Hidden Friends

A/N: Well, I apologise for the delay with this chapter. It took a while to get an idea of what I wanted, and what would work. I have decided to split it into two parts, as it is a bit long and tedious to read in one go. Also, I came down with a bug, (which turned out to be food poisoning!) then got busy at work, and then got writers block! Bloody hell! It was a bloody nightmare!

You see, I had started this chapter a while ago, and had not finished it just yet, and didn’t think I could do it justice if I continued when I had writers block. It would’ve totally screwed it up, so I left it as is and tried to wait it out…..ugh, I just feel blech now to be honest. Glad I finally got it out.

And thank you to my beta for going through this for me. I was a long time coming this chapter, and has given me some problems, but she's stuck with me and kept going. Thanks love!

And now, for those of you interested in a bit of Gabriel’s and Severus’ past, here it is!

Hope you enjoy. Any feedback is welcome as usual. :)

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After leaving Severus, she made her way slowly upstairs towards her room, her gaze fixed on the envelope still clutched in her hand, the book in her other.

She felt as if the weight of…something…had been pushing at her. It didn’t feel invasive exactly, more…urgent, a reminder to do something. Like a nagging little feeling you get when you think you have forgotten something in the house before you leave, only for it to pop into your mind later as leaving the stove on, or forgetting your keys.

Before she could contemplate what it was, a movement out of the corner of her eye stopped Gabriel short. She was no longer alone at the top of the stairs, and as her eyes darted up from the envelope, she saw a familiar figure waiting up for her by her door.

She sighed quietly. “What do you want, Fletchly?”

He seemed oddly hesitant, his eyes suddenly finding the floor very interesting. Gabriel sighed again. It was too late for this. “Well?”

“You used to call me Michael…” he said softly. Seeing her pensive expression he added, “I needed to speak with you.”

“Obviously,” she drawled. “Get on with it, then.”

“You’ve changed,” he said abruptly.

“No kidding, really?”

“Right. Don’t point out the obvious. Um, I wanted to…apologise.”

Gabriel kept her shock hidden well, only allowing an eyebrow to slowly creep up her hairline. She discreetly slipped the book and necklace into a pocket and crossed her arms. It was an obvious defensive pose.

“Apologise? And what would the brilliant and wonderful Michael Fletchly want to apologise to me for?”

He paused, his eyes flicking up to glance at her for a moment, and he couldn’t help but fidget under her hard stare. But he had to say it, it’s what he came here for, after all.“Everything,” he murmured quietly. “I…I want to apologise for hurting you with Michelle. For going behind your back, for never being there when you needed someone.

“I know that I’m not, and never was, who you were looking for in a partner. It was convenient for us, it was a bit of fun at the start. We both knew it.”

At this he looked up to see her blank expression as she regarded him, and he gave an oddly sheepish smile. “Sorry, I know, I’m rambling.” He couldn’t help but realise that she never showed much emotion these days, and he felt a pang of guilt as he realised he had contributed to that. It settled in his stomach like a lead weight as images of her scarred flesh burned in his mind’s eye. He swallowed carefully.

“Look, I know you didn’t love me. Even after two years together, I knew. You loved someone else, I could see it. And even though I didn’t love you, I did care for you. I started to see the real you, and I cared for who you were on the inside.

“I…when everything became complicated, when you were captured and gone for so long…when you came back I could see you drifting away from everyone, including me, and I couldn’t get through to you. You wouldn’t let me.

“You know how it went from there, and I know I can be an asshole sometimes -” At her look he added with a rueful smile, “Ok, ok a lot of times! I just wanted to say that…well, that I’m sorry. I’m sorry you have to go through this alone, and I know that it wasn’t me that’s supposed to help you with this. In time, I hope you can forgive me, Gabriel.”

He didn’t wait for a response, knowing he wouldn’t get one so soon, and left for his and Michelle’s room up on the next floor.

