** I apologize in advance for the grammar and spelling mistakes you will surely find...

A/N: This was meant to be part of the 8th chapter but it didn't convinced me so I cut that part in order to review this. ENJOY!

The punishment - 9

MINERVA

The third door of the small corridor of the Headmaster's private chambers took me to an elegant bathroom with a large bath, more like a small pool. I dipped myself into the water as I thought about what had just happened... What had I done? Had I been so desperate for some carnal contact that I'd allowed myself to surrender to Severus touch...? or was that something I already desired...?
I was confused... He was a traitor, a killer, a Death Eater... he'd coldly killed Albus and physically punished me... but it was true that his lashes had felt less painful than Amycus... No! Why was I trying to excuse him? There was no excuse for what he'd done... but what about for what I had done...? I had let him possess me without offering any resistance... even worst, he'd begged me to ask him to stop and I had kept quiet... but why would he beg me when he was in control?
Oh... it was so bloody confusing! He was confusing.
I embraced myself with one of the soft towels hanging on the wall and and crossed the corridor back into that bedroom where I'd woken up a couple hours ago in the darkness. I turned the light on.
The four posted bed where I'd been sleeping was in the center of the room, opposite to it there was a tall drawer, on the left a desk with another french chair and on the right a window with long purple curtains preventing the sun to come in. I crossed the room and opened them... the sun was just bathing in the lake water and I wondered what time it was.
It was then when I noticed the armchair in the corner with a pile of clothes, my clothes, lying on it. There were enough for a long stay, what meant that the Headmaster was indeed determined to keep me prisoner in his chambers for some reason... maybe to satisfy his own carnal desires like before.
I walked out the bedroom and went into the living area. Severus was gone and once again I tried to open the door in vain. I missed my wand... I lost it in Amycus' chambers and who knows if I'd get it back... I had an old wand in the second drawer of my desk that I've always kept just in case but... as long as I couldn't get out, it wasn't much help.
Resting my back on the magically locked wooden door I saw a tray with food on the dinner table where we... .. . I was starving, so I sat down, grabbed the croissant on the plate and bite it like if I hadn't eaten in days. I served myself some tea, with two spoons of sugar and no milk and as I sipped the hot liquid I noticed a note next to the tray.

Dear professor McGonagall,
There's many things we should clear out. Anything you need you can ask Winky.
S.S.

P.S. She has explicit orders not to let you out, so don't bother asking her.

What kind of cold murderer makes you feel how he'd made me feel only a few hours ago on that table and leaves you breakfast after that... A psychopath? Severus was introvert, but he'd never looked like a psyco to me...
After finishing my breakfast I taked the tray to the sink of the small kitchen and following my captors suggestion, I summoned Winky and asked her to bring me my wand, the one in my office. She wasn't sure about having to manage a wizard's' wand but I told her she only had to carry it like she'd do with the tray and that there would be no problem. The house-elf disappeared with a *pop* and as I waited for her I walked around the room examining every detail... Severus hadn't really made much changes, everything looked like when Albus was here, though there were some personal things missing like the portrait of his sister or his book collection... I guessed Aberforth had kept those things and I walked to the bookshelf and scan the titles Severus had brought with him to the Headmaster's chambers.
Most of them were about the Dark Arts, about its history and about attacking and defensive spells, the rest were potion recipes books.
Winky arrived holding my replacement wand like if it was burning, I thanked her and she left, not without leaving the dirty dishes cleaned first.
I wasn't wandless anymore, and though I knew it would be useless, I spent some time trying other spells to unlock the door, make it explode or remove whatever spell was on it... It was impossible. Frustrated, I walked to the window and looked down... even in my cat form trying to jump would be a suicidal mission, so I grabbed one of those thick books from the bookshelf and lied on the couch to read. The small clock on the fireplace said it was ten o'clock.

