Against His Nature

CHAPTER 39

“Don’t look so smug.” Snape hissed as he watched the Ministry officials that had haunted Hogwart’s halls for over two weeks, leave through the front gates and disappear into the cloudy skies. Octavia was leant against an open parapet, a smug smile tugging at the corners of his lips, and his arms folded cockily over his chest.

“And why not? Are you jealous that I am a superior teacher to yourself Severus?” Octavia boasted as he watched Snape turn from the open stone window to stare across the owlery at his elder mentor. Snape sneered in irritation. Octavia had succeeded where Snape had failed for the past six years of Harry Potter’s education. He’d taught the boy occlumency and in less than four days.

“Don’t flatter yourself Octavia, his success was virtually guaranteed being now my mate.” Octavia rolled his eyes at Snape’s casual brush off. Years of teaching the young vampire had taught him to read Snape’s irritation like a book, and pursuing the topic would only end up in a slanging match, that Octavia would undoubtedly win. “How is Draco?” Snape inquired coolly as he circled the owlery, displaying an uncharacteristic nervousness that Octavia had felt building all week in his charge.

“Safely locked in the room of requirement, looking a little bloodied and bruised I admit, but surprisingly alive.” Octavia paused as he watched Snape slump against one of the open parapets on the other side of the owlery, his long hair and cloak flapping about him wildly in the strong wind blowing in from the south. “It is a pity Hogwart’s doesn’t have a track team, I believe I’ve never seen a young boy run as quickly as young Mr. Malfoy did this morning.” Octavia smiled to himself, and Snape glared back at him over his shoulder. This morning the news of Harry and Snape’s relationship had broke in spectacular style across the castle. Snape knew it had been coming, but the sight of Lucius Malfoy screaming through the castle after his son had been quite confronting. Chaos had ensured for most of the morning, the Minister of Magic had arrived with a small army of clerks and specialist on wizarding law shouting and demanding explanations on how ‘The Boy Who Lived’ was now bound to his potions master. To add to the chaos, Lucius had been very vocal at accusing Snape of his Vampire heritage, spilling the secrets of Snape’s family history.

Snape had dutifully sat back in the armchair by the fire and let them all argue, rant and rave ignoring any questions thrown his way. It had been amusing to watch it all pan out, and what ever the Ministry and Lucius were throwing at him, would be nothing to what he would face when Voldemort summoned him. At lunchtime, Dumbledore had finally corralled the masses into the great hall, and in front of the entire school Snape had been required to perform various experiments to prove that ‘yes’ he was indeed bound to Harry Potter, but that also his signature showed no signs of Vampire Heritage. It had been a pathetic display, and Snape had stood back and watched as Lucius had demanded Snape’s rooms be searched for the ‘inhibiting potion’. Octavia thankfully had foreseen the coming chaos and had, along with Snape, wiped clean Snape’s entire rooms of any possible links to both Voldemort and Snape’s family heritage. Naturally Lucius had been flaming when the Ministry had dismissed his claims, and with a loud public disownment of his only son, had strode from the castle with a thundering fury. Snape knew where the blonde would go next, and so had retreated to the privacy of the owlery to await his next fate.

Octavia had been with Harry all day in the Greenhouses, well out of the way of both the Ministry uproar and Lucius. The boy had been spared the indignity of being questioned by the Ministry over his relationship with Snape. Dumbledore had simply called on Remus, who as Harry’s legal guardian had acknowledged he’d arranged for Harry and Snape’s union. Snape had taken great delight in watching ‘Fudge’s face explode in humiliated fury, as his own laws had come around to bite him on his arse. As it currently stood, there was not a damn thing the ministry could do about Harry’s union to Snape, without completely going back on their own stupid reinstatement on the bloodline’s law. In Snape’s opinion it was the ultimate revenge for ruining his 38th birthday.

