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Dark Coil	By : gotsnape Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 4418 -:- 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
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Moving Along-

Let's see� usual disclaimers are in place.

Yep!

She owns them. I am just borrowing them.

Yep!

I update on a pretty regular basis.

Yep!

She don't.

Yep! And yep again.
Olivia ran.

The steady rhythm of breathing coupled with the cadence of feet carried the woman easily over the empty sidewalks of south London.

Strike with the heel. Roll onto the ball.

Strike with the heel. Roll onto the ball.

Olivia had started out with a brisk walk to warm the muscles she had ignored over the past few days in her concern over Professor Snape's predicament. Now she ran full out, glorying in the feel of oxygen enriched blood flowing like red gold through her veins. Stress leaked from her body in fresh, clean sweat, leaving her mind open and receptive. It felt good to be doing this once again.

Olivia did not regret the trick played out on the sleeping wizard back in the flat. "He's too noble for his own good." She thought to her self as she rounded another corner and cut across an abandoned street. Of course, there would be hell to pay when he finally awoke. Of that, she had no doubt. If he would only bend, accept the aid she and the others had to offer.

Well, he was used to being alone. Olivia would have to work hard to change that mind set, but after hearing his words of love, she knew it wouldwortworth the effort.

He was worth the effort.

The slight murmur of moving water trickled its way into her awareness and for the first time, Olivia recognized she was running along a grassy bank high above the sluggishly flowing river. There was a set of stairs leading to a concrete river walk, so she briskly skipped downwards and continued her run alongside the black water. The lights from the far shore danced over the rippling ebon surface reminding the young witch of�something, but it slipped away from her, barely noticed.

The air was cooler here and it carried with it the scents of diesel fuel, rotting things and a faint lingering tang of the far away open sea. Ahead loomed the hulking shadow of Battersea Bridge. Olivia sent her awareness out before her but could detect no human threat lurking in the darkness, waiting to spring out on some unwary jogger. The hissing of tires from a solitary car passing over the bridge caught her attention as she moved into the gloom of the massive structure, the sound magnified to an echoing roar by the high ceiling arching above her head.

In a moment she was once more running under the starless sky, the bright lights of the city erasing all evidence of their heavenly fire. Only the faintly glowing moon could be detected as it dipped towards the hidden horizon.

"How sad, " Olivia mused. "To live in such a place, and not be able to see the stars." Thoughts of Hogwarts and the nights spent wheeling in owl form under stars shining so bright they cast her shadow along the battlements and grounds, filled her mind and Olivia ran on, content.

Only to crash to her hands and knees, crying out in pain and surprise. Olivia sprang instantly to her feet, spinning around on the hard surface, looking about quickly, intently for who or what had struck her. All around was still, quiet.

But not calm. A suffocating, noxious horror hung over the area, an actual, physical presence. The rhythmic breathing that had been so easy moments ago became labored, as if her lungs were attempting to function under water. The atmosphere had turned cold. Not the clean, crisp bite of an autumn night, instead it was the sucking chill of a closed tomb. Dank, damp, forbidding. Unreasoning fear moved up Olivia's spine as a silent whimper began building in her throat. The sweat trickling down her neck became as sinister fingers attempting to clench themselves about her, choke her.

Turning, Olivia staggered once more into the shadow of Battersea Bridge. Darkness that should have been alarming became safe and welcoming as the sensation of near death slipped away. Twin rivulets of blood slid down her shins from both knees. Her palms stinging, Olivia gripped her upper arms, shivering as she glanced back at the spot of sidewalk behind her. She could not see anything out of the ordinary. The concrete slabs continued on their meandering way until they vanished out of sight in the dark. The light from street lamps above the river's edge cast their feeble yellow glow, but it was enough that Olivia could observe nothing lurking along the path.

Yet, there had been something there.

Olivia remained hidden within the comforting shroud cast by the bridge and studied the path before her. She shivered. Her breathing had returned to normal, her nerve endings were no longer screaming in horror, yet the touch of that�thing lingered on her skin like mist. Forcing her mind to calm, the witch analyzed her situation. Traces of magic lingered about her body. It was not the peaceful, healing magic of Hogwarts, but rather a sucking evil, a hungering, malignant presence, that desired to feed on the suffering and pain of others.

Tentatively, Olivia stretched out a finger of her awareness, probing for the limits of the evil. Just beyond the margin of the bridge's shadow she felt it, slick and cold, and immediately recoiled.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Olivia hugged her arms tightly around her ribs.

Gathering her self, she tried again, bolder this time.

Easily she slid along the boundary, barely impacting with her mind. Even that little bit of contact, that slight graze caused her stomach to lurch and her heart to hammer madly.

