When Severus woke up the next morning, he heard someone cry. He turned around and looked at her. Her whole body shook. He touched her cheek with one hand. She was really crying. She turned to him and he could see that her eyes were red from crying. He looked at her in concern and asked: "Minerva, what is wrong? Did I hurt you last night?"
"No, you didn't… It's just the fact that I love the murderer of my best friend. You killed my best friend, the man I loved the most. And I love you." Severus knew who she meant: Albus… And she was right. He rose up out of the bed and left her alone.
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Same Moment, but 297 miles away…
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"No signs of a fight." Ronald Weasley walked into the kitchen. He, Harry and Hermoine were together with some members of the OotP. "But I found this." He held a wand in his extended hand and it wasn't his. "It lay on the ground in the basement."
"So, except the fact that her wand lay in the basement, shows everything into the direction that she did go in free will," Harry said. "But why?"
"Because someone forced her."Alastor Moody walked into the kitchen too. "She cast many protection curses at her house, but when we came here, non of them was activated. It's nothing for Minerva to have forget something that important."
"So whe know the why and how, but who's the who?" Hermoine leaned against the worktop. Suddenly she gave a cry of surprise. "Look! There is a message!" Her trembling finger pointed at the cup of tea. Everyone gathered around her and looked at the cup, too. Glowing words were swimming in the tea. Tonks read it aloud: "So…you…know…It…won't…help… She…is…as…good…as…dead!" The glowing words vanished and Tonks looked at Moody. "Can that be real? Could she be death?"
He shook his head: "I have no idea, but we must now prepare for the worst. If they really have her, there is no hope. Only a miracle could save her and in these times there are no miracles!"
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"Minerva! You have to eat!" Severus was standing in the door. Her breakfast, which he brought her almost six hours ago, was still standing untouched on the small table. She was lying unchained on the bed. "Come on, Minerva. I'm sure Albus doesn't want you to starve to death." He sat down next to her on the bed and started to stroke her back.
"Why don't you leave me alone?" She turned to him, her face swollen from al those tears. "Why do you make it worse?" The stern professor was gone and now there was a person hurt, a person that needed love and warmth.
"I can imagine how you feel, minerva, but you have to eat! It won't help anybody if you starve to death."
"NO!" She pushed him away and he almost fell off the bed. "Leave me alone, Severus! I don't want to talk to you, nor I want to eat! Get away!"
He caught hold of her wrists and pushed her back onto the bed. He was now sitting a top of her and held her both her wrists down with one hand. She screamed and tried to break free, but he was too strong.
"Minerva! Whether you eat right now or I will Imperio you to do so!" He grabbed his wand with his free hand and pointed it at her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the wand.
"You wouldn't do that, would you?" She looked into his eyes. "You wouldn't curse me, would you?" There was a silence while Severus bend forward and softly kissed her lips. He pushed his tongue between them and stroked hers with it. Then he pulled back and said: "Just because I love you, I must curse you. Because I don't want you to die."
There was a silence while she looked at him. A minuted passed, and another one, and another…
"You're right… Maybe I should eat. It's really ridiculous." She said. At the same moment her stomach rumbled. Severus smiled at her and looked at her breakfast. "You can't eat that anymore. I will make you some again."