Samaria belongs to me. All else is Rowlings.

Chapter 14

The months went by in a blur. Samaria was sent on many more missions, some even with Bellatrix, but they all went fairly well. Bellatrix no longer even glanced at her, much less tried to kill her again. The Dark Lord seemed to forgive Bellatrix and accept her back into his favor fairly quickly. Samaria didn't even want to think about why. He didn't make any other advances toward her, and for that she was grateful.

Back at Hogwarts, Samaria did her best to ready her fifth years for the OWLs coming up. Poor Hermione seemed in a frenzy to retain every bit of knowledge Samaria let out of her mouth. Though the Healing OWLs weren't the hardest, it was far from the easiest exam and all of the students seemed to be working hard to study for it.

She had noticed, though, that the students that she knew to be in Dumbledore's Army seemed extra tired. Maybe they were practicing later. She made a note to tell Harry to let up on them so they could study. As she made her way around the class, Samaria noticed Ron's head dip down onto his arms. Harry nudged him and he shot right back up.

Shaking her head she said, "Harry, Ron, I'd like to see you after class, please."

The two looked confused, but nodded.

After talking to the two about not keeping the DA so late, Samaria went back to her quarters. She didn't have a class this period, so she had decided to rest. The Dark Lord had been sending her on more information-retrieving missions as of late, and he had no qualms about sending her out on a school night. Samaria closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she saw Severus standing over her.

Jumping up she asked, "What time is it?"

"After dinner. We got someone to cover your other classes and let you rest," he replied. She started to protest, but he cut in, "Dumbledore's orders."

Samaria sighed, "Where's Elena?"

"She's going to stay the night as Narcissa's. The Dark Lord is away and she wanted to keep her of for the night."

Samaria nodded and before she could say another word, was interrupted by a knock at the door. Severus answered it, and found Draco standing there.

"We've caught them, Sir," he said. "Potter and his group. Professor Umbridge asked for yours and Professor Kirby's assistance."

Severus nodded and followed the boy, along with Samaria, upstairs. When they got to Umbridge office, they found her and the Minister of Magic in frenzy. Harry stood aside with a mixed look of shock and satisfaction.

"What happened?" Severus demanded.

"Dumbledore was organizing an army to take over the Ministry and now he's gotten away!" Fudge exclaimed.

Severus merely smirked and asked, "Well, what do you plan to do now?"

Umbridge turned on Harry, "We'll discipline his little followers, that what."

Samaria glanced at Harry and down at his hand. She knew what the old witch had in mind.

Samaria sat in her office, cleaning the cuts of some of the DA members later that night. The newly instated Headmistress Umbridge had them write line as their punishment. Not just any lines, though. With the help of enchanted quills, as the children wrote the words, they were engraved on the back of their hand. The poor things hands were bleeding and Samaria did the best she could to stop the pain and heal them. The enchantment was such, however, that she couldn't stop the production of a scar.

After they left and only Harry remained, Samaria asked, "How did she find you?"

Harry looked down and said nothing.

"Harry?" she asked.

"Cho," he whispered. "Cho told her."

"Cho Chang? Why?"

He just shook his head.

"Come here, Harry. Let me treat your hand," she said. He hadn't let her treat it the first time he'd gotten detention with Umbridge, nor along with the other DA members earlier.

"No, it's my fault the rest had to go through that. I'm fine."

"Harry, come here."

He just looked up at her a moment and shook his head.

"Listen to me, Harry Potter. This wasn't your fault. You did what was right and that often comes with consequences. There's nothing wrong with that. And it wasn't your fault because you trusted Cho," Samaria looked at the boy for a minute. This was her cousin. This was her blood, he only family besides Severus and Elena. And she was his only family.

"Harry, is there something else bothering you?" for a moment she thought he was going to answer, but he shook his head.

"Harry, come here. You're like a brother to me, a son even. I love you as if you were family. Don't let this set back get you down. Use it to strengthen your resolve; you're going to need it."

Harry studied her a moment longer before walking over and putting out his hand. He was quite the whole time she healed his hand and when she was finished thanked her.

He turned to leave, but stopped at the door.

"You know, Ms. Kirby, you're like family to me, too," and then he left.

After a week of detentions, the children were hardly ready for their OWLs. But they didn't have a choice.

Samaria stood to the side of the room, next to Severus, watching the fifth years take their exams. A ruckus outside caught her attention. It sounded like explosions. Umbridge, who had been standing at the front of the room, left to see what it was. When she opened the doors that lead out of the Great Hall, everyone could see fireworks exploding in the air.

