This story is different from my first one. I'm actually like really in love with it, don't ask me why (You can ask). It's going to be told during book seven, but from what's going on from inside the castle, and I'm going to fuck around with the ending.
Seriously, do any of you want Snape to die? (if your answer is yes, don't answer that).
----
A young woman walked briskly down a badly paved road. She was dressed oddly, in a long blue robe and brown boots, and her hair fell down her back in long glossy waves. Her eyes were fixed on a door that was rapidly approaching, and they showed a lot of emotion. There was fear and apprehension, anger, disgust, but mostly fear, it seemed to override all the other emotions battling there.
She reached the doorway and magically blew it open.
"Bella!" Severus Snape seemed surprised to see his long time love standing furiously in his doorway.
Arabella Morgan flicked her wand quickly at the door to repair it and then strode purposefully over to Severus Snape.
"Did you kill Dumbledore? Did you, Severus?"
He knew this was coming, had been dreading this moments since Dumbledore first asked him of this months and months ago. Keeping his face smooth and cold he responded, "Yes, I killed him."
This was clearly not the answer she wanted to hear, and her face erupted in pain and fury, all at once.
"So, all these years, all these STUPID, STUPID YEARS you let me waste on you, let me think that you were a GOOD MAN was a FUCKING lie?!"
"I wouldn't call them a waste, Bella," he said sarcastically, sitting in his chair. He had been prepared for her reaction for a long time. He regretted the pain he knew she must be feeling, and would feel, but wanted to keep her safe.
"You lied," she stated simply, staring him down with a look that could kill him.
"Of course I lied. Dumbledore never would have believed me to be a reformed man if I hadn't, now would he?"
Arabella had never considered this would be Snape's answer. She had been with him for the past three years despite his chilly personality and inability to put into words how he felt. She had always believed that he was a good man, a changed man with never having any proof.
"They say you are The Dark Lord's right hand man," she spat in disgust. "You must be so proud."
He stared at her pointedly, and replied, "I assume you know that the liaison you and I had is over, correct?"
Her mouth snapped shut with an audible snap. "What, is my blood no longer pure enough for you, Severus? Or does your master choose how you feel now, as well?"
He stared at her hard, regretting his next choice of words. "I don't love you. I never loved you. You were simply….convenient, at the time. A helpful tool in convincing those around me that I truly was a changed man, as you so eloquently described earlier."
She didn't think she could speak. Never loved her? Convenient? A tool?
"Very well, headmaster," she said quietly, turning on her heel to leave.
He saw her spin around and wished her could grab her and tell her the truth, tell her why he had to hurt her so badly, that he loved her enough to want to keep her safe more than with him.
"Bella," he said crisply.
She stopped, but did not turn around or speak.
"I expect to see you at the beginning of the term."
She turned her head to look at him, completely disgusted. "I am not a coward, Snape. Someone needs to be watching the children, Lord knows you won't be."
She strode forward and blew his door apart again, and then disappareted with a loud crack…
Arabella sat in the great hall in between McGonagall and Flitwick in complete silence. The whole hall was silent with the exception of Snape droning on about the changes to be made at Hogwarts. Arabella honestly could not listen to another word of him instructing students to behave, and teachers to report students to the Carrows. She had heard this speech yesterday when she arrived. Amycus and Alecto sat to Snape's right and looked incredibly pleased with themselves, and Arabella doubted they could perform magic any better than the stupidest third year.
Beside her she noted McGonagall sitting ramrod straight hanging on Snape's every word. McGonagall had instructed the staff prior to Snape and the Carrow's arrival to look out for the students best interest and keep them safe above all else, as if they needed to be told that.
She felt a twinge of pain watching Snape stand there addressing the students. He had never expressed an interest in being Headmaster, but he seemed to fit the role just perfectly.
"..bed."
The students all rose from their seats and began to file silently out of the great hall. Arabella rose from her seat in unison with McGonagall and Flitwick, following him to direct the Ravenclaws to their new tower.
"Professor?" a young girl tugged on the hem of Arabella's robe.
"Yes?"
At that moment Amycus Carrow stepped in front of them and the girl fell silent.
"Any questions you got you can ask me," he said harshly, leering at Arabella.
"I—I—" she stuttered, looking up at Arabella nervously.
"She wanted to know where my classroom was, Amycus. Perhaps you could tell her where she can find Ancient Runes?" Arabella challenged lightly, knowing full good and well Amycus had no idea where that class was, and probably had never taken it.
"Seems like a worthless subject to me. I'd be watchin' your step there, if I was you."
She gave him a cold once over and stepped around him with the young student. "Noted."
"You may have noticed the changes to the school this year," Arabella began to her seventh year class with no preamble. "You are no longer children, and I know most of you are well aware of what is going on."
She looked at the solemn faces and continued. "Look out for your peers, and keep your head up. Give the Carrow's no reason to notice you. Open your books to page fifty seven."
Her classes all went by in a similar fashion, only Slytherin children seemed to be pleased with what was going on, and challenged her just to see what she would do.
Arabella had already made a promise that she would send no one to visit the Carrows, be it Ravenclaw or Slytherin.
When her last class let out she heard a loud, terrified scream coming from directly outside her room. She walked outside quickly followed by her fourth years to see Alecto torturing a small boy.
"STOP IT! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Neville Longbottom was apparently next in line, fighting against several Carrow supporters to get to the screaming child.
"What are you doing?!" Arabella yelled, horrified at what she was seeing.
Alecto laughed in Arabella's face. "Punishment," she said haughtily, enjoying the boy's screams of pain.
McGonagall had rounded the corner. "Enough! He's is but a boy!"
"Teach 'em young," Amycus had materialized behind Alecto, and the boy finished his screaming.
"No one is to help them! Anyone who does so will have it much worse!" Amycus called out as several students stepped forward to help him up.
Minerva turned around and Arabella followed in her footsteps. "Minerva!" she whispered fervently. "Are we going to let his happen?"
Minerva kept walking. "Our first priority is the students. We musn't let on."
"They're going to fight back!"
"Then we must do our best to protect them. But we cannot get thrown out of Howarts, we do them no favors!"
Arabella understood, even if she did not like it.
"Try and keep an eye on Snape," murmured Minerva.
"He would see right through me. He can practically read my mind."
"You love him?"
Arabella faltered. "I..I do, unfortunately."
Minerva nodded crisply. "I do not ask you to fall back in line with him. Merely…watch him. You know him better than most."
Arabella nodded distractedly thinking of times her and Severus had been together, how Sirius had warned her that Severus was an evil man, how she had brushed it off…
