Title: The Game of Destiny

Pairing: SS/HG

Rating: NC-17

Author: Syber Snake

Summery: "Well, well Miss Granger it seems to me, you have begun to understand that I'm a being of the darkness. Are you afraid now?" said Snape. You will like it, I hope. I'm waiting for reviews. There is a little vampirism.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter or anything that is mentioned in the books

Thanks for my Beta: April

‘’ thoughts

“” speech

The Game of destiny: part 3

His chest was moving up and down evenly while his slim but masculine form was lying wearily on his armchair. One of his bare feet touched the cold stone of dungeon. His long fingers spiraled around the glass but his grip on it getting weaker and weaker with every single moment. Finally the glass ended on the floor in million little pieces. Severus Snape opened his eyes at the noise and searched his surroundings for the cause of the sound. He was like a wild animal who was always ready to fight or run for his life. It was a property what saved his miserable life more times than he could or cared to remember.

It was too early to correct imbecile kid’s essay but bloody late to go back to sleep or too early from where you look at it. After a long shower which dissolved the pain in his back and he placed the glamour back in place, he decided to walk through the lonely corridors. Sometimes like this, he felt as if Hogwarts’ was his true home, not the castle where he was bounded to teach dunderheads and obey for an old man’s every wish and whine just because of a juvenile little mistake.

‘You should be in Azkaban. You would deserve it.’ – whispered his conscience and regret that haunted him for his sins.

He didn’t know why but his legs or something bigger force brought him in front of the infirmary. He shook his head to clear his mind and opened the door. The place was almost deserted; the only sign of one patient was the tufts of brown, fuzzy hair on the white sheets. Poppy, naturally, was nowhere, how could somebody blame her in such an early hour. Snape’s black form slowly approached the girl's bed with the usual unreadable blank mask in place.

‘I just look after her to see if she is better or not. Not as if I care or anything, I just wouldn’t like hear Dumbledore blame me for her state. Shit. I do what I want. I’m not a child anymore.’ Severus thought.

The next moment Severus was standing beside her bed observing her sleeping form. She was peaceful like an angel. He had to suppress a strong desire to touch her silky skin. He wasn’t sure how much time he spent to stare at her flushed cheeks, her lightly parted lips when a low moan escaped between them and her mouth formed a warm smile.

‘I’m wondering what she is dreaming about, who is the lucky boy who could make her smile like that? Would she smile like that at me? What the hell I’m thinking?’ the little tiresome voice said in his head.

He looked around horrified and hoped against hope no one heard his thought. He felt strange, his mouth went dry. His heart beat louder than usual. He closed his eyes and got a deep breath and let it go. His ears caught a faint sound of footsteps nearing to the infirmary's door. Severus couldn’t allow that anyone to see him beside Hermione …Miss Granger’s sick bed. What would be with his reputation as heartless bastard? No, he needed to disappear. Now. He moved toward one of the shadowed corner on the other side of her bed and vanished in the darkness.

He didn’t need to wait long. The door, the only exit from the room opened slowly than closed in its own accord. But this couldn’t fool his vampire heritage. The sounds of footsteps and breathing were unmistakable for him. And Potter’s head came out of nowhere following with an unmistakable reddish head beside the Head girl’s bed.

‘How very typical Harry bloody Potter and his red head lap dog.’ Severus sneered to himself at the sight of the new arrivals.

“Hi Mione! How are you feeling?” asked Harry with preoccupation in his voice.

“I’m fine.” Hermione replied simply but on the face of her two friends was clearly visible that they won’t be satisfied with this answer.

“Don’t look at me like that. Without the headache I’m really fine. I just have hit my head a bit that’s all thanks to Professor Snape.” Hermione sputtered with one breath.

“What? Are you insane? Almost the whole classroom exploded. This all was Snape fault. If he had terrorized his students less and he had been more careful it wouldn’t have happened. And you are still protecting him? I can't believe it. ” Ron’s voice went louder and louder with every word.

“Ssh, Calm down, mate. We wouldn’t like someone notice us, would we? But Mione, he is right. That poor Neville has nightmares because of him is one thing. But even you were trembling by fear because the greasy git.”

“Yes but…” she didn’t finish this sentence. She felt the heat rise on her face. How could she tell her friends that she wasn’t trembling by fear? No, it was a completely new feeling. If she had to identify she could call it…desire.

