FIC: Moonlight Serenade
Sep. 8th, 2017 10:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hikorichan posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
sshg_smutTitle: Moonlight Serenade
Author: Anonymous for now
Summary: Severus’ life is irrevocably changed by a creature inheritance he knew nothing about, with an added bonus of one curly haired witch.
Prompter:ragwort_moth
Prompt: Either Snape or Hermione comes into a creature inheritance, doesn’t matter what kind of paranormal creature, anything will do. Snape is possessive of Hermione.
Warnings/Content: creature inheritance, romance, au, fluff, drama, Lemons
Notes: Many thanks go to my beta for helping me out with this fic!
Read on AO3 / Read on LiveJournal
Severus Snape stumbled into his apothecary, gasping in pain. It was sudden and sharp, not knowing what came over him.
The bright blood moon was rising above him, and he hoped that his assistant, Miss Granger, would be alright gathering ingredients on her own and without his help.
Another blast of pain hit him. “I’ve got to figure out what’s going on.”
Stuttering with shock, he managed to make his way to the Floo. Throwing in the powder, he called out, “Lucius Malfoy.” Not bothering to wait for an answer, he simply shouted, “Lucius, if you are available, please come at once!”
Another, sharper, hotter pain struck him down to his knees, feeling as if his heart was being squeezed in a vise. When it eased, he gasped, “This is a matter of life and death. Damn and blast, man, I protected your son. The least you can do is answer my call.” He collapsed to the floor, the wind knocked out of him as his heart was crushed against his ribs.
He was gasping for breath when Lucius stepped through the Floo, nearly tripping over him and mussing his immaculate robes.
Brushing the soot off fine, dark green fabric, and clutching his cane for support, Lucius retorted irritably, “Severus, couldn’t this wait until morning? I…” His voice trailed off as he noticed his friend on the floor, obviously in severe pain. Starting himself into action, he ran forward and knelt down beside the wizard. “Severus! How can I be of assistance!?”
The pain in his chest easing, Severus grudgingly accepted his friend’s hand, letting himself be pulled up. Lucius nodded at him encouragingly. “There you get.”
”I’m not a child,” Severus snarled at him, crying out as a spasm nearly crippled him, his back arching. ”Fuck!”
“I think you’d better sit.”
Severus wanted to snap at Lucius for being so pedantic, instead gritting his teeth when he felt a twisting sensation in his abdomen. “Leave me alone,” he gasped, bending over once more.
”Tut, tut, manners,” murmured the pureblood, stepping away to observe. “You’re obviously going through some sort of transformation.”
”Don’t be stupid,” Severus sniped back at him. “I’ve done nothing to warrant such a--FUCK!” He howled, eyes rolling back momentarily. He turned back to Lucius, irritated at the man’s blond brows both raised in surprise.
”Or better yet…” Lucius found a mirror lying next to him and held it up to the former spy.
Severus stared at his reflection: Hairy face, nose elongated, and were those furry ears?
“Hell, no I’m not turning into a blasted werewolf!” he snarled, the sentence ending in another expletive as his joints dislocated, his body bulking and busting through his clothing. He headed for the cellar, the higher function in his brain starting to recede.
Lucius withdrew his wand from his cane, training it on Severus’ furry, robed back. But he followed him down to the cellar.
’Snarl!’ “Lock me in, Lucius.” ‘Snarl, snap!’ “I’m - ah!” ‘Whine!’ “My apprentice - must not harm -” ‘Ahwooooo!” followed the end of the transformation.
Lucius quickly backtracked up the stairs and out the door, warding it with the strongest charms he knew of. He glanced backwards at Miss Granger traipsing into the room with her arms full of freshly picked potion’s ingredients. “Miss Granger! Assist me!”
Surprised and wide-eyed, she nearly dropped the precious ingredients in her haste. “Mr. Malfoy! What in Merlin’s name are you doing!”
”Locking Severus in the cellar. Assist me, immediately!”
She looked at him warily, not entirely sure he wasn’t crazy, but instincts told her not to argue. “Alright, but you need to explain yourself after this, or I’m calling the Aurors.”
When Lucius simply nodded tightly, concentrating hard on his work, she joined him, and after a tense few minutes, Lucius was satisfied the door would hold. However, he hadn’t cast a Silencing charm and the alarming slam of a body against the aged wood made Hermione nearly jump out of her skin.
”Wha- what was that?” she asked shakily, pointing at the door. “Was that Severus?”
Lucius nodded tightly, his jaw set in a grim line.
“Merlin, is he alright?” Hermione asked shakily, backing up until her knees hit a chair and she collapsed into it heavily.
The Malfoy patriarch sighed, poured some firewhiskey and handed it over to her, and one for him. “It seems that Severus has unwittingly either been bitten by a werewolf or been locked into a creature inheritance. I’m assuming it has it something to do with the Blood moon. He is turning into a werewolf. I need to search the Prince family line at the old manor, and if that doesn’t turn up any clues, see if we can cure him.”
Hermione’s heart started to race. “A werewolf? And you didn’t see any scratches on him, at all?”
Lucius looked at Hermione like she had grown two heads. “I was only summoned moments ago, and hardly had time to examine him.”
Hermione’s mind raced. Her quick mind was starting to formulate a plan of action, but she needed to do some research first. “He must be so scared.”
Lucius snorted. “He’s probably pissed off.”
Hermione’s eyes widened as she realized suddenly where they’d locked him. “I have to get down there, he has at least four cauldrons of expensive, time-consuming potions brewing in his lab!”
Lucius chuckled. “I’d like to see the look on his face when he transforms back and realizes all of the effort he’s wasted.”
Hermione stood, crossing over to the man and slapping him on the chest. “You’re supposed to be his friend!”
”Please, do control yourself. Severus has watched, gleefully, I might add, many times while I suffered under the Cruciatius, bestowed upon my person by our former Dark Lord. Turnabout is fair play, and all that.”
”You’re horrible.”
”Thank you.”
”If you’re not going to be of any use, you may as well leave!”
Lucius sniffed. “I shall. But first I’ll make a trip to his old family estates. He’s had nothing to do with them for several decades, and they’ve fallen into severe disrepair. But the old bloodlines should still be there on his mother’s side.”
”What are you looking for, exactly?” Hermione asked, truly curious.
Lucius lifted an elegant brow at her. “Evidence. If I’m not back within the hour, find a safe place to go for the night. Our wards should hold.”
Hermione nodded slowly. “Alright. But I need to put away these potions ingredients, and there’s a book I need borrow from your library.”