Gabriel stood motionless, staring at the spot where Michael vacated. It still hurt. The pain couldn’t go away with a few simple words…but, perhaps something good headed her way after all. It was a small step, and she was nowhere near forgiving the prat yet, but it was a start.

Letting her arms fall to her sides, she felt her hand bump against the objects in her pocket. A heavy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, and she felt as if she’d swallowed a stone.

What was going on? Grimacing, Gabriel ran a quick hand over her tired face, took a breath and entered her room. Automatically, she started to undress, each article of clothing finding its place strewn about the room. Coat hung on a desk chair, boots toed off and left by the bed, socks pulled off and thrown towards the washing basket.

As a usual routine, Gabriel padded over to the window to look out at the darkened sky, her toes curling pleasantly in the fur of the small soft rug beneath the windowsill.

‘No stars or moon tonight,’ she thought longingly, and upon closer inspection of the dark clouds rolling by, she added, ‘Looks like rain again.’

With her nose touching the glass, her heated breath began to cloud it, and her hand came up to rest on the glass. Her mouth curled up into an amused smile as she recalled a memory of putting her hand to another window long ago.

“Gabriel,” a soft, feminine voice had scolded. “Don’t be putting marks on the glass.”

Gabriel chuckled now, removing her hand like she had long ago, seeing a paw print left in its place. A playful reminder of how she could change. “Sorry mama,” she murmured.

Gabriel froze. The small smile falling from her face, as her eyes widened. She had never called Grace Crenning Mama before. For as long as she could remember, she had always said mother or mom.

A sudden image of a tall woman with soft brown hair, and silver eyes flashed before her as if coming from the very reflection on the window itself.

In shock, Gabriel stepped backwards, stumbling over the leg of her desk chair. In what felt like slow motion, Gabriel flung her hand out to grab something to stop her fall, snagging on her coat. Before she even hit the ground, she glimpsed a flash of blue as something slipped out of the pocket and tumbled towards the floor.

With a muffled thud, Gabriel hit the wooded floor, her other hand flying out to instinctively catch the object. As it fell neatly into her hand, she only had a split second to recognize the object as her necklace before a sudden bright light filled her vision, and she felt her body yanked backwards.

All over the house, a loud rumble shook the occupants awake. They scrambled in their adrenaline fuelled panic to grab their wands and pull themselves out of bed, ready for battle.

Gabriel closed her eyes at the onslaught of light, trying to calm her roiled stomach after being pulled backwards. It felt like using a Portkey and Apparation all at once, and it was decidedly nauseating.

Finally the motion slowed, and she gasped at the sudden release of pressure, her lungs struggling to pull in gulps of air. After finding herself intact, she sighed in relief and opened her eyes slowly.

Gabriel hadn’t moved from her position on the floor, legs sprawled, arm reaching out and grasping her necklace, the other propping her up on an elbow. But upon further inspection, she realised that although her body was in the same position on the floor, it wasn’t her floor.

It wasn’t even her room.

She was, strangely enough, at the Ministry of Magic.

After her quick assessment that she was physically fine, Gabriel slowly pushed herself up to kneel, before standing, her bare feet supporting her on the floor.

The necklace hung precariously in her fingers, as Gabriel’s arm went limp by her side, her shoulders slumping as she began to take in her surroundings more clearly. Yes, it was indeed the Ministry. Specifically, the main entrance, directly in front of the floo connections and fountain. But it was unearthly quiet.

There was no one about, the silence stretching eerily in the abandoned grand hallway. Not even the fireplaces were active. The fountain sat still and dry.

Confusion marred her brow, and Gabriel was about to call out to see if anyone was around when suddenly life resumed as if nothing had been wrong at all. People materialized from nowhere and bustled about, the Floo showing people arriving mere seconds before someone else left, the fountain shifting and allowing its water to fall.

