The Ten Year Hex [Severus Snape]

30

The sun had shifted in the sky, moving lower toward the horizon. The clouds had moved with it, different ones listened to the secrets being told. Tears stained Demi's face, not the same ones from the beginning, those had been long wiped away. These were new, brought on by another wave of confession.

Demi told her of their time apart, the way he kept in touch with Arvell, his intention was always to go back. However, he had no intentions of dragging her with him, back to the life she strived to leave behind. When Arvell sent him on her path he fully prepared for her to never know it was him, he was going to let himself stay dead in her eyes. His tears boiled over again, reliving the look in her eyes as she held his face, his very much alive face.

The rumors had started from nowhere, in a corner no one ever found. The world began to whisper and soon their words found the ears that had been searching for them. Arvell immediately sent for those loyal few and then returned more than ready to begin again, rebuild.

He needed her, that was the first thing he told them. He could use her, just like the Dark Lord had. Demi swore he wouldn't bring her to him, wouldn't deliver her to the door and he hadn't, she had done that on her own.

Demi had begun to ramble, unusable and insignificant details began to pour from him. Jynx placed a hand on his shoulder, urging him to continue. She needed to know what Arvell meant about her mother. The woman who had seemed to mean so little may now mean everything.

Arvell never mentioned even knowing her mother, she was dead before Jynx met him. Her palm was sweating, holding her wand tightly, even though the wind that caressed them was chilled.

Demi paused, rubbing his hands on the legs of his pants, his palms were sweating too. He took in a deep breath, and let out a shaky exhale. Then he said Adrian's name, even in death he haunted her. Arvell had sent Adrian and Demi knew, he was aware of the scheme but he didn't know what Adrian had done until he found them that night. He recounted the boulder in his stomach, the look of fear in Jynx's eyes when he walked in. The wrath was not part of the plan, he had faltered. Arvell still didn't know. Demi had told him that Adrian never went to her flat, the plan fell apart. A secret they would take to their respective graves.

Jynx felt her stomach cramp as Demi continued to confess everything, his tears once again wetting his cheeks. His voice was thick as he told her about leaving the note in her room at Hogwarts and luring her into the very house she had just willingly walked into. He was part of all of it, every detail he had been privy to. She wouldn't console him, he was no longer her friend. She had mourned him too many times.

He had told them everything that the three of them had conspired, every move she and Severus made. Severus was right, he should have left him to rot outside the gate.

Then the world came crashing down, the words Demi spoke landed in her ears like bombs, "Arvell was in love with your mother," he said, his voice cracking with each breath, "I found out by accident. She read him when they were at Hogwarts, before she met your father."

The bombs went off, shrapnel lodged in her chest. She felt her fingers begin to shake, her stomach dropped, "What else do you know? What did she see?"

Demi drew in a long breath, "Only that she changed her mind, backed out of joining the Dark Lord and Arvell never forgave her for it."

She urged him for more but no amount of prodding would pull information from him that he simply didn't have, "Don't ever contact me again. Go somewhere where no one knows who you are, somewhere with palm trees," Jynx said as she turned, leaving Demi behind her for good.

He stood, reaching for her, "Do you forgive me?"

"No," the word was hollow on her tongue, the last word she would likely ever speak to someone she used to love.