The Broken - Chapter Six - The Final Ball
Chapter Six - The Final Ball
Fingers trembling, Severus began undoing the clasps of the corset. He’d been afraid of this since the moment Remus walked in the door. Remus had escorted Miss Tonks around as if she were queen of the household, showing her off to everyone. Severus had compared that to his own arrival at the estate. Remus hadn’t even been there to greet him.
If that wasn’t enough, the other servants all took to Miss Tonks too, addressing her simply as Tonks, which she said she preferred. Even more than a month after his arrival, everyone still called Severus ‘sir’ instead of his name. Not that he wished them to call him by name, but it was the principal of the matter.
The first two clasps came undone easily, but he fumbled with the third one. The corset was pulled very tight around the waist to make his figure look feminine. That was the problem. Severus didn’t know why Remus had bothered to have sex with him when it was obvious that he wanted a woman. Now he had Tonks.
Severus knew she was supposed to be a rehabilitated prostitute, but no one could escape their roots. Once a whore, always a whore. Remus would probably find it easy to seduce her, and then he could be happy with his ‘soiled dove’.
At last, he got the third clasp open, but before he could reach for the fourth one, Remus grasped his hands, holding them lightly.
“Why are you upset?” asked Remus.
Severus pushed his hands away and snapped, “Don’t coddle me. I’m not a girl.” He finished opening the corset and threw it at Remus. “Go give that to Tonks. I don’t want it.”
Remus dropped the corset to the ground and stepped over it to get closer to Severus. Severus refused to look at him though, staring instead at the bedpost he had held onto earlier. “Severus, are you upset that I brought Miss Tonks here?”
Severus sneered. “I don’t give a damn what you do with that whore.” He waited for another blow, but it didn’t come. Instead, Remus gently ran his hand along Severus’s cheek. Severus looked at him with disdain.
“I don’t want her.” Remus pressed a kiss against his cheek, which Severus knew was probably enflamed. “I want you.”
Severus wanted to believe him, but too many people had lied to him before. Rede had promised to care for him once, but that had not turned out very well. It only made sense that Remus was lying to get what he wanted too.
Remus continued to touch Severus, trailing his fingers down Severus's side. “I am attracted to you. Not to Miss Tonks.”
Severus was tired of being lied to. “Why the corset then?” he asked. “Why try to make me into a woman?”
Remus shook his head. “I was never trying to make you into a woman. I have played with a corset before, and I like the way they feel.”
His hand settled on Severus’s hip and Severus shoved it off. “Then why weren’t you the one wearing it?”
“I thought it would look better on you,” Remus said. “You’ve such a thin body...” He placed his hand on Severus’s stomach. “I wanted to see what you’d look like in it.” Severus moved to smack his hand away, but Remus let it fall. “It didn’t look right though.”
Severus was stung. He crossed his arms and glared at Remus to hide the pain. Rede had always said he was ugly. Wearing the satin corset had made him feel good in a way he couldn’t explain, especially when Remus admired him in it. Obviously, he had lied about that too.
Remus continued, saying, “I should have had a corset made just for you. That one was made for a woman, and it didn’t fit you at all.”
Severus floundered for a moment. What did he mean by that? Did he wish he had made a corset for Severus because he didn’t want him to look like a woman? Or was it that he wanted one that would fit well and make him look more feminine?
Letting his arms fall at his sides, Severus admitted defeat. “I don't understand.”
Remus took both of Severus's hands in his and pulled Severus closer. “I want you. I don't want a woman. I don’t like women. They are nice in bed at times, but I much prefer men. More than that, I prefer you.”
“Why me?” asked Severus.
“Because you create magic every time you play the violin,” Remus said. “Because you are open to trying new things. Because you are strong and amazing. Because there is something inside of me that only you have ever touched, and I think that no one else ever will.”
Severus let himself be embraced, and then he embraced Remus in return. He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything. He was too afraid that Remus would say something and make it obvious that he had lied to Severus. Severus did not want to lose the perfection of that moment, so instead of talking, he let his body speak for him.