Students and teachers alike rushed to see what was going on.

Samaria looked up and saw Fred and George Weasley flying on broomsticks, throwing fireworks in the air. She could help but to grin at the twin's boldness.

One firework turned into a dragon and chased Umbridge back into the Great Hall. Samaria burst out laughing and even Severus cracked a small, very small, grin. The twins flew outside and into the sky. All the students were cheering for them and Samaria just shook her head.

Looking around the crowd, she saw Hermione and Ron helping Harry off the ground. Before she could go see why, Umbridge began ushering the students back inside. As her turn of helping to watch the students was over, she left and went back to her office.

What was going on with Harry? Surely he didn't faint. Samaria could remember that during his third year the Dementors made him pass out, but there weren't any around.

She'd just find him and talk to him after the exams were over.

A few hours later, Severus burst into her office.

"Potter thinks that Black is at the Ministry. We need to contact the Order."

"What? How do you know?"

"Umbridge caught him trying to contact Black through her office's Floo Network. She called me asking for some Veritaserum. He told me 'He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden.' It can only mean the Ministry."

Samaria studied Severus a moment. "We need to find out where Sirius is."

He nodded, "You go. I'll contact Dumbledore and the rest of the Order."

Samaria rushed to her quarters and went to Grimmauld Place. She rushed out of the kitchen, but saw no one.

"Sirius!" she shouted and heard plodding down the stairs.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he rushed inside.

"Oh, thank God!" she hugged him.

Sirius looked at her confused, "What?"

"Harry thought the Dark Lord had you at the Ministry. I had to check."

"Why would he think that?" he asked.

"I've no clue. The only thing I could figure out was that he'd had a dream, like he did with Arthur Weasley."

"Why would that happen? Arthur was really there, I'm not."

"I don't know," she said.

A loud sound caught their attention and Severus rushed out of the kitchen.

"Potter and his little friends are gone," he said.

"They've probably went to rescue me," Sirius said, with a scared look on his face.

"I bet the Dark Lord put that image in his head," Samaria looked at Severus and he nodded his agreement.

"I've got to go. If Voldemort put that in Harry's head, he'll be waiting for him there," Sirius made for the kitchen and Samaria grabbed him.

"Are you crazy? Even if the Death Eaters didn't get you, the Aurors would! You're the most wanted man in Great Britain."

"It'll be alright," he said and tried to get passed her, but Samaria wasn't moving.

"She's right," Severus said. "The Order members should be on their way now, you'd make no difference."

"I might. I'm the reason he's there. I've got to go," he looked down at Samaria and hugged her. "I'll be alright, I promise."

He side stepped her and left through the fireplace.

Samaria looked at Severus, feeling helpless.

"Don't even think about it. We can't go. Some Order members don't know we're double agents and we couldn't fight the Death Eaters without giving ourselves away."

Samaria nodded, but it didn't easy the foreboding feeling she had inside her.

Severus took her in his arms, "It'll be okay. We'll wait her for the Order and you'll see."

~*SW*~

Samaria sat with Severus at the table of Grimmauld Place. Her mind would not quiet down. It went through all the horrible things that could happen. Harry could die. Sirius could die. Lucius could die…

She started at that last thought. She shouldn't be worried about Lucius. He was a Death Eater, the enemy. She should be rooting for his downfall, not worrying about his welfare. Samaria looked down at her hands. She knew, if and when the Death Eaters fell, she would miss Narcissa and Lucius. They had become close friends and Elena adored them. Then another thought came to her. What if the Order fell? What if everyone she loved was killed? What if the Dark Lord took over…

Samaria jumped to her feet and started pacing. Severus didn't say anything, just followed her with his eyes.

"I can't stand this," she complained.

"You don't have a choice," he replied.

She thought a moment, "I think I'm going home." She headed for the door.

"Stop."

She stopped in mid-step and turned to look at her husband's suspicious eyes.

"Where are you really going?" he asked.

"I'm going to get Elena, then go home. I can't stay here and do nothing. At least there I can care for her," Samaria blocked her mind and looked him in the eye.

Severus studied her a few more moments then said, "Fine. I'll wait here."

She nodded and left.

Outside she looked around and quickly Disapparated. Appearing outside the Ministry moments later, she silently begged Severus to forgive her.

Her mind whirred. She had looked for information on the Department of Mysteries but hadn't found anything. She wasn't really sure what to do.

