Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Life Eternal	By : AlectoPerdita Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 10864 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Life Eternal

By Alecto Perdita

Chapter 9 - Blood Price

Beta'ed by Amanda Saitou

Rating: R

Posted: August 11, 2005

Revised: September 17, 2005

Warnings: Slash, HP/SS

Email: alecto.perdita@gmail.com

Site: http://cocytus.eternity-inc.net

Mailing list: http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/cocytus

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling, and is being used in this fanfiction for fan purposes only. All situations, opinions and characters not belonging to J.K. Rowling are the intellectual property of Alecto Perdita.

Severus watched the younger man still sitting in the grass with hooded eyes. Wesley hid a dangerous secret. The younger man didn�t try and explain himself any further; trailing off after naming the curse he had been saddled with. Severus didn�t need any of the bumbling explanation Wesley might have attempted to give. He may not know too much about the specifics of the Lifelust Curse, but he knew enough and it was dangerous. It really was a bit of a miracle that Wesley hadn�t killed him or any of his family yet.

But yet was the operative word in this case. It would only be a matter of time.

He was left with a dilemma once again. Should he allow Wesley back into the castle? A part of him screamed a quick and vigorous �no� in his mind. Why the other part of him hesitated to agree right away would take him a little while longer to figure out. Wesley was a danger to everyone, even to the vampire if given the chance. Not to mention, the vampire was also bent on having him. Wesley was like an unlucky penny that kept turning up time and time again.

He stiffened as a thought occurred to him.

�Wesley,� he snapped. �Did you kill those men found by the mire?�

Wesley jumped to his feet immediately. Severus watched as a multitude of expressions played across the youthful face with insult and horror being the most prominent. �How dare you?! How dare you insinuate something like that!� Wesley�s arms shot forward to shove Severus back. �I assure you, if I�m going to murder anyone in this village in cold blood, you�d be first.�

�How comforting,� Severus glared at the younger man and rearranged his grip on his wand. �I�d like to see you try.�

Wesley laughed. It was an eerie sort of sound that made Severus shift uncomfortably. �I wouldn�t fail, Professor. Believe me. You wouldn�t stand a chance if I wanted to.�

�Then it�s a good thing you don�t have any other homicidal intent outside the ordinary.� He was going to continue to test these waters.

The younger man deflated visibly, shoulders slumping as if all strength was drained from him. �Of course.�

�Then your vampire stalker must have fed off those men and killed them afterwards,� Severus frowned as he remembered the state the bodies were found in. �So he let Nott into the castle...�

�Someone would have still had to invite him in,� Wesley muttered. When Severus gave him a look, the younger man immediately shook his head. �Don�t look at me, I didn�t do it. I swear I didn�t. We should get back to the castle and warn everyone else. I don�t know how this is going to affect Shavonne�s recovery�� Wesley muttered.

He was about to protest the notion of Wesley returning to the castle when the younger man�s remainder of Shavonne made him remember something. Nott had said something yesterday. He didn�t think it meant anything even though it had struck a chord in him then, but if Abraham did truly let Nott into the castle�

She�s simply weak from her illness.

Suddenly, all he could hear was the sound of blood pounding in his ears. Nott shouldn�t have known Shavonne was sick. She made it a point not to tell anyone when she was at the party. Then it all suddenly fell into place like the pieces of a puzzle. Shavonne had met Abraham before and even conversed with him. The vampire�s silent communication to Severus at the Castle Arms Inn that day not so long ago suddenly became clear. Perhaps most telling were the two pin-hole marks he had thought to be insect bites and the subsequent rash that developed.

