Disclaimer: Not Mine

The Uninvited

Chapter 11

Severus sat in front of his fire drinking a glass of fire whiskey. He thought back to the day almost a month ago now they had spent shopping, and was surprised he had actually enjoyed spending it with her. He found his feelings toward the witch unsettling, but assumed it was just having her closeness forced on him.

She knew he had been a Death Eater, loyal to Voldemort, yet she considered him safe, a person to be trusted. He could not ferret out what she was thinking, or why she seemed able to place trust so quickly. Perhaps it was simply that she was unbalanced, the years she had suffered having taken their toll.

He remembered showing her how to build walls, to hide unwanted memories and wondered what else she hid. He also pondered whether she could hold the wall for more than a few moments at a time. She did not seem to see good and evil the way he would have thought she would. She saw only those she could trust and those she could not. Not the right of wrongness in them. He frowned, remembering her thoughts, when as a child, he had taken her out of the room with his mind. He had wrongly assumed he was taking her to places loved by children, never thinking these were the first sights of the world she had seen.

The fact that she could not read had been more worrying to him than the torture. Her complete lack of education, but nevertheless trained in magic, smacked of plans made for her from infancy. He knew from the skeletons grin, in the recess of whatever dungeons she had lived in, that this was not a mother's plan for a child. This was a wizard's bastardized idea of pure blood loyalty. They had chosen her for this role at birth, perhaps to replace the mother that lay in the corner.

He needed to know who had done the choosing. He got up to retrieve the medallion he had taken from her hand that first night in the forest having forgotten about it until this minute. Turning it over in his palm, he knew it was old, and made of unpolished sliver. Some of the runes were worn smooth, some he could not even discern the shape of any longer. Turning it over in his palm, he discovered that both sides had been worked in the unknown marks, and thought that this was likely to be one more dead end.

It had been a month since they had visited Diagon Alley. He had taken her to meals, and helped her on occasions as she struggled with the letter books. Other than this, he'd had no real contact with her.

He glanced at the clock, and although it was later than he had thought, it was still not so late as to find the castle asleep. He decided to go down the hall to see the witch and return her trinket to her. He wore only his trousers and a long loose sleeved white shirt. He did not take the time to put on his waistcoat with its many buttons, and only draped his robes over his shoulders as he walked to the witch's door.

He knocked softly, so as not to disturb her if she was retired for the night, but loud enough for her to hear if she were awake. When he did not receive a response, he stepped away from the door and made to leave. He was only a few feet from her door when he heard the familiar POP of apparition.

He looked down at an elf, the only creature able to Apparate inside Hogwarts without special permission.

"Yes," he said, watching the small creature bow.

"Professor Master, the Miss is not waking up," the elf said cowering.

'And?" he asked impatiently.

"I was taking away her dinner things sir and she is not waking up." The elf stood twisting its talons into the pillowcase it wore.

"You will have to explain to me why you are so concerned that Miss Bentley has retired for the night." he sighed.

"Professor Master, she is having bad bad dreams, she yells, but she not wakes."

Severus turned and hurried to the witch's door, touching the stone and waiting for the door to open.

"How long has this been happening?' he demanded to know.

"Every night sirs, but tonight it is the worse sir." The elf was now bowing and twisting its hands in obvious distress.

The door had opened and Severus was across the room before he heard her cry out.

"No, NO, leave me… please." she shouted, the repeated the same yell louder.

He found her on the floor and reached down, picking her up at once. Turning to lay her on the bed, she shouted again, struck out at him and brought her teeth close to his arm, trying to bite him to keep him away.

He sat on the side of the bed, reaching over her to grab both shoulders and shake her, calling her name. He repeated the effort several times before she woke, sat up and looked around. She was still in that place between sleep and wake, where dreams became real and words spoken in one world become understood in the next.

"Mum, he is here. Please he'll help," she said looking around, her eyes not seeing this side of the dream.

"Miss Bentley you must wake up," he sternly demanded.

