Twice Bitten ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 40 ~ Hermione Faces Her Demon

An hour and fifteen minutes had passed by the time Hermione disillusioned herself and left the dungeon area, feeling quite weak. The spell had taken much time and great focus and when she felt it take hold, she had little time left. It drained her even more. Slowly she made her way to the main stairwell, thankful not to have run into Filch and Mrs. Norris. She doubted she could have gotten out of the way quickly enough if the cat had scented her.

She rode the stairwell to the second floor corridor, and began seeking the Room of Requirement. She needed it badly.

It seemed luck was with her, and a wooden door formed in the stone wall in front of her.

”Thank the gods,” the witch breathed as she pushed the door open. Inside the room was nothing more than stone walls and flooring, and a little podium inside a circle. There was another circle opposite it about thirty feet away. The ROR had provided the circles, saving Hermione the trouble of drawing them. She only had to apply the magical protections to each of them. She placed the book on the podium, slowly opened it and turned to the page that gave the instructions. She went over them once more then approached the far circle, following the lines with magic and chanting the proper incantations. She wasn’t sure it would hold the demon, most likely it wouldn’t or not for too long since she promised herself to it.

She completed securing the protective circle, then slowly crossed the room to do the spells necessary to protect herself. Again, she wasn’t sure they would work, but she went through the motions anyway. She was still dressed in her nightie, robe and Snape’s black slippers, and her body felt as if it were weighted, she was so exhausted from the blood loss and the spell taking hold of her. Gods, if this didn’t work, it would be over for her. She’d be a demon’s plaything for eternity.

Her circle completed, Hermione stepped inside and flipped the page to the Summons. The air in the ROR felt hot and heavy, almost expectant as the witch began to read:

From the Darkness,
from the Bowels
filled with Torments
filled with Howls,
I loose the gateways,
East and South;
Pry up the maw
of Hell’s foul mouth,
I loose the gateways,
West and North,
Demon Cerebin
NOW COME FORTH!

Hermione shouted the last line with all her strength, then fell forward grasping the podium for support as thin column black smoke rose in the center of the circle directly across from her, then a fierce blast of flame and more sooty smoke arose, thicker this time, filling it completely. When it cleared, Hermione finally saw the visage of her hellish stalker.

Cerebin stood seven feet high, and was humanoid in form, with ram’s horns, horse-like ears, a canine muzzle full of over-large teeth, long claws and legs that ended in cleft hooves. He was covered in reddish brown scales that looked wet and slimy. A forked tail whisked about him as his red eyes rested on the small witch before him.

The demon smiled, and it was absolutely horrendous.

“Ready for a temperature change, Hermione Granger?” the creature lisped. As if Cerebin wasn’t bad enough, he had a forked tongue as well.

Leaning over the podium, Hermione looked up at him, her eyes hardly able to stay open.

”I want . . . I want a service from you first,” she said weakly.

Cerebin rolled his red eyes.

”You humans always try this shit. You can’t outsmart me. Yes, I am bound to you in service but you’ve already given yourself to me. I don’t have to do anything for you if I don’t want to . . . and I don’t want to,” the creature said, his tail lashing.

Then he looked down at the protective circle and smirked slightly, smoke wafting out of his nose in mirth.

”Good try,” Cerebin said, stepping out of it, “but not good enough. Neither is yours.”

The demon began to advance on the witch.

”You might want to leave that robe and nightie behind. It’s awfully hot where you’re going,” the demon said with an evil laugh.

Hermione pushed off the podium and stood up as straight as she could, facing the approaching creature, but swaying slightly. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she couldn’t lose it. She had to be brave.


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Snape awoke with a snarl, sitting straight up in the bed and looking around the room wildly for Hermione. His last memory was of her shouting a spell at him, and it wasn’t fucking “Scourgify!”

”Where are you?” he bellowed, grabbing his wand and sliding to the edge of the bed. He quickly scourgified himself, then strode to the bathroom, looking inside. She wasn’t there. He walked back out and saw the parchment on the nightstand. His face contorted, he snatched it up and read it.

”Severus, I’m in the Room of Requirement. Be careful.”

”The Room of Requirement? Damn that witch!” the professor cursed, flicking his wand and instantly dressing himself.

”That little minx better hope that demon kills her before I do. It will be less painful,” he growled.

He didn’t mean it. But what was Hermione thinking leaving his rooms without him? Leaving his rooms at all? She was probably dead in some corridor someplace.