For Gabriel, it felt like the calm before the storm. That strange suspension of quiet normality that just bordered on the edge of chaos, and it sent a chill down Gabriel’s spine.

A sudden loud bang and onslaught of rogue spells sent people screaming, as the scales tipped, bringing forth the chaos.

Witches and Wizards alike scattered like frightened animals, seeking refuge among the pillars and fountain.

In the middle of it all, stood Gabriel, eyes fixed to a lump on the floor.

‘No…no please, not again…’ she pleaded. This wasn’t right. She hadn’t travelled anywhere. This was another nightmare. A strange instinctive awareness made her realise that it was a memory and not an odd moment of time travel. It didn’t feel real enough, solid enough, yet she could feel the cold floor at her feet, the whoosh of spells as they flew by, ruffling her hair. ‘The things the mind conjures,’ was her absent thought. The necklace had pulled her into the memory of finding Jess unconscious on the floor, terrified she would find her dead. ‘This isn’t right!’

Another bang echoed through the building, and Gabriel’s head snapped in its direction. Her world titled slightly as she saw herself running in. All of it played out just as she remembered. She watched her memory-self look around to assess the situation, her eyes ultimately landing on the still figure of Jessica. She watched herself grow angry, the power gathering and let loose upon the dark enemy, killing them.

She watched as her eyes changed to silver, a burning rage buried within, her hair lengthening until it reached her shoulders, her tattoo glowing -

Her tattoo glowing? She didn’t remember it glowing. Why would it…

Before she could ponder any further, she was yanked again and violently propelled backwards.

A quick flash of light, a whirl of colour she could barely make out as other memories, flashing by before she found herself standing at the bottom of an infirmary bed. Glancing around, still standing in the position she had been in the Ministry, Gabriel allowed it to sink in that she was in the Hogwart’s Infirmary. Why was she here? She curled her fingers around the necklace absently, and shifted around to look at the bed.

There, asleep and curled up together was Severus and herself. Black fur clutched in pale fingers, the long body of the black wolf taking up half the bed.

Taking a hesitant step forward, Gabriel inched closer to the two, confused as to why she was here. What did this have to do with anything?

Her eyes were drawn to the wolf, the structure of such a creature with its broad shoulders, streamlined spine and fur, long legs and large paws. Its face was dominated by a long snout, with long, strong fangs, and sharp ears. It was odd looking at the creature. It was her, she knew that. She was familiar with that form like the back of her hand, and yet…seeing it from this angle it looked different. Bigger, stronger, fiercer, yet gentle and graceful.

It didn’t look like an ordinary wolf; it was too large for that. She even rivalled Sirius in his Animagus form, and yet it didn’t quite look like a werewolf either. An old species perhaps… but then how did Gabriel know about it, let alone know about it when she was five years old when she had first tried out her forms? A child that young could not know many species of animal, let alone something as rare as this wolf…

Silver eyes lazily opened and focused on Gabriel, ears perking up slightly at the sight of an intruder. The wolf’s head lifted, its silver gaze unwavering, and Gabriel felt her insides turn to ice.

The silver eyes sharpened, and a low rumbling growl vibrated from its chest, ears flattening and lips curling to reveal bared canine fangs. This was dangerous. It shouldn’t be. It was only a memory…

‘Yes,’ her mind said indulgently, ‘a memory interacts with you as if this were real. You just keep on thinking it’s all in your mind, maybe close your eyes and hope you’ll wake up.’

Gabriel could nearly feel the dripping sarcasm coming from her own thought. Her breath hitched as the wolf rose up and took up a defensive position between Gabriel and Severus at the bottom of the bed.

This wasn’t good at all.

A loud bark from the creature made Gabriel jump and stumble backwards. The wolf leapt off the bed towards her, teeth bared in a snarl as it aimed for her throat. Throwing up her hands to protect herself and closing her eyes tightly to brace for the impact, she was startled to find that nothing happened. A flash seen through her eyelids, and suddenly her world was quiet again.