Taking a deep breath, Samaria decided to just go for it and think on her feet. She entered the Ministry. Looking around, she lit her wand to light her way. She went to the elevator and went to the Department of Mysteries level, but didn't find what she expected.

There was only a door and when she entered it, there was a circular room with doors all around.

Biting her lip, Samaria picked one at random. This one only led to another door. And another. They wound and wound until she was right back where she started, in the circular room. With a sigh of frustration as the room began to spin, she wasn't sure which door to try next.

Opening another door at random, she started through the door behind it. And then, only one more door before coming to a huge room.

She stopped and looked around, holding her wand high so she could see. There was blue mist all around. Looking up, she saw a silvery, blue cloud. The room went up so high it seemed never to end. It was beautiful.

Samaria jumped all of a sudden. She heard voices; they all seemed to come from everywhere and yet nowhere all at once.

Again, gazing at the enchanting cloud above, Samaria had just about decided she'd better try another door when she noticed something. Somebody. They were falling. A body was falling from the ceiling!

Without thinking twice, Samaria shouted the levitating charm and the body stopped half way down. Gently, she lowered it and came closer to see who it was.

"Sirius," she breathed. There at her feet lay Sirius. She fell to her knees and checked his pulse.

Samaria fell back onto her butt and sat staring at him. He was alive. Injured, but alive.

Overcoming her shock, she began reciting some quick healing charms, and then began to think of how best to get him out of there.

Levitating him again, she carried him back through a maze of doors. When she finally found her way to the entrance she heard the creepy voice of her master. Not quite being able to make out his words, she wasn't sure of what he was saying, but knew it couldn't be good. He sounded happy, taunting.

Slowly, Samaria eased her way, with Sirius in tow, to one of the many fireplaces connected to the Floo Network. Grabbing some powder, she whispered the first thing that came to mind.

"Spinners End."

Gently laying Sirius on the bed in a secret part of her and Severus' house, Samaria's mind began to wonder. Why had he been falling? What happened?

Quickly she sent a Patronus message to Severus giving a quick review of what had happened and telling him to come to Spinners End as quick as possible. She knew he would be furious with her, but she knew if she hadn't gone Sirius would be dead.

Running her wand over him, Samaria found that he had been hit with the Killing Curse, but not directly. It was almost as if most of it had missed or there was an attempted block but some of the effect come through the shield. She healed his damaged organs and bones, then went to wait for Severus.

She no more than sat down in a chair beside Sirius' bed, than Severus came through the door.

Not bothering to look over at the bed, he stormed over and jerked her to her feet. She flinched, not at the hand that held her arm so tight, because it didn't hurt at all, but at the face that was inches from hers. She had never seen such fury in a face.

"What were you thinking?" he said through gritted teeth.

Before she could answer he continued, "Don't you know you could have been killed? Made a widower out of me and cost Elena her mother. Did I not tell you not to go? I trusted you, though I saw in your eyes you were lying, I trusted my wife to do what she said. But you didn't. You risked your life unnecessarily!"

"It wasn't unnecessarily!" she insisted and gestured to Sirius. "It was…"

"For him? You risked our position in this war, your life, your daughters mother, my wife for him?"

"I just had to help somehow," she begged him to understand. Tears threatened, but Samaria refused to let them flow. "All but two of the most important people in the world to me were there. I couldn't sit and do nothing."

Severus sat her back down, much more gently than he'd gotten her up, and said, "Those two people should have been enough to make you stay put."

She looked down at her lap.

"Why were you in Slytherin? Rushing off brashly into danger is a Gryffindor trait," he sneered at her.

She shook her head. "I would give my life for anyone I love. I'm risking it every day for people I don't even know, as are you, to end this war. But you don't understand, that just because I'm willing to die to protect my friends doesn't mean I love them more than you."

"This isn't about you risking your life for the fight against the Dark Lord. It's about you going off, after being told not to with good reason, I might add, and risking everything. Not only could you have gotten killed, but also you could have exposed yourself. What would you have done had you been seen? If someone saw you, they would expect you to fight on their side. And then the other side would see you! Do you not realize how wrong this could have gone?"

Samaria couldn't stop the tears now. She knew he was right. She hadn't thought, only acted. But her mind kept coming back to Sirius; if she hadn't been there he'd have died. If the fall hadn't killed him, his injuries would have.

Severus studied her a moment, and though still livid asked, "What happened?" He gestured to Sirius.

"He fell from the ceiling of a room. I don't understand how, but he did. I happened to be in there," she said and hiccupped. She tried to stop her tears.

