In a Lifetime

In A Lifetime
Chapter 15: Of Pensieves and Dark Marks

Disclaimer: I own nothing of what you’re about to read, with the possible exception of the plot, although I’m sure it’s been done before. The places, characters, etc. belong to JK Rowling. Thanks.

Remus sat with Molly in the small anteroom off the Great Hall. He watched her as she extracted the memories of the past ten years, beginning with the Great Battle, placing them in a pensieve. He wasn’t sure if he should allow her to see his memories of the day he was taken by nameless Death Eaters. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to share her son’s actions with the woman he respected and loved.

You’re holding back, Remus,” said Molly gently, “you’ve let me look into the past several years but won’t allow me back to the day you went missing.”

“I’m not sure how you’ll take those memories.”

“I’m a big girl, I can take it.”

With a sigh, Remus gave permission for Molly to enter the pensieve containing the memories from that one day. He watched her face as she saw what Remus had seen. He watched her eyes cloud over. She withdrew from the pensieve and looked at Remus with tears in her eyes. Without saying a word, she reached out to him and embraced him.

“Molly, I…”

“Shh Remus, no need to say anything. I saw it. Will you get these pensieves to Albus? I need to have a word with my youngest son.”

Remus nodded as Molly quickly departed Hogwarts. With a sigh, he picked up the pensieves and brought them to Albus’ office. The headmaster sat looking over the most recent reports from the scattered Order members who were still actively working to quell any new uprisings.

“I take it Molly saw the memories of the Great Battle?” he asked, looking at Remus over his spectacles.

“Yes,” nodded Remus, “she left to talk to Ron.”

“What are your plans for the day?”

“I hoped to move out of the hospital wing…”

“I had imagined that you would. I have three places I could put you. Hagrid’s hut,” he said, smiling at the shudder that crossed Remus’ body, “a nice room in the dungeon, or a room near Gryffindor Tower.”

“Gryffindor, thank you.”

“I thought as much. It’s behind the painting of the Sir Humphries. Password is ‘Limerick’, you may, of course, change it.”

“Thank you, Sir,” said Remus, departing the office and heading toward his new chambers and his new life.

* * * * *

Severus and Hermione lay on his bed in his chambers, naked, their limbs entwined around one another, Severus slowly stroking one of Hermione’s breasts, occasionally rolling her nipple between his fingers. Hermione ran her fingers through the soft black hairs on his chest as they basked in the afterglow of their untamed lovemaking. Hermione placed gentle kisses across his chest as she reached up her free hand to stroke his angular face.

“You are so beautiful, Severus,” she whispered, kissing the hollow of his throat.

“You are so blind, Hermione,” replied Severus kissing the top of her head.

“I can’t believe we blew off everything and spent the rest of the day in bed,” smiled Hermione, “We haven’t done that since Corforinu.”

“I know. What a perfect Saturday. Watching Weasley get his comeuppance and spending the rest of the day shagging.”

“I have no complaints,” murmured Hermione, slipping a hand down to stroke his cock, “I still can’t believe that Ron froze on the battlefield.”

“You know, Hermione,” said Severus, circling her nipple with his finger, “it’s not so much that he froze that bothers me. It’s that he held onto the truth for ten years. Had I know for certain that he was taken, I could have possibly called in the few contacts I had left on the Dark side to locate him sooner. But the freezing on the field of battle…that I can actually understand.”

Hermione looked up at Severus in surprise, “You can understand his hiding and not attempting to save Remus?”

“Yes,” he said, “you were all so young. Too young to be facing what you had no choice but to face. Some embrace the challenge, some accept it as what must be done, some become stronger, some retreat into a world they never leave, and some find themselves hiding from the reality of it all – too scared to move either way. Potter accepted his destiny. You, with all your quiet resolve, became stronger. Weasley, with all his bluster and bravado, panicked. I can understand it. It doesn’t make it right, and it doesn’t excuse not telling the truth for all these years.”

“You’re an incredible man, Severus Snape.”

“No, Hermione, I’m just a man.”

“My man,” she said, drawing him into a deep kiss.

“Forever,” he stated, deepening the kiss and moving his hand between her legs to stroke the dampening folds.

“Always,” she moaned, opening her legs for him.

“Until the end of time,” he murmured, moving on top of her and plunging his now hard cock into her wet folds.

Hermione let out a deep guttural moan as Severus filled her completely, whimpering with the loss when he pulled out, only to be rewarded by his entrance back inside her. There was something primal about this lovemaking. She had to have him inside her, all of him.

