Severus Snape - Refuge

Chapter 4 - Bitterness

The thought of that night still haunted Severus, and he was unable to discipline his mind to keep the memory from taking over almost every moment of his thoughts. It had been almost two months ago. He had woken up battered from the ordeal. Sirana looked completely unscathed that next morning, however she had not awakened. As the days had went on, no healer could help her, or even knew what had happened to cause her condition to slowly worsen, drawing all of the color from her skin and eyes.

As Severus flew, he was once again wrenched with grief. Had anyone seen his shadowy form flying through the night sky, they would have seen gray streaks instead of black.

As Severus neared his destination, he set his mind to controlling his emotions. He told himself that he must be strong for Sirana, and if he were to fail in his attempt to save her, he would have plenty of time to grieve after the time came for him.

Severus could almost feel the underlying current of magic permeating from the forest he could see off in the distance. Whatever magic the wizard held, it was powerful, and he could only hope that it was enough to release Sirana from her spell...IF the wizard was even willing.

Severus set down at the edge of a circular clearing that was surrounded by dense forest. He paused only a moment, then stepped forward. Suddenly it was as if he was walking through a thick mist, and as the mist lifted, what was previously hidden by spells became clear.  There was a small blue lake, and on the other side of the lake, set into the bank, there was a an arched wooden door.

Severus walked around the grassy edge of the lake, his black boots squishing into the soft sod. As he neared the door, it opened a crack. He had felt as if he was being watched from when he arrived, and this confirmed his suspicion. He would assume that this meant that he was expected, and hopefully welcomed.

The magic that he had felt emanating from the moment he arrived was not necessarily dark, but he felt an edge of something familiar that he couldn't place, and it held a bitterness that he imagined his mind could taste. He must not let his guard down, and even though he was desperate, he knew he must exercise caution. He wasn't afraid. He had faced death, and his courage had not failed him even then. But what he saw when he entered made his heart beat faster, and his mouth involuntarily opened to take in a quick gasp.

Note: For anyone reading this, sorry it's taken me so long to post something. I've been going through some shit, but writing helps me clear my mind:)