He nodded and looked at the man in the bed. "Did you heal him?"

"As best I could," Samaria wiped the last of the tears from her face and stood. She was surprised when Severus took her in his arms.

"You have no clue how terrified I was when you left," he whispered. "I knew where you were going. Though I couldn't see inside your mind, I knew it."

"Why didn't you stop me?"

"You an adult. You can make you own decisions, and I wanted to trust you, but after you'd gone… I would never have forgiven myself for not stopping you had you been hurt or killed."

"I shouldn't have lied to you," she confessed.

"No, you shouldn't have."

"I am sorry for that but I can't say I'm sorry for going. If I hadn't been there, Sirius would be dead," she looked at up him for a moment. "Can't you understand that?"

Severus sighed and looked over at the bed as Sirius started to move a little.

Samaria rushed over to him and placed her hand on his forehead. "Can you hear me, Sirius?"

"Um-hum," he groaned and looked up at her. "What happened?"

"You fell, somehow, in the Department of Mysteries."

"What?" and then it seemed to come back to him. "I was hit was the Killing Curse but tried to block it. I didn't have enough time to make the block strong enough. It was non-verbal and instinctive, I didn't even think about it when I cast it. The curse pushed me back through an arch way."

"Who hit you?" Severus asked.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Sirius growled. He tried to sit up, "Where's Harry? What happened to him?"

"He's fine," Severus told him as Samaria tried to push the injured man back onto the bed. "Very distraught, though. He thinks, everyone thinks, your dead."

"They think I'm dead?" he asked.

Samaria told him how he fell into the room and how she got him out, and not seeing anyone since then, either.

Sirius sighed wearily, "It's my fault he was there. He was trying to save me."

"It not your fault, Sirius," she told him as she conjured up a bottle of Sleeping Draught.

"It is. I'm a liability for Harry."

"I've been saying it for months," Severus quipped and Sirius gave him an evil glare.

"What are you talking about? We're all in danger here. Harry knows what he risks when he goes to save the ones he loves," she insisted.

"You don't get it. He feels obligated to protect the ones he loves because he has so few of those people left. I'm the closest thing to family he's got, so he'll risk more to protect my life."

Samaria looked down, but said nothing.

"Voldemort used me because he knows I'm a father figure to Harry…" he pushed away the potion Samaria tried to hand him.

"Take it," she ordered.

"I don't want it."

"Quit being a stubborn cow and drink it. You need rest."

"I'm fine," he insisted.

"Drink the potion, Black, before I shove it down your ungrateful throat. Samaria just saved your life, the least you could do is make things easier on her," Severus demanded, not taking his eyes off the book he was examining from the shelf in the corner.

Glaring at Severus, Sirius jerked the potion to him and drank it in one gulp.

"What I'm getting at is, don't tell them I'm alive," he said, handing the bottle back.

"What?" the other two asked at the same time.

"Don't tell anyone, not even Dumbledore. This could easily happen again, but not if I'm dead," his eyes began to droop but he fought sleep.

"Rest Sirius," Samaria told him.

"Not until you promise," he slurred.

She sighed, "For now I promise, but we'll discuss this more when you wake up." And with that, he fell back against the pillow and into a deep sleep.

Severus walked up to Samaria and said, "He may have a point. If everyone thinks he's dead, that is one less liability on our side."

"Not you too," she said as she left the room.

Following her, he replied, "Well, think about it. You can't hold a dead man hostage."

"He's not dead."

"But everyone thinks he is."

"It would kill Harry. He's suffering unnecessarily right now," she replied as she closed the one of many secret doors in the house and went into the kitchen.

"Oh, heaven forbid the Chosen One suffer a little," he sneered.

"Don't even start that, and there is not reason for him to endure this," she looked straight at him.

"Well, he needs to get used to it. Many will die before this is over."

Samaria threw her hands up and walked to the stove to make some coffee for herself.

"Anyway, in the end, this will be Black's decision," Severus told her.

"You're only saying that because you agree with him for once," she accused.

He shrugged, "That's not important. One less person to worry about and even someone to do little errands for us would be beneficial. No one will be looking for a dead man, will they?"

She sighed, "But why can't Harry know, or at least Dumbledore?"

"Potter can't even accomplish Occlumens, do you honestly think he can play the part of a distraught godson convincingly if he knew? And Dumbledore may not agree, besides the less people who know, the better."

"We'll talk about it when he wakes up," she said, dismissing the topic.

Again, Severus shrugged, "I'm going to bed. It's been a long night."