“You’re nervous Severus, you need to calm yourself.” Octavia whispered calmly as he circled the owlery, and came to a stand still behind his younger charge. Snape was still slumped against the rough stonework of the towers open windows, his gaze staring coldly out at the approaching darkness of the evening. Octavia reached up and placed a firm hand on Snape’s shoulder, pulling the wizard back against his chest. Snape leaned into the familiar warmth of his mentor, the wash of the elder’s magic tingling along his body in a comfortable wave of heat. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself Severus, you have stayed ahead of him so far what makes you think you will fail now when nothing has changed.” Snape closed his eyes surrendering himself into the swirl of Octavia’s voice, and the protection of the elder Vampire’s magic. Snape smiled as he felt Octavia invade his mind, just as he did when Snape was under his tutelage when he was young. Snape had built so many barriers to hide his thoughts, memories and emotions against Voldemort, that it felt strange to allow Octavia such rare access. Not that there was anything in his mind that Octavia hadn’t already seen, even the darkest secrets Snape kept were never hidden from his mentor. Octavia was silent for a long moment searching for something in the myriad of emotions and images in Snape’s mind. “You’re afraid you will fail the boy.” Octavia whispered his breath ghosting across Snape’s neck, as Octavia rang the tips of his incisors across Snape’s skin in a strangely intimate caress. Snape merely nodded in reply. “You shouldn’t worry my protégée, you have already proved yourself in his eyes. You cannot fail. I will protect him for you, while you are gone. ” Octavia gently nipped at Snape’s neck, scraping the skin but not drawing blood. “Besides, did I not promise your father to watch over you, and protect you from yourself?” Octavia pulled away, allowing Snape to carefully reassemble each of the walls in his mind until he was back to his guarded self. Octavia reached over and lifted Snape’s arm, turning back the sleeve to reveal the trail of blood begin dripping from the dark mark that had flared into life during their brief discussion. Snape stared at the mark, and then glanced back up at Octavia who smiled ruefully.

“He is no one to us Severus, your blood will keep you safe if you only place your trust in it.” Snape sighed as Octavia severed what lasting connection he’d created between himself and his charge, finally allowing Snape to feel the burning agony of the mark on his arm. Snape crumpled to the floor holding his arm, his teeth gritting as he tried to let the wave of agony pass. Octavia stepped back and helped Snape up from the floor, carefully dressing his charge in the familiar black robe and white faceless mask. Snape breathed heavily as he watched Octavia step over to the open window and step up onto it, his cloak whipping around him like a tornado of fabric. “There is another side of this war Severus Snape, whose loyalties lie with no one but their own kind.” With a knowing glance back at Snape, Octavia launched himself out of the window and Snape watched as his mentor fell several meters, before his body transformed and the small, winged bat swept away into the darkness on an updraft.

Snape shook his head and turned from the owlery. Octavia’s words rang clear through his mind, as he descended through the castle to answer his summons. He’d lingered too long and he’d undoubtedly pay. Finally as Snape ran out beyond the castles wards, he sealed off what remained of his thoughts, and apperated away into the darkness.

************************************

His agony filled wail sent creatures flapping from their roosts into the night sky from the trees above him. The circle had closed in on him as he’d twisted and writhed in excruciating pain on the damp, forest floor. His master circled him like a hawk selecting its prey. The lavish robes that hung from the withered, almost inhuman frame floated over him as another careless flick of the wand pointed at his body brought fiery pain once again. As the last round of cruses ended, he collapsed on the damp ground, his cheek pressed into the blessed cool of the decaying leaf litter beneath him. His body had been broken, but his mind had shut down impervious to the hammering of his master’s insistent prodding. Time stood still as he felt a ghost of a breeze whip up through the trees surrounding their gathering. The hot, fetid breath of his master crept along his spine as the creature leant down over him, dragging his head up from the floor to glare into his eyes in disgust.

“You have become an irritation my alchemist.” He didn’t flinch, as the snake like tongue flicked out at the end of the hissed sentence, touching Snape’s face like a lick of death. Snape stare back into the fiery red eyes his head empty of thought, and his face a mask of indifference. The lack of emotion enraged his master who flung him effortlessly cross the circle and into the rough tree trunk with a sickening snap of his back. Curled around the tree roots on the floor, his body paralyised by pain he watched as the creature screamed his temper to the heavens. He’d seen traitors dealt with countless times before and he knew what was coming as he watched the creature slide across the short space over to him. “You are no longer of any use to me Snape,” A boney, long fingered hand wrapped around Snape’s neck, tightening to cut off the air. Snape didn’t fight it as he stared at the creature feeling as the nails of the fingers wrapped around his neck pierced the skin like razors. “Your willfulness, once amusing has now outgrown your position among my ranks. There is no room for self enterprising here Severus Snape, you will die a traitor!” Voldemort screamed into Snape’s face, the unearthly wail causing the circle of followers to step back in fear. Snape didn’t flinch however as the scolding tip of Voldemort’s wand descended onto his temple. Closing his eyes Snape waited for the words of the curse, and as the green explosion swept over his body he gave himself up to the darkness of death.

*************************

Ten beady, glowing eyes had watched as the gathering had come and gone, leaving behind the victim of their evening. They waited patiently, watching as the cloaked figures disappeared one by one into the night. Finally as silence settled over the forest, they swept down to the ground beside the crumpled corpse of the wizard, and into the envelope of their wings carried one of their own…

TBC>>>>>>