Twice Bitten ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 35 ~ The Bodyguard

The Fat Lady stared at the black specter bearing down on her as Snape stalked through the corridor leading to Gryffindor Tower. He stopped in front of the portrait.

”Professor Severus Snape, Hogwarts Staff. Open up,” he said to the painting in bad humor.

The Fat Lady blinked at him.

”By whose authority are you asking entrance to Gryffindor?” she demanded.

Snape snarled. He was in no mood for this.

”Listen, you silly oil smear, I am not in the mood for twenty questions from a portrait. I am a staff member of Hogwarts and a Head of House. That is all the authority I need,” he growled at the Fat Lady.

What Snape said was correct, but the Fat Lady still had reservations. How could she let this dark wizard, who incidentally was the Head of Gryffindors main rivals into her tower in good conscience without knowing why he was here?

”What is your business at Gryffindor?” she asked.

That was it.

Professor Snape grabbed the portrait by its frame and began to shake it roughly, tumbling the shrieking Fat Lady back and forth so she tumbled out of her chair and rolled about the floor, upsetting the small table full of bon-bons, furniture sliding about.

”All right! All right! I’ll let you in!” the distraught painting shrieked.

Snape stopped shaking the painting. The disheveled Fat Lady straightened her chair and sat down in it, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the angry wizard.

”You may enter,” she said, swinging back.

Snape climbed through.

”Hero or no hero, that curmudgeon belongs in Azkaban,” the Fat Lady hissed as she set about straightening up her scattered surroundings. “The beast.”

Professor Snape strode down the corridor and emerged in the Gryffindor Common Room. The students all froze at the sight of him, a few shrieks coming from the witches. Ron, Harry and Hermione were in there, surrounded by their housemates. Everyone knew Hermione had a demon after her and were studying the knotted amulet she wore around her neck. It was a knot of magically enhanced wormwood.

Snape spotted Hermione and strode up to her.

”Miss Granger, gather a few of your things and come with me,” he said to the witch imperiously.

Hermione looked up at him in surprise.

“What? Why?” she asked him.

Snape frowned distastefully.

”I’ve been designated your bodyguard until we can break the binding,” he said shortly. “Now hurry. I don’t want to be here any longer than necessary.

Several faces contorted in horror as Hermione rose and hurried to go get her things. Hermione had to go with Snape? It might be better to let the demon take her.

“Where are you taking her?” Ron demanded of the wizard.

Snape looked down his nose at the red-haired wizard, his eyes narrowed. He was going to enjoy telling him.

”To the dungeons. With me,” the wizard purred at Ron.

”Do you mean in your rooms, Professor?” Harry asked, aghast.

”Yes, in my private rooms, Mr. Potter. I have to keep her close. Very close,” the Potions master replied. “The demon can manifest at any time. Miss Granger will have to remain in proximity if I am to protect her.”

”Does Headmistress McGonagall know about this?” Ron demanded, knowing that his Head of House would stop this madness.

”She was the one who ordered it,” Snape replied, arching an eyebrow at Ron.

All around them, students were murmuring. Hermione was going to stay in the Potions master’s private rooms with him.

”Hell, we can protect her,” Ronald said staunchly.

”Believe me, Mr. Weasley, there’s nothing I would like to see more than you attempt to tangle with a demon. If you were taken in Miss Granger’s defense, that would end this problem quite neatly. But alas, the Headmistress has already made her directives known and I am bound to them,” Snape said.

“Hermione in your rooms,” Ron said in a jealous voice. “That’s really convenient.”

Snape frowned at him.

”Mr. Weasley, maybe you would find having a barely-legal witch in your rooms convenient, but I assure you, I don’t. I am a man used to his privacy and solitude. Of being able to walk about my domain freely in any manner of dress or undress I desire. This is not a convenience, it is an imposition and I assure you I will be doing all that I can to end this situation as quickly as possible,” the wizard said, “And you will cease to question me concerning this matter, or you will lose your house several hundred points.”

Little hisses of “Shut up, Ron” rose from his fellow housemates. Ron folded his arms sullenly and said nothing else.

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Hermione quickly gathered a few things together. Her books and assignments, a change of clothing and robes. She wondered if they were going to sequester her in a private area. Well, she’d find out the details. She had spent her time surrounded by people, hoping the demon wouldn’t manifest when she was in a crowd. She had been a bit fearful about the night though, when everyone was asleep. It would be a perfect opportunity for the creature to strike, though she wasn’t quite sure how it would operate. She didn’t think it could attack her directly. It couldn’t murder her, only “facilitate” her demise, whatever that meant.

So Professor Snape was supposed to guard her body. The witch would have laughed at that if she wasn’t so worried. Why couldn’t she have just kept her mouth shut? Damn. As if working to stay ahead of Edgar wasn’t enough. Not to mention her personal situation with the Potions master. Now she had to worry about a demon claiming her soul and torturing her for eternity.

It had definitely not been the best of days.

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Hermione walked back down the stairs into the Common Room, carrying a small carry-all with her. The entire room was silent as she walked up to Snape and looked up at him. He didn’t look at all pleased.

”I’m ready,” she said in a small voice.

