The first part of this chapter is a dream sequence for the time while Maria is knocked out. It's a bit confusing, but most dreams are just like that.

At the moment, I'm juggling 3 projects, so chapters will be slow to make. In fact, the dream sequence is bits and pieces of another original story that invloves my original character in this story.

It was a dark, rainy day in London, March 13, 1838. A young man, about 24 years of age, walked slowly towards his Victorian home, a maroon umbrella in hand. Thunder and lightning crackeled through the night sky. A single thought ran through the gentleman's mind, "Home".

He went up the concrete steps, one hand on the slippery iron rail. Under the entryway of his house, he closed his umbrella and shook it off. The man went inside. While taking off his coat, shoes, and bowler hat, he shouted out, "Susan, I'm home." He had no need to identify himself, for his wife knew already that it was her husband calling from the hallway.

"C'mere Emma, time for supper," called Susan. If you could only see the picture of beauty that she was. Her hair was long and flowing, like golden silk, and her eyes were brilliant emeralds shining like... well, nothing could describe her beauty. It was impossible. Susan also happened to be wearing the most lovely dress, royal purple.

Seconds later, a small girl wearing a simple, plain dress appeared. Her bright blue eyes beamed with joy. "Daddy!" The girl jumped into her father's arms, hugging him dearly. Her hair was just her father's, it was.

This is where I came in, seemingly out of thin air. Susan and Emma backed away from the man they loved, from the man with long, raven black hair. Their love for him turned into icy, bitter hate. I hate him too. I felt my hate for him burn within me.

The man's home disappeared, a long with its contents. We were all now outside in the rain becoming increasingly soaked. Susan took Emma's small hand in hers.

"And I'm taking Emma with me," stated Susan, with utmost malice in the tone of her voice.

The man lunged at them desperately, and I merely watched as the scene unfolded itself. His hands grasped for the feeling of his wife and daughter, but touched nothing. They were gone. He wept.

In his hands, there was a shard of glass, very long and sharp. He was on his knees, drenched, with inky black hair covering his eyes. The man held the shard to his neck.

Finally, I spoke. "If you're going to kill yourself, make sure you'll be able to clean up the mess afterwards."

Angry eyes of blazing blue peirced my head. "IT WAS YOUR FAULT! YOUR FAULT!"

"You sealed your own fate. It's your fault they left you, not mine."

The man lifted himself from the muddy ground. "It's YOUR fault they left me! YOU came to me! It's YOUR fault!"

He lifted me into the air by the neck with a single hand. I felt my lungs struggling, tightening, seeking air. I spoke once more, but in practically a whisper, "Your father hid me up in the attic until his death. Then you found me. It wasn't my fault that you decided to lose your heart to me. That's what lost you your family."

His arm gave out, and he dropped me. I tumbled to the ground on top of him. I was still breathless. He looked up at me with pleading eyes.

"Kill me."

"You're already dead," I replied. "Don't touch me."

Severus saw that the shadowy figure, looming over Maria's unconcious body, was somewhat short and plump. Plump is a kind way to put it. The man was more like horribly obese. But, at the moment, the man's weight problem didn't matter since he was starting to grope Maria's body. Snape had to act fast.

Gilby didn't notice the tall palid man sneak up on him. It was as if Snape had materialized out of thin air. Either way, the wallop that landed across the side of his head sent him spiraling to the dirt ground instantaniously.

"Wha, what the 'ell was that!" spat Gilby. His beady eyes raced above him to see the face of his attacker.

Snape scoffed. "Something that was a long time coming!"

Gilby struggled to his feet. The fat man was clearly bewildered. It was written all over his disgusting face. "Ah, bugger! What do you want with me!"

Calm and composed, Snape spoke slowly and deliberately. "I want you to stay away from this girl." He nodded to Maria, who now lay on the ground.

"Or else what!"

"Or else you will no longer be bound to this world."

Gilby looked at Snape baffled. "I'll tell you what, you talk friggin' weird!" Gilby turned towards Maria.

A dominant sneer crawled onto Snape's face. "you are a slow one, aren't you? I told you to stay away from her!"

Gilby growled. "She is MY property!" In one surprisingly swift move, Gilby lunged at Snape.

Snape easily dodged him by stepping to the side. Reaching into his coat, Snape pulled out his wand. 'I had hoped that it would not come to this,' he thought to himself before uttering the spell. Carefuly, Snape aimed at Gilby. "Rigor mortus!"

Gilby's face was priceless. As the radient light of the spell towards him, he was paralyzed in fear. It was a pleasant sight to watch as the fat man fell limply to the ground. Snape even allowed a very small smile to come upon his face. But, the smile didn't last long. There was still the matter of Maria's unconcious body that needed imediate attention.

It didn't take Snape that long to carry Maria up to his living room and place her onto the couch. He found a spare blanket in his bedroom, and covered Maria with it.

'Now, I just have to wait,' thought Snape.

...I'm so lazy. There's no excuse for it! thumps head on desk Just when I finally catch the writing bug, I update this story last! groans Oh well, all I can do is push onwards and keep going, right? Anyways, the next chapter shoudn't take as long to do as this last one was.