Rabidity

Nothing was spoken after that night. Severus had waited until the frail girl fell asleep, then he slipped away from her, and he planned on keeping his distance. He never thought she would have such a timid side to her as he’s seen. He was used to the fiery Slytherin he’d taught private lessons to.

He had given into some sort of desire he thought he had, but it was nothing, it would be nothing. Now he had a job to do, and that was to give her the care she needed.

But by Merlin did he want to force his own stomach through his throat, ’if she was actually carrying his child…’ Severus knew the growing sickness in his stomach all too well; he had felt it for Lily, and now for Adrienne. He knew that she probably wouldn’t be around long enough after the child was born, then there it was - he would’ve failed again.

Perhaps this time, just maybe he could get away with hiding her. Severus then remembered Narcissa’s words: ‘if keeping this a secret comes between keeping Draco safe, I will choose my son.’ It was Draco’s duty to guard her, if Severus wanted to make her disappear, Narcissa would surely point the finger at him to keep Draco safe, but Snape also knew it was his job, no not only was it his job, but he made a very… unbreakable vow to protect Draco as well.

There was nothing he could do… perhaps he could slip her something to end the pregnancy, but Severus knew that Voldemort knew spells that would give him away. He felt immense frustration since he was a wizard he felt like he should be able to do something extraordinary, but even in the wizarding world not all wizards could save the day.

After all this time he was walking back into the same clockwork of his past. The girl he wanted belonged to someone else.
_____________________________________________________

Adrienne began to feel lonelier than ever now. She woke up this morning abandoned by the person she cared about most. She had a soft ringing in her ears from the numbness that plagued her fingertips. Her eyes began to water. She was falling for someone who was completely impractical to fall for, especially in her position.

She could undoubtedly see a resemblance to her mother when she looked in the mirror; A child at such a young age with a monster of a man. Perhaps she was supposed to kill herself later in life, perhaps she would never be happy.

She left her room. She was allowed to do so after the incident with Draco. As some form of gratitude he let her leave her room, as long as she promised not to leave the grounds. She found Draco sitting in the kitchen area, which was unusual. Their eyes met for a moment before he looked back at the ground. There was a house elf with a tray of fruit, Adrienne accepted it, and took it with her to the gardens. Despite the cold and dark demeanor the Malfoy manor had at night, the daytime gave it an unspeakable glow. She wished she could shift and run from here. Even if she tried it felt blocked to her, like she was unable to access her own body.

Still despite her physical and mental pain, she was comfortable. It reminded her of home when she sat in the gardens. The many roses and gardenia flowers made a certain aroma, and if she closed her eyes and focused – she could see the backyard of home, with her mother kneeling in soil, and dragonfly’s fluttering about. She wished that things had never changed, if her mother was still here, she would still be there.
_______________________________________________________________

Severus had a volt of anger when he returned to Spinner’s End. The newest Daily Prophet was upon a small table next to his favorite reading chair. More news was displayed about the Ministry of Magic, Dolores Umbridge and Interrogations. It reminded him that soon he would have to return to Hogwarts, and take his place as Headmaster. Severus felt like a traitor doing that, taking the office of his once dear friend.

He finally admitted to himself that Adrienne had become more than his student, but at what cost? She was so far from being his he didn’t even dare to think about it. He remembered that soft unspeakable silence after the other night, he had given into something so dangerous that it could cost them both their lives, and ruin everything.

But who was he kidding? He’d probably rather see her dead than in the hands of the Dark Lord.

And image was burned into his mind. He had no idea what Narcissa meant about Adrienne saving Draco – but he had a certain idea, one that made him sick to his stomach. With nausea and pain becoming regular feelings for him – Severus figured he ought to try and get some actual sleep before he faced Adrienne again.

Severus first ran a hot bath and let the soothing oils help his physical pain. He used his wand to erase the now cooled water; he wrapped a dark towel around his waist as he opened his private potions cabinet. He swallowed a vial of dreamless sleep potion and followed the hardwood of his hallway to his own private bedroom. He had forgotten that the sheets were brown and soft. He hadn’t slept in this bed all summer. Most of his sleep was found in the chair next to Adrienne’s bedside, or he didn’t sleep at all. His physical exhaustion was perhaps the cause of some of his physical pain. He hoped that resting would enable him to face the Dark Lord, and to face Adrienne.
_____________________________________________________________

Adrienne was let down when Severus never showed that night. She had spent the entire day wondering what he would say to her tonight, apparently he had nothing to say. Although she was slightly angered, she tried to fall asleep, she had wanted to tell Severus that Narcissa confirmed that she was in fact not pregnant. Adrienne had a wave of relief come to her after Narcissa had cast the spell. She was hoping it would never work, and she prayed every day that Potter would be able to defeat him.

Adrienne had just begun to drift off when she heard the shrill scream of someone in pain. She rushed out her bedroom door to the end of the hallway, it was Bellatrix, and Harry’s friend – the girl. She desperately wanted to help, but she knew she couldn’t, betraying Bellatrix would get her killed in an instant.

If they had this girl… did that mean they had Potter?

She caught the eye of Draco from across the room. He seemed worried, and irritated. Adrienne hid herself against the wall and just listened. She heard soft sobs, and then more commotion. Yelling, crackling, and then she heard the crash of the large chandelier. She turned her head quickly to see Potter and several of his friends escape within an inch of their lives.

She quickly ran to Narcissa, helping her up – everyone was irritated, Potter was here, and had escaped their grasp. She could see the disappointment on their faces, although Adrienne was more than happy to see that Potter was making progress, and had escaped. She saw the Dark Mark on Lucius’s arm as she helped him up. His irritation was the greatest. From what she understood he was a failure in the Dark Lord’s eyes and surely capturing Potter was the greatest way he could win back his ranks. He scoffed away from Adrienne, while he grabbed Draco’s arm and together both of them left to try and track down Potter.