Twice Bitten ~ COMPLETED

Chapter 22 ~ The Return

Snape stopped kissing Hermione and looked down at her, his black eyes searching her face. She looked ecstatic. Gods, she was so young. He would have never indulged himself with her if not for his vampirism. Still, he didn’t regret the interlude, if that was indeed what it was.

”So, I take it that you still feel an attraction for me although my vampiric allure is gone,” he said to the witch.

”Oh yes, Professor,” Hermione breathed up at him, then attempted to draw him back down into a kiss.

Snape resisted. As pleasant as his interludes with Hermione had been, real life had returned and there was much for him to do. He looked down at the witch and knew no matter how he said what he had to say, it wouldn’t be well received. Still, he made the attempt.

”It could be, Hermione, that you are still feeling ‘afterglow’ effects. When time passes and we are both immersed in our normal lives, you may find that what you felt was a true attraction, was simply the result of a false animal magnetism and nothing more,” he said to her gently. “You are young, and the young easily get swept away by their desires either real or imagined. I believe the truth is that I drew you because of what I was, not who I am now. I would have never touched you if I had remained mortal, so I believe we are going to have to . . . stop this. Give ourselves time apart to see if what we feel isn’t simply residual.”

Hermione blinked up at him.

”You’re dumping me, Professor?” she asked him, her voice quavering.

“No. No Hermione. I am giving you room and myself as well. My return to the wizarding world is going to be an ordeal, whether I am still being hunted or accepted into the fold again,” he replied.

Hermione sobbed.

”You ARE dumping me,” she said, squirming now, trying to get from under him.

They wrestled a bit, Hermione crying and beating him around his shoulders and head. She wasn’t very strong however. The Professor pinned her down.

“Stop acting like a child,” he hissed at her. “You should have realized things would change if I became mortal again, witch. You aren’t an airhead.”

Still Hermione sobbed up at him.

”But it’s not fair. You said I make you happy,” she said to him.

Snape sighed. This was precisely the reason he wasn’t interested in young witches. They were whiny little things when they couldn’t have their way. Hermione responding to him with “It’s not fair” was a perfect example of immaturity.

”Hermione, there is a gap between us that is broader than our age difference and that is the maturity factor. The truth of the matter is you feel I am the center of your universe at this point in time, but I assure you there are other things in your life much more important than I am. I know that you are not the center of my universe. I am not saying this to be cruel, Hermione. I am simply being truthful. Were I a randy young wizard just familiarizing myself with women, it would be much different. But I am who I am,” he said.

Hermione began to struggle again, and Snape let her go. The witch jumped up, brushing the sand from Adam’s dress.

”And who you are is a right bastard!” she spat at him, storming away toward the crevice. To think she’s been terrified he was going to fry. The fuck. If he were to burn up now, she’d kick his damn ashes all over the desert.

Snape looked after her, then stood up, brushed off his robes and looked up at the sun. Yes, he was back. Thank the gods that ordeal was over. He looked at Hermione strutting across the sand and sighed. Well, one ordeal was over anyway. That little witch storming across the desert with her hair bouncing was going to give him a whole new set of problems, he was sure.

He strode after her. Already it was getting quite hot and Hermione was slowing down. The dark wizard caught up to her, walking by her side, Hermione purposely not looking at him, her nose in the air.

Snape had to smirk at this. Yes, Hermione really was little more than a child. She had a lot of growing to do if she thought it bothered him that she stuck her nose in the air. He saw the crevice and hurried ahead of the witch, slipping in first. There was a little drop to the ground below and Hermione peered in. Then she tried to climb down, Snape watching her with amusement as she dangled four feet off the ground, her legs kicking.

Finally, Hermione said through clenched teeth, “Can I get a little help, please?”

“Certainly,” Snape purred, moving closer. “Let go and drop.”

”What? No. You might let me fall,” she said, twisting her head to look at the wizard, who shrugged.

”Very well. I will meet you in the chambers,” he said, pretending to turn away.

“Professor!” Hermione called to him desperately.

