Vampyre

Chapter Nine
Desire and Revelations


Bare feet crossed the expanse of carpeting into the bedroom. Hermione didn't hear Crookshanks when he meowed alarmingly to the portrait over the fireplace.

Salazar noted the vacant look in the chocolate eyes.

"Hermione! Wake up!"

Her small hand closed around the wand that she'd left lying on the nightstand.

"Don't do it, Hermione. He's calling you, isn't he?"

Salazar was frustrated being the portrait that he was and unable to move from his frame to stop the girl from taking a step into darkness that she might regret later.

Hermione gave no indication she could hear him. In her ears was the strong sound of the same heartbeat she'd heard in the tomb.

Thump. Thump.

"Listen to me, girl," Salazar hissed desperately. "You don't want to become one of the undead. Do my words not make any sense to you?"

"Yes, beloved, I am coming to you." Hermione lifted her chin, listening to something inaudible to the portrait and the half-kneazle. Crookshanks was winding his body around her legs trying to prevent her from leaving the room.

The movement of a foot effectively shoved him aside and all Salazar could do is look on in frustration as Hermione walked out the door with Severus' wand clutched tightly in her hand.


Her bare feet made light slapping sounds on the cold stone floor of the dungeons as Hermione went down the little-used hall. She emerged at the back of the school.

A light mist of rain was falling but she paid it no heed as instinctively she responded to the call she felt in her heart. The hem of her long nightgown became damp as it dragged through the grass. Into the forbidden forest she went, small stones cutting into the bottoms of her feet.

Hermione paused before a seemingly solid wall of dirt covered in weeds.

"I am here, Hermione.

She turned to the wall and walked into it without hesitation, penetrating into the hidden cave behind.

There, the wall of dirt was no more. Instead a large open space with reinforced walls of stone lay. Thick fur covered the floor, and a stone fireplace burned with magical flames that produced no smoke. Several leather chairs were there as well as piles of soft pillows on the floor.

Hermione's eyes noticed none of this. She stood quietly, her eyes staring into the black ones of Severus, whom was waiting for her by the fireplace.

"Excellent," he said, taking the wand from her and placing it into its customary pocket in his robes. "You have done well."

Hermione blinked, swaying slightly from the force of the power that was pulling her to the wizard in front of her.

He's alive, her heart sang. He's standing in front of me.

Severus allowed his eyes to sweep over the young woman standing in front of him. During the last days of the war, before his pardon, he’d avoided both her and her friends. The trial that had followed had occupied all of his time and he’d thought that she and the other pains-in-his-arse would move on to other things instead of returning to Hogwarts.

Over the last year she’d matured in body. Although she had not developed the lushness that might come later, the thinness of her body had filled out into soft curves that the damp nightgown clung to. Small but round breasts jutted proudly out, their nipples hardened and apparent against the cotton covering them. The only thing that really hadn’t changed was her wild, bushy head of curls. The mist outdoors had plastered the bushiness down but the curls only became tighter when wet.

The girl was staring at him, and her pink tongue darted out to lick dry lips. Severus felt his jaws tighten at the sight of her wet tongue.

“You’re alive,” Hermione whispered brokenly, approaching him slowly.

Severus stayed where he was, torn between the urge to reject her as was his normal routine or snatch her to him hungrily like the predator that he had become.

She reached up a trembling hand to touch his face. Her fingertips were smooth like silk, warm to the touch and for a moment Severus allowed himself to rub against them gratefully.

“Professor.”

“Severus,” he corrected. “I am no longer a part of your life at school.”

“But you’re alive.”

“Am I?” he gave a hoarse sound that passed for a laugh. “Look at me closely, Hermione. You saw them lay me to rest. How do you explain that?”

“Salazar said that you are one of the vampyre.”

“Salazar. He never could keep his gob shut.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What?”

“That you’re one of the living dead.”

“Are you not afraid of me, Hermione?”

“No.”

Severus sighed, realizing that what she said was true. When he had been her Professor and at his worst with her, she had not shrunk from him. She’d stood her ground and at times he had fleetingly wondered if she might fancy him. Being as practical as he was, he’d shrugged off the notion just as fleetingly.

“Who did it?” This time, Hermione’s voice was choked with tears. “Who did this to you?”

Severus looked up from where he had been staring at the milky neck he’d bitten the night before, surprised to find she was crying quietly. His gut twisted. Many a student had pulled tears on evil Professor Snape with no sympathy on his part. But now, with Hermione Granger in front of him crying, he felt helpless for one of the few times in his life.

“I will kill them,” she vowed coldly, reaching up on tiptoes to loop her arms around his neck, her teary eyes blazing boldly into his.

“You will not,” Severus replied, his hands grasping her waist with the intent of putting her away from him before he was tempted to drink from her again. It was too soon to take more of her blood right now. “Lucius and his followers are more powerful dead than they ever were in life.”