"Mum? Mum? She left sir, did you see her?" She sighed and seemed content as she lay back on the bed closing her eyes.

He picked her up and walked into the living area, placing her on the sofa before returning to her bedroom to find her robe. It was lying on the floor, next to a pillow that still bore the imprint of her head. He looked at the bed, laid his hand to the middle and felt for warmth.

It was possible that she had fallen during the nightmare, but he was inclined to believe that she had been sleeping the last few nights on the floor. Sighing he took the robe into her, tossed it on her lap and turned his back while she struggled to put it on.

"I am decent now, you may turn around," she said shyly.

He turned and looked at her sitting in the corner of the sofa in the powder blue robe, her feet drawn up and tucked under her. Although the black spaghetti strapped shift was much more to his liking, he thought it prudent to keep quiet about it.

"You were decent before, you are dressed now," he smirked.

"You did not have to wake me, I dream all the time," she said to him, but glared and pointed at the elf. "It was that thing wasn't it?"

"Yes, Miss Bentley, however, I must tell you that the elves in Hogwarts are here in more than a service capacity. They are to report any guest's discomfort they cannot deal with," he said stiffly, believing his lie would not hurt.

The elf raised its chin in the air, and puffed up its chest.

"They are then to leave, not letting the guest know that they have witnessed the distress." This lie was rewarded with a small pop which signified the elf leaving.

"Severus, you just made that up." She raised her eyebrow and smirked at him.

"Do not act innocent. I do believe that you are not always completely honest."

"I don't lie to you," she said with a pout.

"Much."

"Fine, I don't lie to you much." She looked up at him frowning.

"I was coming here to return something to you when the kitchen elf caught me." He pulled the chain and medallion from his pocket and handed it to her.

She took it and put it around her neck. Leaning back into the sofa, she patted the seat next to her. He joined her on the sofa turning in his seat to watch her.

"Do you plan on telling me what is so important about that chain?" he asked.

"I wanted someone to have it that could help. I just had to trust that would have been you," she said lowering her eyes and biting her lower lip. "When I landed in the forest, I really did plan to die. I wanted you to know about her, and I wanted you to … not just know about my Mum…I wanted you to bury me in the old way as she called it. Anyway, I didn't want to live if I was married to …well, I just wanted it over. Then, when I saw you… I thought maybe you would figure it out."

"You do remember there was to be a binding? That you were to be wed?"

"Of course I do you idiot. Why do you think I ran?"

He narrowed his eyes, choosing to ignore the slight to his intelligence for a later time. "And who would your intended be?"

"Bloody hell, do you think they would have thought to tell me? No, I get it … he was going to go down on the knee and ask me…."

"Stop." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just asked a simple question."

"Simple for you," she snipped. "All I wanted to do is leave or die in the trying. All I know is that as soon as I got there he… the one that came back, that they call Lord told me to kneel. I did .. but then these two were standing there, and one had a wand sticking out of his pocket.. so I took my chance."

"I do not know what the runes signify, and although I have not as of yet researched all the possibilities, the charm itself is too worn to read. If you'd look at it closely you would have seen that," he explained patiently, "although I may have been able to find its intended purpose. I thought that I would find it far easier to just ask you than waste perhaps a week in the searching."

"I am sorry if I am wasting your time," she sighed. Then she brightened. "Watch this."

She stood and shouted. "Kitchen elf", clapping her hands as one appeared. She pointed to the table where he put down the tray. The tray was laden with tea, pumpkin juice, three types of sandwiches and baked apples.

"Elf she did not tell you yet…" He stopped as the elf looked at him sheepishly, and then shrugged his shoulders. "Never mind elf, good thinking."

He watched the elf blink out feeling that now familiar twitch come to his lips. The kitchen elves were on to her. They no longer came to take her order. They just brought food.

"The amulet was my mother's. It needs to be buried with her," the witch explained slowly, holding a sandwich in her hands. "I promised her I would, I told you that."

