Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Beyond the Pale	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 81375 -:- Recommendations : 11 -:- Currently Reading : 17
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does, lucky woman. I make no money from this, which is probably why I'm poor as a church mouse.

Chapter List
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Warning: This chapter mentions suicide and abortion. Jus' so's ya know.

“WHAT?” Hermione yelled.

“Afraid so,” Melody said miserably. “I knew the second I walked into the Great Hall. I always had acute senses but even with so many bodies around, I never had a scent hit me so strongly. He smelled of the wind and spearmint, so different from the food I’d grown accustomed to. I owled my father immediately, begging him to take me out of school. He came that night.”

“You left?”

“No. We sat in Headmaster Dumbledore’s office for hours discussing my predicament. He agreed to keep my heritage a secret and allowed me sanctuary within the walls of the school. After all, he was already keeping a werewolf. I wasn’t half as dangerous, was I?”

“I suppose not,” Hermione said slowly, remembering how Remus made the journey to the shrieking shack every full moon to transform. “What happened next?”

“I agreed to stay the fuck away from Sirius Black, went out of my way to be nasty to him so he’d leave me alone. I didn’t want to be a vampire and becoming involved with him meant my doom. There was also this niggling feeling in the back of my mind that his scent wasn’t quite right. Sirius didn’t get the memo, hounded me constantly. I realize now that I was just a shiny new toy. Severus, already distraught from…well, from an event the year before became sort of a confidant since we had a common enemy.”

“I know what happened,” Hermione said softly. “Harry’s dad and Sirius held him upside down, bullied him most horribly. He was so embarrassed that he lashed out at Harry’s mum.”

“And therein lies the reason Severus was so easily consumed by darkness. Lily was his last light and she abandoned him.”

“What?” Hermione asked.

“Well,” Melody said slowly as they entered the castle. “I’m being punished anyway. Might as well go for broke, right?”

“I don’t want to get you in trouble!” Hermione cried.

“No, you need to know,” Melody insisted and ducked into a classroom. She pointed to a desk and motioned for Hermione to sit. She took a seat across from her and began fiddling with her hands. “What do you know of Lily Potter?”

“Not a lot,” Hermione admitted. “I mean, I’ve seen the pictures Harry has of her. I’ve heard that she was good in school and that she was kind to Remus, despite his affliction.”

“Mmm,” Melody nodded. “She was also Sev’s first friend. You see, they grew up only a few blocks from each other. Sev had an abusive home life and fell madly in love with the first nice person he’d met, Lily. She latched on to him because he knew about magic and she was a muggleborn. They were like peanut butter and jelly until the beginning of Sev’s fifth year. The Death Eaters noticed his skills in potions and were filling his head with the Dark Lord’s propaganda. So, when he lashed out at Lily after OWLS, it was their words that came spilling from his mouth. He tried apologizing but she wouldn’t hear of it. It was the last straw for her. She never forgave him.”

“No,” Hermione whispered sadly. How horrible for her father.

“He vowed to never love another after her. Anyway, I came the next year and Sev was all too eager to help me thwart Sirius. It was his only outlet since Lily fell into the arms of James, his sworn enemy. I started noticing how good he smelled, like wood smoke and herbs. It was intoxicating and he always seemed to be able to calm me down after an encounter with Sirius. I didn’t give a shit about the whole blood purity racket. Hell, I wasn’t entirely human! Despite his cold ways and my increasing worry over my inevitable turning, we grew close.”

“Why worry? You wouldn’t have needed to change until you graduated, right?”

“No, I wouldn’t have. Unfortunately, when a vampire smells their mate, it is almost impossible to resist. I turned seventeen at the end of April. Sev was attending a recruiting meeting with the Dark Lord. That was the night he got his Mark. Anyway, my senses were on overload. Sirius had started a new tactic on me. Instead of taunts, he wrote me poems and sent me flowers. I suspect Remus had a hand in that. It was…horrible. It broke down my defenses and when he realized Sev wasn’t in the castle to whisk me away, he pounced. He spouted words of love and admiration, empty platitudes designed to get into a girl’s knickers.”

“It worked.”

Melody nodded. “I still curse that day. He was an arrogant, selfish bastard, not interested in my pleasure at all. I didn’t care at the time. To be in the arms of your mate, it is indescribable. It’s like coming home, only…it was hollow…wrong.”

“But I thought-everything I read- it says that having a mate means that you are compatible.”

“You’re supposed to be,” Melody said forlornly. “Unfortunately, I believe that my vampire blood was so diluted the magic of mates was skewed. It was split between two people, two feelings, lust and companionship.”

