Stormwalker

Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of torture and slight incest.

A/N: If the religious references offend anyone, I sincerely apologize. And if my lack of Latin grammar offends anyone, blame the translator.

Emerald Razors

Hermione looked around and saw that a seemingly fresh grave was at her feet. While the dirt looked newly dug, the headstone looked much, much, older. It was smooth white marble with crimson veins of jasper shot through it. She bent down and realized that the words carved upon it were Latin.


Peculiym cruentus
Abolea qui atton bitus
Cavea hinc terra bene
Fas despero lacer dimoveo

Semper commenini
Vester Carnis Sanguis

(Sons of Blood
With Eyes of Thunder
Guard This Land Well
Or Be Torn Asunder

Always Remember
Your Flesh and Blood)

The last line assured her that this was Maison de Sang. Hermione found it unusual that someone with a Roman background would have their home named in French, but it might have been some small attempt at deception on their part. She shook it off as she realized that if this was the entrance to Maison de Sang, Hermione didn\'t know it. She knew that the fresh grave probably had something to do with it, and on impulse, laid a palm against the cold dirt. Hermione tried to scream as her vision went black, but nothing came out.

Out of the black stalked a panther with lustrous grey fur that swirled with colors like Gabriel\'s eyes. It snarled, and then to her shock, spoke. \"Mortal, if you wish to enter, state the full name of the brother you know.\" Hermione swallowed and spoke in a trembling voice, \"Gabriel Iuto Lunax.\" The panther growled softly as if thinking. \"Enter, mortal, and swear that you mean no harm to the one you seek, by pain of death.\" She nodded. \"I swear, by pain of death.\" The panther nodded and slunk back into the shadows. \"So mote it be.\" Hermione looked down and saw the dirt crumbling down into the earth like a vacuum was sucking it away. When it all disappeared, a pair of worn black stairs was left, leading a path to a cold darkness. Closing her eyes to clear her mind, Hermione took her first step. Nothing happened, and a small burst of confidence shot through her mind. Reaching out and touching the frozen marble walls at either side, she slowly made her way down the stairs. Her source of light was fading. Hermione turned around and saw that the dirt was there again. She assumed that any passerby would see what she had seen, an old grave with new dirt.

As she reached the bottom of the steps, now completely blind, Hermione tripped on the last stair and scraped her shoulder. Mentally swearing, she tried to pull her shirt up to cover it and after a moment left it alone. Looking up from all fours, she saw an impossibly thin crack of light at the end of the hall, obscenely bright in this suffocating black that was the dark. Crawling on her hands and knees to the end, Hermione pulled herself up and felt the surface of the door, searching for some kind of doorknob. Finding none, she shoved against it with her uninjured shoulder, and felt something give. Hermione pushed again, and the door opened, slowly and silently. She removed her wand from her pocket and tightened her grip on it, leaving her knuckles white. Stepping quietly as possible into the room, she was blind for a moment from the glare of torches. When her sight cleared, Hermione was not prepared for what she saw.

Belle, and it had to be her, for only she would commit such a blasphemous act, was kissing Gabriel on the lips, one hand behind his head, the other stroking his chest. If it had been only that, Hermione could have handled it. But it wasn\'t even close.

She started with the bigger picture, her fragile mind unable to comprehend so many horrid things at a time. He was nude and crucified on an iron cross, but instead of his hands be nailed, huge iron spikes had been shoved through his palms and elbows. Gabriel\'s feet were tied to the cross, but the bones in his legs jutted out in odd angles: they looked like they were fractured in multiple places. His ribs were much the same way, decorated with purple-blue bruises up to his collarbone. Mockingly, a crown of thorns had been placed on his head. And the blood.