"Pray tell," he sneered. "You do not know her name, or your own. You do not know where you lived, or where her body lays. How do you plan on accomplishing this?"

"Look Professor, I may not be educated like you, I may not know many people, I can't read, and obviously I am an embarrassment, but I can do this because I must." With that said, she ripped a piece of the sandwich off with her teeth and chewed angrily. She looked straight ahead ignoring him as she chewed and gulped her pumpkin juice.

"I am working on it," he said

"Working on what?" she asked without looking at him, still angry at the way he'd treated her.

"On figuring out where we were when I first met you," he said quietly.

She snapped her head in his direction and looked at him, then back to her sandwich. Taking another bite she thought a moment then turned back to him.

"'ow," she garbled.

"Manners," he sneered. "Surely you know not to talk while you are eating."

Making a show of puffing out her cheeks, she chewed and swallowed, sticking out her tongue to show her mouth was now empty.

"Do say, how Professor," she asked over politely. Then throwing the rest of her meal to the floor she stood and stomped her foot.

"I am sorry for acting like this, but it is just so damned hard. I don't know how to act here. I am not used to someone watching me all the time. I can't seem to get anything right. It is always one more thing, and everyone is just so bloody nice and I am not used to people being nice. Ever have tea with your Minerva? That's a treat… which to put on the scone first, the cream or the jam. Bloody Hell, who cares? And what is it with scones? They taste like sawdust. But everyone just wants to help me and I don't know how to act with that, and I keep trying, then I wind up sticking out my tongue…" was as far as she got.

Severus had stood and walked over to her waiting for her to calm down. When he realized she was not going to, he grabbed her arms pulled her to him and kissed her mid-sentence. She froze, her mouth half open. He ran his tongue over her lips and pulled her upper lip into his mouth, sucking and licking as he alternated between nipping at her lips and kissing. He felt her relax, and he let her go.

He sat back down on the sofa and smirked at her. She flicked her hand and vanished the sandwich to wherever things went, then flopped back down on her end.

"As I was saying, I have been working on finding your mother's remains," he said, amusement around the edges of his voice.

"How?" she asked staring at him, her eyes large.

"Funny you should ask that," he said looking at his finger nails as if for dirt. "I have some maps I am examining, looking for landmarks I may remember. I thought you may be of some help."

She nodded.

"Miss Bentley, are you quite alright?" he asked innocently.

She stood up, walked over the couple of steps to where he sat.

"Would you do that again?" she asked.

Slowly he stood, lifted up his hand and stroked her face with his finger; he pulled her to him, softer this time. He tilted his head to the side just enough, brushed her lips with his, just enough, pulled her body toward his, just enough, all the while deepening his kiss, and then let go.

"Is that what you wanted Miss Bentley?" he asked huskily.

"Yes, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything. You were so fucking quick about it the first time," she retorted, and then spun on her heel as she made for the door. "Now, let's look at those maps."

He opened his mouth to spit out a reply, and then closed it. Again, he opened his mouth to spit out a caustic reply, and failed. She had left him speechless once more. He shook his head and followed her wondering what was happening to him.

When he saw her standing outside his doors, waiting for him to catch up it dawned on him how inappropriate this must appear, and he suddenly thought that this was not a wise idea.

"Miss Bentley, I think it best for you to return to your rooms and put on something a little more conventional. I shall collect the maps and return to you there. You may order up some hot tea in the meantime," he spoke professionally as if in the classroom.

"Yes, I am sorry sir." She reddened and turned from him, feeling the weight of his words. "I've done it again?"

"Just a matter of appearances. You should perhaps speak to Minerva about…"

"Great, she sees me coming and orders scones," she rolled her eyes. "She is determined that I know how to attend a proper tea."

"Social graces are important to her, as they are in some parts of this world."

"In the meantime you are telling me to dress when I am not in my room?"

