[Disclaimer: See Chapter 1, or 2, or..well.whichever ones have a
disclaimer]
[A/N: Super long chapter to make up for how long it took me to update!]
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The last thing she remembered was the intense pain she had been subjected to, and then strong hands carrying her somewhere. But the pain had been too much, and the world was merely a blur until now.
She drifted in and out of consciousness all night long, half awake, half asleep, but always in a nightmare.
They were back. And Lucius was particularly angry with her. She couldn't tell why, couldn't figure it out, because her head hurt so badly. It made for impossible thinking, and she was helpless to his beatings and rantings. Then.then he came. The Dark Lord himself, crooning softly to the sobbing woman, before opening his mouth impossibly wide, to eat her soul.
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Adelaide woke up screaming bloody murder. Her hands grasped desperately at the sheets, trying to find something solid to hold onto. For a moment, she stopped moving and simply stayed still, allowing her heart to slow from it's rapid place. She lay lost amidst the dark green silk, looking pale and fragile. Another nightmare, for the fifth day in a row. The first night she had woken up, Snape had been sitting in a chair beside her, and she had hauled off and smacked him upside the head. Luckily for him, she was so weak it didn't even leave a mark. But spending five days in his bed made her want to hit him for real, and make it hurt. The bedroom in it's entirety bespoke of Severus Snape. Dark hard wood floors, a canopy bed with dark green silk sheets, a few books and the rare picture. Worst of all, his sheets smelled of him-a peculiar smell, one of herbs and spices, yet underlaid with the simple smell of him. A smell she remembered all too well. Madam Pomfrey had not given her permission to go anywhere because her health was still too 'delicate'. Moving her to her own rooms was out for many reasons-if someone saw or heard anything, they'd become suspicious, and she needed to be where people could keep an eye on her; the hospital wing was out because it would have too much traffic and her presence would be difficult to explain. The estate was certainly out of the question because it was unsafe-until the Dark Lord fell, she could not leave Hogwarts. And so she was stuck in Snape's bed, trying desperately not to think, not to remember.
"Adelaide?"
Her head snapped up, making her dizzy. She closed her eyes and once she opened them again, Snape was standing near the end of the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
It was odd, very odd, to have Snape be anything but cold and rude. And sarcastic. And caustic.
"How would you feel if you were stuck in a bed for five days?"
She crossed her arms, aware that she probably came across as a very petulant child.
Snape frowned at her, feeling a bit impatient and more than just a bit perturbed.
"And for good reason-we nearly lost you, so you're staying where you are."
He looked down his hooked nose at her, impatience obvious.
"I didn't come down her for small talk, I have classes to attend to. The Headmaster wants to know if you think you feel well enough to brief the staff tonight on what happened. They all need to know now-the Dark Lord will be after you."
Adelaide nodded, mutely.
"I'll be down after my last class. We'll go up together."
When she said nothing else, he turned to go.
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That evening Snape returned as promised, acting like his normal self with a scowl plastered on his face and a foreboding aura surrounding him. In short, he was his normal snarky self. Adelaide had already gotten up and dressed herself, though it had taken the better part of an hour; her movements had been sluggish. She'd asked one of the Hogwarts house elves to draw her a hot bath and fetch clothing. The heat had made her feel better for a time, and she eventually climbed out, gotten dressed, and settled herself into Snape's armchair. Snape came in to find her holding a cup of tea and a book of Robert Burns poetry. When he came in, she looked up with a smile, only to have it disappear into a look of faint bemusement, one of her eyebrows lifted.
"Let me guess: either Mr. Longbottom or Mr. Potter has a detention with you. I didn't feel vibrations of an explosion, so I assume the majority of your classroom is intact."
Snape's scowl deepened for a moment as he regarded her.
"Longbottom. How did you know?"
Adelaide smirked at him, feeling better.
"I do listen to the students, Severus. And more importantly, I talk to them. Oh, the things I know. For example.which of the girls have a church on you." She baited him.
His eyebrows knit together as he frowned, attempting to deicide whether or not she was being serious.
"I hardly care what the children think of me, Adelaide," came the caustic reply.
