The Missing Marauder: A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter 23

"Rowan!" Sirius exclaimed and practically lifted her off her feet.  

His arms, warm around her, couldn't find a way to let go. He was just so happy that she was alive. And he didn't care about how she got out of the hospital wing or anything like that; she was alive and in his arms and that was all that mattered.  

Slowly, he felt her hands take fistfuls of his shirt and her head shudder against his chest. It seemed as if she was feeling everything he was; only she was showing it.  

And then she pulled away and glimpsed around him, at the office. "How long was I out?"  

"Five hours," Sirius replied, "You weren't just out, though. I thought-most of us thought you were a goner. Lily didn't even want to come up and see you because she didn't want to look at your corpse."  

"That's a pleasant thought..." she muttered, then suddenly looked up at him again. "You just called her Lily."  

"Yeah."  

"Not Evans?"  

"Yeah."  

"Wow, I missed a lot while I was out."  

"Rowan," another voice said, and she stared around Sirius to see who it'd come from.  

Her entire body beside Sirius went rigid and her being cold with hatred so strong, Sirius put a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Rowan? You okay?"  

Her eyes were wide and crazy as she whispered, "You...you...you killed me."  

Sirius, utterly confused, stepped away from her.  

She took a step toward Snape and repeated, "You...killed...me. You killed me."  

"Rowan," he took a step toward her, ignoring Dumbledore's warning hand, and said, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"  

Faster than they'd ever thought possible, she pulled her wand out, flicked it and yelled, "Crucio!"  

They all reacted at once. Dumbledore put up a hand and slowly made his way around the desk to Severus. Sirius started toward Rowan to get her to stop, a horrified expression on his face. And Severus, wide-eyed with pain, cringed and writhed and jerked every random way.  

Sirius was the first to actually do anything. He wrapped an arm around her waist and forced her wand hand down with the other, and attempted to pull her away. But the second she moved an inch, she started jumping and fighting, screaming, "You're a murderer, Snape! Look at me! You killed me!"  

Giving up on dragging her, Sirius lifted her off the ground with one arm and used the other to snatch her wand away from her. Then he took her through the open door, as she screeched and swore and clawed at Sirius's arms and kicked out at the air.  

And then he slammed the door shut, put her down, and pinned her to the wall beside it, the way he had in the alley almost a year ago.  

"Sirius..." she warned in a low voice, glaring up at him through her lashes and hair that had fallen into her face, covered in dried blood.  

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded, "Did you hit your head or something?"  

"Yes," she replied angrily, "After the monster sliced me nearly to bits."  

"Rowan, that's the issue; it nearly sliced you to bits."  

"So you agree with me."  

"No," he argued, frowning, "I think you need to sit down and let him lead his miserable life while somebody else kills him."  

"No. I want to do it myself."