A warning is in order. There's a rape in this chapter and also mentions of suicide and alcoholism. Things are going to get tougher for our protagonist from here on out. The sex scenes are going to be all but absent, except for a future chapter or two.

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"But don't you know,

nobody drinks alone

Every demon,

every ghost from your past

And every memory you've held back

Follows you home

Nobody drinks alone"

Keith Urban

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Black, red, green and yellow flags swirled and sailed through the air in unison to Kendrick Lamar's Pray For Me.

"Who need a hero?

You need a hero,

look in the mirror, there go your hero

Who on the front lines at ground zero?"

Half of the varsity Winter Guard team was dressed like the Black Panther, the other half like the Dora Milaje, his all-woman guard. As the last note faded, every team member raised their left arm and made a fist. A red headed member held up a sign.

Shari Borlosi

1992-2022

We will not forget you.

Your fight will not be in vain.

It was one of her mother's favorite movies, and the fiery haired teen hoped that somehow she was watching.

An errant tear made its way down her caramel colored cheek as she looked upon the spot her mother had always sat in to cheer her on.

"I'll keep your legacy, mom."

Five months earlier, the online headlines had been full of news of her mother's death. She had been found on the ground outside her car at work, presumably when leaving after her shift. A single gunshot to the head had killed her.

Because her mother had been outspoken with BLM, the Pride Center and LGBTQIA+ rights, as well as Planned Parenthood, it was assumed to be retaliation. Her mom's wife and herself had organized a march in her memory, to bring attention to her murder and violence against the LGBTQIA+ community and push for an investigation.

So far, not a single lead had gone anywhere. There was no footprints, nothing on the facility's surveillance footage, no fingerprints. It was as if someone had appeared out of thin air, murdered her, and disappeared. FBI Ballistics could not identify the type of bullet used, they'd never seen one like it before.

Several days before this performance, the Phil Collins song her mother had always sung to her had unexpectedly played on the YouTube stream she was listening to. It had felt to her like her mother was there, singing it to her. Little did she know that a dimension away, her mother was listening to the same song and singing it to her in her heart.

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It was early November and Shari was on a drinking binge. Every bottle in the house was empty and she had started going through cupboards looking for any kind of alcohol. A compulsory search of closets revealed no liquor, even as she went into each room and said "Accio liquor".

What had set it off was hearing Pray For Me by Kendrick Lamar unexpectedly on her radio. No music had been playing and suddenly this song had come on.

"Tell me who's gon' save me from myself

When this life is all I know

Tell me who's gon' save me from this hell

Without you, I'm all alone"

Shari was reminded of the many times she had watched that movie with her wife and daughter as she listened to the smooth beats and found herself swaying to it. She remembered Shelby catching her dancing to it once in the kitchen and making good natured fun of her. Suddenly she realized that she had missed Halloween. They had planned to dress up as Black Panther characters. She wondered if the two of them still had gone ahead with the plan or if they had even bothered with costumes.

She let out a scream as she realized all the important moments in Shelby's life she was going to miss. Holidays, her 18th birthday, graduation, maybe college, first car, first apartment, maybe marriage, maybe grandchildren… The grief overwhelmed her and she had started drinking until every drop in the house was gone.

In the process of booze hunting, she found a stash of English muggle money. She took just enough to hopefully cover more booze, promising herself she'd eventually find a way to pay Severus back. Putting on a robe and heavy cloak, scarf and a hat, she headed outside alone for the first time. She remembered his many stern warnings to stay in the house, but her desperate need for more alcohol was driving her to take this chance.

She couldn't remember ever having such a desperate need to drink before. In the back of her mind, she knew she might have a problem, but the need for liquor was too strong to fight. The ache and longing for her daughter was just too much.

As she started walking down the dark road, clutching her wand inside her pocket, she hoped a muggle liquor store wouldn't be far. She stumbled slightly as she walked, having already imbibed a large amount of booze. To her relief, a small corner store was lit up ahead, so she quickened her pace.

After making her purchase as quickly and smoothly as she could, she headed outside, clutching the two bottles of cheap whiskey in a paper bag.

She wasn't 3 steps from the store when a hand gripped her arm tightly.

It was Mad Eye Moody. Someone else grabbed her other arm, and she didn't need to look to know who it was. Albus Dumbledore.

She screamed and swung the bottles at both of them, but they were quicker and knocked her out with a stunning spell.

She woke up on a bed in a strange house. Her wand was gone from its hiding spot in her pants pocket. Albus was standing next to the bed, his own wand in hand, likely having just woken her up.

