* * * *
As Glory lay away in her room, the memories of her past eating away at her heart, Severus Snape was pacing the length of floor beside his bed. Everything that he had worked so hard for forget came flooding back to him with the arrival of Lucius and Glory. Her kidnap had happened right in the middle of Snape's life as a Death Eater, the time when he had been most violent and most willing to do his Master's bidding. A deep shiver ran through him as he remembered Voldemort's harsh voice demanding that the girl be brought to him, no matter what it took.
// "She put up a good fight then, Severus?" Voldemort asked, his laugh dark and troubling. He surveyed the blood on Snape's hands and inclined his head toward the stains. "Her blood or yours?"
Snape glanced down at his hands. "Hers," he answered carefully.
"I thought as much."
"I cut her face," Snape murmured, suddenly very troubled by the thought.
"Then she will be easy to find," Voldemort said. "And find her, you will. I want her Severus. We need a little fighting spirit in this place." A cold grin crossed the thin lips of the Dark Lord. "All of the other toys are so submissive."
Snape stared at the blood on his hands for a long moment. Given time, she too would become submissive, they always did. It was impossible to stand up to a Death Eater time and again as they ripped at their bodies and their self worth. But he had been given an order and he would find her again.
Snape bowed deeply. "I will find her for you, my Lord."
Voldemort nodded. "Very well, Severus. This time though, you ought to relax and remember that you too own a wand."
Snape felt a familiar anger boiling in him at the thought. The girl had made a fool out of him, she had clouded his sense with her beauty and had caused him to act rashly. He would find her and he would punish her.
"Oh, and Severus?" Voldemort called as he left the room. "Take Lucius with you this time. I want an opinion on the girl."
Snape cringed inwardly, but nodded anyway. The handsome blonde had once been his closest friend, but times had changed and now there was no one else who Snape hated more. Rather than indulging his emotions, Snape and Lucius had gone to get the girl without any trouble at all. She had come before Voldemort, shaking and only partially conscious.
He smiled down on her. "She will be sufficient. Throw her in where the redhead used to be."
Snape nodded, then moved toward a dark cell and placed the girl inside. She suddenly glared up at him with such malice, that Snape had to turn and make sure Lucius still had the girl under his control. He knew then that she hated them and that one day, she would stop at nothing to kill them all.//
It was the rage he'd seen in her eyes so many times that still affected Snape. They had turned an innocent child into an angry woman, a brutalized and scarred woman. Because of her hatred she had taken something from every Death Eater. With every beating she had endured, every violation of her body, she drew away some of their power and it simmered inside of her. She had been unaware of what she was doing and only now did she see the effects of what she had done by harbouring such a hatred. She was more powerful than any of Voldemort's followers could ever be because she held a piece of them all inside.
Snape sunk to the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. He didn't trust Lucius, he didn't believe that the former Death Eater had turned his life around so quickly and he wasn't about to let him be the one to protect Glory. Wherever they would be, Snape would be close by, watching them and waiting for Lucius to make a mistake.
As the sun began to rise and the school began to stir, Snape remained deep in thought. He dressed without realizing quite what he was doing and moved toward the Great Hall unconsciously, his mind still on his past and the things he had done to Glory. There were so many faces that flashed through his mind when he thought of his past, so many screams and whimpers of pain that her face had been buried beneath all the people he had stolen life from.
Her arrival and her light hearted reminder of his part in her destruction had unburied every memory of her. Snape remembered pulling her out of her room one night, dragging her up the stairs by her hair and actually ripping her clothing from her body. He'd been so frustrated, so angry with his Potions that he needed someone to take it out on. Glory had been that lucky girl.
He remembered yet another time when he had carried her from the dungeon cell and laid her lovingly on his bed. He had kissed her and caressed her, he remembered the dank smell of her hair from living in the damp basement of the Malfoy home. That night had been toward the end of his days working for Voldemort, only weeks before she had escaped. He had been feeling guilty about all the things he'd done to her and that final time had been the only way he could think to atone for some of the things he'd done.
For one night, Snape had pretended to love her, though in reality her scar had repulsed him and the feeling of her limp hair sliding through his fingers had sent shivers down his spine. Her skin had been cold and had taken on an unhealthy purple tinge. Her lips were dry beneath his and her body had been stick thin, ribs showing through pale skin. Everything about her had disgusted him.
Still, he had held her softly, murmuring things he thought a lover might murmur. Toward the end of the night he had been blessed with a weary smile and that had been enough for him. It wasn't a spoken sign of forgiveness, but Snape never expected forgiveness from anyone. It had been enough to sustain him and enough for him to bury her face in his mind.
Now she was back, staring at him in the face over the breakfast table and teaching the class he ought to be teaching. He was no longer sure if he wanted her forgiveness, for it seemed to be so freely given. Snape hadn't been half as cruel as Lucius and now the bastard was sleeping in her bed. He would never understand how she could put the past behind her with such ease and the extent of her change amazed him even more. She was a different person than the girl he'd attacked ten years ago outside of The Three Broomsticks, completely different.
Snape sighed as he caught sight of Glory and Lucius at the head table. He supposed escaping from Voldemort and becoming an Auror could change a person, but she still made him wonder.
She was a mystery to him, she always would be.
