Twice Bitten ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 8 ~ A Deeper Investigation

Snape, Harry and Ron looked at the piece of garlic Hermione held in her hand doubtfully.

”Oh, come on. I know vampires are supposed to hate garlic. We have to test it,” she said, walking up to Snape and waving it under his nose.

There was no reaction except that it wrinkled a bit.

“It doesn’t affect you, Professor,” she said to him, moving to Harry, who also just wrinkled his nose.

”You either, Harry,” Hermione said, then moved the garlic bulb toward Ron, who hissed at her and drew back quickly.

”It affects you, Ron?” Hermione asked him.

”I hate garlic. I’ve always hated it. If I eat it, it feels like my throat’s closing up,” he breathed, his eyes resting on the small clove as if it were going to grow teeth and bite him.

Hermione put her hands on her hips.

”Ron, this is serious!” she chided him.

”Well, so am I. I hate garlic just as much as a vampire as I did as a human,” Ron shot back at her.

Snape had to force himself not to throttle the idiot.

Hermione walked over to the parchment, picked up a Muggle pen and crossed out “Garlic” then looked at the list.

”Okay, the next thing we’re going to test is Holy Water. It’s supposed to burn vampires, so this might hurt a little bit,” she said, “Hold out your hands, palms down.”

Snape held out his hand, but Harry and Ron didn’t.

”It’s going to hurt?” Harry asked her, his voice cracking a bit.

”I’m only going to put a drop on you. Really Harry. You’ve been whipped around by a dragon, had your arm sliced open, been Crucio’d by Voldemort . . .” Hermione said to him in irritation.

”Yeah, but I didn’t volunteer for any of that,” Harry said sullenly.

”You and Mr. Weasley will put out your hands and stand completely still,” Snape said.

With horrified expressions, both Harry and Ron stiffly put out their hands, palms down.

”You may continue, Miss Granger,” Snape said to the witch, who approached Snape with her wand drawn, then held the tip of it over the back of his hand.

Snape scowled.

”What are you doing, Miss Granger?” he asked her.

”Oh. I had my wand blessed by a priest today while I was in London. I told him it was a conductor’s baton and that I’m a music major and was going to conduct my first symphony today,” she said, coloring a little.

Ron shook his head.

“Lying to a priest, Hermione. Really. You’re going to Hell,” he said to her.

”Shut up, Ron. Aquis,” Hermione said with a scowl, a drop of water hitting the back of Snape’s hand. Nothing happened. Nothing happened with Harry or Ron either.

”Nope. Holy Water doesn’t hurt you,” she said.

”Assuming the blessing took,” Snape said to her.

”I don’t see why it wouldn’t. I might not be religious, but the priest is. A blessing is a blessing,” Hermione argued.

Snape didn’t say anything as she crossed out “Holy Water” on the list. She next picked up the crucifix. She walked over to Snape and held it out.

”Take it,” she said.

Without hesitation, Snape took the crucifix. Again, nothing happened as he studied the image of Jesus nailed to it.

Hermione then passed it to Harry and Ron with no results other than Ron furrowing his brow as he took it and saying, “You know, I never understood wearing crucifixes. If Jesus died in one of those electricity chairs, would everyone be wearing those?”

“Ron, you ask the stupidest things,” Hermione snapped at him as she snatched the crucifix out of his hand.

She went back to the list, crossing out “Crucifix.” She read it and turned to the three.

”All right. It says that vampires can change into a bat, rat, wolf, or a fine white mist similar to fog. Can you change into anything, Professor?” she asked the Potions master.

He shook his head.

”Not that I know of, Miss Granger,” he replied.

”Well, if you can’t then there’s no sense asking Ron and Harry,” she replied.

Ron scowled at this but didn’t say anything.

”Next, vampires are supposed to be able to climb sheer surfaces,” she said.

Ron immediately walked to the far wall and put both palms against it, and pulled himself up about a foot, before sliding down. Interested, Harry walked over and tried. He was able to get up about two feet before he too slid down.

Hermione looked at Snape, who slowly walked over to the wall and placed his palms against it. He climbed up, or crawled up rather, then continued on to the ceiling. What was interesting was neither his hair nor robes dangled. He backed down the wall again, then stood up, examining his palms.

”Well, that’s interesting,” he said as Harry and Ron looked at him enviously.

“So you can climb walls while Harry and Ron can’t,” Hermione said, writing something on the parchment.

”I went up a little ways,” Ron grumped, “So did Harry.”

”Yes, but it doesn’t help if you can’t stay attached,” Hermione replied.

Hermione also found they all had reflections. She held the mirror under their noses. There was no respiration.

”Professor Snape, would you inhale, please?” she asked the wizard, who tried but found that he couldn’t do it. It was as if he had no lung capacity. Neither Harry nor Ron could do so either.

