She let out a scream that she'd tried oh so hard to keep from slipping past her lips. Her balance failed and she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked up at the man she had once loved, the man she had once wanted to spend the rest of her days with, she looked up at him with the most disrespect and plead. He returned her gaze with nothing but a harsh laugh and turned away from her. She slumped to the snowy ground her world went black as blood seeped from her back into the snow staining it red. Her breaths were more like raspy coughs and whispers. She lay face up, hands crossed over her chest and her face to one side. She was loosing her battle to stay alive quickly.
Snape had seen the whole scene, how Lucius had forbid her from doing anything to protect Draco and she had yelled at him. Called him a few things Snape didn't wish to repeat. Lucius had been so angered he'd taken out his wand to try and hex her only to find she already had hers pointed at him. So in turn he'd taken a rather hard punch to her shoulder, she'd only slammed her elbow into his nose. This punching and cursing had gone on for quite some time before Lucius had backed her against a tree pointing his wand at her chest. Snape didn't need to hear the incantation to know Lucius had used "Sectum Sempra" on her. She had screamed and crumpled to the ground like a withered flower. The minute Lucius apperated away Snape ran out of the clearing towards her.
She looked up at him with unfocused and far away eyes. She had the slightest bit of blood on her lips and her eyelashes kept fluttering, threatening to close and never reopen. "Severus, are you dead too?" She asked him still fighting to keep her eyes open, and she took his hand with her blood stained and ghostly pale one.
Despite the stupidity of the question it had made him want to burst into tears. "No I'm not dead, now shh I'm going to help you." He began to move his wand over her wounds, without touching her, but not letting go of her hand. After about a half an hour her breaths came easier and the pain lessened. She had managed to black out and it'd started to snow. He sighed and taking a strong hold on her hand, apperated. Since he wasn't used to side along apperation, and she was unconscious, as soon as he hit the living room floor he passed out.
She lay a few feet away from him, also unconscious, but her fingers still lay on his open palm. Luckily there was a fire in the hearth and she began to gradually warm, and her shivers stopped. She remained asleep for quite a while and ended up curling up near the hearth so she would stay warm. She now had her hands under her head in some attempt of comfort and her bare feet were curled up to her chest. Small pieces of stray ash stuck to her cheeks and dress.
To Severus, who had by this time woken, thought she looked like some version of the muggle princess Cinderella. Her blonde hair was still damp from melted snow and one of her heels were long gone, probably lost somewhere in the snow, leaving the remaining black shoe next to the fire. Her feet were bare and just as pale as the rest of her, and her dress was tattered, especially a rather long rip down the back. The skin on her back that was revealed was covered in small scars, large scars, ones that had been deep, or mere grazes. He couldn't bear to see her perfectly smooth and pale skin scratched and ripped, never fixable. So he crept over to her and with a wave of his wand the back of her dress mended itself.
She stirred and yawned turning to face him, still looking weak and exhausted she peered up at him through her long lashes. "Snape?" She murmured her voice thick with emotion, just that one word, his name was filled with fear, hope, praise, sadness, and pain. She had small fragments of memory of the previous events leading up to this, she'd quarreled with Lucius who in turn had lashed out on her. Someone with the most memorizing black eyes had come and helped her, she'd passed out and she could remember no more. All she knew is that now she was in a dusty yet cozy living room and Severus Snape was caring for her like she was his child. She didn't know exactly why but it felt nice to have someone other then the house elf's care for her welfare.
"Mrs. Malfoy, whatever you need, just let me know." He said watching her eyelashes blink slowly, curtaining her blue eyes and then letting them shine again seconds later. His thoughts were interrupted by her frail figure trying to get up, a look of extreme pain crossed her face and she started swaying, threatening to fall back into the flickering flames of the fire. He grabbed her hand and she steadied but still looked in pain. "Let me help you." He didn't wait for a response before hoisting her into a standing position and helped her to the couch where she slumped down, eyes scrunched up in pain.
Vivid stabs of pain radiated through her body as she tried to sit up, they were so forceful she nearly passed out again, luckily for her Snape grabbed her hand. She was about to respond to his question when his strong arms had hustled her up to a standing position. The pain rocketed through her like daggers and she almost whimpered. She crumpled to the couch and gripped the fabric with such force she thought she might rip it. A pair of strong hands took her shoulders and gently pushed her to lay down, a couch pillow tucked underneath her head and a blanket around her shoulders. "Surely you won't want me to stay, I'll be going." She tries to sit up but his hand stops her.
"Are you mental? You can barely sit up there's no way I'm letting you leave, not now anyway." He told her firmly.
"I cannot burden you forever Snape." She sighed
"I 'll say this, I'm not forcing you to go, but I'm also not saying you can't leave. Stay as long as you wish you have my honest word you will not burden me." He put another log on the fire and then swept off to bed himself.
She sighed, she wanted to ponder the whole thing, what'd happened, if Draco was ok, what she was going to do, stay or leave. Her eyelashes felt like lead and she tried to think but oddly enough all her thoughts were of Snape. She sighed softly and let sleep pull her in, away from the pain and sorrow, into the warm embrace of someone who was not really there.