~*~
Four weeks passed in a whirlwind. Remus had a small ball each week, and he frequently invited people to dinners that were more like feasts. Severus enjoyed attending these events as a mere musician. He was not expected to speak, though he did add his thoughts to the conversation more than once.
He especially enjoyed it when Remus caught him playing a funeral dirge whenever Sirius's mother attended the evening's entertainment. It was easy to make fun of the bitter old woman, whose favourite topic of conversation appeared to be her lumbago. Remus would berate him for it afterwards, but he always ruined his rebukes by following them up with a round of enthusiastic sex.
With every passing day, Severus began to feel more for Remus. He wasn’t sure if the proper term for it would be love, but at the very least, it was strong affection.
On the rare occasions that Severus let himself hope for something, he liked to imagine that Remus felt the same way. When Remus sent him secret smiles during balls and kept him up into the wee hours of the night talking, Severus wished that he could stay with Remus forever. But the final ball of the season was quickly approaching, and Rede would demand his return after that.
There was nothing Severus could do about it. He owed a debt the Rede that would have to be repaid before he could leave the man's services. After his mother's death in during the Irish famine, Severus and his father had fled Ireland to England, his father’s home country. Rede had given Severus’s father a job on his estate. When his father died only three years later during a cholera epidemic, Rede had given his father a funeral and allowed Severus to stay on the estate. Later, he provided training for Severus so that he could learn to play his mother’s violin. If he had known the price he would pay for those things before he accepted them, Severus would have found some other way to survive. Living on the streets was better than being forced into Rede's bed.
Remus might have been able to purchase Severus's debt from Rede, but Severus doubted he would. For one thing, it was unseemly for a man to show so much interest in another man. For another, it would mean that he felt something for Severus that was worth the hundreds of pounds of debt that he had accrued, and Severus had no doubt that while Remus liked him, his affection did not run that deep.
All of these thoughts and worries built up in Severus as time passed, and when Remus's last ball of the season rolled around, his emotions were in turmoil. He knew it was showing through his music as well. The waltzes he played were more upbeat than ever before; the minuets, more beautiful; and the promenades, more stately.
He watched the dancers surreptitiously, careful to look at the entire room, though he wanted nothing more than to focus entirely on Remus. As he was scanning the room, his gaze fell on Rede. His bow faltered in his hand-not enough to sound bad, but enough to force his attention back to the instrument-when he noticed how furious Rede looked.
The man’s face was an angry red, and he was gesturing madly while speaking to his wife. She wasn’t paying much attention to him, which only seemed to make him madder. Finally, he snapped something at her, whirled, and left the room.
Severus couldn’t say he was sorry to see him go.
~*~
Severus walked into the kitchen late that night to retrieve some snacks, as it was, by then, a post-ball ritual for him. He found himself in the midst of a scene that gave him a horrible sense déjà vu. There were no people laughing at each other this time though.
Hermione was gently applying salve to Ginny’s wrists. Harry was hovering nearby, wringing his hands anxiously, and Neville and Cedric sat at the table, staring into empty cups of tea as if they could see the future in the leaves.
Ginny attracted the most attention though. She was sobbing heavily and her face had a huge bruise forming on it. It slashed across one eye, which was already black, and down her cheek. Her bottom lip was split, and her nose had dried blood on it. He assumed Hermione had stopped the bleeding somehow.
Severus had an urge to ask if he could help, but he didn't think they would appreciate it. They barely allowed him to use their first names. He doubted they would tell him what had happened.
He ignored them, and they ignored him, as he gathered up some food. He left the room, letting the door slam behind him, and then he waited.
From outside of the door, he heard them begin speaking again.
“Who did this, Ginny? Please, you have to tell us.” It sounded like Hermione was the one trying to elicit information from her.
Ginny’s voice was sharp with pain when she said, “I don’t have to do anything.”
“Please,” a masculine voice added. “Let us help you. We’ll protect you from him.”
