Marcine's eyes fluttered closed as the room was bathed in a familiar green light. She felt her stomach roll as she heard her father's body hit the marble floor. An entirely unwelcome, obscured thought occurred to her then. Marcine wondered what it might have felt like to have one's soul torn apart by the act of murder. She could not help but question if Bellatrix felt a small part of her soul resisting and screaming against the darkness. That brought forth another question. Did the soul actually resist? Or was it easily malleable? She could not bring herself to dive off the precipice that included thinking about the Dark Lord's soul. Marcine shuddered violently.
Severus' warm hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Her eyes blinked open and met the older man's worried gaze.
"Come, let's get you out of here." He spoke softly, and moved his hand to Marcine's elbow.
He helped her stand from the sturdy wooden chair. Legs shaking, Marcine grasped Severus' arms for support. He allowed her to hold him tightly as she struggled to make her limbs obey. Once she felt strong enough, she released his arms and moved slowly to stand by his side.
The Dark Lord approached them and Marcine bowed her head.
"Thank you again, my lord." She whispered, but she knew the dark wizard would be able to hear her.
"You are most welcome my child. We will meet again soon." The Dark Lord replied.
Again, her stomach rolled, but Marcine forced a little smile on her face. She was able to choke out that she would be looking forward to being in his presence again. Marcine could practically feel the satisfaction coming off the Dark Lord in waves.
"Severus, take good care of my Marcine. I can tell that she will do great things for our cause." The Dark Lord looked at Marcine fondly, an emotion that most sane people did not associate with him.
Lord Voldemort spoke some more words to Severus, but Marcine could not bring herself to pay close attention. Anger was seeping from her every pore. Lord Voldemort had called her "his." She did not belong to anyone, especially not the darkest wizard of the age. Marcine clenched her teeth as she tried to push her thoughts down.
Without knowing, she had gripped onto Severus' sleeve and held tightly. He saw that her knuckles had turned white with her strong hold on him. He needed to get her out of this godforsaken place.
"If you do not mind, my Lord, I will be taking Miss Finley home now. She will need to be well rested before she can begin working on your potions." Severus said politely as if he was excusing themselves from a tea party, or an elegant gala.
Lord Voldemort eyed Marcine's battered body and nodded. He swept a hand towards the exit and bid them a good evening.
"What a gracious host." Marcine sent the thought to Severus, and he almost smirked.
Marcine tried to sneak a look at her father's body before they left the dining room, but Severus made sure to shield her gaze from the sight. She could not help but feel a little hollow as they made to walk through the wooden doors that closed off the rest of the manor. Suddenly, Narcissa was standing next to her.
"I am sorry it came to this." were the only words the older woman spoke.
Staring into her steely eyes, Marcine detected some genuine remorse within them. Marcine tried to speak, but could only nod at the Malfoy matriarch.
Severus spoke his gratitude and the two shared a look. A look that spoke volumes of what the two had experienced under the tyranny of Lord Voldemort.
Narcissa broke the gaze and waved her wand at the oak doors. The heavy doors opened just enough to let Severus and Marcine through. As they closed, Marcine could still hear the despicable thoughts that ran rampant within the dining room. She could not think of a word that expressed how relieved she was to be leaving.
The unusual pair exited the manor in silence. No words were spoken physically or mentally as they walked down the path towards where the wards ended. Marcine found herself clinging to Severus' arm heavily for support as she felt the true toll of the night's events settle upon her body. Each leg felt like it was made of lead as she trudged forward.
"Just a bit further Miss Finley." Severus encouraged, noting her strained gait.
"Marci." came the whispered reply.
Severus looked down at her with an eyebrow raised in question. She stared back up at him with puffy, tired eyes. He almost flinched at how the blue iris of her right eye, contrasted with the blood vessel that had burst during her torture.
"Please, just call me Marci." She almost begged him.
At that moment she needed familiarity, she needed a sense of intimacy that could only come about through the genuine support of another human being. She needed him to see her as "just Marci" not as "Miss Finley that just experienced the greatest trauma of her life thus far."
She projected these thoughts to Severus and his body sung with understanding.
"Okay 'just Marci'' He replied, a slight smirk curling his lip.
Marci felt tears spring to her eyes as a small smile appeared on her face despite the circumstances. She squeezed his arm in thanks and Severus felt his face warm.
"Please take me away from this place." Marci said, exhaustion seeping into her voice.
"Hold on for just a bit longer Marci, apparation will not treat you kindly." He warned, laying a hand over hers.
Marci took a deep breath and nodded her head.
"I'm ready."
In a blink of an eye, the two were gone.
Hello,
I felt like it was time to introduce myself! Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I have so much planned for this story and I greatly enjoy writing it. It is a good escape from the chaos of day to day life.
I would very much appreciate if you were to leave a review! Let me know what you liked, disliked, and would like to see going forward.
Thank you,
AngelOfReckoning.
