The long and winding road to love
Chapter 42: The encounter
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for the delay. Life has been… hectic. Let’s just say that this chapter was
supposed to be twice as long but I divided it in two because I don’t want to
make you wait any longer. I’ve been mean…I know. This is not like me at all but
life is just…well… there is no point in explaining really.
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style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>The
end is very near, only 3 or 4 chapters away. And anything can happen… but be positive!
The ending has already been planned…
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you want to read the answers to your reviews on chapter 41, read my LJ: Florws
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style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS";mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Chapter
42: The encounter
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mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Flowers dancing through the wind:
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Oh, dear, how beautiful it is to be loved by you”,
was all Hermione Granger could think of while closing her eyes and embracing
her fate.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>All over her body her burned skin read that her flesh
belonged to someone else. Not Severus Snape but LM- The initials of evil
themselves. Her soul, however, knew differently; it could not be constrained by
cruelty or spitefulness and it corresponded to her husband only and to no one
else.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Not that her soul matter in this war.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>She knew that even after her death, which she felt was
near, goodness would surely prevail. Why should her life matter, then, in a war
that had started long before her birth and which had taken the lives of many
braver warriors in the history of the Magical World?
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>It was the same old story again: Good versus Evil. And
Hermione Granger was sure- because even when death was breathing down her neck
anxiously waiting for her to fall off the cliff of life, Mrs. Snape was above
all things a scholar- that despite everything humanity possessed the amazing
ability to surprise itself that we were surely going to win the war for her
when her muscles fail to move in the not-so-distant future.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Yes, we are capable of killing each other.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Yes, we are capable of torturing and mutilating human
beings to achieve our ambitions ends.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Yes, we are capable of racism, discrimination and
malice beyond description.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Yes… no one will deny that, not even innocent Hermione
who represented purity amongst the rotten. But she was certain that human
beings were also capable of great sacrifices, of devotion beyond words, of
creating logical solutions to help those in need, of giving up their own blood
so that others can live… YES! Human beings give out smiles, kisses and hugs…and
they get to love. That alone should make our race worthy of admiration, or at
least, so did Hermione think. She hadn’t given up on humanity despite suffering
atrocities that can only be told in stories such as this.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>When the door opened and she felt Lucius’ weight
quickly decrease, hope invaded her body, as If time had frozen and they were
still holding hands at Hogwarts grounds with Dumbledore about to pronounce them
husband and wife.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Severus,” Lucius said with a slight smile on his pale
face. His cheeks were red and the spots on his black shirt were the result of
Narcissa’s death, make no mistake, “I see you have found us,”
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Severus sighed. The heat was unbearable and so he unbuttoned
his black robes in order for air to clean the perspiration away from his hairy
chest.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Indeed I have,” he replied, throwing his cloak at
Hermione for her to cover her naked body. He did not move his head a centimetre
away from Lucius’ direction; it would be very unwise of him to do so. However,
it also responded to the fact that the pain of seeing Hermione at the moment
would surely kill him: he had dragged her into this situation. It was his
entire fault and not even killing the man who had caused her so much suffering
would cure his soul.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“You do realise that this will end with a death,”
Lucius threatened, raising his eyebrow and slowly walking to where Severus was.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“It will not be mine,” Hermione’s husband stated, grabbing
his wand tightly, ready for anything.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>A rude laugh escaped from his opponent’s lips, “You
resemble an innocent creature about to be slaughter, my dear friend. Stupid,
yet intuitive enough to smell his own death,”
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Severus frowned and smirked at the same time as his
five fingers wrapped his wand over and over again, exactly like Hermione had
done on his member months before in the warmth of their bedroom. It had been
long since they had last made love and cold drops of perspiration descended
from his forehead at the bare thought of nudity. She was the only thing pure in
that room, he thought, even after the tragedy he knew she had suffered but
failed to accept.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“How dared you touch my wife?,”
he enquired, looking straight into Lucius’ eyes.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“How dared you betray my trust?,”
Lucius asked this time, rage taking over his eyes.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Your trust, you say?,” The
potion’s master responded.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Oh, Severus… if anything I have always regarded you
as someone with intelligence. That was the reason behind my constant doubts about
your fidelity: you were the only one with the capacity to frustrate my plan,”
he explained, then added, “in any case, it is useless to reflect about it all,
don’t you think, mate?,”
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“The root of all evil…,” Severus murmured
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“That would be me,” Lucius sarcastically completed
Severus’ sentence, inaccurately, of course.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I was about to express,” Severus said, his voice
barely a whisper, “…that the root of all evil lays not inside of you, my dear
friend. Since, as you very well put it, I am going to die tonight, I might as
well tell you how ridiculous your attempt at conquering the wizarding world is,”
He stated, fearless.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Speak up, my logical colleague. I could use some
laughs,” Lucius said, intrigued.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“You must be getting old, your hearing is now a
problem,” Hogwarts most dreadful professor said, smirking like the cynic he had
once been.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“You must be getting stupid then… speaking to the New
Dark Lord in such a way,” Lucius added, stepping forward.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
fantastically ended their trivial conversation filled with subtleties that had
nothing to do with the issues they needed to solve at present.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“What do you mean exactly with “blind”
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Indeed, what do you think I wanted to come across
the bed trying to get away from Lucius and near Hermione.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“You will never win this so-called battle,”
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Call it what you want,” Severus said, “I call what it
is: the ending of a beautiful yet disturbing plan”
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“You will never find the exit to this castle; a dead sentence
rests upon your shoulders,” Lucius calmly stated.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“Perhaps you are right,” the brave man in black
replied, “But I do not consider that a problem since I will take you with me,”
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“You seem very sure of your words for a man without an
army of men ready to hand their souls to the devil to defend his cause,” Lucius
stated, his heart filled with doubt.
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>“I am sure of my words,” Severus confirmed, then
added, “Because even if my death comes first, you will eventually meet your
end. I meant that by you being blind, of course… there is nothing as pathetic
than a man your age denying how close his death really is: do save me the pain
of seeing you sink so low,” he insulted, sitting on the bed and silently
searching for Hermione’s hand, “I cannot believe you thought me stupid enough
to kill Dumbledore”
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>
mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>Lucius’ situation was not as romantic or as noble. His
soul was now filled with a kind of anger no human or beast had felt before. However,
he was certain that his old friend from school had no chance of leaving that
room alive; he was far too powerful now and Dumbledore- dead or alive- was
nowhere near Malfoy Manor. Torturing him, he thought, humiliating him in front
of that mudblood wife of his was surely going to be an educational thing for
his favourite death eaters to watch… and learn.
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