#7 ~ The Ghost and Lady Snape
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
32
Views:
20,772
Reviews:
261
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
32
Views:
20,772
Reviews:
261
Recommended:
1
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
More Preparation
Disclaimer: All characters belong to JKR (except Marcus Delaluci). All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 14 ~ More Preparation
Marcus apparated outside the main gates of Hogwarts. He unwarded the gates, entered, then rewarded them, and took off at a jog over the grounds, headed for the main door of the castle.
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Hermione entered the Potions lab, where Severus was busily adding ingredients to a small, silver cauldron. He measured carefully, his black eyes focused intently on the minute amounts dropped in from the tips of his long fingers. Hermione settled on a stool and watched her husband brew. She loved his concentration and precision, his passion for his art apparent as he worked.
Severus turned up the flame beneath the caldron and made several clockwise stirs with a wooden spoon. He waited a few timed moments, then gave three counterclockwise stirs. He lowered the flame and watched as the potion came to an easy simmer. He turned over an hourglass, and covered the cauldron with a heavy lid, lowering the flame once more. He turned to see Hermione sitting on the stool, watching him. He quirked an eyebrow at her.
“How long have you been here?” he asked, walking up to her, slipping his arms around her waist, giving her a light kiss. Hermione felt a warm pulse in her belly at the contact. The past hours between them had been so passionate, her body was still reacting to his proximity. She shuddered slightly, and Severus looked down at her knowingly. He gently released her. She looked at him blankly. He smirked.
“I asked you, wife, how long have you been sitting here watching me work?” he repeated.
“Oh,” she replied, finally registering something other than her body’s responses to her husband, “Only a little while. I read up on the astral plane information. We have to break the connection between Alistar and the earth in order to make him dissipate, so he can’t ever reform. His connection is primarily in the spirit of the blood. Marcus’ blood and the blood of the women he killed. He is also connected through me, but I believe I am the weakest link, and the one that will be easiest to break.”
She paused, frowning.
“What is it?” Severus asked, frowning in response to the look on her face.
“Well, the book didn’t say this, but I think Alistar will have access to you and Marcus also through your cores of darkness. He can physically touch you because of it, and since the darkness in you both is spiritual, he will probably be able to use it against you on the astral plane. I’m really concerned that he will affect Marcus the most. He is the darkest of us all. And you and I have each other to turn to for strength. Marcus will be going it alone.”
Severus looked at his wife.
“If Marcus gets into trouble, we will have to try to help him. It will take all three of us to defeat Alistar. We can’t afford to lose him. Maybe we can draw him into our light.”
Hermione snorted, “It would probably repel him like it does Alistar. I don’t think love is high on Marcus’ list of priorities. He probably looks at it more like a millstone around the neck than anything. I don’t know if we’ll be able to reach him.”
“Every man dreams of love in some form, Hermione,” Severus said, his dark eyes going a bit misty as he remembered the desire he kept buried inside himself before her, ”Marcus is like any other man in that respect, I’m sure.”
Hermione harrumphed.
“Right,” she snapped. “Anyway, another problem we’ll face is that our worst fears might manifest, and make us unable to take any action at all. Our fears will paralyze us. We have to focus on the positive at all times. Be courageous.”
Severus nodded somberly. His worst fear was still losing Hermione. That was clearly apparent when he found her unconscious on the laboratory floor. He hoped that wouldn’t manifest. He was helpless against that fear.
“And there will be other things there besides Alistar. Malevolent creatures. Spirits of the dead. We will have to watch for those as well. On a more positive note, we will be able to affect our environment with our minds, so more than likely we will be able to create weapons. If we focus our love to make a kind of shield, we might be able to block any attack Alistar throws at us. Or maybe a sword to sever his connection to me.”
“A sword,” Severus mused. He was thinking of Alistar’s molestation of Hermione, and his blood began to boil. He looked at Hermione, his eyes glittering, his lips drawn up in a snarl.
“Leave that part to me,” he growled, “that will be my job.”