* * * *
As Glory lay away in her room, the memories of her past eating away at her heart, Severus Snape was pacing the length of floor beside his bed. Everything that he had worked so hard for forget came flooding back to him with the arrival of Lucius and Glory. Her kidnap had happened right in the middle of Snape's life as a Death Eater, the time when he had been most violent and most willing to do his Master's bidding. A deep shiver ran through him as he remembered Voldemort's harsh voice demanding that the girl be brought to him, no matter what it took.
// "She put up a good fight then, Severus?" Voldemort asked, his laugh dark and troubling. He surveyed the blood on Snape's hands and inclined his head toward the stains. "Her blood or yours?"
Snape glanced down at his hands. "Hers," he answered carefully.
"I thought as much."
"I cut her face," Snape murmured, suddenly very troubled by the thought.
"Then she will be easy to find," Voldemort said. "And find her, you will. I want her Severus. We need a little fighting spirit in this place." A cold grin crossed the thin lips of the Dark Lord. "All of the other toys are so submissive."
Snape stared at the blood on his hands for a long moment. Given time, she too would become submissive, they always did. It was impossible to stand up to a Death Eater time and again as they ripped at their bodies and their self worth. But he had been given an order and he would find her again.
Snape bowed deeply. "I will find her for you, my Lord."
Voldemort nodded. "Very well, Severus. This time though, you ought to relax and remember that you too own a wand."
Snape felt a familiar anger boiling in him at the thought. The girl had made a fool out of him, she had clouded his sense with her beauty and had caused him to act rashly. He would find her and he would punish her.
"Oh, and Severus?" Voldemort called as he left the room. "Take Lucius with you this time. I want an opinion on the girl."
Snape cringed inwardly, but nodded anyway. The handsome blonde had once been his closest friend, but times had changed and now there was no one else who Snape hated more. Rather than indulging his emotions, Snape and Lucius had gone to get the girl without any trouble at all. She had come before Voldemort, shaking and only partially conscious.
He smiled down on her. "She will be sufficient. Throw her in where the redhead used to be."
Snape nodded, then moved toward a dark cell and placed the girl inside. She suddenly glared up at him with such malice, that Snape had to turn and make sure Lucius still had the girl under his control. He knew then that she hated them and that one day, she would stop at nothing to kill them all.//
It was the rage he'd seen in her eyes so many times that still affected Snape. They had turned an innocent child into an angry woman, a brutalized and scarred woman. Because of her hatred she had taken something from every Death Eater. With every beating she had endured, every violation of her body, she drew away some of their power and it simmered inside of her. She had been unaware of what she was doing and only now did she see the effects of what she had done by harbouring such a hatred. She was more powerful than any of Voldemort's followers could ever be because she held a piece of them all inside.
Snape sunk to the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands. He didn't trust Lucius, he didn't believe that the former Death Eater had turned his life around so quickly and he wasn't about to let him be the one to protect Glory. Wherever they would be, Snape would be close by, watching them and waiting for Lucius to make a mistake.
As the sun began to rise and the school began to stir, Snape remained deep in thought. He dressed without realizing quite what he was doing and moved toward the Great Hall unconsciously, his mind still on his past and the things he had done to Glory. There were so many faces that flashed through his mind when he thought of his past, so many screams and whimpers of pain that her face had been buried beneath all the people he had stolen life from.
Her arrival and her light hearted reminder of his part in her destruction had unburied every memory of her. Snape remembered pulling her out of her room one night, dragging her up the stairs by her hair and actually ripping her clothing from her body. He'd been so frustrated, so angry with his Potions that he needed someone to take it out on. Glory had been that lucky girl.
He remembered yet another time when he had carried her from the dungeon cell and laid her lovingly on his bed. He had kissed her and caressed her, he remembered the dank smell of her hair from living in the damp basement of the Malfoy home. That night had been toward the end of his days working for Voldemort, only weeks before she had escaped. He had been feeling guilty about all the things he'd done to her and that final time had been the only way he could think to atone for some of the things he'd done.
For one night, Snape had pretended to love her, though in reality her scar had repulsed him and the feeling of her limp hair sliding through his fingers had sent shivers down his spine. Her skin had been cold and had taken on an unhealthy purple tinge. Her lips were dry beneath his and her body had been stick thin, ribs showing through pale skin. Everything about her had disgusted him.
Still, he had held her softly, murmuring things he thought a lover might murmur. Toward the end of the night he had been blessed with a weary smile and that had been enough for him. It wasn't a spoken sign of forgiveness, but Snape never expected forgiveness from anyone. It had been enough to sustain him and enough for him to bury her face in his mind.
Now she was back, staring at him in the face over the breakfast table and teaching the class he ought to be teaching. He was no longer sure if he wanted her forgiveness, for it seemed to be so freely given. Snape hadn't been half as cruel as Lucius and now the bastard was sleeping in her bed. He would never understand how she could put the past behind her with such ease and the extent of her change amazed him even more. She was a different person than the girl he'd attacked ten years ago outside of The Three Broomsticks, completely different.
Snape sighed as he caught sight of Glory and Lucius at the head table. He supposed escaping from Voldemort and becoming an Auror could change a person, but she still made him wonder.
She was a mystery to him, she always would be.
* * * *