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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
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Life Eternal

By Alecto Perdita

Chapter 4 - The Beast Within

Beta'ed by epysiarch and Amanda Saitou

Rating: R

Posted: February 26, 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 couldn't believe Siobhan. After the spectacle she made that morning, she insisted on eating out as a family. Of course, Wesley was invited too. They had a perfectly capable house elf and yet the woman said they should eat out.

That was how they ended up at the Castle Arms Inn for dinner. It was rather crowded but then again, it was the beginning of the holidays for most people. During the summer holidays, North Yorkshire, especially Whitby, got its fair share of tourism. None of the patrons paid any extra attention to them so they must have looked relatively Muggle.

They were seated by the window near the fireplace in the back of the restaurant. Shavonne was entertaining Sinclair and Jessica with tales of her last days at Beauxbatons. Severus simply sat back and tried to relieve his annoyance. Even eating in the Great Hall among hundreds of chattering children wasn't as irritating as this.

Severus looked out the window in an attempt to distract himself with the scenery outside. He nearly dropped his wine glass when he caught sight of the man standing outside of the window. The man was as tall as Severus and watching- Severus followed the man's line of vision- Wesley with a strange expression.

"Wesley?"

The man looked up in surprise. "Yes?"

"Do you know that man?" Snape simply nodded in the direction of the window.

Wesley's eyes widened in surprise. The man outside began gesturing to Wesley. It seemed he wanted Wesley to meet with him outside. Wesley quickly excused himself from the table and left the restaurant.

Shavonne leaned forward to get a better look of the man in question. "Who's that?"

Severus pointedly turned away from the window when Wesley entered the scene outside. "I couldn't possibly care any less."

It was hard to ignore the two outside. Severus' curiosity shouldn't have gotten the better of him but it did. As happy as he was for Sinclair and his fianc�e, Severus did not need to constantly hear about the upcoming wedding or the preparations.

Wesley seemed oblivious to the fact he now had an audience. Wesley's companion wasn't as dense. The taller man glanced at Severus out of the corner of his eye and smirked. Severus bristled silently at the action. He got enough of that bullock from the monsters he taught. There was something not right about the man either, he emitted such a suspicious aura that Severus wanted to storm outside and drag Wesley as far as possible from this stranger.

Wesley's friend laughed about something and bent down until his lips were level with Wesley's ears. Severus could not help but feel that such was inappropriate behavior on the part of the man. Pale fingers reached up to barely brush the fringes of Wesley's blond hair and trailed down the side of Wesley's face to the man's exposed throat. Severus hadn't realized that he was holding his breath until he exhaled when Wesley stepped. Wesley replied in what appeared to be a brisk manner before walking away.

The man did not leave right after Wesley's departure as Severus would have guessed. Instead, the man turned fully to face Severus and smiled, showing sharp white teeth against the fullness of those strange red lips. Severus watched as the man's gaze slid from him to the unknowing Shavonne and back. He mouthed something at Severus. Severus did not know what the man meant to say but the atmosphere seemed to darken. Severus did not like the way a light- like hell fire- danced in the depths of the man's eyes.

With one final smirk, the man walked off to the left and out of the view range of the window. Severus could not shake off the feeling that there was something strange about the man's departure, aside from all the other ominous sensations. His train of thought was brought to a halt when Wesley seated himself back at the table and the waiter brought them their meals.

Shavonne immediately began questioning Wesley, "Who was that? He was�pleasing to the eye."

Severus saw Sinclair roll his eyes down the length of the table. Wesley was evading Shavonne's interrogation with a sort of practiced ease. He must have had much experience spinning half-truths and evasive rhetoric. Not that Severus cared.

