Forbidden Obsession

Forbidden Obsession

Chapter 4

The darkness of the night sky was intensified by the black storm clouds, concealing the full moon. The flash of lightning was powerful enough to illuminate the night sky, fully displaying all that lay below.

Voldemort’s plan had been executed. The Dark Lord ordered Snape to exploit his plan to the Order, knowing the Order would come to the werewolf’s defense, preventing
Lupin from fighting his own battles. The taunting from Snape destroyed Lupin’s feeling of usefulness and the werewolf set out to face the Dark Lord. Lupin ventured deep into the forest where a sole Death Eater was waiting for him.

“Bellatrix,” said the Dark Lord. His voice was barely above a whisper. Bellatrix stepped out of the shadows and positioned herself in front of her Master. “It is time.”

“Thank you, my Lord,” she bowed, drawing her wand. Turning to Peter Pettigrew, who was standing in the middle of the room, she slowly circled him, carefully anticipating any movement, but to her disappointment, there was none. Wormtail was a coward. Bellatrix raised her wand and aimed it at his heart.

“Www- what is this?” he squeaked. “My Lord, please!” he cried, dropping to his knees. Through red, slitted eyes Voldemort glared at him.

“You have outlived your usefulness, Wormtail,” he hissed. “Everyone one of my servants are willing to put their lives on the line for me -- except for you. I have witnessed your cowardly ways far too many times. I have always said the Marauders must be destroyed. Correct me if I am wrong, but you are a Marauder.”

“Was, my Lord, I was a Marauder. Now I only serve you.” Wormtail’s voice trembled with fear.

“As I stated, all the Marauders are to be terminated,” sneered Voldemort. There was no emotion in the Dark Lord’s eyes as he stared at his trembling servant. “Did you think that you were to be excluded from the exclusive group? You have made sufficient sacrifices and you have been well compensated for them, but I don’t have time to have a Death Eater cower in my shadows. Your time has come to an end.” Wormtail’s fear increased. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t find his voice to speak.

Voldemort slowly nodded to Bellatrix.

“Avada Kedavra!” cried Bellatrix. The excitement in her high-pitched scream made obvious her pleasure at performing such a task for her Master. The green light illuminated the room and Wormtail was thrown back ten feet. His body came to rest in the middle of the room.

The Dark Lord then looked into the shadows of the room and nodded to another Death Eater. This Death Eater stepped out of the shadows and silently left the room.

Voldemort turned back to the window. Peering out of the window into the darkness,
Voldemort saw his Death Eater leave the castle, Disapparating into the night.

“Follow him,” he hissed.

“As you wish, my Lord,” Bellatrix answered. She bowed one last time before leaving the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione, Harry, and Ron were in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for word on Remus’ safe return. There had been a security breach at Hogwarts, forcing Dumbledore to lock down the castle, but Harry had a feeling it was really just the Headmaster\'s way of preventing Harry from joining the battle.

“This is ridiculous,” hissed Harry who was pacing the common room. “I should be out there with him.”

“We should all be out there,” corrected Ron. Harry stopped his pacing and looked at his two friends. The three of them had gone through thick and thin together, and there was no doubt that once again they would stand side by side to fight. Giving them a smile, he nodded and continued pacing.

“I’ve got it,” whispered Hermione, who had been staring at the Marauder’s map for the past hour. “If we go down to the dungeons into Snape’s private chambers, there is a way out.

“Are you bloody insane?” hissed Ron, “Snape will flay us alive!”

“Yes, but why are we trying to leave in the first place, if it’s not to face uncertain death?” said Hermione calmly.

“Explain how we can get out,” snapped Harry, who again stopped pacing and was leaning over the map.

“Here,” she pointed to the passage. “I just saw Snape leave from his private chambers through a passage that leads to the school grounds.” Her finger followed the path he took and for a split second, Harry saw Snape’s name on the edge of the grounds before disappearing. Disapparating, he assumed. “If we can get into his private chambers, then we can try to access this passage.”

“Then that’s how we get out. Let’s go.” The three left the common room quickly, not caring that the other Gryffindors were giving them curious looks.

The three had their black, winter robes tucked under their arms and were standing in front of the door that led to Snape’s private chambers. They paused, waiting for someone to explain how to penetrate Snape’s wards.

“Now what?” whispered Ron, but before anyone could answer, the door opened and they heard footsteps. The three quickly hid in a nearby corridor.

“Very nice, Mrs. Norris. I do believe Professor Snape will be quite pleased with how well you took care of those mice,” said Filch, the caregiver. The door was slowly closing behind him. “Now if we could only properly punish the students who let them loose in the castle - ” His voice trailed off as he and Mrs. Norris made their way out of the dungeons.

“Get the door!” hissed Harry. At the same time, Hermione drew her wand and whispered a spell that suspended the door in mid action while Ron flung himself toward the door. He fell a few feet short, hitting the stone floor with a thump.

“Very nice, Hermione,” said Ron, who was lying flat on the floor. Hermione winked at him before laughing.

Snape’s rooms were dark and gave off a forbidding aura. The three pulled out their wands and whispered, “Lumos.” Their wands provided enough light to see about three feet in front of them.

