Sorry it took so long to update... (bangs head against monitor Dobby style...)
Anyway, here's chapter nine! Hope you like it. Reign's house elf, Benie, is supposed to be a reference to Benedict Arnold. Get it? Hey, I thought it was clever...
Nine
Pain subdued—Lunch—A demand
"Nice going, Hermoine. Way to start a conversation...and a war." The young woman stopped in her tracks and opened her mouth as if to retaliate; nothing came out, however. Ron's sarcasm had been well deserved.
"I didn't know it was so personal for her," she whispered.
"As if it wasn't obvious!"
"She did warn you, Hermione," Harry said softly from her side. She opened a speechless mouth once more. Ron threw up his hands in disgust and stomped off ahead of them, mumbling.
"Now I'll never have a chance with her...she probably hates us all..." Harry smiled from Hermione's side. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he attempted to reassure her.
"Don't mind Ron. You know how he gets."
"He's right, though. I feel terrible...bringing up her past like that...I just couldn't understand why someone would hate House-elves that much." Harry bit his lip, as if trying to come up with some really good piece of advice for his friend.
"Well, now you know," was all that came out of him.
"Yes," Hermoine replied with a distant look, "now I know."
***
"Why didn't you tell me about your father?"
Severus and Reign stayed in the kitchens after their student company exited. Reign had her face in her hands and was focusing on her breathing.
"It's not something I like to talk about," she said slowly, lifting her head and reaching for her goblet, "obviously." She wiped her watery eyes. Severus shifted uncomfortably next to her.
"I'm sorry, Reign." The elf cringed at his words; she hated when people apologized for something they had no control over. She clenched her teeth and managed a weak smile. "I know it isn't something you want to hear—" Reign held up a hand to silence him.
"Thank you, Severus." She took another sip from her goblet and noticed all the small faces looking at her from around the room. Several elves had tears in their eyes. She saw their emotions, their concerns...they looked pitiful. But it was then that she realized how ridiculous she had been acting, thinking that every House-elf was like Benie. "I'm sorry," she whispered over the rim of her cup. "Please excuse my sadistic behavior."
"Miss has a good excuse," Dobby said as he jumped on a chair across from where the two adults sat. "Dobby does not blame Miss for not liking him." Despite his bravery for speaking to her, the little elf's ears still shook with the memory of their previous encounter.
"I believe 'loathe' is the word; I still don't very much care for your kind." Dobby looked stunned at this statement; not everyone was like Harry Potter and his friends. He glanced at his small hands as they fumbled with his mix-matched clothes, then he jumped from the chair and went through the double doors at the back. The tears were wiped from the eyes of the others, and they followed him, some giving her looks of hope: others, of contempt.
"Well, you almost had them," Severus said sarcastically.
"I wasn't about to embrace him and demand that he follow me around everywhere—if that's what you mean." She took another swig. "House-elves, by nature, are annoying as hell." Beside her, the man—who had been tortured nearly to the breaking point just a few short hours ago—laughed. It was a deep, rich laugh—one she hadn't heard in a long while. She smiled and fell against his shoulder.
"Feeling better?" Reign asked. She watched long black strands of hair invade her vision as Severus dropped his cheek against the top of her head.
"Well, I'm not dead." Reign pulled away and smiled at the new sparkle in his dark eyes.
"Far from it, I should say." She leaned in just a bit and let Severus kiss her gently.
"Are we done here?" he asked after their embrace, standing up and straightening his robes. Reign downed the rest of her drink and followed his lead.
"Looks like you certainly are."
As they made their way back to Snape's rooms—with Severus now fully renewed and able to carry himself the way—Reign thought that it was probably good for him to watch someone else's pain—or at least to know someone else experienced pain. The focus was off of him for that brief moment. She saw the look in the children's eyes as they entered; they knew all about him and his exploits and were certain they knew where he had been that night.
Despite the excruciating pain of regurgitating her tale, she was almost glad for it, if it meant easing the constant aching of the Potions Master.