Lucius nodded. “I believe I know the one. ‘Creature Inheritances Of Olde?’” He snorted at the banal title.
”Yes.”
“Please, allow me. I’ll return with it, even if I’ve no news from the estate.”
”Thank you.”
”Never say I’ve never done you a good turn.”
Rolling her eyes at his arrogance, she watched Lucius Disapparate and turned to her task.
Lucius stopped home, retrieved the book and alerted his family. He subsequently arrived at the Prince family manor with Narcissa and Draco by his side.
“What are we looking for again, Father?” Draco asked, still reeling that his uncle Severus had turned into a werewolf, possibly from a blood inheritance. He felt his skin crawl and felt paranoid, beginning to wonder if there was something lurking in the Malfoy bloodline as well.
Lucius took a deep breath and glanced at Draco, trying not to roll his eyes at the boy’s predictability. “We’re here to help Severus, not let our imaginations run rampant, Draco.”
Draco’s eyes went wide, still amazed at his father’s ability to mind read.
Lucius started forward, his voice quieter so they had to strain to hear him. “We owe your godfather many times over, and he called in the life debt.”
Draco nodded to himself.
“Why not ask Fenrir?” Narcissa questioned her husband softly. “Severus is a werewolf, after all. Aren’t there similarities between being bitten and becoming one from creature inheritance?”
Lucius snorted. “He wouldn’t know anything about bloodlines and creature inheritance. The man’s a cretin. Ah, here we are.” He pushed the great oak doors of the library open with difficulty. Thick layers of dust billowed up in their wake and Lucius made a disgusted moue at their shoes and bottoms of their robes covered in decades of detritus.
He heard gasps from behind him. Lucius smirked, knowing that the Prince library was as vast, if not quite as old, as the Malfoy’s.
“Just where are we supposed to look for the bloodlines?” Draco asked, looking around, amazed at the echoing space that surpassed even his own family’s pretentious library.
“Unlike our line, many other pureblood families would hide the wall. It could be anywhere on the estate. The most common places to hide one would be in a large crypt, an attic space, behind a wall, or disguised as a mural in a library. It’s a very simple incantation to reveal such a thing, if one knows how to.”
”Which your father and I do,” Narcissa added unnecessarily.
”Is that all we’re looking for?” Draco added.
”That is a good question, son. No. We are also here to search for not only evidence of a creature inheritance, but anything else to that will help Severus claim it, overcome it or very rarely - cure it.”
Being careful to disturb very little, the Malfoy family made their way into the interior of the library, only pausing to Vanish the thick layers of dust under their feet.
”Spread out. Touch nothing. Do not speak to anything. Do not remove anything more than dust. If you find something out of the ordinary, simply return to this -“Lucius looked at the large, ornate study table barely recognizable under the decades of dead flowers and books. It looked as if someone had left it suddenly, the table strewn with debris, “-this mess,” he concluded.
They all acknowledged one another and fanned out.
Meanwhile, Hermione busied herself chopping, slicing and dicing ingredients. She didn’t want to take the chance of merely putting the ingredients in stasis, lest they spoil due to not being prepared on the night they were gathered, and such a rare one as the Blood moon, at that. She snorted to herself, hearing Severus haranguing her in her head lest she do less than a perfect job of it.
Nervously, she listened to Severus howl at the very same Blood moon.
Sighing, she placed each ingredient in jars and shelved them before deciding, against her better judgment, to check on his condition.
Wand in hand, she carefully walked to the wards and lowered them, keeping her wand handy. “Severus?” she asked softly, laying a hand on the wooden door.
She heard shuffling noises behind the thick door, like sniffing and - was that licking?
Carefully, she opened the door to peek in, bracing her body against it, ready to cast it shut in Severus’ face if he tried to charge through.
She gasped. Severus had turned into a black wolf, his obsidian eyes glittering from the moonlight bathing the space through the windows. The red tinge seemed to soak into everything, enchanting it, adding to the allure of his dramatic change. He sat down, waiting patiently for her, as if he wanted her to come to him.
Hermione bit her lower lip. On impulse, she stepped through the door. Leaving it slightly ajar, she walked closer to him on the top landing to the cellar. He came to her, sniffing, rubbing on her, allowing her to touch his fur. Her bravery and adrenaline fueling her, Hermione lowered her wand and put it away. Severus’ tail wagged in an almost friendly manner. She ran her hands through his fur, soft, thick and luxurious. “It’s almost like a plush rug,” she murmured, heartened when Snape pushed his nose into her again.
Suddenly, Severus’ heightened senses picked out someone else in the shop. He let out a small growl towards the door, stiffening and going on point.
“Severus?” Hermione had her wand drawn towards the door as Lucius poked his head around it.
“Miss Granger, this is unwise!” he stated, but then saw Severus’ scowl, and teeth bared at him for interrupting them.
He decided to come closer, holding out books. “We found them at Prince Manor. We were unable to locate your mother’s bloodline. I don’t think there is a cure, Severus. There might be a magical, so-called loophole, but one would need to search for it, as I haven’t had the time as of yet. I am handing these books to Hermione, so please do not attack me.”
Severus sniffed the books, recognized the familial Prince scent, and stepped back.
Lucius handed the books to Hermione and retreated back upstairs.
Hermione blew a strand of hair when she looked at the old books. Severus gave her a nudge, telling her to go ahead and research his condition. She kissed his furry head, made sure he had some water and food before warding the door, and headed back upstairs.
She found Lucius with a concerned look. “Are you going to be alright?” he asked the young witch.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll Owl you in the morning. Or better yet, have breakfast with us so we can discuss the situation,” Hermione suggested.
“Agreed. Good night.” Lucius bid her farewell as he activated the Floo network to his home.
She eyed the scotch when he left and shook her head. “I need to be thinking clearly while researching his condition. I just hope there’s a cure.”
She brewed some coffee instead.
Morning came and Severus found himself naked and shivering from transforming back. He Summoned his wand and cast a non-verbal Tempus, figuring he had enough time to head upstairs, take a long shower, and dress in clean clothes. He glanced at his tattered robes and sneered.
Now human, he dismantled the wards Hermione had re-erected and went upstairs. Severus blinked, observing Hermione asleep on top of the splayed-out books.
Making up his mind, he gently picked her up in his arms. The wolf’s sense of smell told him she had had coffee, and also smelled of Lucius. The night still fresh in his veins, he still retained his heightened awareness to a degree.