"No, I am telling you to dress when … yes, when you are not in your rooms, or… or," he held up his hand to silence her, "when receiving members of the opposite sex in your chambers."

"Was I wrong to ask you to kiss me?"

"Miss Bentley, I think this conversation is best suited for Professor McGonagall, or perhaps you may speak to Mrs Weasley."

"So it was wrong," she looked down at the floor and blushed, then jerked her head up at him grinning. "I get it. You can kiss me, but I shouldn't want you to? That's why you are embarrassed now, because I did. And I should pretend like I don't like it but I can ask you as long as I don't come out and say it."

"I am sure there is a sentence in there," he smirked. "Now go before your logic begins to make sense."

He gathered up the maps as quickly as he could, trying to think of anything other than her apparent willingness. It would be wrong of him to take advantage of the witch. Improper to force himself on a witch that had never been out in the world and only knew pain and rejection. She would not want him once she was out in the world and had others to compare him to. He could not let himself get too close.

By the time he returned, she had the tea service set on an end table and was kneeling by the coffee table pushing back her new books to make room for the maps. She had donned one of the new day dresses they had purchased and looked at him uncomfortably. She smiled as he came in and jumped up to help him spread out the maps.

"If I am still not decent, I can put on my robes." She bit her lip and looked at him. "Really, I don't know what is proper here, or why it is different than elsewhere. I don't understand all the rules and all the ways to do things."

"You are fine as you are," he said stiffly. "Perhaps you should speak to Minerva about proper attire at different times as well."

She looked at him and nodded, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"What do you know of the place you were in?" he began as he reached in his pocket for a handkerchief.

"Not much of the outside at all." She frowned, looking at the floor and concentrating. "I know it was by water. More than here at Hogwarts. In the dark you could not see the other side."

He selected two of the eight maps and tossed them to the side. Neither had a body of water large enough to match.

"What else?" he frowned. "Were you never outside?"

"No, not that I can remember. I could see the water from the window, the window in the kitchen. So, the back of the house must be on the water," she brightened hoping this would help.

They sat looking at maps. Suddenly she said, "Severus, the water had to be on the East. The sky sometimes got purple streaks just before I was sent below, the water must be east, because the purple was beyond it."

Severus actually let a smirk cross his face as he pulled four more maps to the floor. Only two remained, but the vast areas they covered were obvious. It was a start, but Severus knew without more information it was doomed.

"You know Severus, I could show you what I saw," she smiled, "watch this. My mother taught me and she didn't even use a wand."

The witch brought up her wand and pointed to a spot in the air, she hung a large shimmering moon, then with a couple of flicks clouds appeared to be swimming in the air obscuring the face of the moon, allowing light to only filter through.

She continued on, making a lake of black water appear, reflecting the unseen face of the moon. She cast a deep blue-sky boarding on black and set purple streaks calling in the new day.

When she was done, she leaned back into Severus and looked up at the picture she had just created. Then with a frown, she flicked the tiniest light blinking in the north. A light he immediately knew to be the lighthouse at Haley's Point.

The witch was confused when he sprang up and in a fury sent all the maps save one aflame. She jumped up to lay a hand on his arm. Looking at her hand on his arm, he pushed it away. He paced up and down in front of the fireplace, and then grabbed her.

He looked around the room, and finally sighing pulled her down to the floor with him, forcing her to sit between his legs, her back to his chest, then he reached for his wand and plunged them once again into total and complete darkness.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, he brought his legs up over hers, and he laid his head on hers, and spoke into her ear.

"Tell me, tell me from the beginning. Tell me and you will know who you are."

"Severus, I am scared, you are scaring me." She fought the tears and pulled against him.

"Tell me," he demanded. "I have to be sure. What do you first remember?"

The silence and darkness filled the room as they waited. When she started, she whispered as if afraid to break that silence.

"I was born there. My mother said I was born in the dark," she said this and waited for an answer, but none came.

