What a Witch Needs

Hi everyone! I’m so happy AFF is up and running again. I’m sure you are too. I hope that not too many people got tired of waiting for this chapter. For those of you still with me – thank you! I hope you enjoy it – at long last!

Thank you to my two wonderful Betas: Narcissa Black and gardengirlgarden.

And a big thank you to Tammy for updating the banner for this story. It looks great!

Disclaimer: I can claim no ownership of anything in the Harry Potter universe.


Every Witch Way


As Snape ran aimlessly through the maze, trying to escape the sound of the footsteps, growing louder as they approached, he realized that the green light he was using to mark his path was also allowing whatever was following him to keep on his trail. He cursed himself for his stupidity and put out his wand, finding it even more disturbing to be in complete darkness, feeling his way along the stone walls of the maze. His only thought with regard to direction was to head away from the sound of the footsteps.

Sweat poured down his face as he moved in blind panic. The footsteps had stopped. Snape held still for a moment, listening. Perhaps putting out his marking light had worked. But how was he to see? He would have to risk a faint light from the tip of his wand.

He lit his wand and held his hand over it, only letting a little light out through his fingers, enough so that he wouldn’t run into walls. How would he ever find a way out of here? “Think, Severus, think,” he muttered to himself.

He turned every corner cautiously, looking about before proceeding, thoughts of dying while trying to find an exit invading his mind. At last he stopped, putting his back against the wall and closing his eyes, trying to see if his senses could give him any clue as to which way to go.

A cool breeze, barely tangible, swept onto his sweaty cheek from the right and he turned to follow its welcome caress. When he turned the next corner, however, an arm reached around his neck from behind and he was pulled against something hard and cold. He forgot everything else as he began to pull at the strong arm, trying to loosen its grip on his throat so he could breathe.

Deep, throaty laughter filled his ears as he struggled and was pulled off his feet. So this was it. He would die here, under Marlston, strangled by an unknown entity. But it was not to be. His assailant suddenly threw Severus down on the cold stone floor and he struggled to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. His eyes glanced sideways and found large, spiked, metal boots next to him, answering his question of who was pursuing him earlier.

His lit wand was still gripped tightly in his fist and he quickly scooted backwards, holding his wand up to see his captor. His face froze with horror and wonder. A… a woman… no! More than a woman, it was an enormous woman dressed in black armor over various places of her body. Severus was a tall man, but this woman was half a body length taller than he. She did not have the bulky features of a giant, however. She looked muscular, yet not disproportionate. Her armor consisted of her tall metal boots that ended just above her knees with sharp spiked protrusions, a short skirt of metal plates, and a metal breastplate that was molded to fit around her ample breasts.

Her hair was long and black, and she was grinning maliciously at him, looking him over like a hungry animal.

“What… are you?” Severus asked when he found his voice again.

The smile left her face, and she glared at him. “Do not speak, slave,” she said. She took a step towards him and Severus held up his wand, arm shaking.

“Avada Kedavra,” he yelled.

But nothing happened. She stopped moving and looked at him, and then she let out a hearty laugh that echoed through the maze. “Your magic stick is useless against me,” she said. “My Lord Mordred made me immune to magic.”

When she began moving towards him again, Snape scrambled up onto his feet and began running, but his strides were no match for the long legs of the tall woman. She grabbed the back of his robe and dragged him back to her, clamping a long arm around his arms and pinning them against his body. She was incredibly strong, and Severus found that he could not even struggle in her vise-like grip.

She carried him, feet dangling off the ground, and Snape despaired at his fate. “Please, set me free,” Snape said. “I’ll make it worth your while. Tell me anything you wish to have. I will get it for you.”

“Quiet!” she snapped, continuing through the maze.

When they emerged into a wide cavern, Snape’s dread was mixed with a bit of relief to be out of the endless halls of the maze. He gazed around. Torches lit the large space and he could see that they were on some sort of ledge over an underground river. The ledge was wide, and on the face of the wall, Snape could see some sort of dwelling built into the rock. He presumed it was her home. Opposite her home and across the ledge flowed a river with a narrow bridge leading to the other side. Snape could see the dark hole across the river and wondered where it led.

The woman knight suddenly shifted Snape in her arms and began pulling his robes and clothing off. She grabbed his wand out of his hand and threw it down with the growing pile of garments. “Stop!” Snape struggled. She laughed, and continued stripping him bare.

Then she pulled him to a rounded wooden slab that looked like half of a carriage wheel, except that it was wide enough for a man to lie on. She pushed Severus backwards onto the ‘half wheel’ and tied his hands and feet to some stakes in the ground. Severus was humiliated to be in such a position, naked with his back arched, tied and helpless.