He growled softly, not wanting to wake her up. She’s mine. Lucius can just leave well enough alone, he thought possessively, holding her a bit closer and not at all dismayed or surprised by the thought.
Severus lay her down on his bed, pulling a light blanket over her. He grabbed some towels and headed to the shower. Cold shower, I think, he mused.
Once showered and with fresh clothes on, he checked on his apprentice who was still sound asleep. He smelled bacon and eggs cooking. His eyes narrowed, wondering who the hell was downstairs making breakfast.
He crept downstairs, wand drawn, then was surprised to see Lucius and his family fixing breakfast. Am I still dreaming? Lucius doing a such a mundane task as cooking? My my, he has changed.
Severus slipped his wand into his dragon-hide boot as he made his way towards the table. “Why Lucius, I am surprised.”
Lucius turned around and smirked. “It’s the least we can do for you, old friend. Now where is Miss Granger?”
“She’s asleep. Been up researching all night. And she’s mine,” Severus growled possessively to his old friend before sitting down at the head of the table.
Hermione blinked, stretching as she slowly woke up and smelled breakfast cooking. She shot out of bed, realizing that she wasn’t in her own bedroom, but Severus’. She quickly took a shower, put on fresh clothes, tied her hair back and headed downstairs to hear soft chatting amongst the Malfoys and Severus.
“Any luck on finding a cure?” Lucius asked softly, pulling a chair out next to him as he ignored Severus’ scowl.
“I think I might have one. But I do wish to discuss it with Severus first.” She shot a coy look at the moody wizard before tucking into her food.
After breakfast, Narcissa insisted they clean up the mess.
Hermione led Severus into his personal study, locking and silencing the room, knowing how Lucius liked to eavesdrop on their personal conversations. She suddenly found herself up against the door with Severus kissing her.
“Severus…we have…no time for this…” she gasped, struggling to tell him between frantic, unexpected kisses. “Your transformation started during the blood moon last night, we don’t know if you’ll transform tonight during the normal full moon. We have to test that theory…” She was breathless as he kept kissing her.
“Show me,” he growled, intimating that he wanted her company for more than research purposes. He liked the prospect of having her all to himself tonight, even if they hadn’t broached the subject. Severus gently let her go.
Hermione straightened her clothes before showing him the chapter about Creature inheritances and Blood moons. “It says here that if the bond is familial, this will only happen during a Blood moon. The Malfoys didn’t find anything at the old manor that suggested an inheritance, so we’re operating on assumption since your first transformation happened last night during the Blood moon. If it’s an inheritance, it should only happen during those times. And they don’t happen very often, so are easy to plan for and recover from. You would retain the same animal characteristics of werewolves that transform during full moons but without the initial pain you suffered last night.”
”That doesn’t sound so bad. Go on,” he murmured, leaning in close to her ear as he licked outline of the shell. He smiled into her hair as Hermione shuddered under his big nose.
Breathing a deeply, Hermione soldiered on. “Luckily, there is only one more Blood moon this year, and two next year. They will occur on these dates,” she indicated to a parchment she’d written on and used to mark her place in the book.
"But we won’t know if this is absolutely true until we test it out tonight. I would prefer not to be locked in my basement lab, if that’s alright with you. I didn’t seem to be aggressive towards anyone.”
”Only Lucius, when he…. came near me with the books… would you stop doing that!” she huffed, unable to concentrate with the dark wizard sniffing her hair.
”I can’t seem to help myself. Chalk it up to … research. I seem to recall a passage in another volume about violence being quelled within a Creature if he or she claims a mate and has complete, unfettered access to such a theoretical person during the time of their Change. Do you recall this information, Miss Granger?” he inquired in a low, honey-filled voice, finally standing behind her. His long, tapered fingers found her shoulders and began to massage, ushering a groan from the lovely witch he was suddenly captivated by.
”I … um …. yes - seem to recall the same thing. Let me check.” Hermione hurriedly flipped pages and found what she was looking for. She pointed to the passage in question and read it back to him.
”Excellent.”
”There’s only one problem, Sir,” she yelped on the last bit as he hit a knot in her shoulder blade.
”And that is?”
”I suppose this isn’t really a cure, as you’ll still be subject to the inheritance, but it would be tamed from a permanent mating. Which brings me to the point, where are you going to find a mate on such short notice?”
Severus wondered if the witch really was that dense, or if she was in denial. They’d been dancing around one another for a full year. Despite his hints, she’d picked up on none of them, or chosen to ignore them. Now seemed a rather opportune time to make his move. Grasping her by a handful of curly hair and leaning her head backwards, he addressed the mildly surprised and frightened witch with a feral grin. “Where do you think?”
Hermione gasped in surprise when he guided her from the chair with firm hands and backed her against the full front of him. She felt a very firm bulge pressing against her backside. “Me?” she squeaked out, truly stunned, even as that little voice in the back of her head sneered at her denial.
”Yes, my dear, you,” he confirmed, licking her neck again and holding her still. He fell utterly quiet as if listening for something.
”What is it?” she whispered, tangling her fingers in the ones now splayed against her right hip.
”I do believe the Malfoys have departed from the shop. We’re alone.”
”Is that a good thing?” she continued, sotto voce.
“Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t know.”
He chuckled heavily against her ear, continuing his nuzzling there and enjoying the slight sound that escaped from her throat.
“How much time do we need to prepare?” Hermione asked suddenly. She found herself turned very quickly in Severus’ arms, and he stared at her intently, studying her like an insect pinned under lights. “What?”
A nonverbal Tempus confirmed they had eight hours of remaining daylight.
“Hermione,” he began, then looked away, letting his hair fall over his eyes.
“Yes?”
“A moment,” he murmured, inhaling sharply before continuing, “this will be permanent. You will, essentially, be my wife. My bound mate. It is unalterable. Are you - reasonably sure you want to do this …. with …. me?” His last note dwindled to barely a whisper, as if his hope was dying out with the word.
A fierce loyalty reared its head within her heart and she gently pulled his chin around to face her, pushing hair out of his eyes, seeking him out. The vulnerability in his eyes shook her to her core and sealed her decision. How had she not seen the love there? Not felt what he’d been trying to tell her with his actions? It was an error she meant to rectify, that very instant.
“You’re the only man I want,” she stated firmly. “Wolf or no wolf, I want YOU, Severus. I want US. Here. Tonight. Just you and me.”
“Oh, Gods,” he exclaimed, crushing her to his chest in a rush of emotion. “And you shall have me, dear girl. All of me.”