”Yes?” Snape said, moving closer again.

”Just catch me, all right?” Hermione said resignedly.

Snape spread his arms.

”I’ll try,” he said, not sounding very convincing.

Hermione let go and Snape caught her neatly. She sat there in his arms a moment, the wizard looking at her.

”I’ll miss zipping about with you,” he said to her.

”Is that all you’ll miss?” she asked pointedly, squirming so he put her down.

“Among other things. Now let us go. I expect Adam and the rest are all asleep. We need to make up a batch of blood for them to consume when they awaken or they may go for you,” he said, lighting his wand and beginning to walk. Hermione followed him. Good thing the floor was bare of stones . . . she was still barefoot.

“What do you mean ‘go for me?’ Why won’t they go for you?” she asked him.

”Because I am not going to be here when they awaken. I believe Mr. Weasley will attempt to pay me back for being the superior vampire. Since I am mortal, no doubt the idiot will think he can kill or at least overpower me. Yet, I am relatively sure that is not the case. He wasn’t a very strong vampire to start with, and lost some power when Vashti died. It is very likely he may have lost even more power since I’ve become mortal again. In other words, I believe Mr. Weasley will get a most unpleasant surprise if he attempts to get revenge on my person. I’m sure you don’t want him dead,” he said to the witch as they arrived at the fork.

“No I don’t. But I don’t think Ron would . . .” Hermione began.

”He’s already cast the Killing curse on me, Hermione. I imagine you didn’t believe he would do that either . . . but he did,” Snape said.

Hermione was shocked.

”But why? You weren’t that bad,” Hermione said to the wizard.

“Because of you. What we did,” the wizard said to her quietly. “It seems he heard us engaging and didn’t take it well. Especially the fact that you were willing to let me take you. Quite a blow to his ego, if not his heart.”

Hermione reddened. She hadn’t even thought about Ron really. Who could think of Ron when the Professor had been so overwhelming? She was going to have to deal with him, try to make him understand. That wasn’t going to be easy.

She looked at the tall wizard walking silently beside her. Could he really just turn it off like that? Push what happened between them to the background?

Hermione imagined he could. After all, he pushed everything else away when in service to the Order, hid his hatred of the Dark Lord for years. Besides, for all she knew, he still loved Harry’s mother. Voldemort’s death wouldn’t have changed that.

Gods, she should have fought harder against how he made her feel. But she couldn’t help herself and he had been so aggressive, so ready to meet her needs. Involuntarily, she brought her hand to her neck, feeling the small scars there. The Professor’s mark. She would always have them.

Well, she would be mature about this then. She had no choice really. Professor Snape was a man with years of life experience, not to mention reserve. He was only being honest with her and had never promised her anything beyond the pleasure he could give her. And gods, what pleasure he could give.

Hermione felt a little pulse at the thought of him. She hoped he hadn’t ruined her for other relationships. But he had said they needed time apart to see if what they felt wasn’t just residual. He didn’t say there couldn’t be anything more.

Hermione’s jaw thrust out a bit. Well, she wasn’t going to chase after him, that was for certain. Wizards and witches had casual sex all the time and weren’t any worse for it. It had just been “one of those things.” That’s all. They were two ships that passed in the night. Collided really. Yes, that was the best way to look at it. Push all other emotions down and just continue on. She had school to think about and her future in a Voldemort-free world. She wouldn’t allow her world to stop just because she shagged Severus bloody Snape a couple of times. Hell, it probably never would have happened if he hadn’t had that vampire “allure.”

They entered the main chamber of Vashti’s lair and found Victor and Adam asleep in Vashti’s huge throne, Victor’s arm around the chubby little wizard’s shoulder while Adam’s head rested on his. Harry was stretched out on the floor.

Hermione examined Harry. He didn’t seem to be breathing.

”He looks dead,” Hermione said.

