Refashioning Affection

Chapter Twenty: To Undo the Past

Lucius, Hermione, Snape and Angela spent hours drawing up plans, looking up spells and potions that could possible be useful against the Shapo. Not much had been written about how to defeat the creature. Either that was because there had not been many recorded occurrences of Shapos or no one survived to tell the tale. Hermione was hoping for the first reason.

Armed and equipped as best as they could be, Lucius and Severus prepared to enter the Riddle house and face the Shapo.

The men were dressed in black with their hair tied back out of their eyes. The tight tee shirts showed off each of their strong forms and the black trousers and black boots completed the look. Their wands were safely tucked into the sheaths strapped to their forearms.

Hermione looked up into her lover’s grey eyes with determination and worry. “Take care Lucius,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist. His arms came up and held her tight.

“I will my heart. Here, I want you to take this.” He handed her his talking mirror.

“Severus and I will have one; so you and Angela can have the other.”

“If you need anything, contact us.” She looked him straight in the eyes her hand cupping his pale cheek.

He leaned down and sealed his lips over hers in a silent promise.

Severus walked over with Angela in toe and the four stood on the front lawn looking at the old house.

“Are you ready my friend?” Severus asked

“I am.” With on final kiss he nodded to his life long friend and they began to advance toward the house.

As they reached the front step they heard Hermione call out.

“Destroy it!” both men turned to see her standing in a defiant stance staring at both of them.

“And be free.” She added. They both bowed slightly before turning back to enter through the ancient wooden door.

It shut heavily behind them and Hermione went back to the tent to wait.

~~
Lucius lead the way to the attic, to the secret entrance.

They pointed their wands to the wall and spoke the conjuring spell “Morsmordre”. The old script appeared on the wood.

“How do we enter?” Lucius asked.

“I believe we must show what marks us.” And with that Severus placed his marked skin flush against the wall. Lucius followed suit and the wall began to tremble. The panels split apart to reveal a steep, dank and dark stairwell winding down into the vaults.

“I will go first,” Snape offered and began the long decent down with Lucius close behind.

Torches sparked to life as they approached the end of the stairs. The chamber at the end was a vaulted cell of limestone. The wizards stood back to back as they entered the chamber searching the dark corners for the demon that inhabited the subterranean prison.

Suddenly a smell permeated the air. It was rancid, like rotting flesh and sulfur. A form began to materialize by the back wall, the height and shape of a man but the features that were distorted and animalistic in their snarled formation.

“Our master is long dead,” the deep wheezing voice of the creature echoed of the walls, “So why have you come?” it asked.

“To destroy you.” Lucius answered.

What happened next shocked Severus and Lucius to no end. The creature actually bowed before them, dropping his shaggy furred head in a sign of submission.

“Please,” he half moan half pleaded.

“What are you playing at Shapo?” Severus asked, not believing the benign nature of the Shapo.

“My soul was stolen and twisted into this form. I was birthed from human pain and suffering and everyday what is left of my mortal memory is ripped apart by this reality. If you can annihilate what I have become then it will all end.”

“Stolen?” Lucius looked confused.

“Centuries ago I was a man, murdered by his own brother. I wandered my family home for generations watching the family ruin itself. Then Thomas came and bound all the evil of my family into this horrible form.” The red cloudy eyes look up at the wizards- pain shone through the irises.

“Then we shall give you release.” Lucius stated and Severus nodded.

Together they pointed their wands at the poor creature and fired the kill curse- and nothing happened.

~~

Hermione sat at the desk with the mirror in front of her and Angela pacing behind her. With a flash of light Lucius appeared in the small reflective glass.

“Hermione we have a strange situation.”

“Are you and the Professor okay?”

“Yes but we are at a loss as to what to do.”

He turned the mirror over to Severus who was standing over a creature that seemed to be sobbing.

“Is that the Shapo?” she asked

“Yes and we can not seem to- finish him.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have tried every spell we can think of Ms. Granger and they have no effect.”

“Have you tried a cleansing spell?” Angela asked.

“Pardon Ms. Knowles.”

“Well this creature is a manifestation of negative energy, and you dissipate negative energy with a cleansing spell.”

“We are going to need a very strong spell though- this is old and active energy.”

“Give us a few.”

~~

It took about ten minutes for the team to find and translate a spell from Welsh.

“Buro Anrheithia.” Hermione informed the men.

“Buro Anrheithia!” The men shouted and white light poured from their wands engulfing the Shapo. It seeped into the creature’s flesh and began to dissolve. A sigh of contentment left the body before it disappeared completely.

The team was gathered around the small mirror watching in awe. Lucius and Severus turned to each other and clasped arms. They both felt a strange tingle- as if feeling was returning to their left forearms

The dark mark was gone.

And the building began to shake.

Awe turned to fear as walls began to give way and fall down around the foundation.

Hermione screamed as the mirror went black and the crushing sound of the stones rang through the cold air. She ran from the tent and up the front lawn as the dust from the collapse began to billow down to the camp.

She stopped- unable to think- to breath- to comprehend.

Just as she thought her knees would give out a bundle of long limbs and black clothes appeared in front of her.

Once she saw the flash of her lover’s blonde hair she was on top of him.

Their arms wrapped tightly around each other.

“I am free now my love, my dearest heart. All I am is yours alone now. I love you so.” Lucius whispered into her ear his lips dancing along the lines of her tear-dampened face.

“Lucius, I… I love you too. So very much.”

Severus smiled down at the couple then at his own arm. They were free, at long last they were completely free and would be able to start over.

~~

Later that night Lucius and Hermione were curled up together in Lucius’ magnificent bedchamber. They had barley broke contact since the old Riddle house- gave up the ghost- so to speak.

Angela and Hermione developed a theory that all the negative energy had been holding the house together, and once it was released all the physical strength left.

Hermione nuzzled against Lucius’ warm chest, breathing deep his unique sent. She was so happy he was here, alive and loving her so completely.

“My heart?” he asked, his deep voice purring in her ear.

“Yes my darling?”

“I want to give you something.” He answered reaching over to the side table and picking up the carved box.

“I saw this and I thought of you, and now that I am free to give myself- all of myself- to you, I want you to have this a symbol of my promise. I am yours, my dearest Hermione, as long as you will have me.”

He kissed her soft lips and opened the lid to reveal the pearl ring.

Hermione smiled at the gesture but was far more moved by his words. She sat up and looked into the grey eyes she loved so much.

“The ring is beautiful Lucius, but your words are more than enough. I am yours as much as you are mine Mr. Malfoy.” And with that she kissed him.

As they kissed his slipped the ring onto her right ring finger and went about showing her just how much her loved her.

~~
A/N That was a lot harder to write than I thought it would be. Hope it was worth the wait!

Cheers,
Sarah