“Professor Snape,” Hermione whispered.

Melody nodded. “I should have realized that when I smelled him. He didn’t smell like food at all, the only other one besides Sirius that didn’t. He was my rock, but there wasn’t the raw sexuality like there was with Sirius.”

“What do you think happened?”

“Honestly?” Melody asked. “I think that, had Sev not been so deeply in love with Lily, it would have been him entirely. Instead, the blood magic sensed that he wasn’t available and went for the next best thing, stronger even because it had to accommodate for the reaction to Sev. You see, if your mate is already with someone, then you won’t feel the unbearable pull. You’ll know it’s them by the scent though. I learned that the hard way. I hope you never have to.”

“I’ll have a mate?” Hermione squeaked.

“I would think so. You’re all vampire, despite your modified gifts, so it stands to reason that you’ll have one. I take it you had someone in mind?”

Hermione looked up in shock. She had just been wondering if her mate was Ron.

Melody grinned. “I recognize teenage puppy love when I see it. Just…don’t be too disappointed if it isn’t him sweetheart. You’ll have no control over it, just like with me and Sirius.”

“What if it’s someone I hate?”

“Like Crabbe, or Goyle perhaps?” Melody teased.

“I’d kill myself first!”

“Sounds counterproductive…especially since you fought so hard to live.”

“Oh,” Hermione growled. “You know what I mean.”

Melody chuckled. “Trust me, I know. Still, you might be surprised. Mate magic overcomes many things.”

“But not Sirius.”

“No,” Melody said bitterly. “Sirius remained falsely sweet until the end of the weekend. He dropped me like a hot potato as soon as Sev stepped foot inside the castle again. He had discovered the mystery and played until he got bored. There was another girl on his arm the next day.”

“They always said that Sirius was a playboy.”

“He was,” Melody acknowledged. “And I was royally fucked, in every conceivable meaning of the phrase. I was angry with myself because I let him in and got hurt. I refused to eat, barely slept, and skived off all my classes. Sev was furious with me, yelled at me for being a…what did he call it…oh yes, a self-absorbed swot when I refused to tell him what was wrong. I was just so ashamed. I knew he’d shun me…or worse…when he found out what had happened. I locked myself in a broom closet and cried the rest of the day after he was done dressing me down. It felt like he had punched a hole in my heart. I fully deserved it too. It was then I realized that I had a stronger link to Sev.”

“Mate magic?”

“I suppose,” Melody shrugged. “He might not have been open to loving me, but he cared in some capacity. Whatever it was, I knew I had to face the music soon. I would smell different to any vampire. I felt like I had signed my own death warrant when I sent that last owl to my father a week after Sirius had gotten to me. If I felt horrible about my choices before, it wasn’t anything compared to the disappointment in his eyes as he stalked into the Great Hall that next morning. All I could do was hang my head and follow him to the Headmaster’s office.”

“He turned you at the castle?”

“He did…six weeks later. I wanted to get my finals out of the way, one last accomplishment I guess. I pleaded with him to kill me. I didn’t want to be like him. He didn’t want me to be like him. Of course, neither of us had a choice…except death.”

“You tried to kill yourself,” Hermione said knowingly.

“I was resigned to go through with the turning at first. I mean, it was all I had ever known. I cut all ties with the few friends I had, knowing it would be pointless once I turned. After all, I couldn’t just drink to turn. The venom bypasses the ability to choose. I would become one of the very creatures I hated. We didn’t know that I would be immune to the venom just like a daywalker. He drained me and then had me drink from him, a bastardized re-enactment of what he did to turn.

“Anyway, Sev was…upset at my sudden behavior. I could see the hurt shining in his eyes every time I walked away but I couldn’t drag him into my problems. The last straw though, was when I found out I was pregnant…my actual death warrant. I mixed a poison that evening.”

“You…killed it?”

Melody brushed a pink tear from her cheek. “The baby was forfeit either way. Poison was the most humane end I could think of for both of us. Even if I had given birth, the coven would have ripped us both limb from limb for breaking the promise. Vampires are not forgiving…at all. I locked myself in Myrtle’s bathroom, said a prayer for the baby, and drank.”

“You didn’t die.”

“No,” Melody said bitterly. “Damned Myrtle was so happy with me that she went blabbing it down the halls. Sev heard and came running. Stupid me didn’t count on someone having a ready antidote. He forced me to drink it…but I had already lost the child. I…couldn’t stand it anymore. I confessed absolutely everything hoping that he would kill me and it would be over.”

“He would never do that,” Hermione said softly.

