Severus Snape A Soul Undiminished

Chapter 2 - Fantasy

Chapter 2

Fantasy

Confusion and nausea came in a wave over her as she found herself whisked away from the terror of Malfoy Manor with her new captor. He was dressed in layers of black, his long, straight, black hair just brushing the top of his shoulders. He was tall and looked well-built, but it wasn't only his physical nature that made him appear strangely intimidating; there was a powerful presence about him that filled the room with an almost overpowering current of pulsing energy. Sirana felt a strange curiosity about him as he let go of her wrists and stepped back to draw his wand. He asked her to turn away from him in a low voice. She looked up at the imposing man for a moment, meeting his eyes. He had dark, possibly even black eyes, which looked like pools of shiny, black tar, and although his face showed no emotion, she found something deep in his eyes that contradicted his outward stoicism. She held his eyes for a long moment. There was a familiarity that she couldn't quite put her finger on, and she felt drawn by an almost palpable magnetism pulling her to him.  She suddenly moved back a step, reminding herself that this man in front of her was somehow associated with Lucius, and that she should be more careful to not underestimate his intentions. His expression changed at her action, appearing to her as if he regretted the fear his presence had elicited from her.  Deciding to save resistance for when she knew it was her last option, she turned away from the stranger without comment, and was a bit shocked and relieved when the clasps around her wrists disappeared. She turned back to the man that Lucius had called Severus, stubbornly resisting the urge to rub her painfully raw wrists. Severus met her eyes again, and she saw something in them, maybe even a look of approval.

"Follow me," he said as he turned sharply on his heel, his long coat and robes whipping around dramatically. He led her to the facilities of his quarters and proceeded to start a hot bath. Suddenly, she felt a little less brave and a lot more vulnerable. She had no qualms about resisting the likes of Lucius and would have fought him tooth and nail to her own death if needed. This situation made her feel more unsure of herself. She didn't know if she was supposed to try to fight or to flee, and she surely didn't know what to think of the unexpectedly compelling, yet dangerous-looking man in black. So far, he had treated her in a manner that was completely opposite to that of Lucius...so far. But she knew that she was practically defenseless against the strange power that these men seemed to wield. Everything up to this point had felt like a fantasy—a terrible, frightening fantasy. Everything felt so real, and yet, nothing was what she would consider to be within the realm of reality. She resolved that there would be plenty of time to figure it all out, as this nightmare seemed to drag on for eternity.

She was brought back from her thoughts with a low cough from Severus. He motioned around the room to her with a sweep of his arm. "You are welcome to the privacy of this room to relieve yourself and to bathe. I wouldn't recommend falling asleep in the tub though. As comfortable as it is, the water tends to cool quickly." He momentarily met her eyes, and then abruptly left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sirana let out the breath that she seemed to have been holding, realizing she had been standing as rigidly as possible, battling against the weakness she felt throughout her body. She gratefully made use of the facilities, and hurriedly removed the damp cotton gown she had been wearing for too many days, ridding herself of the foul garment that Lucius had ostensibly gifted her as a gesture of his concern for her modesty. Sirana looked back at the closed door for reassurance, then stepped into the warm, steaming bath, stretching out until her entire body and head were submerged. She waited until she was almost out of breath, enjoying the quiet warmth encompassing her, then pushed herself up to gasp for air. She dove under and back up once more, leaning back to allow her long, tangled hair to cascade wetly behind her. She found everything she needed in a metal tray hanging on the side of the tub, and was most grateful to comb out her hair. The wounds she had almost forgotten about started to sting even more, but the longer she laid in the warm water, the better she began to feel. She laid back and almost started to drift off when she heard the door open and footsteps softly approach. There was a low cough, and she assumed he was gently warning her of his approach. She sat up and covered herself with her arms, not overly worried any longer of her modesty. Considering the hell she had been through the last week, she was only slightly embarrassed at the situation she was in, especially knowing it was through no fault of her own.

Severus approached from behind her, setting down fresh clothes for her on the chair beside the tub, then withdrew his wand from his sleeve. She wasn't going to crane her neck to see what he was doing or turn in the tub to reveal more of her nudity, so she settled on turning her face towards where she could see his black-booted feet. He pointed the wand at the tub, and said a few quiet words, then spoke directly to her, "It is a common spell. It will charm the water to provide cleanliness for at least a month. You will find it is very helpful, unless you happen to be the sort who enjoys bathing daily, as many Muggles do." She could hear the slight sneer in his voice at that last part and wondered what the word she had heard said a few times already today really meant. She was hoping at that point that he would leave her to dry herself and dress but noticed his feet didn't move from their place.

"I will turn around if your modesty requires it, so that you can remove yourself from the tub," Severus said with all seriousness.

She nodded, and saw his feet move to face the other way. She dipped her head down into the water once more, just in case what he said about the charm working to keep her clean that long actually worked, then stood up to gingerly climb out of the tub. She winced when the towel she was using to dry off found fresh bruises and cuts she had acquired. At that, Severus turned around unexpectedly to look directly at her, scanning her entire body. She was suddenly shy as she felt herself flush, and she covered herself with the towel as he scrutinized her body.