It was all her fault, the would have been safe stowed in the muggle world until this was over, but she had to come to them. She dropped her head, allowing her dark hair to cover her face, hiding the scratches, the dried blood with thick mahagony tresses that where now tangled around her face. She rubbed struggling to loosen the tight bounds that held her fast, rubbing into the delicate skin around her wrists drawing her blood to stain the ropes, but with her arms draw and bound behind her back this was no easy task.
The wood of the chair rubbed into her body, that had been held there for who knew how long, she had given up counting along time ago, and with nothing in sight to measure the time she couldn't be sure. Looking through the curtian that covered her face, trying to percieve what lay beyond that darkness that blanketed her prision.
A soft scraping, voices floating, a shaft of light now pouring in, hands upon her, the laughter, her tears, the light dissapearing, the voices fading, all repeating, as such dominated her days. The scraping sounded again, the voices, the light, she lifted her head almost frightened to look as this figure stepped into the light. A wicked grin was splattered across the face of Draco Malfoy, his eyes sparkling with amussment. He waved his hand, the figure that had entered behind him moved slowly towards her, dropping her head once more, she did not wish to see.
A hand cuffed under her chin, a slap across her face, a strong command, her head slowly moving upright again, her swollen eyes dragging themselves open, a soft gasp, a vial placed to her lips, falling into blissful darkness...
Severus Snape removed the vial, replaced the cork and returned it to his pocket inside his billowing black robes. Turning to look once again at the sneering contradiction known as Draco Malfoy, Snape pulled from his pocket the cloth bag and upon tossing it to Malfoy moved to untie the captive. Releasing the blood stained ropes and studying her wrists, she had rubbed them in a form of struggle and without proper care they had become slightly infected.
Snape grimaced as she fell foward from the chair and into his ready arms, her wieght would prove no problem to carry, the truth of the problem would sit upon if he could get her out of this hellish place. Turning to Malfoy, Snape nodded slightly in the younger man's direction before starting out the door, met half way there by what Malfoy called Snape's 'escort'. Crabbe and Goyle, once goonies now turned bodyguards walked on either side of Snape as he made his way through the endless corridors, and towards the ever growing prayer that he could rescue this woman.
Upon reaching the door that would speak the very difference between life or death, Goyle lay a small package on the waist of Snape's patronage and with a wave of his hand sent the potions master out of the door. Once the slam greeted Snape's ears, he hurried quickly to a waiting automobile and wrestled open the door, placed the woman in the passenger seat, and climbed in himself. Starting the engine, Snape glaced across the seat making sure she wasn't awaking yet.
The car started to hover above the ground and Snape quickly pressed down upon the acclerater, gaining altitude and gazing down upon a broken world. Fires had raged, smoke was billowing, death was everwhere, the sky seemed to keep it's orangish hue, things where changing, things had changed. Flying quickly stone towers soon came into view, painting a contrast of gray against the brillant orange of the sky, threatening it's potency with vivid life devoid of its surroundings. Descending to a stop in the courtyard Snape removed the keys from the ignition, carefully reaching for the young woman, Snape managed to place his cloak around her as he pulled her across the seat and carried her briskly across the courtyard.
Moving to a fern covered door, a wave of the wand, a whisper of words, a slow creaking and a quick step down a flight of stairs moved the couple into Snape's rooms. Setting her carefully into the black satin sheets of his bed, Snape moved into the bathroom to wet a rag for her beratted wrists, looking into the mirror as he turned on the water. His face was paler then usual, worry knitted across his prominent brow, dark hair in tangles, hands shaking. With warm rag in hand Snape returned into his room, soothing the water across her swollen wrists, praying she wouldn't wake up just yet, hence his luck she did. Eyes fluttering, fists balling, hands fighting, tears falling, struggling, fighting.
"Stupid Girl! Sit still! Damn it Mediterania. DON'T MOVE."
Those harsh words stilled her movement, and Mediterania finally knew where she was, back at Hogwarts and appearently with one of her least favorite people. Wincing as the hot water poluced her rope worn hands, Mediterania looked around the small room. Nothing had changed since she had been here last, except the cold, snarveling presence before her known as Snape. Falling into her memories of past times, she didn't notice when Snape moved back and stood staring at her with his hands on his hips. Sighing heavily, Mediterania moved to get up and head elsewhere when she felt Severus grab her roughly by her shoulders and toss her back down onto the bed hard. Standing over her, breathing heavy, eyes sething, trembling, he choked out, "You never told me!"
Mediterania set stunned at Severus's sudden action, which one of the many secrects was he talking about? Malfoy? India?
"What the hell Severus Snape?"
