* * * *
Snape stood on the path behind Glory and watched as she turned her face up toward the setting sun. Her blonde hair drifted off her face in the wind and she closed her eyes to the sky, obviously enjoying the early evening. The sun glinted off the silverly skin of her scar and Snape winced, not wanting to look at the mark he had forced her to live with forever, but unable to look away. She was still beautiful, she always would be, but something inside her had changed when he had given her that scar.
He was tempted for a moment to go up to her and try to talk. She was a professor at the school now and he assumed that eventually, their conversations would move past the idle chit chat most of the teachers made. They had a lot of history together, as grusome and disturbing as it was and they wouldn't be able to avoid it forever. As carefree as Glory seemed to other staff members and to her students, Snape could see the lurking pain left over from her experiences in the Malfoy home.
The power simmered under her skin, ready to strike at any moment, but she barely noticed it. The accumulation of power had taken place over such a long period of time that Glory herself hadn't even noticed the change at first. No one ever knew what she was possible of, no one had seen a demonstration of her power, not even Voldemort. He wanted her, he thought he knew what he could make her do, but no one was certain.
Snape sighed and he began to walk up the path knowing he should say something to her. As he walked, Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the bushes by Glory's side and touched her shoulder lightly. Snape nearly laughed when she jumped and whirled to face him, but the smile slid off his lips when Lucius was thrown toward the edge of the bluff by some unseen force. The blonde man's arms flailed, reaching desperately for something to hold onto and Snape immediately ran toward him, pushing past Glory and grabbing Lucius' hand.
The muscles in Snape's arms tightened, drawing Lucius toward him and praying that he wouldn't be pulled off the edge. The air weighed heavily down on him as he pulled back, making him feel as if someone had thrown a blanket over him and was trying to suffocate him. Snape shoved off the feeling and yanked one last time, hauling Lucius back toward him and stumbling to the ground. Lucius fell on top of him and Snape's breath was pushed from his lungs as Lucius' elbow dug into his stomach. They lay on the ground for a long moment, arms tangled in their robes and chests heaving from the exertion.
Slowly, Lucius sat up and looked at Glory. She was standing a few feet away with her hands over her face. She was shivering violently and a low moan escaped her mouth every few seconds as she rocked, still hiding her face from the men.
"Glory," Lucius said, standing and going over to her. His fingertips brushed against her arm and she recoiled, backing away from him.
"No, don't touch me," she murmured, shrinking further away.
"Lucius, don't," Snape said sharply. "She'll back right off the edge."
"Oh." He stopped suddenly, then turned and walked away from her. "I didn't think."
"Apparently," Snape answered.
Lucius shot him a cold glare, but said nothing more as he waited for Glory to recover. Eventually her hands came away from her face and she blinked at them a few times before stepping away from the edge of the bluff. Her skin was waxy and pale and she limped slightly as she walked toward Lucius, holding out her hand to him.
"Don't do that," she murmured, her voice strained. "Never sneak up on me. Never!"
Lucius nodded and they all fell silent, the tension on the cliff slowly ebbing away as Glory's shivering stopped. Snape was still on the ground, staring at her and waiting for some kind of explanation as to what had happened.
"Is that what happens?" he asked finally.
Glory nodded. "When I get scared or surprised it just expels some of that energy." Her trembling hand reached toward Lucius. "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "I will live."
"You wouldn't have if Severus hadn't been here," she said.
Snape waved his hand as he stood. "I just reacted."
"You saved him," she corrected.
Snape's dark eyes caught and held her gaze. "I don't trust him," he said. "You ought to know that. I may have saved him, but I don't like him." His gaze shifted to Lucius' pale eyes. "I'm going to watch you very closely, Malfoy. I know he killed Narcissa, but I don't think your loyalty faded at all. You turn her over to him and I will make sure that you regret it." He glared at Lucius for a moment longer, then turned and swept down the path, his dark robes billowing around his body.
"What did I tell you?" Lucius asked.
Glory glanced at him. "Dumbledore trusts you and I trust you. That's more than he had when he first came back."
Lucius shook his head. "I don't think this is worth it. I should just go and leave you under Snape's care."
"I don't want to be left under his care," Glory said vehemently, approaching Lucius and staring at him. "If you leave Voldemort will find you and he will kill you." She paused. "Where were you earlier?"
"Hmm . . . oh, with Dumbledore," Lucius explained. "We were in his office. He had me come find you when he realized your class would be finished."
"Oh," was Glory's only response.
"You don't trust me either," Lucius said.
"I do," Glory assured him. "I was just worried."
Lucius shook his head. "Don't lie to me. I know you."
Glory's eyes narrowed and she glanced at him again. "You don't know everything about me, Lucius. Don't think you do just because you raped me a few times."
He winced at her words and turned away. "That's not it."
"Forget it," Glory said. "Just don't sneak up on me ever again." She held his gaze for a moment longer, then turned and began to walk down the path, her hair swaying softly against her back. Lucius watched her for a long time, then followed when she had nearly reached the bottom. It nearly killed him, remembering what he had done to her and he hated himself for that and for the way he felt toward her now. Narcissa had been dead only five months and now his heart ached for someone new. But the woman he had destroyed inside and out? The woman he had raped repeatedly and was now supposed to protect?
With a deep sigh, Lucius started down the footpath, promising himself to return to the man he had once been. The man who didn't get light headed at the sight of a beautiful young woman. He didn't need her, especially not now. He would never need her.