”No. Just dormant,” Snape said to her, eyeing the wizard. “We are going to have to go back to Adam’s chambers and retrieve the Replenishing potion. We will leave a pitcher for Mr. Weasley there and return here and do the same. Then I will leave and use the Port Key gate to return to England. I do not want to return to Hogwarts until I know the situation.”

”But where will you go?” Hermione asked him.

Snape arched an eyebrow at her.

”I have a number of places I can hide, Hermione. If I don’t want to be found, I won’t be. Now, let us go prepare the blood,” the wizard said, walking toward the door that led to the passageway that led to Adam’s lair.

Hermione looked at Harry once more, then followed him.

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When Harry, Adam and Victor awoke that night, they had indeed been ravenous. Hermione had made a large protective circle of water around herself, and it took a moment for the vampires to realize there were three tankards of blood sitting on the floor. They quickly drank them down and returned to themselves, Adam spluttering.

”Oh my gods! What is that?” he choked, staring into the tankard. Victor also wore a very sour looking face.

”Replenished blood,” Harry replied, also looking rather disgusted, especially since tasting the delicious virgin blood Adam provided for himself.

“It’s worse than disgusting,” Adam complained, wiping at his mouth.

Hermione removed the spell and walked up to the vampires. All three looked at her.

”Is the Professor dead, Hermione?” Harry asked her softly, knowing that the witch must feel awful.

“No. No, he’s not, Harry. He’s been restored! He’s mortal again,” Hermione said breathlessly.

”Mortal?” Adam said incredulously.

”Yes. Whatever it was that made him a vampire was destroyed by the sunlight,” Hermione said to them, “So there is a cure! All you have to do is expose yourself to the sun.”

”Really? Wow, that’s great. I didn’t want to stay like this,” Harry said with a smile. “So where’s the Professor?”

”He went back to England,” Hermione replied. She didn’t say anything more, however.

Still Harry could feel there was more to the Professor leaving than what she was telling him.

Adam and Victor were very quiet. They could become mortal again. Walk in the sun. Eat real food. Age and die.

Aging and dying didn’t sound too good.

Adam looked at Victor.

”You could be human again, Victor,” he said to his lover. “You could pick up where you left off, before Vashti got her claws in you.”

Victor looked at him.

”So can you, my Queen,” he said softly.

Adam shook his head.

”No. My life wasn’t too exciting when I was human. If I hadn’t become a vampire, I’d be all old and wrinkled by now, and probably alone,” he said, blinking rapidly. “But I can’t stop you if you want to leave and return to the surface.”

Victor looked at Adam a long moment.

”Then there would be no nights of hunting, no blood and no you,” he replied. “I’ve become used to all of that, especially you. No. I’ll remain a vampire until whatever time we grow tired of our half-lives. Then, maybe then we’ll return and live out our lives.”

Adam smiled at Victor tearfully as Hermione sighed. They really did love each other.

Adam looked around the throne room thoughtfully.

”You know Victor, with some proper decorating, this palace could be quite nice. It’s larger than ours and the exit to the surface is closer. I think a century is long enough to live in one place, don’t you?” he asked the blonde vampire.

”Yes, my Queen,” Victor agreed.

After making a few decorating plans, Victor, Adam, Hermione and Harry returned to the lair. Ron wasn’t in the main chamber. They found him sitting outside of the girls’ room, talking to them.

”Hey Ron!” Harry said as they all walked up.

Adam looked in on the girls suspiciously.

”I hope you’ve all been locked up tight,” he snapped at them, eyeing Ron. “Once those little cherries are plucked, there’s no climbing back up the blood tree.”

”Oh, we’ve not left the chambers, Adam. Ronald Weasley has been telling us stories about his greatness,” Aden said, smiling at Ron brightly, “He is a very great hero.”

”Greatness?” Harry mouthed at Hermione, who shook her head.

”I was just telling them about Voldemort,” Ron said a bit nervously.

Hermione noticed all the girls were frowning at her darkly. She didn’t care, however.

What Hermione didn’t know was that Ron had told them how she chose Professor Snape, a very evil, dark and ugly wizard over him, and had slept with him. They couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t lie with Ron, who was handsome and a hero. It would be a great honor to do so. Plus, she had broken the Great Weasley’s heart.