“No,” Melody laughed to keep from sobbing. “It was much worse than that. He yelled at me until he was blue in the face and then refused to leave my side. That included nighttime. The man gagged me and tied me to his bed so he could keep an eye on me. He even slipped Sirius an impotence potion…long lasting. I begged him to leave for my turning but he refused…the result of which you’ve seen.”

“So you’ve been together since then?”

Melody nodded again. “Once he was turned, we both realized that as damaged as we were, we belonged together. He claimed me after he’d had his first feeding, didn’t even hesitate when we got back to school. I went into hiding after graduation, never to be seen again. I stay down in Sev’s chambers or at his house. I polyjuice into different women if he needs a date to an event. Otherwise, I’m invisible.”

“You love him,” Hermione said softly.

“I do,” Melody sighed. “I know he cares in some small capacity and that he desires me. I know he’s faithful because the mate bond won’t let him stray but…” She shrugged.

“He’s still in love with Lily,” Hermione said sadly.

“Very much so…and will be until the day he dies.”

The silence was deafening. It was such a tragic story. Hermione couldn’t believe it. She had to say something but what came out of her mouth wasn’t what she was expecting. “I guess you’re glad Sirius is dead then?”

“He is?” Melody asked.

“Did no one tell you?” Hermione asked in alarm. “He fell through the veil at the Ministry of Magic during the fight.”

“I know,” Melody whispered. “I was there.”

“What?”

“I snuck in with the Order. Sev sent me.”

“Then you know he’s dead.”

“Nope,” Melody said softly.

“I saw it with my own eyes!”

“Well, he fell through, but it doesn’t mean that he’s dead.”

Hermione’s eyes widened. “What are you saying?”

“That it is possible to yank someone back out…if you’re a vampire…and you use a disillusion charm. No one noticed because of the chaos.”

“But-“

“Sev was…enraged when he found out but he understood. Sirius is important to Potter. Since it is Sev’s mission in life to protect the only son of his only love, it is in my best interest to see that Potter has some modicum of comfort.”

“Harry still thinks he’s dead!”

Melody nodded. “Sirius needs to heal before Harry finds out…not to mention getting his name cleared.”

“But Harry is so distraught!”

“And I feel horrible about it but if he knew that Sirius was alive, then Sev’s position as a Death Eater could be compromised.”

“I don’t understand,” Hermione huffed.

“Who would be pegged for miraculously pulling Sirius from death? Me. Who am I? Sev’s mate. How come the Dark Lord didn’t know he had a mate? Why does he need a mate anyway? The conclusion equals a dead Severus, and I can’t have that.”

“So… what? You keep Sirius a secret until Voldemort is dead?”

“Of course not!” Melody spat. “We keep him a secret until he is well and then Albus will make him believe he scrambled out all by himself. I’m sure Sirius will have no problem with painting himself as the hero…and I’ll be out of the picture…and so will Sev. Hopefully this time that mutt can keep his stupid ass hidden.”

“I…guess I understand.”

“You want to see him?”

“He’s here?” Hermione gasped.

“Sort of. Come on, Sev will have sent a search party for us by now.”

“Indeed,” Snape’s deep voice permeated the classroom as the door banged open. His eyes were glowing vivid indigo with anger.

“Sev,” Melody breathed and bowed her head. She motioned for Hermione to get up, which she did in double time.

“You had no right,” Snape hissed.

“She is our child,” Melody said softly. “She deserves to know about her family.”

“You go too far!” Snape shouted. Hermione cringed at the fury in his tone.

“Yes sir,” Melody sighed.

When Hermione looked over at her mother, it was to see her kneeling at his feet with blood tinged tears cascading down her beautiful porcelain cheeks. Her heart broke in that moment and she felt terrible for asking about their history. It was obviously a sore spot for her father. He was hissing ferociously at her. Still, he had no right to treat her mother that way. Righteous indignation swelled in her until she couldn’t hold it any longer.

“Leave her alone!” Hermione cried.

Snape looked up in shock, apparently having forgotten Hermione was still there. “She is my mate and I will do as I please!” He barked.

“She is my mother!” Hermione yelled right back, unperturbed at his attitude now that she had said something. “And she was only answering my questions. Your pasts were horrible but that’s no reason to make her kneel at your feet like some…some SLAVE! You’re no better than Sirius, treating her like some cheap toy!”

“What did you say?” Snape asked in a scathing tone.

“You heard me,” Hermione hissed, unaware that her eyes had started to glow unnaturally. “You make me sick. Can’t you see how much you’re hurting her?”

“I have never laid a hand on her!” Snape roared.

“Words wound don’t they?” Hermione seethed. “Look at her!”