When Snape released the wards on his door and entered his rooms, he motioned for Reign to follow.
"Shall we pick up where we left off eighteen years ago?" he asked, extending a hand to her. The elf smiled nervously. Severus sighed. "I miss a warm body next to me at night, Reign. You can't blame me for that."
"Of course not," she said, taking hold of his hand. "It's a big bed."
Severus still didn't understand Reign's refusal at making love, but he could hardly complain. They had come to a truce concerning the matter eighteen years ago, promising to sleep with each other as a married couple would—with clothes, without sex. It was fair enough, considering Snape was a bit rusty at the whole business, and wasn't as sure of himself as some would have believed.
"So who was this other man with the Dark Lord? If you don't mind me asking." Severus stroked Reign's hair as she lay in his arms. She closed her eyes.
"I'll give you one guess." She heard a growl resonate from his throat. He didn't need to take that guess; he already knew.
"That bastard," he said through clenched teeth.
"I don't care about him anymore, Severus. He is not what concerns me."
"Set your sights higher, have you?"
"They've always been high," she replied unblinking at his chest. "I've never seen anyone so consumed by evil. It's what took over his mind, his appearance; he had those red eyes and that awful voice long before his encounter with Harry." She heard a grunt of annoyance at the sound of his name and smiled. "Reliving it just increases my urge to get out of here," she said as she readjusted herself against the Potions Master.
"On a lighter note, I figured something out today."
"What's that?"
"I realized that it depends on my emotions as to whether or not I can stop Time for one object or for everything."
"And which emotions do what?"
"Well, when that fly was driving me insane, my urge to just stop it worked—but only for the insect. It took my concern for your well being to stop the Great Hall at dinner." Severus looked down at her and kissed her forehead.
"So the greater the emotion, the greater the power?"
"Yes. Though, isn't that true with most magic?"
"Mm hmm," came the reply. The Potions Master held Reign close as she spoke into his chest.
"Voldemort won't need you over the summer, will he?" Severus cringed at the name and looked over to his desk at the bottom drawer—where his Death Eater mask resided.
"I don't know. It's been known to happen before." Reign heard the pain in his voice and wrapped her arms tighter around his torso.
"Well, I suppose we'll just have to be prepared then," she said as she lifted her head to kiss him.
"Yes, I suppose we will." He looked up to the ceiling as Reign dropped her head on his chest again, closing her eyes to sleep. As the Potions Master drifted off to slumber himself, he couldn't help but smiling at the thought of 'we'.
***
Reign woke up to a cold bed; the body that had lain next to her all night was gone. She groaned as she stretched, twisting the sheets around her body and heaving a great sigh. Letting her hands fall above her head, one landed on a piece of parchment.
'In class. Didn't want to wake you. Hope you slept well. See you at lunch.'
Reign snorted—what a romantic love note to wake up to.
It took a lot of effort to roll out of bed and even more to pull her clothes on. Despite knowing that Time was going at its regular pace, everything seemed to be going awfully slow for the elf. She wished she knew a spell to automatically make a bed as she pulled the heavy blankets to the top of the mattress—trying her hardest to make it look as immaculate as Severus did.
It was a wasted effort.
Shrugging her shoulders and grabbing her robe, Reign closed the door to Snape's bedroom. As she made her way past his classroom, she paused at the door to listen to his rich voice calling out instructions for a second year potion. When he was finished, Reign continued up the dungeon steps and into the foyer. She stopped to look around, wondering where she should go. Her stomach lurched; she had missed breakfast, but according to Snape's clock, lunch wasn't very far off. She decided to take a walk outside instead, and as she walked through the great doors and into the welcoming sunlight, she smiled satisfactorily at her decision.
