𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 - 𝑨 𝑺𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔 𝑺𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

CHAPTER TWELVE - Snow

UNEIDITED
_______

Mia let out a yawn, watching the clouds through the window of the flying car as Severus drives them back to the castle. She was still slightly tired from the nap she took. She tilts her head to look at the brooding Potions Master, who was solely focused on the scenery ahead of him, his large hands lightly gripping the steering wheel to keep it still.

"....Why did you decide to drive instead of apparating?" She rested her head back on the seat as they flew into a large billow of clouds.
Severus remained silent, his brows knitted as if he was annoyed. She pursed her lips, her eyes falling to his sculptured hands, watching how his thumb stroked the leather wheel.

They soon popped out of the clouds, revealing vast lands of greenery below them, with flowing rivers and untouched gardens of flowers and trees.

"...It's like, hundreds of miles back..." She added after a while. "It'll take us hours and-"

"I had something I wished to discuss." He interrupts her, letting out a gruff sigh as he speeds up. "'Mia, why don't you quit?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "Quit? Why would I quit?" She sat up straighter, adjusting her skirt so she could slightly face him.

He gave her a side glance before he returns to navigating through the clouds. "This life, this role, it wasn't a choice for you. It was thrust upon you from childhood. Instead of nurturing your own passions, they manipulated you, molded you into their image. Why subject yourself to it?"

"That's not true. They did it out of love, it wasn't manipulation." Mia protested. "Especially Moma."

Severus stopped the car with a halt, and she gasped, the seatbelt saving her from toppling off the seat.

"Love?" He turns to look at her with a frown, his hands still on the stirring wheel. "Is what you call it Mia? If they truly loved you, you wouldn't be relegated to such a lowly position."

"My position isn't-" He did not let her proceed.

"Especially Mona." He repeated her words. "If she truly cared for you, you'd be out pursuing further studies, exploring the world. Not confined to menial household chores at this stage of your life."

She went silent, her fists tightly gripping the skirt of her dress.

"....You..." Her face turned pink in anger, her mouth ready to spurt out every word in the dictionary, and Severus could tell. He was expecting a plethora of curses being thrown towards him but to his surprise, she just let out an angry huff and sunk back into the seat.

".....The woman that you're insulting took care of me all her life to the best of her abilities as a maid. She abandoned her free time for me, for rejected suitors just so she could stay and care for him." She said, turning her head away so he couldn't see his face. "Even I didn't realize it before but Moma wanted me to have a secure job...she didn't think I was tough enough to go out there on my own because I was constantly given someone to depend on...." Mia trailed off, staring at the clouds slowly drifting by.

"....In a way, you're right. They kept me in a shell, I don't have all the worldly experiences I'm supposed to have, but Moma didn't do that on purpose. She keeps me around because she loves me...she wants to ensure I'm always safe."

Tension had filled the still car. None of them said anything. Mia kept staring out at the skies, her mind overthinking his responses, as Severus stared at the steering wheel, his grip slowly loosening.

With a sigh, he places his hands over his face to rub the tension out of his eyes before turning to look at her.

"...My words came out rather harsh and impulsive, I shouldn't have said it that way."
Mia turned to look at him, seeing he had an apologetic look on his face but it disappeared as fast as it had appeared.