Journey to Passion

Chapter Nineteen - Battle of Magic

Snape decided not to go to the Great Hall for breakfast as the Headmaster had suggested. Since it was nearly time for lunch anyway, Snape went to his private chambers to change his robes and freshen up for the day.

The students were writing their final exams all week, and this afternoon he had Gryffindor and Slytherin sixth years right before Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff third years.

With Dumbledore gone for the day, it was up to him to keep an eye out for Quirrell... and Jessica... and each of the students - especially Harry Potter and his little friends...and last, but not least - the trap door. Dumbledore seemed very confident that the Philosopher's Stone was secure, but perhaps the passage itself was not.

"Damn it," Snape muttered to himself as he paced down the open corridor towards the staff room. He wouldn't be able to leave his classroom while the students were in exams, but at the same time, neither could Quirrell. That notion put a sly smile on one corner of the Potions Master's lips.

Until exams started, he could keep an eye on Quirrell, and as soon as exams ended, he could keep Quirrell occupied until Dumbledore's return - even if that meant binding his limbs together and hanging him from the dungeon ceiling all night. At least that way Snape could ensure that Quirrell didn't stand a chance at getting loose and begin creeping about the castle unsupervised. That particular thought turned the opposite corner of his mouth up into a complete smile. However, it hardly lasted.

Several of the students were enjoying their lunch break out in the brilliant sunshine. Behind him, just beyond the doors of Professor McGonagall's classroom, Snape was certain he heard his name being whispered.

He quickly and quietly turned around.

His brows bent in disapproval and his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the abhorrent Gryffindor trio. Then, like a panther approaching his unsuspecting prey, Snape quietly crept up behind Harry, Ron and Hermione, crossed his arms in front of him and peered down at them with an excruciatingly stern look on his face.

"But what can we -"

Hermione's eye had caught the glare of the Potions Master. Her jaw dropped and an alarming gasp emitted from her mouth. Both Harry and Ron whirled around, eager to see what had startled her.

An odd, twisted smile played on his pale lips as they gazed up at their least favorite professor. "Good afternoon," he said smoothly.

* * *

"My dear, precious Jessica."

A bare palm slid across her cheek, massaging her flesh affectionately. He smiled at his betrothed and leaned his lips down to kiss her on the mouth. For a brief moment he let his lips linger over hers and then sat up again. His left thumb grazed across her cheekbone as he stood and brought his wand out from his robes with his right hand.

"It is time. I command you to awake." He stepped back a couple of feet and held his wand pointed at her. "Desperte ahora!" A bright beam of light ejected from the tip of his wand and showered over Jessica. The entire room was illuminated for a millisecond and then turned dark again. The sun had just set. The horizon was full of dark blue and purple colours. It was truly a natural work of art.

Quirrell approached Jessica's bedside again and peered over her body waiting for her to rise. A moment later he began to smile.

Her body remained still, but he could see her eyes beginning to flicker open. She appeared slightly bemused, as if she didn't quite recognize her own bedchambers yet. Her gaze remained unfixed for several seconds until she finally turned to Quirrell and studied him curiously.

"Professor Quirrell?" she questioned softly. He smiled and nodded excitedly. "What did you do to me?" she asked him.

He rushed to sit on her bedside and collected her hands in his. "We will have plenty of time to talk later, my sweet. Right now we must leave. There are plenty of things we must do this evening and we have very little time to do it."

Immediately Jessica found the strength she needed to pull herself up into a sitting position. Still clad with her locket, robes and pink gown, she tore her hands out of Quirrell's grasp and pulled the dressing robe tight around her body and leaned forward. "I remember what you said to me," she announced. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

With a sigh of frustration, Quirrell began shaking his head, his eyes pointed down at the toes of his boots. "Ah Jessica, it shouldn't be like this. You and I are going to spend the rest of our lives together. Believe me, it will be much more enjoyable if you come with me willingly."