For a moment, both were silent as they realized that she must be feeling better, if she could taunt him so, and he could in turn act his normal self. Snape extended his hand to help her out of the chair, and she took it, searching his inscrutable black eyes, as if trying to read his mind. She blinked, and stood slowly. Snape was all too aware of her fragile state, and despite his normal attitude, he was worried about her. Normally, he would care; whatever stupid thing she had done probably deserved punishment. But.
"Severus, it will take us all night to get there, and I'll probably fall over exhausted halfway there."
She scowled, hating to appear weak. But the scowl quickly gave way to a look of complete shock and annoyance as Snape hefted her up in his arms.
"Severus Snape, what do you think you're doing!?!"
He merely smirked at her as she glared at him from his arms.
"I'm going to carry you. Obviously you can't make it to the staff room without help, and I really see no other way of getting you there. Unless you would like me to levitate you there. But I would have to stun you first, of course."
He sounded amused at the thought, so Adelaide simply crossed her arms over her chest as best she could, and fell silent for the rest of the walk there. She closed her eyes and rested, comforted by the sound of his heartbeat, knowing full well that soon enough she would have to face an entire room of staff members with very pointed questions. They took the back corridors so as not to be seen, but once they reached the door to the staff lounge, Snape put her down and stepped back. Adelaide opened the door, grateful that he had allowed her some dignity. She might never live down the fact that Snape had to carry her to the staff meeting. The room was full with the sound of people talking softly, but it quieted considerably when people saw who was entering. Adelaide flushed, and wished they would just continue talking, and ignore her until it was time to talk. Snape hovered-actually hovered-over her until she sat down next to the fire. The others may or may not have noticed it, but Adelaide certainly did. She wasn't sure if it touched her or annoyed her. As Snape was taking his seat across the room, she took the time to survey those gathered. Pomfrey, Sprout, Lupin, Vector, Severus, Dumbledore, Flitwick, McGonnagall, Hooch, Binns, even Hagrid. She was determined that if she was about to relieve the last few weeks, she'd be the prideful Death Eater she often had to be.
"As I have told you, Professor Gentry has been gone for quite a time. However, it was not illness that kept her away from us," Dumbledore addressed the gathered crowd, then turned to look at Adelaide. All the eyes in the room followed his eyes to hers, and Adelaide took in a calming breath. This was not going to be pretty.
"The Headmaster is quite correct. Before I start in as to where I have been, you will need background information."
She stopped suddenly, completely unsure of what to tell, and what not to say. After all.how much did they really need to know?
"Edward and Amelie Gentry were loyal Death Eaters. They hosted Dark Revels; they supported the Dark Lord, and were determined to ensure that their children Ethan and Adelaide would do the same. Ethan was killed on a suicide mission-an Auror killed him. Alice Longbottom, I do believe. After the fall of the Dark Lord, they disappeared. The Ministry of Magic questioned their only remaining child, me, and once they were sure that they were gone and I knew nothing, I was awarded the title, estate, and inheritance."
She closed her eyes, and clasped her hands tightly in her lap, as if trying to hold on to something. Or to keep from slipping into the darkness of her memories.
"I should have never been a Death Eater. Fifteen is no age for someone to go through such a thing. But Ethan was dead, and my parents were determined to replace one child with another. Before the disappeared, I was 'informed' of my 'decision'. My life was never mine. Not until recently it wasn't mine. It still isn't. As a child, I was a whore for my father. Now I'm a whore for his master."
Her voice caught in her throat, and she opened her eyes to see Snape looking as if he were going to come over to her. She shook her head imperceptibly.
"So then, why have you been gone?" a voice spoke up.
Adelaide lifted her head, and recognized the voice as Lupin's. She glanced around the room, not able to bear the looks of sympathy. If they kept acting like this, she'd end up like Snape-a snarky bastard.
"I'm not a Death Eater. I never have been, but I am a spy for Dumbledore, and for the Order. The Dark Lord thinks I am making friends with Mr. Potter and his crowd."
Adelaide looked at Severus, then at Dumbledore.
"He found out. I don't know how, perhaps it was a guess, an excuse to punish me, whatever the reason."
