A Delicate Obsession

Chapter 18 – The Enchantment of the Black Phoenix

It all belongs to Rowling, except what you don’t recognize.

Hermione was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room thinking about the afternoon spent with her lover. Every Saturday for over two months, they had come together at the Little Library. Since after their fight on the day of the Halloween Ball, they had been very careful of each other. Each feared that between her temper and his snarkiness their relationship might be too fragile to survive another skirmish. Due to their caution, things had only gotten better between them. The respect that they finally gave to one another’s feelings helped to intensify their love. Often within seconds of arrival at the cottage, clothes were shed on the way to the bedroom, where they quickly quaffed and slaked their thirst for each other. Afterwards, they would spend companionable hours in the discussion of magical theory and other wizarding topics. Which exercise was more delightful, neither knew.

A balmy and gentle autumn changed over to a cold and wet winter, and Hermione fearfully began to count the days before the Yuletide and the rumored war. However, jealous of the time they had left, neither raised the issue of the approaching war, other than to hold each other a bit tighter and in greater esteem.

Hermione stroked the parchment which only seconds ago had been delivered into her hands by a Hogwart’s owl. Snape had told Laura, all those weeks ago, that he would owl her when the war was to begin so that she would have a chance to get herself and her family to safety. Rather than open the missive, she lay on her stomach before the fire, remembering...

How it felt with his mouth on her, pressing his tongue softly between her nether lips. How he took her legs and lifted them over his shoulders to get even nearer to her core. In a voice filled with tenderness, he asked, “would you like to try something different?” And Hermione, already on the precipice, nodded her agreement. He brought her body up and around so that she was on her knees facing away from him. His kisses on the nape of her neck sent crystalline shivers down her spine. She felt him enter her from behind and then slowly pump into her. She enjoyed the control this new position gave her. When she bumped back at him, an undiscovered place deep within her bewitched her senses and left her gasping for more. A frantic rhythm developed with Snape whispering tender, hurried words in her ears and licking and nipping the delicate skin on her neck and behind her ears. She felt him move his hands over her hips and her breasts. Finally he caressed her nub and she tumbled over the edge of her climax as he continued to ram into her. He then tenderly took her face into his hands and kissed her over and over again, while she thought of what position she’d like to try next.

Far from Hogwarts, already a guest of Lord Voldemort, Snape was also going over their last time together in his mind...

He had been seated on the bed naked before her with his back leaning against the bedroom wall. He had already brought her to climax and, after a few minutes rest, she had laid him back in this position. He watched as she tongued his erect cock, tasting her own juices covering him. He was painfully hard at this point, and he groaned as she greedily took all of him into her mouth. His hand stroked her sleek hair, and his bony shoulders shook with the excitement of watching her pleasure him. He loved her so much and it seemed that beyond the physical manifestation of their love, he had no other way of letting her know how much he loved her: no words could ever express what he felt for her. He roughly pulled her off of him, fearing that he would come into her mouth. He brought her to sit over his cock with her legs around him. He felt her flexing her strong internal muscles, milking his cock, pulling on it and urging him to spend into her. He did come and the orgasm continued for what seemed a small, but glorious eternity. He whimpered and cried like a child while holding onto her tightly. Goodbye, Laura my beautiful Laura--

The vile liquid exploded in his mouth and caught him off guard, blasting Snape from his safe fantasy retreat of the memory of his last lovemaking with Laura.

“Now, clean me off,” ordered the Maggot. After a few minutes, the thin, skeletally white fingers unwrapped themselves from Snape’s long black hair and threw him away.

“Crucio!”

The circle of Death Eaters watched as Snape began a St. Vitas Dance of agony. He screamed until his vocal cords ripped and his blood vessels broke. Bones cracked and shattered against the cold stone beneath him. He lost consciousness and was cruelly revived, again and again. Eventually, all his body functions began to close down. He would have been embarrassed by the lost control of his bowels and bladder, but by that time his mind was long gone. After what seemed to be hours, but in fact were only minutes, he lay there not even twitching. Lord Voldemort again pointed his wand, but Snape’s heart had stopped and refused to start again.

Lord Voldemort silently walked out followed by the other Death Eaters, except two. Lucius Malfoy turned to Goyle Senior. “Dispose of the coward and traitor.” He sneered and spat once at the remains of Severus Snape and walked out.