It seemed like the longest, and shortest, day of their lives. Both agreed they needed to separate, lest they rush things. After botching two simple potions, he gave up and Vanished them, opting to polish his glassware by hand with a vengeance. She stared out the window and planned their future mentally.
The moment the sun went down the pair solemnly took one another in hand, she smiling shyly up at him, and a rare grin cracking past the smirk that perpetually graced his lips in her presence. They walked a fair distance, having decided on the location beforehand, to be on the safe side, per the book’s instructions.
The moon rose, not as bloody as the night before, but with tinges of light that should theoretically satisfy the binding.
“What now?” he asked, his breathing growing heavy. There was no evidence of transformation, but he felt the same prickly, full feeling within, as if his soul was too big for his body. “Hermione, I need….” he trailed off, unable to articulate the wealth of feeling.
“I know what you need.”
His breath seemed to stop with time as she slowly stripped before him. With no hesitation or embarrassment, her robes, jeans, shirt and underclothing dropped one by one. It was one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen in his life.
“Your turn.”
“Oh, right.”
Hermione bit back a snicker as he snapped out of his awed trance, frantic to undress.
“You’re a wizard, Severus,” she teased, whirling her finger in the air for him to get on with it.
He snarled softly at her audacity but Divesto’ed his clothing. Severus was on her so quickly she hardly had time to absorb the movement.
“Make love to me.”
“Gods, yes,” he breathed, lowering her to the bare ground.
The dark wizard kissed down the length of her body, savoring each and every bit of luscious skin he came across. By the time he reached her soft mound she was moaning and pushing against his head in excitement and impatience. While he’d normally wish to take his time, this wasn’t a time for games.
Spreading her legs to him, he groaned at the slick well between her thighs and dove in, his tongue probing, licking, tasting and feasting on her pot of honey like a man starved. The surrounding forest seemed to stand still, waiting with bated breath while Hermione keened her orgasm to the heavens.
She tried to rise to reciprocate but the urge was upon him and Severus could no longer wait. With one look, he quieted her actions and placed himself at her entrance, pausing for her to give him permission.
“Fuck me, Severus!” she cried and his eyes rolled back as he plunged into her waiting heat.
It felt like home.
The prickly heat enveloped his entire body and all pleasure diffused throughout his system. He didn’t know where he ended and she began. The feeling of fullness dissipated with their mating, and he took her strongly and thoroughly, raising himself on his forearms in the dirt and leaves so he could watch the sensations parade across her beautiful face.
“I think I love you, witch,” he breathed, at once appalled and joyous the words had slipped from his mouth, unbidden, but ringing true with their union.
“Oh god, Severus, I …. I….” and she cried out from a particularly hard thrust, holding onto his waist, trying to pull him deeper into her.
“Shhh. You don’t need to say it now. Just feel.”
Severus grit his teeth, that familiar warning pulse beginning in his groin. Desperately he thrust faster and harder. “Play with yourself!” he demanded, taking her strongly, loving her gasp at the end of each jerk.
Obediently her hand went down and she plied her full, aching clit with skill and vigor. “Oh fuck, Severus, I’m coming!” she cried out, her hot pussy clamping down around his cock with enormous pleasure and satisfaction.
“Fuck yes, witch, come on my cock you gorgeous bitch,” he growled. Briefly his mind registered the epithet and discarded it as unimportant. In the heat of the moment, he instinctively knew she’d understand. He was a goddamn wolf, after all.
“Severus, Severus, only you… only you,” she chanted, pulling on his arse more strongly and causing the wizard to cry out and stiffen in amazement, coming strongly inside of her, jerking helplessly, tight against her groin as it continued on and on.
Finally, he collapsed on her, searching out her mouth and kissing the witch with as much passion his exhausted body and mind could offer. He rolled to the side and groaned.
Hermione giggled and covered her mouth.
“What?” he asked, sated and breathless. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“You kept up pretty well. For an old man.”
“Hey!” Severus propped himself up on his elbows and narrowed his eyes. “I’m not old.”
“Then come here and convince me,” she replied as coyly as possible with twigs and leaves stuck in her hair.
“Do you think the enchantment took? I don’t feel any different,” he frowned.
Hermione knew something had happened. She cocked her head. “Yes. I feel - lighter somehow - and completed. Like I found something I didn’t know I was waiting for, and now that it’s here, I wonder how I ever lived without it.”
“Really?” He looked at her, impressed and dismayed he didn’t feel the same way. Just as he was about to crawl into her embrace he stiffened and fell back, arching his back and crying out. “Ahh! Gods, fuck!”
“Severus, what is it?” Hermione cried, alarmed. She scrambled over to him, hovering but not daring to touch him.
“I don’t know! Just …. stay where you are - ah!” He grit his teeth, unwilling to show her just how much pain he was in. He’d gone through much worse under the Cruciatius. This wasn’t pain from an injury. It was different. Like the pain when he’d turned, only not as bad.
Hermione sat up, alternating between reaching out for him and snatching her hand back as he thrashed back and forth, his head whipping from side to side in agony.
All at once the moment ended, Severus gasping in huge lungsful of air.
“What the hell was that?” Hermione asked tremulously, filled with a rush of emotion she dared not yet call love, and extreme concern at the unknowns they were encountering.
“I wish I knew,” he gasped, crying out again as a burst of light erupted from his chest, a blinding ray of power that disappeared into the heavens. He sagged, his entire body flaccid when it abruptly stopped again.
“Severus!” she cried, interrupted when her body was cast backward into their makeshift nest, that same shot of power now reversing from the heavens and pouring itself into the flesh of her chest.
“Hermione!” Severus stretched out and hooked his fingertips through hers when it stopped again.
For long moments, neither spoke, simply breathing, waiting, and listening to the sounds of the forest re-igniting around them. Slowly, so slowly, they drew together, and their bodies tingled, electric, where they touched.
“I - I think we’re bound,” Hermione stated, laughing slightly as she turned her head in reaction to his snort at her penchant for stating the obvious.
“No kidding.”
“Any regrets?”
“None.”
She brushed the hair and leaves away from his temples, leaning in to kiss him. “I guess this means you’re stuck with me.”
“Ha.” He snorted again and flicked his black eyes to her, emphasizing back at her, “YOU are stuck with ME.”
“I know. And there’s no one I’d rather be bound to.”
“Really? Truly?”
“Yes. Forevermore.”