Samaria looked at her unfinished coffee for a moment before pouring it down the drain. "Bed sounds wonderful."

~*SW*~

After some rest, Samaria got up and went to check on Sirius. She found him sitting up in bed, looking very restless.

"Can I get up now?" he asked when he saw her.

"No," she replied and ran her wand over him. All his bones and organs had healed, but she thought it best to keep him in bed a while longer.

"Sirius, we need to talk," she sat down in the chair beside his bed.

"I'm not changing my mind. Everyone will continue to think I'm dead. It's for the best."

She sighed, "Sirius, what good would this do? Even if it were logical, where would you stay?"

"It's extremely logical and I could stay here."

"You barely stood being inside at your house all the time. How will you tolerate one room?"

"I'll manage. It'll be different. I'm not being forced to stay here. This is my idea. I can do it," he seemed confident. "I want to help Harry. This is important, I need them to think I'm dead or this will just happen again."

Again, Samaria sighed, "Fine. I give up."

Sirius smiled in satisfaction, "Great. Now, what do you have to eat around here?"

Samaria and Severus went back to Hogwarts later that day. Since this was the last day of school, they didn't stay long. After gathering their possessions, the two went back to Spinners End.

"I need to go get Elena and explain to Narcissa what happened," Samaria told Severus.

"And what did happen?"

"Hogwarts was a disaster and there was no way we could leave the students. And it was, from what Draco told me."

He nodded and she left to go get her child.

When she arrived, she found Narcissa in tears.

"What's wrong?" she rushed into the parlor.

"Lu.. Lu.. Lucius is in Azkaban. They caught him at the Ministry," she sobbed. "They searched the house and took anything that seemed remotely related to the Dark Arts." She cried into her hands.

Samaria tried to sooth her, "Shhh. It'll be okay."

Narcissa shook her head. "No, it won't," she wailed. "The Dark Lord is furious at our whole family."

The other wasn't sure what to say to that. There was no way to tell her it would be fine with the most evil and next to the most powerful wizard of all angry at her and her family. So, she just hugged her.

"I'll be f..fine," the blonde said. "Oh, Elena is in Draco's room. He's been playing with her since he got home from school. He hasn't shown anything but annoyance at what's happened. Stays locked up in his room. I don't know what to do."

"Let me talk to him," Samaria headed for the boys room.

As she neared the room she heard a baby giggling. Smiling, she knocked on the door. After a moment, it opened slightly and a blonde head peeked out. Draco's annoyed face chanced to one of surprise as he opened the door wider to let her in.

"Are you okay, Draco?" she asked.

"Of course," he held his head high and walked over to where Elena sat on his carpet. Picking her up, he handed her to Samaria.

She sighed and sat the baby back down as Draco walked over to his window and kept his back to her.

"Draco, talk to me."

"There's nothing to say," he folded his arms, but didn't turn around.

"I know you have to be upset about Lucius and, despite what your father may tell you, it is okay to show feelings of sadness and fear, sometimes."

"I-AM-NOT-AFRAID," he said through gritted teeth.

"I didn't say you were, just that if you were, it's okay."

"Well, I'm not," he put his hands down by his side and clenched them into fists.

"Draco," she walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

He nodded stiffly, but said nothing.

"Please talk to me."

He whirled around angrily, causing her to step back a little. His jaw was clenched and tears were streaming down his face.

"Draco…"

"Stop! I can't stand sympathy," he quickly wiped the tears from his face.

"It's not sympathy, I just care about you."

He shook his head and said, "Since they took Father away, the Dark Lord has been furious with our whole family. He's… He's…" He took a deep breath, "He's told me that I'm the only way for our family to get back in favor with him."

"Oh, Draco," if she had hated the Dark Lord before, she loathed him with all her being now.

"He… he wants me to accept the Dark Mark and then he'll tell me my mission," he looked at her horror stricken face. "I'm not scared though," he insisted. "Not for me. If I fail, though, my Mother… She'll be…" He stopped and turned away again.

Samaria walked up to him and rapped her arms around his chest, "It'll be okay, Draco. It'll be okay. And anything I can do to help, I will."

He turned so fast she almost lost her balance, "NO! You can't tell anyone! I wasn't supposed to say anything. Please."

"I won't tell, not anyone."

Draco sighed with relief.

She smiled at him, "Thank you for entertaining Elena for your mother."

He gave her a half smile and went to pick up the baby crawling around, "It wasn't any trouble. She's very amusing."

Elena started babbling different words she had learned at random and Draco laughed, "I've been trying to get her to say my name, but not luck yet."