“Harder,” she panted, “and deeper…”

Severus complied, increasing his thrusts, letting her noises and whispered words of encouragement guide him. He loved this woman and for once in his life, he truly believed he deserved the happiness he had found. His salvation wasn’t within Hermione, it was within her love. That she loved him unconditionally meant more to him than anything else in the wor His His world was this. Being inside her, being wrapped her arms, wrapped in her love. It no longer mattered that he was once a servant of the Dark. He could forgive himself because he knew that she never blamed him for anything in his past. He smiled slightly as he heard her panting become faster, as he felt her silky walls cling to him, as he felt her tighten around him. With a loud moan, Hermione came, harder than she ever had before. For a moment, Severus felt what she felt, then his world exploded in sparks of gold, orange, and blue. Severus thought he saw the sparks briefly take on the shape of a phoenix before cascading over his body, causing his left arm to tingle.

At that moment, Minerva McGonagall felt sheer bliss overcome her. Remus Lupin felt a peace he hadn’t felt in his entire life. Ginny Weasley gasped as she dropped a vial of dreamless sleep potion, such was the feeling that overcame her. The entire castle was somehow affected by a strange wave of positive emotion that swept through its chilly walls. Albus Dumbledore looked up from his paperwork to see Fawkes turn a brilliant shade of orange before he burst into flame. The headmaster smiled. The world was healing, the world was forgiving, and it started with one ex Death Eater forgiving himself.

Down in the dungeon, Severus came to, looking into the concerned brown eyes of Hermione.

“Did you feel that?” he asked, “did you see the sparks?”

Hermione looked into his deep black eyes and smiled, “Yes, I did. I thought it was my imagination. The blue, orange, and gold sparks…they came from you Severus, she ran her hand down his left arm and he noticed a confused look on her face. She grasped his hand and turned his forearm to her gaze.

“Severus,” she began slowly, “the Dark Mark…it was on your left forearm, correct?”

“Of course,” said Severus, “you’ve seen it numerous times.”

“Well I’m not seeing it now,” she said, holding his forearm up to his gaze.

Severus looked at his arm, staring in shock at the smooth skin where the Dark Mark once resided. The one ugly reminder of his painful past was no longer there.

“What the…where is it?” he asked.

“I have no idea. It was there earlier today. And it’s not now.”

Severus jumped out of bed and headed for the door. Quickly grabbing her wand, Hermione uttered a quick spell to dress them both. She knew where he was headed, she just assumed he didn’t actually wish to burst through the floo in the Headmaster’s office in his altogether. She followed him as he tossed floo powder on the hearth and stated his destination. She allowed him to go first, then followed suit, stepping through the hearth in the headmaster’s office.

“Severus, Hermione,” greeted the headmaster, his blue eyes sparkling.

“What happened to my Dark Mark?” asked Severus, holding up his arm to Albus’ view.

“The same thing that happened all over the castle,” explained Albus, “you are a very powerful wizard, Severus, possibly more powerful than any other. And you have chosen and been chosen by an immensely powerful witch. You have always had the power to remove the Dark Mark from your arm, you just never had the means to channel the energy required. And you needed to forgive yourself. I would say that something happened between you and Professor Granger that gave you that means and the impetus to let your past go. In doing so, you erased the Dark Mark and any hold your past ever had on you.”

“But we were…” began Severus, stopping quickly and coloring slightly.

“Sex is a powerful form of magic, Severus, you should know that. And sex with your soulmate is stronger still. It’s primal magic,” stated Severus, “magic at its most r You You harnessed the very magic of the earth to remove your Dark Mark.”

“But I didn’t intend to.”

“Of course you didn’t. That made it even more powerful. And you caused quite a wonderful rush of emotion across the entire castle, as well.”

Severus nodded, standing up and taking Hermione by the hand, it was then he looked down, realizing that he was fully clothed. He looked at Hermione, who was biting her lower lip, a look of amusement in her eyes, “Thank you, Hermione,” he said quietly.

“No problem, Severus,” she replied, her eyes sparkling, “I thought I’d save you some embarrassment.”

“Go,” said Albus, smiling, “enjoy the first day of your new life, Severus. A life no longer encumbered by a mark you never should have had to wear.”

Severus smiled at Hermione, “Don’t think this means that I will suddenly become nicer to Hufflepuffs nor more tolerant of Gryffindors.”

“I wouldn’t dream of thinking that,” smiled back Hermione.

“Good.”