They sealed that declaration with another physical confirmation of two lives bound, completed, always remembering the fateful day their two lives became one.
Author: Anonymous for now
Summary: Severus’ life is irrevocably changed by a creature inheritance he knew nothing about, with an added bonus of one curly haired witch.
Prompter:
ragwort_mothPrompt: Either Snape or Hermione comes into a creature inheritance, doesn’t matter what kind of paranormal creature, anything will do. Snape is possessive of Hermione.
Warnings/Content: creature inheritance, romance, au, fluff, drama, Lemons
Notes: Many thanks go to my beta for helping me out with this fic!
Read on AO3 / Read on LiveJournal
Severus Snape stumbled into his apothecary, gasping in pain. It was sudden and sharp, not knowing what came over him.
The bright blood moon was rising above him, and he hoped that his assistant, Miss Granger, would be alright gathering ingredients on her own and without his help.
Another blast of pain hit him. “I’ve got to figure out what’s going on.”
Stuttering with shock, he managed to make his way to the Floo. Throwing in the powder, he called out, “Lucius Malfoy.” Not bothering to wait for an answer, he simply shouted, “Lucius, if you are available, please come at once!”
Another, sharper, hotter pain struck him down to his knees, feeling as if his heart was being squeezed in a vise. When it eased, he gasped, “This is a matter of life and death. Damn and blast, man, I protected your son. The least you can do is answer my call.” He collapsed to the floor, the wind knocked out of him as his heart was crushed against his ribs.
He was gasping for breath when Lucius stepped through the Floo, nearly tripping over him and mussing his immaculate robes.
Brushing the soot off fine, dark green fabric, and clutching his cane for support, Lucius retorted irritably, “Severus, couldn’t this wait until morning? I…” His voice trailed off as he noticed his friend on the floor, obviously in severe pain. Starting himself into action, he ran forward and knelt down beside the wizard. “Severus! How can I be of assistance!?”
The pain in his chest easing, Severus grudgingly accepted his friend’s hand, letting himself be pulled up. Lucius nodded at him encouragingly. “There you get.”
”I’m not a child,” Severus snarled at him, crying out as a spasm nearly crippled him, his back arching. ”Fuck!”
“I think you’d better sit.”
Severus wanted to snap at Lucius for being so pedantic, instead gritting his teeth when he felt a twisting sensation in his abdomen. “Leave me alone,” he gasped, bending over once more.
”Tut, tut, manners,” murmured the pureblood, stepping away to observe. “You’re obviously going through some sort of transformation.”
”Don’t be stupid,” Severus sniped back at him. “I’ve done nothing to warrant such a--FUCK!” He howled, eyes rolling back momentarily. He turned back to Lucius, irritated at the man’s blond brows both raised in surprise.
”Or better yet…” Lucius found a mirror lying next to him and held it up to the former spy.
Severus stared at his reflection: Hairy face, nose elongated, and were those furry ears?
“Hell, no I’m not turning into a blasted werewolf!” he snarled, the sentence ending in another expletive as his joints dislocated, his body bulking and busting through his clothing. He headed for the cellar, the higher function in his brain starting to recede.
Lucius withdrew his wand from his cane, training it on Severus’ furry, robed back. But he followed him down to the cellar.
’Snarl!’ “Lock me in, Lucius.” ‘Snarl, snap!’ “I’m - ah!” ‘Whine!’ “My apprentice - must not harm -” ‘Ahwooooo!” followed the end of the transformation.
Lucius quickly backtracked up the stairs and out the door, warding it with the strongest charms he knew of. He glanced backwards at Miss Granger traipsing into the room with her arms full of freshly picked potion’s ingredients. “Miss Granger! Assist me!”
Surprised and wide-eyed, she nearly dropped the precious ingredients in her haste. “Mr. Malfoy! What in Merlin’s name are you doing!”
”Locking Severus in the cellar. Assist me, immediately!”
She looked at him warily, not entirely sure he wasn’t crazy, but instincts told her not to argue. “Alright, but you need to explain yourself after this, or I’m calling the Aurors.”
When Lucius simply nodded tightly, concentrating hard on his work, she joined him, and after a tense few minutes, Lucius was satisfied the door would hold. However, he hadn’t cast a Silencing charm and the alarming slam of a body against the aged wood made Hermione nearly jump out of her skin.
”Wha- what was that?” she asked shakily, pointing at the door. “Was that Severus?”
Lucius nodded tightly, his jaw set in a grim line.
“Merlin, is he alright?” Hermione asked shakily, backing up until her knees hit a chair and she collapsed into it heavily.
The Malfoy patriarch sighed, poured some firewhiskey and handed it over to her, and one for him. “It seems that Severus has unwittingly either been bitten by a werewolf or been locked into a creature inheritance. I’m assuming it has it something to do with the Blood moon. He is turning into a werewolf. I need to search the Prince family line at the old manor, and if that doesn’t turn up any clues, see if we can cure him.”
Hermione’s heart started to race. “A werewolf? And you didn’t see any scratches on him, at all?”
Lucius looked at Hermione like she had grown two heads. “I was only summoned moments ago, and hardly had time to examine him.”
Hermione’s mind raced. Her quick mind was starting to formulate a plan of action, but she needed to do some research first. “He must be so scared.”
Lucius snorted. “He’s probably pissed off.”
Hermione’s eyes widened as she realized suddenly where they’d locked him. “I have to get down there, he has at least four cauldrons of expensive, time-consuming potions brewing in his lab!”
Lucius chuckled. “I’d like to see the look on his face when he transforms back and realizes all of the effort he’s wasted.”
Hermione stood, crossing over to the man and slapping him on the chest. “You’re supposed to be his friend!”
”Please, do control yourself. Severus has watched, gleefully, I might add, many times while I suffered under the Cruciatius, bestowed upon my person by our former Dark Lord. Turnabout is fair play, and all that.”
”You’re horrible.”
”Thank you.”
”If you’re not going to be of any use, you may as well leave!”
Lucius sniffed. “I shall. But first I’ll make a trip to his old family estates. He’s had nothing to do with them for several decades, and they’ve fallen into severe disrepair. But the old bloodlines should still be there on his mother’s side.”
”What are you looking for, exactly?” Hermione asked, truly curious.
Lucius lifted an elegant brow at her. “Evidence. If I’m not back within the hour, find a safe place to go for the night. Our wards should hold.”
Hermione nodded slowly. “Alright. But I need to put away these potions ingredients, and there’s a book I need borrow from your library.”
