It all began with curse; a simple curse spoken by evil, dark men. Incendio. It was the middle of the summer, my holiday break between my sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts. I had gone for a walk despite knowing it was dangerous; He Who Must Not Be Named was back but I needed some air and space from the confines of home. On my way back, I could see from a distance that my house was alight with an explosion of bright green beams emanating from the windows; I knew what had happened immediately. Screaming, I ran towards the house and yelled for my parents until I saw a cloaked man wearing an intricate mask and I backed away, terrified for my life. The Death Eaters were coming closer and suddenly within a blink of an eye, I was unconscious and waking up in a cold, dark, stone room. I screamed again, what had happened between when I was knocked out, and now? How long was I gone for?
Days, maybe even weeks passed by and I had barely slept, tortured over and again by the masked men who revelled in tormenting me about how they murdered my parents. It was too much and I wanted it to be over, but they wouldn't stop. Darker and darker my nights became until a familiar voice, that deep, slow, menacing voice I had endured for the last six years whispered to me,
"Do not be afraid, I am here to help you. My mask is just a disguise in order to deflect suspicion of your rescue. Hold on to my arm."
There was no choice, I could either go with him and take a risk, or stay where I was and be tortured by them all, risking even more. Grabbing his arm hastily, we disapparated and arrived inside a quaint, dank house, scarcely furnished and very poorly insulated. I turned and looked at the man who had now taken off his mask, and saw the face I expected to see. Almost instantaneously, I collapsed into his chest and cried.
Professor Severus Snape was shocked by my demonstration of helplessness. I am still to this day sure that he had barely been hugged in his life, let alone by a vulnerable seventeen year old girl who had been tormented for weeks. He lightly wrapped his arms around me and tried to comfort me in the best way he could; an occasional awkward pat and a "there, there". He continued in uncomfortable silence until I was calm enough to lie down on his lounge. Falling asleep was easy, but it did not take long for my mind to be consumed by terrible nightmares of my ordeal with the Death Eaters.
Professor Snape was never an easy man; however, I had never believed that he was an ally to He Who Must Not Be Named. Many had labelled him as malevolent, and I understood where they came from, but I myself knew that all people are more complex than they appear. That being said, his rescue showed me a side I never expected; to be willing to risk his life for a student of no personal meaning, showed immense bravery. His presence the dungeon with the Death Eaters told me that he was trusted within that crowd, however Albus Dumbledore is too intelligent to allow a Death Eater to work so close to the student body, I therefore deduced that there must be more to the story. How he continued this lifestyle, whilst being regarded as the most malicious person living at Hogwarts, astounded me. After waking up, I looked around and saw him sitting in a dining chair eyeing me curiously, wondering what he was supposed to do next. I propped myself up and he sat back, realising my awoken state.
"Thank you, Professor... for saving me." I said weakly.
"You are most welcome. Are you okay Miss Reynolds? I imagine this must have been difficult for you, losing your parents, and your home."
"I'll be, fine… Professor." His words were not comforting, reminding me of what I had lost, but who was I to complain when at least I was alive. The air was thick with uncertainty until he spoke again, pulling my wand from the pocket of his robe and passing it to me.
"I located this for you. Miss.. Adele, under these exceptional circumstances, I will permit you to call me Severus for the time being. We are not on school grounds and the formality is not required. I take it you are going to need somewhere to stay until term begins, and as the Death Eaters who held you captive will be searching for you, I will need your help in finding the appropriate place for you where you will be safe. Unless, you are content, in residing here for now?" I stood confounded by the earnestness of his words, although spoken with his standard dark tonality, he was far less menacing in this dynamic, and I appreciated the generosity he shared. There were eight weeks until term began, which was a long time to allow a guest to stay in any house.