He focused on his meal instead. He didn't care about Wesley or the strange man who could only be no good. Wesley could take care of himself. Severus would hope so.

~~~

"You mentioned a shop earlier. If you don't mind me asking, what is it that you do?"

"I'm a seamstress," Siobhan replied.

Harry stared at her because he wasn't sure how to reply.

She laughed. "I run a robes shop in Marseille [1]."

He felt stupid. "Oh, like Madam Malkin."

Snape jumped into the conversation suddenly. "Don't insult Siobhan's craft by comparing her with Madame Malkin, Wesley. Siobhan spell-weaves, she doesn't just make any ordinary robe."

Harry turned to glare at Snape. He was absolutely sure he hadn't said anything rude enough- ignorant maybe but not rude- to warrant a tongue lashing from the older man. Snape scoffed at him and turned away.

"Severus!" Siobhan exclaimed and scowled.

Sinclair sighed from his place next to Harry. "Forget it, M�re. It's not like he would ever apologize."

Siobhan leaned back in her chair and sighed. She shot another look at Snape but the man was pointedly not looking back. "You don't know much about spell-weaving, do you Cedric?"

Harry shook his head.

"We specialize in things like invisibility cloaks and robes with protection spells, basically anything where the magic is woven into the foundation of the fabric. But enough about me. My life must be rather boring in comparison to yours. Why did you choose to go into this line of work? It's not exactly a common profession." Siobhan rested her chin on her propped up hands.

"Do tell!" Shavonne clapped her hands together in delight.

Harry swallowed as all eyes at the table turned to him. He recognized the suspicion that was shining so brightly in Snape's dark eyes. He shrugged nonchalantly as he replied, "The money's not bad, and it offers me a lot of opportunities to see the world. It's better than being tied down to some boring desk job," he glanced at Sinclair and Jessica out of the corner of his eye. "No offense to you two, of course."

Sinclair chuckled. "None taken."

"Still, it must be hard moving around all the time. Don't you miss your family and friends? What about your parents?" Siobhan asked.

"Siobhan, I don't think-" Jessica started, but Harry cut her off.

He could be perfectly honest on this aspect. "No, Jessica, it's okay. I don't mind."

Jessica shot him a concerned glance, but he smiled softly just to reassure her. It worked.

"I'm an orphan. My parents both died when I was very young so I've lived without them for most of my life. I was raised by relatives. They didn't like me very much but they raised me anyway. I don't have any other family besides them and they'd rather not have to see me." Harry shrugged again.

"My apologies, ch�r, I didn't know." Siobhan suddenly looked appalled with herself.

Harry tensed and bit his lower lip. It still hurt to think of what he'd never had, but it no longer hurt as much as it used to. He guessed he just got used to the fact. He didn't mind telling the truth where his family was concerned, but others' reactions always made him regret doing so.

Snape snorted loudly. "Please, Siobhan, you act as if Wesley's the only person you've ever met who's been orphaned."

"You could show at least a bit of sympathy." Jessica snapped while her eyes sparked with anger.

"Jessica, if I'd taken time to sympathize with every lack-wit, dunderhead, and unfortunate sod, I'd have died at the hands of the Dark Lord years ago. It's simply not productive," Snape drawled and sipped his wine. "Besides, Wesley's here. He's in one piece, mentally and physically. I don't know what more he can ask for in light of his past."

Jessica opened her mouth to either defend Harry again or scold Snape further but Harry just shook his head. "Don't, Jessica. I'm fine with it really. The professor's right on in a lot of ways."

"Of course, I am."

The man was really impossible at times. Snape rarely said anything flattering but Harry would never expect anything more or less from him. Harry was overcome with the urge to wipe that arrogant sneer from Snape's lips. He hated how those strange feelings just settled in the bottom of his stomach and refused to go away. It reminded Harry of how he felt around Abraham sometimes, vaguely uncomfortable, but all the more enthralling.

Shavonne excused herself from the table, and conversation and dining resumed again after a few moments of awkward silence. The conversation moved away from Harry and his past, which he was infinitely glad for, to Sinclair and Jessica's work. Snape just sat back and snipped as usual at anyone and anything. Half an hour later, Shavonne had yet to return.

"I'm worried," Siobhan frowned and dropped her napkin on the table to rise in her chair. "I'm going to look for Shavonne."

"No need, M�re," Shavonne made her way back to the table. "I'm right here."

"Where did you go?" Siobhan demanded and lowered herself back into her seat.

"To the toilet and I just met someone on the way back," the younger witch protested indignantly. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself. I'm a fully certified witch now." She received a glare from Snape for speaking so casually about her powers in the presence of Muggles.

"Was it someone you knew?" Jessica asked curiously.

"No," Shavonne shook her head as she sat back down. "Someone Cedric knows though." She winked at Harry.

Harry furrowed his brow. Who could she possibly be talking about?

"That handsome gentleman you met with just before!" Shavonne exclaimed. "He stopped me to ask about you but then invited me to sit with him at the pub and he bought me a drink."

"You're under-age according to Muggles." Snape deadpanned with a disapproving expression.

Shavonne threw her hands in the air in frustration. "It was non-alcoholic so stop worrying."

"You don't even know him. What if he had taken you, what then?" Snape snapped.

"Calm down Severus, the Dark Lord's dead and has been for years now. There's no need to get your knickers in a knot."

"And you're far too trusting and na�ve for your own good."

"Well, Cedric knows him so he must be decent." Shavonne huffed.

Snape muttered something inaudible under his breath.

Siobhan sighed, "Give us a warning first next time, ch�rie."

"Yes, M�re," the younger witch sighed in defeat. "Oh, I didn't catch his name. What is it, Cedric?"

"Abraham," he muttered. He could feel Snape's wary glare burning through him again.