�Snape!� he finally blinked when Wesley screamed out his name. �You alright? You�re even paler than usual.�

�Shavonne��

It took only a second before Wesley�s gray eyes widened in sudden comprehension. Severus would have to give him more credit from now on. �Shit! You don�t think Abraham�s feeding off her? Is that why she�s sick?�

�The mediwitch said Shavonne�s blood was thin, as if she had magical anemia. She�s met with him that day at the inn. She may be under his thrall.�

Wesley blanched, his face becoming as white as snow under the moonlight. �Merlin! He may be angry enough to just go straight after her right now!�

He shoved Wesley to the side and started back toward the castle. Behind him, he heard the other man summon his wand before pounding footsteps followed right behind him.

~~~

Snape threw open the front doors with such force that the sound of their resulting impact with the walls echoed through the entire castle. Harry leaned against the open doorway, trying to catch his breath. He watched as Snape paused in the foyer for a second and was confused by this. Snape had run back to the castle as if the hounds of hell were nipping at his heel. Harry jumped when an unexpected shock of power, like particularly strong static shock, leaped from the doorframe into him.

Snape was calling up the wards.

The outline of the rune circle they had drawn for the ceremony appeared in the center of the foyer. Snape was right to be proud of these wards. They threatened to expel even Harry at the moment, but he thought that was probably due to the older man�s exceptional protectiveness at the moment. Yet the circle vanished as suddenly as it appeared. Whatever Snape had been trying to accomplish by calling up the wards must have failed.

Sinclair emerged from the hallway at the top of the staircase. �What the hell was that?�

Snape was already half-way up the stairs before he asked, �Where�s Shavonne?�

�She�s resting in her room.� Sinclair gave the older man a strange look.

�Is she alone?�

�No, M�re�s-� Snape�s cousin never got a chance to finish his sentence when the man bound past him. Harry jogged up the last few steps and was prepared to follow Snape when Sinclair grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. �What�s going on?�

�Vampire,� He huffed, still slightly out of breath. �No time to explain. Shavonne might be in danger.�

He and Sinclair were not far behind Snape when he hurled himself through the doors of Shavonne�s chamber. Sinclair cried out in outrage- an intriguing mix of rage and horror- when he saw the scene that greeted him, and Harry only tightened his grip around his wand. Siobhan was seated on the bed and staring at her daughter with unblinking eyes. Snape�s wand was trained on Abraham, who was holding a shaking and deadly pale Shavonne.

On Shavonne�s neck was the tell-tale wound of a vampire�s attack. Two gorged and bleeding holes, definitely larger than pin-sized, dotted the pale column of her neck. Harry began to wonder why they hadn�t noticed such wounds on Shavonne before, if Abraham had been feeding on her all along. Had he healed it in an effort to keep off their radars?

�How nice of you to join me for my meal?� Abraham gave them a toothy smile that showed his sharp teeth and full blood-stained lips.

Harry leaned against the frame. He was beginning to lose himself again. He could smell the scent of blood lingering in the air. To the curse, blood was almost as good as life. No, blood was life. He shook his head in a vain attempt to clear it but was lost when he caught Abraham�s eyes again.

�Bloody hell! Wesley, concentrate!� Snape�s voice pierced through the barrier of the world containing just him and Abraham.

�Right,� Harry shook his head again and stood just a little taller. His attraction to the vampire was wrong, and now he knew the reason for it. None of it was real. It was all induced by the curse and knowing that helped Harry to fight the irrational compulsions better.

�Let go of Shavonne!� Sinclair demanded as he charged forward at the vampire.

�No!� Snape roared but his wand never left its focus on Abraham.

He sprung forward and latched onto Sinclair�s arm, stumbling for a second but refusing to let the other wizard do something reckless. Sinclair�s body shook with suppressed rage. Another nauseating wave of desire washed over Harry and he leaned his weight more against Sinclair as a result.

�Watch Weasley and don�t do anything daft.� Snape ordered and moved toward Siobhan sitting on the bed.

Shavonne whimpered in Abraham�s grip. She squirmed and struggled to get away, but Abraham clamped his hands harder down on her waist.

�Are you going to try and save them all, Severus? How futile. You can�t even save yourself,� the vampire laughed. �Your magic won�t work again me, wizard. I may have been a Squib in life, but my transformation has gifted me with power you could never imagine.�

