Twice Bitten ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 16 ~ The Plans are Made

The next six hours were spent hashing out a number of plans, including contingency plans if one began to fail. Hermione made it a point to tell the vampires where they needed to bite Vashti to be most effective.

”The Primaries have the longest fangs, so they need to go for the deeper arteries. The Secondaries should take the jugular, or the throat, and the radial arteries in the lower forearms. The Primaries should latch on to the femoral arteries in her thighs,” the witch said, drawing a quick diagram with her wand in the air.

Adam looked at the image and his lips puckered as if he tasted something extremely sour.

”Her thighs are thicker than that,” he said, “and that’s too close to her snatch for me. Ew. I’ll have to bite her someplace else.”

”I have to agree, Miss Granger, but for differing reasons than Adam,” Snape said, “It will be highly unlikely I will be able to bite her on her thigh when I am trying to surprise her . . . unless I am in the midst of public foreplay, and then it will take me a while to get into position. However, if you don’t mind watching . . .”

Everyone in the room shuddered for their own reasons. Hermione had already witnessed the Professor and Vashti once. Now that she had been with the wizard, she didn’t want him doing anything with Vashti if he could help it.

”All right,” she said quickly, “then you go for the jugular, Adam for one of the radials, and the Secondaries can take the other radial and the peroneal arteries in the calves. They are close enough to the surface for their fangs to reach.”

”I’ll take the other radial,” Victor growled, his eyes resting on Harry and Ron as if daring them to protest.

Harry shrugged.

”I don’t care, Victor,” he said, “as long as we drain her.”

When that was settled, Hermione came up with a contingency plan that made both Ron and Harry leap out of their chairs.

”NO! No Hermione. It’s too dangerous! Vashti could kill you!” Harry yelled at her.

”Yeah, Hermione. You’re mortal. You need to stay out of the way. In fact, you shouldn’t even go with us. Just stay here where you’re safe!” Ron said to her, scowling.

”No I shouldn’t. It’s important I help. We all need to do what we can and I have things to protect me. In fact, I think it’s going to work this way anyhow, once Vashti sees me,” Hermione said.

Adam looked at Hermione consideringly.

”I’ll make sure she sees you,” he said with a rather evil smile.

”Professor Snape, compel Hermione to stay here,” Ron said to Snape.

”No! I won’t. You’d better not do it, Professor. I mean it. You need all the help you can get on this. I won’t see you destroy yourself!” Hermione cried, her eyes filling with tears.

Adam looked at Snape with a startled expression.

”What is she talking about?” he demanded.

”Nothing. No one is talking about anything,” Snape said, and all three clamped their mouths shut.

Snape didn’t want to tell Adam about how he hoped killing Vashti would restore their mortality. The vampire seemed perfectly adapted to both of his alternative lifestyles and probably wouldn’t want that to change. He might even attack them.

“Nothing concrete at least. Miss Granger is a bit of a drama queen. More than likely she is talking about the risk I will be taking, when in fact we will all be taking risks,” he said smoothly.

Adam relaxed as Hermione wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

”All right. It is late morning now. I think our little marked witch needs her beauty sleep if she’s going to hang with the vamps tonight,” the chubby wizard said. “You can take my bed.”

Hermione started to ask Adam why he needed a bed if he didn’t sleep, then looked at Victor.

Oh.

”Um, don’t you have a little private room someplace? I can transfigure a bed of my own and some sheets,” Hermione said. She didn’t want to sleep in a bed covered in vampire semen.

“Fine. I see you don’t do ‘lavish’ well. Come with me,” Adam said bad-temperedly, walking away, the ears of his bunny slippers flopping with purpose. She followed.

Snape looked after the witch thoughtfully. Her plan was quite dangerous, but a very likely scenario, now that he thought about it. Vashti wouldn’t like to see him with a human lover. Hermione was right. It could be used to their advantage.

Hermione could also be killed if Vashti decided just to rip her throat out rather than drain her. He continued to look in the direction Adam had taken Hermione. She was willing to risk her life to save him. She was quite an extraordinary little witch.

“I don’t like what Hermione is planning to do,” Ron muttered.

”What you like or don’t like doesn’t matter, Mr. Weasley. Unlike you, Miss Granger is focused on this mission, focused on success. In fact, I believe you are the one who should stay behind,” Snape said to him.

”What? We need Ron,” Harry said.

Snape looked at Harry with a bit of disdain.

”Mr. Weasley is a liability to me, Mr. Potter. He doesn’t have your selfless character. His initial responses to this mission were less than courageous. He is also angry at me for responding to Miss Granger’s advances. Adam warned that Vashti could control a Secondary that was not attached to me in some way. You, Mr. Potter, are attached to me because of what you’ve learned through the Pensieve. You will not abandon me. I cannot be sure that Mr. Weasley will show me any loyalty and one pissed off vampire will be enough,” Snape said.

”No. Ron wouldn’t turn on you, Professor, would you Ron?” Harry asked the red-head.

Ron was staring at the Potions master with narrowed eyes.

”Not on purpose,” he said shortly.

Harry got a cold feeling in his belly that Snape was right. Ron could be used against him if Vashti commanded him. It was easy to see that he did hate Snape. Probably because of Hermione more than anything else.

Victor saw it too, but remained silent. If that little bastard did anything to try and ruin the attack, he’d pay before Vashti killed them all.

Adam returned and Snape arose.

”Where is Miss Granger’s room?” the dark wizard asked Adam, who looked at him with his head cocked.