The gardens seemed to call to her; she hadn't visited them in years. As she walked, the elf removed her robes, letting the sun soak her skin and lighten her mood. The air in June was refreshing and light; not heavy with humidity like that of late July and August. She walked on, admiring the various plants, bushes, trees, and flowers that crowded that section of Hogwarts' grounds. Even more than that, she loved the fountains and statues that dotted the greenery. One particular fountain that always sent shivers down her spine was that of the original four founders of Hogwarts. What they stood for—courage, kindness, cleverness, and power—always managed to chill her. As she stood before the great statue, she caught sight of movement beyond a bush nearby her.
"Harry, aren't you supposed to be in class?" Reign said, emerging from her side of the bush. She folded her arms and raised her eyebrow at the young man. Harry jumped from the bench he sat on, turning a slight pink at the thought of being caught skipping class.
"I'm sorry...it's just that...I needed a break..." Reign took a seat beside him.
"I don't really blame you," she said, folding her hands in her lap.
"You're not going to drag me back to class?"
"Not unless someone approaches. Then I'm afraid I'll have to go 'responsible adult' on you." Harry smiled.
"Thanks."
They sat in silence for a while, each thinking their own thoughts, until Reign finally found the right words to say to The Boy Who Lived.
"It's okay to run, you know."
"Pardon?"
"To hide, to get away from everything."
"I know," he said quietly, understanding what she was referring to. "It's just hard. I don't really have anywhere to run to."
"This garden is a good start." She patted the bench under her. "You've been through a lot, Harry. More than the greater majority of the wizarding world...perhaps even the whole world."
"Thanks for reminding me," he said sullenly.
"It's okay to give up once in awhile—to shut everyone out...or to even shout them out. Hell, if I'd been through what you've been through..." She looked up to the castle. "Well, let's just say you have earned your place among the greatest by just staying alive." Harry snorted. "And I don't mean by surviving all your encounters...I mean surviving yourself." The young man looked into her eyes. Finally someone who told him something other than 'stay strong, be brave, you're a hero, Harry, you can do anything'. This was someone who told him what he really wanted to hear—that wanting to give up was normal.
"It's hard being me," he said. Reign laughed.
"I can't even begin to imagine," she replied, slapping him on the back.
"I'm sorry about Hermoine last night," he said after Reign relaxed against the bench.
"Don't worry about it. You all were bound to find out sooner-or-later." She waited patiently for the I'm-sorry-about-your-dad bit...but it didn't come.
"It's hard losing a parent," he said.
"That it is," she replied. "Even harder to lose both of them." Harry nodded. "I suppose that makes us two of a kind then, Harry. Both orphans."
"What happened to your mum?" he asked, surprised.
"Voldemort killed my entire family—my dad first, my mom and brother a few years later." Harry stared at the ground.
"Guess that does make us a lot alike."
"Yes, well," Reign said suddenly as she stood up, not wanting to ponder it another minute, "lunch is about to start."
They slowly made their way back to the castle, not really wanting to return to the life at Hogwarts.
"All ready for exams next week?" she asked.
"Not yet, but I will be."
"Only one week left at Hogwarts. How do you feel about that?" Harry stopped in his tracks, in the middle of the foyer. He looked up and down the space as memories flooded his mind. "I'm going to miss it. All of it."
Just as he said this, Snape came into view behind Reign. "Well, almost all of it." The elf turned around and smiled at what he was referring to. Severus scowled as he made his way through the sea of students now flooding the foyer. Reign laughed when he pulled out his wand and threatened a second year for bumping into him.
"Oh, Reign!" She looked back up to Harry, who was almost in the Great Hall. "Going to the En O 'Ear Ball?"
"What?" With all the noise, she couldn't make out what he was shouting. She put her hand to her ear, indicating she couldn't hear him. Harry shrugged and turned around, letting the wave of students carry him to lunch.
"Is there something going on next week that I don't know about?" Reign asked Severus as she sat down at the staff table. He set down his goblet and looked at her as if trying to recall something he forgot.
"Like what?" he asked when he couldn't think of it.
"Well, Harry asked me about something before lunch. If I was going to something..."
"Oh," came the reply, "that."
