Love Bites (REPOST)

Chapter 12 ~ Dark Plans and Dark Dreams

Vashti summoned Victor, who had been sulking in another part of the catacombs. Her consort made his way through the twisting labyrinth of winding body-filled niches until he emerged into the area that served as Vashti's throne room. He walked up to his Queen and bowed.

Vashti looked at him consideringly.

"You are still sulking, Victor?" she asked him with a slight smile on her red lips.

"Yes, my Queen. I am very distressed," Victor replied.

"You need something to occupy your mind other than my upcoming union with the new king, Victor. I have something for you to do that will keep you away from the catacombs for a while," Vashti said, flashing her teeth at him.

"And you," Victor thought, his pale face clouding up with displeasure.

"I need you to find out what woman the wizard is interested in, and if possible, kill her," Vashti said, "she will be a hindrance to his turning. His desire can only be focused on me if he is to succumb to the curse. You must go to the Forbidden Forest and watch. You alone of my minions have enough presence of mind to survive the sun," the Queen said.

Victor's eyes narrowed. A mortal woman could thwart the Queen's plans? Interesting, very, very interesting.

Vashti frowned at him. Since Victor was sentient, she could not control him as she did the others. He was bound to her still, but he had his own mind. That made the vampire a bit of a challenge, as well as a suitable consort.

"Victor, I am warning you. If you catch this woman…do not turn her. Kill her. You know that females are not allowed in my realm…that the turning of a female makes her an immediate rival for my throne. I will be very displeased. Very displeased indeed," Vashti said.

Then she hissed at the vampire, who cowered slightly.

Victor contained a bit a Vashti's life force, which made him more than an ordinary, mindless minion…who were much like worker bees. The Vampire Queen's domain was run much like a hive, except all the inhabitants were male, and with good reason. Her blood and life force in the veins of a human female had the same effect as royal jelly, and the victim would turn, becoming a Queen herself. A bite from one of her regular minions would simply weaken or kill a human female, but she would not turn. But a bite from Victor would put the curse in progress at an accelerated rate.

Vashti had been a muggle when she underwent the ritual and was demonized, giving her soul over to the Dark Powers that granted her eternal youth and eternal life. So she had no magical powers above what was granted her. If a Queen who was also a witch challenged Vashti, she might retain her magical abilities. Vashti might be defeated and either killed or forced into exile to form another clutch of vampires somewhere else.

Vashti would never allow a Queen to go into exile. She would remain a threat. The vampiress would kill her rival.

Vashti studied the vampire who stood before her, his eyes full of passion. Victor would not dare betray her. He was bound to her after all. She was his Queen.

"Go forth, Victor. Find out who this woman is. Kill her if you can, or bring me the knowledge if you cannot. I will reward you," she said, leaning forward and letting a nail cut a long, thin line into Victor's cheek, then inserting her blood-soaked finger into her mouth as the vampire's cheek immediately healed.

Victor's black eyes went red and hot. He had not taken Vashti in a very long time.

He bowed.

"Yes my Queen. I go," he said, turning and changing to the form of a white wolf.

He loped from the throne room, through the winding catacombs, then leaped upward, transforming into a bat and winging through the crevice into the night, flapping strongly towards Hogwarts.

But Victor's mind was working furiously as he winged through the starlit sky. This mortal woman could hinder the wizard's turning. She might thwart Vashti's plan and he could remain the Queen's only lover. Or he could kill the woman and sample Vashti's pleasures once again. He longed for his Queen…the feel of her cold, smooth skin, the exquisite pain of her bite, her lustful hiss as she received him, the succulent flavor of her blood as he possessed her.

Why should the wizard know her bliss?

Victor was torn as he entered the Forbidden Forest, reverted to wolf form, sat on his haunches and peered across the landscape of Hogwarts proper. He couldn't enter the castle itself. It still had the safeguards from the Final Battle to keep vampires out. He could enter the grounds and move about them freely however. He was undead and didn't trigger the protective wards on the gate that encircled the grounds.

The vampire had no idea how he was going to gather any information on the witch or even how to identify her. He would probably be here for days if not weeks, retreating to the forest's dens and caves during daylight hours. He had to find out something however. Vashti did not take failure well.

Victor let out a long, lonesome howl that rang across the grounds of Hogwarts.

What was a desperate vampire to do?

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Hermione lay in her bed, in a white silk nightgown that actually fit her, her hair unbound, considering the Professor's situation. She had decided to ask the Headmistress if she could bring in an assistant to handle the basic infirmary duties. A male assistant, preferably an intern from St. Mungos. She was going to have to devote time to discovering a way to stop or slow the Potions Master's turning, or a cure for it…if possible. She would need time for research, lab work and experimentation.

Professor Snape was a valued Professor at Hogwarts, not only for his teachings but for all he had done in the past. It was very unlikely that the Headmistress would turn him out when he was in need of aid. She would do what needed to be done. Although Severus had received no medals for his contribution in the fight against Voldemort, he was still considered a hero by most. Everything that could be done for him would be done.

Hermione stretched a bit. She felt a little tight. She needed to take a run…she had been neglecting her exercise with the move to Hogwarts and all. It would help her work off some of the tension she felt. She rolled over on her side and placed her hands under her cheek. She was very tired. She drifted off to sleep. And to dreams.

