Chapter 25: Happiness

In the days that followed Scabior continued to recover as his wounds healed and his strength gradually returned. Violet rested, taking her dreamless sleep potion and catching up on her sleep. It wasn't unusual for her to fall asleep wrapped in Scabior's arms as the two of them slept together in bed. His presence alone seemed to have a calming effect on her. He made her happy, made it easier for her to relax.

Violet couldn't hide her feelings for Scabior anymore. He made her feel a type of happiness that she had never known before. He completed her, giving her a sense of blissful joy and peace. She loved him, he was everything to her, and Scabior was growing to love her more with each day that passed.

It was his love for her that made him hesitant to show her the photo he'd obtained from Lucius. He had seen the shape she was in when he found her. He'd watched over her, feared for her health and well being. Now that she was finally recovering, he didn't want to do anything that might cause her to have a relapse.

Scabior sighed as he held the photo of Freeman Snowden, gazing silently at the moving image as it showed Freeman standing beneath a flurry of white snowflakes.

Freeman was smiling, delighting in the beauty of the myriad of soft crystals as they fell from the sky above.

Lucius had described him as a powerful dark wizard with an unusual lust for young female children. Who knew what sort of unspeakable acts he may have forced Violet to preform during the time that he was around her.

'She doesn't remember,' Scabior thought, folding the photo in half and slipping it back into his pocket. 'She's better off not knowing about this right now. Per'aps it would be better if she wasn't reminded of this at all. I don't want to tell 'er about this if I don't 'ave to."

After spending a week at Malfoy manor recovering from his injuries, Scabior decided that he felt well enough to return to the woods. Both he and Violet were well rested and feeling good. The time had come for them to leave.

Before they left, Narcissa was kind enough to give Scabior a bottle of wound cleaning potion, telling him that as long as he used it on any cuts he sustained in battle, it would prevent his wounds from getting infected. Scabior thanked her for the potion, then went to round up his men to make sure they were ready to leave.

While Scabior was checking up on his men, Violet had wandered off through the manor in search of Lucius. There was something she wanted to ask him about in private before she left. And she figured now was the best time do it while Scabior was distracted.

She found Lucius in the living room by himself and approached him with her question.

"Mr. Malfoy," she began.

"Please, call me Lucius," he said, smiling.

"Right, Lucius then..." She hesitated slightly, trying to think of the best way to properly word her question. "I couldn't help but notice that Scabior and Bellatrix don't exactly get along. I was wondering if you could tell me why they don't like each other."

"Ah, now that, I'm afraid, is a private matter that I'm not at liberty to discuss," said Lucius, his smile fading from his face. "Scabior is a man who values his privacy. He doesn't like anyone invading it. If he feels comfortable enough to discuss it with you, then he will. If not...well, best not to bother him too much about it. It's a sensitive subject with him. He'd rather not speak of it if he doesn't have to."

Now Violet was very curious as well as a bit concerned. She knew Bellatrix had hurt Scabior, but she wasn't sure how it had happened or what had happened. She could see the pain in Scabior's eyes when she'd asked him about it before. She knew that something was wrong. But from the look of things she wasn't going to receive answers to her questions anytime soon.

Upon their return to the woods, Violet was quick to recognize the familiarity of the area she was in. They had apparated to the same location they were in before leaving for Malfoy manor.

When Violet asked Scabior why they had returned to the same place they were before, he put his arm around her and said, "Because, my lovely, there is something tha I want to show you."

Scabior had his reasons for returning to their previous location. One of them was the idea that Jacob probably wouldn't think to look for them in the same place they were before. Jacob had most likely gone in search of them elsewhere. They'd be hiding in plain sight, which would help keep Violet safe while Scabior worked to formulate the next phase of his plan.

After Jacob had escaped, Scabior became determined to hunt him down and find him. His pride as a Snatcher would not let him rest until he caught him. And his concern for Violet's safety added to the driving motivation that pushed him forward in search of Jacob.

He would have begun his search earlier, but illness and injury had slowed him down. And all he could think of was protectong Violet at any cost. Even if it meant risking his own health in the process.