Lucius nodded. “I believe I know the one. ‘Creature Inheritances Of Olde?’” He snorted at the banal title.
”Yes.”
“Please, allow me. I’ll return with it, even if I’ve no news from the estate.”
”Thank you.”
”Never say I’ve never done you a good turn.”
Rolling her eyes at his arrogance, she watched Lucius Disapparate and turned to her task.
Lucius stopped home, retrieved the book and alerted his family. He subsequently arrived at the Prince family manor with Narcissa and Draco by his side.
“What are we looking for again, Father?” Draco asked, still reeling that his uncle Severus had turned into a werewolf, possibly from a blood inheritance. He felt his skin crawl and felt paranoid, beginning to wonder if there was something lurking in the Malfoy bloodline as well.
Lucius took a deep breath and glanced at Draco, trying not to roll his eyes at the boy’s predictability. “We’re here to help Severus, not let our imaginations run rampant, Draco.”
Draco’s eyes went wide, still amazed at his father’s ability to mind read.
Lucius started forward, his voice quieter so they had to strain to hear him. “We owe your godfather many times over, and he called in the life debt.”
Draco nodded to himself.
“Why not ask Fenrir?” Narcissa questioned her husband softly. “Severus is a werewolf, after all. Aren’t there similarities between being bitten and becoming one from creature inheritance?”
Lucius snorted. “He wouldn’t know anything about bloodlines and creature inheritance. The man’s a cretin. Ah, here we are.” He pushed the great oak doors of the library open with difficulty. Thick layers of dust billowed up in their wake and Lucius made a disgusted moue at their shoes and bottoms of their robes covered in decades of detritus.
He heard gasps from behind him. Lucius smirked, knowing that the Prince library was as vast, if not quite as old, as the Malfoy’s.
“Just where are we supposed to look for the bloodlines?” Draco asked, looking around, amazed at the echoing space that surpassed even his own family’s pretentious library.
“Unlike our line, many other pureblood families would hide the wall. It could be anywhere on the estate. The most common places to hide one would be in a large crypt, an attic space, behind a wall, or disguised as a mural in a library. It’s a very simple incantation to reveal such a thing, if one knows how to.”
”Which your father and I do,” Narcissa added unnecessarily.
”Is that all we’re looking for?” Draco added.
”That is a good question, son. No. We are also here to search for not only evidence of a creature inheritance, but anything else to that will help Severus claim it, overcome it or very rarely - cure it.”
Being careful to disturb very little, the Malfoy family made their way into the interior of the library, only pausing to Vanish the thick layers of dust under their feet.
”Spread out. Touch nothing. Do not speak to anything. Do not remove anything more than dust. If you find something out of the ordinary, simply return to this -“Lucius looked at the large, ornate study table barely recognizable under the decades of dead flowers and books. It looked as if someone had left it suddenly, the table strewn with debris, “-this mess,” he concluded.
They all acknowledged one another and fanned out.
Meanwhile, Hermione busied herself chopping, slicing and dicing ingredients. She didn’t want to take the chance of merely putting the ingredients in stasis, lest they spoil due to not being prepared on the night they were gathered, and such a rare one as the Blood moon, at that. She snorted to herself, hearing Severus haranguing her in her head lest she do less than a perfect job of it.
Nervously, she listened to Severus howl at the very same Blood moon.
Sighing, she placed each ingredient in jars and shelved them before deciding, against her better judgment, to check on his condition.
Wand in hand, she carefully walked to the wards and lowered them, keeping her wand handy. “Severus?” she asked softly, laying a hand on the wooden door.
She heard shuffling noises behind the thick door, like sniffing and - was that licking?
Carefully, she opened the door to peek in, bracing her body against it, ready to cast it shut in Severus’ face if he tried to charge through.
She gasped. Severus had turned into a black wolf, his obsidian eyes glittering from the moonlight bathing the space through the windows. The red tinge seemed to soak into everything, enchanting it, adding to the allure of his dramatic change. He sat down, waiting patiently for her, as if he wanted her to come to him.
Hermione bit her lower lip. On impulse, she stepped through the door. Leaving it slightly ajar, she walked closer to him on the top landing to the cellar. He came to her, sniffing, rubbing on her, allowing her to touch his fur. Her bravery and adrenaline fueling her, Hermione lowered her wand and put it away. Severus’ tail wagged in an almost friendly manner. She ran her hands through his fur, soft, thick and luxurious. “It’s almost like a plush rug,” she murmured, heartened when Snape pushed his nose into her again.
Suddenly, Severus’ heightened senses picked out someone else in the shop. He let out a small growl towards the door, stiffening and going on point.
“Severus?” Hermione had her wand drawn towards the door as Lucius poked his head around it.
“Miss Granger, this is unwise!” he stated, but then saw Severus’ scowl, and teeth bared at him for interrupting them.
He decided to come closer, holding out books. “We found them at Prince Manor. We were unable to locate your mother’s bloodline. I don’t think there is a cure, Severus. There might be a magical, so-called loophole, but one would need to search for it, as I haven’t had the time as of yet. I am handing these books to Hermione, so please do not attack me.”
Severus sniffed the books, recognized the familial Prince scent, and stepped back.
Lucius handed the books to Hermione and retreated back upstairs.
Hermione blew a strand of hair when she looked at the old books. Severus gave her a nudge, telling her to go ahead and research his condition. She kissed his furry head, made sure he had some water and food before warding the door, and headed back upstairs.
She found Lucius with a concerned look. “Are you going to be alright?” he asked the young witch.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll Owl you in the morning. Or better yet, have breakfast with us so we can discuss the situation,” Hermione suggested.
“Agreed. Good night.” Lucius bid her farewell as he activated the Floo network to his home.
She eyed the scotch when he left and shook her head. “I need to be thinking clearly while researching his condition. I just hope there’s a cure.”
She brewed some coffee instead.
Morning came and Severus found himself naked and shivering from transforming back. He Summoned his wand and cast a non-verbal Tempus, figuring he had enough time to head upstairs, take a long shower, and dress in clean clothes. He glanced at his tattered robes and sneered.
Now human, he dismantled the wards Hermione had re-erected and went upstairs. Severus blinked, observing Hermione asleep on top of the splayed-out books.
Making up his mind, he gently picked her up in his arms. The wolf’s sense of smell told him she had had coffee, and also smelled of Lucius. The night still fresh in his veins, he still retained his heightened awareness to a degree.