Snape snapped his mouth shut in shock. Hermione’s teeth were bared and she looked ready to attack him at any moment. Instead of striking back, he turned to look over at his mate. Melody had laid her head on the ground, wracking sobs overtaking her body.

Hermione watched as her father seemed to visibly crumble. She imagined that the sight of her mother breaking down had dredged up some old memories, which is what she was hoping it would do. She hadn’t meant to get so angry but she couldn’t help it. She felt this overwhelming rush to protect her mother, a woman she hadn’t known more than a week…and most of that spent writhing in agony. What was happening to her?

She was about to ask why she felt this way but quickly closed her mouth, fangs banging painfully against her lips. She winced and licked them, marveling at tingling feeling her tongue left. A quick swipe of her finger confirmed her suspicions. Her saliva healed her own wounds as well as those of her victims. She cut her eyes over to her father again, the reason she’d thought twice about saying anything. He was on his hands and knees and had pulled Melody into his lap, cradling her shaking form as if she were made of china. Hermione suspected she would break just as easily.

It was the most emotionally draining thing that Hermione could think of, an unrequited love. She knew that first hand. Ronald Weasley was as clueless the last time she had seen him as ever. The prospect of speaking out and revealing her true feelings was terrifying so she had backed off. Looking at her parents as they clung to each other, she knew her problems were trifle. Professor Snape was a broken man. How bad had Lily hurt him to make him vow never to love again? Could that possibly have stemmed from his bad childhood? Lily was the first nice person he’d met and after his experience at school, probably one of very few he’d ever encountered. Maybe he was just too scared to try again. She certainly couldn’t blame him.

Melody was an enigma herself, raised by her vampire father with a pack of savages with no regard for human life. She never had a choice and grew up knowing that. How gut wrenching it must have been to fear her mate. Then to have given in only to be cast aside like trash…agonizing. She had understandably hit rock bottom, trying to kill herself. The thought of killing a child made Hermione queasy but as horrible as it sounded, she understood. What was worse, seeing it born and then having it ripped apart or ending it as painlessly as she could? Yet she had picked herself up and let herself love…except that love was unrequited.

That would never do. She was going to help them. Hermione made up her mind to pursue it to the end as she saw her father lick the tears from her mother’s face. The action should have disgusted her but it didn’t and she chocked it up to her new nature. Now it looked like a tender gesture of true affection. No, Severus Snape did care, possibly even loved his mate, and Hermione wasn’t going to rest until he admitted it…at least to himself. She tiptoed out the classroom to give them some time to sort themselves out. She’d just meet them in Dumbledore’s office.

The walk to the Headmaster’s office was a very surreal one. Every sound in the castle was amplified times a hundred, water drips, creaking wood, shifting stones. The normally dark alcoves and corners were easy to see. In fact, it took her a few minutes to realize that the torches weren’t even lit. It had to be pitch black and yet it was as clear as day. It would certainly be easy to spot students out after curfew with these abilities. The thought made her giggle aloud. No wonder Professor Snape loved evening patrols.

“Ah, Miss Granger, it is good to see you, and in such high spirits.”

Hermione spun around in a circle but didn’t see the Headmaster around. He must have been using that walkie talkie spell. Only, she didn’t know how to communicate back.

“Miss Granger, please take the shortcut behind the silver knight to my office. You will avoid a rather perturbed Minerva, I believe. I will see you soon. I do so love sugar babies.”

Hermione nodded, uncertain as to whether he could see her or not and set out to take the one shortcut she absolutely hated. It was usually dank and dark and no torch seemed to stay lit in the passage. Even with a wand, light spells flickered. It was unnerving to say the least. What would it be like now that she could see?

The hallway was as she remembered it, damp and creepy. She could smell decay and moss inside, hear little creatures skitter about, probably spiders. Ron would have heart failure. She set off, realizing that with her new vision, the passage way was clear for the very first time. It still felt…unnatural…if that could be said of anything in a magical world. The journey was shorter, no longer having to be careful where she stepped. Loose stones and boggy puddles were easily avoided due to what she suspected were quicker reflexes. The Gargoyle was a welcomed sight.

“Sugar Babies,” Hermione said with confidence she didn’t feel. She had tried to put it out of her mind but it had come back full force as she walked up the stairs. Dumbledore would be the first human she had encountered since her change without her parents. There was no horrible smell to deter her and she was immune to most of the defenses against vampires. What happened if she tried to attack him?

“Welcome back, Miss Granger,” Dumbledore said warmly as she entered his office. “Please, have a seat while we wait for your wayward parents. I must commend you on your choice of words, my dear. I do believe you might have gotten through to our dear Potions Master at last.”