“No, Harry,” Ginny said. “It’s not me that I’m worried about. Stop asking.”
Severus rolled his eyes. Even in pain, the girl was more concerned about someone else. What silly people these servants were.
Harry’s voice came again. “But Ginny, please-”
Ginny shrieked suddenly and cut off his words. Hermione’s voice was shrill-“Harry, you know what just happened to her. Don’t get so close!”-and he heard something bang in the kitchen, making Ginny sob.
“Damn it!” Harry said tersely. His voice then softened. “I’m sorry, Gin. I’m not like him. I promise. I love you.”
Ginny’s reply was almost incoherent, she was crying so hard. “I love you too, but I can’t. I know you’re not him, but you’re a man. I can’t...”
“I’ll... I’ll go then.” Harry's voice moved closer to the door. “If you need me, or you want to talk... I don't think I’ll sleep much tonight.” Severus stepped back into some nearby shadows just as the door swing open. Harry raced out of the room, and Severus saw him wipe his eyes with a fist as he passed.
Hermione followed him out of the room, shutting the door behind her. “Harry, wait! Don’t go!”
Harry spun around to look at her. His face was distraught. “I love her. Tell her that I’m not going to abandon her over this. I just can’t not touch her. I want to comfort her, and I don't know how to do it without frightening her.”
“Just be there for her,” Hermione said.
Harry shook his head. “I will be... in the morning, once I’ve cooled off a bit. Right now, all I want to do is go rip someone's head off for hurting her. If I only knew who it was...”
Hermione snorted. “If you knew who it was, you’d go kill him and land your arse in jail.” She frowned at him. “You'd better come for her in the morning. I don’t think she could handle you rejecting her.”
“I’ll be there for her; I promise.” Harry turned to go. “Thank you,” he said as he left.
Hermione sighed. “You're welcome,” she murmured. She re-entered the kitchen, and then Severus was alone in the hall.
~*~
"How can you leave?" Severus glared at Remus.
Remus just continued to climb into his hired carriage. "I'm sorry, Severus, but I have to go. I promise I'll be back as soon as possible."
Severus wanted to stomp his feet or scream or do something to express his displeasure. "Miss Weasley was just raped last night. How can you leave when something like this has just happened? The ball season is almost over. You can't just leave!"
Remus settled into his seat and leaned closer to Severus. "I must go. There is much at risk, more than you could imagine. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I wanted you to have a happy last ball. I'll return before the season ends, I promise."
It was stupid to think that he could keep Remus from leaving. Severus obviously meant little to him. None of the estate members meant anything to Remus. He was leaving after what happened to Ginny; how could Severus expect him to stay for his benefit?
Rede would be back to retrieve Severus soon, and then he would never see Remus again. The thought filled Severus with panic.
Remus beckoned Severus closer. Severus approached, but remained a polite distance away, cautious of the carriage driver's eyes on them. "I'll return before the season ends, Severus," said Remus.
Severus held his gaze. "See that you do." With that, he stepped away from the carriage and Remus nodded to the driver. They moved off, down the dirt lane that led to the estate, the horse hooves and carriage wheels throwing up a cloud of dust and obscuring them from view.
Severus turned to go inside and found Harry watching him.
"I thought you'd be able to do it, sir," said Harry. "No one's ever been able to keep him from going on his visit. He thinks we don't understand, I guess. I thought you would be able to keep him here with us though."
Severus stepped closer to Harry. "What do you know, boy?" he asked menacingly.
Harry rolled his eyes at Severus. "You don't scare me."
Huffing, Severus crossed his arms and glared at Harry. "I don't care if I scare you. Tell me what you know. What is so important that he has to abandon those who care for him?"
A bright grin light up Harry's face. "You do care for him then! I was right!"
"Potter! What do you know?" Severus was getting frustrated. It seemed as though everyone except him knew Remus's secret. He desperately wanted to know what was more important to Remus than Severus. He brushed that thought off almost immediately.