�You overestimate your own abilities, vampire.� Snape snarled and laid a hand on Siobhan's shoulder. He squeezed his hand around the mound to gain her attention. When he failed, he shook her not so gently.

Harry fumbled to hold up his wand, but when Abraham�s eyes fell on him, he felt his resolve begin to crumble again. Those eyes beseeched him to turn on Sinclair, and one part of him wanted to jump that opportunity. He dropped Sinclair's arm and moved toward Abraham.

�Cedric!� Sinclair�s hand shot out to grasp his wrist but Harry moved away too quickly. �What are you doing?!�

�That�s good,� Abraham cooed. �Come to my side, where you belong.�

�Wesley, get back there!� Snape barked.

Harry ignored Snape�s order and the implied threat of a painful and drawn-out death. He continued toward the vampire. When Snape�s wand moved from Abraham to him, Harry whipped his wand in his former professor�s direction and cast a disarming charm. He caught the wayward wand and sneered at the man.

Snape looked murderous, but he figured the older wizard was furious with himself for giving him even the smallest bit of trust. He held Snape�s wand tightly and took another step toward Abraham. He presented both wands to the vampire. Abraham loosened both his arms from Shavonne�s waist and the witch�s legs bucked under her weight. Knowing this would be his only chance, he threw all he could into his stunning spell and dove to catch Shavonne. He was surprised to find his spell cast through Snape�s wand as well.

Abraham stumbled back under the weight of both spells but did not succumb to even their combined strength. The vampire screamed in outrage, �How dare you? How dare you defy me?�

Harry caught Shavonne in his arms and moved back as the vampire advanced on him. �You hold no power over me, vampire. You have nothing that I want to give me.�

�You�re a foolish, foolish boy. I offered you everything.� Hellfire burned behind the blackness of Abraham's eyes.

Snape sprang to his feet and shouted. �My wand, Wesley.�

Just as Snape caught the wand Harry tossed to him, Abraham spun around and threw the older wizard back with a wide spread of his arms. Harry shoved Shavonne in Sinclair's direction and drew his silver dagger. He leaped forward, striking the area between the base of Abraham�s neck and collarbone. The silver sliced easily through the thin skin, and blood welled and spurted from the wound.

Abraham roared and knocked the dagger out of Harry�s hand. The dagger flew clear across the room. The vampire grabbed onto Harry�s wrist and pulled him against the vampire�s body. Blood soaked into Abraham's white shirt and Harry could feel it bleeding into his t-shirt. It was wet, sticky, and very uncomfortable. His senses abandoned him for a second when the vampire�s arms settled around his waist, but he quickly found himself after catching Snape�s intense gaze.

He was glad to see Sinclair had managed to catch Shavonne and the young witch had passed out. He smirked up at Abraham. �What�s wrong? Lost control of the situation?� he felt the pressure on his wrists increase. �Accio dagger.�

The vampire dodged to the side, pulling Harry along with him. The dagger flew just past them in a streak of silver. Jessica Apparated- was she even allowed to do that, Harry thought for one frantic second- suddenly into the room and shoved her open palm into the side of Abraham's face. The vampire yelped and jumped back, putting some distance between his and Harry�s bodies. Jessica snapped back her hand and dove for the hand holding Harry hostage. Abraham�s grip only loosened slightly, but it was enough for Harry to break away.

As he drew back, he made sure to pull Jessica back as well. The sudden scent of burnt flesh- burnt diseased flesh- filled the air. He glanced curiously at Jessica, and the woman smiled and held up her open palm to reveal the silver chain and cross pendant wound around her fingers.

�My patience is only so generous,� Abraham growled, the movement of his mouth drawing attention to the blackened cross shape burned into his suddenly sagging cheek. �They are the ones who are trespassing on my property, and the fact that their return has rendered no effect on me proves their blood is too weak. They have no rightful claim to this castle. You cannot expel me.�

Harry recalled Snape�s attempt to call up the wards earlier and knew it was the truth. Abraham couldn�t be kept from this castle for some reason, and it was something more than the fact Shavonne had probably invited him in.

�Want some more, vampire?� Jessica challenged.

Abraham sneered, showing off all his sharp teeth. �I have no interest in Mudbloods, much less a niger [1].�

Harry and Jessica ducked when a large bat dove down at them. It then swooped up and towards the open door. Snape followed, throwing several stunning curses in quick succession. When they all missed, he fired more malicious curses, but they all fell short. Snape took off after the bat and Harry screamed after him, �No, don�t, Snape! Worry about Shavonne first!�

