Chapter Three

"Ellen Hanfield." she had said, when he asked for her name. She was sitting up by that point, his coat around her shoulders. Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face covered in mud, tears and what seemed to be dried blood. Faint silvery tracks glinted on her hands if the morning sun caught them, he noticed.

She had told him her family had been attacked. Not for any particular reason, she said - they had not chosen a side in the war, which made them fair game for Death Eaters. Her home burning, she had run into the forest, running until her legs gave way beneath her. Then she had cried herself into a long and hollow sleep. She sat very carefully, as though afraid that she might suddenly dislodge herself and fall back into that tunnel of grief.

Neither of them spoke after that for a long time. He understood that she needed silence, and silence was his own preferred state. They just sat next to each other, and watched the sky brighten from a meaningless grey to a sickly pale blue.

Presently Severus stood up, offering her his hand. "You need somewhere warm." he said, by way of explanation. "My place will be safe."

It might not be, but usually his mother had crawled back into her cave of pillows by this point in the day. His father was rarely home anymore. Even if his mother was awake, it was unlikely she would care about Severus bringing a strange girl home. She didn't really care about anything anymore, least of all her son.

At Spinner's End, the air was heavy with resentment. The stink of alcohol and unwashed bodies prevailed through the street. No-one who lived here stayed away from the bottle for long. Severus, long used to the smell, ignored it, but he saw Ellen wrinkle her nose a little in distaste. He couldn't quite hold back a smirk. Lily had been much more vocal about what she thought - to the point where some would call it rude. He had just laughed.

He pushed open the front door, shifting his mind quickly away from the thought of Lily. That route never did any good. There was no light in the room, so Severus lit his wand tip with a whispered "Lumos." Even in the dark, he could find his way to the cupboard where the matches were kept easily, but he had tripped over his hungover mother several times before.

Thankfully, all the signs indicated she was in bed. There was little food available, but Severus did the best he could for his unexpected guest, and she thanked him profusely for the little he did. But it was clear she was exhausted, so after she had eaten everything he had given her - with much persuasion - he took her up to his room and told her to sleep again on his bed. This time, he knew, she would not be so numb as after her flight into the woods, so he stayed by her side, waiting for any sign of nightmares.

They came quickly. He did not know a lot of the names she called, although he heard his fairly frequently. The others, he guessed, were her family, her friends. The people his own 'friends' had killed.

Author Comment: Three chapters is it for now! I hope, if you've read this, you've enjoyed it so far - characters will develop more, I promise. And I really, really hope Ellen isn't a Mary Sue, but if you think she is, please point it out to me. Although bear in mind you haven't seen much of her yet. She has her flaws too.

I'm very busy with schoolwork, but I'll try to keep writing and uploading, despite my faulty internet. Thank you for reading! :)