”Now that’s interesting,” Hermione said, “You don’t breathe air. So whatever processes that are going on in your bodies are not based on oxygen intake. Also, if you don’t breathe in or out, you don’t expel waste. That means that the blood you consume is being used completely by your body. Hm . . . I wonder. Professor, may I look at a bit of your blood?”

Hermione took out a small, porcelain bowl from the satchel. Snape walked over, tapped his wand to a vein and then to the bowl. A bit of dark blood appeared in it. Hermione swished it around a bit. It flowed like normal blood.

”You know, I think this is regular human blood, just not oxygenated. Human blood turns dark when there’s no oxygen. Have you tried taking blood from each other?” Hermione asked as she studied the blood.

”The blood is accepted for a first feeding, but after that becomes unpalatable. Rancid actually,” Snape said to the witch.

“Hm. Maybe your body processes require oxygenated blood to give you nourishment, but not to actually keep you alive,” Hermione said thoughtfully. “It could be the first feeding doesn’t require oxygenated blood, just blood period to help with the transformation. Once the body is changed, then the rules kick in and only oxygenated blood will do. Very interesting.”

Hermione wrote a few lines down on the parchment, then turned with her wand extended. She pointed it at Snape’s feet.

”Aquis Orbis,” she breathed.

A ring of water appeared around the wizard. He looked down at it, then at Hermione.

”Vampires are not supposed to be able to cross moving water. Try and step over it, Professor,” Hermione said.

Try as he might, the Professor could not exit the circle of water. Hermione banished it.

”So, there’s something that can stop you,” Ron said to the Potions master with a smug look.

Snape frowned at him, then suddenly shoved his palm forward and slammed Ron into the wall hard, pinning him there.

”I wondered if I could do that,” he said silkily, “Add strike blows from afar, Miss Granger.”

Ron staggered from the wall and threw his palm out angrily at the Potions master. Nothing happened as Snape smirked at him.

”It’s just not fair,” Ron muttered, giving up.

”Apparently, Professor Snape is the Head Vampire,” Hermione said. “Well, I’m pretty much done with testing you. I can’t perform any of the other tests without endangering your lives, so I’m going to assume they are true in order to be safe. Sunlight will kill you, a stake through the heart would kill you, and decapitation would kill you. Now, if you had the ability to turn to mist, supposedly you could reform and be whole again, even if you were staked or had your heads cut off,” Hermione said.

”I’d be willing to sacrifice either Mr. Potter or Mr. Weasley for the sake of greater knowledge,” Snape offered helpfully as Ron and Harry looked at him hatefully.

”No, that’s quite all right, Professor . . . but . . . but I do need to discuss something with you concerning your powers,” she said hesitating as she looked at Harry and Ron. “But I think because of the nature of it, I’d rather talk to you alone.”

”What? You can talk in front of us, Hermione,” Ron said, rather suspiciously. “What powers are you talking about?”

”Ron, I really need to talk to him alone about this,” Hermione said placatingly.

”Well, I don’t like it. He can control you, Hermione,” Ron said, “He could make you do anything he wants.”

“He can do the same to you, Ron. And Harry,” Hermione said, then looked at the Potions master, who met her gaze steadily. “Besides, he doesn’t have to do that. I’m helping him.”

”Yeah. But maybe he’ll want to ‘help’ himself, if you know what I mean,” Ron said, scowling at the dark wizard.

”Mr. Weasley. I am not a hormonal seventh-year like yourself. When I am alone with the fairer sex, my thoughts, unlike yours, are not moved to the idea of immediately bedding her. I believe you are transferring your own randy desires on to me. If you could control Miss Granger, I wonder what you would do to her,” Snape said, his dark eyes seeming to stare inside of Ron.

Ron looked at the wizard, but didn’t say anything. In fact, his first thoughts about possibly controlling Hermione were indeed sexual.

“Plus, I can take care of myself, Ronald Weasley. How many times do I have to tell you that? In case you didn’t notice, it’s you who is the vampire, not me,” Hermione said to him evenly.

”That’s only because you stayed inside. This could have happened to you too,” Ron said to her sullenly.

”Enough of this,” Snape snapped, “Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter you will return to your chambers and stay there the rest of the night. You will not leave it.”

Harry scowled at Ron.

”See Ron. You got us locked down,” he complained to the red-head as they exited the chambers.

Snape had given them a direct order. One they would have follow completely.

Snape turned his dark eyes on Hermione.

”Now, Miss Granger. What did you wish to speak to me about?” he asked her, his voice seeming to caress the witch as his allure manifested.

Hermione swallowed, her heart rate increasing as the wizard moved closer.

”Sit down, Miss Granger and tell me what you wish to talk about,” Snape said, using his power to help her along.

