Of Death and Fire

point of no return


Author's warning: Sexual content down the road. Includes sex between two consenting adults, although nothing graphic.
For the missing part, you know what to do. Go to Adult FanFiction.net.
Additional notes: Apologies for the delay. I hope this chapter meets your expectations. As always, many thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review.
 
 
CHAPTER 34: Point of no return.
 
The rest of the night passed away in a heartbeat. Snape asked Morgaine to leave him alone for the night so he would collect his thoughts, attempting to recall more details of his recent meeting with Voldemort. It took a lot of debating but in the end she complied. And when he was at last alone, he let the pain out. His face turned to a mask of agony, as the effects of the repetitive curses had not yet left his body. He fell on the floor, surrendering to the nausea he haied ied to hold down for long. He vomited blood and bile as the poison of Voldemort's touch was leaving his system. Seizures made his body twitch and shake and he knew he had lost control of his bladder too. As the torment finally begun to subside, he was thankful that neither Morgaine nor Albus had witnessed his weakest hour. After a while he passed out again as his mind attempted to maintain his sanity.
The morning light found him sleeping in a fetid pool of his own bodily fluids.
~*~
On breakfast, the Main Hall was buzzing with excitement. It seemed that someone had been up after curfew -what a surprise- and had seen Snape being carried on a stretcher. His empty seat only confirmed these rumours. Morgaine was silent and paler than usual and even the Headmaster appeared deeply concerned.
On the Gryffindor table, Fred Weasley, who hadn't been told anything about the recent developments and nor had his twin, was ecstatic with Snape's absence. Harry looked at Ron who glanced sideways to his loud brothers, wondering if this was a good time to tell them to shut up. And then the door blasted open and the Potions Master walked right in, his dark robes flowing behind him. And Fred's phrase was cut in half.
"I'm so relieved I won't see again that overgrown bat until I grad-"....
Snape stood by the Gryffindor table, towering over Weasley as silence had fallen over the Hall. He stared at the boy coldly.
"You were saying, Mr.Weasley?" he asked in his silkiest voice.
Fred face turned as red as his hair.
"Glad to see you back, Proffessor," he finally managed to utter.
"If you and your brother ever graduate, Mr.Weasley," hissed Snape, emphasising on the 'if', "I'll be as delighted to see you go. In any other case, rest assured you'll serve detention until you turn thirty." And with this final statement he walked over to the teachers' table and resumed his usual place.
The Potions Master was back.
~*~
The Weasley twins did graduate, after all, and the school year finally came to an end. The students left Hogwarts and Dumbledore had the chance to focus on the upcoming war. And the time to the next New Moon passed away quickly, faster than any of them wished.
At the eve of the arranged Death Eater meeting, an eagle owl flew in the room, dropping a letter in Morgaine's hands. She knew what it was saying, but she read it anyway. It was written by Lucius Malfoy.
I trust you will respect our arrangement.
Your presence will be expected tomorrow, an hour before midnight, in my chambers at Malfoy Manor.
Lucius Malfoy.
She was ready to throw the parchment in the fire, when Snape reached out and took it from her fingers. He barely frowned as he read it, but she could see more than the flames of the fireplace reflecting in his eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he tossed it in the fire.
"So, it begins," he said in a grim voice.
During their last night before the fateful meeting, they had silently agreed on some quality time together. Just the two of them, a bottle of aged wine and silence. No verbal swordfights, no ego contests, no stubborn shut-outs; just the two of them. They had been sitting in Snape's chambers, staring in the dancing flames, enjoying quietly each other's presence. And then Malfoy's message had shuttered the fragile tranquillity.
In a completely compulsive move, he reached out and pulled her closer, tying his arms around her and hiding his face in her hair. He felt the darkness rising inside him once more. Not of the evil kind he had experienced during his service to the Dark Lord, but the kind of darkness that despair leaves in its path. Tonight was the end of all tomorrows, for somehow he could not envision a future beyond the following night. He had grown accustomed to this life. He had learned to love the trivial moments that bind two people together. Waking up in the middle of the night and seeing her beside him, the sound of her laughter across the dinner table, the stolen moments of intimacy in the deserted school corridors, all of these and more had been his poison. And he loved this poison more than he would ever dare to admit, not to her, not to anyone else, not even to himself. And now all of this was going to change. After tomorrow, their lives would be different. They would be different.
Surprised but delighted by this out-of-character tender expression, she cupped his hands with hers and leaned back at him. She felt it too, this point of no return. She had spent the past three years with him in her thoughts every of of her life, seeking secretly his approval, then his respect and finally his love. She saw him everywhere; in the wildlife out of her window, thinking of the dried leaves that filled his glass jars. She saw his face in the dark corners of the dungeons, as every inch of the school grounds held a memory. She saw him in her mirror every day, knowing that his fingers had left his imprints on her skin, as they had in her soul. She had promised her Lord anything in exchange of his life and she had meant it with all her heart, knowing that she might soon have to meet those terms. And she would, for the possibility of a life without him was just beyond her mind's limits.
He raised his head from her hair and kissed her neck, as his fingers moved to undress her. There would be no rush this night, not harsh movements and desperate tearing of clothes. Just long, soft kisses, tender touching and easy pacing, in a coupling of two condemned souls. Their bodies knew the way to bliss too well and they took over in a slow, lazy rhythm. As he saw her on top of him, her head thrown back, her eyes closed in quiet pleasure, her hair falling around her body reflecting the fire, it felt as if she was a dancing flame on his body, eating him alive. He raised a hand, took hold of the back of her neck and pulled her down to him, wishing desperately to whisper the feared words in her ear. But then their bodies took over once more and he felt his body stiffening as she too climaxed on top of him. She collapsed on his chest breathless, but in a few moments she raised her head and met his gaze. And his eyes spoke the words his mouth was unable to utter. She smiled sadly and kissed lightly his lips.
"I know," she whispered simply, as he tied his arms harder around her body, trying to shield her from the future.
~*~
The rest of the time flew away fast, as if in a dream. An hour before midnight they walked at the appointed place inside the Dark Forest, and waited for Dumbledore to arrive. In the darkness, Snape took hold of her chin, making her face him.
"Promise me this: At least try to show some humility in Voldemort's presence. Think before you act, and even more important, think before you say anything. Don't provoke him," he said sharply. "You have no idea of what he's capable of."
She boldly met his gaze, making him think that this was probably a lost cause. No way in hell she could act this way.
"I promise I'll try. But," she continued, "I want you to promise me something in return". He looked at her quizzically. "If he asks of you to cast a spell or curse on me, as a proof of your loyalty, don't hesitate. Do it". She saw his frown and the doubts on his face. "I can resist most spells, including 'Imperius'. As for 'Cruciatus', well, we both know this hasn't got exactly the desired effect on me," she added with a naughty smile.
Snape wasn't smiling.
"And the killing curse?" he said, and her blood froze hearing his cold voice.
"Hopefully, it won't come to that," she whispered, as the Headmaster finally reached them.
He put his palm on Snape's shoulder.
"Severus, my boy, I have faith in you. Return back to me alive and in one piece," he said sadly, and he reached out to embrace Morgaine next. "As for you, my child, be careful. Think before you act," he told her, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Thank you, Uncle Albus, but Severus has already lectured me on this," she teased him.
Beside her, she saw Snape putting on the heavy cloak and the mask. For a moment, she felt a jolt of terror in her heart, as if this was not the man she loved but a creature of a nameless Hell. But she regained her self-control, focusing on her disapparating.
"See you in the party, Severus," she joked and vanished.
Behind her, neither Snape nor Dumbledore knew of what they should fear more: Voldemort's malice or Morgaine's recklessness.
~*~
Morgaine apparated at Malfoy Manor. Lucius chambers were exactly as they had been last time she was here. Meaning rich, warm and decadent. As she tried to adjust her senses to the new environment, she heard a voice behind her.
"You are late."
She turned around and saw Malfoy senior sitting casually on an armchair, with the heavy Death Eater cloak on. The mask was on the bed.
"I'm here now," she replied as coldly.
He stood up and walked to her, stopping just an inch from her face. He raised one hand to her lips.
"You don't have to be so cold, my beauty," he purred at her. "We had fun together, if memory serves well," he added, as his hand moved to her breasts. Morgaine saw where this was going and she didn't like it at all. With a sharp movement she pushed his hand away.
"This was not a part of the arrangement," she hissed.
Malfoy laughed and touched her thigh this time.
"It is now," he said in a velvet voice.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked him, feeling suddenly very tired. As if I don't know, she thought to herself.
He sat back on the armchair, unbuckling his pants.
"A small token of your, uhm, appreciation before we join the meeting," he replied grinning.
"And if I refuse?" she asked, walking slowly behind him. Severus will kill me, she thought.
"Then I'll go without you this time, my dear," he added, releasing his erection from his clothes.
 