~~~

The next week passed in relative peace. Snape continued to work on his project and took on Shavonne as his lab assistant. They had finished with Raphael's Tower and were working on Gabriel's Tower. Harry and Sinclair were taking care of a few Glumbumbles they found nested in one of the cracks of the wall in the tower stairwell. Harry took care to capture a few and set them aside for Snape. Somewhere along the way, and he wasn't sure when or where, Harry had learned that the Glumbumbles' secretions were used as an antidote for some types of magically induced hysteria.

"I heard this morning that they found two more bodies by the Mire." Sinclair sat down on one of the steps of the stairwell and motioned for Harry to join him.

"Really? Were they mangled like the last one?" Harry asked. These strange deaths were becoming a big problem.

"Very similar," Sinclair sighed. "The authorities have had no luck so far. They say it's most likely a rabid wolf. What do you think? Could it be a Dark creature? Maybe a�werewolf?"

Harry shook his head. "It can't be a werewolf. This started last week, well before the full moon this weekend. It might be another magical creature but I wouldn't wait for the Ministry since there aren't that many witches and wizards up here anyway."

Sinclair sighed again. "If this doesn't stop, it's going to hurt tourism. Severus tells me it's the village's greatest source of income."

Harry froze when a familiar feeling prickled the back of his neck and ran down the column of his spine. There was a Dark creature on castle ground, and it wasn't one of the low class pests Harry had been dealing with so far. Their numbers had dwindled significantly in the castle since he arrived and this presence was infinitely different. He could feel it growing exponentially stronger with the upcoming full moon.

It was a threat and it needed to be eliminated immediately. That was the reason Harry tried to give himself to delay the inevitable realization that he was only seeking to placate the curse. He dropped everything he was doing and headed for the source of the darkness. The elimination of the threat was now the highest priority.

"Cedric? Is something wrong?" Sinclair was watching him curiously.

"No, nothing," Harry replied. "Don't worry. I just have to go to the loo."

Harry rushed down the stairs before Sinclair could ask any more questions about his odd behavior. His mind was focused solely on the dark life and presence of his prey. The hunt here had been insufficient so far- with only a few Red Caps to, at best, stave off the hunger. He craved something larger and more powerful- like this new arrival.

He traced the creature's presence to the foyer and froze in his steps when he saw Snape standing there as well. Harry felt his old distrust for the man rise again and shook his head in a vain attempt to clear it. He couldn't even hear what Snape was saying over the pounding of his racing heart. His thoughts were trained on his prey, blocked from view by Snape's larger form.

