#1 ~ What Was I Thinking? ~ Part 1

Disclaimer: You all know the characters aren\'t mine. JK has it all tied up in spades. :)


Chapter 2 ~ Something’s Strange in Paradise

The setting sun was taking the azure sky away with it, and generously painted its entourage of low, horizon bound clouds in tones of red and gold. The muted cries of nesting birds could be heard from distant trees as they settled en mass on the branches, finding comfort and security in numbers. Something small and frightened screamed mortally from across the great savannah, the scream cut short with a grim finality. A lioness lifted her head and sniffed the air for the scent of blood. It was there. An antelope. The circuitous beauty and brutality of nature had been fulfilled once again.

Intent on finding her own quarry, the she-cat slunk through a sea of tall, brown grasses, concealed by both a perfect blend of tawny coat and cautious, feline approach. She stole toward the rock-strewn edge of a watering hole and hesitated, nostrils quivering, one paw delicately raised. This was a good place to surprise unsuspecting prey. She saw and smelled nothing delicious or dangerous. As a big cat, she had no predators lying in wait for blood, yet with the innate wisdom of nature and no little experience, she held a healthy respect for the angry, large-footed elephant herds and occasional foul-tempered rhinos that crossed her path. She gave both a wide berth. The top of the food chain was a perilous perch at times.

Sensing the way clear, she padded the final few feet to the edge of the water, lowered her head and began to drink deeply. Above her, clouds began to congregate quickly, lowering ominously, almost sentient in their gathering. The cat paused, an uncomfortable, oppressive feeling crawling over her. She cautiously cast about again, head lifted slightly to catch any untoward scent on the growing breeze. The feline was unnerved by the sudden change in the atmosphere. It was something foreign…unnatural, and totally outside her “fight or flight” response. She stood stiffly, alert for anything out of the ordinary. A slight scraping noise from behind startled her and snarling, she spun quickly to meet whatever menance caused the sound.

Her hackles raised in fear as she stood frozen, nose to nose with the largest serpent she had ever seen. The arrowed head of the snake was larger than the head of the lioness in girth and breadth, and the measure of the enormous reptile was impossible to determine, the thick, rope-like body disappearing into the depths and shadows of the rocky terrain. Its black scales glistened in the dimming light, and its obsidian eyes held the amber orbs of the lioness hypnotically as it weaved its sinuous length slowly from side to side, the forked tongue flicking out mere inches from the lioness’ great head.

She wanted to lash out, to fight, or to run, but her legs would not move as the enormous snake raised itself a bit higher and issued a low hiss as it slid forward and rubbed itself against her muzzle gently, lifting the lip slightly, momentarily exposing a dangerous curve of fang. The lioness stood as if stunned as the snake slithered over the top of her head, then wound under and around the length of her body, in a smooth, strong embrace. Encircling the big cat’s form completely, the black wedged head snaked back to gaze intently into the panting beast’s eyes. The serpent held the mesmerized lioness firmly, but did not crush. Its great mouth opened…

“Ostendo Vestri!” the snake hissed softly, shifting its coils around the beast gently, almost tenderly.

The lioness began to quiver, then to shake violently in the serpent’s undulating grasp. The amber eyes rolled up into her head as she spasmed and roared in pain. The snake held on dispassionately as the great cat’s body transformed, becoming smaller, and hairless, limbs elongating, chestnut hair sprouting from her head as her feline face humanized. The great fangs of a carnivore slowly changed to the flattened, less threatening bridgework of an omnivore, and whiskers withdrew into smooth, tanned flesh. Her four furry legs became four human limbs, her torso shrank, and two full rose-tipped breasts blossomed from the bare ribcage. Her flanks smoothed to curvaceous hips, and a firm, well-rounded derriere. The only hint of remaining fur curled softly at the apex of her thighs. A lovely young woman lay entwined in the great snake’s coils. The snake’s eyes glittered hungrily as it shifted and adjusted a portion of its warm length to wrap possessively under her breasts, and around her hips. As the woman’s amber eyes fluttered open, confused and disoriented beneath long lashes, the snake hissed again, and lowered its head, to reveal a green and silver coat of arms embedded above its dark, piercing eyes. Hermione Granger gasped and struggled in the snake’s embrace, frantically trying to free herself from the caressing coils and the ache of longing bubbling up from someplace deep in her core. Suddenly, the grip became crushing, overwhelming, taking her breath and sapping her strength. The snake moved closer to her face, turned slightly and flicked its long tongue around the delicate curve of her ear, sending a chill down the woman’s spine, a chill that somewhere in its lightning travel, picked up the element of fire and spilled warmly between her legs. She felt the creature smile against her throat. Strange. How could a snake smile?

”You are mine, lioness,” the snake hissed silkily. “You came unbidden to my waters to drink. You should have known better than to partake of such dark, deep water. You should have hunted in safer places, those filled with easy prey, those who do not turn predator. I heard you here, lapping at my shores, and I answered you the only way I knew how. The only way you will understand. Already, I possess you. Soon, I will devour you. And believe me … you will love going down.”

Hermione burst upward with a strangled gasp from her bed, the red and gold Gryffindor bed covers coiled tightly around her body. She struggled blindly for several moments trying to extricate herself from the terrifying loops of fabric before she realized she was safely ensconced in her head girl room, and wrestling with bedsheets. She fell back on the pillows and breathed deeply, trying to still her pounding heart. She stared up at the ceiling, and imagined she could still feel the warm scaly body of the snake shifting sensuously over her skin beneath her nightgown. She ran her hands down her body, to wipe away the sensation. Or so she told herself as her movement faltered over the damp heat rising from the sensitive flesh of her hot, wet sex. She felt compelled to touch herself, to run her thumb over the hard nub of her clit, feel the slippery moisture of her arousal cling to her fingertips, and to bring them up to her nose, and her mouth as she pictured the black, somehow familiar eyes of the serpent burning into her own, egging her on to self-discovery and ultimate possession.

“Damn,” Hermione gasped as her fingers worked feverishly, and her back arched involuntarily.

“I wonder if this is how it was for Eve?”

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Severus sat in the near silence of his private study, sipping a generous glass of Odgen’s Firewhiskey before the crackling fire, and listening in on Hermione’s thoughts. His erection rested heavily against his leg, caressed by the silk of his pajama bottoms. He instantly divined the meaning of her dream. He smiled a bit evilly, feeling for all the world like an invader of Eden, coiled comfortably in the boughs of Miss Granger’s lust and inexperience … ready, oh so ready to offer her intimate knowledge of that sweet fruit of good and evil that hung low and pungent between his thighs.


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A/N: The spell \"Ostendo Vestri\" means, loosely translated, \"Reveal Yourself\". I don\'t know diddley about Latin, but being the internet geek I am, I located an English to Latin translation site and used that. Actually, the return phrase for \"Reveal Yourself\" was \"Ostendo sum Vestri\" but I didn\'t want the spell to be so long. Creative license and all that. If you are interested in the translation site, the address is http://www.translation-guide.com/free_online_translators.php?from=English&to=Latin. Hope that works for ya! Thanks for reading. :)
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