She left him for a moment to go into her dwelling, and Snape now had a view of the high cavern ceiling. He was startled to find man-sized birdcages hanging over the river, and even more startled to see bedraggled men staring at him through the bars of their cages. Gods! Was this the fate of Marlston prisoners? They said nothing to Snape, looking at him with expressionless faces. What was happening to him seemed to be no surprise to them.

Finally the woman came out of her dwelling, with a jar of something in her hand. She walked up to Severus’ helpless body and dipped her fingers in the jar, pulling out some greasy substance. She watched his face as she began lubing up his cock.

Merlin! He had been completely flaccid, but he now found his cock growing and hardening in her hands. He shut his eyes, trying to drown out the humiliation. He did not want to perform sexually for her, but she had some sort of substance that made his body react. She chuckled as she watched him try to fight it.

“You are nothing but a toy now,” she said. “I will use you as I please.”

“Please…” Severus began, but was cut off by a slap across his face.

“Silence!” she said. “You will please me, or you will die.”

She stood up, admiring his engorged cock. Then she straddled the wheel, lifting her armor-plated skirt up and lowering herself onto him.

Severus kept his eyes closed and tried to imagine that it was someone else, someone he desired, as she began moving on top of him. Strangely there was no build up, no impending orgasm. Whatever substance she had put on him seemed to make him hard, yet numb. She bounced up and down on his hard rod, using it like an inanimate object. He realized that the only pleasure from this exchange would be for her!

Her bottom slapped against his lap as she continued fucking him and Severus thought it would never end. Is this what he would be resigned to the rest of his life, sex toy for this… this… whatever-she-was?

His eyes opened when he felt her stop moving. She was sitting still on top of him, her chin lifted and head tilted as if listening for something. A glance at the caged prisoners told Snape that something was occurring. The prisoners appeared surprised, and stared off in the same direction as the woman.

She stood up and walked off, completely forgetting about Severus. He watched her exit through the same doorway she had brought him, the one that led back into the maze.

OOOOOO

Harry groaned as he smashed into a storefront, and concentrated on numbing his body to all pain. For the last hour, this is how it had been. Back and forth, the two Dark Lords would hurl pain and hurt at one another, trying to wear the other out. It was difficult, however, as both of them knew how to dampen their pain thresholds, their minds expert at manipulating energy of all kinds.

Then their energy would connect and the power would vibrate between them, becoming a battle of wills more than cleverness. Analyzing each other for weaknesses during each play of power, trying to find the best route to ultimate victory, was easier said than done. The village was crumbling around them as their powerful blasts of energy struck homes and shops, hoping to outmaneuver each other in any way possible.

Of course there were also the taunts. Both Dark Lords used their words to try to break the will of the other, to distract, hurt, and confuse him. Black eyes boring into one another, bruises, blood, tense bodies as they circled around one another, determined to be the last wizard standing.


Bill hovered above the battling Dark Lords after giving the signal to the others, fascinated by their unorthodox duel. If he hadn’t had a battle to fight, he would have been glued to the spot - the spectacle was so engrossing. He had never seen so much power flung around. The average wizard would never be able to withstand the beating that those two were giving each other. Too bad about the village though. Great balls of fire, bolts of lightning, debris of all kinds were flung about by the two powerful Lords, trying to do some serious hurt.

The Death Eaters seemed only too happy to be heading east and out of the village as they noticed the flyers in the sky. It appeared they had no desire to be caught in the crossfire between Harry and Voldemort. So far the plan was working brilliantly. The Death Eaters would encounter the decoys soon, and then they’d find a big surprise waiting for them.

A shout down below caught his attention and he noticed that one of the Death Eaters heading out of the village had called to the guards in front of the stables. Now they turned with their torches, ready to set the villagers of Marlston aflame. Damn it! Bill cursed himself for allowing the battle to distract him. Now he swooped down towards one of the Death Eaters. The two of them were on opposite sides of the stables, so Bill knew he had to be quick if he was to get to both of them.

He still had Harry’s invisibility cloak over his body and broom, so the first Death Eater had no idea what hit him. Bill knocked into him, causing the surprised Death Eater to sprawl on the ground, torch falling out of his startled grasp. Bill did a quick stupefy and a spell to put the flame out before he flew to the other side of the stable.

He was too late, however. The Death Eater on this side had already lit the building and was moving away. Bill stupefied him as well, but the fire was now too large to put out with his wand. He could hear the villagers inside screaming and pounding on the door opposite the fire.