Her eyes slipped back to Snape. His face was closed down, his eyes cold and his face unpleasant. HE wouldn't show emotion. The rest of the staff members would be shocked; but she was different, at least in their eyes.
"My father taught me how to be a victim. I was taught to serve and be submissive. The Dark Revels were things I dreaded with regularity. I was a present to good Death Eaters."
She could have explained it to them, but then, that was all they needed to know. And all she could force herself to explain. Because any further dipping into those memories would give her nightmares for months. She wouldn't remember how her father had used her as a whore, just another girl to be raped and plundered by his colleagues. She had learned how to be a victim. And in a way, she was glad she didn't elaborate on her experiences further. Various degrees of shock were on the faces of most people, as well as pity and sympathy. Adelaide frowned, absolutely hating herself.
Snape's voice echoed through the room, making a few of the women jump.
"Dark Revels are notoriously violent. But they are also important-IT is a way to establish oneself in the pecking order of the inner circle."
Adelaide glared at him.
"I was a whore for my father, Severus: just an under-aged whore, to make him important. Don't sugar coat the truth."
Severus raised an eyebrow and sneered at her.
"You were a victim of Edward Gentry. Your mother was the whore. I remember things well enough to know the difference."
Adelaide froze for a second, then turned furious eyes on him.
"Severus. Shut. Up."
There was absolute silence in the room for a moment as Adelaide and Snape stared one another down. Then Lupin leaned over to McGonnagall, and broke the silence.
"I like her."
Most of the staff exchanged amused looks on Snape's account, and Adelaide smirked at him. Or was she really smirking at them? Though they didn't know it, Snape and Adelaide were just giving one another a hard time.
"As I was saying." she paused in thought, "Whatever the reason was, they decided to punish me. Torture, to break the body; rape, to break the spirit; and the mind would have no chance. That, I could have handled. Instead, they found my weakness."
She shook her head, and clammed up. The Death Eaters knew her absolutely paralyzing fear of Adam Macnair. But the staff didn't, and there was no reason to tell them. It wouldn't help her at all, and they could do nothing about it.
"And then it was done, and I was returned. The End."
A few looked as if they wanted to ask questions, but Snape stepped in front of them, and offered his arm to her.
"The Headmaster can answer any questions you may have. Professor Gentry should be getting back to bed."
Adelaide looked at him with grateful eyes, shielded from the curious and sympathetic stares of her coworkers. She took his arm and started to rise out of her chair. "You know, Snape, I've heard you call her 'Adelaide' and she calls you 'Severus'. And if I'm not mistaken, she is staying in your rooms. You two know each other well, then?" Hooch crossed her arms, looking rather pleased. Pomfrey and Sprout were on the edge of their seats, and the rest listened while trying to appear as if they weren't. Snape scowled at them, and Adelaide busied herself with standing, adding a few painful faces in for good measure.
"I was in school with Ethan. We were both Death Eaters. By time Adelaide joined, I was already on the other side. I remember the revels at Edward's. IN the last few years, Adelaide and I have..been..support for one another. We pass information, warnings, and the like."
Satisfied that was enough of an answer for them, Snape turned with Adelaide and stepped out. As they closed the door, they could hear Dumbledore starting to speak again.
"You.." She started hesitantly, and stopped as he picked her up. "You didn't have to edit it, for my sake," she said softly. Snape looked down at her, a faintly amused look on his face.
"I didn't. I didn't think the Headmaster wanted me killing half his staff, and if I told them that we spent the last three years sleeping together."
Adelaide smiled, and smothered a laugh. Even though it really wasn't all that funny.
"They'd all keel over dead from a heart attack!" she finished for him.
They fell into silence; the only sound was of Snape's robes sliding over the floor. They'd been together many times over the past few years. Because Death Eaters were expected to revel in debauchery (A/N: no pun intended there.)
"What did they want, really?" he asked her as they descended into the dungeons. Adelaide buried her face in his shoulder, not wanting to answer the question.
"Adelaide."
"Addy."
She pulled her head up and looked at him. Ethan used to call her that, it was odd and yet comforting to hear it from Severus.