Goyle looked down at Snape. The bloke sure did smell bad. Goyle wasn’t too sure exactly what he should do with Snape. He whistled tunelessly and picked a bit of food from between his teeth. Normally, cadaver disposal was Crabbe’s job, but unfortunately Crabbe had been put into Azkaban last week over some stupid misunderstanding he’d had involving an Auror and a goat. Goyle scratched his head and thought how nice it would be to get home. He’d open a bottle of butterbeer and have some warmed up leftover Shepherd’s Pie. Goyle could almost taste it, if it weren’t for the defunct body of his son’s former teacher smelling so bad. Gads, it could put a man off his appetite. Then Goyle had an idea. Since Snape was the only teacher that ever gave his son halfway decent grades, he’d drop him off at Hogwarts. That way he could have a decent funeral service before the Dark Lord kicked butt and the place would be no more that rubble. Yes, thought Goyle, I like that idea very much. He gingerly grabbed the lifeless form by the collar of his robe and Apparated to the gates of Hogwarts. He dropped the hulk and then Apparated home for a lovely snack and a quick kip before the scheduled early morning attack on Hogsmeade.

&&&

A dark and primeval force awoke. It swirled in Snape’s still warm yet lifeless body. It investigated Snape’s broken bones and broken mind. It reached out to his misused heart and gave it a squeeze. Nothing happened. And so it gave a second one. Nothing. The body didn’t seem willing to cooperate in its own resurrection. With a touch of annoyance, there was a third even harder squeeze and the heart obeyed and began to beat again. Finally a quick compression of the lungs, and Snape gasped in his first breath in over five minutes.

The power coursed through Snape’s veins along with his blood. Wherever, whatever it touched, it healed. Soon bones knitted and brain cells reordered themselves. The force knew that the man would need more if he were to survive. It took over the nervous system of the once dead man and forced muscles and sinews to work together. Slowly the body of Severus Snape began to crawl through the frost-laden grass, past the gates and up the hill, towards Hogwarts.

&&&

“Hermione, you need to get some sleep.” Harry was standing next to her, looking concerned.

“So, this is it?” She looked up at Harry. “I thought I’d cry when it happened, but I just feel numb. I can’t seem to find the courage to read this.” She held up the parchment that she had compulsively folded and unfolded.

Harry reached for it. “Do you want me to…?” Hermione shook her head.

Quickly, she broke open the seal. She read it, once, then twice as if not believing her eyes. She didn’t know what she had expected: perhaps some flowery words of love and regret over his departing too soon? Instead it was just a command, ‘Leave now’ not even signed. Tears spilled from her eyes. It was so like Snape. She hugged herself.

“Hermione?” asked Harry.

“He’s not dead. He can’t be. Lend me your cloak, Harry…” Hermione said with determination.

&&&

Hagrid was just preparing for bed when Fang started to whimper.

“What is it? Somethin’ out there?” Hagrid put his boots back on and headed out the door holding his lantern and carrying his pink umbrella.

“Who is it? Say somethin’.” Hagrid’s sharp ears picked up a sound like an injured animal. Then his nose caught a whiff of bowel. “Some poor creature’s been hurt, Fang. Come on, you great lily livered coward.” Fang whined and Hagrid gave up on trying to make the large dog come with him.

Hagrid moved cautiously towards where he thought the sound had come from. The stench was becoming stronger. Finally his lantern revealed a dark cloaked figure dragging himself along the grass.

“Why Professor Snape, ‘ave you been injured?” Hagrid performed a quick clean up spell, which he usually reserved for his sick animals and for the mucking out of stalls and cages. On bended knee, Hagrid tried to get Snape to respond, but all Snape seemed able to do was crawl forward. Hagrid checked for and found no broken bones. He carried him like a fragile doll in his great arms.

“Don’t ya worry, Professor. Poppy’ll fix you right up,” said Hagrid as he hurried to the main doors of the castle.

A/N: Very special hugs and thanks to my reviewers: Andrian, Halo, Amanda, Karen, Jade, Karen, TeaRoses, Ghost Master, Lady Aidil, Jo and Katharina. I really appreciate your support. As the story comes to a close, I do tend to go into avoidance mode. I will continue to try to post often and fight my usual end of story procrastination. Many thanks again.