She quietly reached inside her right pant leg and grabbed her knife. Compressing the button, she felt the blade pop out and held it face down.

Dumbledore was raising his wand again. She immediately struck, slashing the knife deeply at his wand arm, causing him to drop it and drawing blood. Then she kicked him in the bollocks before he could react.

He tried to throw an incarcerous at her, but she dodged it and grabbed a decorative iron staff. As she swung it at him, she screamed Petrificus Totalis. He became stiff and flew through the air, crashing into the opposite wall. She threw the staff at his head. It struck his forehead and knocked his head against the wall.

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In the Auror office, Kingsley Shacklebolt was alerted to a trace being set off. The one Yaxley set on the Hogwarts Headmaster showed he was in Cokeworth. He knew that was somewhere in the vicinity of Severus Snape's house, though he was unaware of the exact location.

Knowing the Potions Master's reason to have a trace set on his employer, he immediately sent him a patronus.

They met outside the Ministry, then Severus put on a disillusionment charm and Shacklebolt snuck him into the Auror office to watch the trace on the monitor.

They watched as he suddenly appeared in Scotland, another trace showing up right next to him.

"That's her, isn't it?"

"Yes. He has her."

"Who else was here tonight?" Severus already knew the answer.

"Mad Eye just left."

"He told him she was away from the house, maybe even helped grab her." Now Severus had even more reason to dislike Mad Eye.

"I suggest we get there soon or Albus may get his way."

"You're coming, too?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't forgotten how you saved my life. Besides, it's obvious you and Tonks both care about her."

They stepped outside and apparated to where the two traces had shown up. It was an old looking cottage. All the windows were dark except one. Screams suddenly shattered the snowy silence. Both men hurried in, blasting the door with a reducto. They ran through a dark sitting room and into a hallway. Severus blasted open a closed door. Shari was holding a knife in one hand. Albus Dumbledore had collapsed against the opposite wall, an iron staff on the ground next to him.

She sighed in relief at the sight of Severus and the Auror, then turned her attention to the centenarian collapsed against the wall.

"Apparently, I can do wandless magic when agitated enough." She dropped the staff and stretched her hand out. "Accio wand." It flew into her hand. "Hopefully this motherfucker remembers that."

She stuffed the knife in her pocket and walked over to the Headmaster, still paralyzed by the hex she'd thrown at him, and kicked him. "Defender of the light, my ass. You fucking perv."

She turned to Severus. He was looking at the Headmaster with the coldest expression she had ever seen.

The blue eyes were silently raging at all three of them. "I told you, I will go to jail or hell before I have your goddamn heir!"

"Shari, we need to go. Now." Severus held his hand out to her and the three of them walked through the darkened house.

"I know I wasn't supposed to leave the house. I was on a bender and ran out of whiskey. After I searched the whole house for more, I decided to go buy a couple bottles. I promise, I'll pay you back. I must have dropped them when Mad Eye and Albus grabbed me. I sure could use them now. What pathetic pieces of shit."

"Come. Let's go. Before he throws that hex off and comes after us."

After they had apparated home, Severus handed her a Draught of Peace he had summoned while she magically mended a rip on the cloak that the grizzled Auror had caused when he grabbed her and she swung the bottles at both of them.

Then he summoned an emergency contraceptive and handed it to her.

"He never touched me."

"Are you 100 percent certain he did not touch you while you were unconscious? Take it anyway."

"No, I'm not totally sure." She uncapped and swallowed it, and handed it back to him.

"Does anything about your clothes or your body seem off to you?"

She mentally took inventory of how her body felt. Her quim was sore. Then she realized her bra was unhooked. She moved her pants out of the way and realized there was an odd wet spot on her underwear.

She slowly raised her head and looked at him. "Severus, my quim hurts, my underwear is wet and my bra is unhooked. He raped me!"

His eyes met hers and her shock was mirrored on his face.

"Oh my god, Severus. He fucking raped me!" Shari started to shake as tears ran down her cheeks.

He turned and punched the wall. It left a hole, but he fixed it a moment later. He put an arm around her, and she laid her head against his chest. For several minutes, he silently held her while she cried and worked to get a handle on his own emotions.

"How did you know I was taken?"

"I had Yaxley put a trace on him this summer. Kingsley was watching the trace monitors when it went off near here. He summoned me to the Ministry, then brought me to the Auror office and we watched yours appear next to his at that cottage. When we apparated there, we heard you screaming."

Shari's heart thumped. "I've still got a trace on me?"

"Yes, apparently he convinced Mad Eye to put one on you, but it doesn't work while you're in this house. As soon as you stepped outside, it activated. Then that rat bastard alerted Dumbledore of your location."