Suddenly, fear hit the wizard . . . a fear so deep and stinging that he nearly folded over. He hadn’t felt anything like it since . . . since he had learned Voldemort had gone to the Potter’s home all those many years ago. Snape had done all he could to find out where the Potter’s house was located, but couldn’t get any information. He had nearly throttled Peter Pettigrew before giving up and returning to the stronghold to wait for the Dark Lord. Voldemort never returned, but the news of the Potters death did.

Now, that ache was taking him over again, that same desperate fear. NO. It couldn’t happen again. He couldn’t lose another witch he cared about . . . and he did care. He knew it now.

Snape exited the dungeon area at a desperate run, flying up the corridor, skidding to a stop only to ask Filch if he had seen Hermione. The caretaker told him no, but he would keep a sharp eye out for her, then hobbled off.

Snape cast a silencing spell around himself and used his ability to apparate inside the castle to reach the first upper corridor. He had no idea where the ROR would be. Damn her. Why did she have to be so fucking headstrong?

Because she was a Gryffindor. No doubt she had some noble idea she could handle this situation herself and should because she caused it and didn’t want to endanger anyone else. Gods damn it!

Snape ran up and down all the corridors in search of the ROR, but couldn’t find it. He apparated to the second level, and again took off at a run, desperately scanning the stone walls for an errant doorway.

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Hermione stood stock still as Cerebin approached her, stopping just outside of the circle, another waft of smoke wafting from his muzzle, making Hermione cough as it washed over her. It smelled horrible. Like sulphur.

The demon looked at the circle, then daintily dipped a cloven hoof inside it, grinning horribly.

”Not good enough,” he said, then he slung the podium and book out of the way, and stood over Hermione, who looked up at him with wet eyes. Cerebin blinked at her.

”What, no begging or pleading or asking for more time?” he asked the witch, his forked tongue flicking her cheek. “Tasty. You look almost dead already. You’re no fun witch.”

”Just one service,” Hermione said weakly, looking as if she were about to faint.

Cerebin chuckled nastily.

”All right. Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll see if I’m interested,” the demon said, having no intention of doing anything Hermione asked. There was no need to.

“I want you to . . . to . . .” Hermione said, wavering.

”To what?” Cerebin snarled impatiently.

Hermione looked up at him with luminescent eyes.

”To take my soul,” she said.

Cerebin just stared at her. In all the eons he’d been snatching souls, no human ever once asked him to take it.

”That is a service I am happy to provide,” the demon said, thrusting his claws through Hermione’s flesh without tearing it and grasping her soul, the witch letting out a horrible scream at the pain that wrenched through her. It was as if she were immersed in fire.

”And this is only the beginning,” Cerebin hissed, starting to tug.

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Snape heard Hermione’s scream. It sounded like a death-cry. He ran in the direction of it and found the door to the ROR. His wand drawn, the wizard threw the door open, just in time to see the demon withdraw his claws from inside of Hermione, the witch’s eyes rolled up into her head.

“NOOOOO! YOU BITCH!” Cerebin roared as the circle around Hermione suddenly flared up, blasting the creature back as Hermione collapsed inside it, surrounded by protective fire.

Behind the fallen demon, the other circle opened up revealing a great hole that began to draw him in. Snape had to grab on to the door to keep from being drawn in as well, his feet dangling in the great roaring wind.

”No! No! I’ve been cheated! Cheated! I’ve never been bested by a mere mortal! Never! Let me go! Let me go!” the demon roared, his claws leaving gouges in the stone as he was dragged toward the hole, then swallowed, the stone sealing itself.

The moment the hole closed, the fire around Hermione died and Snape was able to regain his footing. The wizard dashed over to Hermione, who lay on her back, weak, but conscious. He quickly removed the Silencing Spell.

Hermione looked up at Snape and gave him a weak smile as he dropped to his knees beside her and placed her head in his lap.

”What have you done, you silly witch?” the wizard snarled at her, fearing the worst as she blinked up at him. “Why did you do this?”

Hermione blinked up at him.

”Because I knew it would work, Severus. I’ll be all right. I just need some rest and maybe a bit of blood replenisher,” she breathed at him. “Please don’t take me to the Infirmary. Just back to your rooms.”

Snape studied her. He wasn’t sure he should do that. He didn’t know what kind of damage she’d suffered. He’d seen the demon’s claws inside her for himself, though he saw no wounds, no blood. Hermione closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Severus was with her. She knew she’d be fine now.

“Why didn’t the demon kill you? Why didn’t he take your soul?” Snape demanded to know.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him tenderly.

”It’s simple, really. Cerebin couldn’t perform the service he agreed to. He couldn’t take a soul that . . . that belonged to someone else,” she said softly, then fell unconscious.

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A/N: You go Hermione! You go girl! Lol. Smart little witch there. :)) Thanks for reading.