Revenge

It had taken her months of preparation. Roaming through the shadows of shadows to find what she needed, needed for the purpose of justice. And how sweet it would be.

She had encountered some of the darkest and most arcane situations as she moved through the shadows like a ghost; if not for the honeyed taste of justice presented by the furies she would have yielded to despair long ago.

Forget not the ally, the brooding hate which drove him, to guide her through the raging mists of danger and vultures. Without him it would be impossible. His knowledge of dark arts and potions was the most valuable asset she needed to obtain in order to complete the goal.

She still had to make the most sacrifices, perhaps even the ultimate sacrifice. After many sleepless nights, contemplating the consequences, she was willing to surrender to the spirits of fate. If she would stay behind in the shadows forever more, this would be her fate and it would serve her immediate redemption, like a fallen angel would receive for returning home.

The more the thoughts settled in her mind, like a fading adagio, she became more at ease with this fate. At other times she was tempted not to settle in this fate, when she tried to reach beyond the black mirror eyes in which she could only see the reflection of her own soul. Not even after they had joined themselves as one, he would let her pass beyond the mirrors to his soul.

Alas, so it was. Eventually it would only distract her from her true goal. Breaking the force in those ice blue eyes, which reminded her of frozen lakes. Shattering the frozen lakes would allow her to prevail and the honeyed taste would be hers, to replace the copper taste of blood that she often felt on her tongue.

As preparations came to a finale, nerves threatened to take hold of her. It felt as if a swarm of black, writhing beetles had settled in her stomach, and she had to call upon all her strength to focus on the promise of victory later.

~

She stood in front of the lattice windows in the Gothic hallway and peered out over the lake with her arms folded around her for comfort. A single tear slid down her face and ran into the folds of her lips where she could taste the salt. A soothing calmness descended on her but still she wondered if she would ever return to Hogwarts, this sanctuary.

Slowly she took her cloak, put the hood over her auburn hair and began to walk towards her destiny. The potions in her pocket, incantations in her head. As she passed the ancient oak dungeon doors they flung open with force as if he had sensed her presence passing. Without a word, he pulled her in and pressed her against the cold stone wall. There was a fire burning in his eyes, a fire she had never seen before. He took her face in both his hands and planted kisses on her face, softly like a silken trail. Then he pressed his lips on hers and the intense kiss left them both breathless but then, as if the fire died, the magic moment passed and his eyes turned cold again.

'Be careful,' he pressed with a velvet voice, and led her to the drafty hallways once more.

Does he feel too, that this could be the last time?

As she reached the Hogwarts gates and passed the winged boars, she pulled her cloak tighter to banish the cold that surrounded her like frozen dancers. She allowed herself to look back one more time. Tears flowed more freely now and for a moment she thought she could see the blueish black silken hair behind one of the many windows but she discarded it as a foolish wish. He stood beside her the whole way, but this part had to be done alone. His presence would alarm the dark wizard, while hers would merely be demanded.

She walked through the wisps of smoky fog that licked the trees in the forest as she took the first of six potions that needed to be taken to reach her goal. Dreary moist descended from the clouds and laid an oily film on her rose face. She could hear no sounds in the forest, it was like every beast and creature held its breath, knowing what was to come. The inevitable...

As always the door to their place of rendezvous was unlocked and she entered. This too had taken months of preparation. Becoming friends with him, letting him touch her, letting him play his vicious games of hurt and sooth, push and pull, power and submission. All for this day, for this moment of truth. She took a deep breath and forced a smile on her face.

'Lucius, my love, you are early'

The tall, blond wizard was in the bed, where he always waited for her.

'And you are late. I shall have to punish you for that,' he drawled with a malevolent spark in his cold blue eyes.

She felt the potions glowing inside her, they would work for several hours. Would she take the risk and let him take her one last time, or did she not have the nerves to stall? She felt the beetles in her stomach trying to crawl out and she crouched towards the bed. She took her wand and laid it on the bedside table, within her reach.

She started to undress herself slowly and enjoyed the storm of lust in Lucius' eyes as she revealed the black lace underneath. His mouth curled up in a lascivious smile and he relaxed back against the many midnight blue pillows in the four poster bed.

It was important to pretend that everything was just as it always was, that her behaviour would not alarm him. So when she straddled him, a deep groan emerged from his throat and he closed his eyes in anticipation. This was the moment of truth and she snatched her wand from the bedside table.

She began to chant her incantations and ropes flew out of her wand, tying him to the bed. His eyes flashed open in horror; his breath choked in his throat. She continued the incantations and a raging purple stream of fire spat out of the tip of her wand, setting the bed on fire. Lucius writhed and twisted to untie himself but the fire-resistant ropes only tied his wrists and ankles tighter. The sound of the crackling flames almost overpowered his cries of agony. Though the potions she had taken protected her from the fire, made it seem as if the flames caressed her like feathers on silk, she wanted nothing more than to leave the flames, uncomfortable in tempting the fates a second longer than necessary.

The potions had worked, Severus had met his end of the bargain, she still lived. The fire grasped around with fierce determination, the whole wooden house would burn down in minutes and she grabbed her clothes and cloak. Lucius' cries had silenced and all she could hear now was the raging fire and something boiling. Blood?

Once outside she dressed quickly and let the coolness of the dreary rain gently lower her temperature. Her own blood almost boiled from excitement. The devil was dead. Sweet honeyed revenge for her sister, Severus had his own reasons, she figured. With a satisfied smile on her face she began the journey home. Hogwarts, her sanctuary.