Trembling, Gabriel let her hands slowly lower, and opened her eyes cautiously.

She was outside Hogwarts, the grounds eerily quiet and devoid of movement and life. Voices appeared, and suddenly there was a commotion that hadn’t been here before. Again, people appeared from nowhere, as if materialising at the moment the memory started.

Battle raged, spells hurled over her head, and she instinctively ducked as a flash of green flew past her. It was utter madness, the sides of Light and Dark at the Final Battle. Shouts and screams as hexes and curses hit their mark, people running to help others, the fear, determination and courage permeating the air in its own silent battle. The grass beneath her hands and feet was wet with rain and god knows what else. She didn’t want to think about it. She never wanted to return here.

Gabriel looked around, her eyes darting back and forth, searching to pick out any individuals. It was hard, the darkness closing in as the full moon shone high, her pale blue light highlighting the carnage. An odd moment of silence shrouded her, a bubble that allowed her to take in some of the scene, before sound came rushing back, shouts, screams, hoarse cries drowned by heavy snarls and the howling scream of those in the path of the Dementors. A horrifying sound of broken bones, and squished flesh made bile rise up in her throat.

‘Oh, god. That must have been someone unfortunate enough to be underneath a Giant’s heavy step…’ The very thought made her sick.

It was difficult to make sense of it all. As Gabriel ventured forward into the mess, she had a hard time avoiding bumping into people. She found herself instinctively blocking and dodging spells. Even simply standing long enough to try and find her memory self among the turmoil was a difficult task.

A familiar shout broke through the cries and Gabriel suddenly spotted herself charging into the mass of bodies and dark creatures, wand brandished and firing spells in rapid speed at a Death Eater duelling with her sister.

Gabriel watched as the memory progressed, her memory self taking down dark wizards and moving to help where she could. She remembered the satisfied feeling of disabling Greyback enough so that Remus could gleefully have his shot at the disgusting werewolf.

Her memory self turned to seek out anyone else who needed help, and Gabriel watched in awe as she saw Severus in danger. The shift from human to animal was so quick, even Gabriel could barely make it out, seeing the black wolf hurdling the distance with strong, measured strides until she reached her friend. Bared teeth, dripping with saliva, and a loud snarl erupted through the grounds as the wolf leapt, latched onto Lestrange’s arm, and bit down. She felt perversely satisfied at hearing the bones beneath shatter under the power of a wolf’s jaw. Lestrange screamed in agony, futilely pulling the animals ears and clawing at its face to make it let go, but to no avail. It only sunk its teeth down harder, shaking its head and pulling fiercely.

Gabriel saw Severus deal easily with Lucius with a quick hex, and turned his sights on Lestrange, aiming and sending a curse his way. He was about to call out to the wolf, but a sudden shudder rippled across the grounds, and he turned away to look at the disturbance.

Gabriel turned, following his gaze to see Harry in a duel with the Dark Lord. She stood by quietly, knowing from her memory what would happen. And indeed it did happen as predicted; Harry cast his spell and defeated Voldemort, just like everyone had hoped. There was no blinding light, no fancy wand waving or ridiculously overdone actions. It simply happened. He fought and he had won.

She remembered that not that soon afterwards, Harry had sat beside her on the couch in the dark library in Grimmauld Place. He had stared into the fire and had told her how terrified he had been, when at some point the wondered if he should just give up, let himself be killed. He said it had been too much, and even now, he believed it was mostly through stupid dumb luck that he had survived at all, let alone had enough skill at seventh year level to defeat Voldemort.

Gabriel said very little in return, allowing Harry to talk until he was hoarse well into the wee hours of the morning, and her quiet encouragement gave him the strength to see that it was alright to have survived. That each day would get better. Just to take one day at a time. He’d thanked her and rose to go to bed, finally sleeping without the threat of nightmares for once in his young life.

