The weeks went by, and the lack of tourists began the low season. Hellen could finally enjoy her free time, but this time, she wasn't happy about it. Work kept her busy and kept her from thinking about Severus.

She tried to fill her days with activities to distract her mind. She went swimming or surfing, attended her dance classes, and organized excursions with her friends. But every time she returned home, she couldn't stop her eyes from scanning the beach, looking for the lone figure sitting on the sand. And she cursed herself for looking, and for getting upset.

She felt hurt and disappointed by his absence, but she knew it was her fault. She had sent that short and cold response. She had cut off all possibility of communication with him. There was no coming back from that.

She just wanted to forget him, but she couldn't. She didn't understand what was happening. He wasn't the first man she'd slept with, and he wasn't the most attractive or the most charismatic either. On the contrary, Severus had been unpleasant from the first moment, and had harassed her until he got what he wanted from her. There was no point in thinking about him all the time.

But she couldn't help but remember the way he had looked at her while he returned her lock of hair, or how he ran his dark eyes over her body when he thought she wasn't looking, or the touch of his hands and the taste of his lips, and their conversations on the beach, while they watched the sunset.

Shaking her head, Hellen cursed herself again. Why the hell did she have to think about him again? How she regretted sending that note!

Upon entering the house, she was greeted by Win, who had been away for a few days. Hellen never asked her about her absence, after all, she was a free elf and could do whatever she wanted. But that didn't stop her from being happy to see her return.

Without saying a word, Win handed her a letter. There was nothing written on the envelope, but when she opened it, Hellen recognized the handwriting, and her heart skipped a beat.

"How have you...?" she couldn't speak, because she was so surprised.

"Mr. Snape gave it to Win."

"How is it possible? Has he called you?" without believing it, Hellen read the letter, with expectation plastered on her face.

To her disappointment, it was not what she had expected to read. They were just a few polite and impersonal lines, with hardly any warmth or trace of tenderness.

"Why does he bother writing this?" she snorted, leaving the parchment on the table. She headed to the kitchen, irritated, and Win followed her.

"The miss may not believe it, but it took a lot of effort for Mr. Snape to respond."

"Anyone would think he was forced to do it," she muttered, before turning to the house-elf, glaring at her. "And why are you involved in this? Why do you answer to his call? Have you pressured him to answer me?"

Win flapped her ears and looked at her feet.

"Win thinks that the miss is too alone."

"I'm not alone. I have my friends. I have Kapono."

"They are not part of the magical world."

"I don't want to be part of the magical world!" Hellen slammed her hands on the counter, angrily. Win was silent for a few minutes, watching Hellen move back and forth, furious.

"It's just a letter, miss. A letter from a friend," she ventured timidly.

"He is not my friend."

"But Mr. Snape could be."

"I don't want him to be my–" Hellen stopped herself, running a hand over her face. "Leave me alone please."

ooo

The kidnapped girls were being moved again, as if they were sheep in a flock. The mysterious captors were dividing them into smaller groups, perfectly delimited and separated from each other.

"They are separating the witches from the muggles."

"They also separate us by age," Ginny observed. The younger students had been taken aside, and Eily had been grouped with the witches who were not yet old enough to go to Hogwarts, but they could still see her.

Both Ginny and Hermione noticed that the captors were watching the girl more closely since she had shown signs of voluntary wandless magic.

Then, the smaller door opened, letting in a new victim.

"Is that Parvatil?"

Ginny also recognized her classmate, who was forcibly escorted by two guards. Her eyes widened at the sight of Ginny, but her surprise was interrupted by the arrival of what seemed to be the leader.

Fretzu approached Parvatil, grabbed her chin and looked at her closely, studying her features. The uncomfortable examination lasted longer than desired, until he was satisfied and released her.

"It is a magnificent specimen. She will be satisfied," he ruled.

"Specimen?"

"She must not be damaged. Put her safely away," the creature ordered, and Parvatil was carried, carefully but firmly, to a solitary corner, away from the others.

ooo

Days passed before Hellen decided to answer. Several times she began to write, immediately regretting it, crumpling the paper and throwing it to the side. What could she say that wouldn't make her look like a fool? Severus would mock her if he could imagine the jumble of emotions flooding her.

Trying not to reveal her feelings, she only wrote a few short and concise sentences, imitating the note he had sent. Win took it upon herself to deliver the message without delay, before she could regret it once again.

The response took a while to arrive, and like the previous letter, it was disappointing in its length and content, and Hellen snorted in disappointment once again, under the attentive gaze of the house-elf, who watched her in silence.

