Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters/places… that you could recognize. Sinictra is a product of my imagination, don't mistaken her with Prof. Sinistra. And, as always, here goes my apologize for the language. I know it maybe is not as brilliant as you would expect and mere (I have to please you to read my stories LOL) but I'm Spanish. AHH! I also want to say that the songs mentioned in the fanfic belongs to Simon & Garfunkel and that I want to aknoledge "La Oreja de Van Gogh" for inspiring me.

Spoilers: this fic takes part after "The Half-Blood Prince".

Summary: my own version about what happened after that fatidic night in the astronomy tower… enjoy it and review please (no matter what you think good or bad, it would be heard out)

The most peculiar man.

Chapter 1: Dark thoughts. Dark loneliness. Dark man?

"Hello darkness my old friend... where has he heard it? It surely was from that muggle audio tape Arthur Weasley was always listening to. Anyway he should said "Hello darkness my only friend", a friend is someone with you can think aloud, almost it was said, and his bitter thoughts were only allowed in the most impenetrable darkness."

These were the sour thoughts which were filling the mind of Severus Snape. He was in the highest tower of a castle, lost in a forest, where the Death Eaters were celebrating the murder of Albus Dumbledore, a murder he has committed. His dark ebony eyes were looking into the midnight horizon without seeing anything. Draco and Narcissa were now safe and he had already reported the events of the night to the Dark Lord, it had taken a great effort to perform Oclumency against him, especially because of the intense pain he feel inside. It has taken more than never to empty his mind, so full of horror and self-hatred to let him easily clear it.

"He was the only man who has ever trust him completely. Indeed, he usually feels that the Headmaster trusts him more than he trusts himself. The old wizard had given his life for him, had given his life to provide him a chance. This sacrifice was the only thing which prevented himself from brewing an obliviating potion or a killing one to stop everything, to rest. He feels this time was different, was harder than every time before. At least before, the Headmaster was by his side to support him. But now he was all alone, he can touch the loneliness as if it was a real entity."

Someone has entered to the tower and was standing behind him, smiling at him with contempt. It was a young woman with long straight black hair. He was so weary even to look who was disturbing his fatal thoughts. He didn't care.

"Congratulations Snape", said the woman dragging the words with a cold tone. "May I apologize you for my distrust?" sneered at him. Obviously, she was drunk and wanted to tease him. He was too tired to answer.

"Go away Bellatrix", said him. "I do not want to kill someone else tonight, and you are making it difficult."

"Oh, oh! What are you going to do Snivellus? Are you going to tell the headmaster? Oooh...! I forgot that he is dead, that you have killed him." She has nearly not finished these last words when she fell to the ground. Severus was looking at her, surprised. He had raised his wand in front of her but he haven't cast any curse, still. He looked around, without lowering his wand.

"Who is here! Show yourself!"

"I surely do if you weren't raising a menacing wand. It would be easier to talk with you without that."

"If you consider that I am going to surrender my wand so easy you may have to be in the fourth floor of St Mungo!"

"I know this was going to happen, Albus told me", hissed the intruder. Hearing the name of his protector, Severus Snape put his guard off a bit. "Here you are: my own wand, without any tricks." A wand appeared from the nothing and Severus took it cautiously. It was a fine wand, twenty-five maybe a bit more, made of ebony, like his own wand. He couldn't guess what the nucleus was made. "Maybe now you could lower your wand so I can show myself," asked her, waking him up from the examination of the wand, "could you?" He has just noticed she was a girl: her voice was soft but firm, he did she has asked. Then with a whisper she appeared in the same way that he wand have made, from the nothing.

His eyes were so accustomed to the darkness that he immediately focused the face of the girl who was standing before him: long dark haired messed up in the neck of her robes, pale skin under the moonlight and a sad sight in his black eyes. He stared at her until a memory slipped into her brain, the image of a student hidden behind a pile of books, a smoothing cauldron or looking to the blackboard with hard concentration…

"Sinictra Fox… what on hell are you doing here? I didn't know you were a Death Eater…" The sarcasm in his voice was bitter, but, this time, his icy eyes let her known about the pain and frustration he was feeling.

"I'm not a Death Eater, I'm here to talk with you and help you as Dumbledore ask me to do"

"Dumbledore is dead. No help is required, I do things myself."

"I remember you didn't use to made mistakes but many years had past, and you are making a great mistake."

"I remember you didn't use to be so insolent"

" The Order looks forward you, so the Aurors do, as Death Eater… we both know you are no longer a Voldemort minion. You have no chance to keep yourself working for the Cause apart from trusting me, the messenger of Dumbledore, as you trusted him. At least, you should hear what I have to say…"

"I have listened too much indeed, I have better things to do than listen to a former student which was a know-it-all, just like now."

"Well, if you just feel better here, pitying yourself… that's your way. Dumbledore could never imagine you so defeated, nor I." After saying this, she turned back and looked into the midnight sky.

"Wait. I will listen to you, but not now. Not here. We will meet in Bournemouth, it's a little muggle village. We will meet there at nine, in that old scriptorium behind the church."

"Perfect, I'll be there, Professor" and with this last words, both, the girl and the wand dissaparated.

He stared several minutes more into the dark night and then went into the tower. He would try to sleep a bit, maybe he should have an asphodel potion. It will be difficult to rest… yes, this will be such a long night.