~~~

Severus fired another Dark curse at the bat, but it dodged it by barreling in the air. The spell hit the wall instead and dissipated. It rounded a corner and out of his sight. He wasn�t going to give up the chase so easily. That creature had hurt Shavonne. It had hurt one of his heirs, laws and the Ministry be damned.

He took a moment to orient himself in the castle since the surroundings didn�t look familiar. Turning a corner, he found himself shrouded completely in darkness. Looking back, he found that the light spells stopped working just short of this particular corner. His suspicions were confirmed though.

It was the abandoned North Wing.

Severus whipped his wand in an upward arc and spelled for light. He scowled at the long dusty and cobweb-ridden corridor before him. It couldn�t be helped since not even the house elves were willing to approach this part of the castle. He did know this hallway was straight forward, so he could only advance forward.

He shone the light of his wand onto the bare walls. There was a time when those walls would have been littered with paintings, both Muggle and wizard, and other art pieces. Severus hadn�t lived in that time. Ignatius Snape had purged the castle of all objects Muggle in origin mid-19th century in the face of renewed and rising anti-Muggle sentiments. Subsequent Snapes had followed in that tradition and a cache of Dark Arts artifacts built up instead. Severus had sold almost everything when it came to him in the form of his inheritance. He couldn�t say he missed any of it.

He came to the dead end where a collapsed wall and part of the ceiling blocked the stairways to Uriel�s Tower. Yet he found no Abraham or bat. He had set up a spell perimeter to alert him, but there was nothing. Some color caught his attention out of the corner of his eyes. He turned to shed some light on it.

It was a painting, but the canvas was torn and folded over. He could tell that the paint was long faded from what little of the painting he could see. He moved closer to read the dusty name plate set into the frame. He cast a few spells to see if it had been booby-trapped first. His diagnosis came up negative.

Just as his fingers brushed against the frame, what he thought was a spot of faded paint started to glow red. More lines and curves came to life, and as Severus watched as the lines aligned and conjoined, he realized it was a blood seal. It was a severely weakened blood seal, but still one nonetheless.

At the same time his spell perimeter flared to life, Severus heard, �Do you understand now, Severus?�

He whirled around and threw a hex. The hex appeared to have hit Abraham, but its intended effect didn�t take place. A vampire�s immunity against a wizard�s magic was legendary, and that immunity only developed as a vampire aged. Perhaps age wasn�t a good choice of words.

Abraham continued. �You�re a brave wizard to confront me alone.�

�You have no intention of killing me yet. That I do understand.� Severus wasn�t going to let his guard down.

�That is true. I need you to understand first.�

�I, on the other hand, fail to see the need.� He raised his wand again.

The vampire shook his head sadly. �You�re too quick to draw your wand. Where is that famed Slytherin side now?�

Severus refused to rise to Abraham�s bait. The corners of the vampire�s lips quirked upwards, eyes burning with hellfire as he recited:

�Whilst you played wits against me, I was countermining you. And he, your best beloved one, is now to me, flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin; my bountiful wine-press for a while; and shall be later on my companion and my helper. He shall be avenged in turn; for not one of you but shall minister to his needs. But as yet he is to be punished for what he has done. He has aided in thwarting me. Now he shall come to my call. When my brain says �Come!� to him, he shall cross land or sea to do my bidding. And to that end this!� [2]