Now that she thought about it, Gabriel knew Harry was so much more powerful now than he was then, in the midst of the most well known, war in recent Wizarding History.

The Hogwart’s grounds tilted, and the world around her dissolved. In a flash of light and whirling colour, she was again in another memory.

Gabriel was in the old kitchen in Grimmauld place. Her memory self facing the window, hand upon the glass as she watched the darkness outside. Behind her, the members of the Order were gathered, quietly discussing in hushed tones with whoever was beside them.

A sombre Albus Dumbledore sat at the head of the table, his blue eyes fixed to his cup of tea in front of him, mindless to the chatter around him. His fingers toyed with the handle, not even noticing the liquid inside was getting cold.

He blinked and glanced up to look at Gabriel by the window, worry creasing her brow. ‘This is hitting her the hardest,’ he mused silently.

“Albus, what do we do?” Minerva asked softly. His head turned towards her, taking in her pale complexion and dark circles under her eyes.

Before Albus could answer, Moody spoke up, his gruff voice quieting the din of the other members. “For all we know he could be dead by now.”

“I’d say he changed sides,” Michael remarked suddenly. “He’s probably realised what the information he gathered about us is worth and sold us out.”

“Don’t even think that Michael,” Gabriel cautioned, her voice eerily calm given her mood. “Don’t say things about people you don’t know. I don’t see you putting your life on the line.”

“I didn’t bloody join that maniac in the first place!” he blurted.

“Without him we wouldn’t have any information at all about ‘that maniac’, and we would have lost a lot more innocent people than we have. So don’t make assumptions about a man you don’t know, simply because it’s convenient to do so.”

“So you’re taking his side?” he snarled, his eyes narrowing on his lover.

“Yes,” she said simply. “I’m taking his side because I respect him and what he does. His absence is too worrying for all of us, whether it’s about information on the Order or personal feelings. If you don’t want to be involved in anything to do with him, then leave now. Otherwise you won’t be any help to us.”

His lips drew into a thin line and he gritted his teeth, still staring at Gabriel’s back as she gazed out the window. He let his eyes flick around the room briefly to the other members, before returning them to her.

“And what, exactly, do you plan on doing, hmm? You don’t even know if he’s alive. Are you just going to show up, saunter in like you own the place, take him by the hand and if You-Know-Who sees you, just say, ‘Sorry, do you mind if I borrow him, we still need him to spy on you later?’”

He paused for her answer, a self satisfied smirk creeping up on his face. He looked around the room again to see if people agreed with the ridiculous idea, when Gabriel caught his attention. She spun around and stared at him with an odd expression, and then, slowly, a smile spread across her face until it was a very toothy grin, a slightly mad glint in her eye. She chuckled softly, and it sent an uneasy feeling down to churn in his stomach.

“Yes, actually. That’s near enough exactly what I plan on doing.”

The present Gabriel stood quietly to the side, observing from the end of the table where Sirius sat. This was obviously the conversation about the capture of Severus. He had gone for a meeting and never returned. This meeting was called to see what could, if anything at all, be done about it.

Gabriel remembered standing at that window, knowing their options. It was either leave Severus in the hands of the Death Eaters and their Master to be tortured or killed outright. They could try a rescue, or infiltrate their numbers in an attempt to kill Severus themselves to prevent the leak of Order secrets. She knew they wouldn’t want to risk the last two, simply because their numbers were so few. The Order couldn’t afford any more casualties.

But to let him die? To leave him in the hands of those he once to called friends. Let them have their fun with the traitor, just because the Order couldn’t be bothered to try? If it was anyone else, would they have tried, or would they have said it was a loss they were willing to accept for the greater good? The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…?

“Tell me,” her memory-self said quietly, addressing the others in the room. “If it were anyone else in this room, would any of you be willing to try and save them?”

Everyone could tell by her tone that she would not welcome anyone who said yes, so they wisely kept quiet.

