The Dark Lady (Severus x OC)

14. Taking risks

"But Mr. Snape could be."

"I don't want him to be my–" Hellen stopped herself, running a hand over her face. "Leave me alone please."

***

The kidnapped girls were being moved again, as if they were sheep in a flock. The mysterious captors were dividing them into smaller groups, perfectly delimited and separated from each other.

"They are separating the witches from the muggles."

"They also separate us by age," Ginny observed. The younger students had been taken aside, and Eily had been grouped with the witches who were not yet old enough to go to Hogwarts, but they could still see her.

Both Ginny and Hermione noticed that the captors were watching the girl more closely since she had shown signs of voluntary wandless magic.

Then, the smaller door opened, letting in a new victim.

"Is that Parvatil?"

Ginny also recognized her classmate, who was forcibly escorted by two guards. Her eyes widened at the sight of Ginny, but her surprise was interrupted by the arrival of what seemed to be the leader.

Fretzu approached Parvatil, grabbed her chin and looked at her closely, studying her features. The uncomfortable examination lasted longer than desired, until he was satisfied and released her.

"It is a magnificent specimen. She will be satisfied," he ruled.

"Specimen?"

"She must not be damaged. Put her safely away," the creature ordered, and Parvatil was carried, carefully but firmly, to a solitary corner, away from the others.

***

Days passed before Hellen decided to answer. Several times she began to write, immediately regretting it, crumpling the paper and throwing it to the side. What could she say that wouldn't make her look like a fool? Severus would mock her if he could imagine the jumble of emotions flooding her.

Trying not to reveal her feelings, she only wrote a few short and concise sentences, imitating the note he had sent. Win took it upon herself to deliver the message without delay, before she could regret it once again.

The response took a while to arrive, and like the previous letter, it was disappointing in its length and content, and Hellen snorted in disappointment once again, under the attentive gaze of the house-elf, who watched her in silence.

She couldn't explain why she found this situation so frustrating, and yet she responded in kind, cursing herself for her idiocy.

The notes followed each other, through the weeks. Always brief and impersonal. Always disappointing. But for some reason, neither of them wanted to be the first to stop writing.

And so, the weeks passed by and the Christmas season arrived, and with it the tourists, the families, the celebrations and the double shifts at the bar. Hellen felt exhausted, and not just from work.

The festive atmosphere depressed her, and she envied the happiness she observed around her. To make matters worse, her friends had left.

Alice had gotten married, moving to one of the larger islands, and Jane had moved to California, looking for a better job. They had gotten a matching tattoo to commemorate their friendship, but those black lines on her ankle only reminded her of what she had lost. Hellen was left alone, with the only company of Kapono and the other temporary waitresses.