CHAPTER 11: DREAM
(Severus POV)
Severus Snape was standing in an unfamiliar landscape.
It was winter. The trees seemed as if they were not alive, leafless, stiff as stone. Cold wind swept through the terrain, chilling everything in its path. There was no warmth. There was no joy. The forest was like a frozen hell.
In the middle of the forest, the raven-haired man saw a child. She was small, skinny, with silvery-white hair, and ruby-red eyes. Somehow, the girl seemed so familiar.
She was alone, freezing. No fire was burning to keep her warm, her thin white dress cannot possibly defend her from the cold. Her feet were cold, for she walked barefoot. She was dragging with her a huge stone object, which was shaped like a giant club, which was more than twice the girls' size, and the effort undoubtedly caused the girl additional immense pain.
The girl was panting. The girl was breathing heavily. Severus could tell that she wanted to cry out for help, but somehow she did not, for she knew that no one would come to save her.
Severus watched, as the girl walked towards a clearing in the forest, where the snow-covered land was flat, where the girl would be more vulnerable, where the weather, the wind, would be at its most merciless. The girl started shoveling away snow, with her frail white hands, until there was a patch of land free of it.
Then, to Severus horror, the white-haired girl held out a small knife, and cut herself in the wrist, blood trickling down.
In the distance, Severus could hear the cries and howls of animals. Wolves.
The ruby-eyed girl was shivering ceaselessly, both from the cold, and from fear of the creatures. Still, for some reason, despite all that she was feeling, the girl was able to keep her face calm and composed.
The raven-haired man was even more horrified, as she watched the girl draw some kind of circle with symbols on the clear ground, using her own blood. Finally, it was completed.
From the distance of the animals' cries, Severus could tell that beasts were getting closer The raven-haired man shuddered. He had a fear of werewolves, and this fear extended to the non-half man, half-beast version.
The white-haired girl now placed the giant club to the center of her creation, with enormous effort, careful not to smudge any of the blood-drawn symbols.
She now stepped backed from the circle she created and began chanting. The girl was speaking in a different language, but for some reason, Severus could clearly understand was she was saying.
Ye first, O silver, O iron
Severus did not why, but the white-haired girl seemed so familiar…even the little girl's voice…it seemed to belong to someone he knows.
O stone of the foundation, O Archduke of the Contract
Hear me in the name of our great teacher, the Archmagus Schweinorg.
Let the descending winds be as a wall
Let the gates in all directions be shut, rising above the crown, and let the three-forked roads to the Kingdom revolve.
Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut. Shut.
Five perfections for each repetition.
Set.
Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my fate rest in thy blade.
If thou submitteth to the call of the Holy Grail and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond…
The wolves have arrived. They have now found the source of the smell of blood. There were around twenty of them, and they circled around the frail white girl, closing in…
The raven-haired man wanted to run, to grab the girl and take her away out of harm's way, but as he tried to do so, he realized for some reason, he couldn't move. He was helpless…
Severus could feel it. He could feel the wolves' murderous animal instinct, as they found a prey they could feast on.
He knows the girl was frightened. She kept her sorrowfully calm face, but her knees were shaking. Still, she continued the ritual, her ruby-red eyes filled with determination.
I make my oath here.
I am that person who is to become the virtue of all Heavens.
The beasts were getting even closer, calculating the distance.
I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades.
Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words,
The wolves were now in a leaping stance, ready to pounce on the girl…
come past thy restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance-
Yet, thou serves with thine eyes clouded in chaos.
Thou, bound in the cage of madness
The wolves sprang up and rushed forward, their mouths wide open, their teeth bared, barking as they sped toward their prey.
Severus could only curse himself for being frozen like a statue, unable to do anything.
I AM HER WHO COMMAND THOSE CHAINS!
The white-haired girl cried out, as if in desperation, the last sentence of her aria.
A bright flash of reddish white light engulfed the area, as the wolves momentarily retreated some distance, although still within sight of their prey.
And then, as the light was starting to dissipate…
The girl screamed. She screamed in pain. She screamed as if every single nerve on her body was on fire. She was lying, freezing, snow-covered ground, rolling left and right, crying in agony. She was kicking around wildly, writhing convulsively, as glowing red lines appeared all over her body.
Now more than ever, Severus desperately wanted to get to the white-haired girl, who felt so familiar. There was nothing he could do. He was stiff as a statue. He could not help her. He could not protect her. He could not save her. He was powerless.
"No…"
The wolves have now regained their composure, after the shock the flash of light gave them, and were once again advancing upon the white-haired girl.
"No…"
One of the wolves was about two meters from the girl now. The white-hair, with enormous effort, tried to stand up. She lifted her head a bit, and her ruby eyes widened as she stared straight into a pair of merciless yellow ones.
The wolf licked itself, it's mouth opened wide, as it lunged, aiming for the frail girl's neck.
"No!"
Severus Snape did not know how or why, but he knew who she was, the lonely white-haired girl, as she cried alone, defenseless, unloved, unwanted, alone, in the middle of a frozen hell, about to be devoured by beasts.
"ILYAAAAAA!" the raven-haired man screamed, as Severus heard someone shouting his own name.
"SEV…GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF…HEY, WAKE UP… SEV!"
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"SEV, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF…HEY, WAKE UP…SEV!" a familiar voice was shouting at him, as someone shook him forcefully.
Severus was awakened from his reverie, and when he opened his eyes, stared straight into the face of a panicked-looking, white-haired girl with emerald green eyes.
