Chapter 4 : Spoils.

Haven:

With a small gust of wind, her body broke into a shiver as their feet trudged on through the growing was raining much harder now, the falling water casting a colder chill than just what hung in the air. He had purchased her a bag of crisps and pop when she protested her hunger but was given the option to hold them until later, or to bring her hands to the air so that she could feed herself. With Severus in the lead, they passed identical housings that lined identical streets and she held her coats tightly around herself and tilted her face away from the wind with her chin buried deep in her sweaters. She thought of how astounding it was that the man who walked just slightly in front seemed so unaffected by the chill, as he continued to travel with a confident vulture like stride and a glare set to match.

They would continue walking in silence until the yards turned small and fenced, the buildings turned to gated shops, until Severus steered them under an awning aside the empty main street where without notice, Haven, who had her eyes watching the heels of the man, had walked right into him.

When she looked up, she met the dark mocking smirk breaking the linings of his mouth.

"Lesson one," His tone matched that of the vile and mockery he gave all his students, "always keep your head up. Lesson two," He held up two black gloved fingers for a moment, "there is more than one way to track magic and all magic leaves a trail just as every person does.. Even you. Tell me a way we can move freely and undetected by the ways of magic."

Even though Severus used his harsh teaching tone, the one of directness and inpatients that many would look away from, Haven held eye contact and thought to herself before pulling up in a nervous but audible tone, "We don't use magic?"

"Correct."

Pushing his hood slightly more forward, Severus turned around and led her down a set of nearby stairs that lead into the belly of the city.

Being the very wee hours of the pouring weekend morning, there was little traffic and the platforms were only lined by a few sullen looking individuals and bottomed out homeless. Severus would keep them away from the little amount of interaction that could be made by the strung out and propositioning, and together they stood at each others side in silence at the end of the track. It had been when he paid for her ticket that somewhere inside her, an anger started rising. He offered housing to her, but he acted as if the offer was forced and she didn't like that he wasn't as kind as his offer.

As much as she wanted to turn around and leave on a separate train, something inside continued to stop her.

It was the realness of every child's fantasy that was currently playing out before her, that had held her with the strange man. And as she followed him aimlessly though sliding doors of rumbling trains and changing platforms, with eyes that for a long time kept on his back, she found the events of the day reeling through her mind as her walk turned into a autopilot travel. These people, their names, the clothing they all wore...and the magic. It was everything out of a story book. A fair princess saved from hell on the back of a large black crow.

Her small smile faded as the surrounding silence grabbed her attention and halted her steps. Realizing how much she hadn't been watching where she was going, she found herself alone, spinning around in panic on the center of the empty, dual subway platform. The silence screamed in a lasting ring as the eerie silence thickened the air that warned of a darkened approach. Startled, her eyes flew upwards to the newly flickering lights above that only added to the surreal feeling that rose around her.

An echo of squeaking spun her around and her eyes widened on a large, fat rat that stalled a moment before scampering over side of the platform and onto the steel rails of the track below. For a second, she could have sworn that old, fat rat had turned to her and stared right at her before lifting it's paw and... had it really just waved at her?

Finding her steps trailing along with the scampering rats direction, she traces her eyes up the rail and notices with a miss of a heart beat, a figure is standing at the large black mouth of the tunnel. His moon white face shines as the only thing against the voiding blackness that created him and with a foolish bravery she moved up the platform more, trying to get a clearer view of what was on his face. A sudden gasp erupted from her and stalled heart and froze her steps all at the same time. Before her was what looked like a highly deformed man, with what she could only guess was the man having no noes and instead slits that matched his snake like eyes that narrowed in hunger towards her when met. Unable to break away they stared at each other, it's lips breaking into a horrifying smile when a voice that was neither in the air nor in her head sounded, weaving like whisping silk through her skull

In what she can not feel but as a rumble beneath her feet, the station begins to shake around her.

It's been sssso long... She hears the voice clearly through it's haze, And you have come to ssssso much hurt... I knnnow your pain... and I cannnn teach you how to conquer ittt.. Your magic is different than theirssss... allow me... allow me to make you ... a God.

She jumped as a train sped by her from the opposite track and at once a heavy hand lands on her shoulder forcing her to jump around once more. Her heart thumped through her chest as she looked into the force molded concerned eyes of Snape who hovered above her, watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"Where did you go?!" She exclaimed angry, suddenly feeling abandoned.

