Of Death and Fire

Chapter 18: Naturally, the whole school knows


Chapter 18: Naturally, the whole school knows
 
 
Time flew fast from November to December. Despite Snape's best efforts, the potion containing Morgaine's blood refused to brew properly, a fact that led to several failed attempts. And after each failure, he became more cranky than usual, to the utter disappointment of his students.
The relationship between Snape and Morgaine appeared, more or less, stable. It consisted mainly of a lot of heavy breathing and sweaty, wild sex, and short interludes of actual discussion. None of them seemed to be letting their defenses down, stubbornly stuck with their own agendas, refusing to accept the fact that the actually liked each other. And every now and then, Morgaine would intercept Dumbledore's stare, and couldn't help but wonder if he knew.
The Wheels of Fate took another spin on Yule. The school was practically empty, with most of the students gone home for the holidays. Potter, Weasley and Granger had arranged to use the polyjuice potion after the feast, to extract information from Draco Malfoy. And Morgaine had completely forgot it was her birthday.
Twenty-eight years ago, during the darkest hour of the longest night of the year, two babies were born to this world. It was the night the Sun was born, according to the ancient traditions, and nothing would fit Alexander's birth more. But it fit Morgaine as well, to be born in the long dark of the Winter Solstice.
All her years, she had felt nothing for the holidays, and she rarely had any gifts, except from Dumbledore, her brother, and on occasions from Whitebone or Hagrid. And naturally, it had just slipped her mind again this year. But she was in for a huge surprise.
Before the Feast begun, several owls flew in, bringing last moment's gifts to those staying in Hogwarts. More than half of them ended on her lap, including a small parcel carried by a huge raven, the trademark of the Necromancers' Guild. She stood speechless; and then, with the eagerness of a child, she begun to tear away the wrappings to see her presents. There were rare books and scrolls from Whitebone and Alexander; a huge box ondiendies from Dumbledore; an elegant pair of silk black gloves from Malfoy, which she was quick to put away before Snape would notice. There was something from every staff member, save for Filch (of course) and Snape. She didn't let disappointment over this ruin the moment, however. After all, what was I expecting? Roses? Yeah, right, she thought to herself and pushed back the thought.
~*~
Harry and Ron left the Main Hall and made the preparations to drug Crabbe and Goyle. Ron was watching out for any passer-bys, while Potter was ready to cast the levitation spell on the candies. But then Ron whispered in warning.
"Harry, quickly, hide. It's Snape!"
In a blink of an eye they hid under Harry's Invisibility cloak, not daring to breathe.
Snape walked in the corridor, and looked around suspiciously, as if sensing their presence. He walked a few more paces, and then lingered in the shadows, as if waiting for something.
Just great, Harry thought to himself. What if he decides to stay there all night?
And then, they heard more footsteps. That corridor had a lot of traffic tonight.
Madame Greenleaf walked into view, and moved towards Snape. As she approached him, he reached out and pulled her closer, while she raised her hands to embrace him, pressing her lips on his.
Under the Invisibility cloak, Harry's jaw dropped. He looked at Ron, who had just turned a strange shade of green, and was probably going to be sick. They held their breath, turning their attention to the unbelievable scene before their eyes.
A few meters away, Snape broke off the kiss to whisper to Morgaine.
"I also have a present for you", he said, his tongue kissing her earlobe.
"I know", she replied, reaching down to feel his crotch.
In the back, Harry knew he was going to be sick as well. They couldn't hear the whispered conversation, but the moves were clear.
Snape laughed, and removed Morgaine's hand.
"No, not that", he said. "Well", he added smiling, "not just that. The potion is finally finished, and you're welcome to have a taste as soon as you can get away from the Yule Feast Nightmare".
She reached out again for his mouth, while their hands walked their familiar paths on each oth bod body. But in the sound of footsteps they broke off their embrace and walked different ways. Snape towards the dungeon, while Morgaine headed back to the Main Hall, meeting the Headmaster on his way out. He embraced the birthday girl and led her back inside.
Harry pulled off the cloak, feeling short of breath. He and Ron were speechless, with an expression of unspeakable disgust on their faces. Ron finally broke the silence.
"How could she? How could she touch that slimy-"
Har voi voice cut his phrase.
"Hush, Ron", he whispered. "We should never again speak of this. Not among us, not to anyone! Not even Hermione! Can you begin to imagine what Snape would do to us he ever finds out we saw them?"