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The door to Marcus’ study swung open. Alistar was instantly aware of the entry, and drifted out of the floo wall, rising to the left corner of the bedroom, ready to pass through the teacher when he entered, and latch on to the darkness within him to bring him down. The ghost hovered, ready.
Albus Dumbledore swept into Marcus’ bedroom. Alistar recoiled as the light of the Ancient filled the room. Writhing with pain, he departed, foiled. Albus walked over to Marcus’ wardrobe, opened it and reduced the clothing within. He pocketed the bits of fabric and then reduced some books and other personal items that Marcus required and took those as well. He exited the bedroom, walked through the study and the DA office, then out into the corridor, headed for the main hall.
He met Marcus at the door.
“Ah, Professor Delaluci. Just the wizard I was hoping to see,” he smiled at the blonde wizard.
“Good morning, Headmaster,” Marcus greeted him, his eyes shifting toward the corridor to the DA office and his rooms, “I just have a few minutes to dress and get ready for class, sir.”
Albus looked at the wizard over his glasses, and decided not to beat around the Whomping Willow.
“Marcus,” he said, dropping the formalities, “I have taken the liberty of removing your personal effects from your room. You will be staying in the spare rooms in my office until you, Severus and Hermione meet with Alistar. You do not have anyone to … to generate a proper barrier and I can offer you some protection. Alistar will not enter my domicile.”
Marcus opened his mouth to protest, but Dumbledore waved him to silence.
“This is not a request, Marcus. This is not just for your own good, but for the good of the school and possibly the entire wizarding world. Alistar must not have access to you before you travel to battle him. You will be able to floo to your classes from my office. Shall we go, Marcus? I have all your effects here.” Dumbledore patted his robe pocket. Marcus sighed.
“Very well, Headmaster, but we have to hurry, sir.”
Albus walked over to the main hall floo, ignited it with a wave of his hand, and tossed in some powder. The flames turned green.
“We are already there,” he said, stepping through. Marcus followed closely behind.
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Severus, Hermione and Marcus all turned up at lunch in the Great Hall that day. They did not acknowledge each other any more than usual, except that Hermione pressed a parchment into Marcus’ hand when he passed by her. Marcus took his seat, and opened the parchment curiously. It was information on what to expect in the astral plane, as well as some ideas on how to battle Alistar, and an invitation to meet after supper.
He ordered a roast beef sandwich with mustard and jalapenos, potato salad, and a cola, then returned to the parchment. To destroy Alistar, his connection to the earth realm had to be broken. Marcus’ connection to the spirit was through the blood of his ancestor. Somehow, he had to reclaim that blood, take back its power. He read on. The forming of weapons with the mind intrigued him. What would be the best weapon against a serial killer? Marcus considered. His victims. Could he form women? They might not be the actual victims but they might throw the ghost for a loop.
He read through the parchment again as his plate appeared before him. He paused over the issue of his own darkness being a weakness. He remembered Cassandra’s reading of him. He was almost completely evil. Shit. He’d better stick close to Hermione and Severus. Maybe a bit of their protection would cover him. The last time Marcus loved, his mother and father were alive. When they died, so did his capacity for love. Too bad lust wasn’t a protection. He had loads of that. Hm. The manifestation of fear. Marcus had only one deep-seated fear, so deep that he wouldn’t even admit it to himself. If it manifested…he would be hard put to deal with it.
Marcus folded the parchment and put it in his robes pocket, and dug into his meal. At the other end of the table, Severus rose and left the Great Hall, taking a sandwich with him. He had to attend to the potion simmering in his lab. Hermione picked over her chef’s salad, her mind working furiously on the upcoming battle and their options. She wished she had more time to prepare. She looked down the table at Marcus, who was eating his sandwich, looking thoughtful. She wondered if he was feeling as much apprehension about the approaching battle as she was. He didn’t look worried, but Marcus was a master at hiding his feelings. Part of his training. She hoped that training, as awful as it was, would be an asset when they fought Alistar. They needed all the help they could get.