"Always, keep your head up."

She looked around the tall man to where the deformed man had been standing, but found he had since vanished from the mouth of the blacked out tunnel. She wouldn't mention that she saw Snape follow her gaze before he turned on his heel as the light of their train broke the blackness that approached their platform. Glancing around once more for the entity, Haven followed Severus to the yellow line before stepped onto the train behind him.

After leaving the city they would sit until her eyes would drop, waking when the conductor on the microphone called the last stop. Keeping a heavy hand latched on her forearm, he kept her in her seat until three stops later where they would step off the train and onto a damp, quiet, overgrown platform.

With tired, half opened eyes that would keep his form in direct sight, she noticed a wooden sign as they turned out of the otherwise empty station.

Spinners End, was etched in basic lettering and she looked up at the back of Severus in confusion as they walked on. She had memorized all the train stops but had never once seen this particular stop or even traveled this far on that same train that always before had turned around.

What felt like longer than it probably was, eventually, as they passed the sets mirror house set ups, he quietly lead her tired, shuffling feet up a single, four step, grey stone stoop. With a glance at her, his hand took the handle and he opened his front door for her to enter first.

Haven held her breath as she stepped into the small home that was only made smaller by copious amount of books and papers that sat stacked and covered the vast majority of surfaces. The room she turned into on her immediate right was dimly lit and already warmed by a roaring fire contained in the hearth along with scattered candles that matched the fashion of the home of the elderly witch.

A sudden, hard breath was pushed out of her in a gasp as the force of the mans hand locked tightly around her throat before shoving her against a nearby wall and off her feet. While he choked her, he forced her to look at him, allowing him to see her wince under the shock of pain as his wand pushed painfully under her ribs.

"I haven't forgotten finding your hand in my pocket, and tonight can go one of two ways." His emotionless, orblike eyes glared at her, "Lucky for you, it's your decision. You can either, attempt taking something that is not yours and I will kill you just as I've killed thief's in the past. Or, and I personally recommended this option, you stay silent and keep your hands to yourself."

She wanted to ask why he even wanted her there. What compelled him to take her request. She wanted to know what was going to happen tomorrow. She wanted to declare she was done with all the pulling around. She wanted to stomp and argue that she was a being as well. She didn't want to do all this again. But, it was already so late and her mind twinged painfully in a sudden attack against her exhaustion that she forced herself to forget. With an irritated growl, Snape released her neck and dropped her feet to his floor before backing away.

"Good. The room is up the stairs and to the left. Second door." Severus whipped around on his heel and left her there just as the sound of a kettles hiss rang through the air from deeper inside the flat.

Left alone she looked around the room from where she stood rubbing her throat. She eyed the covers of the nearby books that were wrapped in old leather, bindings. She examined the beauty of the the hand written scripture that was printed perfectly on old looking papers that sat by her immediate side.

"You can move away from the wall now." He mocked, "unless you've done something wrong already, you have nothing to fear."

She hadn't moved when she heard his nearly silent steps come back into the room, and when he chose to speak, his voice had raised her eyes to him slowly.

Severus placed what looked like a cup of hot coco for her on the small table before sitting himself in a comfortable looking armchair and opening the book on his lap in a concluding motion.

As she took her first steps, carefully she walked to the outer edge of the family room, eyeing all the old leather bound books, animal skulls, trinkets, bottles and jars that were filled with gooey and gross looking things. As she traveled she became numb to the glare Severus would cast towards her watchfully. She was curious towards these things she had never seen and, she guessed, that her interested gazes amused him, why else would he watch her so?

Severus:

From behind her, his eyes would narrow when he witnessed her small hand move up and lad gently a dull green jar with a small whipping eel like creature inside. He chose to place his cup on the side table loudly, bringing her to spin around and her fingers to tighten into a fist with her withdrawing hand, her eyes set on him in guarded caution.

He nodded, and she cautiously continued her looking.

At one point he would watch her eyes widen on an old, hardcover book that lay on a stand. It was a magical creature book if he remembered properly and he crooked an eye brow when she stopped at it. He watched on in silence as her fingers ran lightly over the parchment page and with a glance in his direction, she pulled the heavy book from the stand and brought it over to him.