“Um, thank you,” Hermione squeaked and cautiously lowered herself in the plush chair in front of Dumbledore’s desk.

“There is no need to be afraid my dear,” Dumbledore said with an annoying twinkle in his eye. “There are measures in place that will keep us both safe.”

“A-are you sure?”

She was rewarded with a docile smile from the Headmaster. “My dear, one does not allow vampires into the castle without it! How are your senses?”

Hermione wrinkled her brow at the strange question and then realized what he meant. “I can’t smell anything!”

“Wonderful!” Dumbledore smile and then winked. “Now, tell me, how do you feel after your turning?”

“Strange,” Hermione breathed. “I-I’m having trouble comprehending what just happened.”

“Mmm, your new parents did as well, even though your mother had a number of years to come to terms with it and knew what to expect. I have every confidence that you will flourish with your new found abilities. You have always been a very capable student, Miss Granger.”

“Thank you sir,” Hermione breathed. She felt her cheeks heat up and marveled how different it felt now that she had fed. “I…I decided to do this for Harry. He would never quit.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I thought that might have been the case. You made a wise decision, one that should never have come to pass. I must extend my deepest apologies that I wasn’t aware of the dangers that lurked that night…more mistakes from a tired old man.”

“But you couldn’t have known!”

“I have my ways,” Dumbledore said sadly. “Unfortunately, they were not enough. Again, I am sorry. I have to ask if you had any plans for the future.”

“A few,” Hermione said uncomfortably. “I’d like to relocate my parents and then help Harry. Perhaps with my new abilities, I can help more than I could previously…if only to keep him safer.”

“Yes, very noble plans indeed. I take it that you wish to share your new life with your friends?”

Hermione was at a loss for words. She hadn’t even thought about telling her friends. What would they say? Sure, they were okay with Remus being a werewolf. After all, he was only dangerous on the night of the full moon and took a potion to avoid that. She would be…gulp…dangerous to everyone all the time. She thought Harry would be okay with it. He was much more understanding than everyone gave him credit for. He might blame himself for her turning though, especially if he found out why she was out there that night.

“Um, not just yet. I…don’t want them to, um,”

“You’d rather them not know the reason you sought solace in the forest that night,” Dumbledore said knowingly.

“How?”

“I am an old man Miss Granger. I know the look of a burden when I see one. I am once again very sorry that I was unable to foresee the trouble a bit of solitude would grant you.”

“It isn’t your fault. It was incredibly stupid of me to wander outside the castle at night. I just couldn’t face seeing Harry again, not when I still blamed myself for not requesting help.” That thought brought another realization crashing down on her. “Sirius.”

“Yes Miss Granger?” The Headmaster asked politely.

“He’s alive?”

“I’m glad to say that he is, although I wasn’t aware of it until a week after the debacle at the Ministry. I take it your mother informed you of their somewhat rocky past?”

“Yes sir. I just…I don’t understand why she would save him like that. I mean, I understand but I…”

“Speak no more,” Dumbledore spoke with a raised hand. “Even though Melody has every right to not be fond of Sirius, she couldn’t let it distract from the bigger picture. Even now, Harry is sinking ever further into depression and has started blaming himself for everything. Melody has watched over him for as long as Severus has and while his feelings for Harry are legendary, she has grown somewhat attached to him.”

“Why?”

“I suspect it has something to do with the child she had to lose. Harry has been made to suffer the sins of his father in the eyes of Severus.”

Hermione’s eyes filled with tears. “She wonders if Professor Snape would have raised Sirius’s child, had it been allowed to live.”

Dumbledore didn’t say anything, merely gazed at her with eyes that belayed a deep sadness.

“My father loves my mother. I can see it…even if he doesn’t,” Hermione said suddenly. “It’s killing her, thinking he doesn’t return her feelings. I have to bring them together. It’s like this…this…overwhelming need to see them happy. Why do I feel like this?”

Dumbledore smiled and offered her a lemon drop, which she refused since she didn’t know if she could even eat it or not. “Vampires are instinctual creatures. You are a very compassionate person in the first place, always seeking to right the wrongs of others. You will find that while some aspects of your old personality will change, your vampire heritage will enhance others. For example, you will certainly find yourself more standoffish to those who are not your family. You must work to keep your friendships.”

“What?” Hermione asked, heartbroken. “I won’t want to be friends with Harry and Ron?”

“No, not in that way,” Dumbledore said comfortingly. “Vampires tend to be extremely affectionate, especially to their families and above all, to their mates. It is harder to maintain this close connection with humans, one reason being that they start smelling quite tasty.”

