Disclaimer: Not mine.

The Uninvited

Chapter 7

Severus returned to the library leaving Albus to quiz Remus on the ramifications of what he had just disclosed about Voldemort. If Voldemort was indeed talking to the werewolves, it was time to take action. They needed a plan to keep those loyal to them close, a difficult thing to accomplish with the hatred they generated.

"I see you have recovered your appetite," he smirked, fighting the twitch trying to lift his lip.

"Her second piece I will have you know," Molly smiled as she got up from the other corner of the sofa. "She polished off two bowls of my stew as well. You really need to feed this girl more, she is skin and bones."

Severus stared at the witch with his eyebrow raised and arms folded as Molly headed back to the kitchen.

"Feed you more?" he asked smirking, "And where would you put it witch? In your pocket with the dinner rolls, you secreted form the head table? Or is your pocket quite full?"

Keeping her eyes locked to his, she slowly reached her hand into her pocket, and brought out two rolls that she set on the coffee table. She repeated this gesture until five dinner rolls, three plums, and one orange sat in front of her.

Severus fought the smile he felt tugging at his lips, biting on the inside of his cheeks and trying to avoid her eyes.

"Witch?" he said slowly, and then watched as her hand snuck back into her pocket and brought out a piece of roast beef she had wrapped in a small cloth.

He lost the fight at that point, he leaned against the doorway with his long legs crossed at the ankles, put his head back and laughed a true laugh. Minerva heard him, and peeked around kitchen's corner to see if everything was all right. He tilted his head sideways, beckoning her in and pointed, still laughing at the pile of foodstuffs in front of the witch.

"Well I never." Minerva flicked a wand and the food on the coffee table disappeared. "Severus you really must teach her how to order food," she sniffed walking out of the room.

Severus walked around the sofa to see the witch holding her plate of apple pie tightly in her lap, protecting it from Minerva but looking at him in embarrassment.

"Finish your pie witch. We can wait that long." He sat on the sofa where Molly had been moments earlier and watched her eat. Her eyes never left his, nor did her grip on the plate loosen.

When she had finished he stood up and held a hand out to her. She looked from the hand to him, and back again. Then putting her plate on the table she took his hand and stood.

"I need to apologize to him," she said flatly. "The wolf I mean. I acted inexcusably and I need to tell him how very sorry I am."

"There is no need witch, he understands your fear," Severus returned carefully.

"Manners Professor separates us from the dark ones. My mother told me that without manners the world would not be a good place to live and that we would be like them. So, I must apologize at once." She turned and headed to the kitchen.

"No, Miss Bentley," he said, using her factitious name. "He is in the sitting room." He stood in the hallway pointing to the closed doors and then turned sideways, allowing her to pass.

She hesitated at the door, reaching to slide open the doors she looked back at Severus smiling weakly. Letting go of the pulls, she reached up and knocked instead, waiting until Albus opened the door.

"Miss Bentley?" he questioned her in surprise then looked over her shoulder to see Severus shrug. "I see you have recovered nicely. How may I help you my dear?"

"I need to see him. I forgot his name but I need to talk to him. Alone." She lifted her chin bravely.

"Ah, you must mean my good friend and loyal Order member, Mr Remus Lupin," Albus smiled at the girl, but his eyes showed only concern. "That is entirely up to Mr Lupin my dear."

Turning to see Remus now on his feet, he asked, "Remus, have you a moment?"

"Headmaster, I don't think this is a good idea," he said stonily, looking at the witch in front of them.

"Perhaps if I leave the door open and merely cast a silencing spell you would feel more at ease?" Albus asked pushing the door open and casting the spell as he walked away forcing Remus to deal with her.

The witch and Remus stood looking at one another. Remus remained quiet, hands in pockets, wearing a faded tweed jumper, and loose fitting pants. He looked at the witch kindly and extending his hand toward the sofa he politely asked her to sit.

"I would rather not Mr. Lupin. I just needed to tell you how terrible I feel to have reacted that way to you."