"That's a mermaid, right?" she asked, glancing up at him with cautious eyes.

He broke his gaze away from hers and to the pages she held before him. After a glance, he would take the book for himself even though the weight seemed nothing for her trained arms, and he examined the page properly.

"Yes."

" Sirens I think they are called. They're supposed to sing these songs, and it hypnotizes sailors into driving their boats into the rocks."

"Where did you learn that?" He asked with just enough interest for her to accept, and he leaned back into his chair.

"I've read, Oedipus Rex." She stated calmly as if it weren't anything special.

Within his accepting head nod she found a break of comfort with the man and she unzippered her wet jackets and looked at him as where to place it. Soundlessly, he eyed a wooden chair that Haven turned to see before hanging her jackets over the head. She noticed his body tensed when she turned back to him, a familiar motion that she continued closer to him and lowered herself of the floor at his side, her back against the leather couch that sat aside the side table they would share.

"I've read that too." Severus slowly noted as she pulled the hot coco down and he flipped through the pages in thought.

After a moment of thought and flipping, Severus twisted the book around and lowered it to her eye level, his finger pointing at the right page, "What about this one?"

"That's a centaur." Her answer definite, her voice holding her cold street tone as her eyes told of a different story.

"Correct." He nodded as he turned a few pages before settling.

"And this?"

"A pixey. Nasty animals." She glanced up from the page to Severus who gave a huff and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" He decided to push her knowledge.

"Yeah. They are actually really distructive and tend to get people into trouble." She looked up at him with her own sense of pride cracking through her eyes as she received a smirked nod in return. He decided to test the extent of her knowledge and turned to the page explaining Dementors. She moved closer to the book and stared hard at the picture.

"I don't know..Grim Reapers." she sighed shaking her head.

"Do you know this one?" He flipped to his final test that his finger marked.

"A Hippogriff." she said confidently.

Severus leaned back in his chair in thought. Her knowledge seemed to be that of stories and not from education. Still, he figured that at least he wasn't dealing with a complete idiot and that was something to be accepted in this circumstance.

There was something about her. Something he couldn't place that was driving him to a quiet madness.

In time, as he thought to himself, he watched her get lost in the book before her and he would answer as she asked him question after question about different creatures. It was a different style of teaching, one Severus couldn't say he fully hated. Her questions showed interest and her repeating back showed her dedication to remember his words and soon enough, he noticed her sentences slow and her eyes start to droop.

"Time for sleep." He concluded shutting the large book.

"Not yet." She said quickly, stifling a yawn and pulling the book from his grasp and opening it on the floor before her.

He didn't like children much. Hell, he didn't like anyone, and the only reason he could keep control at having his orders ignored was that he was very much exhausted as well.

"Why? He mocked harshly.

"Because, I'll never have another chance..." Her voice broke.

"And, why would you say that?" His eyebrow rose as he watched her in silence.

"Because, this is only for tonight."

Severus's retort caught in his throat as he watched her eye's detrimentally scan the pages not so much reading, but looking at the pictures and taking in all she could. At one point he would move on from his chair in attempt to rile her to the thought of being alone. But, she was used to the darkness and knew its horrors would not touch her here. Ending up only ti continue to watch her silently from the stairs, he waited until she faded away with her cheek pressed against the book. With a flick of his wand, the throw blanket from the couch landed itself gently over the girl, and with a final spell he turned up the stairs as the lights gave away to blackness.

Haven:

Around nine that morning, Severus Snape slinked down the stairs dressed in semi-loose fitting nightwear that included a T-shirt, long fleece pants and bare feet. In passing, he turned his head and stopped on the bottom stair, his body and mind frozen of all movement. His eye's dropped and held to the child who still slept soundly on the floor that he had somehow forgotten about. Somehow he felt awkward about the situation and the feeling affecting him in his own home immediately set him on a jaw tightening edge.

Making his way into his kitchen he would go on to crack a pair of eggs over a pan and watch them sizzle on the stove. His plan used a few times before seemed to work again and soon enough, Haven came shuffling into the kitchen rubbing her eyes and pulling on her dried coat.

"Thank you for last night, I -"

"Sit." He was short and he stood with his back to her.

"No thank you." Her voice slipped into a chill of the streets she would soon return to, "I have to leave, I have people to meet."