Severus meant nothing to Remus, and he shouldn't let Remus mean anything to him. He knew it was only a matter of time before Rede appeared. After that, he would probably never see Remus again.
Harry leaned back against the porch. "I don't know much. It's all because of what happened in India."
Severus knew little about India, beyond what Remus had mentioned once in bed. "He lived there as a young man."
Harry nodded. "He was best friends with my father, James."
Severus was shocked. "He didn't say anything about you..."
"Of course not," said Harry. "My mum, Lily, was half Indian. He never tells anyone about me because he's afraid that they'll find out and ship me back to India." The boy glanced at the ground and shuffled his feet in the dirt. "Anyway, he was best friends with my father and Sirius Black and a boy named Peter. Peter told the dark shaman Riddle all about the English people because he was jealous of my father and his friends. Riddle launched an attack on my father's house one day when he knew that there was to be a large gathering of the English owners.
“My father and mother were targeted because of my mother's blended race-Riddle hated anyone who was a half-blood and happy. My father was killed immediately, and then he threatened my mother. She tried to protect me and jabbed him in the side with a sword. He didn't die immediately, and he managed to kill her before she could escape. His blood loss weakened him, and he died before he could get to me. He wanted to kill me as well, for being part Indian and part English."
Severus bit back a sneer. It might be useful to know Harry's story, but he cared little about it. He was more worried about what had happened to Remus. "So, your parents died, Sirius ended up in jail, and Peter escaped. Did Remus come out of the attack unharmed?"
Harry began scuffing his feet on the ground again. "Not exactly. He was trying to protect my parents when one of Riddle's followers attacked him. He never told me what happened after that, but ever since then he has spent the night of the full moon in Bishop Dumbledore's church. The bishop knows why he goes there, but none of the rest of us do. All we know is that he has to go, or something bad will happen."
Full moons and religious protection. It sounded as though Severus were in the midst of a badly written Gothic novel. "You know nothing else?"
"Nothing." Harry looked up at him with sadness in his eyes. "And nothing has ever kept him here. Even when his mother was on her deathbed, he continued to leave. She breathed her last breath one night while he was away. I don't think he's ever forgiven himself for that."
Severus sighed. He had not questioned Remus's disappearances at first. It had seemed plausible that he was merely going on business trips. Business could wait though. What made him flee as he did? Even though the mystery had deepened, Severus felt a bit relieved. Perhaps Remus had not been lying. Perhaps he truly had wished to remain with Severus.
Perhaps he would miss Severus as much as Severus would miss him.
Severus brushed off his thoughts, focusing back on the boy before him. "I wish I had been able to make him stay. If nothing else, as the master of the estate, he should be looking into Miss Weasley's attack."
Harry grimaced. "I wish he had looked into it. I don't know if we'll ever get her to say who did it. I just can't imagine what kind of monster would do something like that."
Severus could imagine many monsters, all human, who would indeed do such a thing. He was to return to the house of one of those monsters in a few days.
Surprising himself, Severus laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, but only long enough to turn him towards the door. "Let me see how Miss Weasley is faring. My mother taught me some herbal remedies that might help her improve more rapidly."
Harry blinked at him. "Thank you, sir... Severus."
Harry's words gave him a feeling of acceptance. Severus savoured it. He wasn't sure why, but he liked the servants on Remus's estate. Hiding his thoughts, Severus sneered. "I'll thank you to address me as Mr. Snape."
Harry laughed and Severus smacked him on the back of his head. Then Severus followed the boy inside of the house. It felt like he was coming home.
~*~
Severus’s fears came true the next day. Percy arrived from Rede's estate bearing Draco Malfoy. Severus had been prepared to return, so he gathered up the few items he had not packed and walked to the front door.
He was surprised to find some of the servants of Shrieking Manor there to see him off. Ginny was speaking with her brother by the carriage, her eye covered in the green paste Severus had prescribed for it. Neville gave him a shy smile as he passed, and he offered him a nod in return.
