Chapter Ten

A/N: Thank you to Christine Eponine Watson for reviewing the last chapter. I really appreciate it!

The darkness dominated the world, and in the twists and turns of the forest in which she stood, the moon was the only light that Helena had. The night was freezing cold, far worse than any she had ever experienced in the Scottish hills where Hogwarts lay, and whenever the young woman exhaled, she saw the pale cloud of breath drift through the air in front of her. In truth, she was surprised that her cheeks had not frozen over, or at the least the tracks of water that had run down, during the hours she had spent sobbing as she walked. The only reason that she did not cry now was that she believed she had no more tears remaining.

And still she continued to walk, through the cold and the fear and the fatigue, not wanting to stop for even a few seconds. In truth, she did not know why she was so on edge, or why she had journeyed so far to escape a man who had probably not even turned a hair at her having left, but she did not stop to contemplate. 'I merely need to stay away for a week or two, perhaps three, time enough for him to find another fiancée. Once he is engaged, I can return to Scotland, back to my mother.'

At the thought of her mother, Helena's gaze turned to the diadem, which still remained clutched in her hand, the metal far colder than the snow that had just begun to fall around her. It was almost as if the frozen sting was a reminder of the pain that she would have put Lady Ravenclaw through when she had left. It had been her own mother that had been coming for her, she was sure it had been, and yet she had still run away, run from the only person who had always been by her side.

'I hope that she is alright.' she thought, absentminded as she continued to walk aimlessly through the forest. 'After all, I've never really left her before, and I never would have dreamed of doing so without telling her that I was going. Could I have trusted her to let me go? Would she have told the Baron, and taken my only chance of freedom? I really do not know, but if I truly could have trusted her, and I bring scandal for a second time on the name that she has worked so hard to rebuild, then I will never forgive myself for it.'

Her mind beginning to wander once again in the direction of the awful man that she had called her betrothed, Helena found herself beginning to brood on the reason that she had come to this forest. 'This is all his fault. I only came here to escape him. That was the only reason, or else I never would have left my mother, Gisela, my home, everything I know. This is all his fault. I am only trapped here because of him. This is all his fault. This is all his fault.'

"This is all his fault." The thumping sound of rage in her mind having become almost painful in its volume, the brunette had found herself speaking the final repeat of the phrase out loud. In a way, it had felt quite freeing to speak the words out loud, and yet she could not help but turn her head over her shoulder. After all, if the wrong people had heard those words, it would be her soul that was freed from her body, in death. Seeing that there was no one behind her, the woman was put a little more at ease. However, when a voice sounded from a tree a couple of dozen feet ahead of her, carrying as clear as the snowflakes in the wind.

"Oh, I do hope that you weren't speaking of me."

Recognising the voice in an instant, Helena began to look around frantically, before she caught sight of his face, grinning uncontrollably in the darkness. Most smiles in the world the young Ravenclaw would find endearing, as she had always found beauty in the attempt to make others happy, but with the smile of the Baron, she could feel nothing but emptiness, a smile as cold and harsh as the storm they stood in.

"How did you find me?" she asked the snake, painting her face to become a passive mask. In truth, she was a little scared of the man's reaction, as she had heard that he could be extremely unpredictable when riled, and if she did not show the defiance that should have been blazing in her eyes, perhaps he would allow her to go. She knew that it was a long shot, but any chance was good enough when she was trying to escape her monstrous fiancé.

"Oh, that does not matter in the least, Helena. There is to be no debate about this matter. You will return to Scotland, with me, and we will be married in the morning. Now, come along." he told her, and the woman could not help but be astonished by his impudence. 'Who could he possibly think he is to try and control me? Well, I am not going to take it. Not anymore.'

"I will not." she spoke, her voice relatively quiet, though it carried clearly across the silent forest, and there was no doubt from the expression on his face that the Baron had heard her. Still, she repeated the three words once again, to empower herself as much as to have clarity. "I will not."

"Helena Ravenclaw, you will obey me!" he exclaimed, and reached for her arm, holding it in vice like grip as he prepared to Apparate them both back to Hogwarts. However, just in time, the young woman pulled away, hitting her fiancé fiercely around the face and beginning to run away. She could hear the man following her, and knew that she had to move quickly, but the cold had begun to get to her, and she could not run as fast as she usually would have done. Having not been exposed to the elements for quite as long, the Baron was faster, and she heard him draw his sword in anger. Subconsciously, she turned to face the man, to ascertain how far away he was from her, but was almost blinded by a sharp pain coming from her waist.

Suddenly, the world began to spin, and her gaze fell to the gaping wound in her waist, and to the stain of blood on the man's sword. She could see that his expression was one of horror, but found that she did not care. As she felt herself fall helplessly to the ground, like a marionette that's strings had been cut, all that filled her mind was the thought that she would never again see her mother, would never have a chance to say goodbye, before darkness claimed her.

Helena was vaguely aware of the fact that she would never awaken, and of the thud of a body beside her, before it all ended. There was no light, no sound, no hope. Just nothing, and that was all there would ever be.

A/N: Sorry for the depression, but it had to happen. One more chapter, so please review!