"You know what they wanted, Severus. If they hadn't had another motive, I'd be dead."
They entered his rooms, and she immediately struggled to get down. Fuck it, even if it took her all night to get to bed.
"They want an heir from me. Whoever gets me with child can marry, so sayeth our Dark Lord. A title, a wife, an heir, estate and lands, wealth, and prestige. Just for fucking me and getting me pregnant."
She was finally pissed, not really at Snape but about the entire situation. He, however, was a ready target. As he set her on her feet, she shoved him away from her, pulling her wand out. It wasn't pointed at him, it was just in her hand, being waved around as she gestured wildly. She slipped, unable to keep her balance yet. A little scream of frustration escaped her lips.
"Fuck this! Fuck it!"
She was so angry. Dumbledore controlled her life, Lucius Malfoy controlled her life, and Voldemort controlled it. Everyone but her.
"Just kill me, Snape. Kill me and get it the fuck over with."
Snape watched her from his spot near the door.
"Gratuitous cursing does not become you, Lady. Stand up, walk to bed. You'll be back to normal soon enough."
Snape eyed her, then to her utter surprise he left, leaving her on the floor, alone.
"Dammit."
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Snape reached the lounge at the very end of the meeting. He slipped in without a word, giving everyone venomous glares. The last bloody thing he wanted to do was reveal his connection. He disliked anyone knowing personal information about him, and Adelaide was one of his gaping weaknesses. She knew him before he was the cruel and cold professor. They had met years before. He had been a lanky teenager with a big nose, greasy hair, a broken heart, and painful eyes. She had been a frightened and abused little girl with intelligence and bravery. But both were looking for friendship, someone to love them. In many ways, Adelaide reminded him of Lily-a painful memory, yes, but an important one. But Lily gave her attentions to James Potter; Adelaide had no one, and she was much stronger than Lily-she had to be. She was fourteen, just days before her fifteenth birthday, months before the fall of the Dark Lord and just a short time from when she took the Mark, when Edward 'rewarded' the young Death Eater with a night with the coveted Adelaide Gentry. Instead of being like the others, he refused to rape her. Adelaide's astonishment had made him smile and yet sad at the same time. Edward was pleased when Snape had asked to court Adelaide. But he never got to tell her-days after he had spoken with Edward, the Dark Lord fell, her parents died, and she seemed to drop of the face of the earth. It was simply one more thing in his life to make him the bitter man he had become.
When she turned sixteen, she surfaced briefly, and began writing to him. Socially she disappeared once again, but they continued to write once a year. But he never told her. And it drove him mad that she could see through the façade that he put up. She knew him too well, but the knife cut the other way as well. He didn't take shit from her, because he knew when she was being a prat, and when she was genuinely upset.
After the meeting when everyone had left, Snape followed Dumbledore to his office. HE paced the floor, refusing offers for a seat, tea, and lemon drops.
"I'm worried about Adelaide."
The Headmaster had settled into his overstuffed chair.
"Oh?" his eyes were sparkling with amusement.
"Yes." Snape continued, annoyed. "Adelaide has given up. She's using the fact that she's been outed to commit passive suicide."
Dumbledore's face was serious, but his eyes were fairly dancing with mirth.
"Perhaps you should find a way to encourage her-give her something worth living for? If you don't, I certainly will."
Snape glared at Dumbledore, understanding completely. If he didn't make the first move, Dumbledore would make it for him.
"My personal life is none of your concern, Headmaster." He sneered.
Dumbledore smiled, placing his hands on his desk, looking like the cat that ate the canary.
"I meant nothing of the sort. However.."
Snape shook his head in disgust, and turned on his heel, leaving a smiling Dumbledore to himself.
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[A/N: Ohmigosh. I didn't think I would EVER get this chapter done. After last chapter, it seemed to be heading straight for the pits of Mary-Sue land. YES, it will probably live it's life as a Mary sue fic, but I'm doing my best to write it well. And no, you didn't really think that she was going to remember, and fall into his arms, and everything would be nice and fluffy..did you? A thousand million thanks to Aeo/Erin, who threatened to strangle me through the monitor, mid-review. I love her, I really do. Just as long as she doesn't hurt me!]