She couldn't explain why she found this situation so frustrating, and yet she responded in kind, cursing herself for her idiocy.

The notes followed each other, through the weeks. Always brief and impersonal. Always disappointing. But for some reason, neither of them wanted to be the first to stop writing.

And so, the weeks passed by and the Christmas season arrived, and with it the tourists, the families, the celebrations and the double shifts at the bar. Hellen felt exhausted, and not just from work.

The festive atmosphere depressed her, and she envied the happiness she observed around her. To make matters worse, her friends had left.

Alice had gotten married, moving to one of the larger islands, and Jane had moved to California, looking for a better job. They had gotten a matching tattoo to commemorate their friendship, but those black lines on her ankle only reminded her of what she had lost. Hellen was left alone, with the only company of Kapono and the other temporary waitresses.

On Christmas Day, Hellen returned home late, tired, sore, and very sad. She had brought a bottle of liquor with her, and she was determined to empty it.

She didn't found Win anywhere, and her eyes fell on the unopened note that had arrived that morning from Hogwarts. She hadn't read it yet, but she knew it would be another disappointment in a long and overwhelming day.

She didn't know what came over her, but as she felt anguish flood her chest and her eyes fill with tears, Hellen sat down, grabbed a sheaf of blank pages, and began to write. She couldn't control herself or stop, and her handwriting was smudged by her own hand and her tears.

She shamelessly released everything that filled her mind and heart. She let off steam like she had never done before. Her tears fell incessantly down her face, wetting the paper. But she continued writing, filling one page after another, until she couldn't take it anymore and the crying got the better of her.

ooo

The DA members were ready. They had spread out on both sides of a flight of moving stairs and were watching, attentive to any movement of Alecto Carrow. They knew her routine, since the death eater followed the same path every day to get to the Muggle Studies classroom.

Harry and Ron were waiting at the top landing of the stairs, covered by the invisibility cloak. From their position they saw Luna and Hannah Abbot, who had offered to act as bait, surrounded by several DA boys. They had verified that the runes were not activated if there were boys nearby, and therefore, they were acting as a temporary barrier until the time was right.

"Here she comes," said Ron, who had been paying attention to Colin's gestures.

Sure enough, Alecto was approaching the stairs, accompanied by Draco Malfoy. They did not know if the boy accompanied Alecto of his own free will or because he was ordered to, but his presence helped the execution of the plan.

Draco and Alecto went up the stairs, without noticing that Luna and Hannah were standing at the base of the stairs, near the wall. The boys moved away from them, leaving only Neville standing guard.

As Alecto was about to reach the next landing, Harry emerged from the protection of the cloak, walked down a couple of steps, and collided with Draco, causing him to stumble.

"What are you doing, scar-face?" Draco snapped, indignant.

"Sorry, it's hard to see you if you're not accompanied by your mother," Harry mocked. Draco scrunched up his face in annoyance.

"Do you think you're funny, Potter?" Draco took out his wand, ready to cast a curse on him.

"I don't know, do you want me to repeat it, to see if it's funnier?"

"Torture him, Draco," Alecto growled, looking at him with disdain. Harry was surprised by her words, and Draco looked baffled as well.

Many people were looking at them, whispering, but no one was paying attention to Luna and Hannah, who were left alone in front of the glowing runes.

Harry knew he had to buy time at any cost.

"You won't be able to," he whispered, challenging Draco. He was reluctant to obey, but he did not lower his wand.

"The Dark Lord will reward you for this," Alecto insisted. Harry could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears. What would he do if Draco decided to obey? He also wielded his wand, preparing to fight.

Draco raised his arm, pointing at his chest, but then several students shouted, pointing at the glowing oval that had opened behind Luna.

Quickly, Alicia and Dean cast an incantation against the stairs, transforming them into a ramp. Ron suddenly pushed Alecto, and the death eater dragged Draco and Harry with her fall. The three of them slid uncontrollably down the ramp toward the glowing oval, which was trying to engulf Luna.

Harry jumped up, grabbing Luna by the waist and pulling her away from the wall. At the same time, Neville pulled Hannah to safety. Several spells hit Alecto, pushing her towards the runes. The death eater raised her arms, trying to grab onto something, but they sank into the light.

"Get away!" Harry shouted, making sure Luna and the other girls were safe. But it wasn't necessary, because even in the midst of chaos, no one wanted to go near that mysterious hole.

