Rising Above

Chapter Three

Hermione and Severus fell into an easy rhythm. Meals were spent in the Great Hall, and while Severus taught his potions classes, Hermione taught her charms classes.

There was no way she could replace Flitwick; the dueling champion had been felled by a nasty charm placed by someone behind him during the All Britain Tournament. He was still in St. Mungo's going through a variety of treatments.

In the evenings, they would join each other in one of their studies--correcting papers and researching. Severus was impressed with Hermione's library, not having seen it before, and he went through it with a manic energy.

This particular evening, they were sitting in front of the fire in Hermione's room. She was correcting third year essays on cheering charms. Her legs were tucked under her, and Severus rested his head on her thigh, engrossed in a lost volume of potions. Hermione had found it in a muggle used book store.

"'Mione. If you could punish Voldemort, what would you do to him?" he asked quietly.

Hermione put down the quill she was using and ruffled his hair as she thought about his question.

"Well, I don't like the idea of killing him outright--if he could even be killed. And Azkaban and the Dementors wouldn't do him much harm either in my mind." She nibbled her lower lip thoughtfully.

"The best way to hurt an evil person is to let them fully realize what they have done. Look at Judas."

"Judas?"

"Muggle religion, Sev. Jesus, the Christian savior, was exposed by one of his closest allies. He was crucified. When Judas realized what he had done, he felt such horror, he killed himself."

"Yeah...the problem with that is Voldemort is what did you call him?"

"A sociopath."

Severus chuckled. "So he doesn't have any conscience. If he had one, he'd recognize what he'd done, and go crazy?" he stopped for a moment. "That would require soul rending." He sighed heavily.

"Soul Rending? What is that? I've never heard of it." She shifted, sitting up straighter, Severus moaned, realizing she wouldn't let it go until she had dragged every last bit of information out of his tired mind.

"A mixture of spell and potion, which allows you to take a small portion of a person's soul. Harmless as long as it isn't done more than a few times. It borders on black magic, but it isn't exactly illegal." His black eyes glittered as his forehead furrowed in thought.

"Do you have a potion for it? I've never heard of a charm that gives someone a conscience." Hermione asked.

"No...but we may be able to create one, though it would take some research and experimenting. And since soul rending isn't something you want to do much of, its not something we can exactly experiment with."

Hermione's hand stilled. "Did we just agree to come up with a potion to bring the downfall of Voldemort?"

He smiled sheepishly at her. "I think we did."

With a bit of a chuckle, she jumped off the couch, and raced Severus to her bookshelves. She grabbed a book on multidisciplinary magic. "Alana Foxwart wrote an excellent chapter on potions and charms. There is one too, that includes Arthimancy...that might be useful as well."

In the meantime, Severus reached up higher, and took down some of her advanced potions books. "We need a list of probable ingredients. Ones that are carriers, maybe some ingredients included in truth serum. Ingredients that are not transitory, but permanent." He continued to list out loud, and Hermione stopped for a moment to watch him.

"We should let Dumbledore in on this," she said suddenly. "He might like to know of a back up plan. We could use his support as well for some of the more difficult to find ingredients."

"You mean class A untradeables? Officially, potion masters are supposed to have access to them; but you're right, with my questionable reputation, it might be a good idea to do so. Not only that, but it wouldn't do for this to get back to Voldemort." He paused a moment before nodding. "You're right. Let's get a bit more information so we can show this to him properly though."

"Then let's get to work."

* * *

Over the next week, they pulled books from all over the castle, taking copious notes. Scrolls littered both of their studies and they were both working on very little sleep. Finally, after Snape had taken a record number of points from Griffindor, Albus came to them.

"I hear you've reached new heights, Severus. What have those pesky Griffindors done now to deserve such an incredible drop in their house scores? Is there something you'd like to tell me?" He smiled benignly, looking around the mess.

Severus just sighed, and returned back to his list. "Hermione, perhaps you can elucidate, since your colleague seems to be indisposed at the moment?"

"We were planning on bringing this to you, Albus, but we wanted to get our facts straight first, but since you're here..."

Albus nodded, and sank down into the only armchair unoccupied by piles of books. He put his fingers together and gave Hermione his full attention.

"We were discussing ways to defeat Voldemort. We've always worked under the assumption that to defeat Voldemort, we need to kill him. Quite frankly, we both thought that that would be the easy way out for him."

"Indeed. I have always said if there was another way to defeat him permanently, I would much rather not kill the man."

Hermione nodded, remembering how Harry had told her that Dumbledore avoided using a killing curse on Voldemort when Albus confronted him in their fifth year at the Ministry of Magic.

"So if death is not the goal, but his defeat, what would be the best way to achieve that goal. And we thought that well, if he had a conscience, he would realize his own guilt."

"Ha Ha! Hoisted on his own petard! Brilliant!" Albus actually clapped his hands. "How possible is this?"

Severus broke in, "Possible? Yes. But we still have quite a bit of work to do, and some ingredients that we know we will have to have will be...difficult to come by."

"What can I do to help? The order is at your disposal."

The tension in Severus' body diminished slightly. "Thank you."

"A lab would be greatly useful, Albus. We can't use the potions classroom, and Severus' private lab will be too small," Hermione requested hopefully.

The headmaster rose and nodded. "Consider it done. I imagine you would like it in the dungeons, Severus?"

He nodded abruptly.

"Very well. Will you be able to give a report at the next Order meeting?"

"Yes. I will need to ask for assistance with some ingredients. I cannot be known to be purchasing many of these ingredients. If the list of ingredients were to be gathered, it could be detrimental to my position," Severus explained tersely.

