Please review! The next update will concern events that took place on the eve of the battle at Hogwarts. The beginning of the end!
Chapter Thirty-four: Untangling Loose Ends
The evening had only just begun, and it was refreshingly cool especially since it had been a hot afternoon, of which she spent alone in her dormitory. Ever since escaping the Carrows, Valerie hid in Gryffindor tower. Fortunately, the Carrows assumed she'd be hiding in the Room of Requirement and did not going looking for her here.
She couldn't even go down to the Gryffindor common room except for late at night, for fear of being sighted.
Valerie was alone, and sulking in misery, to the point of cold despair. She was still saddened by her mother's death of course. Her bedroom was a mess the covers all twisted. The food the house-elf Winky had brought was left untouched.
And now she stood before her bureau looking at her disheveled appearance in the mirror, garbed in a soft pink hued dressing down with white ribbon trimming. The attire hung loosely around her lanky shoulders, and her hair was greasy. Her feet were bare, and caked with dirt from lying around her dormitory for so long.
Biting back a sob, Valerie looked down to see the Pensieve Severus had given her a couple of months ago. It was full of the swirling, pearly memories of her miserable past. At least putting them inside the Pensieve could keep them off her mind.
Blinded with tears, she prodded her wand listlessly through the memories, the awful truth of her past, unraveling before her. She had not seen Severus for four long days. Not even he was present to comfort her in her exile. The only time Valerie could go outside was flying through window for a breath of fresh air, but this was only at night when she wouldn't be seen.
Valerie did not know how long she stood over her Pensieve, crying. She was doing this every night. The memories of her mother's murder and her father's despicable corruption of her still clouded her consciousness.
Valerie felt a sudden breeze on her shoulder from the window behind her. She had kept it open, and was planning on maybe going for a walk in the forest tonight. She no longer cared what was dangerous; she wouldn't have cared if she died. There was another burst of cool air, and something seemed to stir right behind her. It must be nothing. But if anything it was her imagination getting the best of her, maybe she should study to get her mind off things.
Gentle hands were on her hips, and someone was unbuttoning her nightgown from behind. Valerie finally looked up from the Pensieve, startled to see Severus. Tears splashed down her face, some of them landing in the Pensieve.
"Severus…I'm so glad you're here."
He need not say anything, but continued to kiss Valerie from neck and down to her shoulders. His kisses felt deliciously sweet, and a soft moan escaped Valerie, somewhere between a lustful whimper and a sob.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes. Oh, Severus, you don't know how much I needed you!"
Valerie dropped her wand in release, and it clattered onto the dresser. Snape had taken hold of her midriff in a tight grip, one that made Valerie feel very secure. He held her against him, and she could feel his presence warm, but hard, so very solid, as he pressed his body behind her. She sighed with arousal.
"Yes, I'm here….And I love you," he whispered passionately. Severus was finally coming to the full-realization that he was madly in love with this young woman. The candlelight glowed softly in the room, as twilight set in, balmy breezes drifting in from the window.
"Now why don't you take those memories and put them back in your mind once and for all?"
She shook palpably against him, "S-severus….No. I can't!"
"Just put them away. It isn't so hard. Do it! Do it for me, Valerie"
Valerie's shoulders went limp and she began to sob in defeat. Snape had never seen her so gone of the usual spunk and feistiness. Clearly her depressed feelings had begun to rule over her. He felt a sudden wash of guilt at leaving her alone and isolated for the last few days. For now on, till term ended he promised silently to visit her everyday.
"Valerie. It's for your own good. Put them back inside your mind!"
"No! Don't make me!"
Snape grabbed her wrist, and taking his hand in hers, held her wand. He coiled one of the liquid strands around Valerie's wand.
He let go as she placed the wand to her temple. He was sure she was going to do it, when she suddenly dropped the strand back into the basin. "It's too much. Too painful!"
In frustration, Snape wanted to turn her around and scream at her to listen to him. But instinctively, he knew what was good for her. He saw a wooden hairbrush on the dresser. Sneakily, he grabbed it, and slapped her bottom with it.
"Ouch!" Valerie said in surprise. "Severus…I don't want to feel pain. But you're forcing me to!"
He knew this would work. One hand went between her shoulders and he pushed her down against the surface of the dresser. He laid a firm paddling on her naked posterior. After a few hard blows, Snape stopped.
He grabbed her shoulders again, and forced her to stand. He could see Valerie's face in the mirror, wincing from the sting of the paddling. Snape had been forced to resort to force, if only to get her to do what she needed to do.
"Take them out of that Pensieve I gave you and return the past to your mind. I will not allow you to hide any longer," said Snape, sounding very stern and more in his teaching role than that of a lover now. "You must have a disciplined mind….Otherwise, all will be lost. Now put those memories back inside your head."
Valerie screamed with misery, as Snape held her. "I must…I must battle my pain," she said. More tears fell down Valerie's face. "Somehow I suppose this makes me stronger. Half the battle comes from within does it not?" she asked him.
"Yes. Come on."
He held Valerie as she forced her wand into the stone basin again. Slowly, and inexorably she placed each of the dozen memories back into the forefront of her mind again. Valerie could feel the memories fully inside her again, and she burst into sobs.
"I'm sorry. Th-thank-you for helping me!"
"Of course," he whispered into her ear, as he held her. Snape actually let her cry into his shoulder, something he'd never let anyone else do before.
"There now…I promise, you'll get used to it. Abstaining from the Pensieve will make you stronger in the process."
"Right….Already I feel different." And Valerie did. It was like the final door closing in her mind, closing and burying her past for good.
Snape still holding the bamboo brush used it now to brush her hair. Apparently the poor girl hadn't brushed it in a while. The strands were all straggly, coarse and full of knots. Snape went to great lengths to untangle them.
Valerie sank onto her four-poster bed, still crying a little. Her bottom felt pleasantly warm against the red satin sheets. Snape went to lie with her, holding her close against him, gently brushing her long, wavy brown hair until it was free of all kinks.
They spent the night together, Snape holding Valerie where she was safe in his arms. They had a bite to eat, for Valerie was ravenous from her meager appetite of before, but his company brought back her desire to eat. He told her everything, confiding in her just like she was his beloved wife. He told Valerie how Voldemort in his rage went through with the secret poisoning of a select few ministry workers. Several of them died yesterday, Yaxley and Selwyn being the ones who poisoned them. And then Snape told her that the Chief Snatcher, Heinrick Scabior was hurting students. Kids were constantly being tortured in the halls now, and students ran to their classes, terrified of Scabior and his men, scared of their teachers, the Carrows, the prefects and even of the headmaster (even though Snape was really an empty threat).
And Snape concluded, "Hogwarts is tightly coiled, tensed with fear. It is likely to spring into a skirmish at any moment…I'm waiting on tenterhooks for a major fight. It'll be Slytherin versus Gryffindor all over again. But this time, I'm afraid it's truly militant."
NOTE: Please review. The next scenes will all be battle scenes from that night. I think you will all be surprised concerning Valerie's fate and perhaps Snape's as well.