Fierce Consequences [a main character x Snape/Malfoy fan-fiction]

Chapter 25: Seconds Spared

Songs for this chapter:
BeFoUr - ZAYN

The second before Elora could mumble the words of the curse, she dropped her wand. It clattered to the floor, breaking the strained silence in the room. Her forearm was burning, feeling as if a snake's venom had just entered her bloodstream. She grit her teeth in pain as she looked down to the mark. The M wasn't glowing, instead the dark mark was, signaling that Voldemort was calling them. She grasped at her arm, willing the sensation to go away. She looked at Severus. His expression was tense, but Elora could tell he felt it too. Without a word, Severus walked over to her.

"We need to go, quickly,'' he informed her. She tried not to waver as she felt panic rise to the surface. He grasped her hand, and they apparated with a soft crack.

They landed in the foyer of Malfoy Manor. Elora fell to the ground on impact, the force of the apparition still stronger than she was. Helping her up, Severus guided her to the meeting room. The look on his face signaled that Elora was not to ask any questions.

Be obedient. Do what he says and you will be fine. His voice suddenly entered her head. She nodded, thankful to get a shred of reassurance from him. He pushed her forward as he opened the door for her, the solid oak creaking with the movement. They took their seats at the table and waited. This wasn't a regular meeting, Elora could tell. The number of Death Eaters trickling into the room was considerably fewer than the other times she was here. She noted that while Draco and Lucius were present, Narcissa wasn't with them. She scanned the seats for Blaise, but he was absent as well.

She felt the burn of Lucius and Draco's stares from the moment they sat across from her. She refused to look at them as she replayed their secret conversation with Severus. Her anger still lingered. She still wanted revenge. Sitting next to Severus, she felt the urge to yell at him, but she knew this was neither the time nor the place. His demeanor was hard, his expression closed. Elora tried to meet his eyes, but he wouldn't break.

She didn't know how to move forward. How could she? She was milliseconds away from casting the killing curse at her professor. He was the one that had tried to help her, tried to save her. The things she was experiencing were so new and foreign. Elora was never one to crack, much less break entirely. She wondered what type of insight the Dark Lord had on her magic. Did he know what she was about to do? Could he sense her as she mustered the power to commit such an act? Had he summoned them to spare Severus? Thoughts swirled in her head as it continued to ache.

She looked up as Voldemort suddenly appeared. He glanced in her direction briefly, seemingly satisfied that she had shown. Apparently no one was confident in her reliability as a loyal follower. That thought bothered her. How else could she prove herself? Severus was the one that kept her holed away and in a dead sleep for multiple days. He slipped the potion in her tea and didn't give her any options. If anyone should be blamed for her absences, it should be him.

The Dark Lord sauntered over to where she sat at the table. He came to stand behind her, resting his cold hands on her shoulders. The chill of his grasp sent shivers down Elora's spine. She tried her best not to flinch at the contact, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

"My dear Miss Townes, we have missed your presence these last few days" he said softly. The sincerity of his voice was cut by a sarcastic tone. Elora gulped, not sure if she was supposed to respond. He continued, speaking louder for everyone else to hear his voice, "Your role as one of my loyal followers is essential. Do tell us where you have been."

Elora's eyes flickered to Severus as she took a shaky breath. "I was with Severus. He instructed me to rest after taking the dark mark and gave me little room to protest," she confessed. She was throwing him under the bus, but her fear for her own life was outweighing everything else.