Severus' fingers gently padded across Emilia's cheeks, examining the extent of her injuries. It was terribly swollen and inflamed with red marks. The sides of her mouth had obvious fingerprints that were slowly turning purple, indicating that unsightly bruises would form.

Severus recognised the telltale signs of abuse the woman had endured for his mother too had similar injuries.

For the first time in years, his heart softened.

"Miss Rosier," Severus called quietly.

Emilia stirred in her sleep, eyes fluttering open. Her vision adjusted to the warm light before focusing on the wizard in front of her. Immediately, her eyes widened in palpable fear and she jolted up from the bed.

"You're safe, Miss Rosier," Severus murmured, gingerly moving away to provide her ample space.

Emilia closed her eyes and took in deep breaths, willing for her heart rate to slow down. Her memory came back to her – how she unleashed a stunning spell against Arius, rendering him unconscious. Then, running mindlessly in Diagon Alley before apparating to Cokeworth and finding her way into Severus' home.

"I'm sorry. I've intruded on your space twice within the span of twenty-four hours. That's not very polite of me," Emilia began after a beat.

Severus raised a hand. "It is no matter."

Emilia swallowed thickly. Her throat was parched but she said nothing lest it would be too much of a complaint.

"I…I'll leave tomorrow morning. I just need a place to stay for tonight, please. I'm so sorry. You must think the worst of me," she muttered shamefully.

Severus did not know why her words affected him. It must be the overtly guilty tone that he was used to as a child when his mother had repeatedly apologised to him for his father's behaviour. If he couldn't save his mother then, he could at least help Emilia now.

"My thoughts are irrelevant," he assured. "You may stay for as long as you need to."

Emilia shook her head. "No, I shouldn't take your kindness for granted, Severus — no, Mr Snape, I meant. I'll leave by tomorrow."

Severus would not admit that he much preferred to be called by his given name but said nothing about that.

"Will you allow me to tend to your injury?" He asked softly.

Emilia's fingers went up to her cheek, pressing against the puffy tissue. She bit her tongue to stop herself from yelping.

"Yes, please. Thank you," she mumbled.

Severus nodded, opening the drawer on his bedside table. He picked up two potion vials.

"This," Severus raised the bluish liquid vial, "is a cooling potion. It will ease the swelling. The purple potion will calm you down. It will induce drowsiness and your sleep will be –"

"Dreamless," Emilia continued, licking her lips. "I am familiar with it."

Severus raised a curious brow. "This is a controlled medicinal potion. I need to know your usual intake to ascertain the correct dosage."

Emilia kept quiet. She had taken much more than the recommended prescription. Two full vials every night before bed just so her nightmares could be kept at bay. It was certainly risky with negative consequences that influenced her magic.

"Miss Rosier?"

"A vial is fine, Mr Snape," Emilia answered swiftly, aware that he was observing her intently. He was a spy, bound to catch her in a lie.

"Alright," he said, handing her the unstoppered vials.

Emilia took one after the other without so much as a pause in between. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, giving the empty vials back to Severus.

"Thank you."

Severus dipped his head in acknowledgment.

"Have a rest. I'll take the other room."

Emilia's eyes were beginning to close as her body succumbed to her fatigue.

"I'm sorry, Severus," she managed to murmur before she grew slack against the warm bed.

Severus did not move for a minute or maybe two. All he could do was watch her swollen cheeks quickly deflate to their normal size. Though, the bruises were still a stark contrast to her pale skin. An errant brown curl covered her cheek and without meaning to, Severus gently swept the hair away.

Shocked by his own presumptuous action, he left the bedroom and went straight to the kitchen to prepare tea at three in the bloody morning. It was a comfortable routine to lose oneself and not think of the woman in his bed. The very person he had chased out that morning and now, Severus realised that he did not mind her presence.


A sharp piercing cry startled Severus from his slumber. He jumped out of bed and rushed to his bedroom. There, Emilia was sitting up, with tears running down her face.

Severus hurriedly sat on the bed. No sooner than he did that, Emilia threw her arms around his neck, burrowed her face into the sensitive scars that mapped his neck and sobbed.

The wizard stiffened altogether, entirely unsure how to react. The proximity of her body stopped his brain from working momentarily. Was he supposed to comfort her? Surely, she was in the midst of some panic attack or had woken up from a terrible nightmare.

The latter should be the more accurate assumption.

But those thoughts flew out of the window because all Severus could think was how the witch did not care about his hideous scars and was at the moment, crying her heart out up close to said scars.

