to divine the witch’s secret.

Snape leveled his gaze on Hermione.

”Please share, Miss Granger,” he said.

Hermione cleared her throat.

”After much consideration and poring through the information I have, I’ve decided that the best chance you have of being restored Professor would be that of destroying the vampire responsible for creating this particular line. That would be Lilutu,” Hermione said to the wizard. “That is the only scenario I found that can possibly restore a vampire to human form.”

Hermione purposely didn’t add how slim a chance it was, however. The Professor had indicated he would destroy himself if he couldn’t be restored. She didn’t want him to do that before they even tried.

“What? Kill the original vampire? Do we even know where it is?” Ron asked, his eyes wide.

“Iraq,” Snape said shortly.

Ron blinked at this.

“But how do we even know it’s the original vampire?” he asked Hermione.

”Well, when I was in the Pensieve, I saw the bite marks on the Professor’s throat. There were four of them, rather than two, from both the eyeteeth and the incisors. Neither the Professor nor you nor Harry have two sets of fangs. That makes her significantly different from you. Since Professor Snape is so powerful, it would make sense that she is the original, since his degradation of power isn’t as acute as yours. It makes a good case for Lilutu being the original,” Hermione said evenly, wishing Ron would shut up. “And even if she isn’t, we could find out who turned her and search for that vampire. This is the only option we have, Professor.”

She looked at Snape, holding her breath.

The wizard looked thoughtful.

”I would like to repay Lilutu for her little ‘love bite,’” he said, “However there is a problem with transporting such a great distance in our state. We cannot travel in daylight, nor cross moving water. There is an ocean between us. I don’t see how we can do this, Miss Granger.”

Hermione took a deep breath.

”Well, I could go,” she suggested, “I could arm myself with things that are supposed to kill a vampire and face Lilutu.”

Harry leapt up from the bed.

”Hermione, if Lilutu is even stronger than Snape, she could control you the moment she saw you. You wouldn’t stand a chance,” he said, “No. You can’t even think about doing this yourself! It’s insane!”

Snape looked at Harry, then slowly said, “I’m afraid for once, Mr. Potter is correct, Miss Granger. You would not be able to resist Lilutu any more than you can resist me. Facing her alone is not an option. It seems we’ve reached an impasse.”

“No!” Hermione said desperately, “No. We can find a way to do this, Professor. We just have to think!”

Hermione felt fear take hold of her as she saw the resignation in the dark wizard’s eyes.

”You can’t kill yourself!” she blurted out, her eyes tearing up.

”It would be a release, Miss Granger. I’ve lived a lifetime of recriminations and guilt. I have no desire to spend Eternity immersed in it. I am not a parasite. I will not live off the lives of others,” he said to her softly.

”No! No, Professor. You’re a hero. People will make allowances for you once they know what you’ve done for the wizarding world. I’m sure you can be provided blood . . . all you need,” Hermione said to him, her heart sinking as the wizard shook his head.

”Even if allowances were made for me, Miss Granger, I’d be reduced to an oddity. A freak. And there would be those who would still want me dead because of the onus attached to vampires. I have no desire to live a life dependent on the kindness of others. I would rather die with dignity,” he told the witch.

“No!” Hermione hissed vehemently.

Ron watched the exchange. Hermione seemed extremely upset about the Professor. She wasn’t even thinking about him and Harry. They’d be vampires forever too. Ron wasn’t ready to die, however. He had barely lived yet.

He began to think and think hard.

They needed to get from point A to point B without being fried by the sun or crossing moving water. This was impossible, or would be without magic . . . now what would be required?

Hm. Required.

Ron blinked several times as the answer came to him. He stood up importantly.

”I know how to do it,” he announced, “I know how we can get to Lilutu.”

Everyone looked at the red-head, Snape wondering what asinine idea the boy had come up with. But if Ron was anything, he was a good strategist. It wasn’t a fluke that he was so good at Wizard’s Chess.

“How Ron?” Hermione asked him hopefully.

”It’s easy. Remember Neville?” he asked her and Harry.

”What about Neville?” Harry asked him.

”Remember when he was hiding out from the Carrows? In the Room of Requirement?” he said, willing them to catch his train of thought. “Neville really understood how the room worked. You had to ask for exactly what you needed. Exactly.”

”Yes! Yes, Ron! You’re brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!” Hermione cried, leaping off the stool, running to Ron and leaping into his arms, kissing him soundly on the lips before she knew what she was doing.