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The last thing she remembered was the intense pain she had been subjected to, and then strong hands carrying her somewhere. But the pain had been too much, and the world was merely a blur until now.
She drifted in and out of consciousness all night long, half awake, half asleep, but always in a nightmare.
They were back. And Lucius was particularly angry with her. She couldn't tell why, couldn't figure it out, because her head hurt so badly. It made for impossible thinking, and she was helpless to his beatings and rantings. Then.then he came. The Dark Lord himself, crooning softly to the sobbing woman, before opening his mouth impossibly wide, to eat her soul.
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Adelaide woke up screaming bloody murder. Her hands grasped desperately at the sheets, trying to find something solid to hold onto. For a moment, she stopped moving and simply stayed still, allowing her heart to slow from it's rapid place. She lay lost amidst the dark green silk, looking pale and fragile. Another nightmare, for the fifth day in a row. The first night she had woken up, Snape had been sitting in a chair beside her, and she had hauled off and smacked him upside the head. Luckily for him, she was so weak it didn't even leave a mark. But spending five days in his bed made her want to hit him for real, and make it hurt. The bedroom in it's entirety bespoke of Severus Snape. Dark hard wood floors, a canopy bed with dark green silk sheets, a few books and the rare picture. Worst of all, his sheets smelled of him-a peculiar smell, one of herbs and spices, yet underlaid with the simple smell of him. A smell she remembered all too well. Madam Pomfrey had not given her permission to go anywhere because her health was still too 'delicate'. Moving her to her own rooms was out for many reasons-if someone saw or heard anything, they'd become suspicious, and she needed to be where people could keep an eye on her; the hospital wing was out because it would have too much traffic and her presence would be difficult to explain. The estate was certainly out of the question because it was unsafe-until the Dark Lord fell, she could not leave Hogwarts. And so she was stuck in Snape's bed, trying desperately not to think, not to remember.
"Adelaide?"
Her head snapped up, making her dizzy. She closed her eyes and once she opened them again, Snape was standing near the end of the bed.
"How are you feeling?"
It was odd, very odd, to have Snape be anything but cold and rude. And sarcastic. And caustic.
"How would you feel if you were stuck in a bed for five days?"
She crossed her arms, aware that she probably came across as a very petulant child.
Snape frowned at her, feeling a bit impatient and more than just a bit perturbed.
"And for good reason-we nearly lost you, so you're staying where you are."
He looked down his hooked nose at her, impatience obvious.
"I didn't come down her for small talk, I have classes to attend to. The Headmaster wants to know if you think you feel well enough to brief the staff tonight on what happened. They all need to know now-the Dark Lord will be after you."
Adelaide nodded, mutely.
"I'll be down after my last class. We'll go up together."
When she said nothing else, he turned to go.
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That evening Snape returned as promised, acting like his normal self with a scowl plastered on his face and a foreboding aura surrounding him. In short, he was his normal snarky self. Adelaide had already gotten up and dressed herself, though it had taken the better part of an hour; her movements had been sluggish. She'd asked one of the Hogwarts house elves to draw her a hot bath and fetch clothing. The heat had made her feel better for a time, and she eventually climbed out, gotten dressed, and settled herself into Snape's armchair. Snape came in to find her holding a cup of tea and a book of Robert Burns poetry. When he came in, she looked up with a smile, only to have it disappear into a look of faint bemusement, one of her eyebrows lifted.
"Let me guess: either Mr. Longbottom or Mr. Potter has a detention with you. I didn't feel vibrations of an explosion, so I assume the majority of your classroom is intact."
Snape's scowl deepened for a moment as he regarded her.
"Longbottom. How did you know?"
Adelaide smirked at him, feeling better.
"I do listen to the students, Severus. And more importantly, I talk to them. Oh, the things I know. For example.which of the girls have a church on you." She baited him.
His eyebrows knit together as he frowned, attempting to deicide whether or not she was being serious.
"I hardly care what the children think of me, Adelaide," came the caustic reply.