”Let us go,” Snape said shortly, turning and exiting the Common Room.

Hermione looked at her friends, who looked back at her worriedly.

”I’ll be fine,” she assured them.

“I don’t know what to worry about more, the demon or Snape,” Harry said to her, rising and embracing her.

”The Professor will keep me safe, Harry. He kept us safe for years. Remember that,” she said to him softly, kissing him on the cheek.

Hermione looked at Ron, who seemed to be chewing on an entire wad of gum as he looked back at her.

”I’ll be fine, Ron,” she said to the wizard, who didn’t reply. He just looked away from her, his eyes rather wet.

The rest of her housemates wished her good luck, and Hermione exited the Common Room, meeting up with Snape at the entrance.

”Said all your tearful goodbyes?” he asked her coldly.

”They weren’t tearful,” she snapped back at him.

Snape didn’t reply as he pushed the exit open, walking through and looking about warily before letting Hermione follow.

”Let’s make this quick,” he said, catching her by her arm firmly. ”Stay close to me, and pay attention to that amulet. It will warm and glow if the demon is anywhere near.”

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As Hermione and Snape descended the stairs, Hermione’s amulet began to glow.

”Professor, the amulet,” she hissed.

Snape looked and saw the small knot glowing and pulled out his wand, his black eyes searching about. Neither saw the small smooth stone that appeared on the final step of the shifting stairwell before Hermione. They were still several floors up.

Suddenly Hermione stepped on the stone and slipped, pulling Snape with her as she slid screaming toward the open landing. It hadn’t yet connected with the next set of stairs and was high above the castle floor. Hermione screamed as Snape desperately grabbed for the banister, catching it as Hermione slid over the edge of the landing, which was fast approaching the connecting stairwell. She’d be crushed between them.

Her carry-all fell to the lower level as Hermione clutched desperately at Snape’s arm. The Professor pulled her back up the landing just as the stairwell connected, catching the hem of her robes. Snape stood up and helped her to her feet, pulling her robes from between the stairwell, ripping it in the processes.

Both of them panted.

“I could have been killed,” Hermione gasped, her eyes wide as she clung to the Potions master’s arm.

“Yes, that is the demon’s intention,” Snape replied, aware of his own pounding heart. He had almost lost her. “It will make situations occur that can cause your demise. It will not attack you directly. You must be very careful.”

Hermione was trembling against him, scared to death at her close call. The wizard reflexively gathered her closer to calm her.

“You’re safe. Now get your wits about you. We have to make it to my rooms. I will be able to put up protections once you are there,” he said.

”Your rooms?” Hermione said, shocked.

”Yes, you will be staying with me until the danger is past,” the wizard replied.

”But my classes. My studies. How am I supposed to keep up with them, not to mention your own classes?” Hermione asked him.

”You will do your work in my DADA class. It will be sent down to you. In addition, you will take your meals with me as well as sleep in my rooms,” he said to her.

Hermione blinked at him.

”Sleep in your rooms?” she said rather stupidly, unable to process this.

”That’s what I said. I have to be close to you at all times. I will set up a cot for you in my bedroom,” the wizard said a bit thickly.

Hermione fell silent.

She was going to sleep in his bedroom? Dear gods. She swallowed at the thought of it. He’d be so close . . . right there.

Snape was thinking the same thing, although he wasn’t completely sure how he was going to handle this. It was one thing to plan to access the witch when she was domiciled in Gryffindor tower. Having her in his own rooms made it a whole other game of Quidditch. Minerva would be checking in with the witch to make sure everything was on the up and up. Having others know she was with him was a completely different story than stealing her away for a few hours of pleasure.

Besides, he had not yet addressed her binding him and apologizing. He had decided to accept her heartfelt apology, though that had no bearing on the method she used in order to give that apology. That was another issue to deal with.

And he did intend to deal with it in an unmistakable manner.

They continued down the stairwell with no other occurrences. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped down into the Main Hall. Snape retrieved her carry-all as curious students eyed them, whispering to one another as Hermione walked with the Potions master, who had her arm tucked very possessively inside his own. Word of the demon had not yet made its way around the castle, and this looked rather damning.

”Why is Hermione Granger on Professor Snape’s arm?” they asked each other as the couple passed. Hermione flushed as she met their eyes, knowing how it looked that she was entering the dungeon area with the snarky wizard.

“People are going to get the wrong idea about us,” she said to the Potions master as they walked down the dungeon corridor.

”Only until the gossip mill makes its rounds,” the Professor said, “Most will believe I am indeed your bodyguard once they hear about the demon.”

Hermione looked up at him.

”Believe?” she asked him, her heart tightening.

He looked down at her, his black eyes intense.

”Yes. Believe, Hermione,” he replied, saying nothing more.

Hermione walked beside him, not knowing what to think at his reply. Believe did not necessarily mean to know. Did he consider himself more than her bodyguard? If he did, what did he think he was?

They walked in silence until they reached his office door. Snape opened it and let her in, following. Then he pressed a series of stones and pulled on a torch. The wall slid open.

”Welcome to my parlor,” the wizard purred, gesturing for her to enter.

Hermione hesitated, then slowly entered, the wizard’s black eyes glittering after her.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.