Nightbirds

And when the wind draws strong Across the cypress tress

The Nightbirds cease their songs

So gathers memories.

-Loreena McKennitt, "Courtyard Lullaby"

Tinuvial's story- 18 years ago

It was an unofficial rule (Tinuvial began to say to Dumbledore and Arabella Figg) that my brother Tobias and his friends had laid down that I avoid contact with certain people.  For the most part, they were Slytherins and I at first thought that it was just petty house rivalry.  However, after a few months, I could see that there was some merit to their words.  These Slytherins were not the sort I should associate with.    They were all rather distrustful and shifty, yet one in particular stood out in that respect:  Lucius Malfoy.

Tinuvial could remember all the fights Tobias and his friends (especially Sirius Black) would have with Lucius Malfoy and his own friends.  James Potter, in particular, was particularly protective over her, almost as much as Tobias himself.  Remus Lupin was a bit more relaxed in that respect.  Although he did occasionally warn her about that group of Slytherins, he usually added that not all of them were so terrible.


However, Lucius Malfoy was the one she was warned about the most.  He hated all those who were not pure-blood, and while Tobias and Tinuvial had no Muggle blood, their blood was not pure wizard. 

For three years, Tinuvial had little to no contact with Malfoy.  It was only until the Christmas holidays of her third year that it happened. She was coming from the library after returning several books she had borrowed weeks earlier for a paper.  She wandered the halls for a bit, enjoying the silence of the holidays.

Tinuvial saw Lucius Malfoy ahead of her, leaning against the wall and watching her coolly.  She groaned inwardly, not wanting any trouble, but kept walking, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead.  But Malfoy stepped right in her path.


"Hello Tinuvial," he said in an odd tone, keeping his eyes fixed on her.


She sighed in irritation.  "Hello," she said politely.  She tried to step around him, but he moved with her each way she turned.  "Will you please let me by?" she muttered, trying to be patient.


His lip curled in a sneering smile.  "Now why should I do something like that?"

Tinuvial tried again to step around, but he blocked her yet again.  "What do you want?" she asked in exasperation.


His smile grew a little colder, his eyes probed even deeper.  "You're quite unique, you know," he said softly.  "You're not a pureblood, strictly speaking, but that fairy blood is more powerful than wizard's blood." He leaned uncomfortably close to her and breathed in deep.  "I can almost smell it on you." He stroked her cheek lightly with one finger.

More than a little disturbed, Tinuvial tried to step away, but Malfoy grabbed her arms.  "Let me go!" she said in alarm, trying to pull from him, but he tightened his grip and shushed her.

"It will be alright," he said insincerely, pulling her down a long, unlit stone hall she had seen the Slytherins enter from many times.  She struggled and fought hard, but he would not loosen his grip on her.  To her horror, she realized he was taking her to the Slytherin house and, it being the holidays, it would probably be deserted.  This thought made her fight even harder, but in vain.


Malfoy said the password in front of a stone wall and pulled Tinuvial inside with him.  Still, he did not let go. "There's only one other Slytherin still here at school and he is currently elsewhere," Malfoy remarked as Tinuvial saw in dismay that the common room was completely empty.


She finally wrenched her arm from his grip and tried to keep the space between them large.  "What do you want?" she said in a low, angry voice.

Malfoy's sneer grew slightly.  "You know, I go head to head with your brother quite often, but in the three years I've known you, I have never had trouble with you in particular.  It's rather amazing, considering the company you keep."  He took a step towards her, blocking the only escape route a bit more.  "But there's still time for you, still hope." She looked at him in astonishment.

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" she snapped, moving from him.

His frosty blue eyes stayed fixed on her intensely.  "You can still choose the right friends," he said in an intimate tone, moving closer and closer.  "But, sometimes, you need to earn their trust."  Tinuvial kept backing away, but she ran into the stone wall and Malfoy trapped her in the corner.

He put one arm on the wall beside her and began to shrink the distance between them.  She recoiled in disgust but was unable to get away.  He stroked one of her cheeks gently, like a lover would, but it made her want to vomit.

"Get away from me," she said from clenched teeth.

But he ignored her.

She stopped abruptly.  "Are you alright, dear?" Arabella Figg asked in concern.  Tinuvial nodded unconvincingly.  Arabella Figg looked at Dumbledore, whose blue eyes were burning strangely.  Snape remained silent.

His hand moved from her face to below her neck.  He covered her mouth with his own, silencing her by force.  He used his other long fingered hand to hold her wrists together.  Pinned into the corner, her arms immobile, and unable to scream, Tinuvial began to kick at him, stomp on his feet, whatever it took to get him off her.  However Malfoy merely pressed his body against hers, limiting her movement even more.

For the first time in her life, Tinuvial was helpless.  Unable to move or call for help, she still fought him, but he was older and stronger.  His free hand moved all over her body roughly.  She was filled with shame and humiliation, pinned against the wall like an object.  She was growing tired and could no longer fight him off.  Just as she, ridden with despair, was about to give up, she heard something.

