Death Be Not Unkind

Chapter 4 ~ When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Will Appear

Snape stormed out of the wall and found himself in a wooded area. So Hermione had a secluded cottage to honeymoon in. He’d like to make it her coffin.

In a foul mood he walked over to a fallen log. Forgetting he was insubstantial he tried to sit down and passed through it, cursing. He didn’t fall completely through the ground however. It seemed he had some spatial balance.

“That bitch. I can’t believe how I let her take advantage of me that way,” he seethed, pacing back and forth angrily. He tried to kick a stone but his foot passed right through it.

He groaned. How was he ever going to get back at Hermione if he couldn’t interact with the real world?

”A newbie eh?” a voice sounded behind him.

Snape whirled, scowling to see a blonde-haired man apparently leaning against a tree, looking at him with a crooked smile. His eyes were strangely colored. Violet it appeared.

”Go away,” Snape hissed.

”Oh, you don’t want me to do that, my friend,” the stranger said, walking toward Snape slowly, kicking the stone the Potions master had tried to dislodge only moments earlier. It flew out of sight.

Snape looked in the direction of the stone, then back at the stranger, his eyes narrowed. He was dressed in blue jeans and a t-shirt along with white trainers. His blonde hair was rather curly but closely cropped. He looked quite solid.

”Are you human?” Snape asked him.

He smiled.

”I was . . . once, but not now. Now, I’m like you . . . or what you will become. My name is Marcus, Marcus Delaluci,” he said, offering Snape his hand.

Snape eyed it.

”I can’t shake your hand. You’re solid,” the wizard said in a low voice.

Marcus arched an eyebrow at him.

“Try,” he said, stretching his hand out further.

Snape scowled but reached out and clasped the stranger’s hand. It was firm and warm. The Potions master released it quickly.

”How is it you were able to kick the stone?” Snape asked him.

Marcus chuckled.

“I do more than kick stones, believe me. Now what’s your name, newbie?” Marcus asked him.

”Snape,” Snape replied.

”Yeah. You look like a Snape,” Marcus said, eyeing his lank hair and sallow features. “You’ll terrify them without changing form.”

”What? Terrify who?” Snape demanded.

”Women, of course,” Marcus replied, “you died because of one didn’t you?”

”Yes. A very sneaky little bitch, I might add,” the wizard snarled.

”They all are,” Marcus agreed, “but because of the hatred you have, Snape . . . you can be more than a moaning, insubstantial ghost . . .”

Suddenly, Marcus punched the trunk of a tree, his fist crashing into the wood, and leaving a gaping hole. Snape blinked at the hole and the power Marcus exhibited.

”What are you?” he asked in a low voice.

”I am what you’re becoming, Snape. An Incubus. I target the fairer sex . . . the living fairer sex,” he replied with a smirk. “And I’ve decided to show you the ropes.”

“An Incubus? A sex demon?” Snape repeated, stunned.

”I prefer the term “Retributive Entity,” Marcus said with a nasty smile. “I’m the way I am because I was wronged by a woman and it caused my death. She was cheating on her husband with me, and I was sleeping with another witch besides her. I mean, I wasn’t married. But she loved me. I told her not to, but you know women never listen. So, she arranged it so her husband would find us together, knowing the bastard would kill me immediately. And so, it went as planned. He pulled her out of the bed and Avada Kedavra’d me, then burnt my body to ash. I didn’t even have a decent burial. The fucker dumped me in a trash bin. Of course, he didn’t do anything to her other than make her promise not to cheat on him again.”

The Incubus’ face contorted and suddenly, he looked quite terrible for a moment before his face returned to normal. He looked at Snape.

“I wasn’t in love myself, but I died for Love just the same, and I was pissed about it. My anger and hatred brought Dark Powers to me, powers that long for connection with the physical world. Using my emotions, they bound themselves to me, lending me their strength and the power to interact with the physical world. First I started out with small manifestations, Elizabeth feeling an icy presence. Then I began to write on wet windows and mirrors. The word “BITCH” mostly. Then I was able to move small objects, breaking them. Then, oh man it got good. I was able to possess her husband for short periods of time. Not enough to make him kill her, but to fuck the shit out of her . . . and not in a way she enjoyed. Then . . .”

