"You know, you don't have to take the other room. This is your bed," Emilia said softly, rolling up the long sleeves of her borrowed nightshirt, courtesy of Severus.
"It's only right if you take the bed, Miss Rosier. It's far more comfortable," Severus reasoned.
Emilia snorted, raising a brow. "There's no harm in calling me – Emilia. Besides, the bed is large enough for both of us. I promise I won't bite," she teased.
Severus cleared his throat, flustered that she was unfazed with the notion of sharing a bed. "I'll have to decline, Miss – Emilia. I might disturb your sleep with my coughs."
Emilia's brows furrowed in worry. "How bad is it? I could make you a cup of warm milk and honey. It might help."
Severus shook his head lightly. "It's alright. Do not bother yourself. I'll take my leave."
"Wait!"
Severus stopped abruptly, turning around with concern lined on his forehead.
"I…"
Emilia sighed, shaking her head.
"It's alright. You should rest, Severus."
Severus was unconvinced. "What is it?"
Emilia flitted her eyes down, hand awkwardly rubbing her forearm. "If we were to get married, shouldn't we at least try to sleep in the same bed?"
"I wish to respect your space," Severus justified.
Emilia tipped her head up. Honeyed eyes were warm and trusting. Unprompted, her fingers reached out to caress his cheek. Tentatively at first, gauging his reaction before smoothing out her fingertips against his cheekbones.
"Well, you don't have to. I feel safe with you, Severus."
Severus nearly closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. How was she able to do this? Enfeeble him in ways no one before could?
"What do you want, Emilia?" He drawled softly.
"You by my side. That's it."
It took great effort to pry her hand away from him. Severus had learnt the possibility that a victim of abuse might latch on to another very quickly if they provide them with a semblance of security. To him, it created dangerous expectations and he was afraid that the illusion might shatter causing further deterioration in Emilia's mental health.
No. He will not be the one destroying another's life should he accidentally fly off the handle, unable to control his own rage and frustrations. God knows he was very much haunted by the mistakes of his past.
"Let me make this clear, Miss Rosier," Severus began. His voice had turned steel. "This is a marriage of convenience. I had no intention to defy the Ministry's orders. You were a prospective wife in the list sent to me and I happened to choose you. While I empathise with the circumstances you were put through, I'm not responsible for your healing process. Please seek Poppy's help in that regard."
Severus could see the fissure of hurt on Emilia's features. It would be better if she understood him there and then. He was a man desperate to not fall in love a second time. The first had been utterly devastating.
So, he pressed on.
"Boundaries must be set. We'll sleep in separate bedrooms. We'll have equal roles in the household chores. You're permitted to find a job if you wish but it is not necessary. You'll live your life and I will live mine. Is that clear?"
Emilia bit her inner cheek to stop herself from crying. The pain was a reality check. That was how it was meant to be. The promises he uttered were just words to pacify the situation.
"In that case, I'll take the other room. This is your house after all and I'm only a guest, Mr Snape. You shouldn't have to be considerate on my account," she replied with a hint of bitterness laced in her tone.
Emilia left the room without another word and Severus instantly felt the warmth abandoning him. Whatever happened the night before and the morning after was simply a fluke. He behaved in a manner anyone would when confronted with a woman who was at her wit's ends. It was kind to comfort her whilst she received news of her infertility. That would have devastated anyone.
Severus reminded himself that the cold was his friend. Besides, nothing good comes out of those who cared too much.
Emilia did not sleep that night. She couldn't, not without her two vials of Dreamless Sleep potion and knew it would be bothersome if she were to ask for Severus' help. She made a mental note to purchase more stock in the apothecary the next morning.
The wizard had done a lot for someone who cares for nothing. So she propped her pillow up against the headboard of the small bed and rested. She would close her eyes, and fall into a quiet lull but never break into sleep.
Then, she heard the incessant coughs that plagued the wizard. It was rough and nearly hoarse as he coughed repeatedly without surcease.
