Darkened Lust

Part Thirteen

Instead of responding right away, Ami\'s brow drew together as she heaved a sigh and dropped to her knees in front of the chair. She brushed Becca\'s hair away from her face before reaching across her and cupping Severus\' face between her palms.

\"Severus,\" she said, slowly, having taken notice of his torn and dirty robes, the marks upon his face that would become bruises by the afternoon if not tended to, and recalled his mention something happening in Hogsmeade, \"Please. What is happening?\"

\"Will you forgive first?\" he asked, and she saw that he was on the brink of an emotional melt-down. He was still a man, after all, and one can only take so much. Even someone as strong-willed as Severus Snape. Ami nodded, slowly, and leaned forward to press her forhead against his, \"Only if you\'re straight with us. Please, Severus, don\'t leave us in the dark. What happened tonight?\"

\"In a moment...\" Snape said, his mind touching Ami\'s breifly, enough so that she felt the injured star of his being reaching out through the darkness, and then drew back, and gained his feet. He lifted Becca easily with him and carried her through the corridor and into the bedroom.

Ami followed, she didn\'t think he\'d do anything further to either of them, but she had to make sure. She stood by and watched as he carefully laid her across the bed, pulled the blankets up to her chin and sat down next to her, his head lowered so that his dark hair hid his face. Snape\'s fingers fisted in his hair as he heaved a shuddering sigh and, finally, looking up, summoned Ami over with his eyes alone.

\"I\'ve tried to keep something from you,\" he began as she sat down between and slightly in front of Becca and himself. She reached behind herself to find Becca\'s hand and wrapped her fingers around her friend\'s. Severus went on, \"From both of you. Those books you\'ve made mention of...They tell of ones called Death Eaters?\"

\"Voldemort\'s followers.\" Becca whispered, still weak from her ordeal. Severus flinched at the sound her of voice, and nodded.

\"Yes... For several years I\'ve been working as a spy...\"
he said, and they looked at him, neither surprised for it was what they\'d always known, \"Over the past year, however, Voldemort has become even stronger. This,\" he drew up the sleeve of his arm, exposing the snake-n-skull tattoo they\'d seen before, \"...Mark...is more than a mere reminder of my past. It connects me to The Dark Lord, even now.\"

\"It began to burn?\" Ami asked, recalling all she\'d read or heard regarding the Death Eaters and the Dark Mark Tattoo, \"Voldemort summoned you tonight... Didn\'t he?\"

\"Tonight as well as on others,\" he said, seeming to decide, right then, that if he was going to come out with it, he might as well come out with it all, \"Before I came here to...be with...you both...\"

\"What happened in Hogsmeade, Severus?\" Ami asked, even though she was still fuming over what he\'d done to her friend, she could not direct her anger at him any longer. It was becoming more and more evident that he was as much a victim as Becca, perhaps moreso.

\"Something...horrible...\" Severus said, \"If I could, I would sheild you both from what\'s to come, but tonight has proved that no place is truly safe from the Dark Lord\'s infleunce.\"

\"Knowlege is power, Severus,\" Ami said, and he nodded, slowly, \"Give us the power to protect ourselves...and you.\"

\"There was...an attack on Hogmeade,\" he said, and felt the closeness, both physically and emotionally, of the both women, \"I...had no choice...\" He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and shook his head, his hair flying with the jerky movement, \"Voldemort...Lucius...the others... I can still hear the screaming... It was...it was... barbaric...\"

After that his words came faster, explaining everything that had happened. The entire attack on Hogsmeade. The other attacks he\'d, reluctantly taken part in. The feelings of jubilation and an almost drug-induced high that washed over him whenever his dark side emerged and how it was becoming harder and harder to shove that side of him downwards and out of sight.

He expressed his fears for them, for their safety and even went so far as to hint that perhaps it would be best if he ended his own life and thus spare them any further risk.

At that both women cried out and protested. Ami felt like slapping him for a moment. How dare he say something like that to them! Only cowards ever considered suicide!

She opened her mouth to tell him so, recalling exactly how he despised that particular word in reference to himself, when he gave her a look of such utter remorse that she found her sudden flash of anger smoothed.

Ami leaned against him and drew him into her arms, stroking his hair as he stiffened for a moment, then relaxed against her, resting his head against her breasts. Becca sat up and bent over his back, showing with her embrace that she really did forgive him, though, as Ami sensed, it took a lot of courage for her make this decicion to express her concern this way.

They remained thus for so many minutes that neither Ami nor Becca seemed to sense the passing of time. The only movement were Ami\'s rythmically petting of Severus\' head and and Becca\'s back, one and then the other, keeping her friends and lovers connected, and the soft shudders issuing from Severus\' form.

Ami became aware of the front of the tee-shirt she\'d changed into earlier to sleep in become damp with his tears and wondered how long it had been since he\'d allowed himself such a release. Probably far too long, she thought. It was a wonder he hadn\'t a melt-down before now, what with all he\'d had to endure over the years. A stronger man wouldn\'t have survived, she thought.

To Be Continued...

A/N: I wish to thank my reveiwers. I also would like to stress that this story is being written as a collaberation between myself, Ami E. Bowen, and my good friend Rebecca Middleton. She has written as much, if not more, on this, than I and her talent should be recognized. I am glad that people, so far, seem to be enjoying this. It may continue to develope a plot, but keep in mind that it is being written, first and formost as smutty entertainment.

In this particular story it is the ride, so far, that\'s important rather than the destination. Remember that and you\'ll enjoy this far more.

Thank you so much,

~Ami and Becca