Drying in the rain

When they died

"I met someone. It might be nothing. It might be everything." ~ Alex C. Vick

Severus opened his eyes, his back sorer than ever before he sat up, rubbing his aching shoulders he looked to the blanket wrapped over him. She must've put it there he thought as he looked to the floor. She slept soundly like an angel in a bed of feathers, even if she was on the stone slab dungeon floor. He smiled lightly, however soon it disappeared realizing how uncomfortable he was after only one night on the sofa she always slept on. He titled his head towards the cushion, it smelled of her. Like a breath of roses and lilacs and a hint of eucalyptus he breathed in heavily. He looked back over to her. He was still angry but looking at her now, her face so still so in peace he could no longer engage in his anger. He was somewhat happy that he hadn't gone to Albus and that Minerva hadn't either, she always knew what was best for him it seemed.
He wondered if without him Anna's world would continue to turn, if it would be easier for her to focus on her life, if she'd be happier, freer, simpler. Maybe she could go on without him, marry someone have children with them, live and feel sunsets glow with someone else, dance until the morning birds sang with someone else, love entirely someone else. He knew he couldn't but for her, he wanted to give her all of that, but he knew deep down his role in the world was set, his destiny was set. He knew Voldemort would some day kill him. He just didn't know when or how, and so he wished he'd never met her. He dreamed he'd never seen her eyes or heard her voice or watched the way she inspected the daisies from their special riverbed lagoon.
"Good morning Severus." Yawned Anna as she rose herself up from the floor.
"I'm sorry that you didn't have the couch last night, I stayed up waiting for you. What happened?" Asked Snape as he tossed her the blanket she'd given him. She carefully wrapped it around herself.
"Nothing much, Draco wanted to hangout with me."
"Bullshit."
"I'm serious! Nothing happened and besides it doesn't concern you. Now if you're done, I have some studying to get done."
"Well what I can tell you now is I will find out. You know I can read your mind whenever I wish to do so." He reminded her, getting up to begin his coffee routine she sighed.
"Look you don't want to know."
"Maybe I do. Anyways I've come to the conclusion that this couch is the most uncomfortable piece of furniture this school has to offer so I'll make you a deal, I will let you trade places with me twice a week."
"You mean you'll let me sleep in your bed and you'll take the couch? Sev it's time I go back to my own room anyways."
"Fine. I was trying to be nice but clearly that never gets anyone anywhere now does it. Be off, study do what you will." He grumbled as he poured his dark roast coffee beans into the grinder.
"Goodbye sev, I'll see you later."
"Anna remember tomorrow is the Yule ball instruction, you are required to be there."
"I still can't imagine you teaching anyone how to dance, it's actually hilarious." Anna chuckled as he frustratedly slammed his cup down onto the counter.
"Do I look like I enjoy this? Do you know how utterly insensitive this dance is, this entire triwizard tournament is? The dark lord will return this year and yet we act as if nothing is wrong. Clearly there's a problem and Dumbledore just doesn't want it to let on. But if we do nothing, if we stand by again like before what does that say about us? That we learned nothing from all the death all the chaos? It's sickening." Snape finished.
"I doubt that's the intention, he's probably trying to make these last few normal days at Hogwarts easier for everyone involved. Look we can talk when I get back but I really need to be on my way. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." He tilted his eyebrow as she left, the door carefully closing behind her. He looked down to his cup of coffee, the dark roast swirling around as the steam poured out evaporating into the air and past his face.

Anna made her way across the hall into her old room, it was dusty from her absence. She looked around, spotting a few cobwebs with spiders inside of them. She didn't mind sharing the room with them. The thing was, she didn't truly want to leave the comfort of Severus's chambers, she just needed privacy to figure out how to get out of the mess her father had made. She was determined now, now with all the answers she needed about him the answers that remained was how she could save herself and Severus from Voldemort and how she could help stop him.
Everything she would do now had to be calculated, and it would all be because if she did nothing she knew she wouldn't be able to stop herself from becoming the villain the death eaters wanted her to be.
She reached down under her sofa, her hand feeling a spider web as she pulled out the tomb of fryers, it sizzled in her hand with rage as she finally opened it.
"How dare you! You abandon me and now you return? What for? What do you suppose I should do for a traitor like you!" Angrily scribbled in the book. Anna nervously took her quill.
"I'm sorry. I know I should not have ever opened you, I know what darkness lies behind your words, and I'm sorry that I neglected you so badly. The death of my dearest friend caused me the most pain I've ever known and for that reason I never felt any wish to do anything and that includes speak with you. But I desperately need your help." Anna patiently write in, she was nervous of this magical book and all the power it held.
"I see now you had reason unlike the rest of them but that does not change your actions of neglect." The book was less aggressive with its writing this time. Anna relaxed a slight bit knowing she could manipulate it into giving her what she needed.
"I thought of you each day and how lonely you must have been, I am terribly sorry for what I have done. I understand if I am now cursed by you."
"No cursed yet child, what is your question?" The book pondered.
"I am destined to wed the dark lord, how do I get away from this?" Even writing it filled her with sorrow and anxiety, she knew the book had to have known all this time and if it was a book of evil perhaps it wanted to see her fail.
"The only way would be for you to defeat the dark lord, which is quite frankly impossible. But, if you should continue with myself I can lead you to glory. You could become even more powerful than your future husband. Think deeply of this, the dark lady overpowering the dark lord, how magnificently thing."
"How do I do that?"
"First, as you know my riddles are clues and clues are riddles, however in light of your current situation dear child I should tell you. The dark mark will grant you power, more power. You will be a part of an organization that shall bring you great things. With that power you shall derive influences, and through that you may overtime grow into a figure of immense ability." Anna looked down to her bare wrist, the etching of a mark, just a scratch of it appeared. She knew it was not the real one, but the book was intent.
"Thank you, thank you so much. I will write to you tomorrow once it is done." Anna broke its rules and shut it tight. Her heart pounding she knew the book was right, if using dark magic would kill Voldemort that is what she would have to do. If pretending like Snape had all these years is what she needed than so be it. But first, she would have to speak with Draco. She realized now that Snape had died fifteen years ago, and now on this day she had died with him, and when they died, it was not what they had ever expected.