She didn't hesitate to shake her head in refusal. "No. There is only one man I'll willingly spend the rest of my life with. Severus!"

Quirrell laughed at this. "Severus?" he repeated amusingly. "Jessica my darling, do you not remember the harsh words he spoke to you? Did he not call you a Death Eater's whore and plead for you to go be with him? And then did Severus not insist that you leave him?"

Quirrell's left eyebrow cocked in amusement. He watched her intently, awaiting an answer. She clutched the quilts in her hands and pulled them towards her chest. "Clearly you are this mysterious him," Jessica determined. "If Severus knew that my father had chosen you to become my lover, he'd stop you from ever putting a finger on me - even if that meant removing it."

The wizard wrapped in purple cloaks chuckled again. "I'm sure he would, however I don't think such actions will be necessary. With your help, I don't think he'll survive our next encounter."

Jessica's eyes widened in fear at the initial shock of Quirrell's threat, but she quickly regained her composure and glared back at him. "He's far more powerful than you'll ever be," she assured. "You can't hurt him."

"No," Quirrell agreed without hesitation. "No, not alone. I'll need your help."

Jessica openly laughed at this. "I'll not help you hurt him - or anyone for that matter," she told him. "There's nothing you can do that will make me."

Quirrell slowly began shaking his head again. "Oh, but there is." He slowly extended his wand towards her again. "It's a shame that I have to do this to you, my love. But I will not stand to let you foul this up!"

Jessica ducked her head under the covers as she scampered across to the other side of the bed and made a run for the door. Quirrell had her in his view and furiously howled a curse at her before she could make it half way across the bedroom.

"Imperio!"

The curse had struck her in mid torso, blasting her back a foot or two. Jessica's body fell to the ground in a crumpled, pain struck position and a weak, agonizing moan escaped her lips. She took a moment of time before slowly pushing herself up with her hands.

Quirrell came up behind Jessica and blissfully helped her up to her feet. He enfolded his arms around Jessica's waist and held her close to him for a moment while the disorientation subsided. "Now," he began and without releasing her, started to turn Jessica's body around to face him. "Will you help me, my love?"

Her lids flickered rapidly as her eyes rolled up in to her head. "Yes," she hissed softly. "Yes."

"Good." Quirrell began slapping the sides of her face to focus her attention. "A wizard will come through that door momentarily," he said, pointing at her bedroom door. "Do you understand?"

Jessica closed her eyes once more and then looked in the direction he was pointing. "Yes, I understand."

"I want you to kill him," Quirrell said. "Will you do that?"

She nodded confidently. "Yes."

Indeed, just as Quirrell had promised, footsteps began to sound from just beyond Jessica's bedroom door. They were long and heavy and stopped just before entering. Quirrell looked once more at Jessica and nodded reassuringly before he tucked himself into a dark corner.

The door slowly crept open and Snape stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him. He took two very large steps towards the bed before looking up and realizing it was empty! He stopped immediately and looked frantically around the disarray of bed sheets as he quickly pulled his wand out from his robes and held it before him.

"Severus?"

The soft, familiar whisper had come from behind him.

He paused for a moment, not quite believing what he'd heard. Then, as he hesitantly cocked his neck around, he caught a glimpse of Jessica's tiny form standing there a few feet away from him. Her dressing robe was spread open, exposing the elegant, pink gown she'd worn for him on Christmas day.

Snape's jaw fell open in disbelief and he'd nearly let his wand slip out of his hand. "Jessica?" he uttered under his breath and instinctively neared her with his arms held out.

Jessica hurried into his open embrace and squeezed her arms tight around his tall, lean body. "Severus!"

Snape hadn't even taken the time to ask her how this had happened before he framed her face in his hands and lifted her up to meet his anxious kiss. His lips wrapped firmly around hers and he let himself indulge in the long awaited kiss, stroking his lips over hers again and again.

"Jessica," he breathed into her mouth. "Jessica, are you all right?" he asked her even as he continued to trail his lips along her neck and shoulders in a series of hungry kisses.