"What is that?" Reign inquired, leaning on the table.
"The End of Year Ball. It's for the graduates."
"And are teachers invited?"
"How else would the students stay out of trouble?" It was not in a light manner with which he said this. Reign sighed, leaning back and gazing at the food laid out before her.
"You're going, aren't you?" Severus snorted. "How else would the students stay out of trouble?" she mocked.
"I make a point of making an appearance every year," he stated. "A short appearance."
"And surely that leaves a lasting impression upon your students." Reign took a bite of her turkey sandwich as Severus glowered at her. "Thank you for the lovely note I found this morning, by the way."
"Do I detect sarcasm?"
"I wouldn't doubt it, you being one who uses it so often." It was meant to be a light-hearted conversation, but suddenly it ceased to exist. "I'm sorry, Severus," Reign replied after an awkward silence, "you know I just can't resist sometimes."
"Oh, I know alright," he replied, taking a swig from his goblet. Reign smiled and looked out over the students, searching for one in particular.
Caelan had grown increasingly pale, quiet, and short-tempered in the past weeks. Her affair with Lucius was long over, by order of the Dark Lord himself, with what she assumed was Lucius' request. He seemed to have grown increasingly agitated toward her whenever she appeared...
After all the things she had witnessed, all that she had been through in those few short weeks, she wanted to get away. But he wouldn't let her; his power over her had taken its toll. She sat at the Gryffindor table, staring at her knife.
"Caelan? What's gotten into you?" asked Stanton from her right side.
"Don't ask," she warned.
Reign witness the affronted look of Stanton's as he continued with his meal. As soon as lunch was over, she made a point to catch up with the girl before she headed to her next class. She caught her just as she turned the corner to head to the Gryffindor common room.
"Caelan!" The girl whirled around to an athletic pose, looking as if she was ready for a fight.
"Oh," she said when she noticed the elf, "it's you."
"Good to see you, also," Reign replied. "We need to talk."
"Spare your lecture on my extracurricular activities, Reign, I've already heard the speech," she said as she walked away from the elf. Reign fell into step beside her.
"I'm not going to lecture you, Miss Decatur. I know better than that."
"Perhaps you should relay your knowledge to the Headmaster then."
"Wasted efforts, my dear. You know what you've gotten yourself into. There's no need for me to remind you."
"Then what do you want?" Caelan asked impatiently as she stopped in front of Reign.
"Honestly? I want information." The girl snorted and continued walking. Reign ran up behind her and spun her around.
"And I want to know how you are feeling. What I can do to help."
"There's nothing you can do," Caelan sneered.
"Oh spare me, Caelan. I know this look of yours. It's the look of a slave. Someone who is trapped...who can't get out..." She raised an eyebrow at the girl, who looked at her feet and bit her lip. "Come, let's talk." Reign found them an empty classroom and Caelan conjured two chairs to sit by the window.
"I didn't know it was so...horrible," she began immediately after they sat down. "Sure, I knew he was evil. Hell, I've been alive the past three years; I've heard the stories. I saw Potter stumble out of the maze during fourth year—"
"And yet you still let him manipulate you?"
"You don't understand," she snapped. "He gets inside your mind, finds out your deepest desires. And then he promises he'll give them to you. Whatever you want, it's yours." Her eyes glazed over as she rubbed her left forearm.
"And what did you want?" Caelan blinked. She licked her lips and bit her tongue.
"To belong," she whispered. There was a sharp intake of breath from next to her.
"Well, that certainly sounds familiar."
"Does it?" she asked hopefully. Reign nodded, but didn't pursue the matter any further. She was sure Caelan would figure it out in time.
"What does he really want with you?"
"He said he created me...from you."
"So I've heard."
"And he embedded an emerald in me like yours, so that I can share your powers." The hand that wasn't stroking her arm went to her chest, right above her heart. "But he said I can only use them when you do."
"Oh really? I wonder why..."