"That's disgusting. He didn't give a shit what Dumbledore planned to do to me." She shook her head as she changed her clothes, realizing just how poorly some wizards valued witches. Then she set the clothes she'd removed in the middle of the room in a pile.

"Incendio"

They burned up until only a pile of ash remained. Then she went in the bathroom and took a hot shower. It seemed to Shari she couldn't get clean enough. She scrubbed and scrubbed, but she couldn't wash the filth away that she felt.

Severus finally coaxed her out of the shower, handing her first a towel then clean clothes.

"Are you okay with me leaving? I have to report to the Dark Lord what occurred and then return to Hogwarts."

"No, I'm not alright, but I know you have to leave. I'm numb, but I'll manage. That motherfucker just knocked me out and raped me and all I feel now is numb. Please don't tell Draco what happened."

"I won't. He'll just worry." Severus bent down and kissed her forehead, then went outside and pressed his wand to his mark. A moment later, he disappeared.

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"What do you mean, Dumbledore took her?" The Dark Lord was glaring down at Severus and Yaxley, who were on their knees in front of him. He had summoned Yaxley, because he was working as an Auror.

"My Lord, Albus Dumbledore had Mad Eye Moody set a trace on her. She went outside tonight and it set the trace off, on his watch. He left, presumably to grab her and inform Albus, and Shacklebolt took over immediately after. He saw his trace that I set this summer alert near Cokeworth and notified Severus and brought him to the Auror office. They watched him appear in Scotland with her."

"Did he touch the Borlosi witch?" His red eyes glared down at Severus.

"Yes, my Lord. They put a stunner on her and he raped her while she was unconscious."

The Dark Lord roared in anger. "You will give her a potion to keep her from conceiving. The only child she will bear will be mine."

"It has already been administered, my Lord."

"Very good, Severus. What did she do when she was woken up?"

"When she woke up, she wandlessly threw him against the wall."

"Did she now?" The Serpent looked impressed. "She possesses some of Scorpio's power, it seems."

"It appears so, my Lord."

"Why did she go outside?"

"She was in need of alcohol."

"Severus, you will keep her safe from Albus Dumbledore in any manner necessary. If that means supplying her with sufficient alcohol that she is content to stay in the house, then do it."

He nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

"Then when the time is right, I will call for you to bring her to me. I shall hear of no endangerment to my plans for her again or I shall bring her here to the Manor to live."

"Yes, my Lord."

Then he turned to Yaxley. "You will remove the trace on her for now, but keep the one on Albus. I want to be alerted of his comings and goings."

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Shari was curled up in a ball on their bed when she heard the door open. She grabbed her wand and knife even though she knew it was Severus.

He appeared in their bedroom a moment later, a bottle of whiskey in his hand. He held it out to her.

"I reported back to the Dark Lord what took place tonight. He stressed in no uncertain terms that you're to stay in the house, even if I have to ply you with alcohol to do so. He stressed that when he is ready, he will call for you."

"Call for me?" Nausea began to creep through her gut.

"He did not elaborate on his plans for you, but one can assume it involves taking his mark." He did not tell her what the Dark Lord said about having his child.

Shari shuddered, reality sinking in. "Does he know about this?" She gestured between the two of them.

"I'm sure he assumes it, as he does not seem to value women beyond their sexual and reproductive abilities. I'm sure he assumes I'm simply using you for temporary satisfaction. If I were to impregnate you, he would likely kill me."

"I've been taking the contraceptive you made me religiously. But I don't think I'm going to want you or Tonks to touch me anytime soon."

"I understand."

"Are you angry with me?"

"No, I'm not. I wish you hadn't gone outside, but I'm not angry with you. You did not deserve this."

He glanced at the clock.

"I need to get back. I have classes to teach in the morning. In just a few hours, actually."

"Try not to bite any Gryffindor's head off."

He looked at her strangely, then smirked. "No, only a few Gryffindors irritate me enough to literally bite their heads off. Fitting, since they call me the Dungeon Bat."

"You're my Dungeon Bat. I love you, Severus." She stopped short as she realized it was the first time she'd ever told him she loved him.

He kissed her forehead. "I love you, too."

Then he set strong wards and walked outside to apparate back to the school.

Shari laid back down in their bed, her knife under her pillow. After spending an hour replaying everything from the night through her head, she summoned a vial of Dreamless Sleep. A few drops later, she finally fell asleep.

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It was four in the morning when Severus returned to Hogwarts. He immediately made his way to the Headmaster's office. It was empty, so he entered the private quarters, using the silent walking charm.

