THE BLACK KNIGHT
I awoke to clanging sounds emerging from my closet. I gasped and turned around quickly to see nothing, until it moved. It was a knight in solid black armor, and I was terrified.
I reached to my lamp and turned it on, startling the knight. I held up a steak knife I kept beside my bed, and I swear he took a deep breath to keep from laughing.
"What the hell are you doing in my room?"
"I am here to warn you, Christina. There are dangerous roaming the town of London, and your borrow could be the next victim. Go to your mother's. Get away from here until I send you a message to return."
"Who the hell are you?" I asked, more concerned than scared now. Apparently, he didn't want to kill me, only warn me of other evils. Strange suit then, eh?
"My name is…Severin Gaston Drume, and I will sign my letters with black and send you a piece of my armor to tell you that it is I."
"I don't believe you!" I spat. He held up his right hand, revealing that it was a human, and that he kept his promise. I sighed. "Do you know the address?" I asked. He nodded, squeaking heavily. "Well fine. Now get the hell out of my closet. You want me to take my things don't you?" I asked. A kick into my front door answered the question. "How do I get out?" I asked panicked. He grabbed my hand with his bare one and threw me into the closet. An old, leather hat sat on the floor. He picked it up, forced it into my hands, then suddenly I was spinning uncontrollably. Then, I was in a castle, surrounded by the faces of teenagers. "What was that?" I asked, breathing heavily.
"A port key, or a means of travel. Follow me," he commanded. He led me up stairs, but he was still in his armor. He led me into a small staircase that moved after he huffed a strange word under his breath. We then entered a dark office surrounded by dark things, except for the portraits, one of which I knew to be of Albus Dumbledore.
"You aren't Severin. You're Severus!" I corrected. He nodded, taking of his metal headpiece and shaking his head to fix his hair. He sat down and sighed.
"Those bad people will return here within the hour having ransacked your home. Your best advice is to hide among us, since they never have pictures to back them up anymore. Um…hold on a moment," he whispered. I nodded, and he locked me into the office. I began exploring then, knowing that Severus was a confirmed Death Eater, I wanted to make sure that I was not a prisoner of war or his next life to take away. I then found a beautiful piece. 'Why would he hide this behind a curtain?' I thought. I looked at the silvery water when suddenly began to move. I was transfixed when I suddenly entered the scene. A much younger Severus was running through a darkened hillside. Lightning flashed overhead as he fell to his knees, sobbing. On his back was a bag filled with armor, like the kind he wore with me. I looked closely and saw that the right hand was missing. "LILY!" he screamed into the night. It was from his attempt to save Lily Potter.
I felt myself being ripped from the past. Severus stood there, angry at me, but his wand wasn't drawn.
"I offer to save your life and this is how you repay me?" he spat.
"It was a better memory if you want me to stay here with you," I said sternly. "Why am I the first one you've tried to save since Lily Potter?"
"That's personal!" he spat again.
"Well I want to know or I'm leaving and you'll never find me!"
"Fine!" he exclaimed. He then sighed and pulled a special book from his desk. It was my art portfolio. Lily was one of the models, but I never got to complete sketches of her, only sculptures, for which I had pictures. "You portray her beautifully. I want a small picture to carry with me…since all of our lives may be nearing their ends," he whispered. I could barely hear him, but I decided to fulfill his request. When I was done, the Death Eaters returned, still in their masks and with feathers stuck in them from where they destroyed my pillows.
"Who is this?" one asked. Malfoy by the sound of it.
"This is a replacement for the teacher that just dropped down the stairs. She arrived to place a résumé, and the space opened very quickly. I will show her to her classroom and get her caught up to speed on our procedures."
"Is she qualified?" another asked.
"Of course. Why else would I chose her? Now, if you would excuse me," he whispered. I didn't hear clanging anymore. The armor mysteriously disappeared.
When we were going to my classroom, we passed the armor. The right hand was missing, yet empty. I saw Severus smirk. I knew then that he was of good, which made my picture go by smoother. I wrote 'to Severus from Christina' on the back, and sent it to him that morning. He was pleased. **
When the great battle broke out, I received my chance to save Severus. I would use the armor because it was protect me, but McGonagall destroyed the armor during an attack onto Severus. He was going to do the same for me. The picture I drew of Lily lay on the ground, smeared with tears. Then, all went black. A Death Eater shot me from behind, killing me instantly. Severus never got to save me, and I never got to save him. Both of us remember our deeds, though, and our attempts, and now they are repaid by helping the other keep going through eternity doing hard labor. Neither of us deserve it….