”What the hell are you all talking about?” Snape snarled, angry that the witch was in the lesser vampire’s arms. Hermione looked at him, smiling with happiness.

”When Neville was in the Room of Requirement and needed food, he wished he could get some and a passageway to the Hog’s Head Inn opened up for him, leading directly to it! There’s no reason to think it couldn’t do that for us!” she said breathlessly. “Distance and space doesn’t matter to the ROR, Professor. It will take us to the safest most direct route to finding Lilutu! All we have to do is let you enter first!”

Ron still clutched Hermione to him, becoming aware of the blood coursing through her. The sound of her heart beating, the delicious ambrosia running through her veins. He swallowed and Snape’s eyes shifted to him warningly, sensing his reaction to the witch.

”Let Miss Granger go, Mr. Weasley, before you attempt to do something you will be very sorry for,” he hissed at the wizard.

Hermione looked at Ron and could see the growing hunger in his eyes before he mechanically let her go. Hermione skittered over to Snape, standing very close to him and looking at Ron as if she had never seen him before . . .

”I suggest you refrain from embracing Mr. Weasley so closely, Miss Granger. It appears he is as reactionary in his Undead state as he was as a human being,” the wizard purred.

Hermione swallowed and nodded as Ron looked rather guilty.

”I’m sorry, Hermione,” he said softly.

”It’s all right, Ron,” she replied, her voice a bit shaky.

She knew she couldn’t really trust Ron. He didn’t mean to be the way he was, but as a lesser vampire he didn’t have the discipline that Snape did. Possibly, it was because he retained a lot of his personality. Ron was very spontaneous. Not a good trait for a blood-sucking vampire.

Ron sat back down on the bed, some of the glory of his realization taken by his reaction to Hermione. He knew he couldn’t be trusted either, and it scared him that he could possibly hurt Hermione. Maybe it was good Snape was so protective.

Hermione recovered quickly, moving into planning mode.

”All right. I’m going to have to get some things together tomorrow and tomorrow night we’ll see if we can get a passageway to open. In the meantime, you all put your heads together and try to come up with possible ways you can kill Lilutu,” she said bossily, heading for the chamber door in her excitement. She was ready to get started.

Snape stepped forward.

”I will escort you to Gryffindor tower, Miss Granger,” he said.

”All right, Professor,” Hermione barely managed to get the words out before he grabbed her and zipped out the door, leaving Harry and Ron to talk among themselves.

Harry looked at Ron sympathetically.

”I know it’s hard, Ron. That’s why I haven’t hugged Hermione since I’ve turned. I can still feel her blood and even if I’m not hungry, it still affects me,” he said, “Even from across the room.”

“How does Snape keep from doing anything to her?” he asked Harry.

”He’s stronger than us, so he can probably control his urges better,” Harry suggested.

”Yeah,” Ron agreed sullenly.

If only they knew.

*************************************

Instead of taking the stairs, Snape zipped Hermione out the front doors and around the side of the castle, stopping under Gryffindor tower.

”Locomordres,” he said, and they began to rise slowly, Hermione clinging to him, her warm body in tight contact.

”I’ve never known this spell to be so . . . pleasant,” the wizard purred down at the witch, who blushed before he kissed her hungrily, his tongue probing her mouth. Once again Hermione felt his fire descending on her, desire filling her body. And once again Snape sensed her arousal.

It would be so easy to take her again. But no. He wanted her with all her facilities and in good physical shape. Two nights in a row with him wasn't exactly conducive to that goal. Snape broke the kiss, reveling in her need for a moment, then speeding up his ascent. The window to Harry’s room opened as they floated before it, and Snape drifted in long enough to set Hermione down. She looked up at him with liquid eyes.

”I want . . .” she began.

”Don’t say it,” he said to her, “You have other things to think about witch. Important things.”

Hermione wanted to tell him there was nothing more important than being with him one more time. They were leaving to face Lilutu tomorrow night, and if anything went wrong, they would have only had the one encounter. And if he did return to human form, then what they had would most likely end.

“You need to focus,” the wizard said softly, caressing her cheek for a moment, then returning to the window. “Maybe there will be another time for us, Hermione. But not tonight. Until tomorrow, witch.”

Then he leapt out the window and was gone.

Hermione sighed and sat down on the bed. Of course, the vampire was right. There were other things to think about besides being lost in pleasure with him.

Yes, there were other things to think about, but nothing as compelling as being underneath him.

Hermione shuddered, then stood up and began undressing. She had rounds to make tomorrow.

She wanted to be well-prepared.

*******************************
A/N: Thanks for reading.