Like always: I own nothing.

BTW I'm very amused. There's only one review, but some people added the story to their favourites or to their story alert. Am I correct there are at least a few readers who like the story? So it would be really nice to get some reviews :)

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2. Chapter "Shadows"

Severus Snape sat in his dark living room in Spinner's End. He was deep in thought. It was settled. He had made an unbreakable vow with Narcissa. He was disgusted with himself and cursed Dumbledore secretly for what he would be forced to do. Since a few months ago it had all become too much, too much to take and he didn't want to do this any longer. But this was the price.

He had expected that Narcissa and her … sister Bellatrix would visit him. He had also expected that Lucius' sister, Leana, would be with the two women, but she wasn't. That was unexpected. He had noticed that Lucius' wife and his sister got along well with each other. Severus wasn't unhappy that Leana wasn't there. Bellatrix was hard to bear, but both women would be like hell. Leana always aggravated him. She was totally unpredictable, arrogant, and her spiteful comments left him and others always gnashing their teeth. Sometimes she was very close to a punishment, but somehow she managed to get out of it. If you didn't know that Lucius and Leana were siblings, you would after you saw how they both behaved.
That, however, made his thoughts wander to Lily. How courageous, generous, warm-hearted and strong she had been. He shook his head and banished her from his head. He really didn't want to think of Lily or Leana!

Just as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, the bell rang. Because he had sent Wormtail away to make some purchase, he had to go to the door. For him there was never any peace or rest.
Severus was flabbergasted when he opened the door. On his doorstep, in a worn, dark cloak stood Leana. The hood was pulled tightly into her face, but he saw Lucius' ring on her hand, which was holding the hood in place.

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" he asked gruffly.

"I need your help." Her voice was soft and he almost didn't understand her.

"Today everyone seems to think they can ask something from me. And I'll tell you the same as I tell Narcissa, I cannot change his mind."

Everybody wanted something from him and now he was fed up. Severus expected as normal a nasty response by her, but to his astonishment, she kept calm. Instead, she pushed him away and stepped into his house. When her body touched him, he felt a strange flickering inside. In the dark hallway Leana stopped and turned around.

"Okay. I didn't invite you to come in, but make yourself home," he said sarcastically.

He stopped when he saw her bare feet. The toes were curled inward and he realized that she was swaying like a young tree in the wind. Leana leaned on the chest of drawers; her legs were trembling and she could hardly bear the weight of her body. Without saying another word, Severus came to her and grabbed her around her waist. He really wasn't inhuman like most other people thought. Both managed to get to the living room and he helped her into the chair by the fireplace. The lights shone brighter by his order, and then he saw the blood. There was so much blood. Her feet seemed to be a shredded mess and her hands had long, deep bloody scratches. When his eyes wandered over her face, he was frightened. Her eyes were dull with pain and blood ran down her right cheek. Her breaths were also a bit irregular. Suddenly Leana's eyes began to flutter closed and her head fell on her shoulder.

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Leana was so tired. Her head felt like it was wrapped up in cotton wool. She slowly opened her eyes. They were blurry and slowly her vision began to clear. The room was only lit up by a chimney fire. She wanted to sit up, but someone pressed her back into the pillow.

"You should stay in bed. I've just put you together and I don't want my work to be in vain."

When Leana heard Snape's voice all her memories came back to her mind and she threw up her hands in horror.

"What happened?" he was a bit amused.

"Nothing!" was her simple answer.

"Nothing? These injuries didn't seem to me like 'nothing'! Maybe you messed with the wrong guy this time?" Severus asked her sharply.

Leana growled and tried to attack him, but as soon as she rose up, everything began to darken. It felt like a tight band was wrapped around her chest. She desperately tried to breathe, but it didn't work. Then she heard a voice, softer than she had expected.

"Try to breathe slowly. Come on! Breathe in and out."

Slowly she calmed down and sat up with his help.

"I really didn't mean to cause you pain. Was my suspicion incorrect?"

Her eyes glittered dangerously. "There was no one I made angry."

She didn't think any more detail was necessary.

Severus knew she was stubborn and wouldn't say a word.

"I've healed your ribs, but I have to bandage them. Your help is appreciated, but I can do it without your help. Your decision," he said nonchalant.

Calculatingly she threw a glance at him, before she carefully turned away and took off her dress. Leana's aching fingers hindered her immensely. One last time she hesitated and then exposed her back to the dark-haired man. She caught her breath and waited.

For a moment Severus could only stare at the dark lines on her back. The seemed not only to spread across her back, but over her shoulders to the chest. He overcame his surprise and gave her the beginning of the bandage. Fortunately it was dark in the room and so neither could see their heated faces, but they both felt uncomfortable. Leana was glad Severus didn't say a word. He gave her a fresh shirt and helped her to lie back down. Leana's eyelids were heavy and almost immediately she fell asleep.

Severus looked at the woman in his bed. When she was relaxed and the fire lit up her face, she seemed peaceful and … pretty. The exact opposite when she was awake. He really didn't know how this situation would develop, but he felt a bit uneasy. A reflection on the wall let his dark eyes wander to her neck. There was a silver chain with a crystal in the shape of a teardrop. Before he could think he touched the pendant. It was warm and small electric shock ran through his fingers. As he began to draw his hand away, Severus could see leaves had become entangled in Leana's dark golden curls. Her hair felt like silk when he freed them. Suddenly he pulled back. This wasn't his job to do, but to be near to a woman after all these years, even Leana, was … nice. Severus leaned back again and only observed her. She had to have been in the thorny hedges for a while from the bad condition her feet and hands were in. Maybe she had been running away from something? But why? He sighed. Asking those type questions would cause him problems he didn't want to have. He never wasted time thinking about Lucius' sister. He tried to remember if she was involved in the first war, but he was unsure. He had never seen her. It was really a surprise when she had appeared two years ago. Lucius wasn't the type for such secretiveness, but obviously he cared deeply for his sister. He was one of the few who really loved his family.

Some time in the late afternoon, Severus suddenly woke up. His gaze wandered to Leana, who murmured in her sleep.

"No ... what do you want ... go away ... go away!"

Panic-stricken she lashed out violently. Severus grabbed her wrists gently and her eyes opened. She stared to the end of the bed. For one single moment he thought he saw a burned shape, but when he blinked, it was gone and Leana laid there with closed eyes and struggled against his grip.

"You're safe. Sleep, Leana. Sleep!"

Eventually she became quiet and slept on. Severus stood up and walked to window. Luckily, Wormtail wasn't back now. It would be really difficult to explain why he was taking care of Lucius' sister. He was sure that this would cause him some problems later. Something was wrong with Leana, but what exactly was he supposed to do with her? He felt he should inform Nacissa, but something stopped him. Namely he wasn't sure if the figure a few minutes ago was just an illusion or not. If not, then what hid the woman in the bed next to him?

He opened the curtain a gap. It was still raining and had been for three days now. It was getting on his nerves.

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*Note: my dictionary couldn't translate the name of the blossom. Word for word it must be called: heart leaf lily (dt. Herzblattlilie bzw. Funkie). It's a beautiful perennial herb.