Feeling a tad guilty, Emilia rose from the bed and padded into the kitchen. She took the cold milk from the fridge and poured it into a deep mug. Her hands encased around the mug, murmuring a warming spell. She added a dollop of honey and stirred, noting that the jar of honey was almost empty.
Emilia could see light coming from the gap in the bedroom door. She knocked.
"Severus?"
"I'm fine," a rasping voice answered. "Go back to sleep."
Emilia huffed a breath, turning the knob. She entered the room, ignoring the look of surprise on Severus' face as he scrambled for the blanket to cover his bare upper body.
Emilia placed the cup on the nightstand beside his bed.
"It might ease your throat."
"You don't have to do that," Severus muttered indignantly.
"You're right. I didn't have to but I wanted to. Is that so terribly wrong? Am I overstepping my boundaries?" Emilia asked incredulously.
Realising how rude she sounded, Emilia sighed. "I'm sorry, alright. That was uncalled for. I won't do it again," she added in a resigned tone.
Without sparing a glance at the wizard, she took the mug away and left the bedroom just as quickly.
Severus bit his tongue, cursing himself for his words. His throat was parched and awfully scratchy, realising that a warm cup of milk would have helped.
The witch was being kind and all he did was snubbed her efforts, driving her away.
With a heavy sigh, Severus climbed out of bed and entered the dark living room to find a silhouette curled up on his armchair. He could make up her slim body, with her knees pulled to her chest. The side of her face rested against her knee, oblivious to Severus' presence.
A light sniffle was heard and Severus' lips thinned, realising that Emilia was crying. And worst, he had been the reason why.
"Miss Rosier," he bit out nervously.
Emilia wiped away her tears at record speed, looking up at Severus. She was glad the darkness afforded her privacy. It would have been embarrassing to be caught snivelling at this age.
"Sorry. I should be in my room," she mumbled, standing up. She made her way past the man with her head bowed down.
Severus caught her wrist.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Emilia shook her head, easing her hand away from his hold. "It's my fault. I overstepped when you've clearly set the limits."
"I…"
"Goodnight, Severus."
Her cold, curt reply was a punch straight to his gut. He deserved it.
When morning came, Severus found his home to be awfully quiet. A sense of panic rose within him, thinking he had driven the woman out once and for all.
He knocked on her door.
"Miss Rosier?"
There was no answer. He pushed it open to find the room empty.
"Shit. Shit. Shit," Severus growled.
Her –his– pyjamas were neatly folded and placed on the edge of the made bed. A note was found atop. Severus strode in and hardened his nerves, picking up the sticky paper.
Dear Severus,
I'm visiting Evan. I made breakfast. Will come home with groceries for dinner.
I'm sorry for last night.
— Emilia
The roaring relief rang through Severus' ears. "Bloody hell," he muttered, clutching the note to his heart. His eyes were closed in momentary repose as his heartbeat slowed down to normal. He creaked an eye open, checking upon the written words on the note, rereading it for a second time.
"Home," Severus mumbled, choosing to fixate on that word. Emilia saw this godforsaken place as home, their home. She had wonderfully promised him dinner. She made him breakfast even though he had pushed her to the brink of tears. She remained selfless to his obtuse and unfeeling self.
Severus went into the kitchen and already his senses were assaulted by the aroma. True enough, he uncovered a spread of the full English fry-up consisting of fried eggs, hash browns, bacon, sausages and toasts with tangerine marmalade as spread. A cup of steaming hot Earl Grey tea sat on the breakfast tray.
Severus Snape was a lucky bastard.
The cold in the North Sea was unbearable but Emilia suppressed a shudder as she walked into the old rickety gates of Azkaban, following behind an Auror. The wizard was unsmiling with stern features that reminded Emilia of the man back at home. That thought eased the biting cold that threatened to seep into her bones.
