Of Death and Fire

curiosity


A/N: Last chapter. I tried to make it a bit lighter than the rest of the story. Let me know if it worked.
Most of it has been inspired from something a great lady by the pen name shadowycat told me in an email. Fortunately, Rowling's portrayal of Black and Lupin confirmed the plotline that was already in my head.
Enjoy, and tell me what you think of it.
 
CHAPTER 42: Curiosity can kill wolves as well.
 
Over the next few days, Morgaine's health improved fast, thanks to Pomfrey's skills and Snape's undivided attention. They never talked about the past or that fateful night again, living the precious moments of the present, aware that the past would soon show its fangs in the coming months. And then Dumbledore expressed his concerns over her safety. The option of taking sanctuary in the Guild was rejected, due to the presence of at least one necromancer among Voldemort's Inner Circle. For Dumbledore, the perfect hiding place was the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix; Black's family house.
Needless to say, Snape was ecstatic.
"Under the same roof with Black? Over my dead body," he said, wilfully folding his hands on his chest.
"Severus, this is not a good time to act stubborn," replied Dumbledore dryly. "Unless you have a better idea, Morgaine will leave in two days time. Trust me, this is best for everyone."
Snape rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Everytime the Headmaster said 'trust me', he felt as if he was going to be sent to certain death. However, he had to admit that Dumbledore was right. With the school year starting in a few weeks, arrangements should be made soon.
"Fine," he spat. "But if I choto cto check on her every night, I don't want to hear any objections from you or anyone else. I'd appreciate it if you made this clear to Snuffles, Headmaster," he added.
When the remaining details of this plan were sorted out, Snape left to tell Morgaine the news.
But the thought that this would prove to be a very bad idea never left his mind.
~*~
Two days later, Snape was seated behind his desk, going over the questions for the 'welcoming' test for his students. Morgaine was lost in some dream, curled on the thick rug in front of the cold fireplace, staring at the dancing candle flames. Without raising his eyes from the parchment before him, he knew that it was almost time to part. He needed no clock to tell him so; the pain in his heart was fluent enough. But when he spoke, nothing in his voice revealed his feelings.
"Get up, Morgaine, and get dressed. Black and Lupin will be here shortly," he said dryly.
Morgaine stretched her long legs, obviouslying ing that this would draw his attention. When he refused to acknowledge her move, she sighed and sat up.
"I don't want to go. I want to stay here, with you," she said stubbornly.
"Morgaine, we've been over this a dozen times and I'm not going to play this game any more. Get up and get ready," he replied, still not looking at her.
She got up and walked behind him, brushing his face with her fingers.
"Any other games you'd like to play?" she purred.
He had been expecting this. It had been so long since they had been intimate, and she had chosen the worst time to approach him.
"No," he said dryly and shook her hand off. "There is no time for this."
Unimpressed, she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Please," she whispered in his ear. "I want my 'Detention with Professor Snape'," she pleaded.
The hint of a smile curled the side of his mouth, but he was quick to hide it.
"This is your detention, Morgaine, "he said coldly. "You are not getting any of this tonight."
"I know I can convince you otherwise," she purred as her hands began to unbutton his shirt.
"I know you can," he said, "that's why I took precautions."
"What kind of precautions?"
He finally turned and looked at her.
"There are brews that can vanquish sexual desire. Some of them can cause impotence for a short period of time." His voice was casual, as if he was lecturing a class. But his words made her face turn white.
"You haven't?"
"I have," he nodded. "I suspected you would try to seduce me, so I did what I thought was necessary to get your mind off it."
She appeared to be deeply hurt. Seeing her like this produced a minor sting of guilt, but a part of him insisted that this was just punishment for her lack of trust in the past. He had planned this for some time, allowing the vengeful part of himself to overcome his deepest feelings for her. Just to return a part of the anguish she had caused him, nothing more. Or so he told himself.
"Do you hate me so much, Severus?" she asked and stood back. But then her face turned cold as sadness turned to anger. "Fine," she hissed. "Have it your way. But if I seek comfort in someone else's bed during the cold winter nights, don't act betrayed again," she spat and turned toward the door.
And then Snape remembered that she was going to spent the coming weeks in the company of none other than Sirius Black and his vision darkened, seeing his plan backfiring. He stormed after her and grasped her arms, forcing him to face her.