"Um… I suppose I will stay with you, Professor, if I may? The rest of my family don't even know that I exist. My mother and father left the muggle world when they graduated Hogwarts. I can get a job and I promise I won't be in your way and-"
"You may stay as long as you please, for now I suggest you take another rest," his eyebrows raising as he spoke these words, "It would be safe to assume that my demeanour at the present time is causing you to feel uneasy, am I correct? I do expect it to be a shock." I nodded in response as I shuffled down the couch to get re-settled. "When I teach, I teach harshly and impatiently so that people strive to make no mistakes. It has worked in the past and continues to work now. It separates those who are careful and dedicated enough for excellence in potion making, and those who are not. You received an O for your NEWTS last year which would place you in the first category. You have nothing to fear, now go to sleep Miss Reyn… Adele. Goodnight."
Three weeks remained before I was due to return to school, I felt as if I had learned more in those past five weeks than I did over the last six years. Perhaps a slight overstatement, but the things I saw and the tasks I had to do, have not been easy. Living with Severus was at first very awkward. We were stuck in an uncomfortable dynamic of student and teacher, and repeatedly called each other by our formal titles. Eventually though, he opened up with me that he works as a double agent for Professor Dumbledore, against He Who Must Not Be Named. He came home late one night covered in blood and bruises and I was left without choice but to quickly concoct a healing potion for him. Arriving home battered was a rare occurrence for him, but between the bones I had to mend, the potions I brewed to assist in his healing, and the nights he found me crying in a panic over the memory of my families death and my capture, the formality between us began to decrease.
Every morning after waking up I left to work at the local apothecary doing inventory and sales, a position referred to me by Severus, and then I came straight home. Occasionally in the evenings he would be home, but if not I prepared us food, did chores around the house, and went to sleep on a small bed I transfigured out of the lounge. On those instances where he did return, we engaged in small talk about the day, or Severus would discuss new advances in potion making with me. He told stories from his travels around the world, about unusual ingredients he sourced outside of the UK and the tribulations of finding them. As I learned more about this aspect of potion making, I began to understand more about my work in the apothecary and how marked up the retail ingredients actually are. Severus occasionally shared stories from his time as a student at Hogwarts when I would tell him about my experiences, but in all honesty his youth at the school sounded entirely unpleasant, which explained why he is so tentative in divulging that information with me. In turn for his openness, I shared with him my plans for the future, my goals, dreams and aspirations. I never, in my wildest imagination, thought that I would be having tea and biscuits in Professor Snape's living room in Spinner's End talking about such things, but then again I never thought that I would feel sad to see him leave a room, or terrified when he didn't come home, or worried when he had that look in his eye. I wonder, should I even know that look? I thought I must be crazy, to be so emotive over the snarky, choleric Potions Master of Hogwarts.
One day when I arrived home from work, Severus was inside at his bookshelf searching for something. To my relief, he didn't have a scratch on him. I said hello pleasantly, but I felt entirely uncomposed and uncertain why.
"Adele, are you working tomorrow?" he asked me suddenly.
"Um... No, why? Is there something you need me to pick up?" My heart was pounding fervently and thoughts of us spending the day together invaded my mind.
"No, it is not that… I have a few guests coming over tomorrow that are... unsavoury. It would be prudent for you to be out of the way considering the circumstances of your arrival." I understood immediately. He had managed to get away without hosting any Death Eaters at his home since my escape, but I knew eventually the time would come.
"Oh… well, I can easily make myself scarce. I need to go on a shopping trip for my school things anyhow. Are you sure there isn't anything you need me to buy?"
"Very well, and no… thank you, Adele."
"It's not a problem, Severus." Disappointment washed over me, followed by pure revelation. I could not believe how mystified I was becoming with Severus, who clearly would have too much decorum to have even a social relationship with a student. I went to bed early that night and skipped our evening talk. If I was going to be shopping for my seventh year stuff then I was going to need a refreshing sleep, and I needed to push these thoughts out of my head.
Author's Note: I have been editing my story, changing continuity errors and trying to give it more depth than what it had before, and I am now reposting it with my updated chapters in the hopes to finally one day finish what I started 10 years ago. I love this story and I loved it back when I was a teenager and first started writing it. I'll be uploading the chapters slowly while I work on editing the old ones and finishing the story off. I hope you enjoy.