SEVERUS

I hadn't been able to stay in the room after... .. . I hadn't been with a woman since... I couldn't even tell... but it had been amazing, feeling that way, able to please a woman... and not any woman but Minerva... I didn't know what was happening to me with her, I only knew I had a strong need to keep her safe and close.
In the school everybody was worried about Minerva's sudden disappearance... The Carrows because they had no idea of how she'd escaped from their chambers if she was unconscious, the students because they didn't like the idea of their new heroine being dismissed without a reason and the teachers because they didn't believed that story. Once again, I became the responsible for that and, once again, they were partly right.
I went back to the Headmaster's chambers at lunchtime and found Minerva reading one of my old books about the Dark Arts. She was so concentrated in her lecture that she didn't notice me stepping in.
"Did you find any spell to blow up the door, yet?" I startled her. She sat up on the couch and left the book on the tea table.
"No, but I did found a couple that would help me convince you of letting me go..." she said in a tone that I wasn't sure if she was serious or was responding ironically.
"Let's go eat," I said walking towards the table that the house-elfs had just dressed with a nice purple cloth that matched the chairs. I had asked them to set the table for two as soon as I was back, and so did they.
"I'm not hungry," Minerva said from the couch, "I only want you to unlock the door."
"I told you, I..." I turned around to face her only to realize she was branding a wand to me...
"I won't lie, what we did earlier was fun and I really enjoyed myself, but I don't like being kept against my will, specially by two-faced traitors..." she talked with honesty, I could feel, but there was also a hint of fear in her eyes... She feared me, I didn't like that.
"Minerva..."I tried to approach her.
"Don't!" she stopped me, "I won't hesitate this time, open the bloody door unless..."
"Unless what? You're not going to kill me, you're not like that... I am," I said, stepping ahead and all of a sudden she sent some spell towards me that made one of the french chairs explode into pieces. I let go a curse and she smirked.
"Don't underestimate me, Severus..." at that moment I remembered her dueling against Alecto only a few days ago.
"Minerva, we should talk first, please..."
"I don't want to talk..."
"Minerva I won't let you leave these rooms as long as being in the castle puts you in danger... so whatever you're going to do with that wand, do it..."
"I can take care of myself," she pointed.
"Like you did today?" I gazed at her and I could feel the nervousness increasing in her, "Amycus Carrow has a fetish predilection for women who hate him... You put him to his nerves showing your pride during the punishment and then making it very clear that you dislike him... He was very close yesterday... if he's able to get you again he won't fail..."
"Why do you have to be so unnervingly confusing?" she questioned, no irony, no anger... only desperation, "One moment I learn you've killed Albus, you run away without explaining yourself, you come back to manage the school with tyranny and impose severe punishments to anyone, including me... and the other... you're this man, claiming everything you do is for a good cause, asking me to keep safe and..." she stopped there, took some air, and talked again, "and making love with the tenderness you showed me just a few hours ago in this very same table." she pointed at the furniture behind me and stare at my eyes, "I'm confused because I don't know what to think, what to feel... I feel I hate you and that I couldn't live without you at the same time and that's driving me crazy..." her eyes filled with tears but she kept her wand pointing at me.

MINERVA

"He asked me to do it," what as he talking about no?, "he'd been cursed, he was dying and..." oh my... was he actually talking abut Albus, excusing himself for killing our friend after all those months... He kept talking "Albus learned Malfoy had been asked to end with his life, and that I'd made an unbreakable vow with Narcissa to fulfill that job if the boy failed so... he said I should be the one to kill him when the time come..." he looked at me and I put my wand down.
We stared at each other for a moment... I'd say he was saying the truth but... did I believe him? Could I? Should I? … Albus asking to die... it was painful to accept but, it did sounded as something that would only occur to him...
If it was true, it would all make sense... Severus running away during the summer to avoid being formally accused for what he'd had to do, learning the Dark Lord's plan to take the school so becoming Headmaster to keep an eye on the Death Eaters... He tried to convince me not to defy the Carrows and... Poppy was right, he took Amycus place during the punishment to ensure he wouldn't harm me more... It was making sense, wasn't it? Maybe I was just making it up so it would...
"Please, say something," he begged breaking the silence.

TO BE CONTINUED...

To the readers of this story (rather they like it or not),

I feel a little lost here... I know it's my fault, for insisting on involving them in some kind of relationship when some of you warned me not to, but I'm not sure what Minerva could say, if she does say something... I know what I'd like to happen, but I don't want to force events so, though it makes me very happy when you press the "follow this story" button... I wouldn't mind if you left me a comment and tell me something to know what you actually think about it (good or bad). It has always helped me clear my mind to know people's reaction...

Any way, thanks for reading, really thank you for following, I hope you enjoyed this part and the entire story, and if not, I'm sorry.