A ward.

Not a very subtle one at that. It was obviously engineered to make damn sure no one lingered in the area. But why was such a powerful ward placed upon this obscure stretch of the river? It made no sense�

Olivia whirled to face the water, it's drunken murmuring sliding past her feet. Staring out over the sparkling surface a gasp escaped as realization flooded in.

"Merciful Merlin!" She whispered fiercely, her eyes darting over the landscape. "My gods." This is where it had happened! The very spot where Severus had lay bleeding, where the young Muggle girl's body had been found. And where� green eyes quickly scanned the area.

There! The storm drain. Severus had crawled from that black hole following the wizard responsible for disposing of the murdered child's body. Cautiously, slowly Olivia crept closer to the edge of the ward. She felt the hair on her arms come erect as if pulled by static electricity, and then she was inside the ward itself. She was overcome with terror as her lungs and heart responded to an instinctual desire for flight. Steeling her resolve, Olivia began a search for the headwaters of the magical discharge. Impressions of intense fear and cold grew weaker as she got nearer the water so she turned her examinations to the high bluff rising up from the river's edge. Backtracking, the trembling witch forced herself to endure the increasing agony until she stood gasping and sweating before a heavy iron plate covering the entrance to the sewer. Whatever, whoever, was producing the filth flooding the area was in that black hole.

"I have to get Remus!" Olivia told her self, turning toward the bridge, fully intent on retreating to the safety of the flat and notifying the werewolf by phone. They could summon Aurors from the Ministry, flush out the vile creatures lurking under the city streets, hopefully putting an end to the terror and murder.

She paused, her eyes coaxed back to the sealed entrance. A niggling voice crept unbidden into her conscious. Go in. The voice urged. Go in and see what is hiding there.

"No!" Olivia hissed aloud.

You can do this. Would you put others in peril just so you might remain safely hidden away?

"No." Olivia repeated, this time with a lesser degree of conviction.

You are going to have to confront him anyway. Why not do it now?

Confused, frightened, Olivia rubbed trembling hands over her face.

There are things you need to know.

"I'm scared." Olivia admitted to the urging in her head.

You will not be alone.

A low grating sound took Olivia by surprise and she watched in amazed horror as the iron disk covering the drain slid heavily to one side leaving the opening yawning like a great gaping mouth. Tears mingled with sweat ran down her face as Olivia forced her feet to carry her to the pit. She sat gingerly on the edge allowing her legs to dangle into the darkness. Oliva spied a rusted metal ladder vanishing into the gloom. Images of Muggle horror movies flickered in her brain. The heroine would embark on reckless behaviors, armed with only a sputtering candle and a filmy nightgown. Olivia could almost hear the theatre audience calling out, "Don't go down there!" Placing her feet on the rungs and turning, Olivia made her descent.

Puddles of stagnant water dotted the floor of the drain. In the near distance, Olivia could hear a steady plop-plop-plop as more of the liquid leaked in from the street above. She stood in a feeble sliver of light and outside the dim circle, blackness closed in from every direction.

A thunderous clang! rang along the tunnel, total darkness fell and Olivia's head swiveled up to see that her exit had been sealed.

Pressing white knuckles to her mouth, Olivia choked back her screams.

************************************************************************

Laughing quietly, Hermione and Remus strolled up the walk to the flat, the young woman fishing through her handbag for the door keys. What had started as an excuse to leave Snape and Olivia alone had turned into a delightful evening for the pair of magic-users. Over dinner in a small family run diner, Hermione had brought Remus up to date on happenings in Hogwarts. The werewolf had been equally forthcoming with events in his life; moving back into his rundown family cottage, his work as a "magical exterminator" and his on-going search for a lycanthropy .
.

"The Ministry has written us off as a lost cause, you know." Lupin had informed the young woman, not without slight traces of bitterness tingeing his voice. "There are groups you know; Muggles would call them 'support groups', who are actively lobbying for reform and more research into the area. Makes it a bit easier knowing you are not alone, the only one. Wished I'd known it earlier." He took a sip of wine and watched interest grow in the brown eyes across the table. Chuckling in his mind, Lupin recalled Hermione's failed attempt at liberating the House Elves of Hogwarts. S.P.E.W had been a valiant concept, but was doomed to failure as the House Elves had refused to be liberated, had in fact, been highly put out with Hermione and her efforts. Miss Granger would be one to latch onto any cause that promoted the 'down-trodden', the abused or neglected members of society, so Lupin was not surprised when she clasped her hands together in excitement.

"Remus, that is super! Could you put me in contact with one of your groups? I have done loads of research into the phenomenon since you were with us. Perhaps I can contribute something."