"She can be stubborn about things like that," Samaria laughed.

There was a pounding at Draco's door. Before he could answer it, the door swung open and Bellatrix bounded in looking livid.

"The Dark Lord wishes to see you," she spat.

Draco pointed at himself, "Me?" He looked petrified.

"No," she scoffed and pointed. "Her."

Wanting to hurry, but not wanting Bellatrix to be around her baby, Samaria picked her daughter up and handed her to Draco.

Knocking on the door to the room the Dark Lord stayed, she dreaded what was to come. What if he had found out she was at the Ministry and didn't help? What if he found out about Sirius? What if…

The door opened on it's on and she walked in. Bowing in the center of the room, Samaria remained in that position waiting for her 'master' to speak.

When he did it sent chills down her spine, "You've heard of the failure of last night, I presume?" He began to circle around her.

"Yes, my lord," she replied looking straight ahead.

"What do you think of it?"

"I think it's appalling and I only wish I could have been there to prevent it, somehow." He paused in front of her and looked into her eyes, then continued walking around her. She was beginning to feel like mouse being circled by a cat.

"I'm not pleased," his circle became smaller, his robes brushed against her now as he walked.

"No, master."

"Rise," he commanded and she did so. He walked around her a few more times, and then his face was all of a sudden inches from hers, "I do not like not being pleased."

She shook her head, "Of course not, master."

His finger traced around her neck as he circled her again. It sent chills down her body and she had to force herself not to shiver.

"Do you wish for me to be pleased?" he whispered in her ear.

Samaria was petrified. "Yes," she barely uttered.

He come full circle to stand in front of her, so close she could feel his breath, but didn't look up at him.

Still running his finger along her neck, he said, "Then please me."

"I can't," she blurted out before she could stop it.

Within a split second his finger was gone and his hand encircled her upper arms. Even though Severus had done the very same thing just days earlier, the Dark Lord was not holding his strength back as he husband had.

"What?" he hissed.

"I can't," she whispered.

"You refuse me yet again?"

She licked her dry lips before replying, "Yes."

Using his bodily strength he threw Samaria away from him. She landed on the floor but, before she knew it, she was against the opposite wall sliding to the ground with all the breath gone from her body. Looking up she saw the seething Dark Lord with his wand in his hand.

"Get out of my sight," he growled and she crawled out of the room.

Severus looked up as Samaria walked through the door of Spinner's End. Seeing the strange look on her face, he sat down the book he was reading and took the baby from her. After setting Elena in her crib to play, he hurried back to where she now sat on the couch.

"What is it?" he asked.

At first, she just shook her head and said nothing. He said nothing and after a moment she told him, "The Dark Lord is very unhappy with the Malfoy family."

"Did you expect otherwise? The Dark Lord doesn't forgive easily."

She nodded and looked down at her hands.

"What is it, Samaria?" he asked.

"The Dark Lord, more than likely, is unhappy with us as well."

"Why would he be?"

She took a deep breath, "I refused him again. He didn't take it so well this time."

"What did he do?" Severus asked darkly.

"He, um, grabbed my arms then threw me against the wall."

"Samaria! Let me see!" He opened the back of her robes to revel where her back had already begun to bruise then rolled up her sleeves to show her purple arms.

"I'll… I'll…"

"You won't do anything," she stopped him, fixing her clothes back. "He'll get over it and you won't let on you know."

Severus shook his head and started to pace.

"There's nothing you can do that won't get you killed," Samaria insisted.

He stopped and looked at her, "I know and that's what bothers me the most. I can't do anything."

"Do anything about what?" asked Sirius as he came out of his secret room.

"You shouldn't just burst out of there! You never know who might be in here," Severus scolded.

"I have my ways. Now, what can't you do?"

"None of your damn business!" Severus screamed.

Sirius just looked at him for a moment then shrugged and went back to his secret room.

Samaria looked at her husband, "You shouldn't take you anger out on him. He didn't do anything."

Severus ignored her and sat down. She sat beside him and took his hand, "It'll be okay. I'll take some healing potion and be better in no time."

"But what's to keep it from happening again?" he asked, still not looking at her.

"Nothing. Nothing is to stop him from hurting or even killing either one of us. It's our duty though."

Severus shook his head, "I should have never agreed to let you do this."

"Well, you did so you just need to get over it." He looked at her surprised. "I know you worry about me, but these things are going to happen. It'll be alright in the end," she insisted.

Severus scoffed, "Says who?"

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