Harry felt the creature move closer to Snape. Snape just stood there and continued to rage- if his rigid posture was any indication. Harry couldn't wait any longer. He may not like Snape but he wasn't going to let the man be killed.

Harry whipped out his wand and rushed forward, knocking Snape aside and tackling the Dark creature. His body was completely on auto-pilot, as was his intent. Harry never saw the shocked yet horrified expression that crossed Snape's face, and barely registered the fact that his knees had jarred painfully against some metal contraption. All he knew now was he had the creature pinned to the floor and that delicious life was finally within his grasp.

"Expelliarmus!"

Harry didn't feel inconvenienced in the least without his wand. He simply reached for the silver-coated dagger he always kept strapped to his thigh. The weight of the weapon in his hand was greater than his wand but it felt more familiar and comfortable. He glanced down at the creature as his dagger sought out the heart and froze. Familiar amber- human- eyes stared up at him in shock.

Harry felt himself being pried away by Snape's strong hands and didn't bother to fight the older man. Everything felt numb as Harry gazed down at the bruised figure of Remus Lupin lying on the stone floor. This couldn't be right. Remus was dead. His hands fell limply to his sides and the dagger slipped out of his unfeeling fingers, hitting the stone below with an empty clatter.

~~~

Severus tightened his grip on the madman, one hand around Wesley's wrist and the other on his shoulder. Severus leaned his head down to the side of Wesley's face and snarled, "What in Merlin's name is going on inside that pretty little head of yours? I may loathe Lupin but I will not be a witness to murder in my foyer."

Wesley gave no indication of having heard Severus' words. Severus continued to wait as Lupin summoned his wheelchair and climbed painstakingly back onto it. Severus growled when Wesley chose not to even nod. He settled his other hand on the man's other shoulder and spun Wesley around. Wesley's eyes were dilated like he had gone into shock and his breathing was labored. This was almost as disconcerting as Wesley's earlier maddened expression.

Severus shook the younger man. "Didn't you hear me, Wesley? Whatever vendetta you have against Lupin, resolve it elsewhere."

Wesley's mouth was moving- as if speaking, but Severus couldn't hear the words. He leaned in closer until his lips were just a centimeter away from Wesley's jaw to hear the words.

"This can't be right," the younger man whispered in denial. "He's dead. He couldn't have survived. This is all a lie."

~~~

Harry felt the warmth move in closer, and the lean, hard body barely brushing against him. The whisper of soft cloth against his bare skin was almost comforting in the face of his turmoil. He breathed in the smell of sage as he tried to regain control over his world.

Remus was dead, dead meaning not being in the world of the living anymore. Dead- making it impossible for him to be in this castle right now. Dead like Sirius and where the two were finally united as they could never have or be with each other in life. Dead�

Harry leaned into the body in front of him. It was real in comparison. He knew it was there in front of him and it wasn't a figment of his imagination- like Remus must be.

The curse demanded his attention and it cried in outrage after being cheated of its prey. Harry couldn't kill this creature that wore Remus' face, even if Remus was already dead. On their own accord, his hands trailed up the length of the body he was pressing himself into. This was real. This life in front of him was real. The curse demanded satisfaction.

Harry never had been strong enough to fight it off completely.

It was why he ran in the first place.

The hands on Harry's shoulders tightened their grip as he reached out to touch the body in front of him. Harry's hands swept across broad shoulder tops to rest at the base of the neck- at the throat. He could feel the breath- life- pulsing under his fingertips and he squeezed with all his might.

The hands on Harry's shoulders tore into his flesh. It wouldn't be a wonder if Harry was bleeding underneath his t-shirt. None of that mattered, though. There was only the life he held so firmly in his grasp.

Then he felt it- the nudge of the sharp end of a wand stabbing into his jugular. Harry looked up to see the expression of the face as life bled from it and the body, yet looking into the furious face of Severus Snape�reality slammed into him with vicious force. Before Harry could force his body to stop and pull away, Snape hissed a hex.