"If I ever suspect that Black has laid so much as a finger on you, I swear I will-" His voice was drowned in his throat by his rage.
"You will what?" she mocked him. "Kill me? Too late, Severus, you've already tried that and it didn't work."
Her words hit him like a lightning bolt. He abruptly released her hands and began to move away, but her face changed again, from sarcasm to shame this time. She reached out and hugged him tightly as if her life depended on it.
"I'm sorry, Severus, I'm sorry," she mumbled.
After a moment of hesitation, he carefully returned the embrace. He felt her body relax as he stroked her hair.
"Why do we hurt each other this way?" she asked him.
"I do not know," he said softly. But when she reached out to kiss him, he did not refuse her.
And then the kiss grew more demanding, as her hands started to explore his body. But when she moved below his waist and her fingers found the familiar bulge in his pants, she looked at him surprised.
"I thought you were indisposed. What about thotiootion of yours?" she inquired.
"I lied," he confessed and sat on the rug, pulling the chuckling woman down beside him.
~*~
Remus Lupin left Dumbledore's office leaving Black and the Headmaster to discuss the recent events concerning young Harry and his attack by the dementors. With the full moon coming in a couple of nights, Lupin seized the opportunity of his visit to Hogwarts to restock on wolfsbane potion, as Snape had promised heake ake him a fresh batch. He walked through the empty corridors to Snape's dungeon. Outside the door, a surge of uncertainty overtook him. What if he has changed his mind?
Thinking he would never know unless he asked, he knocked on the door. When he heard no reply, he knocked again. Hearing nothing but silence, he tried the door. It was unlocked. He opened it and entered the dark classroom. Snape's office was in the back. Feeling as if the dead creatures inside the jars on the walls were watching him, he walked to the office door. He could hear no sound behind it. Probably Snape is studying. Typical, he thought and grinned. When he heard no reply, he tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.
Lupin opened the door to Snape's office and looked inside. He could see no one inside, but the lit candles and the parchment and quill on the desk were evidence that the Potions Master was not far.
"Severus?" he asked. Unfortunately, not loud enough.
As he walked a few steps further inside the office, he became suddenly aware of heavy breathing behind the desk. And then he saw feet of the floor. His first thought was that Snape was ill, but then he realised that there were two pairs of feet. As he moved closer, forgetting that curiosity can kill wolves as well as cats, his jaw dropped.
The Potions Master was on the floor engaged in a steamy embrace with a woman. Not just any woman, but a pretty one as well. She was half-naked and her well-formed back was decorated by a strange tattoo pattern. As she moved her hands to his waist and lifted his shirt over his shoulders, Snape opened his eyes and saw him. His blissful expression turned to anger as he reached out to his wand.
"Get out!" he cried.
"Severus, I'm sorry, I thought-"
"I said, Lupin, get out!"
Lupin turned and left as fast as his feet could carry him. As he closed the door behind him he knew that Snape's wand was aimed at his back.
He could swear he heard him yell "Crucio" behind him just as the door was shut.
~*~
"What do you mean you forgot to lock the door?"
"I told you, Morgaine, I was determined not to let you seduc," S," Snape replied dryly. "And when it was clear I had failed, barring the door was the last thought in my mind."
And then her hands began to unbutton his pants and Lupin and his intrusion werehed hed at the back of his head. Between kisses and embraces, he pointed the wand at the door to secure it.
However, his aim under the circumstances was not well focused. The cabinet at the left of the door would not unlock for the next few months.
~*~
Outside Snape's office, Lupin felt completely stupid. After this uncomfortable incident, it was certain that he had seen the last drop of Snape's potion. And his next encounter with the Potions Master was sure to be a very unpleasant one. At that moment, the dungeon's door opened and Black stormed in.
"Did you get it?"
"Well, no, I haven't. Snape is a bit indisposed right now."
"Remus, for Merlin's sake, get inside, get the potion and let's get out of here. I want this to be over as soon as possible so I can spend the evening with Harry and not in Snape's dungeon."
"Sirius, believe me, I want out of here as much as you do," he said, avoiding to look him in the face. "I'm sure that Snape will give me the potion as soon as he has, well, finished his current project."
"Not if I can help it," Black said and opened the office door without knocking. "Hey, Snivellus, are you done yet?"
