Black Eyes


Severus stared into his empty whiskey glass. Tilting it toward the light to get a glimpse of the golden traces left by his last drink, Severus contemplated pouring himself another. He lifted his gaze up from the glass to look around the room. It was… Off. He sighed. Another drink would probably push him over into pissed territory. Since bringing home his little sister, he'd made it a point not to get drunk.

He'd seen the bruises on his sister's upper arms when he retrieved her from the neighbor's home in the wake of the fire. Before Dad died, the bastard had begun inflicting the abuse Severus knew growing up on Darla. The only difference was instead of fearing belts, she feared the cupboard under the sink. Severus had never before thought he'd grateful for his father's sexist nature, but he was then. Dad may have been grabbing her roughly and hurting her in that way, but he'd not been intentionally beating her as he once did to Severus.

Some coaxing on his part had eventually made it clear their father locked Darla in the kitchen cupboard most often after an evening at the pub. After that, he'd promised her (and himself) he would never drink so much he'd want to lock her away beneath the sink come morning. It was an easy promise to make, he thought then, as he'd never cared much for getting bladdered, but he was starting to have second thoughts.

Severus got to his feet and with a slight wobble walked over to the window before scanning the street below for Edie. He was tired of her going out. Every time she did, he feared she wouldn't come back. Yet Severus couldn't stop her; he couldn't afford to pay a wage her in addition to free room and board most of the time. Darla needed too many things and caused far too many unexpected expenses, new shoes and new dresses after a growth spurt, books to replace the one she's grown bored of or too old for, replacement curtains for the ones she shredded beyond repair with accidental magic during a tantrum, and so on.

If Edie wanted or needed something more than he could provide, and quickly, she had to go out. There was no other way at this time.

He turned away from the window when he heard the lock turn. A moment later, Edie walked in, bringing with her the smell of smoke, alcohol, and sex. "Waitin' up fer lil'ol' me?"

Severus grunted noncommittally.

Swaying every other step as she made her way over to him, Edie smiled as she boldly took his chin in her hands. "It's so sweet o' yeh." One of her hands drifted down and began to fiddle with the buttons of his waistcoat. "So kind…"

"Of course I will always wait up for you, you're my sister's nanny. Darla adores you," after a beat, he adds, "And I… I quite like you too."

Edie batted her lashes at him. "Fancy-like me?"

He looked away as she actively began to undo his buttons. "Edie…"

"I've never been with a bloke who waits up fer me ter come home, or one who fancy-likes me," she mumbled hot against his throat.

Severus swallowed. "This isn't– It's not– We can't–"

The teenager pulled back a moment, and stared at him with glittering hazel eyes and asked, "Why not?"

"You work for me."

She frowned before getting back to work on his buttons, this time, starting with the ones on his trousers. "So what? I don' care. I just wanna be with a gentleman who cares about me fer once. Even if it's only as an employee."

He covered her hands with his. "Edie, look at me."

She raised her gaze and met his head-on. Severus saw determination in her gaze, but desperation, and something he thought might be love too. He sighed. "If you truly want to do this, I… I would like to as well. But if you're doing this because you want to show gratitude or think you have to for keeping your job or for any reason other than because you want to, even if it's just a little, stop right now. I only want to have sex if you want it too, not because you feel obligated to have it with me."

In response, she smashed her mouth into his, dragging him down for a lengthy snog as she continued to undo the last of the buttons on his clothes. In return, Severus pulled up her skirt and ran his hands over the soft warm skin beneath. When Edie finished with undoing all of his buttons and coaxing him out of his shirt and waistcoat, Severus picked her up and had her wrap her legs around his waist before he carried her over to her cot.

With a wave of his hand, he had the room dividers close behind them and set Edie down. For a moment, they separated. Breathing heavily, they stared at each other in the darkness. He caressed her scarred cheek. "Beautiful," he murmured.

Edie smiled, eyes shimmering, as she placed her own hand atop his, running her thumb across the back of it. Holding his hand in place, she leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. "Handsome," she returned in a breathy whisper before she gently began to guide his hand down from her face and to her breasts. Leaning forward, Severus captured her lips in a kiss once more…

-O-

Severus woke from his dream, or, rather, his memories quite abruptly to the sound of knocking at his bedroom door. Softly he groaned into his arms and considered casting a silencing spell on his door. Surely whatever it was Edie needed could wait? But what if had something to do with the baby? Before he could make his decision, Darla mumbled, "Sev?" from her cot next to his bed.

He reached down and gently pushed her head back against her pillow. "Go back to sleep," he told her. "I'll see what Edie needs."

Getting out of bed, he pulled on his housecoat and walked over to his door, opening it, he frowned. "What is it, Edie? Is something wrong?"

The teenager smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she said. "There's nothin' I need. I know it's hardly dawn, but… An Owl stopped by an' remember how yeh told me ter get yeh immediately if the letter had a certain seal?" She held out the letter to him. "Well, it has that seal!"

Feeling far less disgruntled, but infinitely more anxious, he took the letter from her hand and gently nudged her aside so he could leave his bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he cast a silencing charm on the door as to not accidentally wake Darla again and headed for the sofa. Opening the letter, he read it over once, then a second time, and, finally, a third time.

"Well?" asked Edie, wringing her hands. "What does it say?"

He looked up the parchment and whispered, wide-eyed and shocked, "Dumbledore wants to meet with me."


How did you like the flashback/dream? The last scene? Excited?

Thank you all a million for reading!