“Can no one answer?” she sneered mockingly, a cruel curl to her lip as she glanced around at them, disgusted by their cowardice. “Your silence is enough,” she spat. “You know, I know one person who would be willing to try. Severus would. He would risk his very life and his position in the despot’s circle to try and protect one of our own, and he wouldn’t even ask for anything in return. You know this as well as I do.”

‘Of course he would never ask for anything,’ Gabriel thought, scowling angrily at the pathetic excuse for Wizards and Witches around her. ‘He knows what choices he made and, in his own way, he tries to rectify them no matter the cost to his own existence. If they actually spent the time getting to know him, they would know this, and I wouldn’t be trying to convince them that he’s worth saving!’

“I’m going to help him,” she announced quietly.

Immediately there was a roar of voices. “Are you insane?” Molly asked incredulously. “You’ll be killed, and we don’t even know if he’s alive!”

“How in the hell do you plan on pulling this off!” another cried.

“She’s just going to walk in and save him, just like that?” Michelle whispered.

“Apparently so,” Kingsley answered, his dark eyes fixed on the woman in question.

“You can’t be serious,” Michael said. “I won’t let you go to save that - that -”

“That what, Michael?” Gabriel growled. He didn’t respond, evidently his anger overrode his mouth and he suddenly found he couldn’t voice his opinion.

“You’re going to do this alone?” Remus asked.

“Of course not!” Michael snapped. “She’s not going anywhere! This is too stupid to even contemplate - I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation!”

“You’re right, this isn’t a conversation. Shouting, yelling and telling me what to do won’t change my mind. It’s not up for debate. I’m going whether you like it or not,” she responded, glaring coldly at the audacity of the man before her.

“Oh, and when do you plan on going, hmm? When were you going to tell me about this absurd plan you seem to have? Were you just going to run off and hope for the best?” Michael said furiously, spittle flying everywhere as his gestured wildly.

‘Oh, he was worked up now,’ present Gabriel amusedly thought, still watching from the sidelines.

“You’re leaving now, aren’t you?” Albus said softly, and his voice carried despite the noise in the room. Everyone stopped abruptly, their attention focusing on the old man.

Gabriel looked at Albus for a moment, seeming to communicate so much in a small amount of eye contact. She nodded slowly once, and returned her attention to the group of stunned Order members before her.

“I’m not sure whether it would be appropriate for me to say goodbye, as I’m not entirely sure I’ll come back. I’m going to be careful, as I am not a complete idiot,” she said dryly,
“Though you’re probably questioning my sanity already. I’m going to try and bring Severus back in one piece if I can manage, and if, indeed, he is even still alive. I hope to see you all soon.”

With that, she walked out, leaving a silent and ashamed group behind. They stared at the door, wondering if they would ever see her again.

The scene shifted, and Gabriel automatically flinched, raising her hands to cover her ears as the deafening sounds of screams echoed through a dark, stone corridor. The piercing sound was so loud she winced as it hit her eardrums, squinting her eyes pointlessly to look for the source. Her blood froze in her veins as she recognised the hallway, one she knew well from her days spent here during her torture.

No.

No, she didn’t want to be here! ‘Gods, please! Why did you bring me back to this place?’

Abruptly the screams stopped, and there was blissful silence, though those sounds would be forever burned in her memory. Quick, sharp barks of laughter and a gruff voice were the only unintelligible sounds that reached her now, and she watched silently as her memory self suddenly appeared, charging down the hallway, sending hexes behind her.

Oh, she remembered now. She had Apparated just outside the Malfoy Manor (‘You’d think they’d have a better hide-out,’ Gabriel remembered thinking) after long hours of following Severus’ trail after he’d been summoned. A difficult task, even for someone as skilled as her, as it was already nearly two days old, and Severus covered his tracks well.

After finally locating him and Apparating, she’d swiftly entered the building. No one inside expected to be visited by anyone outside of their ranks, and proceeded to look for Severus. It was curiously simple really.