Harry was hovering anxiously over Ginny from a distance, as she still didn't feel very comfortable around men, and he frowned as Severus approached.
“I wish you didn’t have to go,” said Harry. “You were good for Master Lupin.”
Severus tossed his bag into the carriage. “Master Lupin and I have little to do with each other.”
Harry crossed his arms. “Maybe you should have had more to do with him. Then, perhaps, he would have stayed.”
Severus glared at the boy, angry with him for saying the things Severus didn’t even want to think. “Insolent brat.”
Percy rounded the corner of the carriage then, having said goodbye to Ginny. “Are you ready to go, Snape?”
Snape nodded. He climbed into the carriage without looking behind him.
“Goodbye, Mr. Snape,” Harry said.
Severus nodded towards the boy. He was an idiot, but he had his good qualities, Severus supposed. “Goodbye, Potter.”
Percy climbed into the front of the carriage and clucked the horses forward.
Severus waited until the cleared the gate of the estate to talk to Percy. “How have things been?”
Percy shook his head. “Rede’s been a bastard the entire time you’ve been gone. I think these have been the longest three months of my life.”
“Who has he called to his bedroom in my absence?” It was a strange question to need to know the answer to, but Severus knew that his treatment upon arriving at the manor would hinge on how Rede felt at that moment.
Percy’s shoulders slumped a bit. “At first he favoured me. I think he might have tried to get Ron into bed, but my brother avoided him for a few days and I didn’t hear of it again. The musician Draco took the brunt of it though, especially after he returned from Lord Shrieking’s first ball.”
Severus wanted to throw something. The man was such a bloody idiot. Taking his own servants to bed put him at little risk. He held their jobs or debts over their heads, and they couldn't escape him. Draco had no such reason to remain quiet though. He could have gone to the police with tales of rape. “He did not resist?”
“No,” said Percy. “I tried to convince him to leave. He has a job with Lord Shrieking. He would have been fine. Rede must have scared him with something though, for he refused.”
Thus letting Rede escape punishment again. How could someone so evil have such good luck? “Damn it.”
Percy looked over his shoulder and caught Severus’s eye. “He came home two nights ago from the last ball in a mood. He hasn’t called anyone to bed since then.”
Severus blanched. Tonight would be painful then. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I appreciate the warning.”
Percy nodded and faced back to the road, leaving Severus to his thoughts. They arrived back at Rede's estate far faster than Severus wanted.
Severus entered the house through the servants’ entrance in the kitchen. Molly Weasley glanced up from her cooking. Her face crumpled when she saw him.
“I’m sorry, Snape. He told me to tell you to go to his office as soon as you arrived,” she babbled. “He said he'd be there waiting.”
Severus dropped his bag next to a chair at the kitchen table and took a seat. “Stop worrying. He’ll do nothing in his office, and he doesn’t know I’ve arrived. I’ll take some tea before I got to him.” In truth, Severus needed to steady himself beforehand. Rede often took Severus on the floor of his office. He was usually even more vicious then.
Molly wiped away her tears with her apron. “I wish there was a way to get him locked up. You and Percy... it isn’t fair!” She twisted her apron in her hands. “If only Arthur and I could get a job elsewhere. We could bring Ron and George along with us, and Percy would be free to leave.”
Severus watched her throw herself into her cooking so she wouldn't start crying again. It was nearly impossible for a family of redheads to find work. Jobs were difficult to find if you were Irish, or even if you just looked Irish, and had been since the potato famine. It was one of the reasons Severus himself was trapped with Rede. If he had been able to find a job, he could have paid back the cost of his father’s funeral and his violin training.
His mother had been Irish though, and a Traveller at that. The Travellers were the “Irish gypsies”. Her family had abandoned her for marrying a stationary Englishman, and so Severus could not call on them. His father's family was poorer than he was. With the stigma of being born to an Irish woman and an Englishman who became a drunkard after his wife's death, Severus had no options. No one would hire him if they knew, and Rede would make certain that they did.
