When she had seen him standing there, sadness and insecurity in his onyx eyes, she had known what he needed. She approached the trembling boy and took him in her arms. Her hands entwined behind his neck, and Severus hid his face in her shoulder.
One hand began caressing his hair, while the other drew soothing circles on his back.
The boy started crying, and his arms encircled her little frame, holding her to him with a desperate grip. Severus told himself that if his own mother had hugged him like Madeline did, his life would have been different.
They stood like that for some time, and eventually the tears stopped from falling. Madeline suspected the boy was deeply ashamed for showing some weakness, and so she tried to act casual. A chilly air made the both of them shiver, and the girl took a step back from him to look at his face.
His long, black hair hid him from her view, as usual.
She took his hand in hers and led him towards the house.
"No… I can't come in…" he protested, halting in his steps.
Madeline turned and glanced at him with a firm stare. "I'll decide who can and cannot enter my house. Now, hush, and follow me." She said, and he couldn't help but smirk at her words.
He let her pull him into her home. The night was cold and he could barely feel his fingers.
Green Manor was big, and rich and elegant. Yet, it was nothing like the minimal, cold, aseptic house of the Mulcibers. It had nothing to do with Malfoy Manor, either.
Madeline's parents' house was warm, welcoming, full of antique furniture and Persian rugs, with large pictures of landscapes on soft-colored walls.
She led him on the stairs and towards her bedroom without showing him anything, but Severus had already seen enough. Purebloods were surely not all the same.
Madeline locked the door behind them as she ushered him into her room. She cast a "Muffliato" and grinned at his surprised face, "A very useful spell you invented."
He shrugged, "I think so…" he said, and looked around himself; he stared at her large double bed, at the posters of muggle rockstars hanging on the walls, at the photographs of her and her friends looking at him from her desk, at her school books piled in a corner, near her trunk. And then he looked back at her, who was giving him a concerned look. "I'm sorry for showing up here in the middle of the night…"
"Nonsense, Sev. I told you to come here whenever you felt the need to do so…" she sighed, "What happened?"
So much happened, and yet the boy didn't know if he had the courage to tell her. He didn't want to see the look on her face when he'd told her what he had done.
Madeline took a step in his direction, "Is it… Your father?"
He shook her head, "I haven't killed him. Not yet, anyway…"
"Don't talk like that." She snapped, and he raised an eyebrow at her. She had gone from concerned to annoyed in less than a second. The girl went to sit on her bed, and gestured for him to do the same.
Severus felt the tension between them going loose as he sat next to Madeline, and stared right into her blue eyes. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have disturbed you… So much happened today… And I just wanted to talk to… A friend, I guess?" he confessed.
She tenderly smiled at him. "I'm glad you came, Sev." She said, and raised a hand to caress his cheek. "I've been thinking of you…"
"Really?" he asked, sounding rather pathetic.
Madeline smirked, "Of course."
Severus broke their staring contest and looked down at his lap. "Madeline, the night is very reassuring for me… The dark helps you pretend everything's fine… But what I did today… Well, it will change my future forever. It's already changing it."
"What have you done, Sev?"
He sighed deeply. "I… I joined him."
Madeline paled considerably and her breath became slower. Her hand trembled a bit as she retreated it from his face. Severus stood up from the bed and took a few steps towards the door. He knew he had to leave.
"Severus…" she said, and he stopped, and turned to look at her above his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Madeline… I'm sorry… I've been so selfish… I shouldn't have come here…"
"Severus." She repeated, more firmly.
He turned completely, and looked at the girl with a questioning stare.
She stood, and reached him, and hugged him tightly, encircling his neck with her arms. She rested her face in the crook of his neck and inhaled deeply. Severus recovered moments later, shocked at her gesture, and hugged her back. He could feel her trembling slightly against him. He hated himself for that. Damn, she looked so... Afraid.
"Are you scared of me?"
"I'm scared of what you could do if you continue thinking nobody loves you."
"Madeline… I was destined to be a Death Eater… This is my path…"
"You're so convinced of this, it's unnerving… Some day you'll see how wrong you are, Sev… But for now… Hold me stronger…"
He obeyed and they stood there, hugging each other, for some minutes. Severus relaxed, and all the emotions of the day before disappeared as he listened to Madeline's gentle breathing.
"Have you… Have you been marked?" she whispered against his neck.
He nodded imperceptibly.
"Can I see it?" she asked after some time.
"What? Why?"
She shrugged, distancing herself from him. "I guess I'm just curious."
"It's… It's not nice… Or anything…"
"Show me, Sev."
He did so, and rolled his sleeve up, just as he had done in front of Lord Voldemort hours earlier.
She gasped when she eyed the Dark Mark, glowing against his pale skin. There was still some dry blood surrounding it.
She turned away from him as soon as she saw the whole of it. "Cover it. I can't stand it."