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"Come here and suck me, little bitch!" He tried to get hold of her, but then he realised they were not alone.
The door was open and his wife was standing before them. And smiling.
"Lucius, my love, this is not the way to treat a guest," she said in an annoyingly sweet voice.
"In Merlin's name, Narcissa, what do you want? I'm in the middle of something here," he hissed at her.
"Yes, I can see you have your hands full," she mocked him. Then she turned to face Morgaine. "And you must be Morgaine. I'm so glad to finally meet you. My deepest apologies for my husband's lack of courtesy. Perhaps one day I can meet you in private and show you that some people in this family can show the proper ...appreciation to a guest," she purred. Morgaine knew exactly what she had in mind.
Nice family, the Malfoys. They seem to share everything, she thought and tried not to chuckle.
"Is that all, Narcissa?" Lucius hissed again, clearly annoyed by the fact he was loosing his erection due to his wife's interruption.
"No, in fact I have come to tell you we have more guests. Crabbe and Goyle are downstairs, asking if you will be leaving with them. Obviously, you're not," she said with a smile. "Igo tgo tell them you're indisposed, my love. But hurry up, it's almost time," she mocked him once more.
Lucius cursed loudly as she closed the door behind her. And then he turned at Morgaine.
"Well, where were we?" But he never got to have his treat, for the death mark on his arm started to burn. Clearly disappointed, he stood up, straightened his clothes and put on the mask. He held out his hand to Morgaine.
"Shall we?"
As he closed his arms around her, before disapparating for the Death Eater meeting, Morgaine felt more than ever like a piece on a chessboard.
~*~
The game commences.
White Queen to Black Knight.
 
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Well? Was it worth the waiting?