Chapter 6 ~ Confrontation

Marcus and Snape were still by the lake when Tonks and Dee appeared. The Metamorphmagus walked up behind the pair quietly as Marcus was giving Snape some finer points.

"Now, Snape, this is very good for a start. You're a fast learner. You need to focus on making the water absolutely still now, turning it into ice. That is the first level of physical manifestation. Mortals can feel your presence through the cold. First—oof!"

Marcus landed in the lake face first with a splash as Tonks kicked him hard in the arse from behind. Snape looked shocked to see her.

"Take that you bastard," Tonks snarled at the spluttering incubus as he flipped over furiously. Dee grinned as he stood up, soaked through. Tonks walked up to Snape.

"Severus," she said softly. "Why did you do this? You fought so hard to live."

"I thought there was nothing left to live for when Hermione married Ronald Weasley," the wizard said coldly. "Then discovered it had all been a ruse on the witch's part. She meant to drive me to my death. She—she tricked me."

"Love can make fools of us all, Severus. Don't allow her treachery to endanger your immortal soul," the reaper told him. "If you become an incubus, you can never be reborn into a happier situation. You'll be trapped here for eternity and never advance to the highest level."

"I care nothing for advancement, Tonks! All I want is revenge on that little lying bitch," Snape snarled back at her.

"I told you," Dee said, sucking her teeth.

"But Severus, after you're done with Hermione, you'll be locked into punishing other women, women you don't even know," she said, her eyes wet.

"I might not know them personally, but I'm certain I'll know the type. They'll be just as deserving of punishment as Hermione."

Marcus was back on shore now and dried himself, scowling at Tonks, who scowled right back at him.

"You seduced him," she accused the blonde incubus.

Marcus gave her a nasty little smile that made Dee want to blast his arse right back into the lake.

"No. That little trick on earth did that," he replied. "Snape already had what it takes to become an incubus. He's a natural. Hatred, revenge, cruelty . . . it's all there. I'm simply trying to help him get it sorted out quickly. I'm a good Samaritan."

"You're a good for nothing!" Dee hissed at him.

Marcus gave her a sexy smile.

"Oh, I'm good for something, Dee. Believe me. You really should let me get at what's under that coat you keep wrapped so tightly around yourself."

Dee narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh, you want some of this, Marcus?"

The incubus' violet eyes heated up and flicked to black as she loosened her belt.

"Oh yes, mama," he replied. "Show daddy the goods."

Both Snape and Tonks simple blinked as Dee finished undoing the belt to her trench coat.

"All right. You want to see it? Here it is," she said, throwing her coat open. Snape and Marcus stumbled back, Marcus nearly gagging at the glistening red skeleton beneath the coat.

"I'm a reaper you asshole," Dee said to him. "I only have flesh when I get my week. Haven't you seen any pictures of Death? Jesus."

She closed her coat and tied it again.

"Yeah, I've seen them, but those pictures always have a skeleton's head and hands as well. You know what's under the robes. You . . . you're . . . you're a bloody tease, that's what you are. False advertising," Marcus replied, his blue eyes resting on her coat as she fastened it back up.

"No, I'm a bloody skeleton, mostly. But, now that that's out of the way, hand Snape over, Marcus or things are going to get ugly," Dee snapped.

"I doubt it can be any uglier than what I just saw," the incubus hissed, then SPLASH!

He was right back in the water, Tonks frowning at him.
"Don't insult my co-worker," she snarled, then turned her eyes back on Snape as Marcus stumbled out of the water, setting himself aflame then reappearing dry as a bone.

"Severus, don't make me take you forcibly," Tonks coaxed.

Definitely the wrong approach.

"I don't think you can take me," the dark wizard said softly, his fists clenching and unclenching at his side. "This is my choice. The afterlife is supposed to be a place of choices, isn't it?"

"Technically, no. Only in some cases," Tonks said slowly.

"Cases like mine," Snape replied as Marcus nodded, a smug look on his face.

Tonks sighed and looked at Dee for help. Dee shook her head helplessly.