* * * *
Snape stood on the path behind Glory and watched as she turned her face up toward the setting sun. Her blonde hair drifted off her face in the wind and she closed her eyes to the sky, obviously enjoying the early evening. The sun glinted off the silverly skin of her scar and Snape winced, not wanting to look at the mark he had forced her to live with forever, but unable to look away. She was still beautiful, she always would be, but something inside her had changed when he had given her that scar.
He was tempted for a moment to go up to her and try to talk. She was a professor at the school now and he assumed that eventually, their conversations would move past the idle chit chat most of the teachers made. They had a lot of history together, as grusome and disturbing as it was and they wouldn't be able to avoid it forever. As carefree as Glory seemed to other staff members and to her students, Snape could see the lurking pain left over from her experiences in the Malfoy home.
The power simmered under her skin, ready to strike at any moment, but she barely noticed it. The accumulation of power had taken place over such a long period of time that Glory herself hadn't even noticed the change at first. No one ever knew what she was possible of, no one had seen a demonstration of her power, not even Voldemort. He wanted her, he thought he knew what he could make her do, but no one was certain.
Snape sighed and he began to walk up the path knowing he should say something to her. As he walked, Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the bushes by Glory's side and touched her shoulder lightly. Snape nearly laughed when she jumped and whirled to face him, but the smile slid off his lips when Lucius was thrown toward the edge of the bluff by some unseen force. The blonde man's arms flailed, reaching desperately for something to hold onto and Snape immediately ran toward him, pushing past Glory and grabbing Lucius' hand.
The muscles in Snape's arms tightened, drawing Lucius toward him and praying that he wouldn't be pulled off the edge. The air weighed heavily down on him as he pulled back, making him feel as if someone had thrown a blanket over him and was trying to suffocate him. Snape shoved off the feeling and yanked one last time, hauling Lucius back toward him and stumbling to the ground. Lucius fell on top of him and Snape's breath was pushed from his lungs as Lucius' elbow dug into his stomach. They lay on the ground for a long moment, arms tangled in their robes and chests heaving from the exertion.
Slowly, Lucius sat up and looked at Glory. She was standing a few feet away with her hands over her face. She was shivering violently and a low moan escaped her mouth every few seconds as she rocked, still hiding her face from the men.
"Glory," Lucius said, standing and going over to her. His fingertips brushed against her arm and she recoiled, backing away from him.
"No, don't touch me," she murmured, shrinking further away.
"Lucius, don't," Snape said sharply. "She'll back right off the edge."
"Oh." He stopped suddenly, then turned and walked away from her. "I didn't think."
"Apparently," Snape answered.
Lucius shot him a cold glare, but said nothing more as he waited for Glory to recover. Eventually her hands came away from her face and she blinked at them a few times before stepping away from the edge of the bluff. Her skin was waxy and pale and she limped slightly as she walked toward Lucius, holding out her hand to him.
"Don't do that," she murmured, her voice strained. "Never sneak up on me. Never!"
Lucius nodded and they all fell silent, the tension on the cliff slowly ebbing away as Glory's shivering stopped. Snape was still on the ground, staring at her and waiting for some kind of explanation as to what had happened.
"Is that what happens?" he asked finally.
Glory nodded. "When I get scared or surprised it just expels some of that energy." Her trembling hand reached toward Lucius. "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "I will live."
"You wouldn't have if Severus hadn't been here," she said.
Snape waved his hand as he stood. "I just reacted."
"You saved him," she corrected.
Snape's dark eyes caught and held her gaze. "I don't trust him," he said. "You ought to know that. I may have saved him, but I don't like him." His gaze shifted to Lucius' pale eyes. "I'm going to watch you very closely, Malfoy. I know he killed Narcissa, but I don't think your loyalty faded at all. You turn her over to him and I will make sure that you regret it." He glared at Lucius for a moment longer, then turned and swept down the path, his dark robes billowing around his body.
"What did I tell you?" Lucius asked.
Glory glanced at him. "Dumbledore trusts you and I trust you. That's more than he had when he first came back."
Lucius shook his head. "I don't think this is worth it. I should just go and leave you under Snape's care."
"I don't want to be left under his care," Glory said vehemently, approaching Lucius and staring at him. "If you leave Voldemort will find you and he will kill you." She paused. "Where were you earlier?"
"Hmm . . . oh, with Dumbledore," Lucius explained. "We were in his office. He had me come find you when he realized your class would be finished."
"Oh," was Glory's only response.
"You don't trust me either," Lucius said.
"I do," Glory assured him. "I was just worried."
Lucius shook his head. "Don't lie to me. I know you."
Glory's eyes narrowed and she glanced at him again. "You don't know everything about me, Lucius. Don't think you do just because you raped me a few times."
He winced at her words and turned away. "That's not it."
"Forget it," Glory said. "Just don't sneak up on me ever again." She held his gaze for a moment longer, then turned and began to walk down the path, her hair swaying softly against her back. Lucius watched her for a long time, then followed when she had nearly reached the bottom. It nearly killed him, remembering what he had done to her and he hated himself for that and for the way he felt toward her now. Narcissa had been dead only five months and now his heart ached for someone new. But the woman he had destroyed inside and out? The woman he had raped repeatedly and was now supposed to protect?
With a deep sigh, Lucius started down the footpath, promising himself to return to the man he had once been. The man who didn't get light headed at the sight of a beautiful young woman. He didn't need her, especially not now. He would never need her.
* * * *