And then the smirk froze on his face. What Lupin had described as 'his current project' involved a half-naked woman and Snape with his pants around his ankles. Fortunately for everyone, the situation had not become 'too intimate' yet. However, this had little impact on anyone's embarrassment. Morgaine's face blushed, Lupin turned red as well and Black was speechless. But then Snape's face was twisted by rage as his fingers searched for his wand. Remus was fast to pull Sirius back and shut the door behind them.
~*~
"Severus, were you sleeping during 'Charms'? That door wasn't locked."
"Oh, shut up, Morgaine."
"Make me."
For the second time that night, his aim was less than perfect. The cabinet at the right of the door was permanently locked.
~*~
Leaning against the wall of the potions' classroom, Lupin was massaging his temples, feeling the onset of a dreadful headache.
"Are you happy now?" he asked Black dryly.
"Well, who could have thought," said Black absentmindedly. "Greasy Snivellus has actually got himself a woman. And quite a woman, if I may."
."
"Sirius, snap out of it. Snape is no longer the skinny boy you used to taunt. He is a former Death Eater, for Merlin's sake. And right now I don't think he likes either of us much."
Black shrugged.
"As if I care of what Snape thinks of me. I only wish I could have got a better glimpse of the girl."
Lupin stared at him in shock.
"Whatever you are thinking, Sirius, forget about it. You have enough troubles already to add Snape's rage to them."
Black opened his mouth to answer, but Dumbledore and Pomfrey entered the dungeon.
"Everything set with the wolfsbane potion, Remus?" asked Dumbledore.
"Not yet, Headmaster," replied Lupin, blushing once more. "Professor Snape is engaged in a conversation with the girl and we did not want to intrude."
"Ah."
"Actually, Albus," said Black, "the conversation was rather heated. It seemed more like a quarrel to me. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned to a fight." fighfight?" asked Madame Pomfrey, terror twisting her face. "The last time they had a fight, he almost killed her," she said and rushed to the door.
Dumbledore stared at Lupin disapprovingly, for not stopping the alleged fight. the then he intercepted the mischievous twinkle in Black's eyes and he rushed after Pomfrey.
"Poppy, wait a minute-"
Too late.
~*~
It had been weeks since Snape had felt this good. Certain that no one would walk on them this time, he began to explore her body with a new-found passion, wringring why he had put it off so long, until this last hour. He knelt on the rug and he pulled her closer. She straddled him and he was getting ready for the long anticipated joyride, when the door was blasted open - again.
Morgaine jumped sideways with a shriek, clasping his robes to hide her naked body, while he used his wrinkled shirt to cover his private parts. Standing in the doorway with an expression of utter embarrassment was Madame Pomfrey. Behind her, with a face so red that it matched his bright rostoostood Dumbledore. Gathering all of his remaining willpower, Snape forced himself to speak, glancing sideways to Morgaine who had started laughing. I'll deal with you later.
"Headmaster," he started through clenched teeth, "was there perhaps a staff meeting in my office that I was not informed of?"
And then he saw behind Dumbledore Black's head stretching to get a better view.
"Black!" he howled.
He reached for his wand once more.
"That does it! Black, you are dead!"
Dumbledore pushed Pomfrey out of the room, as Lupin dragged Black away from the door.
"Avada-"
Morgaine grasped Snape's arm before he could finish the curse. And then the door was closed and they were alone once more. But the mood was lost.
"Release my arm, Morgaine," he cried out as he was struggling to free his right arm from her grip. "This time I'm going to kill him."
"No, you are not," she replied, trying to calm him down, with her face still wet from laughing her heart out. "Don't let him affect you like this," she pleaded. "Don't let him -or anyone else- spoil this. We have so few time left..."
This cooled down his rage a little. He lowered his arm and left his wand aside, hiding his face in his hands. He will never leave me in e. Ae. And then she crawled closer and cuddled in his arms, as he lightly stroked her hair.
"I fear that the moment is gone, Morgaine," he said bitterly. "You might as well get dressed and ready to go."
"Not yet", she whispered and nibbled his ear. As his anger subsided by her affections, he felt the mood returning. He gently pushed her back and leaned over to taste her body, while the rest of the world became a blur.
But before he got drifted away by lust and passion, his last clear thought concerned Lupin.
His next wolfsbane potion will be in an enema form.
Morgaine never knew why he was smirking during their lovemaking.