“I’m going to want to eat my friends,” Hermione said flatly.

“I’m afraid you will at first. However, with age comes greater control. Due to your very nature, you’ll be more distant towards your friends simply to protect them from yourself. Once they learn of your new status, I’m sure it will be easier to work out.”

“Or they’ll run screaming,” Hermione muttered. She ignored the chuckle the Headmaster gave. “So, I’m more affectionate towards Professor Snape and Melody due to my new instincts but why do I want them together so badly.”

“As any child does when they see their parents fighting, you wish to make them stop. Vampires are even more sensitive to this. Since your parents are mated, their strained relationship triggers a response from you above and beyond simple compassion. Even dark vampires share this quality, one of the few rare glimpses of devotion that you’ll witness from one who has lost their soul.”

“So since they were fighting so badly, my senses couldn’t stand it?”

“Precisely.”

“What else can you tell me about vampire relationships?”

“Perhaps it would be better to ask your new parents?” Dumbledore inquired politely.

Hermione was about to ask him what he was talking about when she caught the distinct sounds of two sets of footsteps ascending the staircase. She automatically cringed, thinking that she would be punished. Why was she so reactive to them? They weren’t even in the room yet.

Seconds later, the door sprung open to reveal a mussed Melody and a ruffled Severus. Hermione couldn’t bear to look them in the eyes. She could practically feel their anger radiating off them in waves. It made her want to kneel at their feet and beg for forgiveness for any wrong she had committed. Moments later, she found herself doing just that.

“Severus,” Albus began. “Perhaps you should go easy on her this one time. I believe that while wandering off on her own was a rather foolish mistake, her heart was in the right place. She wished to give you a moment to yourselves.”

Hermione felt the annoyance in her father and it made her want to cry. However, that would be breaking the one rule they had given her so far so she sniffed hard and blinked rapidly in an attempt to keep the tears from falling.

“Sev,” Melody said in a small voice. “She’s not a day old yet. Please?”

Snape sighed. “Very well. Hermione, please stand up.”

Hermione was unsure of his sincerity and slowly inched herself off the floor. What was wrong with her? She’d never felt this on edge before. There was a longing to please her father that was disturbing in its intensity. The thought of it made her whimper.

“Come here,” Snape sighed and sat down in a chair, motioning for her to join him on his lap.

Her mind fought her the entire way as she scrambled up and nestled herself under his chin, hands clutching to his sides underneath his arms. Why on earth was she doing this?

“I suppose you are reeling at this gesture,” Snape said softly. “You are a very new vampire and have yet learned to control yourself. One of the most basic instincts of a vampire is attachment to their family. As I am your father, you will seek physical comfort from me.”

Hermione gasped and tried to pull away but was held tight against a hard chest.

“Not like that!” Snape snapped. “I mean like a small child would seek from their parent, thus your placement in my lap. Once you have learned your abilities and hunted on your own, the need to please me will decrease. However, a lesser known fact of vampires is that they pair according to nature. One is almost always submissive, the other dominant. When you find your mate, I suspect your need to please will carry over to them as well…or perhaps her.”

“Him,” Hermione whispered as she relaxed into her father’s chest.

“Him then,” Snape said gently. “You are much too sensitive to our moods to be a dominant.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Hermione cried. “I’ve never cowed like this. I just… I feel if you aren’t happy, then I’ll spin out of control.”

She felt her father nod. “It is all instinct, a way to build covens so there are no fights. We will teach you to control it.”

“How long will it take? School is only out for a few months.”

“You are a fast learner. I have every confidence that you can return to your friends in a month’s time. You must try hard though, put as much into learning yourself as you do your schoolwork.”

Hermione shook her head. “You’re so different.”

Snape sighed. “You are my child now. I feel the unnatural need to comfort you, be gentle in my corrections. I have no way of hiding my true self from you.”

“What are we going to do when school starts back up and you need to punish me, not that I’m expecting that to happen!”

Snape chuckled. “We both know Potter will con you into something. I hope to have a handle on our relationship before then. However, if I do need to yell at you, you need to take it with a straight face. Kneeling at the feet of your professor is hardly appropriate.”

“Hermione,” Melody said softly. “We need to get you home to start your training. Do you wish to see Sirius before we leave?”

“Is he here?”

Melody pointed as Dumbledore slashed through the air with his wand a dozen times. The painting of Phineas Nigellus Black slid open to reveal a secret passageway. Hermione gasped and scrambled off of Snape’s lap. She was ushered through the tunnel which had a steep decline. After about twenty feet, there looked to be a mirror. This one was much different than any other she had encountered before in that the surface was molten instead of solid.

