Love and Potions - Severus Snape x OC

Chapter 38 - Belief

As he found his way outside, he sat down where he and Rowan would lay and watch the stars. She had once mentioned that only the best make it among the stars. Severus could tell she watched the stars when she became stressed, as many nights he would find her gazing out of a lone window in his room. While she could only see the lake, Severus knew she was among the stars in her own mind. 

Shakily, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his own wand. It felt strange in his hand as he had been clutching Rowan's for so long. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and muttered a single spell. "Expecto patronum,". When nothing appeared out of the end of his wand but sparks, Severus could feel his heart sink. Even when Lily Potter had died, he could still cast his Patronus.  "Expecto patronum!" Severus exclaimed weakly, his voice cracking as he did so. Still, nothing came from his wand. 

Getting frustrated, Severus tried once more. "Expecto patronum!" He yelled, causing a few birds in a nearby tree to flee away from his thunderous voice. Nevertheless, his Patronus still refused to show. Sighing, Severus brought his knees up to his chest. He felt defeated and helpless. He wanted to tear the world apart to find Rowan, but with the ministry involved, there was nothing he could do. Looking up to the sky, Severus let out a blood-curdling scream. "Rowan!"

He could hear his own voice echo throughout the emptiness that was in front of him. The world seemed to have fallen silent, not even the wind threatening to blow around him. Severus knew that Rowan's disappearance was his own fault, but there was simply nothing he could do about it. He could search every house in the Scottish Highlands, but that was only if she was still in the country. 

Come back to me, my love. Severus thought as he sobbed openly. Now that he was alone, he finally felt safe enough to let out all of his emotions. He just needed her back.  

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

Rowan!

"Did you say something, Lockhart?" Rowan asked, shifting so that she was facing him. Surprisingly, the man that had untied their hands had yet to come back. Rowan thought it was most likely because they couldn't untie themselves even if they wanted to. The chains around their ankles were too heavy for one person to break out of alone. "No, I didn't. Did you hear something?" He replied as he took a bite of the food that had been given to them the day prior. 

"I thought I heard a man speaking, but I guess not. I might be going mad," Rowan shrugged, leaning her head against the pole she had been tied to. "You should eat. This stuff isn't half bad," His voice had been muffled by the food in his mouth, but Rowan could still understand what he was saying. Personally, she found it disgusting how he could eat at a time like this. Rowan only shook her head. The thought of eating anything right now made her nauseous. 

Rowan had been in the same spot for three nights now, and she had yet to find out who was holding her captive. She only knew what she had seen herself and what Gilderoy had told her. He had claimed that he knew the two men who had told him to get Rowan to walk toward them, but not their names or where they were from. He had called them 'fans', which made Rowan want to punch Gilderoy if only she could reach him. 

Just as Rowan was about to speak again, they could hear heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Quickly, Rowan straightened up and backed up as far as she could. Lockhart took a few more rushed bites of the food before he did the same; earning a glare from Rowan. "Hyde wants you two cleaned up for dinner. You will come with us silently and without a fight or you won't make it up the stairs," The man who had fed them the night before murmured, motioning to the two men behind him. 

Rowan immediately recognized one of them as the man who had dropped her on the night of her kidnapping. He had a nasty bruise on the right side of his face. The man looked at her with revenge in his eyes, so Rowan made a mental note to do nothing to provoke him. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, she didn't think she could take another hit. 

Rowan watched as one of the men grabbed the chains around her ankles and the man that had originally caught her roughly grabbed her by her waist. "We should get to know each other, sweetheart. You can call me Greyback," The man whispered into her ear, the hairs on his face rubbing up against Rowan's neck. Just as her feet had been freed, Greyback flung her over his shoulder. 

Greyback? Where have I heard that name... Rowan thought to herself, her mind scrambling. She was certain she had heard that name before, she just couldn't pinpoint exactly where. She stayed silent as the man carried her up the stairs. Suddenly, it hit her. "Fenrir Greyback, rumored to be a follower of the dark lord," She muttered monotonously, smirking at herself as she felt him stiffen below her. 

"I never got the dark mark, so it stays as a rumor," He admitted as he ascended yet another flight of stairs. Rowan took this moment as a weak spot; she could tell he wasn't expecting Rowan to recognize him. The only reason she had is that Severus had been reading a paper over Christmas break, and Greyback's picture was plastered all over the front cover. "I guess it's lucky for you that the death eaters are no more. Your name was in the paper recently," Rowan said quietly, trying to steady her breath. 

"You're not as idiotic as I thought. They're investigating my involvement with the dark lord, but you got one thing wrong," Greyback began as he opened a door that seemed to lead to a large bedroom. He set Rowan down on the edge of the bed, grabbing ahold of her wrists. Rowan winced at the pain as his skin collided with her wounds. Slowly, Greyback leaned in close to Rowan's ear. 

"The death eaters aren't gone," He said, a mischievous smile could be heard within his words. Rowan's eyes widened as she thought of Severus. Surely he would have told her if the death eaters had formed once again; he was one of them after all. "Get dressed. Hyde left you some clothes on the dresser," Greyback ordered.

Rowan gulped as she slowly rose to her legs. While standing felt fine, she was afraid to move. She didn't know what Greyback would do, but she knew one thing for sure. He wasn't leaving to give her any privacy. Taking a shaky breath, Rowan picked up the clothes. She was left with a pair of jeans and a blue sweater. 

She quickly gathered the clothes in her arms and locked eyes with a peering Greyback. "Could you at least turn around?" Rowan asked as she internally rolled her eyes. With a judgemental grunt, he obliged. While Rowan was happy to have clean clothes, she wanted most to know who this Hyde person was and what they wanted with her. 

She quickly slipped into the new clothes and sat down on the bed, suddenly out of breath. She didn't know what was going on with her, but ever since she had been dropped her health had been way out of balance. "Who is Hyde?" Rowan inquired, watching as Greyback turned around to face her. 

"Our boss. The death eaters found companionship with Hyde when the dark lord died," Greyback explained vaguely, crossing his arms at Rowan's question. It was almost like he didn't want to talk about it or that he couldn't. "All the death eaters?" Rowan pushed further, her heart not sure if she could handle the answer. An evil grin began to grow on Greyback's face. 

"You worried about Snape, aren't you? Worried he's only with you because the boss said so-," He began, a hearty laugh emerging from his chest. Rowan only stayed silent, not wanting to give Greyback the satisfaction of seeing her weak. "He did leave you alone, perfect for being captured. Who knows, maybe your friend Zabini is in on it. His mother was rumored to be a death eater," Greyback howled, his smile only growing wider as he saw the scowl on Rowan's face. 

Aida was not a death eater; at least not that Rowan knew of. She had seen Aida Zabini in short sleeves before and hadn't ever seen the dark mark, but as Fenrir Greyback was proof of, not all of his followers had been marked. Aida wasn't the type to join something as hateful as the death eaters, but Rowan wasn't sure what she believed anymore. 

"Fenrir, Hyde's home!" Rowan heard a man call from outside the door. Greyback's smile faded from his face as he heard his boss's name. If Rowan hadn't known better, she would say that he was disappointed. "Dinner's ready," He spat hatefully as he grabbed Rowan up by her arm. Together, they walked down the stairs and Rowan couldn't believe what she saw before her own eyes. Nothing had prepared her for this.