“It is too bad you are a vampire, Ronald Weasley. If you weren’t, we would all gladly reward you,” the girls had told him.

Ron had swallowed.

”All of you?” he asked them.

”Oh yes. All of us,” they agreed, smiling shyly at him.

Shit. He needed to find a cure, and was overjoyed when Hermione told him all he had to do was go out into daylight.

“It hurts though,” Hermione warned them.

”I don’t care how much it hurts,” Harry said, “I’m ready to go right now. How about you, Ron?”

Ron shook his head.

”I’m going to hang out here a day or two longer, if that’s all right with you, Adam,” he said to the chubby vampire.

”Not a problem, but you’re going to have to help us move,” Adam said.

”Great,” Ron replied, smiling at the girls, who had heard Hermione tell Ron he could be human again and giggled among themselves.

So, Harry and Hermione climbed back up to the surface and Harry underwent the painful transformation, writhing and screaming in the sand, trying to crawl back into the crevice, with Hermione holding him by his legs and dragging him back. It had been horrible to do, but it had to be done.

Finally, Harry fell still, panting, fully restored. He looked up at Hermione.

”You didn’t say it would hurt that much,” he said to her, still gasping.

Hermione shrugged, smiling at him.

She had her Harry back.

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Before they left for Hogwarts, Hermione had a talk with Ron about Professor Snape.

”I didn’t want to hurt you, Ron. I really didn’t. But I was drawn to Professor Snape, and to be honest, I think I have been since the end of my fifth year. When I thought he killed Dumbledore though, I hated him. But when I found out he wasn’t a killer, I guess the old feelings came back. Coupled with him being a vampire, it . . . it just happened. I couldn’t help how I felt about him. It was kind of like your lust for blood,” she said to the red-haired wizard.

If Ron didn’t have four beautiful young women lusting after him, this talk would have gone rather badly, with him berating and browbeating Hermione about the Professor. But the girls made him realize there were other young women other than Hermione that might find him attractive, and he needed to “branch out.”

“I understand, Hermione,” Ron said, wanting her and Harry to go before sunrise.

Adam and Victor were busy packing. Hermione made sure that Adam milked the girls before he did anything else. They would need blood available when they awoke now, otherwise they would go on the hunt for it and eventually draw attention to themselves. Adam placed it under stasis.

Hermione and Harry stood in front of the place where the door to the ROR had first appeared and concentrated. The door appeared. Hermione was relieved. She hadn’t been sure it would work the other way. Hogsmeade was a magical area after all. Still it had worked. Hermione hugged Adam goodbye, but just nodded at Victor, who grinned at her a bit toothily. She never trusted him from the first time she saw him.

Good thing too.

Harry shook both their hands, then they departed down the dark corridor and back to Hogwarts. They’d cover for Ron until he got back.

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Adam and Victor were going to spend the day sleeping in their new lair. They had already set up their bedroom. Ron said he was going back to the lair to bring some other items before he retired and the vampires told him they would see him later and prepared for their sleep.

Feeling groggy, but determined, Ron made his way up to the surface and trotted a good distance from the crevice in the twilight. Harry had told him how he tried to crawl back in, and Ron didn’t want that to happen. When the pain hit him, he determinedly kept walking toward the sunrise.

It had been horrible, like he was immersed in fire and being burned alive. The pain was even worse than when he had first turned into a vampire. His cries rang across the sands as he convulsed and seizured. Finally, the pain stopped and he was restored. He lay there panting for a moment, then stood up, brushing off the sand then heading back for the crevice.

He climbed down and headed directly for the girls’ rooms. He stopped outside the door.

”Hello, Ronald Weasley,” they all said, smiling at him.

Ron stepped through the door, unimpeded by the water ward. He was mortal now.

”Hello, ladies,” he replied with a broad grin as they let out delighted squeals and happily closed in around him, covering him with kisses.

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A/N: Thanks for reading.