"Apology accepted Miss Bentley." He gave a short bow as etiquette dictated.

She worried her bottom lip and allowed her eye to fall to the floor appearing deep in thought.

"It was your smell you know," she said quietly, her head still down. "I could smell the earth on you. I am so sorry, but sometimes when I catch a certain smell, or sometimes it is just a sound. I can't always stop from... from seeing and remembering things. It happens so quickly I can't stop it."

"It is quite alright. I am used to getting bad reactions from strangers. However," he tried to offer a small chuckle, "yours was a little unusual, even for me."

"I will apologize in the kitchen if you prefer. Then everyone there will know that it wasn't you."

"That's not necessary."

"But it is. I have to do this for you. Please let me. I am sure that pretty one, the one with the pink hair would like me to show everyone that you are as safe as she thinks."

Remus turned red, tried to form words and only could get a grin out.

"Is she your mate?" She realized her mistake as soon as the words fell. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean that like it came out, I meant to ask if she was, well you… you wear no ring, what am I to call her?"

"The word, in this conversation only, is lover. And yes, she is," he said softly, grinning at her discomfort. "Outside of these walls she is my friend."

"Can I meet her?" she asked, catching him off guard.

"I imagine so," Remus responded as she walked away toward the kitchen not waiting for his reply.

She paused slightly at the door, as if standing aside to let him pass, and then as he stepped forward she reached up and took his arm to enter the kitchen with him. She smiled at him, released his arm and walked up to Tonks.

"Hello, I was just apologizing to Remus for my behaviour when he mentioned that I should meet you," she smiled at Tonks speaking in a voice loud enough for all to hear.

Grinning at the sheer audacity of the witch Remus walked up and completed the introductions. He then leaned into her ear and whispered, "Slytherin."

She looked up at Remus smiling and gave Tonks a wink before she left to find Severus.

"Miss Bentley?" He stood waiting for her near the front door. "If you are done putting on a show for the Order we can leave now."

"I didn't mean to…"

"There she is! There is the screaming whore that told me to watch my mouth! How dare you bring that filth in here?" Mrs Black was back in the portrait hissing.

"Professor?" the witch spoke to Severus but looked stonily at the picture. "Can I use your wand? I know a few spells I could practice on her."

"Perhaps another day Miss Bentley, once you have your own wand we will return," he smirked.

"Hear that?" she leaned close to the picture smiling "Gives me something to look forward to."

Severus rolled his eyes and dragged her back outside to return to the castle. He pulled her across the street ignoring her ranting about magical pictures and the fools that kept them as he pulled her to his side and whisked her off to the main gate of Hogwarts. As Severus and Miss Bentley, as he now called her, approached the steps, Poppy opened the doors smiling.

"Miss Bentley, I saw you two coming and couldn't wait to tell you. You will be happy to know that I have secured you chambers. I'm afraid they are rather small, but at this time they are all we have."

Turning to Severus she continued, "My boy they are right down the hall from you since the Headmaster thought she would be safer with you close by. We have activated her floo, but only to the hospital ward and your own chambers in case of emergency."

Poppy stepped aside, holding the door open for the both of them to pass through. Severus stood still staring at her.

"No, you need to contact Albus and change her quarters."

"She cannot be out in the general population," Poppy frowned. "I told him it wasn't fitting that she be down there but it's this or she takes your quarters and you get a room in town."

"What? Does he mean to…" he sighed knowing it was useless. "Fine, just find someone else to tend her."

"Oh Severus?" she called to him as they walked down the hall, "Do show Miss Bentley how to order up from the kitchen. She is obviously underfed."

Severus glanced down at the witch walking beside him and saw a huge smile plastered on her face. He felt his lip twitch, and as no-one was there to see him allowed himself to the smile to come.

He found her chambers to be one door beyond his, her door hidden in an alcove not readily seen, further helping to hide her whereabouts. He set the wards to her signature, instructing her on which stone to lay her hand to allow the door to open.

