Disclaimer:
Everything not Allosia or Gabriel belongs to JKR.
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As the carriage began to speed away from the Malfoy mansion, Snape lowered his face into his hands, letting out a shuddering sigh. His bruised and beaten wife lay across from him, asleep. Her injuries would heal, and she had, thanks to Draco Malfoy of all people, gotten off easily in at least one way. None of this made Snape feel any better. He wanted to kill Lucius, was terrified of how his debt to Draco might come due and absolutely dreaded the conversation he was going to have to have with Allosia about the reality of their situation.
In fact, he knew, as soon as his anger at Malfoy wore off, he was going to be furious with her. Merlin's heart, he could have lost her.
He peered through his fingers for a moment. Her eyes were open, and she was watching him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Not now," he said, his voice less kindly then he would have liked.
"Where's Gabriel?"
"With Dumbeldore."
"Does he know?"
"Merely that I was going to fetch you," he said, presuming she meant their son.
She relaxed against the seat.
"We'll talk later, Allosia. Rest now. Please."
The desperation in his voice made her feel slightly nauseous and she descended into sleep again, much to his relief.
When they arrived at Hogwarts, Snape brought her immediately to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey who gasped. Snape bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from scolding her for her bedside manner. The injuries were shocking afterall, especially in good light.
Snape paced back and forth, running his hands through his hair as Pomfrey busied herself with Allosia's injuries, hissing when she undid the bandage on her ankle. Snape looked up at the nurse then, inquiringly.
"She'll be fine. Mostly, it looks worse than it is, although this may give her trouble for some time," she said, indicating the ankle. "There's tendon and ligament damage."
Allosia started to come around, yet again, and Pomfrey acted painfully cheery. "Good, you're awake," she said. "I'm going to give you a couple of potions, and put some compresses on these wounds, and then we'll let you get some real rest, alright?"
Allosia just nodded, and looked at her husband, and Pomfrey understood they needed a moment alone, and so excused herself to her office, to work up a treatment plan.
"You were right, I shouldn't have gone, I'm sorry," she said quietly.
The composure that Snape had just barely managed to maintain all night finally burst at the sound of such strange timidity in her voice, and he slammed his hand down as hard as he could on the table next to her bed, causing her to jump. "Dammit, Allosia! An apology is not going to change this or make me any less angry! I'm sorry you're cooped up here, I'm sorry this isn't what you thought you were getting into, I'm sorry I'm not whatever idiotic romance novel fantasy you may have in your head, but you can't just go wandering through the world as if nothing can ever touch you. It can, it did, and no matter how much I try to protect you, it will. I presume you at least understand that much now. This is what being married to me means, and if that's a condition you can tolerate continuing, I suggest you start taking it seriously."
He had never raised his voice with her that way before, although certainly, she had witnessed such tirades under other circumstances, everyone at Hogwarts had. Through her thick and split lip, she said as dangerously as she could muster, "Don't be violent around me right now."
He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his lips together as if he were going to say something else, but instead, turned on his heal and stormed out, without another glance or word for her.
Allosia began to cry.
Everything not Allosia or Gabriel belongs to JKR.
-------
As the carriage began to speed away from the Malfoy mansion, Snape lowered his face into his hands, letting out a shuddering sigh. His bruised and beaten wife lay across from him, asleep. Her injuries would heal, and she had, thanks to Draco Malfoy of all people, gotten off easily in at least one way. None of this made Snape feel any better. He wanted to kill Lucius, was terrified of how his debt to Draco might come due and absolutely dreaded the conversation he was going to have to have with Allosia about the reality of their situation.
In fact, he knew, as soon as his anger at Malfoy wore off, he was going to be furious with her. Merlin's heart, he could have lost her.
He peered through his fingers for a moment. Her eyes were open, and she was watching him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Not now," he said, his voice less kindly then he would have liked.
"Where's Gabriel?"
"With Dumbeldore."
"Does he know?"
"Merely that I was going to fetch you," he said, presuming she meant their son.
She relaxed against the seat.
"We'll talk later, Allosia. Rest now. Please."
The desperation in his voice made her feel slightly nauseous and she descended into sleep again, much to his relief.
When they arrived at Hogwarts, Snape brought her immediately to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey who gasped. Snape bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from scolding her for her bedside manner. The injuries were shocking afterall, especially in good light.
Snape paced back and forth, running his hands through his hair as Pomfrey busied herself with Allosia's injuries, hissing when she undid the bandage on her ankle. Snape looked up at the nurse then, inquiringly.
"She'll be fine. Mostly, it looks worse than it is, although this may give her trouble for some time," she said, indicating the ankle. "There's tendon and ligament damage."
Allosia started to come around, yet again, and Pomfrey acted painfully cheery. "Good, you're awake," she said. "I'm going to give you a couple of potions, and put some compresses on these wounds, and then we'll let you get some real rest, alright?"
Allosia just nodded, and looked at her husband, and Pomfrey understood they needed a moment alone, and so excused herself to her office, to work up a treatment plan.
"You were right, I shouldn't have gone, I'm sorry," she said quietly.
The composure that Snape had just barely managed to maintain all night finally burst at the sound of such strange timidity in her voice, and he slammed his hand down as hard as he could on the table next to her bed, causing her to jump. "Dammit, Allosia! An apology is not going to change this or make me any less angry! I'm sorry you're cooped up here, I'm sorry this isn't what you thought you were getting into, I'm sorry I'm not whatever idiotic romance novel fantasy you may have in your head, but you can't just go wandering through the world as if nothing can ever touch you. It can, it did, and no matter how much I try to protect you, it will. I presume you at least understand that much now. This is what being married to me means, and if that's a condition you can tolerate continuing, I suggest you start taking it seriously."
He had never raised his voice with her that way before, although certainly, she had witnessed such tirades under other circumstances, everyone at Hogwarts had. Through her thick and split lip, she said as dangerously as she could muster, "Don't be violent around me right now."
He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his lips together as if he were going to say something else, but instead, turned on his heal and stormed out, without another glance or word for her.
Allosia began to cry.