"Yes, I'm fine. I've been waiting for you," she said.

"Jessica," sounded another stern voice from the opposite corner of the room. Both Jessica and Snape turned their heads around to see Quirrell slowly coming out of hiding and stepping into their view. His hands were joined in front of him and his smile was as confident as Snape had ever seen.

Snape looked suspiciously at Quirrell and then pointed his wand right between the eyes of his fellow professor. "I thought I had warned you about coming near her," he said slowly. "I was quite serious when I said I would -"

"Come now Severus," Quirrell interrupted without a trace of fear in his voice. "You should be indebted to me. After all, I have done just the thing you've been trying to do for six months now - I have awakened Jessica and I am being kind enough to give you one last chance to see her before I take her back where she belongs."

"You have no idea where she belongs," Snape ensured in his lowest, nastiest voice. He took Jessica by her arm and pulled her behind him, shielding her with his own body. "The Ministry will have your wand for what you have done to her."

"How wrong you are, Severus." Quirrell crept a few steps closer to Snape and Jessica. He stretched his arm out and motioned for Jessica to come stand beside him. "The Ministry will never find us. By the time Dumbledore returns to Hogwarts, we will be long gone, and you..." he seemed to ponder for a moment. "You'll probably be dead, along with anyone else who tries to stop us."

As Quirrell had requested, Jessica stepped around Snape and faced him for a short moment. Her hand stretched out to touch his face and her eyes closed as she reached up to kiss him once again. "I'm sorry, Severus," she whispered into his ear. "I don't belong here. I have to leave."

As his face twisted in confusion, Jessica let her hands glide down his arms and fastened around his hands. "You are not going anywhere with him, Jessica. You know I will not let you," he assured her. He looked deep into her eyes and saw that she wasn't the same girl she had been before. There was only one thing that could change a girl so much and Snape knew exactly what it was.

Jessica's hands coiled around his fingers, and before he realized what she had done, his wand was in her hands - pointing directly at his heart. With her eyes locked with his, she slowly walked backwards until she was standing right up against Professor Quirrell.

"I have to do this, Severus," she said as Quirrell's hands cupped over her shoulders. She looked uncomfortably at the long, black wand she held in her left hand and then switched it over to her right hand and looked curiously at it again. "I've never held a wand before," she told the wizards.

Snape ground his teeth together and clenched his fists as his sides. "Mark my words, Quirrell - you will not get away with this! I will see to it!"

As if he hadn't heard a word Snape said, Quirrell began to circle around Jessica, confidently eyeing her with hungry desire in his gaze. "Remember what I said, my sweet," he said. "You don't want him to ruin everything, do you?"

Jessica shook her head once. "No."

"Good," Quirrell said and glanced at Snape who looked quite ready to pounce on him and wring his neck. He raised his wand to the Potions Master and a moment later he spoke. "Stay just where you are, old friend. Move, and neither of us will hesitate to 'blast you into oblivion' as you had so eloquently put it."

Snape looked deep into Jessica's eyes. He knew she was still acting under the power of the curse, but a part of her wanted out. Just as she had given her mother the strength to break free over twenty years ago, all Jessica needed was a push in the right direction. He needed to help her.

"You can break the curse Jessica," he assured her. "You can break it just like your mother did. You have the power, I know you do." He spoke clearly and cautiously to her.

"Jessica has more power than you'll ever know," Quirrell went on. "Surely by now you know exactly who she is. By tomorrow morning she will be reunited with her father. He will be strong again and Hogwarts will be but a memory."

Snape slowly shook his head in disgust. "What have you done, Quirrell? Why are you doing this for him? What could possibly be in it for you?" The scowl on Snape's face grew even more intense. "If you were one of his followers before he disappeared I would know it. You are not one of them!"

"Aye," Quirrell agreed and nodded. "You're right, old friend. I wasn't one of his followers then. But now - now I'm closer to him than you'll ever know. He is a part of me and I will see to it that he returns."