The Headmaster was sleeping, but opened his eyes as the potioneer entered.

"I was expecting you, Severus. She slipped out of your grasp, did she not?" An evil smile worked its way onto his face.

"You raped her! You took her from that liquor store, you knocked her out and you raped her!"

"She belongs to me."

"No, she belongs to no one but herself. She wants nothing to do with you. If you ever touch her again, I promise you it will be the last thing you do." With that, he exited the quarters, leaving Albus staring after him.

That day, Gryffindor lost more points than they had all year. By the last class of the day, everybody was dead silent as they brewed their assigned potions.

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That night, he met Tonks and Shacklebolt at their muggle pub. He brought them both up to speed on everything that had happened.

The metamorphagus's hair turned bright red as she listened to him tell how Shari had been abducted and raped.

As soon as she could get away after her night shift, she apparated to the house to check on her friend with benefits.

After knocking on the door, she wasn't surprised by the wand at her throat.

"What drink did I make for us the last time you visited?"

"Whiskey Sours."

The door opened wider. "Come on in."

After the door was shut and warded, Tonks got a good look at Shari. Her hair was tangled and messy, and there were dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes.

"I'd ask if you're alright, but it's obvious you're not."

"No, I'm not. I can't believe this happened. I'm so stupid."

Tonks put an arm around her. "No, you're not stupid. You just got cabin fever and were desperate for a drink. You made a mistake, but you didn't deserve to be raped."

She led Shari to the bathroom and sat her on the edge of the tub, then started brushing the tangles out of her hair. It reminded the redhead of her daughter and how many times she had brushed out the tangles from those thick burnished tresses.

After brushing out Shari's hair and putting it in a braid down her back, Tonks put her to bed with a few drops of Dreamless Sleep. After ensuring the redhead was sound asleep, she left.

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True to his orders, Severus had kept her stocked with plenty of booze.

She knew he was placating her so she would not attempt to leave again. Knowing that doing so would bring the Dark Lord's wrath down on him, she intended to be a good little witch and stay home. Not that it took much convincing. After what had been done to her, she had no desire to leave.

Unfortunately, that also meant she spent more time trying to drown her loneliness and the pain of losing her former life. Most evenings were spent on the couch watching the sky with nothing but the company of Jack Daniels and whoever the radio decided to play. Some nights it was Billy Joel.

"Yes, they're sharing a drink

they call loneliness

But it's better than drinkin'

alone"

By the time the war was over, she knew she was probably going to be an alcoholic. Or was one already.

More than once, after passing out drunk on the couch, she woke up in bed next to Severus. Usually, he would be awake and watching her sleep. They both knew their time together had a time limit, but what form exactly that limit would take, they did not for sure know.

When she woke up from her drunken stupors alone, it was often out of a nightmare. She would see Dumbledore's and Mad Eye's faces in her nightmares. She took a lot of showers, but could never feel like she got completely clean.

"The party never ends

You can't think of dying

When the bottle's your best friend"

(Skid Row)

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A few weeks after the kidnapping, Albus was in the Potion Master's quarters again.

"Yes, Albus?" It was taking every ounce of Occlumency he could employ not to punch the wizard who had raped his girlfriend every time he had to interact with him.

"How is your housemate? Is she well?"

"She's not pregnant, if that's what you're fishing for. I gave her an emergency contraceptive after you took her."

The blue eyes bored into him. "I am sure I do not know what you mean."

"Oh, you know exactly what I mean. We both know what you did to her before you woke her up from that stunner. You did a poor job of covering your tracks."

"Surely you have not forgotten the ultimatum I gave you. Hand her over to me or custody of your godson will be given to Bellatrix."

"No, I have not forgotten." He shoved the old man against the wall. "You will never lay a finger on her again."

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December came all too soon, and Albus Dumbledore's ultimatum was looming ever closer.

Severus still hadn't told Shari about it. He had been home several times since the liquor store incident. She was rarely sober anymore and she shrank away from his touch.

He had until the end of the holiday break to deal with the Headmaster. He and Draco had arrived home that morning, for three weeks. He had begged her to curb her drinking for the boy's sake and she had agreed.

He was talking to her about Dumbledore and how he was still not backing off.

"So not only did he come to my quarters to inquire as to whether you were pregnant, he reminded me that I only have until the end of this holiday break to turn you over to him or he'll give Draco to his aunt."

"What? What do you mean, give Draco to his aunt?"

Severus shut his eyes, angry at himself. It was very rare that he slipped up and said anything in error.

They had been sitting in front of the fire, but at his words she jumped up and grabbed his shoulders.

