They walk in silence for quite a while, glancing at each other from time to time, as if each is trying to guess what the other is thinking. This would be funny (maybe even a little romantic) any other time...but they both know the dangers that lay ahead.
Finally, they come to a quiet little pond, and Snape guides Malfoy to a stone bench concealed by bushes close by. "She loves it here," Snape says as he sits down, and Malfoy kneels at the pond's edge. Gingerly, he dips just the tips of his fingers in the cool, clear water, and looks up. "This is natural, not Magic-made," he whispers and Snape nods. "She led me here, a few nights after I built her home." He watches Malfoy for a moment. "She wanted me to see the fish." Malfoy loves it; it's elegant yet simple, something he would have at his home.
He could sit here and think for hours, but tonight he hasn't the luxury.
He rises eventually and sits down beside Snape on the bench. "Does she spend a lot of time here?" He asks and Snape watches the fish. "She used to, but now..." he gives an almost imperceptable shrug, "only when I can accompany her. Which, unfortunately, is not as often as either of us would like." The fish seem quite interested in the two wizards, and Snape wishes he had some of the cereal Elsbet likes to give them. "I dislike curtailing her activities, but it is just not safe anymore. And things are only becoming more dangerous." Something akin to regret flickers in Snape's eyes and for a moment, Malfoy feels bad for him.
"I told you that her former employer left her homeless when he decided she was no longer useful to him," Snape pauses and Malfoy gives a slight nod, saying, "I had a feeling there was more to it." Snape digs into a pocket in his robe, thinking perhaps there was something left of the biscuit from lunch. He finds it and pulls it out. "He was going to kill her." He says it so matter-of-factly that at first Malfoy isn't sure he's heard right. "He was going to wait until she was sleeping, and then smother her." He picks off a few pieces and throws them to the fish. "He didn't think she was worth wasting his magic on." Malfoy watches the fish happily nibble the bits Snape tosses to them, completely at a loss for words. "If I hadn't gone there that night, he would have murdered her, done Merlin-knows-what with her body, and I would never have known."
Snape rises and crushes the remaining biscuit and drops a little into the water. Malfoy watches him and listens with rapt attention as Snape walks slowly around the pond, feeding the fishes and telling the story. "He was the owner of an apothecary near a Muggle village and sold to both Muggles and Magicals. I was able to obtain some very rare potion ingredients at his shop...and," he tosses the rest of the biscuit crumbs into the pond as he reaches the bench again, "I...I think I knew she was special the very first time I saw her." Malfoy smiles. "Was it love at first sight?" Snape actually laughs, but softly. "No. I wish I could say that it was."
Their bellies full, the fish settle down and the surface of the pond becomes calm. "I knew she was special, as I said, but at that time, there was just so much..." he shakes his head, "with Umbridge interfering at the school--" Malfoy frowns almost comically. "Really? Draco rather liked her..." Snape nods and replies with just a touch of sarcasm, "oh yes, because he didn't have that pink toad breathing down his neck, waiting to happily stab him in the back." Malfoy tries very hard to seem at least a little indignant, but he can't. "Pink toad?" He looks up at the starry sky then back at Snape again. "Yes...that was what I thought of her too."
They look at each other in silence for a brief moment, then Snape sits back down. "On my part, it was something that grew. Every time I visited it was obvious she was happy to see me. I didn't know what to think of it at first, but she was so engaging, so kind..." he sighs, "it wasn't long before I couldn't stop thinking about her. And then I learned that she was a skilled potioner. Well..." he runs his hands through his hair slowly, "it was very soon after that, that I knew. I hadn't been able to get away from the school for nearly three weeks, and I learned from an acquaintance who shopped there that she was asking about me. I found a reason to get out and I went by the shop. They were very busy that day, but she got a free moment and gave me something."
The memory of it floods Snape's senses and he closes his eyes. He can just feel the weight and shape of the flask in his hand...he would revel in it if it weren't for the bitterness that tinges it. Malfoy asks him what it was, and Snape quietly tells him, "wine. She had brewed me a small flask of wine. I'd never had anything like it. It tasted like watermellon and was very sweet, but what made it even sweeter was all the time and effort she'd put into it. And obviously, it was done without magic, so her effort had been even greater. That she had done it for me made it sweeter still." Malfoy can see Snape's jaw clench and he knows there's something painful in the memory. He wants to tell the other wizard there is no need to continue, but Snape does.
