Chapter 18

Winter

Severus' breath on her lips relieved the icy cold of that December night. At that moment nothing mattered to her, nothing in the world was as important as feeling the caress of his hands on her cheeks.

"How am I supposed to set you free now?"

The bitterness in his low voice took her by surprise.

"Free?" - she repeated, pulling away from him, her frightened eyes scanning his afflicted face.

"I thought... I thought I could disappear, leave you here, in your home, where you belong".

"No..." - She whispered with a brittle voice. - "I don't really belong here anymore".

"You belong here, Laurel. The money issue can be solved".

"I'm not talking about money." -She said as she leaned her head against his forehead and closed her eyes. - "Now I know that my family is fine, my mother is healthy, Fern can fend for herself and for the family… The only person left for me to take care of, is you… Severus, please… Let me stay with you."

His chest jolted at hearing those words. It was not joy, nor passion, it was a sentiment beyond that; his whole life, he had felt like a ship adrift, sailing through oceans of loneliness and resentment, no land in sight. For the first time, he had reached safe port.

He kissed her again, this time slower, his tongue traced her lips gently, his hand tilted her chin to one side to deepen the kiss, and was then that he realized that the terrible experience of his youth was slowly disappearing from his thoughts, being replaced by that moment, by those kisses on that winter night. He would preserve that new memory forever in his mind, keep it safe from prying eyes under thousands of occlumen layers; he would feed on it daily, it would comfort him once he gave himself to the Death Eaters, and serve as a shelter when he felt the cold impact of his master's killing curse. Even knowing that he would face his execution, he would no longer feel alone.

"I can't do that to you". - He whispered unable to meet her eyes.

"You need me." - She insisted. - "You need me to stay alive. Do you think I don't know what will happen to you when they realize that you have freed me? The Dark Lord does not forgive traitors, Severus".

"I…"

"I want to go." – She said, closing the photo album with a determined gesture. – "Allow me to take that decision. Allow me the freedom to choose".

"Choose to remain a prisoner of the Death Eaters? Choose to put your life at risk? "

"Choose to be with you." - Laurel answered and with the faintest smile, she added - "I know you think I am a dimwit, but I made a promise to help you and I will not turn my back to you now".

Severus brushed her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ears.

"I am the dimwit; I know I'm going to regret allowing this".

"Perhaps you will. I will not". - She said, standing up and looking around her, glancing at the barren garden, the crackling fire, the coloured lights of the Christmas tree in the living room. She was going to miss them, but she had faith she would see them again, sooner or later, she would be with her family again. - "It is time to go".

Severus nodded and stood up as well. Taking the leather satchel, he put his father's belongings inside at Laurel's request, and with a slight movement of his hand, the flames died, gradually burning down to nothing but embers. The darkness engulfed them, and they embraced each other. He wanted to say how wrong all that was, how dangerous it was; more than anything, he wanted to ask her to repeat those words she said after their kiss. "I love you, Severus". Nonetheless, the reality of having to hand her over to the Death Eaters again had left his throat dry. He swallowed hard and squeezed her body tightly before soaring into the overcast sky.

. . .

The flight back to Wiltshire was much quicker than expected. The temperature in the heights had dropped dramatically and the icy gales brought with them the first snow of that winter. Severus had decided to land in a desolate crop field after noticing how Laurel's body had stopped shivering and she was beginning to nod off.

"We will walk from here". – He said as he covered her with the invisibility cloak, and he wrapped himself with the customary black robes and long cloak – "Stay close to me".

The weather was getting worse with the passing of the minutes and the path was becoming more and more tortuous. The cold, like a carrion feeder, savagely gnawed every bit of exposed skin, numbing fingertips and toes. The snow was piling up and Severus, while he tried to guide himself in the darkness, had to take care of removing the footprints in the snow with his wand.

The momentary sense of relief Laurel felt as she stepped through the iron gate vanished instantly as she raised her eyes to the manor and realized that some rooms were still lit. Her nerves did not diminish when she noticed that there was no one on duty at the entrance, Severus's apprehensive expression finally convinced her that something was wrong.

They walked slowly up the wide staircase and Laurel could hear voices coming from a room. Severus didn't stop and hurried his pace until he reached the third-floor landing. The hallway was fully lit, the sound of knocking on a door giving her goosebumps. She knew who would be there, right in front of her prison doors. Severus drew his wand and motioning for her to stay behind him, continued up the stairs until he reached the hallway. Greyback was standing, his shoulders hunched, his forehead leaning against the door as were his hands. With a somewhat lethargic cadence, he thumped his head hard against the wood, taking a deep breath. Laurel thought for a moment that he hadn't noticed Severus' dark presence in the hall until, without looking away from the door, Greyback said in his throaty voice:

"She's not here, Snape."

"I thought we had already agreed that you would never go near her again, lycanthrope." - Severus replied. - "Get away right now."

"I can't smell her". - Greyback continued saying slowly, closing his eyes and hitting his head once more.

"Get away from the door." Severus's voice grew more threatening as he raised his wand against the werewolf. - "It is my last warning."

He let out a groan and very slowly backed away from the door, turning to Snape with his hands raised. Laurel noted with horror the terrible state of his face: One of his eyes was pierced by a huge cut that had not yet healed and was quite swollen and blackened. The top of his left ear was gone, but the most serious and horrific laceration was that of his jaw. He had clearly received a stab in the face, the wound, still open and with clear signs of infection, dropped a fetid and yellowish liquid over his neck, stained with dried blood and also furrowed with more superficial cuts. He must be in agonizing pain, but he still didn't seem to show it.