Quirrell could barely see Snape's eyes beyond his narrow lids. "Why?" he hissed quietly. It was more a question to justify his stupidity rather it was mere curiosity.

"Because dear Severus," Quirrell began. "We made a deal long ago. He gave me an offer I could not refuse." He turned and looked lustfully at Jessica again. "You see, once Lord Voldemort has the stone, he will be strong again, and with the addition of Jessica's powers he'll be immortal. Omnipotent. Unstoppable. Inescapable." Excitement shone in the professor's eyes - an excitement that assured Snape that there was nothing that would be able to talk Quirrell out of his decision to steal the stone tonight. "The deal was that if I give him the stone he will give me the gold and the girl. Once he's finished with her, she will be mine to do with as I please." The hum of laughter sounded from the back of his throat. "And Severus... I plan to give her everything you were unable to give her." To add to his emphasis, Quirrell cupped his hands around Jessica's neck and brought her to him. He smiled hungrily at her before capturing her mouth with his.

Snape watched in bitter fury as Professor Quirrell brought his right hand down to knead Jessica's breast and continued to savagely thrust his tongue around in circles inside her mouth. His anger and resentment erupted in a fit of livid growls after he heard Jessica whimper under the pressure of his cold-blooded kiss.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Snape angrily stepped towards Quirrell with his hands ready to tear him apart from her. He'd just touched the purple fabric of Quirrell's robes when Jessica tore free and pointed his own wand at him.

Without saying a word, a flash of blue light emitted from its tip and blasted Snape backwards several feet. He landed on the heels of his boots and then collapsed onto his backside. Snape leaned his elbows back and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment until the pain in his coccyx subsided. As soon as he could, Snape opened his eyes again and looked up.

Now right in front of him, Quirrell was standing with his wand pointed down. Snape looked up at Quirrell and glared at him. "I told you not to move," Quirrell reminded and shook his head in disappointment. "As you can see, the girl didn't hesitate to blast you off your feet. It's lucky for you that I haven't yet commanded her to kill you."

Quirrell backed up a couple of feet allowing Snape room to push himself up into a sitting position. He turned to look at Jessica. "Watch carefully my dear," he told her. "You're going to like this." His voice sounded calm and serene and then he voiced an eerie, wicked laugh.

Jessica looked down at Snape and saw the combination of emotions pooling in his dark, uncompromising eyes. He was ignoring Quirrell completely - only focusing his attention on her - staring directly into her glazed pupils as if her were trying to silently relay a hidden message to her. "Come on Jessica," he whispered aloud. "Be strong. I need you. I want you. I lo-"

"Crucio!"

Immediately following the loud, thundering crack that came from Quirrell's wand was an excruciating howl. Jessica jumped as she saw Snape fall back, his body twisting in pain and agony. A shivering jolt of terror surged through her body and Jessica found herself daring to throw herself down to the Potions Master's side, commanding Quirrell to let the pain cease.

She held Snape's wand in her hand, but dared not use it again. She had only meant to point it at him when he'd come charging towards them. Instead of just threatening to use it against Snape, she'd managed to send him flying backwards.

Jessica didn't know any spells. She'd not learned a single one. She never wanted to. She never even wanted to hold a wand before. Looking down at her hand, her fingers clasped around a particularly dark wand, Jessica wished she hadn't touched it in the first place. She didn't need it. She could still kill Professor Snape without it.

While Snape tried his damnedest to contain his cries of agony, Quirrell laughed in his face. Jessica looked at both wizards and felt her face flush. She pulled her dressing robe open and placed Snape's wand in the inside pocket.

A tiny clatter sounded when the tip of his wand touched the bottom of her pocket. She'd felt it hit something solid and then peered curiously into the depth of her pocket.

