A Looping of the Scales ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 51 ~ To the Rescue

”Here now. Stop struggling, Hermione Granger,” Magorian, the leader of the centaurs said gruffly, setting the witch on his back. Behind him stood Ronan, the ever-glowering Bane and several other centaurs. They all carried bows and quivers of arrows.

”Magorian?” the witch said, breathless and relieved.

”Aye. It’s me, witch. What are you doing in our forest alone?”

”I—I was looking for a friend.”

”A likely story,” Bane growled, scowling at Hermione.

”Now Bane. That’s no way to speak to the witch that gave you such a pretty prize. Umbridge, I believe,” Magorian scolded him, his lips quirking as he reminded the centaur of the toad-like witch he had carried off and been stuck with for days.

Bane snorted.

”You should have let me nock an arrow into her fat forehead,” Bane said bad-naturedly as the other centaurs chuckled. “What a pain in the arse she was. I was glad when Dumbledore came and got her. Bloody banshee.”

Magorian addressed Hermione.

”I suppose you are looking for young Severus Snape,” the centaur said.

”Why—why yes I am. How did you know?” she asked him, surprised.

”Little goes on in the forest that we don’t know about,” he replied. “We will take you to him. He is in a clearing about half a mile from here.”

Magorian began to walk, Hermione resting her hands on his waist. The other centaurs followed, Bane grumbling about Magorian acting as a pack animal for a human.

Suddenly there was an enraged squawk and a white gryffin leapt out from between the trees in front of Magorian, crouching as if to attack him. The centaurs all immediately drew their bows and nocked their arrows.

”No! Don’t hurt him. That’s Severus!” Hermione cried as the gryffin squawked a challenge. “Severus! Don’t! They aren’t hurting me!”

The gryffin slowly rose, eyeing the centaurs, who had their weapons trained on him. He squawked again.

”Let me down, please,” Hermione said.

Magorian helped her off his back and she approached Severus, petting his ruffled head feathers until they fell back sleekly. The centaurs lowered their bows.

”That is quite the Animagus form,” Magorian said. “The others, who were here years ago, Potter and his friends all had common forms. They used to gambol through the trees with the werewolf. Allow me to see your human form, Severus Snape.”

Suddenly the gryffin was gone and Snape stood before them, eyeing the centaurs. He had never seen them before.

Magorian studied him. He had known Snape as a mature wizard.

”It’s just as the stars predicted,” he said softly. “After the final battle, the noble scales would thwart an undeserved destiny and loop around time.”

”But, that was supposed to mean the scales of justice, that we would regain our rightful place as in the old times when we were revered,” Bane hissed as Magorian shook his head.

”Interpretations can be in error. As much as I would have liked that version, Bane, it is clear the scales were that of a snake, or—a Slytherin. But possibly, justice is involved—another kind of justice that gives an ill-treated but noble soul another chance.”

Snape said nothing as he looked at the centaurs.

”You were a brave wizard in your older years, Severus Snape, and you once provided me with phoenix tears when I was terribly wounded by several Chimeras and there were no unicorns to be found. I hope that life is kinder to you this time around. Be careful in the forest, both of you.”

With that, Magorian led the centaurs back between the trees.

“Thank you!” Hermione called after them, then looked at Severus.

”You nearly got yourself killed,” she scolded him. “Imagine, facing off with a herd of armed centaurs. Are you insane?”

”Lately—I wonder about that myself,” he said shortly. “Let’s get back to the clearing. I left a fire burning.”

He turned back into his gryffin form, this time the saddle appearing on his back. Hermione wondered at this ability as she climbed on. He didn’t have it when he leapt out of the woods. Maybe it only appeared when it was needed. Very interesting.

Snape hurried back to the clearing, but nothing had caught fire and the flame was very low. Hermione dismounted and he changed back to human form, silently walking over to the small fire and adding more wood as Hermione watched him.

Snape watched the flames catch the wood, staring down at the growing fire. Hermione slowly walked up and stood next to him.

”Severus?”

”Yes?”

”I thought about something when you left the castle, something—important. About you.”

”What?”

”Your Animagus form is a gryffin. Gryffins—“

Hermione stopped talking and Snape looked at her.

”What about gryffins?”

”They—they form—ah—strong attachments. Lifelong attachments,” she said to him. “You—you may have bound yourself to me the other night, when we—you know—“

”Shagged?”

Hermione colored.

”Yes.”

Snape looked back at the fire. He swallowed several times before he spoke again.

”And what does that mean to you, Hermione? If I did bind myself to you, it doesn’t mean that much. We’re only lovers and have a loose association based on your availability and needs. There are no obligations between us. No commitment.”

“No, there aren’t any obligations or commitments between us, that’s true, Severus. But, I just want you to know, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I should have thought about it longer, gave it more consideration—thought about you.”

”Of course you didn’t mean for it to happen. You’re not interested in love, Hermione. That’s my curse. I’m attracted to witches who don’t have the capacity to love me.”

Hermione frowned at him.

”Now don’t start wallowing in self-pity. We can handle this, I’m sure.”

”The only thing I’ll be handling is my cock while I wank off in frustration,” he replied, frowning at the flames. “It’ll be months before you let me touch you again. You have no free time for me—“

Hermione gave him a little smile.