Molly stirred her soup pot for a minute, checked the roast in the oven, and then poured two cups of tea. She handed one to Severus and settled herself into the seat across from him. “How was Ginny?” Molly asked.
He didn’t know how to tell her kindly, so he said it simply. “She was raped two nights ago. She won't say who did it.”
Molly gasped. “My poor baby girl... I thought she’d be safe there.”
Severus knew that Molly had sent Ginny away right after Fred's death. Molly hadn’t wanted any of her children to stay at Rede's estate after that, but Ginny, who had been barely eleven, had been the only one to find a job elsewhere.
Percy entered the kitchen, brushing off his shoes on the muddy rag rug his mother had laid down to keep her floor clean. Molly burst into tears at the sight of him. “Oh, Percy, did you see Ginny?”
Percy leaned down and hugged her. “I did, Mum. She's fine. A little shook up, but all right.” He glared at Severus. “What did you tell her?”
“The truth.” The horrible, painful truth that no mother should have to hear. Severus sighed and stood, grabbing his bag. He left the kitchen and tender mother-son moment behind him.
He went to his room first and put away his things, delaying the inevitable for a little longer. When all of things were put away and the room was as tidy as he could get it, Severus gave up. Closing his door softly behind him, Severus walked down the hallway.
He walked towards the office with trepidation. Severus knew he couldn’t keep it from happening, but he could stall for a just a bit.
At last, he could wait no longer. He stood before the door for only a second before he opened it. Strangely, the man was not alone in his office, as Severus had expected. The pastor, a large man named Nott, stood by the window with his arms crossed.
When Rede looked up at his from his seat at the desk, Severus lowered his eyes to the floor. “Mrs. Weasley said you wished to see me, sir.”
Rede stood and approached him. “I’m very disappointed in you, Severus.” He tsked lightly as he passed Severus and insinuated himself between Severus and the door.
“Sir?” asked Severus, wondering what he had done that could involve the pastor.
Mr. Nott grinned at him from the window. The muscles in his arms corded as he crossed his arms. “Don't even try to hide it. You’ve been caught out. You've indulged sins of the worst kind.”
Severus wanted to run. Now he knew what was going on. Rede was very upset, and Severus would be punished. The door was blocked, and he’d never make it past Mr. Nott to the far window. He tried to bluff his way out. “I do not know what you mean, sir. I am not perfect, but I don't believe I have committed any grievous sins.”
“Thou shalt not lie!” Nott barked out.
Rede crossed his arms. “I thought that Fred Weasley would serve as a message, that those who sin face eternal death. Imagine my surprise when I came upon two men practicing sodomy in the barn during a visit to Lord Shrieking's Manor. I did not see both men’s faces, but I saw yours, that night.”
Severus's hands began to shake. Rede had one weakness-he could not outright lie for any reason. He knew how to twist the truth though. He had taken Neville and Cedric's story and thrown in the mention of having seen Severus’s face “that night.” Anyone would take that to mean that Rede had caught him in the act, and Rede had not told any lies. He had simply occluded some facts.
“That was not me. I was in the manor playing the violin at that-”
Mr. Nott burst into motion, grabbing Severus by the throat and pushing him backwards until he slammed against a wall. “Thou shalt not tell lies,” he growled.
Mr. Nott’s hand was tight. Small black dots began to appear in Severus's vision. He couldn’t breathe.
Rede laughed from the door. “Don’t kill him.” The hand loosened and Severus gasped for breath. “You could suffocate him just a bit though.” It tightened. “After all, it will be much easier to take away his ability to tell lies if he is unconscious.” Severus struggled for air, but found none. He blacked out.
~*~
Severus woke in a darkened room to screeching notes played on a violin. His throat ached deeply, and he was lying naked and prone.
The notes stopped when Severus tried to sit up. His throat felt like it had been ripped open. He was afraid that if he spoke, it would burn like nothing he’d felt before. His limbs felt weak, and he could not push himself up.
Rede loomed over him then, Severus's violin and bow in his hands. “Good. You’ve woken just in time.”
