A Capacity to Love

4. Heart to Heart

Severus opened the double doors to the Headmaster's office and allowed Piper to go in first.  She did, but reluctantly.  Then he calmly shut the doors behind her.

"What were you thinking?" he said angrily.  "You could have gotten seriously hurt!"

Piper was so scared she could hardly stand it hearing him get angry like that.  And now that she knew he had killed someone, she had to be really careful not to anger him.  (Though she never really thought to expect anything less from a Death Eater.)  She was forced to stay in the same room with a killer, someone who would rather murder you rather than look at you for too long.  She should have known there was a reason he was being nice to her.  He wanted to soften her up, get her to trust him.  Then when she least expected it, he would more than likely murder her in her sleep.  Especially after Voldemort found a way to extract her healing powers, which she hoped he would never be able to do.

"I was thinking of getting out of here.  I don't like being held against my will."

Severus pressed his lips together trying hard to control the frustration he felt toward the girl.  He did not want her to be angry with him or afraid.  He just needed her to understand that it wasn't just her fate he was worried about.

"I am sorry you are miserable here, but you are just going to have to learn to deal with it I'm afraid."  He straightened his clothes.  "Now, back to your wand.  Where did you get it?"

It was crucial information for him to know.

Piper shrugged.  "I found it."

"Do not play me for a fool!  There are no wands lying around on the floor of this castle to find.  Someone gave it to you.  You told me this much already."

She swallowed nervously, summoning every fiber of courage she could muster to say what came out of her mouth next.  "I'll never tell you who."

Severus bit his tongue.  He wanted to grab a hold of her, to scream at her to get her to realize this wasn't all some silly game of cat and mouse.  People were risking their lives to see that everything went according to plan in this war.  Him included.  But the anger boiling inside of him kept dying the moment his eyes fell upon her face.

"Fine," he dismissed.  "Don't."

He walked briskly past her to the Headmaster's desk and sat down.  Piper stared at him blankly.  That was it?  No duel?  No torture?  It wasn't what she had been expecting at all, not after what Neville and Minerva had told her about him.

"So that's it then?" she asked.  "You're just going to finish whatever it is you're doing there?"

Snape looked up at her, blinking only once.  "Yes."  Then he diverted his attention back to the desk.

Piper tightened her grip on the wand she was surprised to still be in possession of.  He was just sitting there.  She noticed his wand was laying carelessly on his desk.  She could easily make her escape if she wanted to.  All she had to do was take him down.  Her hand began to twitch.  If she didn't want to be a prisoner forever, she had to do something.  She kept her eyes on Severus as she inched closer and closer.  With a small flick of her wand, his wand went flying off the desk over in the corner.

Snape looked up, startled.  Piper was there in front of him, her wand extended toward him.

"I will not be a prisoner in this castle," Piper told him.  "Not now, not ever."

Severus put up both of his hands.  He didn't want her to fire and he didn't want her to leave.  "Take it easy, Piper.  Like I have told you before,  I do not wish to hurt you."