There was too much. It seemed like several people would have had to bleed to have so much. Hermione felt her stomach churning and forced her gorge down. It stained his body, the floor, the cross, and her. She felt murderous rage at the fact that Belle had done such a thing and was now kissing him, her own uncle! A moan of pleasure made Hermione almost snap her wand in half. Pointing it at Belle, her face curled in a wicked sneer, she was about to hiss a spell when Belle disappeared. Gabriel sucked in breath, and then Hermione felt an icy hand around her mouth. The vampiress broke the witch\'s wrist, causing a scream of pain and Hermione\'s loss of her wand. It clattered and rolled away on the stone floor. Belle moved her hand from Hermione\'s mouth to her throat, nails digging into it some. The other hand held Hermione to Belle, and she hissed in the teenager\'s ear. \"So, you\'re finally here. Didn’t think you\'d make it.\"

At Hermione\'s shock, the vampiress laughed. \"You think I can\'t hear? I knew you were here the moment you Apparated. Silly witch, Gabriel told me all about you. All I had to do was break his legs. He enjoyed it thoroughly.\" Hermione growled. \"Liar.\" Belle squeezed her throat until she saw spots and was clawing at her hand. Smiling, she relaxed her grip. Hermione coughed, gulping for air. \"I don\'t lie, Hermione. \" the last word was sickeningly sweet, and far too intimate. Hermione shuddered as Belle\'s hand caressed her abdomen. Gabriel was staring in shock at the two of them. \"Belle, let her go!\" She shook her head and Hermione felt her pulse speed up in utter terror. The silver-haired vampire\'s fangs unsheathed in his anger, and Hermione saw the skin pull tight around his face, leaving a feral form. His hands had become claws that would make a werewolf proud and his veins stood out like airbrushed lines of blue. Belle laughed and Hermione felt it vibrate through her body.
\"Oh, my love. Don\'t scare the poor girl. No need to show your lover that side of yourself.\" Hermione\'s fear was partially succeeded by shock. Belle thought they were lovers? The wild guesses that flooded the witch\'s mind were numerous, but the one that made the most sense is that Belle had seen them kissing and assumed the rest. She seemed the type to do that. Anger soon followed the confusion and she bit her lip before snarling, \"Let me go, you incestuous bitch!\" Belle instantly tightened her grip around Hermione\'s neck, but she refused to acknowledge the pain. \"Understand this, child, if you do not silence yourself and comply with what I desire, I will kill him and make you watch. Then I will strip away the layers of your mind like an onion and leave you for Voldemort. Got it?\"

The fear that had faded flooded back instantly. Dumbledore had been right. She was in league with Voldemort. As if reading her thoughts, (which later she would realize that Belle had), Belle whispered. \"Of course I joined him. I got power and Gabriel in return for torturing and killing a few men. I already do that anyway, so why not get the benefits too?\" A comically grim thought of Hermione\'s was that threats and sarcasm must have been some kind of requirement to become a Lunax. The two she\'d met seemed to have both in abuce. ce. Hermione felt faint and could not summon the energy to fight back against Belle as the vampiress tilted her neck to the side. She heard Gabriel\'s cry of rage as Belle\'s fangs sank into her throat. Hermione stiffened at the pain but then released a gasp at the pleasure suddenly flooding through her veins. Gabriel hadn\'t told her of the ecstasy of the vampire\'s kiss and she wasn\'t prepared. A scream was ripped from her throat as Belle tore away, slamming Hermione into the floor. The witch cradled her wrist and felt a roaring pain in her neck, unable to see the ragged bite marks on her neck. However, she could see why Belle had pulled away.

Her back had been shredded by what looked like a barbed whip. Hermione recognized the pattern as a cutting curse and then the reason came into her vision. Harry, Ron, Dumbledore, and Snape were standing by the ruins of the stone door, casting hexes at Belle like mad. But the vampiress had the advantage of 700 years of life and inhuman speed. Belle had torn a blade from the wall and rushed towards Snape, slashing at him as he desperately tried to dodge. Dumbledore sent a spell towards Gabriel that shattered the iron cross. He landed to the floor in a crouch, and with his crown, the blood, and his expression, had the look of the Anti-Christ. Instantly standing despite his injuries, Gabriel shot after Belle in a blur, a feral creature with a purpose. He tackled her and tore the vampiress away from Snape, who was bleeding profusely. The others stopped casting their spells. Watching two vampires fight was something that had a tendency to make others pause.