“Step through,” Melody ordered quietly.

Hermione took a deep breath and plunged in face first. It was like stepping into water, only she wasn’t wet. The waves seemed to grace her body like strips of silk cloth and then fall away leaving her to step through a void. When she opened her eyes again, it was to see a very familiar sight.

“Grimmauld place!”

“Yes ma’am,” Melody said. “Who would think to look for him here?”

“Narcissa ,” Severus hissed. “That idiot gave his house elf an order that had a loophole in it.”

“What does that mean?” Hermione asked, her body cringing at the tone in her father’s voice. To ground herself, she ran her fingertips running along the spines of the books in the Black library while they waited for Dumbledore to emerge from the mirror.

Severus took a deep breath to keep his temper under control. “Black apparently told Kreacher to ‘get out.’ The elf interpreted it to mean out of the house and ratted out what he could to Narcissa. He has been forbidden from giving out our location but Narcissa is no common house witch. She is as sharp as a tack and can gain more than you would imagine from a tiny bit of information, like the fact that Black is Potter’s heart.”

Hermione rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance. “I told them they needed to be nicer to that poor elf.”

“Indeed you did,” Dumbledore said, slightly out of breath from the long trek down the tunnel. Hermione realized that it must have been a long way for the headmaster. “And it came back to hurt us in the end. Let us hope that Sirius has learned from his mistakes.”

“Because he’s done so well up until now,” Severus said dryly and started making his way upstairs.

“Such a little ray of sunshine,” Melody sighed and followed him up.

Hermione nibbled on her lip in worry. She could smell Sirius from downstairs, bangers and mash if she wasn’t mistaken. There was also a strong smell of lemon drops. She cut her head to the side, realizing where the second smell was coming from. It made her mouth water and she clamped it shut to keep from showing how affected she was.

“Oh, pardon me,” Dumbledore said kindly and waved his wand. The scent disappeared.

“Thank you sir,” Hermione croaked. She swallowed hard to get a handle on herself again. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s quite alright. You are performing admirably under the circumstances.”

“It doesn’t feel like it,” Hermione sighed and trudged up the stairs.

“I am sorry child,” Snape said softly when they entered the room Sirius was staying in. “I was remiss. I won’t leave you again.”

“You can’t be there all the time,” Hermione countered. “I’ve got to learn to control this on my own.”

“So independent,” Melody chuckled. “I’ve always admired that about you, but little one, you don’t have to do this alone. Accepting help is not admitting weakness.”

“I know,” Hermione said meekly. “But I feel so helpless.”

“It’s natural. Now, would you like to see the sorry son of a bitch that your best friend loves?”

Hermione shook her head at the colorful vernacular and stepped closer. His smell was very strong but it had a sour note to it. She wrinkled her nose to try and get away from the stinging scent but it was impossible.

“That’s the potions,” Melody informed her. “They taint the blood. A vampire’s smell surpasses that of a dog by many times over. You will be able to detect one drop of a potion in a pool of water, including veriteserum which, as you well know, is odorless.”

“Goodness!” Hermione cried.

“It is necessary,” Snape continued on. “With your sense of smell, you will find the most nutritious meal.”

“So, the man I first fed from, he smelled difference from the others lying in the street?”

“Very much so,” Snape said quietly.

“Do people ever smell the same?”

“All the time,” Melody supplied. “From a muggle stand point, blood types, DNA, chromosomes, you can smell them all. Family lines, diseases, and congenital defects smell the same. Magic also has a peculiar smell as well, an electrical charge of a sort. I’m going to hold you and I want you to take a very deep breath. Try to catalogue all the smells. See if you can pick out the smell of magic.”

Hermione was not sure she was ready for this but if her mother thought she was up to the challenge, she wasn’t going to back down. She felt the soothing hands of her mother upon her shoulders. A deep breath in brought a wealth of smells, so many that she had to list some aloud to catalogue them all.

“Wood, decay, dirt, vermin?”

“That would be the room,” Snape said quietly. “You’ll be able to smell everything, from the fibers in the cotton to the dust mites in the air. Take another breath and try to pinpoint smells not related to the environment.”

Hermione nodded and breathed deeply through her nose. The same smell of decay hit her but she ignored those in favor of the stronger ones. “Wood smoke, potions, family. Wait, family?”

Snape chuckled. “That would be my scent. As your family, your mother and I have a distinct scent in relation to you.”

It made sense, really. She took another breath. “Jasmine, wind, family.”

“That would be me,” Melody said softly. “Go further.”