And then, Alecto started screaming. Her screams echoed through the corridors and stairs. The sound was horrible, and it gave them goosebumps.

"What is happening here?" Dumbledore approached running, and the students parted in his wake.

Several professors were also running towards the runes from various directions, but for a moment, no one knew what to do, seeing Alecto screaming, surrounded by colorful sparks. The death eater began to age rapidly, amidst horrible screams of pain.

Dumbledore tried to protect her and get her away from the oval, but none of his spells worked. The Lady also made her way through the mass of curious onlookers, and standing next to the headmaster, waved her hands.

A bluish glow surrounded Alecto, but it also failed to move her away from the hole. The Lady snorted and redoubled her efforts, assisted by Dumbledore, but not even their combined magic worked.

After a few agonizing minutes, the oval suddenly closed and Alecto fell to the ground, like a bundle. Her body had been consumed, remaining in bones. Her hair, now white, fell limply on either side of her sunken face. Her eyes protruded from their sockets, like two small balls.

But Alecto was not dead. Her breathing was weak and labored, barely raising her chest. Very carefully, the Lady knelt next to her head, and rested her fingertips on her temples.

"My lady," Narcissa looked at her terrified, but did not dare to intervene. The Lady ignored her but looked at Snape.

"Stay alert," she told him, before closing her eyes, concentrating. Again, a slight bluish glow came from her hands, as the woman delved into Alecto 's mind. And then, her body shuddered, and she craned her head back, rolling her eyes.

ooo

Harry felt like he was falling into the void. He heard the sound of the sea again, and his nose caught the smell of salt. But soon he found himself pushed forward, through the glowing oval in the wall. And then he saw it.

It was a stone room, octagonal in shape. There were no windows in its walls, and all the light came from the dying torches on the walls. In the center of the floor, a huge bathtub opened, also octagonal, filled to the brim with a dark red liquid. It looked like wine.

"That's not wine," said the woman.

Something was dripping onto the viscous liquid, and looking up, Harry saw a small naked figure, hanging upside down.

Harry felt panic overcome him. The figure was hanging from the ceiling by chains and was slowly rotating on itself.

He could not believe it. He didn't want to keep looking. It was a girl. Her eyes looked into space, and a trail of blood fell from her mouth.

Terror gripped him. He had to get out of there. He had to...

ooo

"Harry, Harry!" Ron shook him by the shoulders, trying to get him to react. He was pale and looked scared. Harry realized he had fallen to the ground, but he couldn't remember how it had happened. Trying to get his bearings, he sat up.

His gaze fell on the Lady. She was a few meters away from him, and was being assisted by Snape and Narcissa, but as if sensing his gaze, the woman raised her head and looked Harry in the eyes.

In that instant, Harry knew that they had both witnessed the same horror. He felt the urge to vomit. What had he just witnessed?

"There is a bathtub, a bathtub full of blood," she whispered, looking at Dumbledore. He stood up straight, but immediately took charge of the situation.

"Minerva, get the students out of here. Pomona, Fidelius, take Harry to the infirmary," Dumbledore tried to remain calm in the midst of confusion. "Severus what can be done for Alecto Carrow?"

"Nothing, she's dead," Snape responded, after inspecting the death eater.

He scanned the scene with his dark eyes, taking in the modified stairs, Draco and Harry's injuries, and the casual presence of the DA members nearby. Harry saw the professor give him a look that was equal parts anger and fear, and he was glad Dumbledore was present.

"Then we will have to take charge. We'll talk about this later," the headmaster exchanged a meaningful look with Snape and the Lady. "For now, go to my office."

ooo

The next day, Hellen woke up with a headache and a dry mouth, and looked around, disoriented. She had fallen asleep on the table, and the half-empty bottle of liquor was still next to her, but there was no trace of the letter.

Puzzled, she looked everywhere for it, thinking it might have fallen to the ground, but she couldn't find it. Horrified, she realized that Win must have handed it over, and she covered her face with her hands, embarrassed.

She felt mortified. She didn't want to imagine the effect that letter would have when read. She was convinced it would be much worse than any of her brief notes. She felt like crying again.

This was not the way she had imagined cutting off communication with Severus. Because it was clear that no one in their right mind would want to respond to that bunch of nonsense. She had been an idiot in the worst possible way.

But what if he responded? What if he laughed at her? He had the ability to be sarcastic and cruel, and she had given him all the ammunition he needed to torment her for all eternity.

Hellen did not want to be the victim of his acid mockery. Why did she had to write that letter? Why hadn't she destroyed it? Why had Win taken it?