He growled softly, not wanting to wake her up. She’s mine. Lucius can just leave well enough alone, he thought possessively, holding her a bit closer and not at all dismayed or surprised by the thought.
Severus lay her down on his bed, pulling a light blanket over her. He grabbed some towels and headed to the shower. Cold shower, I think, he mused.
Once showered and with fresh clothes on, he checked on his apprentice who was still sound asleep. He smelled bacon and eggs cooking. His eyes narrowed, wondering who the hell was downstairs making breakfast.
He crept downstairs, wand drawn, then was surprised to see Lucius and his family fixing breakfast. Am I still dreaming? Lucius doing a such a mundane task as cooking? My my, he has changed.
Severus slipped his wand into his dragon-hide boot as he made his way towards the table. “Why Lucius, I am surprised.”
Lucius turned around and smirked. “It’s the least we can do for you, old friend. Now where is Miss Granger?”
“She’s asleep. Been up researching all night. And she’s mine,” Severus growled possessively to his old friend before sitting down at the head of the table.
Hermione blinked, stretching as she slowly woke up and smelled breakfast cooking. She shot out of bed, realizing that she wasn’t in her own bedroom, but Severus’. She quickly took a shower, put on fresh clothes, tied her hair back and headed downstairs to hear soft chatting amongst the Malfoys and Severus.
“Any luck on finding a cure?” Lucius asked softly, pulling a chair out next to him as he ignored Severus’ scowl.
“I think I might have one. But I do wish to discuss it with Severus first.” She shot a coy look at the moody wizard before tucking into her food.
After breakfast, Narcissa insisted they clean up the mess.
Hermione led Severus into his personal study, locking and silencing the room, knowing how Lucius liked to eavesdrop on their personal conversations. She suddenly found herself up against the door with Severus kissing her.
“Severus…we have…no time for this…” she gasped, struggling to tell him between frantic, unexpected kisses. “Your transformation started during the blood moon last night, we don’t know if you’ll transform tonight during the normal full moon. We have to test that theory…” She was breathless as he kept kissing her.
“Show me,” he growled, intimating that he wanted her company for more than research purposes. He liked the prospect of having her all to himself tonight, even if they hadn’t broached the subject. Severus gently let her go.
Hermione straightened her clothes before showing him the chapter about Creature inheritances and Blood moons. “It says here that if the bond is familial, this will only happen during a Blood moon. The Malfoys didn’t find anything at the old manor that suggested an inheritance, so we’re operating on assumption since your first transformation happened last night during the Blood moon. If it’s an inheritance, it should only happen during those times. And they don’t happen very often, so are easy to plan for and recover from. You would retain the same animal characteristics of werewolves that transform during full moons but without the initial pain you suffered last night.”
”That doesn’t sound so bad. Go on,” he murmured, leaning in close to her ear as he licked outline of the shell. He smiled into her hair as Hermione shuddered under his big nose.
Breathing a deeply, Hermione soldiered on. “Luckily, there is only one more Blood moon this year, and two next year. They will occur on these dates,” she indicated to a parchment she’d written on and used to mark her place in the book.
"But we won’t know if this is absolutely true until we test it out tonight. I would prefer not to be locked in my basement lab, if that’s alright with you. I didn’t seem to be aggressive towards anyone.”
”Only Lucius, when he…. came near me with the books… would you stop doing that!” she huffed, unable to concentrate with the dark wizard sniffing her hair.
”I can’t seem to help myself. Chalk it up to … research. I seem to recall a passage in another volume about violence being quelled within a Creature if he or she claims a mate and has complete, unfettered access to such a theoretical person during the time of their Change. Do you recall this information, Miss Granger?” he inquired in a low, honey-filled voice, finally standing behind her. His long, tapered fingers found her shoulders and began to massage, ushering a groan from the lovely witch he was suddenly captivated by.
”I … um …. yes - seem to recall the same thing. Let me check.” Hermione hurriedly flipped pages and found what she was looking for. She pointed to the passage in question and read it back to him.
”Excellent.”
”There’s only one problem, Sir,” she yelped on the last bit as he hit a knot in her shoulder blade.
”And that is?”
”I suppose this isn’t really a cure, as you’ll still be subject to the inheritance, but it would be tamed from a permanent mating. Which brings me to the point, where are you going to find a mate on such short notice?”
Severus wondered if the witch really was that dense, or if she was in denial. They’d been dancing around one another for a full year. Despite his hints, she’d picked up on none of them, or chosen to ignore them. Now seemed a rather opportune time to make his move. Grasping her by a handful of curly hair and leaning her head backwards, he addressed the mildly surprised and frightened witch with a feral grin. “Where do you think?”
Hermione gasped in surprise when he guided her from the chair with firm hands and backed her against the full front of him. She felt a very firm bulge pressing against her backside. “Me?” she squeaked out, truly stunned, even as that little voice in the back of her head sneered at her denial.
”Yes, my dear, you,” he confirmed, licking her neck again and holding her still. He fell utterly quiet as if listening for something.
”What is it?” she whispered, tangling her fingers in the ones now splayed against her right hip.
”I do believe the Malfoys have departed from the shop. We’re alone.”
”Is that a good thing?” she continued, sotto voce.
“Why are you whispering?”
“I don’t know.”
He chuckled heavily against her ear, continuing his nuzzling there and enjoying the slight sound that escaped from her throat.
“How much time do we need to prepare?” Hermione asked suddenly. She found herself turned very quickly in Severus’ arms, and he stared at her intently, studying her like an insect pinned under lights. “What?”
A nonverbal Tempus confirmed they had eight hours of remaining daylight.
“Hermione,” he began, then looked away, letting his hair fall over his eyes.
“Yes?”
“A moment,” he murmured, inhaling sharply before continuing, “this will be permanent. You will, essentially, be my wife. My bound mate. It is unalterable. Are you - reasonably sure you want to do this …. with …. me?” His last note dwindled to barely a whisper, as if his hope was dying out with the word.
A fierce loyalty reared its head within her heart and she gently pulled his chin around to face her, pushing hair out of his eyes, seeking him out. The vulnerability in his eyes shook her to her core and sealed her decision. How had she not seen the love there? Not felt what he’d been trying to tell her with his actions? It was an error she meant to rectify, that very instant.
“You’re the only man I want,” she stated firmly. “Wolf or no wolf, I want YOU, Severus. I want US. Here. Tonight. Just you and me.”
“Oh, Gods,” he exclaimed, crushing her to his chest in a rush of emotion. “And you shall have me, dear girl. All of me.”
