Chapter 6

"A friend is a spot of light when all else you can see is darkness."

~ (Author unknown; loose quote from my memory)

When Civia woke, she was very relieved to see she was the first of the newly wedded couple to be awake. She practically ran into the adjacent bathroom after extracting herself from the tangle of limbs she'd woken to find herself in.

It had been a grateful discovery that she'd made when she found her things already present.

After a swift, quiet shower, she had noticed something she'd overlooked at first.

A soft purple bathrobe was folded up for her on the counter—the same shade of violet as her eyes she realized with a start. But then said eyes landed on the small, almost unnoticeable black velvet box on top of the folded robe.

With trembling hands, she opened it and was not surprised that it was a wedding ring, but rather, how much she liked it.

The band was pure gold, thin and delicate looking. The diamond was large, but not ostentatiously huge. On each side were two brilliantly shined gems. Next to the center gem were two smaller, circularly cut sapphires—both a matching, shining darker shade of blue. Beside the sapphires were similarly cut emeralds—darkly and exquisitely green. The gold of the band was slightly worn, showing that it was an antique, though a meticulously cared for one.

The ring was beautiful.

She wanted to pick it up and chuck it into the Black Lake for the Merpeople, to throw it from the Astronomy Tower and make it explode in a dazzling array of fireworks, to get a hammer and smash it to bits and throw the remaining dust into the sea.

Not because of what it was, but because of what it represented.

Almost unwillingly, Civia slipped it onto her left ring finger. Sighing in despair, she finished buttoning up her black frock coat and slipped out of the rooms, careful not to wake Snape, but then ran as fast as she could for her friends.

It was breakfast time, apparently, judging how all her colleagues were already present in the Great Hall, though the chatting was soft and melancholy.

None had expected her, apparently. Minerva was the first to see her. "Civia?" she exclaimed loudly, shocked, rising to her feet. The others' heads shot up, staring, and all discussion halted.

"What are you doing here?" she continued, coming down from the Head Table to meet her, relief obvious on her face, though worry had some hold. "I thought you would be hiding after…yesterday's events!"

"But what is the point in hiding if they've already caught you?" Civia asked sorrowfully, and the tears started.

"Calm down now, Civia," her mentor said soothingly, as she helped her to the Head Table, "It's alright."

As she nearly collapsed into an empty chair beside the now-former Headmistress, Civia simply said, "I wish it were that simple, Minerva, I do."

"What happened?" asked Filius softly.

"I was caught, trying to keep them from the Burrow," she explained, eyes on her hands, "Then…this happened."

At their confused looks, she could only lift up her left hand.

The uproar was unexpectedly loud and furious.

"Who was it, Civia?" asked Minerva tightly, holding said woman's hand closer to inspect the ring, "I swear I'll kill them!"

But a voice interrupted her before she could even begin, though it explained everything.

"I will thank you, Minerva, to unhand my wife."

The noise, once again, fell silent and all movement ceased. Eyes went from him to Civia, who could only nod, ashamed. Snape walked, robes bellowing behind menacingly, to the Headmaster's ornate chair. Was it fate or chance, Civia wondered, that she happened to have seated herself in the chair next to his.

Seating himself and loading his plate, Civia sat in the seat, rigid. "Eat," he instructed quietly, emotionless.

Her eyes flashed dangerously to his. Standing, she muttered, "Not hungry."

Feeling the eyes of all in the Great Hall on her back, Civia stormed out of there, outer sapphire robes billowing in her wake, giving her a dignified, powerful appearance that she was grateful for. It would not do for him to see her tears.

Leaning against the wall right beside the door, trying to hide her tears, there were numerous sounds from inside as soon as she would have been out of earshot, had she continued. Several shouts, and a very good number of bangs like many had shot out spells.

"Bastard!" shouted one—Filius, she realized.

"How could you, Snape?" from another—Aurora.

Their anger gave her a small smile. While her brother and sister-in-law were dead, her nephew on the run, Albus assassinated, Voldemort in change, Death Eaters at Hogwarts, Snape as Headmaster, and her married to said Death Eater, it did her heart a world of good to know she was not alone in this. She had allies, friends.

She wasn't alone.

Somehow, just the thought cleared her mind enough for her to calm down and think. She was a Pureblood—she had known about marriage contracts since her childhood. And most contracts included the clause of the wife producing at least one male heir.

Civia lept up and nearly ran to her private potions lab in the dungeons.

She'd worked long and hard on a potion that was perfect for this situation.

After muttering the password to the portrait, she rushed inside and set up her work station, then hurried to the supply closet. She'd worked on and perfected this potion all last year. Now she had a use for it—the best possible use she could have imagined. It was the perfect potion for this situation.

Now, Civia was just thankful it took less than fifteen minutes.

Moving quickly, she poured the seven ounces of concentrated pomegranate juice into the cauldron, turning on the heat. Swiftly, the liquid was boiling, and she was adding two ounces of dried Nettle, then stirring—clockwise twice, counterclockwise once, repeat, until the brew changed to a deep crimson.

Having already sliced the leaves as the brew boiled, Civia stirred in the seven sliced leaves of Praevenio Gravida, a rare magical plant whose leaves were eaten long ago by witches who wished to prevent having children.

While the potion simmered for exactly seven minutes, Civia had gotten her silver knife. Carefully, she crushed the three Sopophorous beans with the flat side of the blade. Once seven minutes was over, she poured in the juice of the three beans.

Vigilantly, Civia stirred the potion seven times counterclockwise, then added the seven fresh pomegranate seeds.

After allowing it to stew for five minutes, one pinch of powdered unicorn horn was sprinkled in. When the mixture suddenly changed to a light sky blue, Civia stirred in a sprig of fresh peppermint.

Removing the cauldron from heat, she watched as the potion emitted wispy, silver vapor. Then, she poured in into several small vials to be stored for future use and made a wax seal on each of them, save one, and put all but one into the supply closet.

After magically cleaning the counter and cauldron, Civia paused holding it up to the light, admiring the potion. It was now almost clear, though it had a silvery tinge and still emitted the vapor.

This was a year's research and work, and was finally being used, though the Potions Mistress was not happy to be brought to this.

Just as she was about to drink it, she heard the sound of rushed footsteps coming into the laboratory.

It was Snape.

Before he could stop her, she downed the potion and swallowed.

A rush of pain to her lower abdomen took her breath away in a gasp as she doubled over. Vaguely, she registered him exclaim "Civia!" Her eyes fluttered shut as another wave of pain rolled through her abdomen. Sudden weakness took over, and she collapsed, though someone—Snape—caught her.

The world blacked out before her eyes.

AN: If there are any artists out there interested in drawing Civia or anything else in the story, please contact me! I can't pay you or anything…but I'd love to see what some of you imagine her to look like. I'm trying to get some artistic friends to draw her for me…but no luck yet…so if you do draw her, I would be eternally grateful and thanking you!

PS- Thanks to all of my reviewers!