Pushing those thoughts aside, an uncertain hand pressed against her back before carefully stroking up and down her spine. He hoped that gesture would soothe her but it seemed to increase her crying. She was muttering something incoherent that sounded like strings of apologies.

"Miss Rosier. I –" Severus bit out, worried that she would cry herself to exhaustion.

When did he get worried?

Instead of letting his stupid tongue run foolish, he kept quiet and continued the motion of his hand along her back.

Up and down. Up and down.

After a while, Emilia's crying ceased. She shifted herself away. Her gaze caught sight of Severus' scars. A gasp escaped her lips.

"Oh Merlin, did I… did I hurt you?" She murmured, teary eyes searching his darker ones.

"No. No, you did not," Severus assured, ready to retreat to the safety of another room now that she had calmed down.

But, Emilia's hand reached out to his neck and Severus tried his hardest to not recoil. Her fingertips smoothed over the jagged scars. She was examining them with keen eyes, not even flinching in disgust. Severus sucked in a breath when her fingertips ghosted the more sensitive parts of his scars, above his pulse.

"It must be awful when these were still raw and barely healed. The itch must be maddening," she whispered.

Goose pimples flared on his skin when her breath tickled his neck. "Ye– Yes," he muttered, becoming a tad self-conscious.

Emilia tipped her eyes up. A gentle smile curved on her lips. "You have endured a lot."

Severus cleared his throat. Her lips were far too near to his and her gaze was looking at him in some manner that arrested his heart.

How did he become this feeble so quickly?

Severus' fingers curled around her wrist, gently pulling her hand away.

It provided a much-needed physical barrier.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

Her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment. Her eyes flitted down and she nodded without providing further justification.

Severus arched an eyebrow. "Was the dosage insufficient?"

She was caught in a lie. "It's usually two vials."

There was a short pause.

Emilia winced softly. "I'm sorry."

Severus understood the predicament she was in. There were times when the nightmares were too vivid to be forgotten. The one remedy was to entirely black out in order to receive the required rest.

"You've apologised aplenty, Miss Rosier."

Emilia blinked owlishly at him, surprised that he did not press further.

Severus rose from the bed and padded towards his wardrobe. He picked up a long-sleeved white shirt and a pair of comfortable trousers, placing them neatly on the edge of the bed.

"I'm afraid I only have these for you. If… if you wish to freshen up," Severus said.

"Oh, thank you."

Severus scratched the back of his neck when silence fell.

"Alright," he mumbled awkwardly before hurrying out of the room. Realising that he had not told her where the bathroom was or what she would like to have for breakfast, he knocked on the door like a blithering idiot.

"Uh, come in?" Emilia called.

Severus cleared his throat. "There's only one bath. It's over there."

He pointed to the one door that was unmistakably a bathroom.

Emilia chuckled. "So I've gathered."

"Are you averse to any food?"

"No, not really."

"Eggs and bacon are fine?"

"They are fine."

Severus cleared his throat once more, feeling out of place. "Alright."

He closed the door with a soft click, not hearing the titter from the other side of the room.


Emilia surveyed the tidy bathroom. It was clean and everything had its proper place. The toothbrush and toothpaste were in one place; the razor and aftershave were kept together. She looked at her reflection and grimaced at the purpled bruises.

She did not think it was that bad. At the very least, the swelling had come down and her face did not look as squashed in. The soreness was still palpable when she tried to move her facial muscles.

Emilia stripped her clothes down to her underwear. She breathed out softly, seeing the old scars and injuries inflicted on her by Arius for months on end. Most were deep gashes that resulted from being beaten by a belt and other abrasions here and there from injuries that never properly healed and had accumulated over time.

She sighed, unbuckling her bra and thumbing down her knickers. Her fingers skimmed the curve of her right hip.

The mark of their love.

They each took the other's patronuses and had their magical signatures interwoven into the tattoos that were imprinted on their skin.

On hers was a fox.

On his was a butterfly.

In hindsight, the fox should have told her of the many facets that were her fiancé. He had suggested one day, off-handedly, to have tattoos, citing that was what lovers do to seal their promise.

Emilia agreed readily, giddy in love.

That was how Arius could find her in Green Dragon. It took him some time since she left France but following a simple trail led him right to her within weeks.

A shudder ran down her spine, knowing how easily he would find her in Spinner's End. Emilia did not want anyone hurt, especially not the admired hero of Wizarding England. She made the decision to leave once she had breakfast.