Smiling, Remus had replied that he would be delighted.

Following their meal, the couple walked about the streets, chatting companionably over unimportant things, simply talking all the while casting surreptitious glances, one at the other. They did not touch, except for the occasional brushing of hands and arms in passing, but each one noticed the faint tingles and tremors brought on by this slight contact.

It had been Hermione's idea to take in a show, and Remus had readily agreed, reluctant for the evening end. While he was aware of their great age difference coupled with the unforgettable looming presence of his 'disease', Lupin found his was comfortable in Hermione's company. Her intelligent conversation, the sound of her laugh, the way her brown hair caught the city's lights and turned them into silken fire, captured his imagination and he found himself wondering.

Miss Granger's agile mind was tripping down an equally delightful path. She had been attracted to Remus Lupin years ago, when as a young girl she had discovered the terrible secret of him being a werewolf. She had kept the knowledge to her self, never revealing it to even Harry and Ron. Back then, the young Hermione had seen Lupin as the romantic, suffering hero of a tragic play, someone to be admired from afar. But now, while still acknowledging his trials, the young woman was appreciating the graying man in a totally different manner.
Yes, she admitted to her self, he was twice her age, but watching him as he paid for their movie tickets, Hermione could not see where the years had marked him. There was more gray in his longish brown hair, she admitted, but it gifted him with a rugged, out-doorsey look rather than implying age. Gone were the deep hollows marring his cheeks and the dark circles of tiredness around his eyes that had plagued him during his short time at Hogwarts.

His body was whip thin and hard. She knew this from the delicious moment she had slipped her arms around his frame after bussing Snape on the mouth at the hospital. Hermione had been delighted beyond belief when Lupin's arm remind wrapped about her shoulders for surely if he had released her, she would have floated away on a cloud of desire.

She joined him at the theatre doors smiling into his eyes when he held it open for her. The couple indulged in the rituals of moviegoer's worldwide by purchasing bags of popped corn and huge paper cups of soda, before following the crowd into the dimly light theatre.

Remus had never attended a movie, so he looked about the large, dark room curiously. More people filed in, finding their seats, jostling their snack. Hermione settled her self deeply into her seat, propping her knees upon the seatback in front of her. The wizard regarded her pose questioningly and then assumed the same posture. Perhaps it was because of his height, but he wasn't as comfortable as Hermione appeared, so he tried to lower his knees and straighten his back only to practically leap to his feet as the chamber went suddenly black and violent noise exploded around him. Hermione's gentle hand on his arm and her whispered, "It's ok. It is just the show starting," settled the werewolf down in embarrassed silence.

The story revolved around a police officer falsely accused of killing his wife. Remus thought the plot a bit contrived and had difficulty accepting the stupidity of the prosecuting attorney and his team of investigators. The car chases and explosions were spectacular, however and Remus found himself recklessly cheering the fugitive policeman and his new ladylove as they fled for their lives. Remus relaxed back into his seat, finishing off the last of his popcorn, just as the runaways on the screen were checking into a small hotel well off the beaten path. As the exhausted, terrified couple on the screen began to kiss, Remus gave it no real thought. They deserved a bit of comfort after what they had endured, he allowed. The screen kiss lengthened, deepened, became wetter. Lupin squirmed uncomfortably as hands began exploring and unfastening. It was when the first piece of clothing hit the floor that Remus acknowledged he was in over his head.

Now Lupin, being a fairly young and handsome man, had had his share of willing witches. He would be the first to admit he enjoyed sex as much, if not more, as the next wizard, and Remus had never been one to turn his gray eyes from the attraction of feminine curves. The stack of Wanting Wanton Witches by his bed testified to that fact. The wizard magazine, like all other magical periodicals, had the usual moving pictures. Those lovely, cavorting, contorting wenches had afforded Remus hours of viewing pleasure, but never in his life had Lupin experienced anything like this.

For one thing, they were so� well, large! The supple skin of the woman's breasts filled the screen and Remus could almost feel him self suffocating under their weight. The wizard thought his eyes would burst from his skull as the view followed the actor's hand as it roved down the writhing female body to reveal her�.. 'Oh my dear Merlin! If I ever fell in there..!

And the sounds! The swelling music did nothing to drown out the whimpering moans and sighs coming from the screen. Their kisses, echoing in time with the flickering lights, caused Remus to become dizzy as hot blood scorched his face in its flight south.

The towering woman on the screen was gripping the shuddering bedpost, her cries of "Yes! Yes! Yeees!" reverberating through the dark when Lupin made his leap into the aisle. "Ah, men's room. All that drink, you see." He muttered to a startled Hermione, before darting up the walk and out into the lobby. Hermione merely shrugged and returned her attention to the action on the screen.

