BREATHE -draco malfoy

thirty nine.

"Severus," Ana said with relief. It was not a Death Eater, well...at least not one that wanted to kill her. Her uncle was standing before her, glaring down at her with dark severity, his eyes flashing with insane anger. She hadn't seen her uncle in months, and this is how she was greeted? She let a scowl take over her face at his angry expression, matching his energy.

"What are you doing here?!" Severus hissed, trying to keep his voice low so as not to be heard by Harry, who was still talking to Helena in the corridor next door. Ana took in her uncle's appearance then, noticing how much darker he looked than the last time she had seen him. Severus had always been a rather dark person, but now he had black circles under his bottom lashes, his face was paler than ever before, and his black robes seemed to absorb all light, just like his shoulder length black hair.

"I-" Ana started, but was unable to express her conflicted feelings to her uncle, as she was interrupted almost immediately by another surge of indignation from him.

"Do you not remember what I told you, Anastasia!" Severus said, growing increasingly closer to his niece in anger. "You cannot be here!" 

Ana felt guilt fill her heart then, as she had been wondering since she had stepped into the castle whether or not this was a good idea. Maybe she should have listened to her instincts telling her to sit this battle out, to live to see another day. But Ana had been through too much, accomplished too much to bow out now, and her Gryffindor nature simply would not have allowed her to retreat. Ana scowled at her uncle. The last thing that Ana wanted was to be a coward. Severus had told her to be brave that night, right before he had tortured her, and now he was angry at her? For being brave now?

"What did you expect me to do, just hole up some where while my friends are risking their lives?!" Ana whisper-screamed back, fury lacing through her.

"Yes. That is exactly what I asked of you," Severus said, his beady little eyes boring into hers. "You are lucky that the Carrow's didn't know who you are. You could've been seen, Anastasia!" Severus paused, looking down at Ana with severity. Ana felt the explosion welling up in her throat, the essense of the past months of hardship about to erupt out of her. She was proud of herself, for all she had endured, and how dare her uncle negate her efforts, the important role she had in this war. Severus' voice came out in a low roar, slowly enunciating every syllable. He said exactly the wrong thing to Ana then. It made Ana's anger rip out of her, unable to be contained. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Severus spit out.

"I...have done...ENOUGH!" Ana screamed out, her voice echoing out against the walls of the empty hall. She didn't care if Harry heard her. Her chest was heaving, her teeth bared as she practically snarled at Severus. Ana stared at her uncle in anger, trying to contain her rage as she spoke again. Ana would regret the way she talked to her uncle, later on, as this was the last time she would ever see him. But at that moment, she was engulfed in blinding fury. "I have done enough for the sake of your secrets, Severus!" Ana hissed, her voice low again, but still white hot. Her mind flinched in agony as she remembered all she had done for her uncle's "plans." She had been locked in a dungeon for a month, tortured within an inch of her life, watched the person she loved most come undone before her eyes as her own uncle pretended to murder her. She had dealt with the pain ever since, the endless, agonizing pain of leaving Draco all alone. She had hidden herself, practically become a recluse. She had lied to her friends, and for what? Severus' face softened at her, knowing all she had been through, but Ana continued to glare, burying her gaze deep into her uncle's soul. 

"This castle," Severus started in a deep, calmer voice, trying to contain himself. "Is surrounded. Death Eaters are breaking through your defenses as we speak. You must leave, or everything will fall apart. If you are seen, the Dark Lord's trust in me will be gone and I need his trust. For what comes next." At these words, Ana heard a low rumble, an explosion from somewhere outside. The battle was starting, and it sent pin pricks of fear through Ana's entire being. She could hear little pops and crackles as the dome of protection fell apart in the sky, completely splitting apart and leaving the castle exposed. Severus glanced over at the window, the lights from outside illuminating his face. "You must leave," Severus said, his voice in a low whisper as he gazed out of the window in horror.