‘But I can’t, I never…he is a teacher and…and he is older than me and… and he is Snape’ she thought.

She groaned when a new wave of pain overwhelmed her head. Her face showed such immense sadness that Harry wanted to comfort his friend. The hug seemed a good solution because her fragile frame started to relax a bit and when their gaze met again she give him a faint smile.

Snape witnessed this little scene melting into the shadow. When he saw the face of the Granger girl something icy feeling grabbed his heart and squeezed and squeezed it. Not because they called him greasy git again, and not because she agreed with them. That was clear for years that they hated and feared him. That was part of his role to insure the surface. And it was so sweet to see suffer the newest golden boy sometimes.

‘It’s always fun to be honest. And I think this behavior Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley will be punished as well with the others what you still not even commit. Just because I have to save his lifeall of people I still can have some fun, can’t I?’ his mouth formed a devilish smile.

‘Why is this pang of sadness and pain in my soul then? And…Where are the hands of that brat? I will kill him. How dare he touch her?’

Severus blood started to boil when Harry hugged her and than his hands patted her back slowly. The dark and strong beast in him wanted to get out and protect what is his and reap the throat of the brat. Didn’t help control himself when Potter opened his mouth once again.

“Mione don’t let him push you in this state. That arrogant old ass doesn’t worth it. Next time just imagine him without his teaching robe. Have you remembered Neville bogart for example?” Harry said with an innocent expression.

‘Oh, you will regret it Potter. I promise you.’ Snape’s eyes glittered with rage.

‘And I’m not arrogant. I was right about the incapacity stupidity of my students. Longbottom exploded the simplest potion on the world, for Merlin shake.’ he thought and he crossed his hands before his chest protectively like a small boy and needed to control himself not to pout.

“Thanks Harry but I don’t think it would work.” Hermione replied while her mind couldn’t escape from the image of her professor’s imagined naked body.

Her face flushed a bit by the hot what she felt suddenly and she continued rapidly before her friends notice her blush.

“And Professor Snape was right. It was the simplest potion on the world, for Merlin’s sake. As if Neville would have some talent choose the most dangerous combination possible.”

“Hermione you are impossible.” said Ron and this was the last sentence what Severus overheard from the conversation.

It was too shocking for him to hear his own words from one of his student mouth. And it was much more shocking that first in his life somebody stand up for him without ulterior motive. Well there was Lucius who always was like a brother for him but he was a Slytherin and you were fool if you trust in him blindly. And Dumbledore’s motive was clearly visible for everybody.

‘But why her, this little know it all? Am I so pitiable?’ he thought and closed his mouth when the door closed after the visitors of Hermione.

He escaped from the room in the moment when it seemed safe. This was too much for a human being even for a vampire. While he was going to the great hall his mind was working too:

‘I would like to escape from here or fell from the stairs and get amnesia. Yes it would be good to forget everything and start again.’

But the life just wasn’t gracious for him. When he opened the door of the Great Hall in the morning, he almost waited for the strange smiles and winks from the female population of Hogwarts. But it never came. He had to face their neutral behavior and loathing gestures. This fact brought so much happiness and relief in his soul that even Dumbledore’s comment about Miss Granger’s well being was ineffective on him.

The rest of the day passed in the usual daily routine. He was teaching and terrifying students and passionately working in his private labor. It was so easy to convince himself that what happened the last three days were nothing more then the game of his fantasy or a rude joke. Now everything seemed normal.

Although he felt in his bones that nothing was happening without reasons or passing without consequents it seemed good to prolong what he couldn’t avoid.

His destiny. Not as if he believed in destiny prophecy or rubbish like that, but there were things what were impossible avoid. And this evening really was just a little peace before the storm.

When he closed his eyes the next night a strange erotic dream overwhelmed his every nerve. The feeling of her sensational touches burned his skin. She was stroking his face and chest with her snow white hand while he was lying back to her welcoming lap, to his personal Heaven The feeling of safety and that he was cared about surrounded him. A light kiss on his neck leaded him on the land of the deepest dreams. The identity of his secret lover left in shades but left deeper mark in him than any other flesh and blood woman in his life. Severus slept better than he could remember and he missed the breakfast.

When he woke up a pillow was lying in his arms what he was hugging tightly. He didn’t want to slip out his warm bed and lose the dream that someone cared for him, needed him, wanted him, and maybe, loved him.