Harry flew back and slid across the length of the floor to slam into something hard. His vision darkened for a moment as his senses reeled from the attack. The curse flared to life again as Harry tasted the lingering dark magic on his tongue. He glanced back to see what was jabbing painfully into his back. It was a wheelchair.

Harsh footsteps signaled the approach of Snape. Harry pushed himself up into a sitting position when Snape stopped right in front of him. The hand holding the wand trained on him quivered with rage. Snape didn't even bother to question him before he threw another hex at him.

Harry threw up one hand and screamed the first spell that came to mind that wouldn't hurt Snape, "Protego!"

His shield spell not only blocked the hex but reflected it too. Snape was quick to hurl himself out of the path of the rebound spell. Harry knew this would be his only chance to get away. He clambered to his feet and ran out of the foyer and through the main doors. He needed to get away and get some fresh air. Merlin, he had lost control.

~~~

Severus didn't give the command for the front doors to close in time because Wesley was already halfway across the front courtyard when the double doors finally sealed. He cursed under his breath. He didn't really understand what had just happened, other than the fact that Wesley had tried to kill him.

He turned to Lupin, slumped over in the wheelchair and breathing hard. "Do I need to call a mediwitch?"

"I'm fine, Severus," Lupin leaned back and sighed.

Severus took deep breaths to try and calm his rage, but his body still trembled from the left-over adrenaline still rushing through his veins. He had half a mind to Floo the Ministry but he wasn't going to deal with Aurors unless he absolutely had to. He was confident he could handle Wesley. While Wesley had just shown competence in dueling and perhaps the advantage of sheer power, Severus saw no reason to believe he wouldn't be able to best Wesley. He was a Slytherin after all.

Lupin broke his reverie. "Who�was that?"

He crossed his arms and looked toward the closed doors again. "The exterminator Siobhan hired, Cedric Remius Wesley."

"You mean a Hunter?" Lupin's eyes became a bit harder to read. "I didn't know they still existed in England. They've been banned since the establishment of the Werewolf Registry [2]."

"You know officially they don't," Snape smirked at Lupin's na�vet�. "The few that do remain pass themselves off as exterminators. From what I've heard, Wesley has been in Eastern Europe for the last few years. You know how lax the Ministries over there are."

Lupin wheeled over to his side. Severus scowled and stepped away. He could never understand why the werewolf insisted on being so polite with him. "At least I know why he tried to take my life."

"That was still out of character for Wesley. He doesn't appear to be from the Hunter's traditions," But then again, Severus really knew nothing about Wesley or his true intents. "Come Lupin, Shavonne is waiting in the drawing room with your potion."

"What about him?" Lupin looked back at the closed doors.

"I'll handle him on my own terms later."

He knew Wesley would be back later and he would deal with the younger man then.

~~~

Severus unexpectedly found it at the bottom of his trunk when he was searching for some type of Dark Detector he had received as gag gifts in the past. He ran his hand across the fabric of the tattered robes. It had been reduced almost to rags, but Severus could still feel the wards and protective charms woven into the cloth. A few firm knocks sounded against the wood of his chamber doors.

"Enter."

Severus didn't lift his gaze from the ruined robes as he heard the gentle footsteps pad over to his side and stop.

"You kept them�"

Severus could not help the tiny grin that crept across his thin lips. He really was fond of Siobhan. They had only had each other when they were growing up. "Of course. It was your gift to me when I finished school." He looked up at his aunt.

Siobhan looked away in shame. "And then I found out about your Dark Mark after you came home. We fought over it. It was the first time we ever argued in such a manner. I married Paul the week after, moved to Provence [3], and didn't look back. I left you to fend for yourself in the war. I thought you would have burnt it."

"It would be a shame if I had destroyed something you spent so much time on. It's been very useful to me," Severus laid the robes on his lap and made room for the older woman to sit down next to him. He took her hand gently and tugged, indicating he wanted her to sit. "It was for the better that you remained in France. I did not want you involved in the war here. You were newly-wed and soon thereafter with child. I would not have been comfortable with having you in the midst of all this danger, especially since you were considered a blood traitor."