It was a vial. While Quirrell's back was still turned towards her and his wand still pointed at the Potions Master, Jessica looked closer at the vial and recognized its contents immediately. It was a remedy her Uncle Albus had given her several times before. His own handwriting was scribbled on the label naming the tiny bottle's content.

Antiveleno.

Before she could further devise a plan, Jessica popped the lid off of the tiny bottle and tipped the mouth against her lips, spilling every drop of the liquid down her throat. Jessica put the empty bottle back into her pocket and neared Quirrell and Snape.

She put her hand on Quirrell's arm and looked into his eye. "Enough," she said. "Let me take care of him now."

Quirrell looked inquisitively at Jessica for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Very well," he said before taking his wand away and commanding for the cursed pain to cease.

Snape's body collapsed onto the floor and eventually stopped twitching. He breathed heavily, relieved that the pain was finally over. He remained still for a moment before managing to crawl up onto his knees. He kept his head pointed down until he was able to regain his composure and get up to his feet.

In front of him, Jessica stood by Quirrell's side, her hand still resting on his arm. He stared deep into her emerald eyes. Whether it was because he was too humiliated to glance over in Quirrell's direction, or if it was because he seriously thought that this was his last chance to look into Jessica's eyes, Snape wasn't really sure.

Jessica took her hand off of Quirrell's arm and stepped right in front of Snape. She ran her hands up and down his chest and then tilted her head up to his ear. "I'm going to leave with Professor Quirrell now," she said in a whisper loud enough for Quirrell to hear. "I'll not be coming back for you."

Snape gathered enough strength to lift his hands to Jessica's face. He coiled his fingers around each of her ears and pointed her eyes to stare directly into his own. "Jessica, stop this foolishness! He is going to hand you over to Voldemort on a silver platter! Do you understand that? Do you understand what he wants to do to you? This man will destroy you! He will destroy you!" he repeated angrily.

"Please Severus," Jessica whimpered. "You once said that you'd do anything for me, even die for me. So please, trust me," she said with a particular sparkle in her eye. She moved her hands up to his collar and began unbuttoning his frockcoat. She pushed enough of his shirt away to expose his neck and collarbone. With soft affection in her touch, Jessica let her fingers grazed over his bare skin and then dotted his scar with a single kiss. "Let me do this to you."

Quirrell watched anxiously as Jessica slithered her arms up around Snape's bare neck. She closed her eyes and slowly let her body transform into the Fierce Snake. A sly smile spread onto Quirrell's face as he realized how Jessica intended to kill him.

She let her body wrap around his shoulders a couple of times before tucking her head against the scar she'd found on his neck the first morning she'd awoken next to him. Her thin tongue darted in and out of her pointed mouth and her beady eyes focused on that particular scar. Her mouth opened.

Quirrell licked his lips as he anxiously awaited the bite. He watched as Jessica opened her mouth to expose those sharp, deadly fangs. Snape was feeling extremely intense. His neck muscles were throbbing anxiously and his pulse beat wildly against her scaly skin.

"Go on," Quirrell encouraged quietly.

Snape could feel her tiny, wet fangs slipping against his skin. He squeezed his eyes shut as he nervously awaited the inevitable, deadly puncture.

He let out a deep, uneasy breath once he felt the sting of penetration. Almost immediately Snape could feel a thick, venomous fluid polluting his body and spread through his bloodstream. It felt cold and numb. After only a short moment Snape could barely turn his neck. He fell backwards onto the floor. Jessica slithered away from him and then transformed back into a human.

Snape turned his gaze to look at Jessica, a poignant look of disappointment and question lingering in his bloodshot eyes. Jessica saw his heartbroken look and fought with all her power to keep her tears from pooling in the corners of her eyes.

"Your body is going to go into shock," she whispered to him as his body began to tremble and shake. "You'll experience convulsions, paralysis and then you'll slip into a coma. Nobody has ever survived the attack of a Fierce Snake without immediate medical attention. There's no one here to save you." She looked up at Quirrell and then stepped away from Snape. "In a matter of seconds you'll have nothing to fear from him. Severus Snape can no longer jeopardize our escape."

