Characters: Snape, Theodore Nott.

Prompt: Death's Doorstep (#69)

"I look to you and I see nothing
I look to you to see the truth
You live your life
You go in shadows."

(Mazzy Star, Fade Into You)

She used to have a crush on him, Tracey thought as she lay on the ground, panting for breath, sweat soaking her skin. It was strange, to remember something like that at a time like this. Strange, the things that came to mind when all your nerves were firing pain signals to the brain like machine gun.

She was on her side, fingers twisting and attempting to grasp the floorboards beneath her as she looked through a veil of her sweaty hair at one of the many masked figures standing over her. Thus far, he hadn't participated. He'd only been standing by, watching, never saying a word, but not yet looking away.

That's how she knew him. It was those eyes. Black as anything she'd ever seen, and deeper then any water well. They were bottomless pits of nothing... but sometimes she thought she'd seen them flicker. Saw human emotion dwelling in the darkness.

"We have an itty wittle, brave one," Bellatrix Lestrange mocked, her voice imitating baby talk.

Tracey's eyes didn't flicker from where they were locked on the only person she could've found some comfort in, if he'd been what she'd thought he was. She continued to breathe, setting her jaw against the moans of pains that threatened to be released as her nerves continued to flicker with pain, making her body twitch now and then.

"You're going to die here," a high pitched and creepy voice called from somewhere beyond all the masks. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Death. They were going to kill her.

Tears filled her eyes, but it wasn't so much from fear. At this point she felt, death would be a relief. She didn't know how many times or for how long she'd been put under the Cruciatus. But each time, felt like an eternity. And there were times she thought, she was either burning in the eternal fires of hell, or she was losing her damn mind.

Pushing off from the ground, she rose very shakily onto her elbows.

However, she didn't get any further when she found herself on her back once more, her entire body violently convulsing. Once more, she felt the greatest pain in her seventeen years. Somewhere, her mind disjointedly perceived that someone was screaming. A sound so horrifying, she was sure that it would forever haunt her dreams.

Tracey still found herself screaming when the pain stopped. It was only a few seconds after that she stopped, her throat dray and scratchy.

Moaning, she once more managed to roll onto her side though her entire body was rioting against her direction. She could taste the metallic flavor of blood in her mouth. The sound of cruel laughter, flitted into her ears. Wrenching her eyes open, through her bleary gaze, she sought out the familiar black eyes of her Head of House unsure why she felt the need to maintain eye-contact.

Perhaps it was her only way to accuse him. To blame him for breaking his unspoken promise to protect his students. For not being the man, she thought he was.

For making her doubt her ability to judge whether someone was good or not.

"Any last words?" someone asked. She didn't know who, but it didn't really matter.

Tracey closed her eyes as her heart began to race. She could feel hot moisture, leaking over the bridge of her nose and racing over one of her temples.

Her mind drifted somewhere far away. And for a few seconds, she didn't feel her body's pain, or her fear. Not in this place that was sunny and warm. Not when Theo was sitting before him, a small weary smile on his pale face, his grey eyes looking at her in a way that no one had ever looked at her before.

A smile lifted her lips.

Her eyes fluttering open, they immediately locked on Snape.

"I love Theo," she admitted aloud, for the first time, her voice small and very hoarse. Cruel laughter again, as she looked beseechingly at Snape.

She felt relief wash over her, as she saw his miniscule nod. Closing her eyes as she saw a flash of green, she focused on Theodore Nott, happy that she'd at least known him.

~End~