To die-takes just a little while-
They say it doesn't hurt-
It's only fainter by degrees-
And then it's out of sight-
A darker ribbon for a day-
A crape upon the hat-
And then the pretty sunshine comes-
And helps us to forget-
-Emily Dickinson
Chapter 2-
Persephone dreamt of a tall Dark Knight, black armor covered every inch of him. The only thing visible was his coal black eyes, they resembled a gorgon's because if stared at for too long a time those dark eyes would turn that person to stone. She also dreamt of a maiden; plain, ordinary, with nothing exceptional about her. Who unlike most other maidens, refused help from anyone. The maiden was standing in a meadow picking flowers, black roses, when she cut her finger on a thorn. The maiden strong as she was couldn't handle one thing, blood. She took one look at the crimson liquid flowing from her finger and became very dizzy, she took two steps backward and tripped over her own feet. She closed her eyes waiting for the impact that meant she'd hit the earth, but the impact never came, she opened her eyes and saw that the Dark Knight had caught her and was looking at her with his dark eyes, the minuet he realized her eyes were open also he turned his head to avoid her gaze and ultimately her turning to stone. This sadden the maiden because she'd fallen in love with the Knight's eyes, she could drown in them without a second thought.
The Knight was also sad the maiden's eyes, a warm brown, were so powerful that she'd captured his heart without so much as a little bit of resistance. They both stood in the meadow for a long time not moving an inch, both sets of eyes diverted. The dream shifted and the maiden was standing at the edge of a cliff, starring at the ocean far below. The Knight appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She turned around and pulled his helmet off. The minute she could see his face, she crushed her lips to his, kissing him with all the love she had. His eyes snapped open the instant her lips touched his, and locked on her, also open, eyes. They stood like that he, unable to close his eyes because of shock, and her unwilling to close hers, regardless of the consequences. Minutes passed and the maiden remained as she was flesh and bone. There was a sound of a branch breaking somewhere in the woods behind the Knight, and he turned his head to see what had caused it. When their kiss was broken the maiden's skin hardened, her hair became crystals and her fingers froze reaching for her love's face. The only part of her that had not become stone was her brown eyes, which wore a look of pure shock and sadness, she'd thought she could come away unscathed from looking at him, but she was wrong. When the Knight turned back ready for her lips to return to his, he accidently knocked into her stone form. She was sitting so precariously on the edge of the cliff that the tiny bump caused her to fall. The knight watched in horror as his true love, his now stone, angel tumble into the sea below, and her brown eyes still staring into his.
Persephone woke with a jolt that almost knocked her out of the tree, there was sun shining through the leaves above her. She looked around her and saw that it was most definitely morning and that someone was calling her name in a hushed tone nearby. She hit the ground with barely a sound and crouched like a cat. Persephone knew that voice, which was not comforting at all, the voice, belonged to Snape. Something was wrong, what had happened last night that Snape was calling for her the next morning.
"Miss Jones!" he was closer than she'd thought and his voice made her yelp a little, and of course being Snape, he heard it and was standing in front of her in seconds. "Miss Jones grab my arm we need to get out of here now." He looked panicked, which only served to confirm her fear that something awful had indeed happened. How could something have happened her parents were loyal death eaters so no one invited to the party was responsible, so did it get raided by aurors? If so wouldn't her parents just go to Azkaban? She could live with her parents being missing for a couple months, but it couldn't be anything like that. Snape was here he'd been sent to get her and there had to be a good reason for that, maybe she was in trouble but that was unlikely, she hadn't done anything in the last week or so that could even be construed as anything criminal.
"Why? What's happened?"She questioned getting more confused and scared by the minute. She looked at him for a moment, he seemed to be ignoring her questioned and persisted in trying to get her to go with him. She could not simply leave to she had to check on the house to make sure it was still there and to find out if her parents had fled or had left her anything. So she took off towards the mansion, the minute she came in sight of the house she wished, for once in her life, that she'd listened to Snape. No she had to be stubborn and because of that stubbornness she would have the image of her parent's mutilated bodies lying sprawled on the front lawn. Snape came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, and with a strange sense of déjà vu Persephone left the only home she had ever known, forever.
Aparating had always made Persephone nauseous but now she couldn't seem to stop vomiting, even after what little food she'd eaten had left her. She continued to dry heave for what felt like an eternity before Snape forced an orange potion down her throat, the potion calmed her stomach instantly.
Persephone assumed she was now standing in Snape's living room, the room was small and dark the walls were covered in books and the place seemed to give off an air of depression.
"I'm going to assumed that you've figured out that we are now in my home." Snape sneered at her from the doorway behind Persephone's back. She whirled around to face him claws drawn.
"What happened?" She demanded "They were loyal followers! They believed that pureblood crap, how did this happen?" Persephone was screaming at him by this point, switching between insulting his competence and demanding an explanation for the sight she'd just seen. Her brain couldn't wrap around it the thought that her parents were killed by those monsters just wouldn't register. Worst of all she had no one to blame she didn't know who killed them but there was a death eater standing right in front of her whom she knew had probably witnessed the incident, who better to blame? "Who did it? Was it you? I swear if you were the one to cast the curse I will kill you where you stand!" This last statement made Snape freeze she could see the moment when her words registered and he turned colder than ice.
"Miss Jones I would appreciate it if you would please not say such ridiculous things," The words were said with such controlled fury that Persephone took a noticeable step backward. He stared at her for a good minute then took three long strides, passing her, and going to the hearth. Snape grabbed a handful of floo powder called out Albus Dumbledore's name grabbed Persephone's arm and they were gone in rush of green flames.