She had underestimated their numbers, and had run into several Death Eaters. Despite not being entirely visible under her hood, she had not been as prepared as she had thought. A slight miscalculation with a few words and she had been found out. So, she did the only thing she could think of in her slight panic.

She turned tail and fled down a corridor, flying down steps and sending whatever hex, curse or spell her quick mind could come up with behind her. In a strange set of occurrences, Gabriel remembered not seeing anyone else in the halls that she was sprinting down and, thank the gods for Karma, as she found herself in the lower rooms where Severus was being kept.

This was the point of the memory where Gabriel had pelted down the dark hall, and reached his room. Dispatching whatever Death Eaters were present in the room, she quickly assessed his injuries.

Present Gabriel watched uneasily, brow creased in worry and stomach roiling from the remembered incident. She watched as a nearly unconscious and weak Severus looked up with confusion and faint hope that he would be saved…or killed and be put out of his misery, Gabriel was never quite sure. Always hoping it was the latter, Gabriel saw her memory-self try to help Severus stand up, so they could get out of there.

She wasn’t fast enough. Several Death Eaters were suddenly upon them, surrounding them and firing spells in the confined space of the room. A small battle ensued and in the mix of shouts, screams and misfired spells Gabriel watched as if in slow motion, her memory-self glancing worriedly at Severus’ slouched figure against the wall, knowing in her gut that she could at least use her last resort to save him.

Reaching into her robes, she pulled out a small object, the harmless quill she had grabbed from the library in Grimmauld Place and enchanted to turn into a useable, (‘And illegal,’ she smirked) Portkey, and activated it while reaching for Severus’ hand. Hoping to transport them both to safety, she was thwarted by one of the misfired spells striking her from behind. She crashed to the floor, and seeing Severus just managing to grip the quill and vanish, she finally succumbed to a Stupify and passed out.

The scene went black and Present Gabriel felt a rising panic curl in her stomach. Would she now witness her torture? Would she have to watch helplessly, remembering the searing pain of Crucio as her memory-self screamed in pain, cried out for it to stop, pleading…begging to be put out of her misery? Would she have to watch the countless times the Dark Lord himself came and made her feel like giving up as he sent curse after curse at her, gleefully basking in the pain of ripping flesh and burning blood as he waited with baited breath for her to break, only to grow angry at her lack of response and torture her more? Letting his Death Eaters beat her, and build her up with food and water just to start all over again?

A loud, piercing, almost inhuman scream tore through her frightened thoughts, and she instinctively put her hands to her ears again and cringed, eyes squinting to find something, anything, in the darkness. Brief images in flickering light invaded her vision, fading and reappearing like the slow beat of a heart, showing her various memories of herself curled on the floor bathed in her own blood…

Of her on her knees begging for it to stop…

Of her being held up by chains in the middle of a circle of Death Eaters and Voldemort himself, laughing at her as the flash of a whip cracked across the flesh of her back, tearing it to shreds as her screams echoed horribly…

Of her half curled up, whimpering in pain in the corner of her cell, soiled and shaking from cold and hunger as she awaited her fate…

Of her moments from breaking and telling them everything if only they would stop…please stop…

Of her crying silently and staring at the wall, wondering if she was going mad, hoping that maybe someone would come and help her…save her…and would she live long enough for them to try…? Would they try?

Of her kneeling on the floor in front of Voldemort, pale, thin, cold, yet numb. She sat there as he demanded again and again for information, and if she didn’t come forth he would kill her…Oh she remembered the sweet feeling of bliss at the thought…to finally be free…

He had lied.

