Audrey walked at a brisk pace, leaving him a few steps behind on the path to Hogwarts. She felt Professor Snape's piercing eyes on the back of her head. She wondered if he could see the red marks on her neck she had tried to conceal with a scarf. What must he think of her? A new coworker, getting roughed up by a death eater. She was never good at first impressions.
Snape seemed like an interesting character. He wasn't exactly stunning, but his shaggy black hair and striking nose gave him a certain charm. She suspected that behind his stiff, brooding attitude he had a few tense secrets himself. At least he hadn't asked her in front of Dumbledore.
They finally made it to the outer gate of Hogwarts. It was just as beautiful as she remembered. Soaring towers of stone surrounded by a curtain of forest. Something was different though. The air had been crisp and fresh. It was now cold, clammy, and foreboding. She shivered. Dementors. She batted at the air, trying to repel the whispered memories that were floating to the surface. Bile rose in her throat.
"Where…" Her question died on her lips as cloaked figures oozed around the corner of a wall. Snape brushed past her and spoke to the foremost dementor in a whisper. She caught his first word, which must have been the code word, "Fawkes". The dementor limped in disappointment that Snape wasn't prey. He muttered a few more things, motioning to her.
"They want to screen you before we enter." He said to her with a grimace.
"Alright, then." She braced herself.
The dark cloaks swarmed close to her. She felt the oxygen getting thin around her.
Her fingers were streaked red with blood. Her blood. She couldn't feel clean enough after countless showers and scours of soap. So she started scratching like an animal. She had to get it out of her skin. The lingering weight of his touch.
The dementors seemed satisfied, although she got the sense they hovered a little longer than necessary. She didn't remember falling down to her knees, but she awkwardly got up and brushed the dirt from her robes. If Snape was concerned, he didn't let on. He simply quirked his eyebrow and motioned her to follow him.
"I need to deposit these ingredients in the dungeons, then I can show you around the castle. Their footsteps clacked loudly in the big empty hall. She had so many memories in this place, but it was strange seeing it so empty. She remembered it loud and full of life.
"You graduated two years after I did. We must have been here at the same time. What was your house?"
"I was in Ravenclaw. Where were you?"
"Hmm, that's fitting. I was in Slytherin."
"Ah…" He probably knew him then. They would've probably been around the same age.
Somehow he read her train of thought.
"So how do you know Lucius Malfoy?" He surprised her with his bluntness, but somehow she appreciated it.
"Not for any good reason. I'd appreciate it if you kept what you saw earlier private. Rest assured, I'm no death eater sympathizer. It's… a complicated situation."
"Hmm…. Sure." He must be curious, but it was none of his business how she knew Malfoy.
They made their way to an earthy cupboard and she helped him sort out the roots and stones he'd brought. She paused when she found a small vile full of dark liquid. She held it up to the candlelight and caught a hint of garnet red.
"How did you get your hands on dragon's blood around these parts?" she asked incredulously.
"You have a keen eye Millwood. Yes I have my connections."
"I spent the past year working for the ministry at the embassy in Bulgaria. There were some truly wicked dragons around there. I used the blood in my rune decryption from time to time."
"Riveting. What leads a person to leave an exciting job like that to settle into teaching school?"
"Oh, I suppose I grew weary of the excitement. Besides, I'm sure we all have our reasons. I have the heart of a Ravenclaw, always seeking knowledge. What better way than to teach, with access to the Hogwarts library?"
Snape grunted at her not so moving speech. She guessed he wasn't buying it. She began asking him about potions ingredients to change the subject. He began telling her the process for making a complex sleeping potion, and they started meandering out of the dungeons into the upper halls. Snape didn't narrate much on the tour, but she didn't mind. THe castle seemed unchanged, and she rather enjoyed hearing his in depth description. She hoped he might help her brew a potion or two with that store and his knowledge. His voice had a relaxing cadence to it as well.
Not far from the lower stairwell, Snape unlocked a heavy round door.
"This is the runemaster's bedchamber. You may bring all your things here."
They stepped inside and she was pleased to see that it was a comfortable little room fitted in Ravenclaw blue, with cornflowers embroidered all around the tapestries. A narrow window gave her a view of the front lawn and lake.
"This will do nicely."