The Ten Year Hex [Severus Snape]

29

"So this is when I get to die?" Jynx said, her eyes boring into Bray, hoping that if she focused hard enough perhaps he would catch fire.

Arvell laughed behind her, a wicked, hollow sound, "No, not yet."

Bray took a step forward, closing in on her, "Don't. fucking. touch. me." she ground out through gritted teeth, "You can't make me read him."

"Here's the thing," said Arvell as he joined them, "I want to know how the Dark Lord returns and if it takes you reading every one of us, you'll do it."

She narrowed her eyes, "No."

"Ten years," Bray said, "Ten years we've been waiting."

"You already said you can't kill me," Jynx said, a smirk on her face, "so why would I do anything for you?" She put space between them and herself, stepping away from the door.

Arvell took a step and it sounded like doors being blown off the hinges, an explosion. They all exchanged glances, but nothing around them had fallen.

A roar, the walls shook around them. Bray disappeared, Arvell came toward her, attempting to grab her. She thrust her wand at him as grunts and shouts flowed in from the belly of the house. Several thumps sounded and Bray rushed back in, "Your guard dog is here," he sneered, his eyes glazed with madness.

Arvell tensed, "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen," his eyes shot to her, "Flora lied."

The two of them were gone and Jynx stared in disbelief at where they had been. She didn't move for a moment, her mind fogged by confusion. Another thud, throttling her back to the situation at hand. Her feet began to move but she was stopped by an array of swinging robes. His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, his teeth bared. His hair was disheveled, splayed across his face. It was only then that she realized the silence.

Severus crossed to her, gathering her to his chest. He didn't speak, didn't move for what felt like a long time. His hands ran over her, searching for wounds, injuries. But the wounds were on the inside, all over her fractured heart.

She pulled away from him, heading for the doors but he pulled her back, "Don't," he said, a warning, "You don't want to see what I've done."

Her eyes widened, "D-"

Severus shook his head, "He fled, though I would have." That was all he had to say. She knew that on the other side of the wall was the aftermath of Severus' rage, the bodies of those who got in his way. The thumps and thuds were the fallen bodies of those who stood between them.

Jynx looked at the floor, the light scuffs in the dark wood, "What did my mother tell them?" A whisper, more to herself than him.

"We will find out," said Severus, his words dripping with venom, "even if I have to destroy the world."

———

They spent the night apart, searching. Jynx checked all the spots she knew Demi used to frequent, all those years ago. She didn't know anything about his life anymore. She didn't know the spots that made his eyes light up, the rooms where he was most comfortable. She only knew that he had been alive when she thought he was dead.

Severus had gone to find Arvell or Bray. Jynx felt that if he did, she would never get the answers she sought. He wouldn't think far ahead enough to question, only to act. He had left the bodies of their associates for them to deal with, decaying reminders that he had been there and now he was hunting. Guard dog indeed.

She popped into one of the bars they used to frequent, the stale odor of a hundred or more bodies pressed together pulled at her nose. She scanned the faces at the tables and the bar. Her eyes met many others, some staring a little too long at her mismatched set, but none of them were the blue she knew.

She took a seat at the bar, her shoulders sagging as she ordered a shot of whiskey from the heavy set man. His beard was wild, thick strands cramped together in a tie below his chin. His eyes traced her face, much like the others, "Long day?" he asked as he slid the small glass toward her.

Jynx nodded, "Long year," she chuckled.

She caught her reflection in the mirrors that lined the wall behind the bar, encased behind the many bottles of alcohol on the shelves that lined it. Her hair was as wild as the man's beard from running her fingers through it, twisting the ends. Her eyes were tired, sunken. She looked as if she had been sleepless, running, and in a way she had.

She threw her head back and let the alcohol burn her throat and lay a warm blanket in her stomach. A man jostled her with his elbow and immediately apologized before noticing her eyes. He gave her a shy smile before turning back to his friend.

Jynx paid for her drink, questioning if she should have another. She declined herself, her nerves were already frayed, tattered at the edges.

She emerged from the bar and its musty odor and a thought struck her. Not far from the bar was a small park. She and Demi had sat on its bench after drinking too much and talked about all the avenues they could have taken in life.

Her feet took over, in a moment she was running. Her heart pounded in its cage, threatening to burst. The sun shone down on her through the thick gray clouds, urging her onward. The buildings to her right disappeared, eaten away by the open space beyond. The thicket of trees cast shade over the small area and under them, on the lone bench, sat a pale face with a dark head of hair.

His head was down, watching his hands as they twisted nervously in his lap. Jynx didn't call attention to herself, didn't give him a chance to see her and run. She crept like a lion, hunting a gazelle. His fingers stilled as his gaze landed on her shoes, flowing up until they met hers. Her wand was clutched inside her sleeve, silently waiting for her command, staring at him.

"Tell me," she said, with all the confidence she could muster, "tell me everything."

Demi didn't move, didn't shift his gaze, "Only if you can make me a promise," he said, in a voice that sounded much smaller than his own, "Only if you can forgive me."