Contracts

Thanks for all who have taken the time to review. You\'ve encouraged me to continue.

I think I will take someone\'s advice and finish the story, and then delete and repost. I too have been frustrated following a story that was interuppted for rewrites and never finished.

If you don\'t like this sort of fiction please don\'t read. I made an amateur mistake and did not put the appropriate warnings on the story for the first few chapters. Now you have no excuse. You enter and read at your own risk. If you are too young to read--go to one of the other sites and come back when you\'re old enough.


*****Chapter 16 - Confrontations

Severus had apparated within 3 feet of his cousin. He had an uncanny knack of knowing exactly where his prey would be . It was a very effective intimidation tool. Zaraus knew this and tried to act nonchalantly.

“Severus. This is a surprise. After the big “scene” yesterday, I didn’t expect to see you so soon. To what do I owe the ...” Zaraus was drawling his words out. A false bravado threaded his voice.

Severus scowled furiously. A hex left his lips before Zaraus could finish his sentence. Zaraus was bound head and foot hanging suspended in his own salon. His toes barely touched the floor.

Another brief mutter and Zaraus was writhing in pain. Severus watched him dance for exactly one minute. He knew from experience it would feel more like a year.

Severus did not raise his voice. If anything it was quieter than usual. “Do not come back to the manor. Hermione is not your concern. You and the others had to be included to appease Dumbledore. Hermione will wed me or one of my sons when the time comes. I must have control over the mud..muggle born , so no other suitors would ever be acceptable to me. Do you understand?”

Zaraus looked into the cold, deadly depths of Severus eyes and shuttered. He was glad he was born a wizard and a pure blood, because to fall into Severus Snapes clutches had to be a horrible fate. He felt sorry for the pretty young witch. Well almost.

He must have waited too long to answer because Severus hit him with another bout of crucio. He had no idea how long it lasted. When it finally lifted his muscles were jerking uncontrollably. He had bit his tongue and was bleeding. His hands were curled into talons that he could not immediately unfurl. His legs were spasming and he could not voluntarily move them.

Severus released him and he fell to the floor. He walked over to the other wizard and lifted his head.

“I will repeat myself only once. Do. You. Understand?” Zaraus made sure his spasms were in and up and down motion. He was still incapable of speech. The bastard would kill him if he didn’t get the response he wanted.

Severus inclined his head in acknowledgement.

Leglimens. Severus quickly entered Zaraus mind and went on a search mission.

Zaraus had recently joined the Dark Lord and had recognized Hermione‘s description from some of the Death Eater meetings. Zaraus saw her as his short cut to the inner circle. Severus also read Zaraus’s thoughts when he realized that a mud blood had been brought into the family.

The Dark Lord had not sent Zaraus. Zaraus had acted strictly on his own to try and gain more power.

Zaraus had heard the rumors of the accident with the time turner and had thought if he could uncover any useful information along with the acquisition of one of Potter’s best friends, it would seal his new place in Voldemort’s ranks. Basically he saw an opportunity and he tried to take advantage of it.

The last memories Severus accessed were what Zaraus had done yesterday after he had returned. It was nothing more productive then coming back here and stewing all night. Hermione had aroused him to the point that he had to relieve himself. Snape smirked at this memory. He had a similar experience but Hermione’s sweet hands were so much more pleasurable than his own.

Severus had a compulsion that could not be denied. He had to see the incident between Zaraus and Hermione through Zaraus’s eyes. Hermione’s memories had been almost overwhelmed with guilt that he, Professor Snape, might find out what was being done to her and her involuntary response.

The memories were fairly consistent until he saw the parasite being pushed into her rectum.

He broke contact with Zaraus’s mind and asked in that deadly voice of his. “What was the purpose of the parasite?”

Zaraus answered as quickly as he could. His speech was just returning.

“It was to lower the chastity shield. It would not have harmed her magical abilities. I swear!” Severus could always tell if someone were lying to him. Zaraus was not, but he was not telling him the whole truth.

“Crucio.” Severus only held him under for ½ a minute. He needed to be coherent to answer his questions.

“What are you hiding?” Zaraus debated for just a second before the stumbling words came out.

“R…re…reverse Pa….Par..asite.”

Severus pondered the words for a moment. “Explain.”

Painfully the words came out. Severus managed to discover that the parasite instead of leeching magic from the shield was actually poisoning it. When all of the magic was injected into Hermione the chastity spell would fail in about 24 hours.

Why a reverse Parasite and not a leeching one?

The p..poisoning of the shield p..prevents that p..particular spell from ever b..being used on her again. It is very s..specific. Leeching could be re..reenergized. Painfully the words came out.

Severus managed to discover that the parasite instead of leeching magic from the shield was actually poisoning it. When all of the poison was injected into Hermione the chastity spell would fail in about 24 hours.

“What were you going to do once the shield was lowered?” Severus asked.

Zaraus gave him a look like Severus was out of his mind. With a smirk he said, “What do y..you think I was going t.to do. I was going to f..fuck her silly and take her a..away from y..your boys. She’s a hot little p..package, if you hadn’t noticed. I have no o..object..ion to fucking a m..mud….”