Hermione was in some dark, cave like place. Small bonfires burned around her and there were stones scattered all over. A hissing noise sounded behind her. Hermione quickly turned and saw a pair of blood red eyes approaching her. No body was present, just the floating hate-filled eyes drifting toward her slowly.

The witch pulled out her wand and backed up from the advancing eyes against a very rubbly wall. It shifted behind her, and suddenly a long, skeletal arm dropped over her shoulder. She looked at it and screamed, throwing it off of her and running forward. She turned and saw the walls were actually niches filled with skeletal remains, and what she thought were stones were actually human skulls. The hiss sounded again and she spun, wand extended.

Hermione was about two feet away from those disembodied eyes, the tip of her wand pointed right between them. They did not advance any further but shifted over her consideringly. They seemed to be made of flame.

"You wield magic, but like most mortals, you are afraid of death," a cold female voice said disparagingly. There was something about the voice that turned Hermione's blood to ice in her veins. "But death will come, witch."

The eyes faded away.

Hermione's eyes flew open. She had a nightmare and it had been chilling. It took place in a cave of bones…a catacomb. But whatever was coming after her, she had held it off with her wand.

Hermione rolled on her back and blinked up at the ceiling for a few moments. Had it been a ghost? It didn't have a body so Hermione assumed it was. Hm. Well, everyone had a fear of the unknown. The ghost saying she was afraid of death and that death would come was just stating the obvious. Just a creepy dream.

The witch settled back into her sleeping position, closed her eyes and in a few moments, sleep swept back over her. And another dream…much different than the first.

She was in her bedroom, dressed in her nightgown, standing in front of the mirror on her dresser, brushing her chestnut hair. Suddenly Severus walked into the room.

The Professor was dressed in only black boxers, which were hugely tented. He stared at her a moment, and she noted his black eyes had a red tinge to them as he focused on her.

"I'm turning. You have to help me," he said to her, his voice raw with need.

Hermione put her brush down. She looked around for her wand but didn't see it. She looked at the wizard.

"Leave my room, Professor. You have no business here," she said, sounding braver than she felt.

Severus took a step toward her.

"You must help me," he repeated. "I'm turning. Only you can stop it."

"I'm doing all I can, Professor. I'm working on it," she said, backing away from him. Unfortunately the only place she could back up to was the bed.

"No. There is another way to help me. Give yourself to me," the Professor said, quickly crossing the room and stopping inches from her.

His eyes were mesmerizing, the redness in them pulsing. Hermione felt weak, a fire spreading through her body suddenly. He was using some sexual power on her, and she was responding.

The witch felt the Professor's arms wrap around her and pull her against him. Against his huge erection, and she felt as if she would burst into flame.

"Save me. You must accept me before I can take you," he breathed down at her, moving his body against hers sensually. She began to ache between her legs.

"Accept me," he hissed at her, revealing white teeth and enlarged eyeteeth. They weren't fangs however.

The wizard began to move his hands over her body, leaving trails of fire wherever he touched her. He cupped her breasts and moved his thumbs over her nipples, sending thrills through her as they peaked.

"Accept me," he said again, this time a pleading note in his voice, "Save me, Hermione."

"I will save you, Severus," she whispered back, unable to help herself.

The Potions Master fell with her on to the bed, pulled down his boxes, revealing his huge organ, then pushed up her gown. He paused to raise himself and examine her sex. Then his red eyes locked on her face a moment.

"I am the first…and the only," he said, pushing her thighs wider as they lay across the bed, his feet still on the floor, positioning the head of his cock against her hymen.

Then he thrust hard inside her, breaking her maidenhead, Hermione arching against him and squealing with pain and need as he filled her. Instead of fucking her, the Professor pulled out and fell to his knees. Wrapping his arms around her thighs, he begin to lick, nibble and suck on her sex, the witch twisting in his arms from the pleasure of it. Suddenly the wizard stopped and raised his head. There was blood on his lips, and the red light in his eyes extinguished, the irises changing to black once more.

"Thank you, Hermione," Severus said softly.

Again Hermione woke up, this time to find her nightgown soaked and a huge puddle beneath her. A delicious feeling was pulsing just beneath her belly, and her eyes rolled up from the pleasure of it, her back arching. After several minutes, the witch came down, panting and perspiring.

"Did I just have a wet dream about the Professor as a half-vampire?" she gasped to herself as she rolled out of the puddle and looked down at it. Her nightgown was stuck to her and her thighs were all sticky.

Dear gods. She had. And climaxing was better than she had ever imagined. Not that she'd ever spent time imagining it. She got up out of the bed, grabbed her wand off the nightstand and scourgified herself and the sheets.

"I've got vampires on the brain," she muttered, replacing the wand on the nightstand and getting back into the bed.

She lay there a minute, then suddenly sat up, scooted over to where she could open the drawer of the nightstand and took out a bottle of sleeping draught. She uncapped it and took a few swallows, then set it back.

"That's enough freaky dreams for one night," she said to herself, rolling over and getting comfortable, waiting for the draught to take effect.

Hermione made herself believe she took the draught to stop the dreams, but she really took it to keep from thinking about the Professor for the rest of the night.

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A/N: Ooh, a dream-time taste of lemon. Pretty kinky too, Severus drinking her virginal blood. Wow. Victor has a real dilemma on his hands. Vashti now or try to thwart her plans? Getting interesting. As you probably noticed, I am making up my own vampire background and rules here. Lol. These are AU vampires so they don't fit the norm. Anyhow, please review.