Chapter One: The Only Way To Save You

I guess I should tell you my name. It's Christabelle Flack, and I'm 25 years old. I was born a squib, but I found that brewing potions is a great way to feel close to magic. Maybe that's why I fell in love with it, my very first day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was the only subject I could participate in, so I delved into it with everything I had. I graduated with honors in Potions, and I studied abroad for a few years. I came back to Hogwarts when I turned 22, and I believed wholeheartedly that I belonged in the Potions department, and turns out…I was right. I'll tell you why.

It was a very important question. Honestly. Madame Pomfrey needed powdered Fireball eggs for a potion to cure a very ill student, and Professor Snape was the only person I could go to to get them. So I knocked on the door to his private chambers at two o'clock in the morning. At first, there was no answer. I knocked again, louder this time, and when there was still no answer, I turned the knob and walked through the portal. His quarters were slightly cramped, so it only took me a second to cross the sitting room and peek into his bedroom.

"Professor? I'm sorry to bother you, but…" I stopped.

Snape wasn't sleeping. He was fully dressed, in fact, in an ensemble I never thought I'd see in person. He was wearing a long, black cloak, which clasped in the front with a small silver skull with two tiny onyx stones for eyes. Covering his eyes and nose was a metallic mask, and his hair was hanging down from underneath his drawn hood. He lunged at me, shoving me back against the wall. I could see his eyes through his mask, and he looked very upset, but I also saw fear.

"Why didn't you leave when I didn't answer! They're going to kill you!" He hissed. I panicked.

"What? Who's going to-" I was cut short as three more men, dressed in the same way as Snape, apparated into the small bedroom. Snape whipped around, facing them and shielding me with his body. One of the Death Eaters spoke, his voice a low drawl.

"Severus. You've brought a guest?" He walked towards us, with a swagger I could've sworn I'd seen before. Snape raised his chin up, looking down at the other man. I saw the man's lips twitch into a smirk. "Who is she, Severus? A sacrifice?"

I whimpered, and Snape gripped my wrist.

"No!" He said, a bit too quickly. He regained his composure and pulled me to his side. "She's my fiancé. I…thought I'd bring her to the meeting to…introduce her."

I stiffened immediately, looking up at my former professor incredulously. He looked down at me, in his eyes a strange look. He rubbed my upper arm, almost with compassion. I blinked a few times, to clear my head, and smiled at him. I turned to the other men.

"Yes, I'm his fiancé." I said, hugging him around the waist. The man removed his mask, holding out a slim, pale hand to me.

"Well...Miss." He smirked as I shook his cold hand. "My name is Lucius. Lucius Malfoy."

"OH! Draco's father!" I said, slapping my forehead. "Of course! I thought I recognized the saunter! I'm Christabelle Flack."

Lucius cocked an eyebrow, and I sighed. "You both strut when you walk!"

"Oh, well." He brushed me off, turning to Severus. "When did this come about?" He asked. Severus pulled me into an awkward sort of one-armed hug.

"She's my teaching assistant, and I've gotten to spend a great deal of time with her...we grew close, so I...proposed." He explained, leading me to a couch in the middle of his bedroom. Lucius and the other two Death Eaters followed us, sitting opposite us on a loveseat.

"When are you going to induct her?" One of the men asked Severus. He put his other hand on my knee.

"I'm not. She's scatter brained, you see. I'm just going to...speak with the Dark Lord about her. He's been...wondering why I haven't settled down like you all have." His voice was strained. Lucius smirked once again.

"Evans? You've changed your preference. Evans had red hair, and those freakishly green eyes. Miss Flack here has black hair and eyes."

"Oh, no." I stood and leaned in close to Lucius. "My eyes are brown, see, if you look close enough."

He sneered at me, and I sat back down, and was immediately embraced by Severus. "I've since moved on." He sounded cold. Lucius stared at him for a moment, before he gestured to the other men to stand.

"We'll retired, then, Severus, until next time." They shared one last look, before they dissaparated.

And all of a sudden, I was alone with Severus. I gulped...