The Power of Pain

Chapter 48

Hermione felt a sharp jolt shoot out from her heart when her lips pressed against his. Gasping, her lips parted and twitched. Her eyes, that had fallen closed, snapped open to stare into the shocked face of the man in her grasp. Her brow twitched as her soul pulsed in pain. How could have done that to him? After all he had suffered through? Her thoughts felt all backward and upside down. Why was she so angry?

Her eyes sought for anything, anything at all, but he seemed frozen in time. Her heart gave another powerful lurch, a long arching crack splitting away from its already damaged crevice. Her chest fluttered and she pulled her hands back abruptly. Her lips quivered with an unspoken apology as she pulled her body from the chair. She made no pause, even when his hand had come weakly to her wrist. She slipped free effortlessly making a hasty retreat up the stairs.

She slammed the door behind her screaming with a mixture of pain and anger. Her hands fisting tightly in her hair as her mind swirled. She hadn't meant to kiss him, despite the odd warm feeling in her stomach, it felt wrong. Like she had taken advantage of him. Like the night before, she felt as though she had taken control of the man and lured him into a place he should never have been. Something, that wasn't her own, welled from deep inside her chest. The soft burn on her hand drew her attention to the ring and as if having a moment of clarity, she ripped it from her hand. Her chest heaved as she felt the magic resist before snapping back into the ring.

Her world tilted as if she were caught in the center of a tornado. She watched as the band slowly grew and returned to its original state, she raised her arm to throw it through the window when she felt an audible click in her mind. It was his ring. It was filled with his love and desperate need for some sort of affection. All the years he must have carried it had infused it with something more powerful than its original purpose. Hermione slowly lowered her hand, hers eyes looking at the seemingly innocent band.

Snape didn't fully register her departure until her door slammed heavily over head. His back slowly straightened, as he too, felt a sort of fog lifting, how had he not noticed it before? The ring on his finger glowed and started to grow tight. He pulled it from his finger with haste dropping it onto the table. Mesmerized, he watched it return to its original design, confusion filling his brow. His eyes shot upward to the sudden silence above.

Hermione panted, slowly dropping the ring down to the floor. Another click, louder now, filled her ears. She brought her hands up trying to block out the heavy sound of screeching metal and gears.

"No...no!"

Hermione cried out falling to her knees, a large spiraling shield swirled out destroying everything in its path as it pushed out into a large semi-sphere. It pressed and threatened the integrity of the walls of her room. Hermione pressed tighter to her ears as blood poured heavily down her nose. She choked and sputtered spitting the blood from her lips, trying to stay conscious.

Severus had reached the top of the stairs by the time her scream had died out. His eyes flared at the dark light that was pressing against the door to her room threatening to send it to splinters. He rushed through his room and into the bathroom. Hissing sharply, he shielded his eyes against the light that showed through the missing door.

"Granger!" His voice felt hoarse and barely audible against the swirling vortex that surrounded her. He lowered his arm trying to peer inside. Her normally beautiful brown eyes were dim and wide. She had fallen awkwardly on her side, her head turned toward the door, blood pouring down her face, her hips and chest facing opposite directions.