Darkness swarmed and dampened his light spell. Severus braced against an attack, but none came and the wave of blackness passed. The light returned and he found himself alone.

~~~

Severus rarely saw Hogwarts� hospital wing in such a state of chaos. There was only the seven of them, including Albus and Pomfrey. Shavonne was laid out on one of the sickbeds with Pomfrey pouring various potions down her throat. The rest of his family was crowded around the bed while Albus tried to calm them all down. Wesley stood all the way to the side and out of everyone�s hair. Usually Severus would have appreciated this, but it was just too suspicious with the events of this past evening.

�How is she?� He asked.

Pomfrey wiped the sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her robes. �Fine, she hasn�t ingested the vampire�s blood, so she hasn�t inherited his curse. She should be fine after she regenerates her blood over the next few days. However, she�s not allowed out of bed for at least another week.�

Severus nodded and stepped away from the bed. Siobhan grabbed a trailing arm and held on tight. He turned to glare at her, hoping to cow her into submission, but she returned the glare full force.

�You�re not going back alone,� she said with narrowed eyes.

�So you�re suggesting that we allow that monster free rein over the castle?�

�Of course not,� she shook her head. �But the wards-�

�Don�t work,� Wesley cut in as he approached the group. �The wards won�t expel Abraham. You�d have a better chance of expelling me from the castle since the wards don�t seem to react to Abraham at all. The Professor only got so far as to call up the wards. We all would have felt something if they at least tried to.�

�As much as it pains me to say it, Wesley is right,� he shrugged off Siobhan's hand. �I will have to confront the vampire.�

�We,� his aunt and Wesley blurted out in unison.

Albus interjected with his own advice. �Severus, there are proper channels to go through. Vampires have rights under our laws too.�

�You mean putting in a request to the Ministry and waiting as they dillydally about while that vampire sucks the entire village dry?� Severus snapped. �I will not.�

�Then I�m coming with you.� Siobhan insisted.

�No,� he and Wesley said simultaneously.

He stopped and stared at the younger man. Severus knew why he was so quick to object to Siobhan�s participation, but he wasn�t so quick to understand Wesley�s reason.

Wesley gave Siobhan an apologetic look, �I�m sorry, Siobhan. I know you�re a strong witch, but you fell so easily and deeply under Abraham�s thrall. You�d only put yourself in danger�s way and we don�t want to see you get hurt.�

�We?� Severus asked.

Wesley simply looked around the hospital wing and said, �I think I�d make pretty good bait.�

He finally understood the unspoken words. Wesley knew he was expendable to Severus in a way his family would never be. There was no way he was going to place Siobhan and the others in the path of danger, but he would do that with Wesley. Yet something inside his chest twisted at the thought. �He does have an unhealthy fixation on you.� He muttered and wondered why Wesley would be volunteering for something like that.

�Tell me about it,� the younger man snorted and then appeared thoughtful for a moment. �I would like to request permission to go into London tomorrow though.�

Severus turned to face the younger man fully. �Why?�

�There are some items I have stored away there that might be useful.�

He closed the space between them and did his best to loom over Wesley. �What makes you think you still have a job to ask for leave from after tonight? He has a strenuous hold over you as well and that curse� You�re a liability now, Wesley. I should turn you away right now.�

Wesley narrowed his eyes and glanced at Siobhan standing at his side. �Fine, you made me say it aloud. But you won�t, you can�t, and I won�t go anyway. Not until Abraham is dealt with. Even if I do leave, that doesn�t mean he�ll stop terrorizing this village. You want to get rid of him, but you don�t want to get your family involved. You don�t want to put them at anymore risk than they�re already in. I�m a different story. I�m expendable of sorts.�

Siobhan opened her mouth to interrupt, but Wesley wouldn�t let her, �Face it, to Snape here, I�m expendable. You�ve seen me fight off both Abraham and the curse. It�s under control.�

Severus suddenly leaned in and watched as Wesley shivered. All of the younger man�s strange reactions around him made sense now. It was that Lifelust Curse acting up. Severus admitted that he must closely resemble what Wesley was used to hunting. He saw what the younger man was attempting to do with this job. It was an effort to appease the curse- to compromise with the instinct it invoked.

�Would you kill him? Could you kill him?� That was the most important question of all.

�I will.�

He felt the rise of some twisted respect for the blonde. �I�m sure you won�t be missed for one day.�

Wesley almost smiled and Severus caught himself before an approving expression crept across his own features.

�Enough,� Albus commanded and the entire room fell silent except for the sound of Shavonne�s harsh breathing. �For now, you should stay at Hogwarts and devise a plan. This can be resolved without bloodshed.�

He was alarmed when Wesley snarled and a streak of red flashed through those gray eyes, �You can�t deprive me of my prey.�

A hushed silence fell over the room as Siobhan stared at the exterminator with something akin to horror.

Albus didn�t reply and only stared Wesley down. Wesley had no choice but to back down for the moment, and Severus wondered if he had made the right choice. Would Wesley really be able to control himself as he claimed he could?

�I arrange for a few guestrooms then and I�ll send for Miss Granger to see if she can help with anything.� Albus said in the self-assured manner he always spoke with. �Will you be returning to your quarters in the dungeon then, Severus?�

He nodded. He needed to research that Lifelust Curse in further detail.

