Chapter 8
5 years later...
Skyler had grown and was a fully-fledged witch. She had a tiny cottage near the south coast where she could work her spells without too much interference from Muggles.
She apparated in, once a week, to the Ministry of Magic to check in.
She was the Supervisor of the Department of Magical Progression, discovering new spells, curses, hexes, anything.
As far as her relationships went, she hadn't seen or heard from Tom in years. She'd tried to contact him a few times, even spent a couple of months searching for him but he didn't want to be found.
She'd been hearing rumours about awful things happening to Muggles and Muggle-born wizards and witches. She didn't really like Muggles, but she would never torture and kill them just for fun. How could anyone do that?! She wondered.
She'd had a few brief relationships over the years when she was feeling lonely. It wasn't difficult; men seemed to fall at her feet. But she couldn't help thinking, after it was all said and done, that she would've preferred Tom to be lying next to her.
One day the weather was particularly boisterous. Skyler's long, dark hair whipped around her as she made her way along the damp sand.
She cursed as she slammed her front door shut against the wind. She pulled her gloves and coat off, then her jumper and jeans because they had been soaked by the rain. She padded around her house in her underwear, turning the heating up. She huddled on the sofa with a cup of tea and a book. She was almost asleep when there came a knock at the door. She sighed, stretched and got up, pulling on a thin robe on over her before she went to answer the door.
She pulled it open and gasped.
It was Hugo. He looked older, his face slightly lined, his hair shorter.
"Oh my god..." She said quietly, finding herself shaking.
"I told you I would return for you." He said.
He stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her. Skyler's confused mind ran wild. She pushed the door shut, not breaking the kiss. They moved towards her bedroom.
Hugo broke away a little and tugged at the cord of her robe. The knot was pulled loose and the robe fell to the ground.
"You're even more beautiful than I remember." He said.
She smiled. "Your turn."
He unbuttoned his shirt and cast it aside. He moved closer to her, his hands on her hips. He lay her down on the soft covers, his hands moving down her body.
"I..." She hesitated.
"We can experiment tonight." He whispered, drawing closer to her.
Skyler found herself nervous. She was older, not so hormonal and desperate for him. There was something about him, something that made her uneasy. He had made her feel things she'd never known about before. It had hurt sometimes but he assured her that it would be worth it, and it was sometimes. She'd never gotten so far with Tom.
Skyler woke up the next morning, her body aching dully. She had a shower, locking the door behind her.
When she'd gotten dressed she went out into her kitchen. Hugo was sitting at the table.
She ate her breakfast through the silence but when she was getting up to leave the room, he appeared close behind her.
"Thank you for last night, darling." He said in a low voice.
She swallowed. "You're welcome."
Moments of the previous night flashed back to her, she had groaned, clutched the bed, clutched him. She had found herself becoming just as desperate for him as she had been all those years before. Longing for his touch, driven to begging like she'd done before. In the morning she felt ashamed that it took such a short time for her to become like a slave to him once again. She needed to control herself, she thought.
"We should go to my castle." Hugo said over dinner that night.
"You have a castle?"
He nodded, grinning. "Inherited it from my great uncle. It's quiet, out of the way, no one will bother us."
"Okay." She agreed eventually.
He took her hands and apparated to the castle.
It was made of dark stone and Skyler shivered as cold air whipped through the entrance.
Hugo either ignored or didn't notice this, she wasn't sure, but he strode on ahead. He beckoned her to follow him and he led her up two flights of steps to a room with a large, four poster bed with covers of rich purple.
"This will be your room." Hugo said.
Skyler turned, perhaps to thank him, perhaps to ask to leave, but he was gone. Sighing, she went into the room, shutting the door behind her and sitting on the bed.
A few hours later, she was dozing on the bed when she was awoken by a knock on the door. She opened it to see a group of servants, most of them were carrying clothes.
"Miss." Said the one closest to her. "The master has sent us her to dress you for dinner."
"Oh... alright."
She had her hair and makeup done by the servants, a weird experience for her as she'd never had servants before except the house elves at Hogwarts but she'd never talked to them. She was dressed in a mauve dress which was low cut with many skirts and frills. She had no idea Hugo was so rich. When she thought about it, she didn't really know much about him at all. And yet, here she was, in his castle, she thought to herself.
The dinner was exquisite and afterwards they drank wine. Once Skyler had finished her second glass, Hugo snapped his fingers and a servant poured a third.
She drank it obediently.
Before she knew it, she was sprawled on the purple bed as Hugo tore her dress off of her. Her hair was falling loose from it's intricate style and her makeup was smudged.
This continued every night for a week, until one evening Skyler had had a little too much wine and started to call Hugo Tom instead when they were in her room again.
"Tom? Who is he?" He asked, fury boiling up. "...He was with you in school, wasn't he? He's the reason you're so much more confident."
He stood up, "How could you do this to me, Skyler?! After all I've done for you, all I've sacrificed!"
"I'm sorry." She said, sniffing.
"Oh, you will be..." He said in a low, threatening voice.
He kissed her with a fierce passion, pushing her down angrily, ripping at her clothes, pulling her hair, making it hurt. Skyler tried not to struggle, for fear of angering him further, so she took her "punishment" for many hours.
He left her in a cold sweat, tangled in the sheets, trembling and aching, her skin scratched and bruised.