"So that when you try to defeat him, and you stop Time, I will still be there, unaffected." She rubbed her arm harder and harder. "So that I can protect him...so that I can kill you." Reign leaned forward.
"And why would he want to kill me?" she asked with curiosity.
"Well, he didn't say that, but I only assumed..." Reign sat back and rubbed her eyebrow as she thought. "Perhaps it is just to protect him..." She was jolted as a hand grabbed her arm.
"I don't want to be a part of it anymore, Reign! I want out!" She stood up and threw open the window. "DO YOU HEAR ME!? I WANT OUT!" Reign stood up to catch the girl as she collapsed in tears. She lowered both her and herself to the floor, removing Caelan's hair from her face—the face of a seventeen-year-old girl who was forced to do and witness things so horrible Reign couldn't even begin to fathom. No matter how unwise and foolish she thought the girl to be for getting tangled in the mess she was now in, she couldn't help but pity her.
"I'll get you out, Caelan. No one deserves this." During her fit, the sleeve of her robes fell down, revealing her Dark Mark. Reign kissed it gently, trying to hold back her own tears.
After their encounter, Reign dropped Caelan off at her Transfiguration course, reminding her that whenever she needed Reign to let her know. As she walked to the dungeons, she couldn't help but shake her head.
"She's so young...she's just a girl..." She walked in on Snape preparing for his afternoon classes.
"What are you mumbling incoherently about now?" he asked as she entered.
"I've just been speaking with Caelan," she replied, ignoring his rudeness.
"Oh?" Snape turned from the instructions he was putting on the board.
"She's a mess, Severus. Did you know she has a Dark Mark?" He set down his chalk and sighed.
"Of course I know...I was there."
"She says he's going to use her against me. When I come to destroy him, she'll be able to protect him." Severus raised an eyebrow at her. She proceeded to tell him what Caelan told her about the emerald. "If I use my powers, she will be unaffected by them." The Potions Master fiddled with the chalk in his hands. "We need to get her out of there, Severus. She's dying." The man looked up and scowled at her.
"And just how do you think we'll manage that? Many a grown Death Eater has attempted to break the Dark Lord's chains binding them to him, and all have failed."
"She's just a child—"
"I know!" he shouted. Reign froze, her mouth still hanging open. Severus leaned against the desk, breathing hard. "I know. But we can't do anything about it. Not now, nor anytime soon."
"What can we do for her then?"
"I'm not sure. I'll try and think of something." He stood up and smoothed back his dark hair. Reign grasped her heart.
"Dear Kor! Is the Big Bad Potions Master showing a sign that he cares?" she said as she slipped her arms around his waist.
"Perhaps," he said, pushing her off of him as his fifth years began to file in, "but perhaps I would not appreciate the guilty conscious that comes with the death of one of my students." Reign winked at him and walked out of his classroom, ignoring the curious looks from his students.
She decided to stick around the dungeons until after his class. At the sight of her re-entrance, Snape shook his head.
"Another tough day with the dunderheads of Hogwarts?"
"When is it not?" he asked, organizing his most recent assignments. Reign began to replace the proper ingredients from his counter and lined them in their appropriate order along the shelves.
"How soon after the term ends do you think we will be leaving?" she asked suddenly. The steady sound of eraser against chalkboard stopped.
"I'm not sure.
"What aren't you sure of?" she asked, moving toward him with a look of concern.
"I don't know what Albus has planned for me, with the Order and whatnot. Potter has been lucky enough to stay out of trouble this far into his seventh year, but there is still a week left." He paused. "I'm not sure what the Dark Lord has in store for him this year."
"Do you think he is still even after Harry?" Severus leaned against his desk and stared at the remnants of the potion instructions he had just erased.
"I'm sure he is still intent on seeking his revenge..."
"But perhaps he's after something else?"
"Perhaps your father's prophecy..."
"Now that he knows where I'm at..." She drifted off. "Severus, I want to go home."
"I know," he said quickly. "I know."
***
Please review. I miss my reviews :(