Marcus’ face took on a dark cast.

”Then I was able to manifest. First invisibly . . . I raped her. She believed I was a Disillusioned human until she heard my voice. She screamed as if she were dying. It felt wonderful. Even more wonderful when she ran to the Ministry and said she’d been raped by the ghost of her lover, who her husband killed and burned to ash. He was locked up in Azkaban for the murder and she was sent to St. Mungo’s for treatment. Of course, I followed her, constantly raping and abusing her night after night until she was declared insane, and doing damage to herself. They strapped her down each night, and each night I came to her, doing terrible things, Snape, terrible things. The healers couldn’t understand it but believed she was still managing to harm herself.”

Snape listened, fascinated. Oh, if only he could do something similar to Hermione.

“Then the coup de grace came and I was able to manifest fully, so she could see me or the new me. In Incubus form, I cut quite the terrifying image, and I took her one final time. When the medi-witches came to bathe her the next morning, she broke free of them and flung herself out of the window, falling to her death on the spiked fence below. And then . . . she went to Hell where she belonged, both for her part in my murder and her own suicide. I felt such vindication. Until that moment, I had no peace, nothing but my churning hatred.”

”Now I spend my time wandering the earth, watching the Living, seeking treacherous women and punishing them. It’s a very enjoyable afterlife. I particularly like possessing their lovers. But it took a while to develop my abilities. Unlike you, I didn’t have a mentor,” Marcus said to Snape. “I’m between victims now and would like to pass the time in some enjoyable way. Training you up would suit me just fine.”

”You won’t be training anybody up, Marcus Delaluci. Now you get your randy ass away from him!” Sister Dee snarled, storming up and getting between Snape and Marcus.

Marcus’ eyes drifted over the black Reaper with a smile.

”Sister Dee, it’s good to see you. Tell me, is your week coming up anytime soon? If it is, allow me to offer my ‘services,’ he purred.

“Forget it, Marcus. You and that telescoping cock of yours get enough action. Bad action at that,” she said to him, her face frowned up.

”There’s no such thing as ‘enough action’ for me, Dee. You know what my purpose is,” Marcus said to her, still grinning.

”Yeah, and it’s ruining women, not new spirits,” she snapped at him. “Come on, Snape. I want to talk to you.”

”No,” Snape said, his reddish eyes resting on Marcus. “Mr. Delaluci has offered to mentor me. I believe I will take him up on it.”

Dee scowled at him, holding her coat close.

”You don’t want to do that Snape. It will take what little soul you have left. You’ll become a slave to the Purpose. All eternity will be spent attacking women,” she said, a plea in her voice.

”I’m used to being a slave to purpose, believe me,” Snape replied. “I still have freedom of choice and I choose Marcus. Now leave me be!”

Dee shook her head.

”You’re a miserable spirit. I bet you were just as miserable as a man. You need to let the universe take care of that witch, Snape. She’ll get what she deserves. You might upset the balance otherwise.”

”I don’t fucking care what I upset!” Snape snarled, turning on the Reaper, power swirling around him as his hatred for Hermione flared. “I want to pay that bitch back, and I WILL!”

The ground actually shuddered at his declaration. Marcus looked impressed as a number of dislodged leaves swirled to the ground.

”Lots of hate here,” he said admiringly. “All right Snape, let’s go. Demonology 101.”

Marcus grabbed Snape’s hand, then looked at Dee.

”See you later, my sister,” he said to the furious Reaper.

”I ain’t no sister of yours, Marcus Delaluci,” she growled at him.

”I know. Otherwise when we do get together, it would be incest . . . and I’ve got enough sins on my plate. Catch you later.”

Marcus and Snape disappeared. Dee shook her head.

Now an initially fucked up situation had just become infinitely worse.

Damn that Marcus Delaluci.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.