For a moment, both were silent as they realized that she must be feeling better, if she could taunt him so, and he could in turn act his normal self. Snape extended his hand to help her out of the chair, and she took it, searching his inscrutable black eyes, as if trying to read his mind. She blinked, and stood slowly. Snape was all too aware of her fragile state, and despite his normal attitude, he was worried about her. Normally, he would care; whatever stupid thing she had done probably deserved punishment. But.
"Severus, it will take us all night to get there, and I'll probably fall over exhausted halfway there."
She scowled, hating to appear weak. But the scowl quickly gave way to a look of complete shock and annoyance as Snape hefted her up in his arms.
"Severus Snape, what do you think you're doing!?!"
He merely smirked at her as she glared at him from his arms.
"I'm going to carry you. Obviously you can't make it to the staff room without help, and I really see no other way of getting you there. Unless you would like me to levitate you there. But I would have to stun you first, of course."
He sounded amused at the thought, so Adelaide simply crossed her arms over her chest as best she could, and fell silent for the rest of the walk there. She closed her eyes and rested, comforted by the sound of his heartbeat, knowing full well that soon enough she would have to face an entire room of staff members with very pointed questions. They took the back corridors so as not to be seen, but once they reached the door to the staff lounge, Snape put her down and stepped back. Adelaide opened the door, grateful that he had allowed her some dignity. She might never live down the fact that Snape had to carry her to the staff meeting. The room was full with the sound of people talking softly, but it quieted considerably when people saw who was entering. Adelaide flushed, and wished they would just continue talking, and ignore her until it was time to talk. Snape hovered-actually hovered-over her until she sat down next to the fire. The others may or may not have noticed it, but Adelaide certainly did. She wasn't sure if it touched her or annoyed her. As Snape was taking his seat across the room, she took the time to survey those gathered. Pomfrey, Sprout, Lupin, Vector, Severus, Dumbledore, Flitwick, McGonnagall, Hooch, Binns, even Hagrid. She was determined that if she was about to relieve the last few weeks, she'd be the prideful Death Eater she often had to be.
"As I have told you, Professor Gentry has been gone for quite a time. However, it was not illness that kept her away from us," Dumbledore addressed the gathered crowd, then turned to look at Adelaide. All the eyes in the room followed his eyes to hers, and Adelaide took in a calming breath. This was not going to be pretty.
"The Headmaster is quite correct. Before I start in as to where I have been, you will need background information."
She stopped suddenly, completely unsure of what to tell, and what not to say. After all.how much did they really need to know?
"Edward and Amelie Gentry were loyal Death Eaters. They hosted Dark Revels; they supported the Dark Lord, and were determined to ensure that their children Ethan and Adelaide would do the same. Ethan was killed on a suicide mission-an Auror killed him. Alice Longbottom, I do believe. After the fall of the Dark Lord, they disappeared. The Ministry of Magic questioned their only remaining child, me, and once they were sure that they were gone and I knew nothing, I was awarded the title, estate, and inheritance."
She closed her eyes, and clasped her hands tightly in her lap, as if trying to hold on to something. Or to keep from slipping into the darkness of her memories.
"I should have never been a Death Eater. Fifteen is no age for someone to go through such a thing. But Ethan was dead, and my parents were determined to replace one child with another. Before the disappeared, I was 'informed' of my 'decision'. My life was never mine. Not until recently it wasn't mine. It still isn't. As a child, I was a whore for my father. Now I'm a whore for his master."
Her voice caught in her throat, and she opened her eyes to see Snape looking as if he were going to come over to her. She shook her head imperceptibly.
"So then, why have you been gone?" a voice spoke up.
Adelaide lifted her head, and recognized the voice as Lupin's. She glanced around the room, not able to bear the looks of sympathy. If they kept acting like this, she'd end up like Snape-a snarky bastard.
"I'm not a Death Eater. I never have been, but I am a spy for Dumbledore, and for the Order. The Dark Lord thinks I am making friends with Mr. Potter and his crowd."
Adelaide looked at Severus, then at Dumbledore.
"He found out. I don't know how, perhaps it was a guess, an excuse to punish me, whatever the reason."