"Or course, Severus. We need you safe. I will leave you to it." He moved toward the door, then turned back to the couple already working. "Oh, and Severus?"

He looked up from his scroll to see Dumbledore's eyes twinkling over his spectacles. "Yes?"

"Please try to refrain from removing points according to how little sleep you are getting?" he chuckled as he let himself out the door.

Hermoine smiled and looked up at Severus, "So exactly how many points DID you remove from my house?"

"I didn't keep count," he replied brusquely.

"No, no," she interrupted, "He said you had beaten your old record. What was it?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

He sighed. "342 points in a day."

She looked at him stunned. "I HAVE been working you too hard. Close the book immediately." She herself put her quill down, closed her book and blew out the candles next to her. He caught her gaze and quickly followed suit as she slithered across the room towards him. Only the light of fire outlined her curvaceous form, her face in shadow.

He fought to not appear overly eager. The atmosphere in the room changed subtly. This was no longer Hermione the researcher, colleague or student. As though she had flicked a switch, she was suddenly sensual, warm and forward. He didn't second guess the fates that brought her to him. For an incredibly intelligent woman, she certainly picked the wrong man. He knew she could have plenty of better men, but she had chosen him. He felt damn lucky. He watched her closely as she moved slowly across the room to him. He tried to keep working, until she placed her hands on the back of his neck. He could feel her warm breath against his ear as she whispered, "No. More. Work." And then she nipped his earlobe, causing him to jump.

"Very well, It is unlikely I will get anything else accomplished with you taunting me that way," he replied but without the usual bite the words would have had.

He rose up from his chair, spelling his own candles out. He could make out her smile in the gloaming light. Her hand reached back to his, and he took it hesitantly. The tension rolled in his stomach.

"For someone who has faced Voldemort as many times as you have, Severus, you are entirely too tense around me. One might think I scare you," she said softly over her shoulder.

You do. You have far more power to hurt me than the Dark Lord. Out loud he said nothing, but held her hand tighter.

Once again, he was in her bedroom. He felt nervous, not having been there since the last time he had held her in her sleep. That night the overwhelming feeling had been comfort, but the atmosphere tonight was distinctly different. As he analyzed it, Hermione came to him, pulling him in closer, and shut his mind off with a kiss.

Her lips traced his own, soft fluttery kisses, her tongue flicking against his upper lip. When he moaned softly, she took it as an invitation, and plunged her tongue deep into the recesses of his mouth. His arms clutched her fiercely to him, afraid she would change her mind. Her hands came up his chest, hitching his breath, before tangling into the hair found at the nape of his neck. He felt the curve of her smile against his lips as she pressed her body tightly against his.

"Far too many clothes," she murmured against his sensitive lips. She moved, kissing his chin, while her hands slipped from his hair, and moved to unbutton the linen shirt he wore beneath his more severe jacket that he'd removed while working in the study. Her warm lips followed her hands down his neck, kissing each spot of skin. In response, his hands dove into the lush fullness of her soft hair, his fingers tangling in their depths, before reaching her shoulders, and squeezing them spasmodically.

"Sweet Circe," he gasped. She smiled up at him, and slipped his now open shirt down off his strong but narrow shoulders. Hermione leaned forward and nipped one of his flattened nipples and he groaned. He caught the playful look in her eye, and reached for her.

Ever so slowly, he removed her robes, followed by the turtleneck she had worn beneath. His long fingers teased the lace edge of her bra, before his lips dipped between the two globes and placed a chaste kiss. His own lips quirked into a smile at the small gasp she released. His fingers reached behind her and made quick work of the clasp, making the piece of cloth hang loosely over her chest. She shrugged slightly, and watched it fall to the floor.

"Oops," she giggled.

They looked at each other, and quickly divested the rest of their garments. Naked, he lifted her and gently placed her on the bed. His eyes worshipped her, even as he noticed her discomfort.

"What is it, My Own?"

"I just wish...I wish I could have been whole and beautiful for you," she whispered, as her hand fought to not cover the crisscross marks of the curse scars across her abdomen and thighs.

His dark eyes glittered, but he did not answer her. Instead he leaned forward, tracing each mark with his tongue and ending each with a soft kiss. She squirmed beneath him, her hands once more entangled in his hair. He fought the desire that coursed through his body, until he could no longer stand it. He moaned softly against her, and felt the shudder it provoked in her body as her body bowed.

A tear in the universe could not have been more powerful. She was thrashing and keening, her body flush with the intensity. He gently touched her, prolonging it for her. When her body grew slack, he moved up next to her to stare into her half lidded eyes.

She murmured with a smile, "You are so going to get it."

He chuckled before leaning forward and kissing her softly, first on her eyelids, her cheeks, her nose, and then her mouth. She kissed him back voraciously. She leaned into him, pressing him back into the pillows.

"My turn," she smiled wickedly. She too, kissed down his chest, nipping gently at each nipple. She smiled against him at his gasps and groans, and realized this is where true power lay. This was bending someone's will. No wonder Voldemort was destined to lose.

"You're beautiful," he whispered as she pulled herself back up to sitting. His hands roamed her soft skin, tracing her wounds, his eyes never leaving hers. Her movements began as unhurried, but it wasn't long before both of them were moving quickly, desperate for each other. Her ensuing scream of passion he was sure, could have been heard all the way down in the dungeons had they not put a silencing charm on the chambers.

* * *

In the dark of her bed, Severus clung to her sweating body as he tried desperately to regain his breath.

"342 points to Gryffindor," he managed to eek out before closing his eyes.

Hermione just smiled softly, and pulled herself closer to him.