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A/N: More mental preparation. I know you are probably wondering why Albus doesn’t fight Alistar himself, since the ghost can’t even stay in his presence. This will be explained in an upcoming chapter. Please review.
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Chapter 14 ~ More Preparation
Marcus apparated outside the main gates of Hogwarts. He unwarded the gates, entered, then rewarded them, and took off at a jog over the grounds, headed for the main door of the castle.
*****************************
Hermione entered the Potions lab, where Severus was busily adding ingredients to a small, silver cauldron. He measured carefully, his black eyes focused intently on the minute amounts dropped in from the tips of his long fingers. Hermione settled on a stool and watched her husband brew. She loved his concentration and precision, his passion for his art apparent as he worked.
Severus turned up the flame beneath the caldron and made several clockwise stirs with a wooden spoon. He waited a few timed moments, then gave three counterclockwise stirs. He lowered the flame and watched as the potion came to an easy simmer. He turned over an hourglass, and covered the cauldron with a heavy lid, lowering the flame once more. He turned to see Hermione sitting on the stool, watching him. He quirked an eyebrow at her.
“How long have you been here?” he asked, walking up to her, slipping his arms around her waist, giving her a light kiss. Hermione felt a warm pulse in her belly at the contact. The past hours between them had been so passionate, her body was still reacting to his proximity. She shuddered slightly, and Severus looked down at her knowingly. He gently released her. She looked at him blankly. He smirked.
“I asked you, wife, how long have you been sitting here watching me work?” he repeated.
“Oh,” she replied, finally registering something other than her body’s responses to her husband, “Only a little while. I read up on the astral plane information. We have to break the connection between Alistar and the earth in order to make him dissipate, so he can’t ever reform. His connection is primarily in the spirit of the blood. Marcus’ blood and the blood of the women he killed. He is also connected through me, but I believe I am the weakest link, and the one that will be easiest to break.”
She paused, frowning.
“What is it?” Severus asked, frowning in response to the look on her face.
“Well, the book didn’t say this, but I think Alistar will have access to you and Marcus also through your cores of darkness. He can physically touch you because of it, and since the darkness in you both is spiritual, he will probably be able to use it against you on the astral plane. I’m really concerned that he will affect Marcus the most. He is the darkest of us all. And you and I have each other to turn to for strength. Marcus will be going it alone.”
Severus looked at his wife.
“If Marcus gets into trouble, we will have to try to help him. It will take all three of us to defeat Alistar. We can’t afford to lose him. Maybe we can draw him into our light.”
Hermione snorted, “It would probably repel him like it does Alistar. I don’t think love is high on Marcus’ list of priorities. He probably looks at it more like a millstone around the neck than anything. I don’t know if we’ll be able to reach him.”
“Every man dreams of love in some form, Hermione,” Severus said, his dark eyes going a bit misty as he remembered the desire he kept buried inside himself before her, ”Marcus is like any other man in that respect, I’m sure.”
Hermione harrumphed.
“Right,” she snapped. “Anyway, another problem we’ll face is that our worst fears might manifest, and make us unable to take any action at all. Our fears will paralyze us. We have to focus on the positive at all times. Be courageous.”
Severus nodded somberly. His worst fear was still losing Hermione. That was clearly apparent when he found her unconscious on the laboratory floor. He hoped that wouldn’t manifest. He was helpless against that fear.
“And there will be other things there besides Alistar. Malevolent creatures. Spirits of the dead. We will have to watch for those as well. On a more positive note, we will be able to affect our environment with our minds, so more than likely we will be able to create weapons. If we focus our love to make a kind of shield, we might be able to block any attack Alistar throws at us. Or maybe a sword to sever his connection to me.”
“A sword,” Severus mused. He was thinking of Alistar’s molestation of Hermione, and his blood began to boil. He looked at Hermione, his eyes glittering, his lips drawn up in a snarl.
“Leave that part to me,” he growled, “that will be my job.”
****************************
The door to Marcus’ study swung open. Alistar was instantly aware of the entry, and drifted out of the floo wall, rising to the left corner of the bedroom, ready to pass through the teacher when he entered, and latch on to the darkness within him to bring him down. The ghost hovered, ready.