And she did, but her answer was not what he expected and she watched him turn to see her already dressed and zippered with her pack slung over her shoulder. Here, there was a moment of freezing where Haven realized that Severus wasn't sure about releasing her and she took a step back over the threshold into the living room.

"I have food on the stove." his method to stall received only a head shake.

"I appreciate it. I do. But, I have people to meet and it's twenty back from the supposed last stop just to even start heading where I need to go."

Without another choice he gave a sigh and walked through the kitchen and followed her towards the front door. It was then she turned to him, unsure of what to say as the man reached into his pocket and pulled a white envelope that she found being extended to her. It was enough for food and a few nights stay in a barn or on a workhouse cot, more than she could get from a day of stealing and enough to sustain for a few good meals after that..

"Why?" Was all she found herself able to say.

"Final lesson. Never question generosity."

He nodded as her eyes held back pain and he opened the door, watching her head lower and her feet shuffle over the threshold. She started down the stairs defeated. She had forgot the witches address and she didn't remember how to make the train continue past the last stop. Her story was over. The devils illusions casting shadowed hopefulness in evil games. After she this, she would only find magic in stories.

"Two stops after the last stop." Severus voice came quietly from behind her.

"Huh?" She asked turning to look up at him.

"Two stops after the final stop. Yellow line."

"I don't know how." She leveled her weakness with the man.

"You do now."

And with that, he shut the door and she turned around wide eyed before making her way down the street as she repeated his flat number over and over.

….

She had long since left but Severus was still leaned against the inside of the door. He didn't understand why he invited her back, hell, besides the irritating biting of a forgotten past meeting he didn't know why he invited her with him in the first place. His gut twisted, warning him of unknown events to come if things were to be continued. He could walk away right now. He could kick her from this life while saving her own. He could slip her something and drop her off somewhere and tell Minerva whatever he wanted. She would continue her life, oblivious to the fact magic existed outside of books.

She could be saved.

But if she were found by the wrong people...- He stopped his thoughts and ran his hand through his hair as he let out a low groan.

It was too early for this.

Haven:

The back roads of London were a dangerous place to tread, and the night only allowed the evil to bleed into main streets. To survive, you had to act the part as well as look it. Being a female among criminals and addicts was a dangerous line to dance and early on she learned people were not kind.

She sat on a hay stack of the generous farm owner's barn and she looks into a dirty mirror she holds with one hand as she clips randomly at her hair, failing in any kind of neatness or equal length. Her hair was a very brown/black and constantly stuck out in different directions, mixing this by using a deeper voice she was a very convincing boy.

Unlike most of the other street kids, she decided not to work at a factory for food and place to sleep. Like most of the orphans, she wanted no part in an orphanage or foster care. She had watched a enough kids cough up blood from the fumes or run away from overcrowded homes to willingly tread in those areas.

A draft blew into the barn and she shivered within her bones, pushing herself deeper into the hay stack and covering herself with a newly purchased blanket.. That night the purring of a nearby barn cat would lull the exhausted and paining girl to sleep.

In her dreams she stood to her feet and brushed dust from her clothing while looking around the barren and desert-like surroundings. After a silent moment of thought, she pinched herself and when she felt nothing, she realized she was dreaming.

The rattling of a snaketail echoed through the sky like thunder and she spun around to see an older boy standing yards from her by a large dead log that was not there before.

"Hello?" She called, and the boy began walking towards her.

He was an older boy, with short brown hair and wearing a green and black robe with a matching color tie. A silver badge that was pinned over his heart showed a green snake, and above that he wore a gold plated pin that read "Head Boy".

"Hello, Jessica," The boys voice was warm in contrast to his dark smile.

She took steps back and widened her eyes.

"How do you know my name?"

"I never haven't." He stopped walking and showed her his opened hands.

"What do you want?" She asked, and instead of the boy responding, a familiar voice invaded her mind.

I came to make you a God.

The boy smiled as she shook the voice from her head.

"Now here we stand, my love. On the eve of the first page of your story. Every fantasy you've ever dreamed is about to happen and I'll show you how do everything you've ever wished.. Come with me, Jessica." The boys hand was extended, "and I promise no one will ever hurt you again."

"Who are you?" she asked walking up to him.

"My name, is Tom Riddle. "