Siobhan placed her hands over his. "I should have been here though. We're family. Family is supposed to be there for each other. I failed you though, and abandoned you."

He threw her an annoyed look. "I am not so weak that I need your constant supervision, Siobhan. The robe that you wove was a more than adequate substitute in your absence. It saved my life many times."

Siobhan's hand moved from their place over his to rub the fabric between her fingers. "This was my greatest work. It won me my Mastery. I made it with you in mind. You were always getting yourself in some sort of trouble or other when I wasn't there to watch you. I wove the strongest spells I could find into it. I had to start all over several times because the fabric was not strong enough to withstand the magic I was channeling through it."

"How was your meeting today?" Severus changed the subject in a not-so-subtle manner. He did not feel like talking about the past right now.

"The client just wanted to know if I could work an invisibility quality into the cloak I'm weaving for him." She allowed the fabric to slip through her fingers. "I heard Remus came today but Sinclair couldn't tell me all the details. What happened, Severus? Where's Cedric?"

He lifted a hand to rub the base of his neck. He wondered if there were any visible signs of Wesley's attack on him earlier. He had been trying specifically not to think about Wesley- not to think about the warm body pressed against him and those full lips parted to breathe deeply. Some part of him demanded that Severus be furious with the other man for trying to kill him. Severus wasn't sure what he felt toward Wesley at the moment. Severus had seen it today- a glimpse of a familiar darkness hidden away in the younger man.

"Wesley didn't take well to Lupin's presence in the castle. I managed to pry Wesley away from Lupin but he then turned his attack on me. When he looked up at my face, he appeared to regain a hold on himself. He fled and hasn't been back since."

"Oh dear, that's what happened to him?"

Severus became angry because her tone was too casual and it shouldn't have been. Wesley had attacked not only Lupin but him as well. Did she really intend to let such a threat continue to reside in the same castle as the rest of them?

She looked up at him with that look. "I think you should go get him."

He stared at her. He always knew she was a bit touched in the head, what with all the time she spent around Albus. The old man's unstable mental nature was bound to be contagious after a certain point and Siobhan appeared to be no exception. "That idiot tried to kill me. Were you not listening to a single word I said?" Severus stood and loomed over her, sputtering in fury.

She pinned him with a fierce glare as she raised a robe arm to wipe the spittle from her face. It was then he remembered that she had been the one to keep him in line as a child and knew most, if not all, of his dirty little secrets. "All I know is that Cedric has been gone for hours now and knowing your sweet disposition, you must have said or done something that added to his distress. It's obvious that there's something going on with Cedric and he needs help. I intend to give it to him." She rose to her feet and eliminated any height advantage Severus had over her. He resented how tall she was sometimes.

"I will not. I will not have him in this castle endangering my heirs. What is this persistent need you have to save everyone you deem to be in distress? Is it because you couldn't save Paul? Are you going to spend the rest of your life rescuing others for that bit of hollow satisfaction to fill the void left by your beloved husband's death?" He sneered.

She drew back as if he had physically struck her or hexed her and he might as well have. "You will return with Cedric or you will not return at all! I will have the Ministry remove you from the premises."

Severus was left with his jaw hanging open as she swept out of the room. It was then he remembered why at times he despised her too.

*To Be Continued*

[1] Marseilles is a town in the south of France. Beauxbatons is believed to be located in that area.

[2] According to Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, the Werewolf Registry was created in 1947 as a division of the Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

[3] Provence is a large area located in the southern tip of France, right off the Mediterranean Sea. It includes a number of towns, cities, and villages, including Marseille (where some fans figure Beauxbatons is located near).

There will most likely a longer time delay between this chapter and the posting of the next. I'm going to take spring break to finish this fic and then send all of it to my beta's at once. After we work through it, chapters will be posted more frequently.

As always, thank you for all your reviews.
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Life Eternal