Severus was furious. He made boils of green puss appear over all of Zaraus‘s body. Exposed and covered parts. His eyes almost disappeared behind the huge boils. His lips were so grotesquely swollen that he didn’t even appear to have a mouth. Just a slit.

Severus voice was steady and deadly, “I cannot take a servant from my master, but punishing you for your impertinences is well within my rights.” Severus took one last look and started to walk out the front door. Almost as an after thought he said, “Here is a little something that should prevent you from bothering Hermione …or any other woman for a very long time.”

With that final parting shot, Zaraus heard a small pop and he was alone.

He was in extreme pain. The after effects of the crucio was extremely painful. The boils were agonizing. Zaraus turned on his side and voided his stomach in relief that he was still alive.

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

Severus’ main concern now was to remove the parasite from Hermione. He apparated home and in a dignified sweep went to her bed chambers, assuming that is where she would be. He then went to the nursery and finally to his quarters.

Severus quickly opened the door and saw Hermione and Shaman standing close together. They were dressed, but….He sniffed the air. He recognized Hermione’s scent. He looked at her. Her nipples were clearly discernable through the thin robe. His glance went to his son. His eyes fell to his robes.

Looks like he made it back just in time. The tent in his sons robes clearly proved that he had not been satisfied. He sniffed the air again. Maybe Hermione had gotten lucky though. He scowled at the thought.

Severus stepped into the room and closed the door quietly behind him.

“What are you two doing in my bed chambers?” His inquiry was directed at both, but his gaze was on his son. Shaman looked his father in the eyes and said very steadily. “I brought her the salve as you requested.”

Hermione was nervous and didn’t understand why, on an intellectual level. Her being in contact with Shaman should not be a problem. She was suppose to spend last night with him before Professor Snape had changed the schedule

Professor Snape was the one who had told her that she could not resist contact with a Snape. It was part of her initiation into the family. Sort of a hazing ritual? She hadn’t thought of it that way before. It was both comforting and disturbing, but fairly accurate.

Severus held out his hand. “Give me the salve and I’ll make sure that it is applied properly.”

Shaman reached into his robe pocket to withdraw the bottle when Hermione spoke up.

“You don’t have to. Shaman already applied it to me and it really helped. I was so sore….” She trailed off as she saw small flashes of light in Professor Snape’s very dark eyes.

Severus turned to Shaman. “Did I at any point tell YOU to apply the salve?”

Shaman was concerned and then almost amused (almost) as the reason for his father’s apparent bad humor was explained. His father was jealous of him. Well. Well. He should have been concerned when he realized that Hermione was nursing Sarah. He had walked in on his father and mother on enough occasions to know that his father had an obsession with breast.

“No, you didn’t tell me to apply it, but you did emphasis the importance of making sure it was applied in a clock wise rotation and the number of circles that had to be completed on each breast. I just ..relieved.. Hermione from having to remember and I applied it to her myself.”

Severus inclined his head in acknowledgement of his explanation. Shaman and Hermione had been his best hope at the beginning of this disaster. He was glad to see Shaman’s attitude toward her had improved. At the same time, he was put out because he had started to regard her as something more than just a bride for one of his sons. Severus was a possessive man. He did not easily give up what was his and he had started to regard Hermione as HIS.

Severus turned his gaze to Hermione. It was hot and searching. She dropped her gaze. He could almost see the guilt that was emanating from her. When had Hermione Grainger ever been quite?

Severus was still looking at her searchingly when she suddenly collapsed.

Shaman was closer and younger, but Severus’s reflexes were impeccable. He scooped her up and laid her out on the bed as he checked her breathing.

Shaman was concerned. Hermione had been very healthy just a short while ago. Very healthy.

Severus rolled her over onto her stomach and jerked up her gown. He took a couple of pillows and lifted her hips and put them under her. He was informing his son quickly of what he was doing. “Zaraus implanted a parasite and we must remove it. Hold her cheeks apart while I see if I can find it.”

When Shaman didn’t move. Severus looked up at him. Shaman was shaking his head.

“I removed the parasite just a little before you came into the room.” Father and son stared at each other. Questions ran through Severus mind and Shaman watched his father carefully. He didn’t look pleased that it was already removed.

Severus still had his hand on Hermione’s back side. Truthfully, he was grasping hard enough to leave bruises.

“What did you do with the parasite?” Severus ground the words out without moving his lips.

Shaman quickly said., “Hermione squeezed it until the magic burst forth and went back into her body.”

Severus stood totally still. That answer was obviously NOT the one he wanted to hear.

He stood still for so long Shaman got uncomfortable and asked. “Father what’s wrong? That is the prescribed treatment for a leeching parasite.”

Severus refocused on his eldest son. “That is the correct procedure. If it was a leeching parasite.”

Shaman turned white. The implications were immediate. His eyes went to Hermione. He visibly gathered himself “We have no reason to believe otherwise and…” He trailed off. His father knew it was NOT a leeching parasite.

“What have I done?”