Her eyes slipped back to Snape. His face was closed down, his eyes cold and his face unpleasant. HE wouldn't show emotion. The rest of the staff members would be shocked; but she was different, at least in their eyes.
"My father taught me how to be a victim. I was taught to serve and be submissive. The Dark Revels were things I dreaded with regularity. I was a present to good Death Eaters."
She could have explained it to them, but then, that was all they needed to know. And all she could force herself to explain. Because any further dipping into those memories would give her nightmares for months. She wouldn't remember how her father had used her as a whore, just another girl to be raped and plundered by his colleagues. She had learned how to be a victim. And in a way, she was glad she didn't elaborate on her experiences further. Various degrees of shock were on the faces of most people, as well as pity and sympathy. Adelaide frowned, absolutely hating herself.
Snape's voice echoed through the room, making a few of the women jump.
"Dark Revels are notoriously violent. But they are also important-IT is a way to establish oneself in the pecking order of the inner circle."
Adelaide glared at him.
"I was a whore for my father, Severus: just an under-aged whore, to make him important. Don't sugar coat the truth."
Severus raised an eyebrow and sneered at her.
"You were a victim of Edward Gentry. Your mother was the whore. I remember things well enough to know the difference."
Adelaide froze for a second, then turned furious eyes on him.
"Severus. Shut. Up."
There was absolute silence in the room for a moment as Adelaide and Snape stared one another down. Then Lupin leaned over to McGonnagall, and broke the silence.
"I like her."
Most of the staff exchanged amused looks on Snape's account, and Adelaide smirked at him. Or was she really smirking at them? Though they didn't know it, Snape and Adelaide were just giving one another a hard time.
"As I was saying." she paused in thought, "Whatever the reason was, they decided to punish me. Torture, to break the body; rape, to break the spirit; and the mind would have no chance. That, I could have handled. Instead, they found my weakness."
She shook her head, and clammed up. The Death Eaters knew her absolutely paralyzing fear of Adam Macnair. But the staff didn't, and there was no reason to tell them. It wouldn't help her at all, and they could do nothing about it.
"And then it was done, and I was returned. The End."
A few looked as if they wanted to ask questions, but Snape stepped in front of them, and offered his arm to her.
"The Headmaster can answer any questions you may have. Professor Gentry should be getting back to bed."
Adelaide looked at him with grateful eyes, shielded from the curious and sympathetic stares of her coworkers. She took his arm and started to rise out of her chair. "You know, Snape, I've heard you call her 'Adelaide' and she calls you 'Severus'. And if I'm not mistaken, she is staying in your rooms. You two know each other well, then?" Hooch crossed her arms, looking rather pleased. Pomfrey and Sprout were on the edge of their seats, and the rest listened while trying to appear as if they weren't. Snape scowled at them, and Adelaide busied herself with standing, adding a few painful faces in for good measure.
"I was in school with Ethan. We were both Death Eaters. By time Adelaide joined, I was already on the other side. I remember the revels at Edward's. IN the last few years, Adelaide and I have..been..support for one another. We pass information, warnings, and the like."
Satisfied that was enough of an answer for them, Snape turned with Adelaide and stepped out. As they closed the door, they could hear Dumbledore starting to speak again.
"You.." She started hesitantly, and stopped as he picked her up. "You didn't have to edit it, for my sake," she said softly. Snape looked down at her, a faintly amused look on his face.
"I didn't. I didn't think the Headmaster wanted me killing half his staff, and if I told them that we spent the last three years sleeping together."
Adelaide smiled, and smothered a laugh. Even though it really wasn't all that funny.
"They'd all keel over dead from a heart attack!" she finished for him.
They fell into silence; the only sound was of Snape's robes sliding over the floor. They'd been together many times over the past few years. Because Death Eaters were expected to revel in debauchery (A/N: no pun intended there.)
"What did they want, really?" he asked her as they descended into the dungeons. Adelaide buried her face in his shoulder, not wanting to answer the question.
"Adelaide."
"Addy."
She pulled her head up and looked at him. Ethan used to call her that, it was odd and yet comforting to hear it from Severus.
"You know what they wanted, Severus. If they hadn't had another motive, I'd be dead."