It would be rude to turn down her gracious host. She did not foresee that Severus could be kind… even endearing when he comforted her. Shaking that thought away, Emilia stepped into the shower and hoped the warm water would ease her body aches and let her forget how lovely it was to be held by Severus Snape.


Severus was not an excellent cook. He ate whatever he had cooked, burnt or not. That morning, he tried his hardest to ensure his eggs and bacon were more edible. He swore to himself it was not because he was trying to impress the woman in his showers.

No. It really wasn't.

He cracked the eggs into a bowl and the yolks broke.

"Ah, bloody hell," Severus muttered, whisking the eggs up.

Scrambled eggs and bacon were not a terrible combination. He fried up the bacon in a separate pan and added a dash of milk to thicken and fluff up the eggs.

"Smells great, Mr Snape," Emilia murmured from the kitchen archway.

Severus turned to find Emilia dressed in his white shirt, lengthened to her knees and cinched at the waist. Her damp curls cascaded down her chest and she tucked a strand behind her ear with a small smile tugging the corners of her lips.

"Does it look alright?" She asked.

Severus nodded. Words failed him, turning back to check on his bacon. A sudden tremor gripped his hand muscles.

"Fuck," he muttered, dropping the spatula and instinctively clutching his hand.

Quick footsteps were heard approaching him.

"Can I do anything to help?" Emilia's voice was laced with concern.

"No," Severus gritted out. "It will pass."

"I can –"

"No."

"But –"

"I can cook the fucking eggs!" Severus snapped, swivelling around.

He instantly regretted his tone seeing the terror in Emilia's eyes before she schooled her features.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry," she mumbled, stepping back.

Severus' shoulders dropped. He had yelled at the woman who had suffered abuse at the hands of another and was still very much shaken by it.

She deserved none of his shit attitude. He ran a hand down his greasy strands, feeling utterly ashamed.

"I should apologise instead, Miss Rosier."

Emilia shook her head. Eyes to the floor. "It's fine. I shouldn't have said anything to make you angry. I… I should leave."

Severus' heart stopped short. He did not want her to leave, certainly not so soon. He turned off the stove and walked to her.

"I'm not angry at you, Miss Rosier. I'm frustrated with myself. None of this is your fault. I shouldn't have shouted. I'm sorry."

Emilia tipped her eyes up, a little surprised by his words. He explained to her, owned up to his mistake and apologised. Entirely different from how Arius would have reacted.

"Could I still help? I don't wish for you to be injured on my account," Emilia said softly.

"I…"

Emilia nodded. "You don't like me to be in your space. I understand that. What could I do instead?"

She looked around the kitchen, her eyes brightened, eyeing a set of porcelain teacups. "Prepare tea perhaps?" Emilia asked cheerfully.

Severus thought she looked rather lovely when she smiled.

"Yes, of course," he mumbled, heat creeping up on his cheeks.


Emilia busied herself with tea preparation, oblivious that the man's heartbeat had quickened just because he saw her smile.

Severus did not own a proper dining table so they sat on the armchairs, balancing a small breakfast tray on their knees. Neither thought to use their magic. A plate filled with a small portion of fluffy scrambled eggs, two strips of bacon and two buttered toasts with steaming hot Earl Grey tea on the side was to their satisfaction.

They ate quietly until Severus cleared his throat once he had finished his breakfast. Emilia lifted her head up to meet his gaze.

"What happened last night?" He asked.

Emilia shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking down once more on her half-eaten breakfast. She had lost appetite halfway through and was pushing the bacon mindlessly.

"I ran away from my fiancé," Emilia replied softly. "Ex-fiancé," she clarified.

"Ah," Severus said. He did not know how to respond. What was even the correct way to answer that statement?

Emilia licked her lips. Her eyes were transfixed on her plate. She wanted to tell someone for the longest time what she endured and it so happened, that she wanted to tell the man she had decided to marry.

"He had abused me for years," Emilia began. "It wasn't bad when it first started. Just a slap when I said something that irked him. He apologised with flowers, with tears and was incredibly remorseful. I accepted his apology, of course. How could I not? I loved him."

Emilia sighed. "I should've left when he did struck me two weeks later but I stayed. I was quite foolish. It became worse and I didn't know how to get myself out of it."

Severus had the blasted urge to find this unknown man and inflict the worst of the Cruciatus curse on him before dragging him to Azkaban to receive the Dementor's kiss. But, he simmered down, quietly grasping the armrest by his sides. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to listen to every word she had to say. And it would not be good to fly off the handle, not when she had opened up to him.