“This way,” whispered Hermione. She had taken the map back out and was referring to it as they walked, both to make sure no else surprised them like Filch had done and to guide her to the passage. They came to a standstill, facing a stone wall.

“What now?” asked Ron. Harry shook his head slowly from side to side and smiled.

“Assuming nobody could penetrate the wards from outside this room, there will be no wards placed on this passage leading out.” Raising his wand, he commanded the door to open. Just like the brick wall in Diagon Alley, the wall opened, showing a path that lead to the school grounds.

Pausing for a second, the three looked at each other.

“Let\'s go,” said Harry, putting on his winter
robe.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The storm increased. The howling wind in addition to the rain made it almost impossible for the three to stay together. The lightning helped them find their way, but in the darkness, they continually got separated. It was too dangerous to use the light from their wands, so they trudged ahead to the edge of the forest.

After a good hour, Hermione was completely separated from Harry and Ron. With the wind blowing her hair tie away she was left with her hair whipping around in her face, her visibility was down to a few feet in front of her. She didn’t dare use her wand to point her to her destination because the wind would blow it away. Instead her hand clenched around it, knowing that it was the only thing that would save her if she came into contact with a Death Eater. Holding her hair back with one hand, she ventured forward, hoping to catch up with Harry and Ron.

Lightning flashed against the black sky and within seconds its thunder shook the ground. Hermione managed to make out a figure during the flash of lightning about 100 meters ahead. Cautiously she circled around, moving toward the place she had seen the
figure. She needed to know if she had seen a Death Eater or a member of
the Order.

Again lightning flashed. The figure had its wand drawn in a defensive position, looking at someone or something off in the distance, which caused Hermione to look around at what or who was threatening him. She tried to identify if this person was wearing a Death
Eater’s mask, but darkness engulfed the sky once again.

Lightning struck again. In that split second, the figure swung around to her with his wand drawn but in the same instance she felt a hand cover her mouth, slamming her down to the ground. The back of her head hit the ground hard, and her hand fell open, releasing her wand. A single hand grabbed her by the throat and pinned her down.

She tried to fight by kicking, punching, and clawing, but quickly halted in her actions when she felt the tip of his wand pressing into the side of her neck and his body shifting over hers, preventing her arms and legs from moving.

The lightening lit up the sky and she saw her assailant’s face. It was Snape. His body pinned hers to the ground.

“You stupid girl!” Hermione’s eyes lit up with fear because his mouth was not moving and she knew the wind was howling too loud to hear him speak, yet she could hear his voice. “Stay here and don’t move or I will kill you myself!” She nodded, too terrified to move.

Severus moved off of her and quickly disappeared into the darkness. Hermione’s breathing was fluctuating, as was her heart. The anger she saw in Snape’s eyes was intense, as intense as she had ever seen. Slowly feeling the ground around her, she realized she was next to a tree. She cautiously sat up, pressing her hand gingerly to the back of her head. It felt as though the skin had split, but with the hair drenched from the rain, there is no way to distinguish if there was blood.

The lightening flashed again and standing in the near distance was Remus. Forgetting about her head or the warning from Severus, she jumped to her feet and ran to him.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Where’s Hermione?” mouthed Harry. Ron shrugged his shoulders and squinted back into the darkness. Harry gestured with his hand to move forward. They continued for another two hours before reaching the edge of the forest.

Ron grabbed Harry’s arm and pointed to their right. In the bushes was Tonks. They went to join her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Remus quickly grabbed Hermione, protectively pulling her into an embrace as his eyes scanned the surrounding area. His wand was drawn. He sensed the danger approaching them and he pulled her closer. Lightning lit up the sky again, disclosing a grove of trees.

Being out in the open left them too vulnerable, so he kept Hermione close and cautiously made his way to the nearby grove of trees.

“Hermione, what are you doing here?” he yelled, still watching the darkness. The wind had calmed down, but it was still raining hard, still making it difficult to hear.

“I couldn’t let you do this alone,” she yelled back, still watching darkness around them. Lightning lit up the sky again.

“Hermione, you don’t understand. I didn’t take my Wolfsbane potion,” but she didn’t hear him as the thunder rolled, shaking the ground. The time span between the lightning and thunder was becoming longer and longer, indicating the storm was beginning to pass in addition to the rain letting up.

“What?” she yelled. Suddenly Remus’ face came into view in the darkness. Their eyes darted the sky. The clouds had parted, unveiling the full moon.

“Oh gods!” he yelled, pushing her out of his arms. He tried to run, but the transformation took control, leaving him powerless against his other self.

“Remus!” she cried, going after him. “Remus, it’s okay. I won’t leave you!”

His limbs began to shake as hair grew over his body. His jaw became long and protruding. His head transformed along with the rest of his body. His size increased, causing his clothes to tear and fall from his body. His snarls could be heard through the
storm.

“Remus, relax!” she cried, knowing that in this form, he would be nothing but a timid dog. She rushed to him, throwing her arms out to embrace him.