He felt her tremble as she lifted her hand to the stone, and was surprised to see the look of defeat on her face. He had seen this look many times. The one before the punishment of a disloyal death eater, accepting whatever horror fell to him. He watched as her smile left her face, her eyes became dull, and her head lowered until her chin was lying on her chest.

He reached down, placing two fingers under her chin and lifted her face to his. Drawn to her down cast eyes, he saw a tear slid down.

"Miss Bentley, if something is bothering you, you need to voice it," he said clearly.

"You sir, you said I would not be locked up again." She turned her wet eyes to his. "Please, I will do anything you want, do not lock me up again, please. Anything, anything…" She stepped close, placing her hands on his chest.

He dropped her chin at once backing up a step and pushing open the doors to her chambers. He roughly pushed her in, and flicking his wand lit the candles and lamps within.

Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to face him. He was angry with her, very angry, and she tried to pull away suddenly afraid of him.

"Never, Miss Bentley, offer yourself to me again," he spat through clenched teeth.

"I don't want to go back to a dungeon sir, please…," her speech slowed as she looked around.

"Did you hear me witch?" he demanded.

"I didn't know, I thought you meant to lock me up in a dungeon, a real dungeon," she tried to explain, and then realizing what she had said reddened. "I didn't mean anything, not like that, not like what you think. I said anything meaning, you know like work, not to come to your bed or let you…."

"Enough." he stopped her from finishing. The longer she went on the more he imagined her offer for what he wanted it to be.

"These are your chambers." He waved his hand around the space. "This is your living area, through that door would be your bath and loo facilities, and through that door would be your bedroom."

"My bedroom? My own?" she smiled running and throwing open the door. "It even has a bed already in it, and a dresser."

She ran to the dresser and gasped as she found clothes neatly stacked. Then throwing open the wardrobe she found several dresses neatly hung. Squealing, she pushed past him running across the small space and opened the door to the bath.

Running to him with a wide smile she threw her arms around his neck and giggled, then reached up and kissed him on the cheek, releasing him to continue her inspection of her new rooms.

"Severus," she said softly, not able to look at him, "I know sometimes I say or do the wrong thing. I don't always know what is happening, or know the right way to act. I am not used to all this, but I will try harder. Please, don't be angry."

'I am not angry with you witch," he said flatly.

"You have asked me not to lie to you. I will ask the same from you." She looked up at him. "You are obviously angry over what I said and the fact that your rooms must be someplace close to mine. I will talk to the Headmaster tomorrow about leaving. I'm sure I can find somewhere else to go. I never planned to stay here, maybe I should just…"

"It is late, I will leave you now. Should you need me, if an emergency should occur you may floo to me, simply state Professor Snape or Snape's Chambers."

He turned to leave, hearing her footfalls follow him to the door he then felt her hand on his arm. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"The kitchen sir, how do I call the kitchen?" she asked meekly. "And, the floo, I have never… well, you need to show me that as well."

"Surely you are not hungry," he said incredulously.

"Not now, but what if … I just want to know how." She walked backwards from him. "I just would like to know is all. Just in case… you know, in case you forget I am in here and don't let me out tomorrow, or the next day."

"You may leave these rooms whenever you want."

"Yeah," she snorted. "Like I believe that."

"How long had you been without food before showing up here?" Suddenly, he understood her fascination with food, cursing himself for being so stupid. If she had been a child, it would have been obvious.

"I really don't remember. I know I ate on Sunday, because there was a big party and when I cleaned up I was allowed to eat whatever I wanted." she offered with a small smile. "I think I may have had some soup on the next day." She frowned trying to answer him truthfully.

Severus looked at her. He had discovered her on a Friday on his way to the Dark Lord, she had not eaten since a bowl of soup on Monday, nor did she eat until the following day in the infirmary. That in itself would explain the hunger she felt the past day, but not the fear of being without, not the tendency to hoard.

"Did they often not feed you?" he asked

She heard anger in his voice and did not know what she had done wrong. She took a step backwards and thought of a fitting answer. "I … what do you mean often?"

"Witch, I asked you a question," he demanded.