He needed to know who Jacob worked for, where he was from, and why he had been ordered into their camp. Scabior could only know these things if he caught him. And with years of experience tracking and hunting, it was only a matter of time before Scabior caught his prey.

He also needed to carefully monitor Violet's condition, making sure she didn't lapse back into her depression and start cutting herself again. The time he'd spent with her had taught him that she was a sensitive, emotionally fragile individual.

He was also beginning to think that perhaps some of her abilities were triggered by emotions, both her own and those of the people arfter her. If Scabior wanted to keep her calm and prevent her troubling visions from returning, he needed to keep her in a relaxed and happy frame of mind.

This meant that she couldn't know about his hunt for Jacob, or about Freeman. Not right now. He needed to protect her from herself, as well as from those who wanted to harm her. And so Scabior took her down a path deep into the forest, bringing her to a special place where they could be alone together. A place where they could be happy, no matter what the rest of the world had planned for them.

"The last time we were 'ere you were too worried about me to realize where you were," said Scabior as they continued walking down the leaf strewn forest trail. When Violet gave him a puzzled look he continued by saying, "We're near the lake, pet. This is where you found me when I was unconscious."

"The lake?"

Scabior nodded. "Yes, sweet'eart. There's a large lake in these woods. An we're only about a mile or so away from it. I've known about it for years. Used to come 'ere a lot back in the days before I became a Snatcher."

They walked for several minutes before the trail widened as the ground began to dip down at an angle. Violet followed Scabior down the path through the woods until the forest opened up. And before them stretched a vast lake that covered thousands of miles of land.

Violet's mouth opened in awe, marveling at the sight of the beautiful, gently rippling waves that lapped at the edge of the lake.

For several long seconds she stood still, the cold winds brushing against the surface of the water, lifting and tugging strands of her dark brown hair as she gazed out across the water. She then sprinted forward, running downhill towards the shoreline, laughing happily with glee as she ran.

Scabior smiled as he chased after her. He had brought her somewhere she could be free from her anguished thoughts and memories. And knowing that he was responsible for the joy she was feeling made his heart soar to heights he'd never dreamed possible.

"Come on, love," he said, laughing playfully as he easily caught up to her. "Let me show you around some of my favorite places 'ere." He then reached out, taking her hand as his fingers intertwined with hers.

This was love. This was what it felt like to truly love someone. He was sure of it now. Scabior loved Violet. And as he held her small, delicate hand, feeling her warm skin against his flesh and the leather that covered part of his gloved hand, he could feel her entire body as it connected to his. He could feel her heart beat in time with his own. This was love, and Scabior had never been happier in his whole life.

Hand in hand they walked together as Scabior took her down the sandy shore. They talked and laughed as they walked along the shore. And for the first time in what felt like forever, their hearts were light as though they hadn't a care in the world. They were both truly happy together.

Scabior wasn't a Snatcher here, working for a corrupt ministry, hunting and kidnapping innocent muggleborns and turning them in for profit. Violet wasn't the troubled daughter of a wealthy pureblood family, whose only purpose in life was to worship the ground Lord Voldemort walked on. Here they could be free, if only for a few hours, from the struggles and suffering of a world at war.

Beyond the trees that encircled the lake nothing else existed. This place was theirs, a paradise they could escape to when they needed to get away from it all.

"It's beautiful here," said Violet.

"Not as beau'iful as you are, love," said Scabior.

Violet stood still, her heart pounding in her chest as he smoothed her hair back with his strong fingers. His touch was enough to ignite in her the deepest passion, stirring up powerful emotions of love and happiness.

He gazed deep into her eyes and softly said, "I know you don't think much of yourself, pet. But you are beau'iful. An I'm grateful for the fact tha you are 'ere with me. I never thought I could feel this way, or tha someone would ever want a drunken thief like me. But 'ere you are, at a time when I believed tha nothing good could ever come my way in life again. An as long as I 'ave you 'ere with me, I know tha there is still something good left in this world. It gives me 'ope. Per'aps there is still a chance for me to live the life I started to before it all went wrong."

Violet wrapped her arms around him, her head against his chest as she held him in a warm, loving embrace. She knew for sure that he loved her, and she would stay with him forever. She never wanted to leave his side.