When Love Is Timed

Time Limit

*Severus' POV*

The two week long break felt as excruciating as the cruciatus curse. I wanted so bad to protect her, but It wouldn't have been wise to take action when I had no idea the extent of his friends and what they were capable of.

Today was the day that the students, along with Kiah, would return. I impatiently waited on my couch for her to knock, but she never did. I glanced down at the ring she gave me, no one had ever given me anything and I didn't know what to think when I received it. I had gotten her a pendant, but never expected anything from her.

Her gift rested in my pocket when I grew tired of waiting and made my way to her dorm. After several knocks, and no answer, I barged in. I made my way to her bedroom and quietly opened it. It was only four in the afternoon, there's no need for her to be asleep. I crept close and after I noticed that she was asleep, I also noticed why.

Both eyes looked like black holes, face marked with multiple cuts and bruises, and Merlin knows what else lies beneath her blanket. I started blacking out as rage consumed me and stormed out, but careful not to wake her. I reentered my dorm and punched the brick wall several times before I realized I was actually crying.

Not from being sad, no... From the anger and rage that was taking over. It sickened me to feel the tears stream down, but it sickened me more to think about the reason why I was.

"I love her, and I can no longer deny it." I'd only known the girl for four months, and already I had feelings stronger for her than I'd ever felt, "Even more than Lily?" I choked on my own thought. Not willing to answer as I already knew it was true.

The moment I realized I was weak, I glanced to her ring and clenched it, already feeling stronger than I did a minute ago. I sent her gift by owl and allowed myself to wait for her to come to me.

It was after dinner, that she didn't attend, when she softly knocked at my door. I opened it and saw that she had attempted to cover up all her marks, little did she know I had already seen them.

She stopped just as she entered and turned toward me, wearing the silver chain with the green heart pendant around her neck, and said while clutching it, "Thank you, Severus. It wasn't a terrible break, but this made me feel perfect." She lied through her teeth.

Her weak smile sent a pain through my chest, "I'm glad you feel as such."

"Yes, well, that's all I wanted to say." She said quietly but I needed to know. I took her by surprised, "Legiliment."

She was being tortured again, the death eater was trying to pull information from her, meaning she was using occlumency, even in her pain.

She was near death at this point, already bleeding from the several cuts on her face and bruises all around, but that didn't seem to stop Cyrus. The death eater, whom I learned to be Thorfinn Rowle, laughed as Cyrus got on top of her and proceeded to take her virginity.

I could feel her weak attempts to push me out, indicating she didn't want me to watch her being raped, so I forced myself onto the next one. She had a razor again in the closet of her bedroom, already cut so deep into the fragile skin of her wrists, and brought it up to her neck. She had a good inch cut onto her throat, intending to killherself, when she hurled the razor and bawled, "No, he said I was strong. I must be strong for him."

I felt sick and my stomach turned at what I had just watched. I looked down as she was hyperventilating on the floor. Before I could think, I carried her to the couch and grabbed her a glass of water.