After the Second Wizarding War, Dementors no longer ruled Azkaban, replaced with a group of extremely skilled Aurors that were personally vetted by the minister. Although, there were rumours that Dementors were still used to guard the worst of criminals to ensure those prisoners were drained of all happiness and left them with the worst memories for the eventual purpose of killing them in a slow, torturous death as punishment.
"Surrender your wand," the man commanded, handing out a nondescript box.
Emilia did as told, a tight smile plastered across her features. It was the only thing that she took after running away from Arius and without it, she felt unsafe.
Sensing her trepidation, the stocky Auror exhaled gruffly. "You'll get it back at the end of your visit. I'll have to conduct a check on you. Alright?"
"Yes, alright," Emilia said, her body stiffening infinitesimally when the Auror ran his wand down her body to check for any hidden magical devices.
"And leave your paper bags here."
Emilia nodded. "Has anyone else visited Evan Rosier?"
The Auror thought for a moment before replying. "Yesterday. Goes by the name Arius Avery. You know him?"
Emilia swallowed thickly. She turned pale. "Is there a way to stop him from visiting altogether?"
The Auror frowned. "As long as the prisoners accept their visitors, it's not up to us." The wizard narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Is there something wrong, Miss? Something we should be aware of?"
Emilia shook her head. Fingers clenching into fists. "No. Can I see my brother now?"
The Auror nodded, beckoning his hand. "Follow me."
They arrived at a cell, bolted with a metal door that had a small opening. A ripple of magic shimmered around the door, enforced with the strongest protective enchantment to keep the prisoners within.
"Rosier!" The Auror bellowed. "Hands against the walls. Your sister's here."
The door automatically clicked open, registering that the prisoner had complied with the Auror's instructions.
"Thirty minutes," the Auror commanded. "Not a minute more or less." The stocky wizard jerked his chin forward. "Go on."
"Thank you," Emilia murmured, stepping into the dark cell, lit only by a single, flickering bulb.
The heavy door closed behind with a locking click.
"Lia," Evan greeted softly, opening his arms wide. Emilia ran straight into her brother's embrace. He chuckled, planting a kiss on top of her head. "Miss me, dear sister?"
Emilia withdrew from his hug, swatting his arm. "Of course I do."
She sighed, pressing a hand against his cheek. Her eyes shone with guilt. Remorseful that she could not do more to save him from this wretched place.
"You've lost weight."
Evan shrugged, smirking. "Haven't you heard? I'm on a diet, dear sister," he joked.
Evan had always been the more relaxed twin. The nosier, troublemaker twin.
"I'm sorry, Evan," Emilia murmured.
"Whatever for? The food's not too great but I have a nice bed and I don't like the sunlight too much," he replied nonchalantly.
Emilia allowed a small smile to grace her lips. "You always knew how to make me feel better despite the circumstances."
Evan snorted softly, pinching the bridge of her nose as he always did when they were children.
"Well, that's what brothers do. They keep their sisters happy. Now tell me, why are you here? You should be living your married life with your husband, Lia."
Evan tapped two fingers against his temple as if recalling something. "Ah, Arius came three days ago. No, wait, two days ago."
"It was yesterday, Evan," Emilia reminded kindly.
Evan tutted softly. "Ah, that's the disadvantage of being stuck here. No concept of day or night. Oh, well. Has he been good to you?"
Emilia licked her lower lips. "That's what I wish to speak to you about." She was unsure how to gauge his response but her brother's approval or rather, his blessings was everything she cared about. Exhaling a shallow breath, Emilia spoke up, going straight to the point.
"I'm not marrying him, Evan. I'm marrying Severus Snape."
"What?" Evan hissed. His honeyed eyes flashed with anger. "You're marrying the traitor? He betrayed ALL of us! He is the fucking reason I am in this hell hole!" He shouted.
Emilia jolted back. She wrapped her arms around her body. A semblance of protection when everything around her turned volatile.