"She was married against his wishes, her father's that is, and she wanted to let him know about me. It was my fault she went there, it was. If it wasn't for me she would not have gone." She felt Severus kiss her head and shake his, but he made not a sound.

"He got mad at her, said she was a disgrace because she wasn't married, but she was, only she would not say her husband's name because her father would have gone after him, so he would not let her go, then she had me. We were the only ones there, in the dungeons that is." She sniffed and waited awhile to start again.

"But you asked me what first I remember, and it is Mum singing to me, and telling me stories, and things like that. I could not see her in the dark, but she would hold me and tell me about everything, like the old gods, and coming to school, and my father… I never heard his name. She said she could not say these things in case her father heard." Once again, she paused.

"The worst was when they took me away from her. She was there but I could not touch her or she me. They put the bindings on me, Mum said not to say chains, bindings were what they were, and I wanted my bindings off, and Mum cried a lot then."

"Oh my Gods Severus, please. Enough please," she whispered.

Nevertheless, he held her, and rocked her, the darkness wrapping her up again, making her feel safe.

"One day he came in, it was her father, and he kicked her, she didn't move. I think she had already died. But the sound of the kick, my gods Severus, the sound." She tried to raise her hands to her ears, but he held her quick.

"It is hard to tell time when nothing changes. But then, I counted time by what I could see, I counted time with my mother." She screamed and threw her head back against Severus. He cast a silencing spell, but did not stop her.

"They kept us both there, and I would pretend I was dead too, so I would not be alone anymore. And, then the men would come, and touch me, an. …Severus, enough, my Gods, Severus enough." She went limp crying as he flicked on the fire, sending a soft glow around the room.

She turned and clung to him, her face wet, his chest growing moist as her tears fell on him. She sobbed as if broken, which he knew she had been.

"Shhhh, you need to finish this, you need to get this out." He held her tight.

"I, I could tell the time by the change in her body, oh my Gods Severus, I could count the time by the way she rotted, by the smell, by the rotting of her corpse, and she is still there, and I am here, and I cannot tell the time anymore." She fell limp once again in his arms, he knew she needed to finish, but could not bring himself to force her any further.

"Men would come and make me say spells, and gave me a wand, and made me practice. One day they came and washed me, and gave me real clothes to wear instead of just robes, and said that I was going somewhere special. Then … that the night… well then I met you." She was shaking, gulping the air. "Then, the next day I had to start learning to clean the house, and more spells, and I would have to let the men touch me if they wanted to."

He picked her up and carried her to bed. Calling a house elf, he told the creature that was carrying yet another tray of food, to retrieve a calming draught and a sleeping potion from Poppy. He stood by her bed until the potions arrived, and then helping her to sit up, he poured the calming potion into her mouth.

He pulled a chair over to her bed and looked at her earnestly. Her face was tear streaked, and her hair dishevelled but he thought her the most beautiful witch he had seen.

"Well, Miss Haley, how are you feeling?" he said softly.

She looked up at him, her brows knitting together.

"Miss Doris Bentley, I would like you to meet Miss Abigail Haley, daughter of Ainslie and Rodger Haley, Granddaughter of Mr Albus Haley, Great Niece, however I believe thrice removed, of Albus Dumbledore. Let me be the first to welcome you home."

He leaned over and put a firm kiss on her forehead and picked up the sleeping potion, holding it to her lips as she drank.

He sat all night in the chair fearing she would wake in terror. He knew she had demons yet to meet, but this was the first step. By saying aloud what had happened, she could maybe start to heal.

He thought back to the times he came back torn and bloody to Poppy, refusing to share what had happened. Years later, Poppy finally got him to talk. He spilled his memories all night to her. He had talked of his father, the beatings, the horrid things forced on him at the Revels, and the things he had done as a Death Eater. He would still confide in the Medi-Witch, knowing that she could offer the only true redemption he had ever felt.

Now, he thought to do the same to the witch lying on the bed sleeping. He watched her until the clock on the wall told him the sun was coming up, and headed to the Headmaster's office.