Snape grabbed her roughly by her bear, cut seen shoulders and shook her until she managed a slap across his face, in which he finally released her. "THE SECRECTS YOU HAVE KEPT FROM ME! MY OWN DAUGHTER YOU KEPT! WHERE IS SHE! WHERE IS INDIA!"
Snape reached for her again, but this time Mediterania was ready, well placed nails drew blood, and five little scratches across his cheek, crossing through the stubble of his beard and almost making it to his eye. Grabbing his face and her thin wrist, Snape muttered curses under his breath about stupid girls and her nature. Mediterania renched her hand away from his, anger flashing in her eyes as she pulled herself to her feet, wrapping the robe more securly around her. Stalking around him Mediterania headed towards the door to Severus' room, she wanted away from him as quick as she could. Turning to face him she spat,
"Stop that muttering, you once loved me for those things you are cursing."
Mediterania started though the door when something hit her, crumpling she felt as if her body was being torn into many peices as she struggled to move, finally losing her footing the could feel herself falling towards the hard stone floor of the dungeons. Steeling herself for the impact, she felt a pair of arms gather her up and take her away from the door, the pain slowly subsiding as she was comming to again. A voice broke through the haze of pain, a sound that was the farthest from comforting.
"Stupid Girl, Don't think that Malfoy would have let you go that easily? Until I figure out this curse you have to stay near to me!"
Mediterania was now all the way awake, Malfoy, Curse, Snape, she was going to be crazy before this was over. Why hadn't she just died? Why had she kept up the fight? To come back to the very man that hated her to his core? Mediterania pulled out of his arms and stalked over to the dresser, digging through it for something more to wear then Severus's worn black cloak that bore the Slytherian Crest. Hearing him snarl from behind her, Mediterania turned and felt a soft garment smack her soundly in the face, as she drew up her hands to pull it away, and throw it back, Mediterania stopped as she gained a good look at the garment, running her fingers over the worn material that had faded from time, the once brilliant red was the colour of brick. Looking up, Mediterania saw that the rest of the outfit lay on the bed; her old faded jeans, plus other garments that she had left, and that Severus had apparently gone next door into his office, for she heard the thumping of books falling off the shelves, and cursing that followed.
Mediterania quickly moved over to the bed, and grabed her undergarments from the pile, pulling them quickly on, thinking back to the day she had run. Sliding the sweater over her head, Mediterania relized the garment was going to be tight, and slightly uncomfortable, along with her jeans, her hips having widened with the expanse of childbirth, her body no longer stock and lanky as it had been, but none the less, she was still far too skinny. Seeing Severus reenter out of the corner of her eye with a rather large book, and go around her to sit on the edge of the bed, Mediterania flopped into his chair by the fireplace, staring into the embers that danced in a soft pattern, pulling Severus's soft black cloak back around her shoulders, difting into the memory of the comfort it provided.
Severus looked over the edge of his reading at her, the outfit was now tigher then it once had been, Mediterania had aged more then the six physical years that had passed, her eyes no longer contained the sparkle they once had, and her eyes were dark ringed with years of worry and lack of sleep, the aged outfit now looked out of place on her, as if she had transended all that she once was. But as her fingers clutched tightly into the fabric of his dark garment that she had pulled back around her, Severus wondered how much of her really had changed. Feeling her gaze move once more from the floor to him, Severus reducked his head into the book, knowing that she had felt his gaze. Finally she spoke,
"Do you know what variation of a curse Malfoy used?"
Snape looked up from the book he had started to read, perched on the bed he cooked his head in the way he always did and he thumbed back a page and held the book out to her. Mediterania reached across and took the hardbound volume, not surprised to find that the book was magic. The pictures moved about, show casing the many herbs and remedies until it settled on one, Mediterania had not noticed that Snape had come and stood next to her until she looked up and jumped slightly, she hated it when he would do that. Pointing a potion roughed hand at the picture Snape discribed the many possiblities as the book moved through the pictures and Mediterania found herself dozing in spite of the rest she had at the hands on the potion.
Finally she gave up the fight and nodded off, her hands loosing on the book as Snape caught it and placed it on the side table. Debating to move her from the chair into his bed, or simply place a blanket on her and leave her in the chair. Wanting to slam his fist, but not wanting to wake her up, he finally moved his hand benieth her and carefully pulled her into his arms.
She was warm benieth his robe, as her head fell against his shoulder sleeply. Snape winced as old memories surfaced to his awaked mind again, he cursed softly, he had erraticated her of everything thing in his waking life...But his dreams where a different story. Biting down the curses as he crosses the small space, he shifted her away from him and pulled back the sheet and placed her under it. She shifted slightly before curling up into the sheets, her thick hair falling into her face, Snape reached down to move a few pieces before snapping himself back into reality. Grimacing he stalked back towards the fire, kicking in an escaped coal, Snape flopped back down into the chair and fell asleep.