"Ilya!" cried Severus. "Whaa? Where am… what happened?"
"You were talking in your sleep," replied the white-haired girl, as she sat down on a stool and sighed in relief. "Then, you started shouting… you were in a convulsion…you must have been having a nightmare, so I had to wake you up."
"I see," replied Severus, as he started to calm down. The raven-haired teenager noticed that he was sweating and breathing heavily in his sleep.
Then he remembered. The vicious wolves…the cold hell…the white-haired girl who looked exactly like Ilya, except for the eyes, the shape of her eyes were the same, except that they were ruby-red, not emerald-green…freezing…suffering…in pain…in agony… abandoned…alone...
It was just a dream, thought Severus, trying to convince himself. But somehow, he knew that what he saw was real. The vision that he saw, it really did happen. Ilya and the small child in the dream did not just look the same. Severus knew, he did not know how, but for some reason he was absolutely certain, the girl in his dream, and the girl in front of him right now, they are the same person. Severus was sure, that what he saw was a glimpse of Ilya's past…
Severus remembered. Ilya told him that she had no family, that she had lost everyone she ever loved.
The raven-haired young man did not know exactly what happened, but he saw it, he sensed it, he felt it, the pain and sorrow that was embedded in the girl's heart.
And knowing it for a fact greatly pained Severus. How did she survive that hell? How much has she had to go through in life? How much has she had to suffer? thought the raven-haired young man. The torments I endured cannot even compare to what she experienced…
As the raven-haired boy was deep in his thoughts, the white-haired girl suddenly placed a hand on his forehead, making the boy sit up on his bed in surprise.
"I'm glad," Ilya told Severus, smiling gently. "You're looking much better. The fever's gone now. Last night you were really burning up." Severus noticed that there was a basin on water and a wet towel by his bed side. The girl must have been tending to her the entire time.
Then Severus remembered clearly what he saw before he passed out. Three dead bodies...
"!" Severus placed a hand in his mouth. It was definitely not one of his most pleasant memories.
He remembered the corpses of the Death Eaters who entered his yard, and the state they were in when he saw them. He did not know how it was done, but Severus recalled the mangled state the bodies were in…an arm detached…a leg detached…the head detached…
He knows who it was who was responsible for what happened. He saw her smirk slightly at her work, which brought a cold chill down the raven-haired boy's spine. But then…
The frozen hell…the deathly cold breeze…the white-haired girl…walking barefoot on the ice cold snow, a thin white dress that could not possibly protect from the cold…the white-haired girl screaming in agony…
What happened to the Dark Lord's three servants, or the way they died is of little relevance. Ilya only did that to protect my home, to protect me, thought Severus.
"Sev, is there something wrong?" asked Ilya worryingly. The white-haired girl was looking at him intently, as he had been silent for a moment.
"No, none at all," replied the raven-haired boy.
"It's my fault, isn't it? It's because of the way I k…" Ilya began, a downcast look in her eyes.
"No it's not," Severus cut her off quickly. "What happened was not your fault… It couldn't be helped."
"But…"
"Anyway," Severus cut her off again, to stop Ilya from starting to blame herself. "What did you do with the bodies?"
"Oh," replied Ilya, Severus thankful that she was somewhat distracted. "I burned them."
"Burned them?" asked Severus, keeping his voice conversational.
"Yes, burned them," replied the girl. "Everything, body and all. I wish I could've kept the wands or the Mystic Codes though, but that would be too risky…"
"I see," said Severus. It was a wise decision. Having to explain three more corpses, even Death Eaters, and even to Rufus Scrimgeour, who seemed to have taken a liken to him and Ilya, would be difficult. Eliminating the evidence would be the best choice. Still… "But what if someone else has seen…"
"Not likely, Sev," Ilya cut him off, apparently offended. "When the Boundary Field I placed detects a threat, it automatically creates an illusion, anyone who looks at the house or the yard will see it as normal. Whatever it is that is taking place will not be seen nor heard from outside of the yard. The illusion will remain until I deactivate it. If anyone tried to look, the yard will appear vacant, even if there are actually people on the yard choking from lack of air and getting impaled by floating swords… you're angry at me, aren't you, for doing something like this without your permission."
The white-haired girl was looking down guiltily. "I'm sor..."
"No, I'm not angry, and no, you don't have to apologize… I am just surprised about the things that you, that's all," said Severus honestly. "You have teach me more about this…Boundary Field, though, whatever it is."
"If that's what you want, Sev," replied the white-haired girl automatically.
Moments of silence passed between them. However, the air was lighter now, no longer constricting. Severus and Ilya simply ran out of things to say. Then…
A grumbling noise interrupted the silence. The source of the noise was apparently…
"Should we go and grab a bite?" asked Severus, a pink flush on his face.
"Yes, I believe that is a good idea," replied Ilya, also flushing. "Hunger is the enemy…"
AUTHOR'S NOTES
First, I would like to thank all those people who gave their comments and suggestions, they were very helpful. I'm not sure if I've managed to sweep all the he-she pronoun gender mistakes I made. Hell, I'll probably me making more of those as I progress with my story (I hope not though.) Still, an edit is really crucial, if my errors may confuse readers and could get the completely wrong idea from the statement, I would really appreciate if you point it out. If the error, however is something that most readers can easily decipher what I'm trying to say, then I'm sorry about that. ^_^
Anyway, I really am busy, so the most I can promise is that I'll update the chapters at least once a week.
Later then…