Against His Nature

CHAPTER 16

“When was the last time you got laid Severus?” Snape glared up at his elder mentor from over the top of the daily prophet, suddenly wishing he’d taken breakfast with the rest of the staff in the great hall rather than in the privacy of his quarters with Octavia.

“None of your business.” Snape snapped as he went back to his buttered toast with rather more enthusiasm than was really necessary. Octavia barked out a loud throaty chuckle and defiantly pulled down Snape’s newspaper to stare back at the potion’s professor intently.

“A month?” Octavia paused carefully assessing Snape’s expression. There wasn’t a single betrayal of emotion on his cold expressionless face Snape was sure, but Octavia was too good an occlument not to read the answer as clearly as Snape was reading the paper. “Four months?” Octavia tried again his blue gaze never leaving Snape’s artificially brown one. “No, a year!” Octavia sounded horrified, the smug grin on his face only serving to irritate Snape into confessing.

“A long bloody time that’s how long.” Snape finally snapped hating the way his mentor broke him so easily. After years of besting even Voldemort occlumency skills, his old mentor had cracked him without even batting an eyelid. Octavia knew Snape’s weaknesses and played them for every scrap of information they could give.

“You can tell.” Octavia smiled as he inhaled on the steam of his tea before sipping from the cup cautiously.

“Fuck you.” Snape spat bitterly as he flicked up his paper again and went back to the article he was trying to read earlier.

“You’re going to have to be smoother than that to catch him Severus. A young fledgling like that will need attention and coaxing.” Snape sighed heavily and put aside his paper clearly not going to be given the time to just sit in silence and read. Octavia could clearly see what was running through Snape’s mind and smiled mildly at his charge. “You don’t have time to sit and read Severus. The ministry are going to be on your arse within the month and you don’t need to give them any reason to look too closely at your lifestyle or family.” Octavia nodded at the dark mark on Snape’s forearm just visible from beneath the sleeve of the thin night robe.

“Then what do you suggest I do first as if coping with Dumbledore and the Ministry, as well as keeping Malfoy’s and Tom Riddle away aren’t enough to deal with.” Snape didn’t mean to sound like a petulant whining child but it was hard not to be when Octavia still looked at him with those disapproving but demanding eyes.

“I think the first thing is to establish if this boy is actually a potential mate, and not just your over reactive hormonal body latching onto the first thing with legs and a cock.” Snape growled at the insult but knew better not to argue. Octavia despite looking at least five years younger than Severus was actually about twenty years older and had been living without the inhibiting potion for a lot longer than Severus had. Severus silently gestured for Octavia to go on, not yet willing to add the complexities of the situation that Octavia didn’t know yet. “You’ll have to be careful scent him out again see if there’s subtle changes when he’s conscious of you and not and we’ll need a blood sample. It’s not much point in going through this if he can’t carry.” Severus nodded and sat back in the chair his arms automatically folding across his chest. It was time to tell Octavia the bad news and see how he reacted.

“That’s a good plan Octavia in theory but let me enlighten you to this boy’s heritage.” Octavia looked skeptically at Snape but gestured for him to continue. “His name is Harry James Potter.” Octavia’s skepticism fell from his face immediately as the name widened his eyes. “Apart from being the boy-who-lived and body number one on the dark lords hit list, he is in fact the son of the late James Potter and as you would have known her Lily Evans.” Snape trailed off as he watched his mentor’s expression change dramatically, the small expletive that fell from Octavia’s lips barely audible even in the silence of the room.

“You’ve got no intention of pursuing him as your mate have you?” Octavia’s voice had turned an icy cold whisper as he watched Severus shake his head sternly.

“Apart from him being my student, and the risk which a relationship would cause both to myself and him, I will not lower myself to bed the son of a woman I slept with over twenty years ago. Besides I despise him, and the scandal and chaos such a relationship would cause on both sides of this war would be far greater than the rewards. I would sooner bear the wrath of the entire Ministry of Magic than take Potter as my mate.” Severus stood up from the small kitchen table and strode into his lounge room, listening as Octavia followed him.

“If he is a potential mate Severus you will be powerless to resist him once he comes into heat. You will be fighting a losing battle, and you will be potentially harming him too. If you loved his mother, it is no wonder you are attracted to him now.” Octavia protested angrily hardly believing that his student was yet again burying his instincts like did so long ago.

“I will not do this!” Severus argued his glamour slipping as the anger rose in him. “How many mates do you have Octavia?!” Severus pointed an accusing finger at his mentor who folded his arms defensively across his chest and shook his head angrily.

“Three. I have two children by my first two, and a third on the way from my newest acquisition.” Severus smiled triumphantly as if he’d won a silent war with himself.

“Then there is the proof that there are other potential mates out there for me without taking Potter!” Severus argued rather pleased with himself but like he’d done when Severus was young Octavia soon sucked the wind out of Severus’ short won victory.

“That may be so Severus, but they could be anywhere in this world. How many of them are you going to meet stuck in this place? You can not move without both Voldemort and the Headmaster knowing about it and in your current state I wouldn’t risk letting you out beyond the castle walls less you lose control like you did last night.” Octavia paused as he watched Severus’ gaze narrow his hand instinctively going for his wand. Severus had grown up into a talented wizard but time had no affect on a mentor’s ability to predict their students. “Don’t humiliate yourself by trying to best me Severus. You have yet to even experience the power a fully-grown Vampire can wield without the fog of that potion running through your veins clouding your nature, and I have had years to perfect harnessing just that power. So don’t push me.” Octavia’s voice lowered dangerously and Severus dutifully let go of the hilt of his wand and lowered his head in silent submission. “Now listen to me.” Octavia took the necessary steps across the lounge to stand close to Snape, his smooth hand coming up under Snape’s chin to draw the younger Vampire’s gaze up to meet his own. “You need to take this opportunity and use it to your advantage. So the cards are stacked against you but our kind have overcome worse obstacles than those you currently face.” Snape nodded silently as he allowed Octavia to run the tip of his thumb over Snape’s lips in a soft gesture of compassion. “I taught you well Severus, you need to let go and let yourself experience everything your heritage can give you.” Octavia dropped his hand from Snape’s face and stepped back away from him to collect his cloak from the hook by the door. “I have faith in you Severus to do this, and I will help you where I can. You were an attentive lover Severus, show the same kind of attentiveness to the boy that I taught you and he’ll be putty in your hands by the end of the month.”

“And what of Dumbledore, Voldemort and the others?” Severus whispered as he watched his mentor sweep the cloak over his shoulders and pull the hood up to hide his identity.

“We’ll deal with that after you’ve secured him as your mate.” With a smile Octavia opened Snape’s door and stepped into the deserted corridor, most students were making their way to their first classes of the day and hardly noticed him. “I’ll be in touch Severus.” With a cheeky wink Octavia was gone and Snape was left feeling much the same as he’d been the day he’d told Octavia back when he was 16 that he wanted to suppress his heritage with the potion.

TBC>>>>

A/N I can never please everyone...too much plot not enough smut....too much smut no plot...what do you people want from me? Blood? My muse hung drawn and quartered? Or just my sanity? *Shakes head in confusion*

I give up, I write because I enjoy it and surprsingly enough I enjoy re-reading my own stuff just to kill time between reading other people's delicious fic. So bite me....*grrrrrrrr* *storms away twitching and rather pissed off*

Apart from that thanks for all the other lovely reviews, you know I appreciate you guys even if I do get mad sometimes.

Cheers
RIFFRAFF *suitably not drunk enough yet to make the nasties go away*