He approached Severus slowly, his hands in the air, his right hand very roughly bandaged with a filthy rag; Laurel held her breath and went as still as her nerves would allow.

"What have you done with her, Snape?" - he asked in a whisper. - "Have you killed her? Did you get rid of her? Bellatrix won't like it… "

Greyback stopped suddenly, his sharp nose sniffing out that familiar scent. It was her: the bearer of that sweet blood, an almost palpable presence, he could not see her, nor hear her, but there she was; her scent had returned and she was next to him, within reach… but where? His gaze drifted down the hallway in despair. He had to find her, she was so close to him, he needed her to quench that delirious thirst... He took a step closer to Snape and noticed how that smell increased, he fixed his eyes on him, on the tip of his menacing wand.

"Where is she?"

Snape's body stiffened, he straightened to full height, widening his position as best he could to protect Laurel. His sharp eyes fixed on Greyback.

"In the room, as always." - Severus hissed. - "I have been lenient with you, Fenrir. You better not challenge my patience. Get out of here".

Laurel sighed as Fenrir lowered his head and backed away from them at a slow pace. It was then that the werewolf couldn't resist anymore. Fenrir Greyback was not exactly a rational man, the wolf he carried inside did not allow it and this time, even knowing that he would pay dearly for openly confronting the Dark Lord's lieutenant, the anger and humiliation, mixed with the terrible temptation of that smell made him lose the control.

He turned suddenly, attacking Severus, his throaty voice laced with ferocious growls:

"You smell like her; you have all her scent clinging in your body. Have you been fucking her all these days? Will I have to be content with soiled goods?"

Everything happened in a matter of seconds. Severus brandished his wand as Greyback lunged at him, throwing him against the wall. Laurel moved to the side, panicked but seeing Greyback's hand crush Severus's neck, she couldn't help the urge to defend him; She slammed into the werewolf's wounded face, pushing him away and trying to pull his arm away from Severus, who saw in alarm how Greyback's eyes widened when he saw the Akardos in front of him, the invisibility cloak has fallen to the ground. That second of confusion was enough for Severus to stun Greyback before he could attack her.

"You... shouldn't have... idiotic..."

Severus leapt over the unconscious werewolf and grabbed Laurel by the arm, jerking her toward the suite doors that had suddenly flung open at his command. He pushed her brusquely inside without saying another word and closed the doors quickly, locking her once more and then turning to the werewolf. The voices they had heard downstairs were getting closer. He collected the invisibility cloak before the footsteps could reach the corridor.

"Severus…" - Narcissa was surprised when she saw the scene. She turned her head towards her sister who was smiling amusedly.

"I have nothing to do with this." - Bellatrix said. - "Greyback should have been downstairs, on duty."

Both sisters began to argue, but Severus was not listening, he had noticed the man who accompanied them, recognized his stooping appearance and his pale and hard face. What was the owner of Borgin and Burkes doing at the manor at that hour?

"Any new acquisitions, Narcissa?" - He asked without taking her eyes off Mr. Borgin, who was looking at Greyback with a wicked smile.

Noticing that Severus was referring to him, his smile disappeared, shrinking his already hunched body, perhaps realizing that he hadn't been wise to follow the sisters out of the room upon hearing the commotion upstairs.

"It is not a matter that should concern you, Snape. It is my business. Now, if you don't mind, we should continue our conversation".

Bellatrix motioned for Borgin to follow her with a nod of the head, while gently nudging Narcissa, inviting her to go with her. But Narcissa's gaze was fixed on Severus, a single thought in her head, limpid and clear, gleaming like a beacon in the dark:

"Draco".

Bellatrix noticed that eye contact.

"Cissy." - She said, shaking her shoulder. - "Move".

Then she turned to Severus with a mocking expression:

"Make sure you clean up this mess and don't forget to get that dog out before you leave".

Severus watched them as they descended silently. He was to inform Dumbledore immediately. Draco was executing a plan and it must be related to some enchanted item. He had to go back to Hogwarts.

Waving his wand, he levitated Greyback's body, taking it with him. He planned to abandon him in a remote location, hoping it would take a while for him to locate the manor again.

Before leaving the corridor, he turned his eyes to the suite door. The memory of those kisses still alive, his lips burning with desire at the thought of Laurel. The temptation to open those doors and sink into her arms haunted him for a couple of seconds, but reason didn't take long to slap him across the face. A regular man would have surrendered to his passions, to desire, but not him. Severus Snape was not a regular man. He was an actor inhabiting different roles, and he inhabited them to perfection. And now it was time to adopt his role as Dumbledore's informant.

. . .

Laurel was sitting on the floor, her body leaning against the door. She had heard the conversation between Bellatrix and Severus, she had heard the footsteps moving away, then the slight sound of a spell and the unmistakable hiss of Severus's long cloak, leaving the hallway.

She stayed in the same position until the cold forced her to stand up. She made her way to the bed without bothering to change her clothes or to wipe the blood and pus that had soiled her hands from hitting Greyback in the face.

It was dark outside, Laurel closed her eyes and sank into the blankets as she heard the manor screeching and moaning, the winter wind finding its way through the cracks in the walls and underneath the doors, she heard the creaking of the tree branches, cracking under the weight of snow and ice. She wished for Severus to be next to her; for him to walk through the doors and climb onto the bed and press himself against her, stealing her warmth, claiming her body, like a dream come true.

Severus wouldn't be coming back that night, or the next.