It was sometime later when Hermione realized Lupin had not returned to his seat. Where could he be, she wondered, glancing over her shoulder to the lobby doors. Surely he hadn't become lost, the theatre wasn't that large. She decided to give him five more minutes before she would go searching.

However, before the time limit expired, Hermione gathered up her purse. She exited the noisy auditorium, too anxious to sit any longer. Checking the area outside the restrooms, Hermione made certain no one was looking before pushing the door to them men's room open a bit. Putting her mouth near the crack, she called, "Remus." No answer. "Remus, are you in there?" The hollow echo of her voice was the only response.
Hermione followed the hot smell of popped corn into the lobby and spied the lanky wizard sitting on a bench, elbows resting on his knees, casually watching pedestrians as they strolled by. The young witch sighed in relief and crossed the lobby to sit by his side.

"Remus? Are you well?"

His eyes never leaving the street, Lupin replied, "I am unused to seeing such displays while in the company of a young lady. I was becoming�uncomfortable and felt it best to step outside."

"Oh Remus, " Hermione began, chagrined. "I didn't even think about that when I chose the film. I guess I have forgotten just how revealing Muggle movies can be."

"Hey," Lupin responded cheerfully. His crooked smile caused Hermione's heart to begin a funny dance. "It's not your fault. If it had been Sirius and I, or even Snape, we'd still be in there. But with you," he faltered. " On our first date�well, it was a bit much."

Hermione had not missed the significance of his words. Quirking a brow, she grinned slyly and purred, "Our first date? Is that what we are doing? Having a date?"

"Forgive me. I am presumptuous." Remus replied, fixing her with his soft gray stare.

Smiling broadly, Hermione leaned in, bumping her shoulder to his. "I wouldn�t think so, no. It was feeling pretty date-like to me."

Lupin returned the smile. They sat in companionable silence for a moment longer before Hemione spoke. "So, want to head on back to the flat? If we walk very slowly, it will take us about half an hour."

"Very slowly." Remus asked, rising and offering her his hand, which she accepted.

"Extremely, very slowly." Hermione cheered to herself

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lupin sighed in mock impatience as Hermione continued to dig through her purse. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out his wand. "Alohomora."

"Oh, yea." Hermione whispered, embarrassed. "I am a witch. Seems I forget that."

The lights were still burning in the living room as the couple entered. The door to Snape's room was closed. Moving quietly but swiftly, Hermione crossed the room and cautiously opened the door to what should have been Miss McGonagall's room. After a hurried peek, Hermione closed the door and rushed back to Remus.

"It's empty!" She whispered in glee, her brown eyes dancing. "She is not sleeping in her room."

"Maybe she went out for a walk." Lupin replied in mock ignorance.

"Yea, right!" Hermione snapped, punching Remus playfully on the shoulder. "At least you won't have to worry about sleeping on the couch tonight. Miss McGonagall won't mind you taking her bed, I'm sure."

"No. I think I will remain on the couch." Remus replied. At Hermione's puzzled frown, he explained. "Miss McGonagall may feel it necessary to move into her room before the morning, if you take my meaning."

"Yes, you are right." Hermione agreed. "Well, I'm off to bed then. Thank you for a wonderful evening, Remus."

Instead of leaving, Hermione remained fixed to her piece of the floor an expectant look on her face.

"Yes, you are a delightful companion, Hermione. Good night." Lupin began to turn away, then paused. "Tell me Miss Granger, do you kiss on the first date?"

A tiny smile quirked up the corner of Hermione's lips. "Actually, no. But for you, I will make an exception."

"I will take that as a compliment." Remus answered before placing warm hands on her shoulders and gently easing her closer.

A gentle sigh escaped Hermione as Remus place his mouth over hers. The contact released a shiver through them, an electrical current flowing where their bodies joined. The kiss started tenderly, a simple joining of lips, then grew deeper while remaining chaste. Hands remained still and tongues held firmly in check.

A few blissful seconds later they parted, smoky gray eyes probing liquid brown. Hermione couldn't help but smile as the emotions she now experienced were reflected back to her in Lupin's honest, open face.

"Good night, Remus."

"Good night, Hermione."

Hermione moved quickly to the door of her bedroom. Before slipping into the room, she turned and waved shyly.

Remus was still smiling when he reached over his shoulder to turn off the couch-side lamp.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 20 is not really missing. It was simply a little note I put up at fanfic telling about the time I was going to be away and not posting. So, you haven't missed anything. Sorry I didn't tell y'all that earlier.

gotsnape
- 19
- 20
- 21
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Dark Coil