Trust Me, Sev...

Chapter 17

A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! I haven't been having a great year but all the love and support I get from writing this makes me feel so happy so yeah thank you so so much I love you all and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
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A few days had passed since the events at the Deatheater meeting and needless to say Severus had questions. He didn't want to offend his girlfriend but his thoughts were clouded by this but then again why would she be offended, she's been so open and vulnerable to him after all. He paced around his dorm til she walked in with wrapping paper and a few boxes filled with what he assumed to be presents. Shit. He forgot that holiday break was tomorrow, luckily he got her gift earlier in the year. He stopped pacing, shut the door and gently grabbed her shoulders after she put down her belongings.
"You have to tell me everything about the dark lord", he stated with a sense of urgency in his voice. She gave him a funny look before motioning for him to sit on the bed, to which he complied and she followed suit.
"Well where do I begin? Obviously Tom is the older one of us. My parents knew he was in the orphanage but just didn't have the means to take care of him then I came along and they definitely didn't. We always went to visit him though well until....a few years after he started attending Hogwarts. He started to act out really bad. But he would go on about his father being a muggle in a long long line of wizards, he would say it ruined his perfect pristine bloodline. He was envious of me because my parents are obviously both wizards and then my dad got an important job and that made us a very important wizarding family I guess, I had everything he wanted. I remember one day he tried to display that he was better than me. Backed me into a corner, trying to use all types of crazy spells and what not so I just hit him. He started acting out even more after that because you know while we go on breaks we have to go home and well his home.....it wasn't really a home. I tried going to visit but each time the nuns stopped me, they threw away my letters to him and I guess that made him act out even more till he just popped. Even though we had fights I know I was his favorite family member because I would always be there just for him and well it might've seemed to him that I just up and abandoned him like everyone else, probably thought he had no more family so he just became a monster.", she finished saying while wrapping the gifts, cross legged on his bed. He was in shock. Knowing that his sweet, soft cinnamon bun of a girlfriend was related to the darkest wizard in maybe the whole wizarding world was something he couldn't wrap his head around. The pair stayed quiet for most of the night after this, still sharing kisses and cuddles. The next day they had to get up and leave for holiday break. The next day went so fast.
"Okay so Sev I'm going to tidy up the house a bit and just get everything together, you go see your mum for a little bit then I'll floo over to come get you, sound good?", she said with a soft smile on her face dragging her bag off the hogwarts express.
"Sounds great, love.", he said while leaning down to kiss her head once they got on the platform. He wanted to just go right home with her but understood that she wanted him to spend time with his mother even if it was only a little bit. Of course he knew those days at home were going to be hell, well with the bad weather making it harder to go to and from work, his father was most definitely in a sour mood and in need of a drink as always. Little did Severus know these next few days would be the worst of his life so far.
~time skip because yk~
Clair was currently about to head through the floo network to her beloved Severus' home to pick him up and bring him back to her home. Even though it had only been about three days since they'd last seen each other, she didn't get any type of owl from him at all which was odd but maybe he was just busy and tired. That's what she told herself anyway. Throwing down the green powder and muttering a 'Spinner's end'. She stepped out of the fireplace in Severus' house.
"Severus I'm here to pick you u-", she stopped mid-sentence, looking down to see her boyfriend beaten half to death on the floor with his father about to give him another blow with the belt. She didn't have anytime to think, she ran in between the poor boy and that dreaded piece of tattered leather, taking the hit and simultaneously pushing his drunk father to the ground. She winced silently, she knew the pain she just endured was nothing compared to what Severus was feeling. She looked over to her lover with glassy eyes. His eye was swollen, nose bleeding and seemingly broken, he'd probably cracked a couple ribs along the way and the scars, there were so many. She quickly started to mutter 'Vulnera Sanentur', all the blood he lost soaking back into his bruised and battered body. She helped him up, slung his arm over her shoulder and supported him in moving. He was mumbling incoherent sentences.
"Don't stress yourself too much love, we'll fix you up at home....", she said softly. She glared at his father who was now on the floor asleep, stinking of liquor then glanced over to his mother giving her a small nod, she didn't blame her but she knew the woman wouldn't leave this abusive drunkard.
"Call me if you need anything Mrs. Snape, I'll take good care of your boy.", she said before helping him through the floo network back to her house. She set him gently on the couch and quickly bandaged his nose so it wouldn't heal wrong then she got to cleaning his scars and icing his eye. Her poor dear Severus, she could cry but she needed to be strong right now, for him, for them. The clock struck midnight. DING DING DING, it chimed twelve times, she didn't realize how long she'd been patching up all his wounds and bruises.
"Oh Sev.....it's Christmas and you're goin through hell....I'm sorry...", she snuggled up next to him on the couch before slowly drifting off, he pulled her closer, kissing her head to the best of his abilities before muttering a quiet 'Thank you love....', and drifting off to sleep himself.
Morning came before either of them knew it. Severus woke up before Clair, he gently detangled their limbs, careful not to wake her and went to clean his wounds and change his bandages. He hated inconveniencing her and he hated asking for help so he did it himself and let his darling rest. After he was done he came back to the couch and sat down, in the state he was in last night he hadn't even noticed that there was a fully decorated Christmas tree in her living room. Luckily he had already wrapped her gift so he accio'd it under the tree for when she wakes up. He glanced over to her as she started stirring in her sleep. Last night along with the other couple days he spent at home were a blur to him but he did remember the small girl taking a hit for him. He was so deep in thought at this point he hadn't even noticed her wake up and stare at him, he only noticed when a light yawn came from her lips.
"Good morning Severus. Merry Christmas", she said softly before leaning up, kissing his cheek.
"Good morning, love. Merry Christmas.", he said with a small smile on his features. He never thought in a million years he'd be happily saying that phrase. Soon after he was bombarded with gifts. New clothes, new quills, new books, chocolate, everything the raven haired boy could ever hope for and more. In all honesty it made him feel rather guilty that she got him all this and he could only afford to get her one thing. He looked sadly at the small box left under the tree as she went to pick it up. She smiled at him warmly and unwrapped the gift, her eyes lighting up as she saw it.
"I'm sorry it's not much...", he said, slight embarrassment laced in his deep voice. Before he could even get out another word she stopped him.
"It's perfect! I love it!", she exclaimed before picking up the contents out of the box. It was a pair of silver hoop earrings with silver snakes that had emerald rhinestones as eyes wrapped around the bottom of the hoop; they were enchanted to slither around the person's ear when worn. Truth be told he found them on clearance in a jewelry store in Diagon Alley when he was picking up his books for school but thought they would be nice since she took so much pride in their house. Before he knew it she put the earrings in and giggled when the little snakes started moving around. Warmth bubbled up in his heart at the sight. He never liked Christmas or holidays in general but she just made him feel things he'd never felt and had never expected to feel. She pounced on him in a big hug, covering his face with kisses, careful not to accidentally knick one of his wounds. They sat there, sharing soft kisses and just holding each other for a long while.
"I love you Sev....Merry Christmas...."
"I love you too Clair.....Merry Christmas...."