Hermione inhaled again, trying to find what they wanted her to. “Bangers and mash, that’s got to be Sirius. There’s a sour smell too, potions I guess…and something else. Something…metallic…maybe burnt?”

“That’s it!” Melody said. “Magic has a burnt metallic smell, very subtle but there all the same. Magic also smells different according to different families. To put it in perspective, all the Weasleys have the same subtle scent to them, sugar cookies-er- biscuits and lightening is probably the best way to describe it. Then of course they all have their main smells as well.”

Hermione shook her head in confusion as she gazed at the still form of Harry’s godfather. “Professor Dumbledore smells so good, like lemon drops. It made my mouth water, despite my best efforts. Sirius though, I’m not at all inclined to taste him.”

“There are a few reasons for that,” Melody said softly. “Number one, he is still very ill. His blood is not nutritious. Number two, he has already copulated with our kind. Once that happens, humans lose their appeal.”

Hermione gulped in nervousness. She could feel the tension slide up in the room. It made her skin itch.

Melody sighed heavily. “Sev, I’m not the first vampire he fucked, nor am I the last.”

“How do you know?” Hermione asked timidly.

Melody snorted. “I could smell it on him. I’ve always had a good sense of smell you know. Now that I think on it, that’s why it was wrong. Vampires don’t approve of love ‘em and leave ‘em relationships with mortals. Too many complications.”

“But if that were true, why did he smell so strongly?” Hermione asked.

Melody shrugged. “Maybe it was the magic seeking to right a wrong and pin him down. Glad I dodged that bullet.”

Hermione could help but giggle. She’d heard stories from Remus of Sirius’s past exploits into women who had wanted to catch the wayward man. No one had ever been able to and Melody was relieved that she didn’t catch him. Hermione suspected that Melody had wanted Severus more than she ever did Sirius but gave in because it was a pipe dream. Well, Hermione was going to see to it that Melody did get her Severus.

“He’s almost tolerable when he’s mimicking a popsicle,” Melody joked.

“When will he wake up?” Hermione asked.

“Probably next week,” Dumbledore answered. “Poppy has agreed to look after him until then.”

Severus spun around to look Dumbledore in the eye. “You’ll send word when he is awake?”

“Of course,” Dumbledore said softly.

Severus nodded. “Good. I want to be there to hex him to hell when he wakes up. Now, Hermione, we really must be going home. You have a lot to master and very little time to do it in. Albus, I’m afraid we must bid you goodbye.”

“That’s quite alright,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “Just keep me posted. Work hard Miss Granger. I will see you at the start of term.”

“Yes sir,” Hermione answered. “Have a good holiday.”

“Come along,” Severus called.

He was already halfway down the stairs before she realized he’d left the room. She shook her head in amazement. “Am I ever going to get used to that?”

Melody giggled as she walked down with her. “By then end of your training, it’s going to be a struggle to walk normally!”

“Hold on,” Severus said as he thrust a tattered old book into her hands the second she was close to him.

A jerk behind her navel confirmed that it was indeed a portkey. This landing was no more masterful than her previous ones, her legs giving out and leaving her in her mother’s arms again. She groaned, her stomach doing summersaults as the smell of dead fish and refuse hit her senses.

“You get used to it,” Melody said quietly. “At least vampires can’t throw up.”

“They can’t?” Hermione asked.

“Nope!” Melody grinned. “All the blood is absorbed. You still feel full but your stomach isn’t so there is nothing to bring up.”

“So we can’t eat food,” Hermione said, clarifying it for her own peace of mind.

“We can, actually. It is just unnecessary…and food tastes like dirt anyway.”

Hermione nodded and had her first look around. They were standing by a dirty river, its banks littered with rubbish. Dilapidated houses stood in rows behind an old abandoned mill. “Where are we?”

“Sev’s neighborhood,” Melody answered.

“It is rather…unpleasant,” Severus said softly. “However, it is a grand deterrent for those wishing to locate me.”

“I suppose it is,” Hermione said quietly and followed the two vampires through the streets and alleyways to a broken down house on Spinner’s End. She gingerly walked over the cobbles and noticed the broken windows on the house. A tap of his wand bade them entrance.

“Welcome to your new home,” Snape said softly and ushered them in.

AN: Did I piss you all off with that last cliff hanger? Sowwy? I hope this one isn't as bad. I'm posting this one early since I'll be out of town for a while. This story has just taken my muse hostage and has refused to be put down. I'm in love with it and I hope you guys are too. Thanks to everyone for your excellent reviews. They're my bread and butter...literally. Keep them coming and let me know how I'm doing and if you find any errors. Until next time...love you guys!
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Beyond the Pale