~~~

Severus wasn�t surprised when Albus invited him up to his office for a cuppa. While he would have much rather not, the old coot had insisted. Tea service appeared immediately on the headmaster�s desk.

�Sit,� Albus commanded in that deceptively benign manner before serving the tea.

Severus had no choice but to obey and dropped into the armchair opposite the elderly wizard.

�Albus,� he greeted.

�Now Severus, you know that the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures isn�t going to be very happy if they find out you intend to kill a vampire. A vampire is classified as a Magical Being and not as a Magical Beast.� Albus set a cup before Severus before preparing his own.

�He�s a rogue vampire,� he growled. �Even if he does have rights as a sentient being under our laws, most parts of North Yorkshire are so sparsely populated by witches and wizards that I would fail to see the Ministry seeing this as a priority of any sort.�

The headmaster was quiet for a few seconds, �I will make some inquiries at the Ministry about the legal status of your rogue vampire. If he is indeed a sought after fugitive, we best leave it to the Ministry. We should not take the laws into our own hands.�

Severus gnashed his teeth to keep from saying anything more, to remind Albus of all the occasions during the war where they had done just that. Albus Dumbledore had selective memory in that area. He only needed to remember what suited him best at the moment.

�Do not worry, Severus, I shall be discreet in my inquiries.�

�That�s actually the least of my worries.� Severus grumbled as he stared at the cup of tea. He watched as steam reached up to grasp at the ineffable. That was how he felt at the moment, as if he was groping blindly about in the fog.

What was the missing piece of the puzzle here?

Albus serenely sipped his tea and then said, �I reckon that Mister Wesley must be of some use then. We don�t have many who follow his line of profession these days.�

�I trust him even less. Wesley has finally seen fit to tell me he is subject to the Lifelust Curse.� He snarled.

�A rather nasty dark curse if I recall correctly. How long ago was he cursed?� Albus asked curiously, but Severus knew every question the old man asked was done so for a reason.

�Six years now.� He grumbled and tensed in anticipation of Albus� reactions.

The elderly wizard stroked his beard and frowned. It was a deep dip of the lips. Severus recognized it to be the exact same frown the headmaster wore when contemplating the situation that would become the final battle with the Dark Lord Voldemort. �That only lends support to my assessment of him as a wizard.�

�And what is your assessment?� Severus asked.

�I believe that Mister Wesley is an unusually unique and gifted individual. His capacity for power appears to be more than what most could hope to achieve in lifetimes.�

The Headmaster�s words struck a chord deep in Severus and it only took a few seconds for him to realize why. Those were the exact same words Albus used to describe Harry Potter right before the boy started attending Hogwarts. He didn�t think Albus meant anything by using those words specifically, but one was never too sure with this man.

�Be that as it may, the boy is still a menace.� He snapped in return.

Albus broke into a grin at Severus� words. �Yes, I do realize that I said the exact same for Harry, and no, I did not mean anything else by it.�

�I, for one, find it hard to believe you would be unable to find Potter after all these years.� He folded his arms over his chest.

�Would you rather I have?� The old man asked.