Snape turned back toward the lake, focusing for several moments before passing his hand over the surface of the lake. A very thin crust of ice formed.

"He's a natural," Marcus said proudly.

"He's full of hatred, Marcus, hatred that you're fanning like a fucking flame," Dee hissed.

"A fucking flame. Ha, you made a funny. But you know the ability to be a spiritual punisher of unworthy women isn't just something everyone can do. It has to be in your spiritual makeup to begin with. Face it, Snape just has it," Marcus said as Snape thickened the ice slightly before it broke apart.

"You know what I hate, Marcus? I hate that it's you who decides who is worthy or unworthy. You go after women who are simply looking for love . . . "

"By cheating on their men!"

"Most of those men are uncaring brutes who use women for door mats. They drive them into the arms of other men . . ."

Dee was trembling. Marcus could tell this little argument was about more than Snape becoming an incubus. His violet eyes narrowed normally.

"Oh, so you were once a cheating bitch . . ."

"That's it! Bye, bye, Marcus!" Tonks yelled, snapping her fingers.

Marcus let out a howl as he turned into swirling smoke and disappeared, leaving an acrid, burning scent behind. Snape stopped practicing and whirled on Tonks.

"Where did you send him?" he demanded. "I need him!"

Dee was trembling slightly, clutching her coat around her, her eyes wet. The reaper was clearly disturbed and didn't get into the conversation.

"I just sent him away. He'll return, like bad food. I don't need him here influencing you when I'm trying to help you."

"Damn it, Tonks! I don't need your blasted help! All I want is my revenge! Now, leave me be!" Snape snarled, his eyes reddening frightfully. "I have to find Marcus!"

Suddenly, Snape disappeared, the smell of brimstone lingering behind.

"Oh, bloody hell. He transported. He's not supposed to be able to do that yet," Tonks complained, turning towards Dee, who was looking at the ground. "Are you all right, Dee?"

Dee blinked several times then looked up at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Tonks. That Marcus gets under my skin, or would if I had skin. It's all right."

Tonks studied her, then said, "If you say so. But now, we have another problem. We don't know where Snape and Marcus are. They're definitely together. Snape wanted him so was probably taken to him. That bastard has been around long enough to know how to cloak himself and could be in any dimension. We're going to have to go down to Earth—"

"Earth? Oh, come on, Tonks. Don't tell me we're going to have to protect Miss Baddy Two Shoes! That's not our job. We need to get some Watchers down there . . . "

"Watchers don't do anything but watch, Dee. We need to get Snape back on the right side of thinking or he's going to lose his immortal soul and become a demon," Tonks said.

Dee snorted.

"Seemed he was well on his way to being one even before he got here," she said witheringly.

"He wasn't the friendliest fellow, but he served the Good for the majority of his life with no reward. Here is where he should receive it, but now that Marcus has gotten his devilish mitts on him, he needs help. Severus deserves a chance, Dee. You have no idea what he's gone through. We can't abandon him."

"We aren't supposed to battle demons, Tonks," Dee replied, "we don't have that kind of dispensation. We could lose our powers."

"Who said anything about battling them? We just need to run a bit of interference, Dee. Come on, help me. I'll never ask you to do anything else as long as I live."

Dee arched an eyebrow at Tonks, who smirked.

"That promise isn't worth squat, Tonks. You're already dead."

Tonks shrugged.

"I know," she replied. "Still, I need your help, Dee."

Dee scowled at her, then let her shoulders slump.

"Fine. I'll help you then, but I can't help thinking that this Hermione chick really brought this on herself, Tonks. If she were to die today, I think she'd go straight to the Fryer. She practically murdered that man, and her body was the weapon."

Tonks sighed.

"I'm still finding that hard to believe, Dee. But let's go down and see what Hermione is up to. If she did cause Snape's death maybe she repentant about it. That has to count for something."

Dee remembered Hermione's callousness with her own husband.

"Somehow, I doubt that, Tonks."

A/N: Thought I'd try my hand at this story. My muse is still AWOL but I hope this isn't too bad. Thanks for reading.