She had refused, hoping to feel the release of death, when he had turned to his followers and said to do what they will of her…

She was roughly grabbed and hauled upwards to her hands and knees, and she had felt the jerky, rough motions of them pulling at her tattered clothes, her trousers, shirt…everything being torn…

An overwhelming sense of panic took her and she suddenly struggled, trying to pull away and fight with all her might. They were to rape her! She knew it! She could feel the chill of realisation run down her spine, as they laughed and mocked her weak, pathetic attempt at escaping from them, and she had looked up into the cruel, red eyes of her tormentor, the masked, and faceless Death Eaters swimming before her eyes around her…

It shot through her like lightning, and she was unprepared for the surge of power, the anger, the fury that sent tingles through her skin. Present Gabriel watched, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched in awed horror. Her memory-self, bruised, beaten, flogged, and cursed, weakened by weeks of torture, stood, eyes shifting silver and tattoo glowing red hot, tendrils of black vine-like markings creeping up her arms from it like protruding veins, shooting up like forks of lightning and leaving striking patterns across her pale skin. She had never seen anything like it, and it was a frightening sight, even the Death Eaters backed off, hesitating at such a display.

They turned to their Master, wondering what to do, but he looked just as confused as the rest of them, frowning at the unexpected sight. A burst of energy shot forth from her, surrounding her like a bubble and forcing itself outwards to strike at the Death Eaters. It hit them, and they flew backwards and hit the walls, only one left standing by the Dark Lord, who had stood from his seat, wand in hand. A dull roar sounded as Gabriel sent out another wave of power, a strong wind picking up and buffeting them all as they tried to stand.

“I can help Master,” the Death Eater rasped. “I know what’ll stop her! I know how to send her away!”

Voldemort jerked his head to the right, watching the man warily, having recognised him as one of his latest followers. What could he possibly do that he, himself could not? Another wave made him buckle, and he cast a strong Protego, the wave bouncing off it and reflecting it in another direction. ‘That was strong,’ he thought. ‘If she gets stronger, it won’t hold her off for long…’ Without turning back to the man, his eyes fixed on the glowing figure of Gabriel, he snapped, “Do it!”

Present Gabriel watched as the Death Eater retrieved a small book from his robe, and cast a spell to enlarge it. He quickly flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for, and started chanting in a foreign tongue, reciting some old spell as he waved his wand at memory-Gabriel. A large flash of blinding light gathered and headed towards her, enveloping her until she could no longer be seen, closing in around her.

Gabriel watched as within moments of it closing around her memory-self, cracks appeared, breaking it apart bit by bit and the ball shattered as if it was made out of nothing but fragile glass.

A glowing Gabriel turned her attention to the man, her hand flying out and he froze mid-sentence, his throat closing up as he clawed at it in a futile attempt to breathe, his other hand dropping the book. Before it even reached the floor, Gabriel’s other hand flew out and made a jerking motion towards the book and it shot across the room into her waiting hand. She growled darkly, breathing heavily, feeling her powers weaken slightly due to the older magic, and she crouched concentrating, and before everyone’s eyes a large pair of grey wings flared out from her shoulder blades and in a whirl of magic and wind she was up and out through the roof flying through the night sky like a shooting star, white-blue magic trailing a tail behind her, leaving everything in silence in the Manor below...

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Okily dokily. I apologise again for the delay on this. So many things have come up, and I’m adding the next memories in the next chapter, the two-parter I promised! I’m hoping to get them done a lot quicker, as I have already started it.

Did you like it, did you not like it? Any suggestion, or anything you hope to happen or want to see? Please feel free to tell me, and I’ll take it all in. :)

I hope this will go the way I want it to, and won’t go off on too much of a tangent, and in the next chapter there will be more interactions between Severus and Gabriel, as I wanted her memories to go in order so you wouldn’t get too confused if I just did them randomly. So for now, it’s mostly her adult memories, and in the next one, should branch out into her school days, and then a bit of her childhood, which will tell us more about who she is, who her mother and/or parents were and what she is, or what she is there for and capable of.

Well, bye for now then, hope you enjoyed and should have the next chappy up soon.

Wolfsoul xxx