The werewolf snarled at her, growling defensively. He swiped at her, shredding the front of her robes and slicing her skin across her chest. Realization hit Hermione. She turned to run away, but the werewolf grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

“NO!” she screamed, “Please, Remus, no!” Her screams were muffled by the snarls and gnashing of his teeth. His claws ripped into her flesh again and again and all she could do was scream in pain.

Severus could feel Hermione’s pain as her screams echoed in his mind. Concentrating he Apparated to her location.

Severus drew his wand and yelled, “Stupefy!” The werewolf stiffened and became motionless while his body remained on Hermione, smothering her. Severus then levitated Remus off of her. He knew his magic would not hold a werewolf for long. “Run, Hermione!” he yelled. At that precise second, the werewolf broke the spell and launched for Severus, throwing him to the ground.

Hermione struggled to her feet as the pain pierced her body like sharp knives. She looked around for the others. They had to be near. The members of the Order had to be close.

“Where are you?” she screamed out of desperation. She looked at Remus and Severus and her heart sank. It was at that point she understood why she had not met any other Death Eaters or Order members in the forest tonight. It was Severus who was to kill Remus.

Severus’ words echoed in her mind, “Run, Hermione!” She saw Severus pounding his fist on Remus’ back with strength that a normal man would not have. If she walked away now, one or both of them would end up dead.

‘I must stay,’ she told herself, but the pain of her injuries was unbearable. It took all of her strength to stay on her feet.

‘Run!’ Severus’ voice again echoed in her head and she began to run. She glanced back to see Remus throwing Severus across the ground, but she forced herself to continue running and not go back. She knew she was injured and had to seek shelter. An uneasy feeling was over taking her body and it begged her for rest, but she continued
running.

The air burned her lungs as she held on to her side. The worst of her injuries was just below her rib cage on her right side. She could feel the warmth of the blood oozing through her fingers, yet she continued to run until her body collapsed onto the
ground.

Lying flat on her back, she fought to catch her breath. Her lips were dry and her throat was raw. She stared into the night sky. The storm had dissipated and the stars twinkled above her. She tried to concentrate on staying conscious. Her heart was pounding as if it was going to burst out of her chest. She looked at the stars again and tried to identify constellations.

‘Stay focused, Hermione,’ she demanded of herself. “Orion is made up of Betegeuse, Rigel, Mintaka, Alnilam, Alnitak, Meissa, and Bellatrix.”

She inwardly laughed at the irony. The one constellation she picked to name contained the star Bellatrix. She squinted at the stars, trying to keep them in focus, but despite her effort, everything went black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was the Dark Lord’s plan for Severus to kill Remus. Voldemort was fully aware that a werewolf’s bite did not affect a vampire, so given the position Severus was maintaining for the Order and with the Death Eaters, Voldemort felt it ideal for Severus to be the one who brought Lupin to his death. It was not revealed to Severus until tonight that he would be given the task, or honor, as Bellatrix referred to it, of killing Lupin. Now that the werewolf was attacking him, Severus had little choice but to kill Remus, even if it was a hastily made decision based on self-defense.

Severus’ head snapped back again as his body flew across the ground, but he jumped to his feet and charged the werewolf. It was all instinct for Severus to have his teeth displayed, ready for a fatal bite, but he forced himself to resist. He would only kill if it came down to preventing his own death. Quickly scanning the area grappling, Severus saw what he needed to do. He stepped back and then rushed the werewolf, slamming him against a large tree where a broken branch stuck out. With all his strength, Severus thrust Remus’ body onto the branch, piercing the wolf through the back and puncturing his
lung.

The silence of the night was broken by the painful howl of the werewolf.

There was a pop and Severus turned with a start. Kingsley Shacklebolt Apparated not more then five feet from him and scanned the area for other Death Eaters. His eyes fell on the werewolf whose breathing was ragged.

“Severus, is he dead?” asked the dark wizard.

“No, but he needs help. As long as he remains a wolf under the full moon, he is alive, but if he changes – ” Severus stopped in mid-sentence. His senses were overloaded and he whispered, “Hermione.” Severus couldn’t feel her or hear her. Not being able to locate Hermione he turned to run, in search of her. Kingsley followed, knowing it had to be important if Severus was leaving Remus.

After searching for an hour, Severus located her. She was unconscious, her left hand still covering her injured side. Both men dropped to their knees on each side of her.

“Enervate,” Severus whispered, pointing his wand at her. Hermione opened her eyes and looked startled. Her eyes moved about rapidly trying to make sense of her surroundings.

Placing a hand under her chin, Severus guided her face so that she could see him. His eyes met hers. She was locked into his gaze as he began to transfer his energy into her.
Their breathing became synchronized, as did their heart rates.

Kingsley watched, understanding fully what was occurring. He was well aware of Severus’ secret and although he didn’t understand his connection with Hermione, he didn’t dare question Severus’ actions.

After several minutes of silence, Severus spoke, “Hermione, did he bite you?”

She closed her eyes and winced at the pain that consumed her body.

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

“Lumos,” whispered Kingsley. He held his wand over her body. Severus gently opened what was left of her robes and clothes so that he could see her injuries. There was no doubt that the wound she had been protecting was teeth marks.


~TBC