"I don't know sir. Not like here. Not sitting at a grand table and eating so often. Sometimes I didn't eat, but then someone would remember me and bring something," she worried her lip in concentration. "I couldn't always tell the time, you know, when the day began, so it's hard to…."

"And who would they be?" he continued to pry.

"I am not sure, one was my grandfather, but I don't know the others."

"What did you call your Grandfather? Had he a first name?" he sneered at her, losing his patience.

"I only remember, I remember calling him Grandfather once, he didn't like that." She twisted her hands and looked at the floor. "After that it was always sir, and master. If you don't want to show me how to use the floo…"

"Do you expect me to believe you really have no idea of his name, or your own of for that matter?"

She nodded at him and wiped the back of her hand across her face. "Give me a potion if you don't believe me. Or, I can leave here. I'll go tonight."

"Miss Bentley, have you ever heard of Legilimens?" he said leading her to the sofa and seating her as he took the seat next to her.

"I think so. I think that's what … a long time ago…he did to me. Sort of like a pensive only backwards?"

"Miss Bentley I think it may help if I viewed your memories."

She jumped to her feet shaking her head. He followed her, grabbing her shoulders and trying to still her.

"Please Miss Bentley, I will only view a short portion, I will not hurt you. Tonight I can just introduce you to the process, to show you how it may work to your advantage, to help us discover things you need to know."

"I have nothing I need to know, nothing." She stomped her foot at him.

"Miss Bentley, sit," he ordered. "You are unsafe. In order to help you we must know who is after you. To know that, we must know his name."

"Will I have to see the memories also?"

"Of course Miss Bentley, they are your memories. I trust you can visit them whenever you care to?" He wondered at her statement, if she had this used on her before she should remember it.

"Will I have to open everything to you?" she asked.

"Are you telling me that you know how to hide your thoughts and memories from me?" he asked raising his eyebrow.

"Someone taught me, a long time ago, but can I hide some thoughts, some private thoughts?" she queried.

"Of course, take a couple of moments to build the walls if you must." He leaned back to wait for her signal.

"I will only enter, take a look at how you store your memories, perhaps sample one, only one, and then I will leave. The first time you feel this intrusion it can be very disconcerting ."

She nodded to him that she was ready and he leaned toward her, wand to her forehead and whispered. "Legilimens".

He immediately found himself in a room, a dungeon he believed. It was so dark that no image came to him. He only assumed himself to be in a room by the way his laboured breathing sounded, not fading out, but coming back to him. It was dark, he smelled earth and damp penetrated his very clothes. There was a foul smell and he could hear whimpering, but could not find the source.

The memory was long, unchanging, almost a constant. All of a sudden, a shaft of light came in, so bright in comparison to the dark that he shielded his eyes, but not before seeing a pile of decaying flesh chained in the corner, a skeleton's grin, and its hollowed eye sockets staring back at him.

Gasping for air and coming to his feet at once, he turned to the witch sitting on the sofa looking down at the floor. He found it difficult to contain himself, he needed a whiskey and he needed it now.

"Kitchen elf," he roared, spun and saw the creature looking up at him.

"Bottle, Fire whiskey, two glasses, now." He looked at the witch for some reaction to the memory that he had just visited, but other than sadness around her eyes, he saw none.

While he stood staring at the witch before himself, groping for some understanding of the memory, he heard the pop of the returning Kitchen elf.

He grabbed the bottle and glasses and walked back to the sofa falling to a sitting position. He tipped up the bottle and poured himself two fingers of the amber fluid, which he downed in one pull. Pouring her a smaller drink, he offered it to her but she reached for the bottle instead. Putting it to her lips, she took a long draught, pulled back for a breath, and took another.

He looked from her to the drink still in his hand and back at her. She set down the bottle, grabbed the glass and drank that down too.

He felt the amused twitch in his mouth at seeing such a small witch down more whiskey in one swallow than he could have safely managed. He leaned back watching as she used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.

"Gods I needed that," she sighed, leaning back slightly embarrassed as Severus' laughter rang through her small chambers.