Bill flew back to the other side and pulled the board off the doors. He had thrown the invisibility cloak off and stumbled back as the villagers piled out of the stable in terror. They didn’t notice him at first until he said, “Come on, you have to get away from the village. It’s too dangerous right now. Get into the forest over there,” he pointed. “I’ll fly above and make sure you’re not followed.”

With fearful looks back at the village, they did as he suggested, running towards the trees to hide, while Bill scanned around from above. When he was convinced that the other Death Eaters had left the village to fight the army, he flew back down to the two he had stupefied. Dragging their bodies together, he pulled off their masks. Albert and James Parkinson, he discovered, shaking his head.

He bound them together magically and put a silencing spell over them so that they could not call for help. Throwing Harry’s cloak over them, he jumped on his broom to join the fight against the rest of the Death Eaters.

OOOOOOO

“Hurry, Mistress, hurry,” Bugger shouted, as he led them out of the dungeons and through the house. The boat had taken them under the house, and Bugger had levitated them through another opening, which led to the dungeons. Now they were running frantically, trying to get to the Hall of Portraits.

Hermione was surprised at how fast Bugger could run, for someone with such stubby legs. Dumbledore was behind them, barely managing to keep up, his age clearly causing him to struggle. When they reached the Hall of Portraits, Bugger came to a complete stop and looked inside with wide eyes. Hermione and Draco came up behind him, panting and out of breath. The whole floor was covered in blood and the portraits were weeping.

Their grief struck at Hermione with such intensity that she swayed on her feet and Draco had to put his arm about her to steady her. “Gods!” she cried. “What has happened?”

“Snape has happened,” Draco replied. Dumbledore had finally caught up and looked at the slippery mess before them.

“Oh, my,” Dumbledore said, trying to catch his breath. “We can’t have this.” He pulled out his wand and said, “Scourgify.” The magic flowed from the wand, cleaning a path for them as they entered. He kept it pointed straight ahead as they walked, and the blood disappeared as they continued.

The portraits saw Hermione and began to plead. “Hurry, Hermione, you must stop him. Stop him! Stop him!” they cried.

“I will,” she called out as they hurried past. Finally they reached the door on the end and flung it open. Dead snakes lay about on the floor among the live ones still slithering around. The snakes, however, paid no mind to them.

“They will never attack a Marlston,” Bugger explained.

When they entered the room with the three maze entrances, Bugger said, “Wait, Mistress. You must wait for the Black Knight or you will become lost.”

Hermione sighed heavily. “How long will we have to wait?” she asked impatiently.

“Not long, Mistress,” Bugger said. “Her senses are very good. She would have heard us coming awhile ago.”

“Her?” Hermione asked, surprised.

Bugger nodded. “Yes, your mother told me she is the last of the Amazons, Mistress. She is very strong. I doubt that wizard has gotten past her. You will see.”

OOOOOOOOO

“You trying to get a peek at Merlin, were you?” asked a caged man from above.

Snape turned his head in the man’s direction. “What’s happening here? Are you prisoners?”

One of the men chuckled. “You’re one of us now. She takes us down to play with when she feels like it.”

“How did you get inside Marlston?” Snape asked, pulling at his bonds. He had thought that he was the only one clever enough to get this far, yet a dozen men swung above him who had also managed to get here.

“Same way you did, I suppose,” one man said, “through the Hall of Portraits.”

“How?” Snape asked. “Marlston’s been shut tight since Morgana and Sebastian died. The key was in the vault for the past sixteen years.”

“Sixteen years?” one laughed. “Sixteen years is nothing down here. I’ve been here since the year 1249.”

When Snape looked shocked, many of them laughed. “That’s right,” the man continued. “We are immortal as long as we are down here, unless the Black Knight decides she’s had enough of us. Now you’re immortal too.”

“What?” Snape said, incredulously. Then he shook his head. “I must get out of here. Much depends on the success of my mission. Do any of you know how I can get out?”

“You can’t,” one answered. “There is no way.”

“Where does that bridge lead?” Snape asked.

“The bridge? Why, that’s the bridge to Merlin,” another replied.

“It is?” Snape marveled. “Have any of you seen him?”

There was laughter all around as they shook their heads. Fools, Snape thought. Then he caught sight of his wand sitting on the pile of his discarded robes, and hope shot through his heart.

Snape had practiced some wandless magic, simple things like moving small objects. If only… He focused his eyes on his wand and spread the fingers of one of his bound hands. “Come on… come to me…” he whispered. The men watched him from above, trying to figure out what he was up to.