"I know that. I know," she whispered shakily.
"Why?" Evan demanded. "Give me a fucking good reason, Emilia or I swear I'll get out of Azkaban and kill him."
"It's because…Because –"
"Because what, Emilia?!" Evan roared, looking the most furious she had ever seen him. His jaws were clenched and the prominent vein on his neck throbbed.
Emilia shrank back. Tears leaked down her cheeks.
"Emilia!"
"Because Arius has been abusing me! For years! He hit me repeatedly and was the reason why I miscarried thrice. I can't even have children anymore! All because of him!" Emilia sobbed.
"What? He did what?" Evan muttered in disbelief. His anger deflected almost instantly as he hurried to his sister. He pulled her trembling body into his chest. Fingers carding through her curls to calm her down.
"Gods, Lia. Why didn't you tell me?" He murmured softly. A finger drew soothing circles down her back. That was the only way to comfort Emilia when she was terrified as a young girl.
"You were so far away and you were busy. I didn't want to bother. And the war. Everything was chaotic," she whispered. Her body sank into his, relishing in the comfort Evan would always provide.
"You silly, silly witch," Evan scolded, though his tone had no bite. He held her tighter. "I'll always make time for you. You know that. No one, not even the Dark Lord is as important as you are, Lia."
Emilia let out a whimper, burrowing her face into his chest. She was weeping uncontrollably. Her breaths came out in staccato gasps as her body shook with the force of her cries.
"I'm sorry, Lia. I'm so sorry. I should've been there to protect you," Evan apologised repeatedly.
Guilt bloomed within his heart, feeling entirely responsible for his sister's predicament. He had been too involved with the Dark to realise that something was amiss. What made it worst was how he too was deceived by Arius' charisma and charm despite having some misgivings about the man when Emilia first introduced Arius to him. It was a mistake on his part and Emilia was forced to pay the price.
"Thirty minutes' up!" The Auror banged against the door.
"No, please," Emilia whimpered.
Evan sighed deeply and withdrew. Fingers curled under her chin, tipping it up. The streaks of tears running down her face reminded him of the time when Emilia had cried to him about losing her pet rabbit.
It seemed like ages ago when they were just children.
"Listen to me, Lia. Severus Snape is not the man you think he is. Dig into his past, especially his activities with the Dark. He has killed, tortured and done the most heinous of crimes that deceived one of the greatest wizards alive. He is dangerous, Lia and I want you to think twice before marrying him."
"Oi! Rosier! Let her out! Or you'll be punished!" The Auror bellowed.
"Alright! Alright!" Evan growled. "Remember my words, Lia. I love you," he whispered, pressing a quick kiss on Emilia's forehead before gently pushing her to the door.
"Evan…"
"Go. Be safe, Lia," Evan said softly, turning to the walls.
The heavy metal door unlocked and Emilia was ushered out.
Severus was worried. He had paced the length of his house and checked the time at least thrice. It was close to ten at night and Emilia was nowhere in sight. He had checked the front door an additional five times but found not a soul, not even a bloody cat lurking.
He fished her note, now crumpled from the pocket of his trousers and reread it.
"Why isn't she home?" Severus muttered to himself.
A sudden thought gripped him. What if she had been attacked? What if she was stuck in Azkaban?
Severus dressed quickly, opting for his usual Professor garb and fastened his cloak. He left the house in a hurry and strode to the nearest Apparation point – the bushes at the local playground. But, he didn't have to look far, seeing the brown curls of the woman he was searching for sitting on said bench.
It was dark.
The lamplights that dotted the streets did not work anymore. No one cared enough to repair them in places like these where only the poor and miscreants of Cokeworth would deem the place worthy as home. That was how surprised Severus was to see words such as home scrawled on a piece of paper, by a woman he barely knew. He did not think he even saw Spinner's End as home. It was a dwelling, a house filled with wretched childhood memories. A filthy lodging that was only cleaned out recently by witches who thought themselves as mothers to Severus' lonesome nature, who nagged at him incessantly and forced him to take up their help.