Quirrell smiled appreciatively. "Well done, my dear." He looked down at Snape as his body slowly began to cease its wild spasms. His eyes were closed and he was laying flat on his back - completely motionless. Quirrell suddenly twitched and then knelt down next to Snape's body. He touched his fingers to Snape's neck and then rubbed his fingers into the fresh wound. The blood that smeared on his fingers assured him that the bite was genuine and put all of his doubts aside.

"Remarkable work, Jessica," he congratulated. "Now, the stone."

By the hand, Quirrell led Jessica out of her bedchambers and into the sitting room. She glanced back quickly to take one last look at Snape.

Quirrell took Jessica down the long, dark corridor heading towards the stairwell. "Your father is going to be pleased to see you," he muttered as they prowled along together down the empty corridor. "Twenty-five years is a long time to wait for someone."

"I suppose it has been a long time since my mother foolishly left him," Jessica said. "She would still be alive if she hadn't done so."

Quirrell smiled admirably. "Of course. She would have reigned at his side like a queen. But you - you will stand by him like the Princess of Darkness. Are you looking forward to reuniting with your father, my princess?" Quirrell stopped and took both of Jessica's hands into his own. He smiled at her and pulled her a little closer to him.

Jessica forced a smile onto her face. "Yes, I am."

"Hmm," Quirrell hummed keenly. "And, are you ready to become my wife, bear my children and serve him faithfully for eternity?"

"Yes," she hissed.

"Good." Quirrell smiled again and inched nearer to Jessica intending to plant a kiss on her lips.

It was the sound of high-healed footsteps that drew his attention away from Jessica. Quirrell turned around and looked in the direction that the clattering footsteps were coming from.

A moment later Minerva McGonagall appeared from around the nearest corner. She was holding a lantern and wearing a long, cotton dressing robe that was tied tight around her body. She looked up in time to spot Quirrell and Jessica and stopped abruptly.

The Transfigurations Professor gasped and her jaw hung open. The sight of Jessica, awake and about the castle with Quirrell had rendered her speechless.

"Jessica?" she managed to utter after an awkward moment.

"Professor McGonagall," Jessica returned. "What are you doing about at this hour?"

McGonagall looked curiously at Jessica. "Dear, I was just about to ask you the very same," she said. "And how did you..." she couldn't quite find the right words to conclude her question. "You're awake," she said instead.

"Indeed," Quirrell confirmed. "It's a pity, you chose a very poor time to set about on a midnight stroll." He raised his wand, pointing it at the elderly witch. "Forgive me, but I cannot allow you to spread the word." He chuckled in a way that made Professor McGonagall wince in misunderstanding. "Goodbye, Minerva."

Jessica looked at the seriousness in Quirrell's eyes and felt McGonagall burst into a panic. She had reached for her wand but was unable to beat Quirrell's challenge.

"Avada Kedavra!" Quirrell bellowed.

"No!" Just before Quirrell could point his wand directly at the Transfigurations Professor, she grabbed the tip of it and directed its aim elsewhere. McGonagall gasped in horror as she saw the bright green light ignite from Quirrell's wand.

"You treacherous little bitch!" Quirrell hollered and ground his teeth at Jessica. He advanced towards her, swinging his fist directly at her jaw.

A crack sounded the moment he struck her. Jessica winced in pain and fell to her knees, her left hand enclosing the side of her face. "How dare you!" He pointed his wand back and forth at each of the women. "You'll never stop me! I'll get the stone and Lord Voldemort will return! You'll not escape him, he'll be back for you!"

Quirrell waved his wand once more and muttered a curse. He watched in bitter delight as he cast the dark spell over the women before him. After a thundering bolt of dark magic discharged from his wand, Quirrell looked down at what he had done and smiled.

Both Jessica and Professor McGonagall were lying on the floor out cold.