Emilia took in a deep breath for the memory was quick to resurface. "Yesterday night, Arius found me. I don't know why I went to him despite the thousands of alarm bells going off in my mind. It was too easy for him. I yielded quicker than ever and he took advantage just as always. I managed to escape, sending a stunning spell that knocked him out."

She found the courage to look Severus in the eye despite fearing that he might not take her words seriously. But there was only compassionate warmth beneath those dark eyes. He silently nodded for her to continue.

"I thought of you, Severus. In danger, with no one else to go to, I thought this place would be safe," Emilia said in a bare whisper before a smile overtook her countenance once more, "and I was right."

Severus did not know what to say. He was never the embodiment of safety for as long as he could remember. He was the Big Bat of the Dungeons, the Professor that decimated horrible remarks upon his students and the Death Eater that had committed many sins.

He cleared his throat. "I empathise, Miss Rosier. I do. Is there something I could do to help?"

Emilia nodded.

"Do tell."

"I know that this is bold, even audacious but the Marriage Law is upon us and I do hope that I'm enough to be your wife. I understand that there are certain requirements in the doctrine that you might not be comfortable with but I'm amenable to your wishes," Emilia finished with a nervous smile.

Severus opened his mouth to speak but closed it promptly.

His Slytherin mind had formulated plans that could see this agreement come to his benefit. It was killing two birds with one stone – getting a wife who was not his former student or an insane Death Eater and assent to the Ministry's request without putting up any fight.

But, Severus found that his inner, bleeding Gryffindor heart was telling him to let her go. To help her find someone suitable, not him certainly but someone else.

He was not right for her.

Perhaps it was the way she reacted to his scars earlier in the morning; without disgust or revulsion towards his person. A portrayal of genuine concern for his well-being and the manner she touched him… it was tender and full of affection that his heart could not fathom such kindness.

It would be wholly undeserving of him.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Miss Rosier but I'm not someone who you want to be married to," Severus said in earnest. "I'm harsh in my words. I've yet to recover from the multitude of injuries, physical and otherwise from the war and I know myself enough that I would not be able to provide for your current needs."

Emilia chewed on her bottom lips to keep the tears from forming in her eyes. "Is that how you saw my abuse? That the effects of said abuse, the 'current needs' that you've eloquently put, would be too much for you?"

Severus exhaled softly. "I don't mean that, Miss Rosier. I do not make light of the torment you were put through but you should not be turning to the likes of me for help this enormous. I am not good enough for you. I am not a saviour as how the Prophet had painted me to be. I'm someone troubled by my past mistakes and would lash out when cornered or frustrated. I'm not someone you want as you recover."

Emilia sighed. "Are you planning on going against the ministry?"

Severus took a moment to ponder before he replied, "no."

"Are there other candidates in mind?"

"No."

"Then could you see me as a practical solution to resolve the matter at hand?"

"You're not a solution, Miss Rosier."

Emilia narrowed her eyes resolutely. "You're mine, Mr Snape, because I do not think I could marry the other available candidates," she said firmly. "I want to marry you and only you, Mr Snape and I hope that's enough for you!"

Severus merely raised an eyebrow at her. He quite liked this side of her, a little spitball of Gryffindor fire that demanded.

He cleared his throat. "Despite knowing that I might not be the best person for you. That will be alright?"

Emilia nodded. "It will be alright."

Severus steepled his fingers together, resembling every bit of Salazar Slytherin's cunning wit. "Very well. We should discuss the requirements of the Marriage Law. There are several pointers we have to go through."

With a wave of his hand and the thick stack of papers flew to his lap.

Emilia released a breath she held when her mind comprehended that the Severus Snape had accepted her marriage proposal. He did not once retaliate when she voiced her opinion. It would take a lot of unlearning on her part to realise that not everything she does will result in rounds of heated words exchanged or her bleeding in a corner of the room, scared that someone might kill her if she pushed too much.

Emilia breathed out in relief.

"We are engaged."

Severus looked up with concentration lined between his brows. "Pardon?"

She laughed and shook her head in amusement.

"We are to be wed. To be wed! Two strangers to be married under a ridiculously archaic law just so to evade punishments from the Ministry. I don't know what to make of the world now."

He let out a low chuckle, allowing a small smile to peek through his stoic countenance. As absurd as it was, Severus could not deny that Emilia was his best choice. Although, it was difficult to reconcile that a part of his heart wanted something more. For now, that part shall remain concealed.

"Indeed," Severus said before returning to leaf through the detailed requirements of the law.