It seemed like the longest, and shortest, day of their lives. Both agreed they needed to separate, lest they rush things. After botching two simple potions, he gave up and Vanished them, opting to polish his glassware by hand with a vengeance. She stared out the window and planned their future mentally.
The moment the sun went down the pair solemnly took one another in hand, she smiling shyly up at him, and a rare grin cracking past the smirk that perpetually graced his lips in her presence. They walked a fair distance, having decided on the location beforehand, to be on the safe side, per the book’s instructions.
The moon rose, not as bloody as the night before, but with tinges of light that should theoretically satisfy the binding.
“What now?” he asked, his breathing growing heavy. There was no evidence of transformation, but he felt the same prickly, full feeling within, as if his soul was too big for his body. “Hermione, I need….” he trailed off, unable to articulate the wealth of feeling.
“I know what you need.”
His breath seemed to stop with time as she slowly stripped before him. With no hesitation or embarrassment, her robes, jeans, shirt and underclothing dropped one by one. It was one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen in his life.
“Your turn.”
“Oh, right.”
Hermione bit back a snicker as he snapped out of his awed trance, frantic to undress.
“You’re a wizard, Severus,” she teased, whirling her finger in the air for him to get on with it.
He snarled softly at her audacity but Divesto’ed his clothing. Severus was on her so quickly she hardly had time to absorb the movement.
“Make love to me.”
“Gods, yes,” he breathed, lowering her to the bare ground.
The dark wizard kissed down the length of her body, savoring each and every bit of luscious skin he came across. By the time he reached her soft mound she was moaning and pushing against his head in excitement and impatience. While he’d normally wish to take his time, this wasn’t a time for games.
Spreading her legs to him, he groaned at the slick well between her thighs and dove in, his tongue probing, licking, tasting and feasting on her pot of honey like a man starved. The surrounding forest seemed to stand still, waiting with bated breath while Hermione keened her orgasm to the heavens.
She tried to rise to reciprocate but the urge was upon him and Severus could no longer wait. With one look, he quieted her actions and placed himself at her entrance, pausing for her to give him permission.
“Fuck me, Severus!” she cried and his eyes rolled back as he plunged into her waiting heat.
It felt like home.
The prickly heat enveloped his entire body and all pleasure diffused throughout his system. He didn’t know where he ended and she began. The feeling of fullness dissipated with their mating, and he took her strongly and thoroughly, raising himself on his forearms in the dirt and leaves so he could watch the sensations parade across her beautiful face.
“I think I love you, witch,” he breathed, at once appalled and joyous the words had slipped from his mouth, unbidden, but ringing true with their union.
“Oh god, Severus, I …. I….” and she cried out from a particularly hard thrust, holding onto his waist, trying to pull him deeper into her.
“Shhh. You don’t need to say it now. Just feel.”
Severus grit his teeth, that familiar warning pulse beginning in his groin. Desperately he thrust faster and harder. “Play with yourself!” he demanded, taking her strongly, loving her gasp at the end of each jerk.
Obediently her hand went down and she plied her full, aching clit with skill and vigor. “Oh fuck, Severus, I’m coming!” she cried out, her hot pussy clamping down around his cock with enormous pleasure and satisfaction.
“Fuck yes, witch, come on my cock you gorgeous bitch,” he growled. Briefly his mind registered the epithet and discarded it as unimportant. In the heat of the moment, he instinctively knew she’d understand. He was a goddamn wolf, after all.
“Severus, Severus, only you… only you,” she chanted, pulling on his arse more strongly and causing the wizard to cry out and stiffen in amazement, coming strongly inside of her, jerking helplessly, tight against her groin as it continued on and on.
Finally, he collapsed on her, searching out her mouth and kissing the witch with as much passion his exhausted body and mind could offer. He rolled to the side and groaned.
Hermione giggled and covered her mouth.
“What?” he asked, sated and breathless. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“You kept up pretty well. For an old man.”
“Hey!” Severus propped himself up on his elbows and narrowed his eyes. “I’m not old.”
“Then come here and convince me,” she replied as coyly as possible with twigs and leaves stuck in her hair.
“Do you think the enchantment took? I don’t feel any different,” he frowned.
Hermione knew something had happened. She cocked her head. “Yes. I feel - lighter somehow - and completed. Like I found something I didn’t know I was waiting for, and now that it’s here, I wonder how I ever lived without it.”
“Really?” He looked at her, impressed and dismayed he didn’t feel the same way. Just as he was about to crawl into her embrace he stiffened and fell back, arching his back and crying out. “Ahh! Gods, fuck!”
“Severus, what is it?” Hermione cried, alarmed. She scrambled over to him, hovering but not daring to touch him.
“I don’t know! Just …. stay where you are - ah!” He grit his teeth, unwilling to show her just how much pain he was in. He’d gone through much worse under the Cruciatius. This wasn’t pain from an injury. It was different. Like the pain when he’d turned, only not as bad.
Hermione sat up, alternating between reaching out for him and snatching her hand back as he thrashed back and forth, his head whipping from side to side in agony.
All at once the moment ended, Severus gasping in huge lungsful of air.
“What the hell was that?” Hermione asked tremulously, filled with a rush of emotion she dared not yet call love, and extreme concern at the unknowns they were encountering.
“I wish I knew,” he gasped, crying out again as a burst of light erupted from his chest, a blinding ray of power that disappeared into the heavens. He sagged, his entire body flaccid when it abruptly stopped again.
“Severus!” she cried, interrupted when her body was cast backward into their makeshift nest, that same shot of power now reversing from the heavens and pouring itself into the flesh of her chest.
“Hermione!” Severus stretched out and hooked his fingertips through hers when it stopped again.
For long moments, neither spoke, simply breathing, waiting, and listening to the sounds of the forest re-igniting around them. Slowly, so slowly, they drew together, and their bodies tingled, electric, where they touched.
“I - I think we’re bound,” Hermione stated, laughing slightly as she turned her head in reaction to his snort at her penchant for stating the obvious.
“No kidding.”
“Any regrets?”
“None.”
She brushed the hair and leaves away from his temples, leaning in to kiss him. “I guess this means you’re stuck with me.”
“Ha.” He snorted again and flicked his black eyes to her, emphasizing back at her, “YOU are stuck with ME.”
“I know. And there’s no one I’d rather be bound to.”
“Really? Truly?”
“Yes. Forevermore.”
They sealed that declaration with another physical confirmation of two lives bound, completed, always remembering the fateful day their two lives became one.