Albus Dumbledore swept into Marcus’ bedroom. Alistar recoiled as the light of the Ancient filled the room. Writhing with pain, he departed, foiled. Albus walked over to Marcus’ wardrobe, opened it and reduced the clothing within. He pocketed the bits of fabric and then reduced some books and other personal items that Marcus required and took those as well. He exited the bedroom, walked through the study and the DA office, then out into the corridor, headed for the main hall.
He met Marcus at the door.
“Ah, Professor Delaluci. Just the wizard I was hoping to see,” he smiled at the blonde wizard.
“Good morning, Headmaster,” Marcus greeted him, his eyes shifting toward the corridor to the DA office and his rooms, “I just have a few minutes to dress and get ready for class, sir.”
Albus looked at the wizard over his glasses, and decided not to beat around the Whomping Willow.
“Marcus,” he said, dropping the formalities, “I have taken the liberty of removing your personal effects from your room. You will be staying in the spare rooms in my office until you, Severus and Hermione meet with Alistar. You do not have anyone to … to generate a proper barrier and I can offer you some protection. Alistar will not enter my domicile.”
Marcus opened his mouth to protest, but Dumbledore waved him to silence.
“This is not a request, Marcus. This is not just for your own good, but for the good of the school and possibly the entire wizarding world. Alistar must not have access to you before you travel to battle him. You will be able to floo to your classes from my office. Shall we go, Marcus? I have all your effects here.” Dumbledore patted his robe pocket. Marcus sighed.
“Very well, Headmaster, but we have to hurry, sir.”
Albus walked over to the main hall floo, ignited it with a wave of his hand, and tossed in some powder. The flames turned green.
“We are already there,” he said, stepping through. Marcus followed closely behind.
****************************
Severus, Hermione and Marcus all turned up at lunch in the Great Hall that day. They did not acknowledge each other any more than usual, except that Hermione pressed a parchment into Marcus’ hand when he passed by her. Marcus took his seat, and opened the parchment curiously. It was information on what to expect in the astral plane, as well as some ideas on how to battle Alistar, and an invitation to meet after supper.
He ordered a roast beef sandwich with mustard and jalapenos, potato salad, and a cola, then returned to the parchment. To destroy Alistar, his connection to the earth realm had to be broken. Marcus’ connection to the spirit was through the blood of his ancestor. Somehow, he had to reclaim that blood, take back its power. He read on. The forming of weapons with the mind intrigued him. What would be the best weapon against a serial killer? Marcus considered. His victims. Could he form women? They might not be the actual victims but they might throw the ghost for a loop.
He read through the parchment again as his plate appeared before him. He paused over the issue of his own darkness being a weakness. He remembered Cassandra’s reading of him. He was almost completely evil. Shit. He’d better stick close to Hermione and Severus. Maybe a bit of their protection would cover him. The last time Marcus loved, his mother and father were alive. When they died, so did his capacity for love. Too bad lust wasn’t a protection. He had loads of that. Hm. The manifestation of fear. Marcus had only one deep-seated fear, so deep that he wouldn’t even admit it to himself. If it manifested…he would be hard put to deal with it.
Marcus folded the parchment and put it in his robes pocket, and dug into his meal. At the other end of the table, Severus rose and left the Great Hall, taking a sandwich with him. He had to attend to the potion simmering in his lab. Hermione picked over her chef’s salad, her mind working furiously on the upcoming battle and their options. She wished she had more time to prepare. She looked down the table at Marcus, who was eating his sandwich, looking thoughtful. She wondered if he was feeling as much apprehension about the approaching battle as she was. He didn’t look worried, but Marcus was a master at hiding his feelings. Part of his training. She hoped that training, as awful as it was, would be an asset when they fought Alistar. They needed all the help they could get.
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A/N: More mental preparation. I know you are probably wondering why Albus doesn’t fight Alistar himself, since the ghost can’t even stay in his presence. This will be explained in an upcoming chapter. Please review.