The doorbell cut short that spiral of thoughts. Hellen thought that Kapono had come to see her, and she wet her face to hide the trail of her tears. She didn't want to worry him more than necessary.

She opened the door, trying to appear calm, but then her mouth fell open, not knowing how to react.

"Hellen?"

In front of her, without a hint of mockery or malice, Severus waited.

Hellen opened her eyes wide, not believing what she saw. For a second, a feeling of extreme happiness washed over her, and she instinctively took a step forward, wanting to throw herself into his arms. But she stopped immediately, overcome by a wave of horror and shame.

She was still wearing her uniform, and she was dirty, disheveled, with her makeup smeared. Her eyes were swollen and red and in short, she presented the most pathetic and disastrous image she could imagine.

And he had read the letter. The stupid and humiliating letter.

Hellen turned away, embarrassed, covering her face with her hands to hide the tears that were flooding her eyes again. That couldn't be happening. She couldn't let him see her like that.

She heard the door close behind her, and the sound of footsteps approaching her.

"Hellen, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

To her surprise, his voice was softer than she expected. Hellen took a deep breath and forced herself to remove her hands and look at him.

Severus watched her worriedly, with no sign of mockery on his face. She couldn't believe that he was really there, in front of her.

"How did you get here so fast?" she dared to ask.

"Win brought me. She can appearate at very great distances," Severus was still worried. He couldn't ignore the woman's deep dark circles and tired face. "What's wrong, Helen? Did something happen to you?"

She shook her head, again trying unsuccessfully to hold back tears.

"I'm sorry you had to come; I didn't want to worry you. I don't know why Win gave you the letter, she had no right... I didn't want to... I wasn't going to send it," the tears fell down her face without remedy, giving a pitiful image. Severus didn't know what to do about that, he had never been in a similar situation, and he had no idea about what to say or what to do. "You should call Win to take you back. Do not waste your time on me."

There was something in her voice and the way she shrugged her shoulders and wrung her hands that raised an alarm in Severus' mind and made him react. Without saying a word, he stepped forward and hugged her.

Hellen resisted, wanting to free herself, but the warmth of his arms surrounded her, giving her that support she didn't know she needed. Giving in, she rested her head against the man's chest and let her emotions take over, sobbing uncontrollably.

He caressed her back, holding her against him. He didn't know why, but seeing her cry made him feel a sharp emptiness in his chest.

"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered in her ear. "I will not leave you alone."

"Are you really here?" she sobbed, still not believing it. Her hands rested against his chest, feeling his warmth and the beating of his heart.

"Of course," this time there was a hint of mockery in Severus' voice, but it was softened by a note of tenderness.

Hellen pressed herself even closer to him, as if she was afraid he would disappear at any moment. Severus buried a hand in her disheveled hair and unconsciously kissed her head.

They remained embraced for a few minutes, without saying anything, but they didn't need to, the warmth of their embrace was more than enough.

"I've been an idiot," Severus muttered. "I was so afraid of what you might think of me that I didn't stop to think that I was hurting you."

Hellen raised her head, looking at him for the first time. Her face was wet, but her eyes were no longer shedding tears.

"Why would you be afraid?"

He shifted uncomfortably, unable to look her in the eye.

"I thought you were going to laugh at me."

Hellen bowed her head sadly, hugging him again.

"I also thought you were going to laugh at me, if you thought I cared about you," she confessed. Severus blinked in surprise and tried to look at her, but Hellen had her face hidden against his chest.

"Do you care about me?"

"Maybe... a little."

Not knowing what to do, Severus just hugged her tighter, burying his face in her hair. He still didn't dare to say anything to confirm or deny any kind of feelings, but he hoped that his presence would be enough.

Finally, Hellen dared to look at him, without a trace of tears, and without making any attempt to move away from him.

"Thanks for coming. I won't deny that I needed to see you. You didn't have to do it."

"Do not thank me. I... I wanted to see you too."

A small smile crossed the woman's lips, and her eyes seemed to brighten.

"Really?"

Severus smiled too, and raising a hand, he gently caressed her face, where months ago a horrible scar could be seen. Hellen sighed and closed her eyes, giving a small smile.

"I've missed you," he confessed, leaning toward her and kissing her softly on the lips.

"And I missed you too,"Hellen stood on tiptoe and kissed him back.

Slowly, they kissed in silence, without rushing. Their attention was on their lips and the warm touch of their hands. They didn't need to talk to communicate what they felt.

That was the best Christmas gift they could have asked for.