Shadow and Light {Severus Snape x OC}

Chapter 16

Alice kept her eyes shut, blinking to adjust her vision to the blinding light that overwhelmed her. The brightness was clue enough: she was no longer in the storeroom. When she finally opened her eyes and allowed them to adjust, she realized she was no longer at the castle, either.

Her head resting on a pillow, she slowly turned her gaze to examine the room—its light-colored walls and antique furniture. Then, she spotted a familiar figure. Blurry at first, but unmistakable. Severus Snape sat in a nearby armchair, a book held loosely in his hand. He had barely turned the first page, not truly reading, his thoughts visibly elsewhere. His focus hung in suspension.

Suddenly, noticing her open eyes, he rushed to her side. His face betrayed no immediate expression, though she seemed to be regaining awareness of her surroundings and what had happened.

"Alice..." he murmured, his voice tinged with both surprise and an undercurrent of sorrow. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing the collar of his shirt without warning. Her bandaged arm trembled under the strain, but her grip was firm and resolute.

"You lied to me," she whispered, her face twisted in an expression of disappointment, pain, and something that bordered on disgust. She looked at him as though she no longer recognized him, as if every fiber of her trust had been shattered.

Severus, stunned, gently grasped her hand, trying to loosen her grip. "Alice, what happened to you?"

"You're with them. Again." The words hit like a slap. His face turned ashen, and a chill ran through him. A thousand questions swirled in his mind, but none seemed to address the weight of her accusation.

"I'm doing this for Dumbledore... Alice, I swear, it's not for them." His voice was weak, almost pleading, and he had not hesitated for a moment to share this precious truth with her.

Alice was speechless, the silence between them growing heavy. She hadn't truly considered why he might have chosen to fall back into the clutches of darkness. She hadn't wanted to think about it, focusing instead on the essential fact: he had broken their promise.

Her eyes lowered, and she took a deep breath. In the end, the reason didn't matter. The truth was clear. He had betrayed her, abandoned what they had vowed together.

Yes, the side he was on mattered. She couldn't ignore that or deny the small flicker of relief she felt upon hearing that he wasn't with the enemy. But that glimmer of relief was drowned in a sea of disappointment.

She knew, deep down, that he had lied to her. That what he had told her was only a half-truth, an excuse. But that wasn't what hurt her the most. It wasn't the fact that he had hidden behind words to justify his actions. What struck her, what truly pained her, was that he hadn't had the courage to tell her the truth—that he had left her in the dark, likely hoping she wouldn't notice.

The silence between them grew heavier. Alice felt a painful knot form in her throat, but she swallowed it down. She didn't even know what hurt more: his betrayal or the fact that he had chosen to remain silent.

"To hell with Dumbledore!" she said, her voice quiet but sharp as a crack of thunder in the stillness. "Whether it's for good or evil, you went back... You promised me, Severus. The only thing I asked of you..." Her voice faltered, but her eyes stayed locked on his, searching for answers.

"You don't understand, Alice. There was no other path, not after... everything I've already destroyed. I thought that by serving a greater cause, I might..." He trailed off, struggling to find the words, his voice breaking under the weight of his despair.

"A noble sacrifice?" she interrupted, her tone sharp and accusatory. "Do you think breaking your promise, diving back into darkness, and becoming this... puppet will fix anything?" Her words cut through the air like a blade. "You can't atone for your mistakes by destroying what's left of the good in you!"