Severus sighed.
In hindsight, it was always for his own good.
Severus carefully approached the woman, rounding around the bench. A murmured Lumos and the tip of his wand lit up.
"Miss Rosier?"
Emilia slowly turned her head, looking up at him with an empty gaze.
"Oh. You haven't slept."
"I…" Confusion creased his forehead. "Pardon?"
Emilia rolled her shoulders.
"I didn't get the groceries. I forgot about them and I didn't want you to be angry. So I thought I would wait out here till you fell asleep before going back home. I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Severus did not realise how much his words must have affected her. He sighed softly, unfastening his cloak and letting the material drape around her shoulders.
He took a seat by her side. Their arms brushed. "Miss Rosier, it's not safe for a woman to be out here alone. Come back inside."
"I visited my brother," Emilia said.
"I know. I read your note." He had read the note more times than he could count.
"He said I should be wary of you, Severus. That you're not the man you are," Emilia murmured.
"He is correct to point that out," Severus replied evenly.
Emilia nodded. "I supposed so. You led a double life for so long. Who's to know the real you? Do you even know who you were before all this? Before the war? But I understand that. You were probably under a lot of pressure with one goal in mind – to survive. I don't think you would've cared much about anything else."
The statement caught Severus by surprise. Emilia had been accurate in that regard. He found himself quite lost after the war, lonely without a purpose or objective in mind. Not being controlled by two megalomaniacs was indeed a relief but the freedom was surprisingly overwhelming.
"Have you eaten?" Severus asked, veering away from the subject.
Emilia chuckled. "I said too much, didn't I?"
"I take it that means no?" He quipped with an arched brow.
She let out a sweet laugh. "Oh, no. I'm starving. Positively ravenous. I could have a whole roasted chicken with sides of creamed spinach and buttered peas."
Severus snorted softly. "A compromise if you will. How about a chicken salad sandwich?"
"I suppose I don't have much of a choice." She raised an eyebrow. "Is that the only sandwich you could prepare?"
Severus shrugged. "They are leftovers. There are not many groceries left except for breakfast items."
A mischievous smirk formed on Emilia's lips. "Let's have breakfast for dinner. I could do with your creamy scrambled eggs and some bacon."
Severus released a low chuckle, his heart relished the fact that she was fond of his cooking. "Miss Rosier, what of your brother's words? He did say to be wary of me."
Emilia smiled softly and threaded her fingers into his, earning a look of surprise from the wizard. "He wasn't there when you held me as I received the news of my infertility. Arius had never done that before and he was someone I loved and cared for. You knew nothing of my life yet you were willing to listen and stay. That's all that matters."
Severus felt an odd warmth stir in his stomach. "Miss Rosier, about yesterday, I was blunt in my words."
Emilia shook her head. "It's alright. It was my fault. I shouldn't have intruded in your space when you have —"
Severus squeezed their joined hands. A bold attempt on his part. "If this marriage were to go through and we were to be husband and wife, I shouldn't be dismissive of your wants and needs."
"You shouldn't have to accommodate me," Emilia protested.
"Miss – Emilia, I'm not one to allow strangers into my life and neither am I an affectionate person as you clearly are. But, I've never had a wife and the war is over, has been over for the past two years. I want a change, a chance to discover what this could be. And… and I'm glad that it's with you," Severus declared, albeit with awkward pauses.
"Oh, Severus," Emilia murmured. The smile that she bestowed was far more radiant that the brilliant stars that lit up the dark skies. She pressed a kiss on his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.
"As am I."
Severus closed his eyes in relief. There was no repudiation, only acceptance.
Neither realised that Arius Avery was watching them closely, disguised under the disillusionment charm. His mouth twisted in an ugly sneer with envious rage alight in his gaze.