Severed Ties || Severus Snape

14. I Left Because I Loved You

In a fit of rage, she slapped him across the cheek with all the strength she could muster and hissed, "That dreadful school is my home."

Jordan grabbed her wrist before she was able to pull away. "How dare you," he spat.

"Get off me!" She struggled against his grip, but he only tightened it further. He'd always been stronger than her.

"You're coming home with me."

All of a sudden, he froze. A wand pricked into his neck. "I think the lady was clear," Severus snarled beside her. "Let her go. This instant."

Jordan pressed his lips together in annoyance. When Severus gripped the wand tighter, he finally released her. Emma took a quick step back, her hand cradling her painful wrist. Severus immediately swept in between.

"Who's this then?" said Jordan. "Your bodyguard?" He scoffed. "Don't tell me you sunk so low as to sleep with this freak."

In a reflex, she reached for Severus' free hand. His temper was almost worse than Jordan's, and he'd never taken insults well. Jordan's eyes flicked down at the movement, but she didn't care. He could think what he wanted.

"I'm not coming back, Jordan. Ever. Stay away from me."

"Fine," he said, backing away from the wand. "But don't come crying to me when you finally realise what you're missing out on. You're making a huge mistake, Emma, and you know it."

With a final glare, he turned and walked away. Emma blinked the tears out of her eyes, before marching off in the opposite direction. She didn't know where she was going, but it didn't matter, as long as it was far away from Jordan.

Soon, heavy strides followed behind her. Heat crept up her neck at the thought of the scene he'd just witnessed. If only she'd never gone out to Hogsmeade with him...

A lump formed in her throat; one she couldn't seem to swallow away. She let her feet take charge, until she felt a hand on her lower back, steering her to the left. 

"You need a drink."

Unable to meet his eye, she simply nodded. For a while, they walked in silence, broken only by their footsteps on the pavement. She caught him glancing at her several times but pretended not to notice. The blush crept up to her cheeks. When did I become the type to make a scene in public?

When they reached the Three Broomsticks, Emma chose a table while Severus ordered the drinks. She sat down in one of the booths, rubbing her hands over her face. She'd finally started feeling like herself again. Why did Jordan have to go and muck things up?

With her head in her hands, she stared down at the dark wooden table. It was rough and worn, with dents and chips all over. In a corner, someone had carved S + M into the wood. She ran her finger over it, feeling the rough, splintery etching against her skin.

You've read my letters, haven't you? Isn't that why you came here? For some reason, these were the words that had lodged into her brain. She'd received Jordan's letters, but she'd stopped opening them weeks ago. Perhaps if she'd just read them, this whole thing could've been avoided. Perhaps she wouldn't have been so embarrassed in front of Severus.

Emma barely had a minute to herself, when Severus already came back with the drinks. He set hers down in front of her and slipped into the seat opposite her.

"Are you alright?" There was hesitation in his voice, as if he didn't really want to ask such a question.

With a sigh, she picked up her glass and took a swig from her firewhiskey. It burned all the way down her throat, but even that couldn't dissolve the lump in her throat. "I'm fine," she muttered. "I didn't need your help, you know. I had it under control."