"I'm sorry…" he whispered, and put his shirt back in place.
She shook her head. "You know… I didn't believe it until I saw it…" she said, her voice broken. Then she turned again, and walked up to him until she was barely touching him. "Why did you come here crying? Are you regretting what you did?"
He hesitated, looking into her blue eyes, and then stiffened.
"I don't regret it." He stated. "I'm just… Overwhelmed, I think."
"Overwhelmed." She repeated, as if not understanding.
"I ran from home this morning."
She shot him a surprised look. "What did your father do?"
"It's not his fault, this time… No, it's my mother... She told me she still loves him. She told me I should suppress my magic to please… That monster…" he spat out, fixing his stare on the moon outside the window.
Her features seemed to soften at that. "And where are you staying?"
"Mulciber's."
"You should come here, instead."
Severus' head snapped in her direction. "What? Madeline… I-I can't. You know who I am. What I am."
"And staying with Mulciber will certainly not change things."
"Me staying with you won't change things, either. Madeline… I appreciate your friendship. I really do. But…"
"You have chosen your path, I know. Stop saying that. It's bullshit."
He sighed. "You're a stubborn, Gryffindor girl."
"And you're a stupid, Slytherin boy." She said, and she probably intended to sound amused, but Severus could hear all the sadness in her voice.
"Happy Christmas, Madeline." He said after a bit, "I should have told you on time, but… Well… Better late than never?" he muttered, and took his Slytherin tie out of his pocket. "That's for you… I know this isn't a proper gift… But… Well, I thought…"
Madeline stopped his rambling by taking the tie in her hands and smiling at him. "Thank you, Sev. That's sweet of you."
He shrugged.
"I'm sorry I haven't got you anything…" she said, blushing slightly.
"You've done enough for me, Madeline." He stated.
"But I-"
"Don't be silly." He added, then, quite harshly.
"Don't be sharp, love. Your Professor Snape is showing."
He grinned at her. "Is it?" he asked, arching an eyebrow, and giving her a dark look.
She laughed, "It is, but it's not bad… Actually, it's kind of sexy." She eyed his black suit with a pleased stare. "I've never seen you dressed elegantly. You really should wear this more often."
It was his turn to blush, but instead of replying to what she had just said, he approached her and kissed her full on the mouth. Their tongues immediately started caressing each other, and Madeline moaned in his mouth as he pushed her on her bed. She let the Slytherin tie fall on the floor and put her hands in his hair to hold him closer against her. Severus' hands started to roam under her silk shirt, and when his cold fingers entered in contact with her hot skin, she shivered. The boy moved his mouth to suck on his neck and Madeline smiled against his ear. "I'm glad you've missed me too." She whispered, and some chills went up his spine while her hot breath grazed his skin.
"I don't deserve you." He whispered against the delicate skin of her neck.
Madeline whispered, and he looked her in the eyes. "I know that." She said, "But I'm not giving up on you… yet." She smirked at him, and Severus kissed her again, harder, and Madeline helped him take off his jacket.
The girl smiled when she looked at the shirt gently hugging his lean, slightly muscular body.
He arched an eyebrow as he caught her watching him.
"You're really a tease." He said, his deep voice full of amusement.
"You have no idea." She replied, and pulled him back against her.
They kissed for some time, and eventually they adjusted to a hugging position. They had already slept together, but not in a proper bed. Not outside of school.
"It's late, you should sleep." He said, "And I should leave."
"Stay." She immediately exclaimed. "Please." She added, strengthening her grip around his torso. "At least until I fall asleep."
He smiled, and placed a kiss against her forehead. "Of course."
"Good night, love." She whispered, and relaxed against him.
"Good night, Mads." He replied. He could not close his eyes. As Madeline rapidly drifted off, he kept holding her, inhaling her scent, grazing her hair with his fingers. He stood like that until dawn, and when the first rays of sun dimly illuminated the room, he decided it was time to go. He gently disentangled himself from her, but she noticed anyway. She opened one of her beautiful blue eyes, and stared at him. "Are you leaving?" she asked with a sleepy voice.
"Yes." He said, putting on his jacket. "Thank you, Madeline." He added, with a sincere and soft tone of voice. The girl stood on her elbow and gestured for him to step closer to her. He did so, and bent to let her give him a long goodbye kiss. One he'd never forget.
She smiled gently, and watched him as he straightened and walked to the door. "Severus?" her sweet voice called for him before he could exit the room.
The boy turned to look at her. She had sat up, and the golden sunlight was creating plays of light on her face. Madeline was looking at him with melancholic, loving eyes.
"Never lose your heart, Sev." She said, "Don't let them take it."
He felt a lump forming in his throat at her words, but nodded anyway. She nodded in return. Promises were fragile things, Severus knew that. That's why he didn't like making them. But to Madeline, it only felt natural.
Severus looked at the Gryffindor girl one last time, before opening the door, and walking away.