The wand wiggled a bit, and then began sliding towards him across the floor. Just a little more… Yes!

Snape’s fingers wrapped around his wand. Magic might not work on the woman knight, but surely it would work on ropes. He situated the wand between his fingers, trying his best to point it towards his wrists. Triumph! The ropes fell away with an unbinding charm. He sat up on the curved wheel, his back aching from lying in that position, and he pointed his wand at his ankles.

“You aren’t going to get out,” a prisoner stated. “She’ll capture you again. She always does.”

Snape smirked as he quickly put his robes on. “Perhaps Merlin will be so grateful to me that he’ll set me free.”

“How are you getting to Merlin?” another asked.

He started across the bridge and then threw himself backwards as an enormous sea serpent leapt over the bridge, snapping its huge jaws. Crawling backwards off the bridge, the others laughed at him.

“Did ye think it would be so easy?” a prisoner mocked. “Only a Marlston can cross that bridge. Mordred was a sly one, he was.”

Snape stood and looked back at the exit where the woman had departed, wondering how much time he had before she returned. There had to be a way to cross. He looked around for ideas.

He picked up a bucket and threw it into the river, watching to see if the serpent would go for it.

“He’s not stupid,” a prisoner said. “He knows that ain’t meat. He only eats the flesh that half goblin feeds him.”

“Flesh, is it?” Snape pondered, getting an idea. He looked up at the cages, spotting one that was over the river, furthest from the bridge.

He lifted his wand, pointing at the cage. The occupant opened his eyes wide and said, “Are ye mad?”

“Just think of it as your contribution to a better world,” Snape said, spelling the bottom of the man’s cage open. The man yelled as the serpent leapt into the air, catching him in his huge jaws. Snape didn’t linger to watch, however, using the opportunity to run quickly across the bridge, the other men yelling and cursing at him as he went.

When he reached the other side, he pressed himself inside the tunnel, trying to calm his breath. It was dark in here, dark and cold. He lit his wand and noticed a stairway in the stone, leading downwards. He cautiously began his descent, the stairs spiraling down lower and lower and the air growing colder and colder. When he tried to brace himself against one of the walls, he felt the frost covering it.

He must be getting closer! His heart pounded in anticipation. He, Severus Snape, was about to lay his eyes upon Merlin.

The stairs soon grew slippery with ice, and Snape had to use a melting charm to allow him to descend safely. Cold, it was extremely cold down here. Down, down, down, the stairs descended endlessly.

When Severus saw the end of the stairs before him, he shivered with cold excitement. Walking the last few steps slowly, he relit his wand and gazed into a snowy white cave. On the far side of the cave Snape saw the marvel of marvels. There, trapped frozen in a large block of ice, was Merlin, in robes of royal purple, with a grey peppered beard, long white hair, and eyes of ice blue, open wide all these centuries in frozen captivity. Snape slowly approached him, occasionally glancing about for hidden traps. But there were no more obstacles, save the ice.

When he reached the block, he was almost afraid to touch it. But he did. Lifting tentative fingers, he caressed the ice as he gazed on the ancient wizard’s face. “If I free you, will you make me king?” he whispered in awe.

He gazed a few more moments before remembering that he had to act quickly. Then he lifted his wand, muttering the melting charm, and began to thaw the ice.

OOOOOOOO

Dumbledore, Draco and Hermione stared with wonder when the Amazon appeared. She stood there looking at them as well. When her eyes fell upon Hermione, she bowed. “My Lady,” the Black Knight greeted.

“Ah… hello,” Hermione replied, uncertainly.

“A wizard has recently entered here,” Bugger said. “Have you seen him?”

The Amazon replied, “Yes, I have captured him. Have no worries, my Lady.”

Hermione swallowed. “Captured? Is he…?

Draco wanted to believe that this Amazon woman had taken Snape out for him. What a load off his shoulders that would have been. But she answered, “He lives. I will keep him captive. He will cause no more trouble, my Lady.”

Draco wondered if that would count. All right, he wasn’t dead, but if he wasn’t going anywhere, wouldn’t that be just as good?

“May we see him?” Dumbledore asked.

No, no, let’s not see him, Draco thought. Leave him to rot. Don’t make me face him. Don’t force me to kill.

The Amazon looked at Hermione to see if this was what she wanted. Hermione’s orders were the only ones that really mattered to her.

“Yes, we would like to speak with him,” Hermione said.

“Very well, my Lady, follow me.”