”Going to get a little now in case the body goes cold later?” he asked the wizard, a bit of jealousy in his voice.

”I need to talk with her privately,” Snape snapped. “Now where is she?”

Adam told him.

”Hey, where are you going?” Ron demanded. “You leave Hermione alone!”

Snape turned, his face harsh.

”Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter, you will both remain here and not seek out Miss Granger,” he commanded.

Ron was left seething as Snape billowed off. Try as he might, he couldn’t follow. Then he turned on Adam.

”You could compel us to go get Hermione,” Ron said to him desperately.

Adam held up both his hands.

”My name is Emmet and I’m not in it,” Adam said, “Come along now, Victor. We can finish what we started earlier.”

Adam sashayed off through some rather thick silk curtains.

”Yes, my Queen,” Victor replied, rising and following the vampire. His black eyes were glittering. He hadn’t forgotten Adam’s comments about Snape’s cock. He’d make sure the headboard had no give before he got started.

”I hope they use a Silencing charm,” Harry said as Victor disappeared behind the hangings.

”I can’t believe this. Snape is going to shag Hermione again. And we’re just letting it happen,” Ron seethed, sitting down and folding his arms.

”Look, Ron. Snape wouldn’t have been able to mark her if she didn’t want him to, so just leave it alone,” Harry said to him. “You’re just going to make yourself crazy.”

”But I’ve been after her to shag me for so long, Harry and she always held me off. Then she goes and spreads her legs for Snape? He’s twice her age and a hundred times uglier than a bugbear. What does she see in him? It’s got to have something to do with his powers. Maybe he’s giving off something that attracted her,” Ron said.

”Maybe. But she still asked him. Who’s going to turn down a shag, Ron? Especially Snape. He probably hasn’t shagged anyone since Vashti,” Harry said. “Hermione’s young and smart. He probably wanted to do it for the longest.”

“The fucking lecher,” Ron hissed.

“Well, all we can do is wait here. I wish I had brought some cards or something. I didn’t think we’d be sitting around. Maybe we can practice pretending to attack Vashti,” Harry suggested.

Ron looked at him darkly.

”I’d rather be attacking Snape,” he replied sullenly.

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Snape found Hermione’s room, a circle of water cascading around the door for protection. He was able to knock.

”Who is it?” Hermione called.

”Professor Snape,” Snape replied in a low voice.

There was silence for a moment, and then the door slowly opened. Hermione was in a white silk nightgown.

”Hello Professor,” she said in a soft voice.

”Hello, Hermione. May I come in?” he asked her softly.

Hermione bit her lip.

”I need to talk to you about Mr. Weasley,” the wizard said. “He’s a liability.”

Hermione’s eyes widened and she retrieved her wand to remove the water ward, then stepped back, letting him in.

Snape billowed in and looked at the sparse surroundings. All she had was a full-sized bed, covers and a nightstand with several candles on it. Her satchel rested on the floor.

“What do you mean he’s a liability?” Hermione asked him, sounding a bit angry at the insinuation.

”I don’t believe Mr. Weasley will respond to my commands. He does now, but not willingly. I think Vashti might be able to override him, Hermione. Use him against us. Me specifically. I might have to kill him if that occurs, and he may ruin everything,” Snape said to her.

Hermione blinked at him. She was quite aware of Ron’s dislike of the Professor. No doubt he hated him even more now that he knew the wizard had slept with her.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked him.

”It’s quite simple really,” Snape replied, then told her.

Hermione nodded.

”All right. He’s going to be furious, but yes . . . that will work,” she said to the vampire.

Snape took her hand.

”It is a very courageous thing you are planning to do, Hermione,” he said to her softly, slowly kissing the back of her hand, letting his lips linger for a moment.

Hermione looked at him, feeling a bit of heat rising inside her. Merlin, not again.

”I don’t want you to destroy yourself, Professor,” she replied, feeling as if her throat were full of cotton as he turned her hand over and nuzzled her palm.

Snape looked at her.

”And if I become mortal again, Miss Granger, what then? What will that mean to you? I will no longer have this ‘allure’ for you. You won’t be drawn to me as you were. I will become the man I was before,” he said to her.

Hermione doubted her feelings would change, especially since they had been intimate and she knew what he was capable of.

”You were my first, Professor. You know they say you never forget your first,” she said to him.

”You could be Obliviated,” the wizard said softly.

”I don’t want to be,” Hermione replied. “There was so much passion . . .”

”Yes, there was . . . and is,” the wizard purred. “Do you have something you’d like to ask me, Miss Granger? These are our last moments before facing Vashti, and in fact quite possibly my last moments on earth if we fail. I expect you to Apparate away if things begin to go badly.”

”I won’t leave you,” Hermione said vehemently. “Even if I have to die with you.”

Snape stared at her, then he swallowed noticeably.

”Gryffindors,” the wizard said softly, rubbing his hand against her cheek. Hermione’s eyes went half-lidded at his contact. “I’ve always had such a weakness for the witches of that house. So loyal.”

”You did?” Hermione asked him, surprised.

”Well, two witches. Lily Evans . . . and now you, Hermione. I believe you’ve broken her spell over me. I never truly possessed Lily, but I have more than possessed you. You are the reality that overrides the dream,” he replied. “Now, do you have something to ask me, witch? It wouldn’t do to compel you, especially when we are so close to completing our mission.”

”I don’t need compelling, Professor,” Hermione said softly, blushing a bit as his eyes glinted at her.

”Take me.”

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A/N: Thanks for reading.