“Lucius Malfoy.” Hermione spat the name out in a distasteful sound. “He’s a bastard.”

To hear Hermione swear was unheard of for Severus. He'd heard the boys in the school often, but only the Slytherin girls had been arrogant enough to curse in front of him.

"Regardless of what you may think, Lucius is dangerous, bastard or not."

"He is a vampyre now?"

"He is the tool that Voldemort is using to be resurrected."

"Voldemort was destroyed."

"In body, yes, but his soul survived. Lucius has it preserved in a secret place and he hopes to restore the dark lord to his proper place. I do not know much about it, but I have reason to believe that he and a number of the Death Eaters that were destroyed are now the living dead."

"Does Draco know?"

"Yes, Draco knows. Narcissa does not."

Severus' hands were still on Hermione's waist.

"Why are you so interested in me, Hermione?" Severus changed the subject.

Severus had relaxed his control of her little by little as they'd talked, so some of the trance-like look in her eyes had cleared up.

"I must be honest with you," she replied. "I have cared for you for some time. I think that I am in love with you."

"Love. I don't think that such a thing exists anymore."

"Have you ever loved anyone?"

Lily came to his mind, but Severus had long ago lost any feelings for her.

"Once," he said. "Never again."

"Never close your heart to love," Hermione said. "Love is the strongest form of magic that there is. It saved Harry."

"I think not, at least not for me."

"Don't let the past influence the future."

"I have no future. I am dead and will be forced to live on through eternity, feeding on the blood of others."

"Take my blood."

"I will not."

Hermione was not surprised by Severus' refusal; he was a stubborn wizard and death had not seemed to change him. He had bent slightly forward, his black hair forming a cave around his pale face. His lips were shiny and Hermione wanted to taste them with her own.

The warm fogginess in her brain was still there as Hermione threw away all caution and pressed her lips awkwardly to his.

He attempted to pull away, but her arms around his neck held him in place.

Great Merlins blue balls. The touch of Hermione's lips on his own were electric, and made Severus hunger for more.

His grip around her waist tightened as he pulled her closer. Severus opened his lips and licked at Hermione's, tasting the faint trace of chocolate from her evening tea. She responded by exploring his lower lip until he drew her tongue into his mouth, sucking on it.

Hermione groaned, and as she explored Severus' mouth, she encountered his not-very-evident fangs which at the moment were receded.

Hot desire shot through Severus as her tongue caressed one fang, then the other.

He broke away from the kiss, breathing hard, his eyes blazing with a carefully restrained need that Hermione was too inexperienced to recognize.

"I want to belong to you, Severus."

The sound of his name coming out of her thoroughly kissed mouth made Severus snatch her to him and plunder her open mouth with all the agression he had. Rather than being afraid, Hermione tangled her hands into his frock coat and cape.

The kiss grew in intensity until Hermione couldn't bear it. She wanted more from him, and she pressed against him, silently seeking with her body the fulfillment that she needed.

Severus was dangerously close to losing his control. The feel of Hermione's mouth and body had every sense he possessed standing on end. His underwear was straining with the throbbing hard on that it was keeping contained. Somehow, Hermione managed to grind against the correct spot of his anatomy.

"We have to stop," Severus said, removing his mouth for the second time.

Hermione's lips were swollen and wet with his kisses, and her eyes were very dark brown with desire. Her chest rose and fell with her breaths.

"No," she demanded. "I need you."

"You have no idea what you are asking of me."

"Perhaps not, but I know that I care for you and right now I want your hands on me."

Severus wanted to touch her, that was the problem. He'd had that planned since he'd decided she would belong to him. But he had planned on having resistance on her part, not cooperation. She was inviting him to fuck her, and making no bones about it.

"I do not trust myself to touch you at the moment, Hermione." Severus forced himself to let her go, and to sit down in one of the leather chairs. It was safer for him if he could hide the erection that she'd already felt.

Hermione looked at Severus, who was staring back at her. The words coming out of his mouth did not match the look in his eyes.

The feelings coursing through her were new to Hermione. Desire so sharp, so needy, was being felt clear to her clitoris, which was filling with blood.

What Severus did not realize was that because of his mind connection with Hermione, some of his own desire was mingling with hers and driving her to do things that would have normally mortified her.

Small hands rapidly undid the mother of pearl buttons on the closure to the nightgown, and Hermione had slipped it from her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground in a puddle at her feet.

She stood naked in front of him, save for a pair of plain cotton knickers.

Severus was speechless as her body, lit by firelight, beckoned to him. The soft curves he'd ogled were made softer by the reds, oranges, and yellows.

The cotton knickers, whilst modest and covered, still barely hid the darker pubic hair of her mound.

"Touch me, Severus," she asked, coming closer on legs that were shaky and instinctively straddling his lap.


AUTHORS NOTE:
Well, I suppose you guys hate me more for this cliffie than the others. Will Severus give in? Or will Hermione just have to wait? What do you think??????????????