Ron and Harry caught sight of Hermione and rushed over. Harry grabbed her wand from the floor and handed it to her. She took it gratefully. \"\'Mione, are you alright?\" Hermione muttered something about her wrist, watching in awe as Gabriel and Belle fought. A flash of silver followed them, mirroring the movements of the blade. Then the knife clattered to the floor, snapped in half. Gabriel forced his niece into a wall, where she struggled to get away. But he was much older than she and had strength from his mortal life that she did not. Staring her in the eye, he hissed. \"This is something I\'ve wanted to do for a long time, Belle.\" She smiled, and Hermione felt a chill run down her spine. \"Me too, love.\" Belle wrenched out of his grip and snatched a vial from a shelf, throwing it at Gabriel\'s face. Hermione was shocked as Gabriel did not brush off the attack, but fall back, writhing in agony. Belle disappeared into the shadows. Snape ran after her, but quickly returned, a confused and angry look on his face.
Hermione rushed over to Gabriel, ignoring her friends\' protests and her own pain. The vampire clutched at his face, breathing hard. He didn\'t need to, of course, but it was a human\'s reaction to try and stop the pain. \"Gabriel, let me see. What did she do to you?\" Hermione was confused on why he seemed in agony. The horrible wounds from his crucifixion had healed, why didn\'t his face. She touched his hand, and he lashed out at her. He realized what he had done and was instantly muttering apologies. In his shock at his actions, Gabriel dropped his hand.

An open wound slashed through Gabriel\'s face. It started about half an inch above his eye and sliced through it, going to the middle of his cheek. His eye had healed, and the cut wasn\'t bleeding, but it wasn\'t healing either. Hermione was ashamed that she stared, but it was in shock, not disgust. Pain flashed through his grey eyes, and it wasn\'t because of the injury. \"Holy water,\" he spat bitterly, \"Fucking holy water.\" Hermione instantly understood. In all of the legends she had read about vampires, they had talked about holy water and how it could scar a vampire because it purified the wound. The pain was also amount to acid applied to the fl She She understood his pain in that in his eyes, he wasn\'t beautiful anymore and he thought she thought the same. \"Gabriel, I told you once and I\'ll say it again. You are the most vain creature in the world.\" The vampire\'s eyes narrowed in anger, but she calmly finished her sentence. \"If you think that a scar would keep me from loving you.\"

Gabriel\'s eyes widened in shock. His jaw dropped a little. Hermione smiled as she watched the wound become a scar, paler than his skin, and smooth like silk. \"You\'re not kidding, are you?\" He said, relief spilling into those two storms. \"Never,\" she whispered. Gabriel pressed his lips to hers, and she was suddenly aware of his nudity, but not caring, kissed him back passionately. He pulled away, and Hermione felt a little hurt, but that feeling dissipated when she heard footsteps behind her. Hermione turned to see the four wizards. Harry\'s glasses were broken yet again, and Snape was holding onto his arm, but besides that they seemed fine.

\"Did you see where your niece disappeared to?\" This was from Snape, his usual scowl on his face and Hermione almost laughed. Of course the students weren\'t supposed to know about Gabriel and his friendship, so he adopted a cold manner when dealing with him. Typical. Gabriel shook his head and his eyes turned to stone. \"No, I have no idea where the hell she is. I know this house better than she does.\" Dumbledore nodded. \"It is alright. I have a feeling that this feud will be settled later. Miss Granger, may I see your wrist?\" In surprise, Hermione extended her arm and Dumbledore pressed his wand to it, a gentle yellow light healing her arm. \"Thank you, Headmaster.\" Snape conjured a black robe and tossed it to Gabriel, who caught it one-handed and donned the garment. The vampire whipped the crown of thorns off his head and looked at it, muttering something about bad craftsmanship before crushing it to dust in his hands. It was an impressive display.

\"Are we ready to go, Headmaster?\" This from Harry, who unbeknownst to Hermione had witnessed the kiss. He glared at Gabriel with barely hidden rage. Ron\'s face was flushed. \"Of course, Mr. Potter.\" The four wizards turned around and began to walk out of the dungeon. Gabriel and Hermione looked at each other and after a second, linked hands, their fingers intertwining as they walked away from that small hell.

Sure Belle was alive, but then again…

So were they.
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A/N: ahh!!!!!, the fluffiness, the romance…so not me, but whatever…reviews are very much appreciated as are the reviewers who have already commented! The new chapter shall be up soon!