For what? Severus wondered. His answer came a moment later when Rede laid the violin on the bed. He held the bow in both hands for a moment before snapping it in half.
Severus cringed. The bow had been his mother’s, just like the violin, though he had replaced the bowstrings many times. It hurt to watch Rede throw it cavalierly into a corner.
Then he picked up the violin, and Severus's eyes widened. No! he tried to scream. Pain sliced through his throat, but no sound emerged. He struggled to move, to grab the violin, but his movements were sluggish.
Rede smirked down at him and tossed the violin to the floor. It made a small cracking sound. Rede seemed unsatisfied with the damage he had wrought. He picked his foot up and stomped on the violin, crunching it.
Severus closed his eyes and stopped his struggles. Remus had left him, his parents were dead, and his connection to his music was lying smashed on the floor, though Severus could not see it. There was no reason to struggle anymore.
Rede climbed onto the bed a moment later. “The pastor had meted out his punishment. It is time for me to give you mine,” said Rede. He remained almost entirely clothed, opening his trousers to pull himself out.
Rede slathered on some oil, for his comfort, not Severus's, and took him harshly. Severus wanted to retreat into the music as he usually did, but with the loss of his violin, it felt as though his safe place had been destroyed. There was no music left within the broken man. He lay still as Rede took him viciously, ripping him open inside.
“I know what you were doing with Lord Shrieking. You went to bed with him,” said Rede.
Severus didn’t bother answering him. His whole body felt abused, the pain radiating from deep within him.
“I watched him watching you at those balls. You must have been a good whore for him. I’ve never seen a man so enraptured.” Rede pulled out and tucked himself away, buttoning his trousers. He shoved Severus until he rolled over onto his stomach, and then he moved away from the bed. Severus hoped he would leave.
He wasn't that lucky. Before Severus knew what was happening, a horsewhip whip slashed through the air and sliced across his lower back. Severus arched away from the whip and tried to cry out when the pain inside of him intensified. No sound came from his throat, but it felt as though his neck had been ripped open by a wolf.
The whip came down, again and again, raining blows on Severus’s back, buttocks, and upper legs. It came at random moments, ripping open the skin. Severus wanted to move, to escape, but the pain held him motionless.
He opened his mouth in a silent scream, and Rede chuckled. “Have you figured it out yet?” Severus could not voice a response. “Poor man. You’ll never talk again.”
Why? Severus wanted to ask.
“Did you know that Mr. Nott was in training to become a doctor before he became a pastor? Just before he changed professions, he learned how to slice vocal cords without killing the patient.”
A clunk told Severus that Rede had dropped the whip onto the floor. He stood next to the bed for a moment before he took Severus’s left hand in his own. “You do know that you are mine, don’t you?” Severus shook his head minutely, since he couldn’t scream, not like he wanted to. Even that small movement enflamed his wounds. “And yet you slept with that baron. Indeed, I think you enjoyed sleeping with him. You liked being his slut.”
Severus shook his head. It wasn’t like that. It had never been like that. Remus cared about him.
“I know you did. Did you know that your emotions have always shown in your music? When you are broken, your music is sad and halting. But when you are happy, your fingers dance over the neck of the violin. You've never played as beautifully for me as you did at his balls. Why is that?”
Severus whimpered and then hated himself for it, even though he hadn't made a sound. He didn't want Rede to have this power over him. He didn’t want to be so weak.
“No matter. After today, you will be mine. You will play for no one.” Rede pressed the palm of his hand against Severus’s fingers and began to push them backwards. Severus tried to scream, but no matter how hard he breathed, nothing came from his throat but puffs of air. “That’s right. You cannot speak. You will not be able to play. You will be mine, forever.” He pushed harder on Severus’s fingers.
Rede was going to kill him. With a sigh of relief, Severus felt his vision grow dark. His finger bones began to crack as the pressure on them grew. With a sudden crunch, his fingers broke and Severus began to welcome death. The pain pulled him into blackness.
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