"What did you mean, Severus Snape? He threatened Draco?"

He opened his eyes and looked into hers. He knew there was no sense lying.

"Yes, he did. If I don't turn you over to him, he'll expel Draco and give custody to his aunt Bellatrix until he turns 17 in June."

She stood up, took a step back and silently stared intensely into his dark eyes for several moments before speaking.

"Draco's life is worth more than some drunken American witch. He's the last Malfoy and he's got his whole life ahead of him."

"And you're the last Borlosi."

"Don't I know it. Lucky fucking me."

She was about to ask him how they were dealing with this threat when a phoenix patronus soared through the window and stopped in front of him.

Albus Dumbledore's voice boomed forth through it, causing Shari to shiver.

"Severus, I need you urgently. Come to my office."

He let out a long, loud sigh. "I hope this isn't a trick."

Shari was fighting a wave of nausea. "I hope not. Be careful, Severus."

"I will. Do not under any circumstances open that door. I will be back as soon as I can."

"I won't."

Severus arrived at the Headmaster's office to find him slumped in his chair, his left hand blackened. He roused long enough to tell him he needed him to heal his hand after donning a cursed ring.

"So, you raped the woman I love, that you won't stop threatening, and now you need my help?"

"Severus, please."

"Retract your ultimatum."

The blue eyes were as cold as ice. "You go too far, Severus Snape."

"No, you go too far, Albus Dumbledore. You rendered her unconscious and forced yourself on her. Retract your ultimatum to give Draco's custody to Bellatrix if I don't bring her to you, and I'll help you."

An intense muscle spasm caused the Headmaster's entire arm to shake. "Alright, I retract the ultimatum to give Draco's custody to Bellatrix if you don't bring me the Borlosi witch."

"Her name is Shari. I want you to stop pursuing her and saying she owes you her body. She doesn't owe you a damn thing, least of all an heir."

"I'll stop pursuing her. Just please heal me."

Severus looked into the old man's eyes, skeptical that he would not in fact give up his pursuit of Shari, but he set to work on his hand anyway.

It was morning when he apparated home. Shari was on the couch waiting for him, bottle in hand. When he sat down next to her, she set it out of sight between the couch and the window.

"He's asleep. He didn't see me." She was referring to Draco and their agreement that she wouldn't drink in front of him. "I needed a drink."

Her radio kicked in with Pink.

"I'm safe up high

Nothing can touch me

Why do I feel this party's over?

No pain inside

You're my protection

But how do I feel this good sober?"

He watched her as she hid the bottle of whiskey out of sight, knowing he was partly to blame for her dependence on alcohol. The Dark Lord had insisted he ply her with alcohol to keep her home. He let out a deep breath, knowing he couldn't keep Shari from him forever.

"Albus needed my help desperately last night, and in exchange he retracted his ultimatum regarding Draco's custody. He stated he would give up his pursuit of you completely, but we both know that's a lie. He's hoping you'll let your guard down again. Yaxley is keeping the trace off of both of us, but it's still not safe for you out there."

"If I were to go out there and get taken again, we'd both be in trouble with the Dark Lord."

"Yes, he specifically tasked me with keeping you from Dumbledore and Mad Eye, until he calls for you."

Dread filled her gut. She knew that whatever the Dark Lord had planned for her had to be bad. She grabbed the bottle from behind the couch and took a long drink from it.

"There are fates worse than death, Severus. Please leave me a potion that I can kill myself with, if it becomes intolerable." At the look of consternation on his face, she repeated herself. "Please, Severus. I promise not to use it unless I absolutely cannot take whatever fate this bald cunt has for me."

"It already exists, in my lab. If you really wanted to find it, you could. But, please try to contact me first."

"How?"

"I'll teach you how to send a patronus."

For the next two days, they worked on Shari learning the patronus charm. Eventually a tigress jumped from her wand and charged around the room. For the memory she used to conjure it, she drew upon the moment Shelby was placed in her arms. No matter what this strange and cruel world did to her, they couldn't take away the love she had for her daughter and the memories of her. Not without a fight.

Shari Borlosi had been born a fighter, making her appearance to the world 2 months early to a coke addicted mother and a pimp father. She landed in 'the system' at age five and was a mother at 16. She had faced every challenge head on and she wasn't about to stop now.

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A tiger patronus reflects a unique amount of willpower and courage; you are able to rise above all conflicts and pass through all forms of adversity with grace and skill. ... They're most commonly identified by their strong emotions, their bravery, and their unpredictability.

Sounds like her, doesn't it?

(Source- hogwartswelcomesyou. tumblr. com)