"It was a few days later that I discovered he punished her for doing it. He beat her for it."
Finally, they come to a quiet little pond, and Snape guides Malfoy to a stone bench concealed by bushes close by. "She loves it here," Snape says as he sits down, and Malfoy kneels at the pond's edge. Gingerly, he dips just the tips of his fingers in the cool, clear water, and looks up. "This is natural, not Magic-made," he whispers and Snape nods. "She led me here, a few nights after I built her home." He watches Malfoy for a moment. "She wanted me to see the fish." Malfoy loves it; it's elegant yet simple, something he would have at his home.
He could sit here and think for hours, but tonight he hasn't the luxury.
He rises eventually and sits down beside Snape on the bench. "Does she spend a lot of time here?" He asks and Snape watches the fish. "She used to, but now..." he gives an almost imperceptable shrug, "only when I can accompany her. Which, unfortunately, is not as often as either of us would like." The fish seem quite interested in the two wizards, and Snape wishes he had some of the cereal Elsbet likes to give them. "I dislike curtailing her activities, but it is just not safe anymore. And things are only becoming more dangerous." Something akin to regret flickers in Snape's eyes and for a moment, Malfoy feels bad for him.
"I told you that her former employer left her homeless when he decided she was no longer useful to him," Snape pauses and Malfoy gives a slight nod, saying, "I had a feeling there was more to it." Snape digs into a pocket in his robe, thinking perhaps there was something left of the biscuit from lunch. He finds it and pulls it out. "He was going to kill her." He says it so matter-of-factly that at first Malfoy isn't sure he's heard right. "He was going to wait until she was sleeping, and then smother her." He picks off a few pieces and throws them to the fish. "He didn't think she was worth wasting his magic on." Malfoy watches the fish happily nibble the bits Snape tosses to them, completely at a loss for words. "If I hadn't gone there that night, he would have murdered her, done Merlin-knows-what with her body, and I would never have known."
Snape rises and crushes the remaining biscuit and drops a little into the water. Malfoy watches him and listens with rapt attention as Snape walks slowly around the pond, feeding the fishes and telling the story. "He was the owner of an apothecary near a Muggle village and sold to both Muggles and Magicals. I was able to obtain some very rare potion ingredients at his shop...and," he tosses the rest of the biscuit crumbs into the pond as he reaches the bench again, "I...I think I knew she was special the very first time I saw her." Malfoy smiles. "Was it love at first sight?" Snape actually laughs, but softly. "No. I wish I could say that it was."
Their bellies full, the fish settle down and the surface of the pond becomes calm. "I knew she was special, as I said, but at that time, there was just so much..." he shakes his head, "with Umbridge interfering at the school--" Malfoy frowns almost comically. "Really? Draco rather liked her..." Snape nods and replies with just a touch of sarcasm, "oh yes, because he didn't have that pink toad breathing down his neck, waiting to happily stab him in the back." Malfoy tries very hard to seem at least a little indignant, but he can't. "Pink toad?" He looks up at the starry sky then back at Snape again. "Yes...that was what I thought of her too."
They look at each other in silence for a brief moment, then Snape sits back down. "On my part, it was something that grew. Every time I visited it was obvious she was happy to see me. I didn't know what to think of it at first, but she was so engaging, so kind..." he sighs, "it wasn't long before I couldn't stop thinking about her. And then I learned that she was a skilled potioner. Well..." he runs his hands through his hair slowly, "it was very soon after that, that I knew. I hadn't been able to get away from the school for nearly three weeks, and I learned from an acquaintance who shopped there that she was asking about me. I found a reason to get out and I went by the shop. They were very busy that day, but she got a free moment and gave me something."
The memory of it floods Snape's senses and he closes his eyes. He can just feel the weight and shape of the flask in his hand...he would revel in it if it weren't for the bitterness that tinges it. Malfoy asks him what it was, and Snape quietly tells him, "wine. She had brewed me a small flask of wine. I'd never had anything like it. It tasted like watermellon and was very sweet, but what made it even sweeter was all the time and effort she'd put into it. And obviously, it was done without magic, so her effort had been even greater. That she had done it for me made it sweeter still." Malfoy can see Snape's jaw clench and he knows there's something painful in the memory. He wants to tell the other wizard there is no need to continue, but Snape does.
"It was a few days later that I discovered he punished her for doing it. He beat her for it."