They entered his rooms, and she immediately struggled to get down. Fuck it, even if it took her all night to get to bed.
"They want an heir from me. Whoever gets me with child can marry, so sayeth our Dark Lord. A title, a wife, an heir, estate and lands, wealth, and prestige. Just for fucking me and getting me pregnant."
She was finally pissed, not really at Snape but about the entire situation. He, however, was a ready target. As he set her on her feet, she shoved him away from her, pulling her wand out. It wasn't pointed at him, it was just in her hand, being waved around as she gestured wildly. She slipped, unable to keep her balance yet. A little scream of frustration escaped her lips.
"Fuck this! Fuck it!"
She was so angry. Dumbledore controlled her life, Lucius Malfoy controlled her life, and Voldemort controlled it. Everyone but her.
"Just kill me, Snape. Kill me and get it the fuck over with."
Snape watched her from his spot near the door.
"Gratuitous cursing does not become you, Lady. Stand up, walk to bed. You'll be back to normal soon enough."
Snape eyed her, then to her utter surprise he left, leaving her on the floor, alone.
"Dammit."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Snape reached the lounge at the very end of the meeting. He slipped in without a word, giving everyone venomous glares. The last bloody thing he wanted to do was reveal his connection. He disliked anyone knowing personal information about him, and Adelaide was one of his gaping weaknesses. She knew him before he was the cruel and cold professor. They had met years before. He had been a lanky teenager with a big nose, greasy hair, a broken heart, and painful eyes. She had been a frightened and abused little girl with intelligence and bravery. But both were looking for friendship, someone to love them. In many ways, Adelaide reminded him of Lily-a painful memory, yes, but an important one. But Lily gave her attentions to James Potter; Adelaide had no one, and she was much stronger than Lily-she had to be. She was fourteen, just days before her fifteenth birthday, months before the fall of the Dark Lord and just a short time from when she took the Mark, when Edward 'rewarded' the young Death Eater with a night with the coveted Adelaide Gentry. Instead of being like the others, he refused to rape her. Adelaide's astonishment had made him smile and yet sad at the same time. Edward was pleased when Snape had asked to court Adelaide. But he never got to tell her-days after he had spoken with Edward, the Dark Lord fell, her parents died, and she seemed to drop of the face of the earth. It was simply one more thing in his life to make him the bitter man he had become.
When she turned sixteen, she surfaced briefly, and began writing to him. Socially she disappeared once again, but they continued to write once a year. But he never told her. And it drove him mad that she could see through the façade that he put up. She knew him too well, but the knife cut the other way as well. He didn't take shit from her, because he knew when she was being a prat, and when she was genuinely upset.
After the meeting when everyone had left, Snape followed Dumbledore to his office. HE paced the floor, refusing offers for a seat, tea, and lemon drops.
"I'm worried about Adelaide."
The Headmaster had settled into his overstuffed chair.
"Oh?" his eyes were sparkling with amusement.
"Yes." Snape continued, annoyed. "Adelaide has given up. She's using the fact that she's been outed to commit passive suicide."
Dumbledore's face was serious, but his eyes were fairly dancing with mirth.
"Perhaps you should find a way to encourage her-give her something worth living for? If you don't, I certainly will."
Snape glared at Dumbledore, understanding completely. If he didn't make the first move, Dumbledore would make it for him.
"My personal life is none of your concern, Headmaster." He sneered.
Dumbledore smiled, placing his hands on his desk, looking like the cat that ate the canary.
"I meant nothing of the sort. However.."
Snape shook his head in disgust, and turned on his heel, leaving a smiling Dumbledore to himself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
[A/N: Ohmigosh. I didn't think I would EVER get this chapter done. After last chapter, it seemed to be heading straight for the pits of Mary-Sue land. YES, it will probably live it's life as a Mary sue fic, but I'm doing my best to write it well. And no, you didn't really think that she was going to remember, and fall into his arms, and everything would be nice and fluffy..did you? A thousand million thanks to Aeo/Erin, who threatened to strangle me through the monitor, mid-review. I love her, I really do. Just as long as she doesn't hurt me!]