He thought for a second. �No, I reckon Potter can take care of himself and would be better off doing so.�

Albus smiled sadly. �I always did know you never hated Harry as much as you claimed.�

Severus snorted. �If you are insinuating that Wesley is really Potter in disguise��

The headmaster gave him that look that made many wonder what more did this wizard know. �Would that truly be such an absurd possibility?�

�Yes!� Severus leaped to his feet. �I�ve taught the boy for seven years, I do believe I would know Potter�s ego anywhere. That you would even suggest that Wesley is-� he couldn�t bring himself to fully vocalize the thought. �It�s absolutely absurd.�

�Severus, had you truly ever gotten to know Harry beyond what you believed him to be?� Albus rose to his feet as well. �Just think, six years have passed, at least give the benefit of a doubt that the boy has now grown into a man.�

Severus glared at Albus, but he knew there was nothing to be gained from arguing with the Headmaster about Harry Potter. He sat down again reluctantly and reached for the cup of tea. It was cold now.

Albus shook his head and sat back down as well, �I assume you have made progress regarding your party crasher though.�

He almost snarled again. He hated hearing the word �progress� from Albus� lips, but he wasn�t sure why it irked him so. �Yes, Nott was under the thrall of that vampire. What will happen to him now?�

�Mister Nott is being held in the custody of the Ministry until his trial.� Albus� eyes glinted with a hard light.

Severus just nodded. There was no doubt Nott was going to be convicted on several different counts of murder, war crimes, and treason, and he felt no sympathy for his former student. He contented himself to his tea and waited for Albus to start again.

�I�ve sent an owl to Miss Granger, she�s at the Burrow at the moment. She says she�ll be here tomorrow morning. Mister Malfoy, Minerva, Poppy, and I are the last of the staff remaining in the castle at the moment.� Albus reported.

�Where are Draco and Minerva then? I find it hard to believe they would miss all this excitement.� He drawled.

�Mister Malfoy is having dinner with a distant relative at the moment, and I saw no reason to disturb his visitation.�

Severus suppressed the urge to scowl at the headmaster. �You�re right, he�ll return soon enough.�

Draco would have no choice but to return Hogwarts anyway. Much like himself, Draco was doomed to spend the rest of his life under the thumb of one Albus Dumbledore. But unlike himself, Draco didn�t have anyone to fight for his family estate when the Ministry had confiscated it after the war- like Siobhan had done for Severus. It may be years before an opportunity would present itself to Draco. What surprised Severus the most was Draco�s willingness to endure all of this, though he suspected one Hermione Granger made it easier.

�Minerva retired early after a rather taxing encounter with one of Hagrid�s beasts. She needs the rest and will be informed tomorrow.�

He scoffed, �Where is that oaf?�

�Hagrid is vacationing with Madame Olympia as he does every summer.�

Severus made a noncommittal grunt and sipped his cold tea again. �You�re going to insist that we stay, aren�t you?�

�Very much. This is for your safety too.�

�I still don�t see why you insist on inviting Granger back to the castle.�

The elderly wizard gave him a disapproving look, �Miss Granger is always free to go to and from this castle. I would never turn her away. She has wanted the opportunity to converse with Mister Wesley more ever since their meeting at Siobhan�s party. It may do her some good.�

He narrowed his eyes, �You�re planning something.�

Albus only shook his head sadly. �Must you always suspect me of some wily scheme, Severus? I only have all of your best intentions at heart.�

Severus set his cup and saucer down on the desk with a resounding clank and stood. �That�s all the more fearsome.� He swept out of the office before the headmaster could say anything in return.

*To Be Continued*

[1] Yes, I know nigger is spelled with two g's. Niger is a more archaic spelling and in Latin, is the root of the word. The idea of Abraham being a racist amuses me for some reason (not that I endorse racism or any of the -ism's by any stretch of the imagination).

[2] Almost direct quotation from famous vampire novel. 'Nuff said.

I swear full explanation of the Lifelust Curse, Peeves, and The Revelation next chapter.

As always, please R/R and thanks for all your reviews. See you next week!
- 9
- 10
- 11
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Life Eternal