They followed the woman through the many twists and turns of the maze, and Hermione now knew that Bugger was right. She would never have found the way herself. It took a long while before they emerged into the Amazon’s cavern. The Amazon stood there in shock, looking at a stone slab on the ground.

“Is something wrong?” Hermione asked.

“He’s gone!” the Black Knight exclaimed. She looked around in every direction, and then entered her dwelling to look there as well.

Dumbledore, Draco and Hermione looked at each other fearfully. So this nightmare had not ended after all! The Amazon burst out of her dwelling, yelling towards the ceiling. “Where has he gone?”

Hermione looked up, and for the first time she noticed that live men were hanging in cages from the top of the cavern. She gasped, having no idea that prisoners were being kept under Marlston. She had so much to learn, but this would have to wait. They had to find Snape!

“He went in Merlin’s cave,” a prisoner called out. “He tricked the serpent. He dropped Andrew into the river.”

The Amazon looked at the empty cage and let out a deafening yell of frustration.

“Serpent?” Draco asked.

“Yes, my Lord,” Bugger answered. “There’s a serpent in the river. If anyone tries to cross the bridge, he eats them, everyone except a Marlston, that is.”

“Dumbledore, is that you?” said a young man from one of the cages.

Dumbledore squinted up at the man, trying to recognize who he was. “Collum?”

“Yes!” the prisoner exclaimed. “It’s me. You’ve gotten old.”

“And you haven’t aged a day,” Albus replied.

“Yes, well, we don’t age down here, you know,” Collum answered.

“I always wondered what happened to you,” Dumbledore said. “Tried to see Merlin, did you?”

“You knew I couldn’t resist,” Collum answered. “After all, I was just as obsessed with him as you were.”

Dumbledore looked at Hermione and said, “Miss Marlston, I’d like you to meet your half brother, Collum Conners.”

“What!” Hermione exclaimed.

“Oh, ho, I have a sister, do I?” Collum said. “Hello there, sis.”

“You’re a Marlston?” Hermione asked in shock.

“No, no, I’m a Conners,” Collum said. “But we share the same father. Sebastian fooled around a bit when he was in school, before he met your mum. He got my mum pregnant with me. I’m a bastard, I suppose. He wouldn’t marry her but he did support us financially.”

“How did you end up in here? Our father actually allowed you to become a prisoner?” Hermione wondered.

“I don’t think he ever found out I was stuck down here. If he did, he might not have cared. I did break his trust, you see,” Collum replied. “He tried to forge a father-son relationship with me when I was a teenager, letting me into Marlston, treating me like family. But I was a bit curious. I found Thomas Marlston’s journal in the library and took it.”

Hermione looked at Dumbledore. “Is that how you got it? Collum gave it to you?”

Dumbledore nodded. “Yes, Collum asked me to watch over it. He said that there was more to tell, but he couldn’t tell me yet. He wanted to return to Marlston to confirm his suspicions. I never saw or heard from him again.”

“Now you know, Albus,” Collum said.

“I suppose I do,” Dumbledore replied. “But we have no more time to chat, Collum. We must stop Severus from his folly.”

“Yes, yes, do go,” Collum said. “Come visit me again, sis.”

Hermione looked at him strangely before turning to the Amazon. “Will the serpent attack my friends?” she asked.

“Cross the bridge together and all shall be well,” she replied.

Hermione nodded before Draco, Dumbledore and Bugger huddled close to her and they made their way across.

OOOOO

A/N he he he A big thank you to the reviewer who said that they hoped the Black Knight was a woman. At first, it was a man, but then I kept having Monty Python visions that didn’t mesh with this story and the woman idea actually sparked off the Amazon stuff. So thank you for that great idea! It allowed me to sneak in a bit of smut that wasn’t originally going to be there.

Other news: I've begun the process of revising the earlier chapters and fleshing them out more. The new Chapter One is now posted, so check it out if you want. I realized that at the time of writing some of my earlier stuff, I was very impatient and didn't put the effort into some of the writing. I've also learned a lot more along the journey of writing this fiction, thanks to the tutoring of my wonderful betas, so reading some of my earlier stuff now makes me cringe. I hope you find the revised chapters much more professional.

All right, everyone, I’d love to hear from you as it’s been soooooo long. And you can’t tell me your ability to review is broken. LOL You’re just on the ‘read only’ site if you keep getting an error message when posting reviews. You need to switch over to :
http://archive.adult-fanfiction.org/ in order to review or update fictions. It’s that ‘archive’ word that makes all the difference. So, please, let me know you’re still there! Thanks!