The Knight of Darkness
Chapter 1
But evil things, in robes of sorrow,
Assailed the monarch's high estate.
-"The Haunted Palace" Edgar Allan Poe
"Persephone!" A tall, severe looking woman with her hair pulled so tightly into a bun that it looked like all the hair on her head would suddenly snap under the pressure, and she would be completely bald. Screamed as she ran out the gold-framed double doors of a large Tudor style mansion, rose vines climbing up the sides. "Persephone, you foolish child. Where are you?" she screeched, her black robes blowing in the wind. "The Dark Lord is sure to be arriving any moment!" She turned into a small garden, and rushed over to a girl with mousy brown hair and a pale, ordinary looking face. She had on a long black dress with a low neckline and thin straps.
"Mother, I told you I refuse to be near those monsters." Persephone said calmly. "Just let me sit out here until they're gone," The woman, Mrs. Elena Jones, stared at her daughter like she'd sprouted a second head and began singing in Dutch.
"Oh dear, what are you talking about?" her false concern made Persephone sick and in a moment of weakness, she snapped.
"You know very well what I mean, those awful creatures, those Death Eaters, I refuse to be remotely near them!" Mrs. Jones stared at Persephone blankly for a second, then white hot anger burned in her eyes.
"Fine then, stay out here all night!" She whispered furiously "You can come crawling back inside tomorrow," and with that Mrs. Jones turned on her heel and walked, briskly, into the manor to great her 'charming' guests. Well suppose this is better than mingling with those psychos, Persephone thought picking at a weed that was trying it's hardest to grow up through the stone pathway. After successfully decapitating the poor thing, she leaned back far enough that she could see the stars; she found Orion and traced his belt with her index finger.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself Miss Jones," A silky voice said from the shadows.
"I told you to call me Seph, Miss Jones, makes me sound like I'm a maid or something." She said a little irritated. A tall figure stepped out from its hiding place; a grotesque mask covered the figure's face. Which was taken off, to reveal a sallow skinned man with black eyes, a large hooked nose, and greasy black hair that fell to his shoulders.
"Well Miss Jones you seem to have greatly upset your dear mother, " he sneered "What a shame." Persephone cringed as he yet again referred to her as "Miss Jones". But it was Snape after all, he always finds a way to torture you.
"So I've never seen you at one of these gatherings before," she said not even bothering to look at his face, knowing it was as unreadable as the face of a rock. "What's so different now?"
"Nothing you need to know about Miss Jones, it would be best for you to keep out of other people's business, especially around here. One wrong question and you'd be six feet under ground in the blink of an eye." He growled in his best 'holier than though' voice.
"I am well aware of what one false step around here would result as, thank you." Persephone said putting on her most sickeningly sweet and innocent face. "I was born into this world of back-stabbing and fake smiles." Who does he think I am? The child of a muggle? Snape walked up to where she was still lying on the ground gazing up at the blanket of stars, lay down beside her. Close enough to see all the emotions in her eyes, but far enough that they weren't touching.
"I wasn't saying you didn't know, I was merely reminding you." Snape said in a voice devoid of its usual malice. What was the world coming to? Severus Snape was apologizing to her! Granted he didn't actually say 'I'm sorry', but it was Snape and for him, even coming close to an apology was a big deal. Apparently their little conversations during her potions tutoring were having an effect.
"It's fine, I'm just a bit on edge; The Dark Lord is in my house, my mother's on one of her rampages, and I have to spend the night out here." She finished gesturing around her.
"Well I agree that having the Dark Lord here is a little intimidating, to say the least. The other two are your fault entirely, if only you'd learn to keep your mouth shut." He said the last part with a small smirk on his lips. There was a small crash and a terrible scream that came from the house. The scream sounded frighteningly like her mother, but not wishing to panic just yet, Persephone ignored it, choosing instead to look back at the stars.
"Have you ever heard the story of the great and little bear?" Persephone asked turning her head to slightly so she could see Snape's face, he shook his head 'no' not meeting her gaze, but not getting up and walking away either. "Well would you like to?" she asked frustrated, with his cold demeanor and the fact that he wouldn't look at her. Eventually he nodded his head, still staring at the stars. "Alright here it goes," she took a deep breath "Callisto was a maiden who excited the jealousy of Juno, and the goddess changed her into a bear. "I will take away, that beauty with which you have captivated my husband." She said, and down fell Callisto on her hands and knees; She tried to stretch out her arms in a plea- but they were already beginning to be covered with black hair. Her mouth, with which Jove used to pray for it's beauty became a horrid pair of jaws; her voice, which if unchanged would have moved the heart to pity, became a growl, more fit to inspire terror. Yet her former disposition remained, and with continual groaning, she bemoaned her fate, and stood upright as well as she could, lifting up her paws to beg for mercy, and felt that Jove was unkind, though she could not tell him so. How often afraid to stay in the woods all night alone," at this Snape turned his head and finally looked at her. She ignored him and continued, "She wandered about the neighborhood of her former haunts, how often frightened by the dogs, did she so lately a huntress, fly in terror from the hunters. One day a youth spied her as he was hunting. She saw him and recognized him as her son, now grown into a young man. She stopped and felt inclined to embrace him. As she was about to approach, he, alarmed, raised his hunting spear, and was on the point of transfixing her, when Jupiter beholding, arrested the crime. And snatching both of them placed them in the heavens, as the great, and little bear." Persephone looked over at Snape, he was staring at the stars again, "Know what the moral of that story is?"
"No, what is it?" He asked sounding like he could really care less, and he probably couldn't, he was only out here cause he felt bad for her, that's really why anyone around here buts up with me, Persephone thought.
"Don't piss of a goddess by sleeping with her husband." A small grin tugged at her mouth. Snape turned his head and stared at her, his gaze looked irritated.
"Well Miss Jones I do believe that was one of the more mature things I've heard you say." She looked at his eyes, they were as cold and hard a ice, God this was typical Snape behavior; barely civil one moment, completely closed off and agitated the next.
"Why don't you go enjoy the party." Persephone muttered standing up and walking out of the garden, toward the woods that ran along the mansion's eastern side. She rarely ever walked anywhere near that woods at night, but at the moment she was beyond caring. She kept walking and didn't look back, even as she heard him call her back, saying something along the lines of not wandering off while there were Death Eaters stalking around. But she didn't care, let them hurt her, kill her, it didn't really matter now anyway. Once she reached a large tree with sweeping branches that were low enough to the ground for her to climb up, she stopped turned around enough to make sure Snape hadn't followed her, then grabbed the lowest bough and swung herself up into the core of the tree, high enough not to be seen, but low enough that if it rained she would be fairly dry. Persephone nestled her head against the trunk, closed her eyes and drifted away.