Hermione sat down on the stool.

”Professor, when I’m in your presence, there is a distinctly . . . sexual allure that you are giving off. I’d like you to stop it because it is distracting,” Hermione said to him softly.

Snape arched an eyebrow at her.

”I’m afraid it is not something that I consciously do, Miss Granger, though I too find it disturbing because your reactions to me are alluring as well,” he replied. “I have a theory about it however . . . why it is occurring.”

Hermione was breathing heavily.

”Tell me,” she breathed.

”I believe it has to do with my being a male vampire. When Lilutu took me that night, when I first saw her, I had no desire other to make her get out of my way and let me pass. Although she was beautiful, I didn’t lust after her. It was only when she told me to ‘be a man’ and exerted her power on me that I indulged her,” the wizard said, walking around Hermione slowly, his voice a low purr.

”I believe, Miss Granger, that the female vampire doesn’t have to constantly emit sexual overtones, because men are a randy lot and don’t require much preparation for sex. But the human female does require preparation as a prerequisite to sex. Whatever kind of vampire I am, Miss Granger, I believe I seduce the human female, then drink from her. My allure is exactly that, a lure. It makes me desirable and women accessible. It helps me hunt successfully,” he said, “There is nothing I can do about it.”

Hermione stared at him, her eyes wet. He could feel her arousal and it caused a response in him, and Snape walked behind Hermione, leaned and pulled her hair aside, allowing his warmth to waft over her neck as he spoke, his mouth close enough to taste her.

”Miss Granger . . . you saw the Pensieve and the sex act. Engaging a vampire is a violent, lust-filled interaction. I would have killed to get at Lilutu. All I wanted was to drive through her, to possess everything she was, to make her feel me. I was little more than a boy then . . . now I am a man. A man, Miss Granger.”

Hermione shuddered. She was very aware he was a man.

”I felt your responses while you watched the Pensieve. It excited you. I excited you. I think you desired to be in Lilutu’s place . . . to be the one under me being driven across the sands,” he crooned.

Hermione let out an audible gasp, and Snape rested his lips against her throat in reaction, Hermione letting out a little noise at the contact.

”You make me want you, Miss Granger. By your reactions, your scent, your blood quickening in your veins. I can feel the Life of you and as a vampire I want that life surrounding me . . .”

Slowly he licked her skin, Hermione quaking now, her eyes closed as the delicious sensation seemed to curl through her body.

”We are both victims of our situation, Miss Granger,” he breathed, pulling back from the witch with an effort. “I cannot stop the way I make you feel, nor can I stop my reactions to those feelings. But we must try. What helps me is knowing that if I were mortal, you would not have such feelings for me, such desire. I know this is false, no matter how true it feels. You do not want to dance with a vampire, Miss Granger. You will lose who you are in the process as I lost myself with Lilutu.”

Hermione turned her head to look at him, her eyes liquid.

”Do not look at me!” he hissed at her, “Turn your eyes away!”

The truth was Hermione’s eyes made him want to give in to his lust. Although Snape was the dark creature in this situation, he was equally being controlled. It was taking all his will not to respond to Hermione.

”You must go,” he said hoarsely, “I cannot take you to the tower this time. I am too . . . too . . .”

“I command you to go! To run!” Snape snarled at Hermione. “Return tomorrow night with solutions! NOW GO!”

Snape watched as Hermione jumped off the stool, lit her wand and ran out into the passageway, fighting the urge to follow her. He sat down heavily on the stool and rested his head in his hand.

Hermione Granger was becoming more than a distraction.

She was starting to become an obsession.

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Harry and Ron stood in the doorway of their chamber, unable to exit but listening intently. They could barely hear Snape talking but not make out what he was saying. They didn’t hear Hermione at all.

”What is he telling her?” Ron asked angrily.

”I don’t know, but as long as he’s talking then he’s not doing anything else,” Harry said, “now shhh.”

They continued listening when suddenly they heard Snape shout.

”NOW GO!”

This was shortly followed by the sound of running. It faded into the distance.

”He threw Hermione out,” Harry said, surprised.

”Good. Now we don’t have to worry,” Ron replied, looking relieved.

”But why? Why would he throw her out? She’s helping him. That’s an odd way to repay her for it,” Harry said, his brow furrowed.

”Snape’s odd anyway. He can’t be nice, Harry. Not even when it’s for his own benefit. His snarkiness is always going to break through. Anyway, Hermione will continue to help us. She’s like that. Come on, let’s play Gobstones. You soaked me last time,” Ron said, walking back into the chamber, just happy Hermione was no longer alone with Snape.

Harry lingered at the door a moment longer, then turned and followed Ron.

Ron might not be concerned about this, but he was.

What the hell was going on between Snape and Hermione?

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A/N: Thanks for reading.