”Well, I’m not studying right now, am I?” she asked him.

Snape looked at her again, surprised.

”Listen, since we’re in this situation and it’s not your fault, it’s clear that you’re going to need more time with me or you’re going to be miserable. You might even start molting in your gryffin form. When birds sulk, they can lose their feathers you know,” she said softly, Snape’s eyes growing more hopeful. “I have a feeling a featherless gryffin isn’t very attractive, and I don’t want to be blamed for that.

“So, I can do this. I’m two weeks ahead in my studies and work. I can take off on Sunday nights to make time for—non-academic activities. For your upkeep, of course, until we sit for the NEWTS—“

Snape stared at Hermione in disbelief. She was making time for him. It was scheduled time, but so what? Sunday nights would be nookie nights! He wanted to ask what about after the NEWTS, but didn’t want to press his luck. He moved into her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

”How about tonight?” he breathed down at her, smiling now.

She shook her head.

”No, that would be a two-fer since tomorrow is Sunday. Tonight, how about we just go flying?”

”A kiss then? A real one. I want to taste you,” he said softly. His heart was swelling in his chest. Hermione wasn’t completely selfish. Thank the gods.

“ONE kiss,” she admonished him.

Snape covered her mouth with his own, both witch and wizard losing themselves in the sweetness of their short, delicious exploration. Warmth rose up Hermione’s body like mercury in a thermometer, but she fought it back. Gods, he was heady.

Snape broke the kiss, his black eyes heated as he looked down at her.

”I can’t wait until tomorrow night,” he breathed at her.

”Well, you’re going to have to wait,” Hermione said firmly, pulling back from him until he released her. But he was smiling. It seemed he hadn’t really smiled in forever. He turned into the gryffin and crouched so she could mount him.

As Snape ran and leapt into the air, he couldn’t help thinking he’d like Hermione to mount him when he wasn’t in his Animagus form.

*********************************************

Severus took Hermione to the spot where he had brought down the stag. The moon was still bright although moving into the waning stages. There was nothing left of headless carcass but bones, only a scrap of flesh here and there.

”Scavengers,” Snape said as they stood looking down at the carcass.

”It was big,” Hermione observed.

”Yes, it was,” Snape agreed. “And delicious.”

”Ew,” Hermione said, wrinkling her nose up at him. Then she asked, “I know you wrote it down for me, Severus, but what was it like to—to kill like that?”

Snape looked thoughtful.

”It’s not like killing a person. When I saw the stag leap down and run I was compelled to chase it. All those fleeing bodies and thundering hooves and the scent of fear—it was like—like a potion or drug, Hermione. The chase—my gods I felt so free, so energized—“

Hermione stared at the wizard as his eyes went almost dreamlike.

“And then I leapt and missed—I could hear its heart beating like a drum calling me to follow, and I followed racing after it—then I went airborne—“

Snape dramatically spread his robes like wings, getting into the tale. Hermione was mesmerized.

”I was quiet, gliding after it, making hardly a sound. I went up high and it kept running until it realized I wasn’t behind it. Then it slowed—and turned back toward the herd. And that was when I dropped—“

Snape quickly crouched, bringing his robes together as if he clasped something in his wings. He stood up again.

”It wasn’t like a living thing, Hermione, the stag—it was, it was just food. Something for sustenance that had to be stilled, and it was exciting to still it. It wasn’t like killing—the life was just—something extra that had to be removed to prepare it. Like—like dicing tomatoes for a salad—“

Hermione cringed a little at the description but she was still fascinated.

”There wasn’t any guilt at taking its life. It just seemed right to do—to make it still so I could eat. But once I stilled it, I came back to myself and decided to keep the head as a prize.”

”Did you think of James?” she asked him.

”No. Well, not really. I was aware that it was his form, but I became interested in the herd itself while flying over it. It was when the stag appeared that I began to hunt. But knowing I could have killed James like I killed that stag was a nice thought.”

”A nice thought. You still have a lot of issues, Severus,” Hermione said, shaking her head.

Snape shrugged.

”They targeted me for years. It’s probably going to take years to let it all go. At least I have you,” he said, smiling at her as she blushed. “You’re much nicer to think about than James bloody Potter.”

”I’m glad I serve some purpose,” she told him blithely. He sobered.

”You do more than serve a purpose, Hermione, believe me,” he said softly. “You make me feel whole.”

Hermione blushed again under his intense gaze.

”Let’s get back to the castle,” she told him.

”As you wish,” he replied, turning back into the gryffin and crouching.

As they flew back towards the castle, Hermione tapped the gryffin on the neck. It turned it’s head around backwards to look at her, gliding.

”You can skip all the flowers this time,” she said to him. “I had petals stuck to my arse last time. They must have fell into the bed while we were—“

Hermione didn’t finish.

”Squawww?” the gryffin offered.

”Yeah, Squawww,” Hermione said with a smile. The gryffin made a chuckling noise as Hogwarts rose into view.

******************************************
A/N: I couldn’t leave y’all wondering what the hell happened to Hermione. :) Plus, it was the perfect opportunity to put the title of the story into the story. I like to do that if I can. Thanks for reading. ***