Ron gulped, turning green again, but nodded in agreement.
"Come, now", said Harry. "We have to move on with our plan".
Fortunately, the rest of the evening turned out as planned. At least for the two boys....
~*~
On her way to Snape's dungeon, Morgaine remembered something Dumbledore had told her when she still was a student. In Hogwarts, even the walls can speak if you hear close enough. Nothing could stay a secret within these walls for long. She frowned, wondering why this particular memory decided to pop up tonight. They had been careless, making out right outside the Main Hall. Maybe it was a warning. And maybe, somebody already knew...
Pushing the thought at the back of her mind, she sneaked inside Snape's dungeon. His office was deserted, and he found him in his chamber, studying a small vial containing a crimson liquid. She bent over him, kissing the back of his neck, and turned her attention to the potion in question.
"So, this is it?" she asked.
"Finally, yes. It took me ages, mainly because I hadn't taken into consideration that you're only part elf", he replied, clearly disappointed with his lack of intuition. "And it seems", he glanced at her, "that it contains your stubbornness as well, refusing to mix as it should".
Morgaine raised an eyebrow.
"So, you're trying to tell me that you messed it up and it's my fault?" She tried to act offended, but he saw the twinkle in her eye.
He held back a smile, and placed the vial on the table beside him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulled her on his knees. Stroking the fabric over her nipples, he bit her ear.
"Which of your presents would you like first?" he whispered, moving his hand downwards.
"I think I'll start with the potion. It takes less unwrapping", she added, her fingers battling with one of the many buttons on his shirt.
With a disappointed sigh, he got up. He summoned a pair of glasses and a bottle of red wine, poured some alcohol in both, and then added a tiny drop of the potion in each. As he passed one of them to Morgaine, he appeared more concerned than usual.
"A word of warning; the effects can be very intense, and have driven weak people to insanity. Given you're already familiar with the Sight, I'm almost positive that you can stay calm in whatever path it chooses to guide you". Seeing the frown on her face, he added, "and rest assured that I can handle it as well". He raised the glass to her, and saluted. "Bottoms up!"
With one sip, they both drank the enchanted wine. The next minute, they were engaged in a fierce kiss, feeling the sweet taste of each other's mouth.
~*~
It started as a tingling at the lower part of her spine, and then the energy moved upwards, sending shivers through her body. By that time there were both naked in bed, slowly caressing each other's body, and she had no recollection of how they had ended there. As the potion moved deeper in her blood stream, she felt her senses exploding, and the slightest touch from his fingers triggered a violent response from her flesh, a feeling only compared with an orgasm. Lost in bliss, she wasn't prepared for what came next.
It was as if her mind expanded, grounding the walls of her scull, uniting with the universe. She could hear every sound; the rat walking on the corridor outside; the flickering flame dancing above them; his heart pounding in his chest. Her smell, taste and touch were equally enhanced. But what was beyond description was her sight. Her eyelids were no more an obstacle, nor any other material. She could see through walls, adjusting her vision at will. And she could see his feelings, see the trace of pleasure her fingers left on his skin, the marks of blissful agony from her lips lined in crimson light. And this was hardly the end.
As he repositioned his body above her, penetrating her flesh and setting her body on fire, one more barrier collapsed. She was now in his mind, and felt his thoughts caressing her own in reply. She could feel evhinghing he felt; every thrust was a torture, the needing for fulfillment doubled. Every touch was agony, as their fingers were limited by the boundaries of flesh. Every kiss led to an insatiable thirst, a thirst for feelings held back. As they were closing on their climax, she thought she would die.
It felt as if she was inside the heart of a star; beauty beyond words mingled with scorching pain. As she felt her body convulsing in orgasm, the final frontier was conquered. She looked into his soul. And she saw him staring back at hers. She saw the pain and the torture he had suffered, the darkness still residing inside his heart, struggling to be let out. This was too much for her; her mind and body refused to comply any more, and as the waves of pleasure diminished, the connection was broken, leaving them both unconscious.
But the last thing she saw, knowing he had shared this knowledge, was the unthinkable. Under layers of ego, self-loathing and arrogance, she had seen a seed of love. The same seed that had taken residence in her own soul.
 
Within the walls of Hogwarts, there can be no secrets. Not even the ones buried deep in ones own soul.