"What are you doing, Lucius?" a male voice said quietly from behind.  Malfoy moved his head slightly and Tinuvial could see a tall and dark sixth year she vaguely recognized.  He had a grim look on his face and his cold black eyes were coldly burning into Malfoy.


"Entertaining," Malfoy said coolly.  "You really should leave, Severus."

The sixth year inclined his head.  "I should leave," he agreed.  Tinuvial looked at him, stricken, her eyes pleading for him to not go.

"And I think she should come with me," he added, moving towards them.  Malfoy, his gray eyes snapping, glowered at him.  The other young man pushed him aside and beckoned to Tinuvial.  He walked slightly behind her, leading her to the exit.

"You shouldn't have interfered, Severus," Malfoy called to them coldly.


He turned back around. "Of all people, Lucius," he said slowly and deliberately, "I believe I am the best judge of what I should and should not do."  He turned back to Tinuvial and made sure she was safely out of the tower before exiting it himself.

He walked alongside her silently, keeping his space.  "Are you alright?" he asked finally.


She straightened her disheveled robes and school clothes and tried to nod while maintaining a semblance of dignity.  She was trembling violently and surprised herself by bursting into tears. She covered her face, feeling horribly ashamed and humiliated.  The Slytherin tactfully kept his distance.

She began to take in deep breaths to calm herself down.  It took several minutes until she was ready to speak.  He did not comment on her tears at all. "Do you want to go back to your house?" he asked quietly.  She shook her head.

"I don't want my brother or…or James or any of them to see me like this," she said softly.

"Are you going to tell anyone?"


She shook her head miserably.  "I just want to forget about it," she muttered.

He nodded somewhat reluctantly.  "I will respect that, but if you change your mind, let me know and I will back you."

She looked at him suspiciously.  "You're Severus Snape, aren't you?  I thought Malfoy was one of your friends."

"I have no friends," he stated bluntly.  "Housemates, yes, but there are things I cannot abide, and what he did to you is one of them.  You should be more careful around him."

"But I didn't do it on purpose," she protested.  "I was coming from the library."

"Was he waiting for you?"

She shrugged wearily.  " I don't know."  As they turned a corner, Sirius Black was coming toward them.

Of all of Tobias's friends, Sirius hated the Slytherins with an almost unnatural passion.  He took one look at Tinuvial's disarrayed clothing and tear-streaked face and the Slytherin walking next to him and it was with an amazing amount of self-control that he did not jump on Snape.


"What happened, Tinuvial?" Sirius whispered, glancing dangerously at Snape.  She opened her mouth, but the words would not come out.  Sirius turned to Snape, grabbing his robes and pushing him up against the wall.  "What the hell did you do to her?" he snarled, his eyes burning.

"For the love of God, Sirius, it wasn't Severus!"  Tinuvial burst out, pulling her friend off of the Slytherin.  "If it hadn't been for him, I'd be in even worse trouble."
 
Sirius let go of Snape as if releasing something distasteful and backed away.  "Then what happened?"  Snape looked at Tinuvial with one raised eyebrow.  She sighed, not really wanting to tell about it, but knowing that if she didn't, Sirius would assume that Snape had done something horrid to her.

"It was Lucius Malfoy," she mumbled.  "He dragged me into the Slytherin house and…" She hugged arms across her chest, shivering slightly, feeling horribly disgusting.

"He roughed with her a bit," Snape put in.  "I happened across them and brought her out."  Tinuvial nodded, biting her lip and briefly told him how it had happened.

Sirius's face had gone dark.  "I see," he said softly, clenching his fists.  He did not look at either of them, but stared straight ahead to where he knew the Slytherins came from.  He took one step towards it when Tinuvial rushed to him.

"No, no, don't!" she begged him.  "Please, I just want to forget about it."  Sirius gritted his teeth.

"Well, I am not going to forget about it," he said softly.  "I am going to tell Tobias and then I am going to ask him very politely if he will let me be present when he pummels that disgusting excuse for a human out of this present incarnation."  Sirius took Tinuvial by the shoulders and lead her towards the Gryffindor tower.  She looked back over her shoulder to Snape, who was watching them leave with no emotion on his face.  She briefly made eye contact with him.  He looked at her intently for an instant before turning and walking in the other direction.


Tinuvial stopped again.  Dumbledore looked at her sorrowfully.  "You should have told me," he said to her gently.  She nodded.


"I know," she whispered.  "But…but I couldn't.  I too ashamed and…"  She shivered suddenly.

"That isn't all," Snape said quietly from behind them, surprising them all, as he'd been totally silent since she entered the room.  Dumbledore looked at Tinuvial sharply.

"What else happened?" he asked her.

She winced.  "Tobias."

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