When Severus was 9 the fights got worse. He never knew what they were about, but he knew enough to keep out of the way of his father.

Sallius had come back from the inn early one evening to find the door of the living room shut. Instead of going straight in, he listened for a while to the conversation taking place inside. It soon became clear that Marissa was talking to Kiana.

'I just feel so helpless,' Marissa was saying.

'I never thought you should marry him anyway.'

'I know. But I didn't have a choice. You know what it's like. If I had refused, I would have been forced to anyway. Imperius, or something.'

'No, actually, I don't know what it's like. You forget, Marissa, that our lives are very different. You have always had whatever you wanted provided for you without being asked. You had your marriage arranged before you were even born.'

'And you get to do what you want, go where you will, shag who you like. I can't even protect my son. God, Kiana, I love him so much it hurts sometimes. When I see what Sallius is doing to him. . . He'll be as bad as his father soon. And there's nothing I can do about it. I want to protect him, but I'm weak. I can't help him. And it kills me.'

'And where has this freedom got me? Living in a tiny cottage on the land of someone I hate with all my being with an illegitimate half-blood daughter. I can't even afford to send her to school. Not that I would anyway. You know how bigoted they are against half bloods and muggle-borns.'

Outside the door Sallius's hardened face assumed an expression of shock and fury. Pedra was a mudblood? Marissa had been allowing his heir to spend time with a mudblood? The thought sickened him.

'At least you're free,' he heard Marissa say.

'Free to do what? Follow you around, because I can't bear to leave you alone with that bastard.'

This was the final straw. Sallius burst through the oak-panelled twin doors and rounded on the two women.

'You have been allowing my son, my heir, to fraternise with mudbloods?' he spat, his eyes glinting dangerously. Marissa, who had stood up when he entered the room, said nothing. He pushed her out of the way, muttering that he would deal with her later., and turned to the other woman. Grabbing her by the wrist, he dragged her to her feet and put his face right up close to hers, looking her straight in the eye.

'I want you and your filthy mudblood offspring out of my house, off my land, and out of my life. You may never contact me, or any of my family, again. Do you understand me?'

The terrified Kiana managed to nod, before he released her and she fell back. He stormed out of the room, leaving the two women trembling in his wake.

Severus and Pedra were playing Cops and Robbers in the grounds when her mother arrived.

'Pedra,' she said, 'come with me, we're leaving.'

'Leaving?' asked Pedra, 'Leaving where?'

'Here, of course.'

'Why? For how long?'

'For. . . a while.' There was a note of urgency in her voice.

Severus had been standing there, silent. Pedra, deciding to do as her mother said, hugged him awkwardly and followed her mother's already retreating form. Severus was still standing there, unsure of what to do next, when Pedra returned, kissed him on the cheek, and dashed away again.

Marissa did not know what to do. Before she married Sallius she would have tidied up, but that was unnecessary as the house elves kept the place spotless. She didn't know where Severus was, but she didn't want him to see her in this condition anyway. So she sat, alone, and sipped her wine.

In their cottage, Kiana was frantically packing, while Pedra stood by, watching helplessly. Finally she plucked up the courage to ask 'Why are we leaving?'

Kiana wanted to protect her daughter. It was all she had ever wanted. But she knew she couldn't forever. Desperately loyal to Marissa ever since they were children, she had followed her into this gilded cage, where she knew her friend was doomed to rot. She had known of Sallius's bigoted beliefs, of course, which was why she had never let him know of Pedra's questionable paternity. But they had slipped, and now she was being forced to leave Marissa alone in a loveless marriage.

'Because,' her voice cracked, 'Because sometimes we have to do things we don't want.'

She could have smacked herself. Stupid, stupid explanation. Not an explanation, even.

'What? What's that supposed to mean? When are we coming back?'

'Well,' Kiana began, carefully, not quite trusting her voice, 'I don't think we will be coming back.'

Pedra was shocked into silence. This place was all she knew. She had barely ever left the grounds since she could remember. The idea of leaving, forever, was unthinkable.

'Why?' she whispered.

Kiana could not answer. She just looked at the girl, despairing.

'How could you do this to me? I hate you!'

Pedra stormed out of the room and collapsed on the floor, sobs racking her small frame.

Kiana let go and wept silently.