One More Casualty
Chapter 8 of 10
livvy6Katherine learns the truth, and Severus faces her reaction.
A/N: Here is the chapter in which Katherine learns the whole truth about what happened to her. I put a whole bunch of warnings; this is the chapter that will be the most upsetting. Again, thanks to my beta, MadBrilliant, who worked hard with me to make this chapter as respectful and delicate as possible. If you have not reviewed, but have been reading, this would be the time to review. I am most interested in your opinion!
***
April, 2002
A bright April morning was surrounding the two figures walking towards the Forbidden Forest. The wizard, whom Katherine recognized right away as Severus, wore flowing black robes and was smiling slightly at the young witch at his side. Katherine recognized herself at fourteen. She was wearing her favorite outfit at the time: corduroys and a sweater over a tee shirt. Katherine smiled as she recalled that she could not be comfortable gathering and harvesting in robes that could so easily snag on the various prickles and bushes. Her younger self was eager to get right to work, picking out flowers and humming to herself. The two were periodically examining a plant or flower. She questioned her teacher, and the two of them were discussing and laughing. It was a beautiful spring day.
Katherine watched her younger self. She recalled that she and the Potions master had just started becoming used to each other that year...her fourth year. The first semester had been difficult, but she had proven herself to be reliable and worthy of his time and energy. Severus told her later, during her first year as his apprentice, that it was during the Christmas hols that year that he made his final decision: Katherine would be his successor. She had the abilities and the intelligence to become a great Potions mistress. That was the reason, he had told her, that he put up with her nattering. She loved being in her element, gathering and harvesting, finding the best possible choices of each herb, plant, flower, and root for his stores. He had even admitted once that, even with her chattiness and smug attitude, at times he laughed in spite of himself. Katherine smiled at her younger self. She really had been a silly girl at times, but it had been good for her. She had been far too serious for her own good! He took her education very seriously and treated her with respect that she had never heard him show towards any other student. Well, why not? she had thought back then. I am his protégé! His successor! In return, she devoted herself to her craft and took his command of "immediate obedience" to heart. Even when she didn't agree, she never contradicted him. She trusted him implicitly. After all, he was going to mentor her in the ways of being a great Potions maker!
The girl was lovingly stroking the petals of a wild red rose bush. She started gathering the red petals while saying to her teacher, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a' flying." The wizard chuckled and smirked as he looked at her smiling face. She had innocently thought the Muggle poem's meaning was just about roses. Now, observing her younger self reciting this poem to her teacher, she shook her head in embarrassment and laughter. What Severus must have thought of her! All of a sudden the girl's face turned into horror. Black figures were descending from the sky around them out of nowhere.
Katherine watched her younger self as Snape whipped out his wand and hollered at her, "Run!" She was pulled along as young Katherine threw down her bag, the flowers scattering everywhere. She was sprinting, panting heavily through the brush her hands and face were scratched as she fled, but in her terror, she hardly noticed. Then there was a black figure descending from above that blocked her path. She screamed and tried to run away, but she was magically hoisted up by her ankle, and she was spinning around and around. The spinning stopped, and she felt so dizzy and disoriented. Katherine was terrified for her younger self. What in the hell is going on? she thought. The man led her back to the clearing where Snape was.
They were torturing him with the Cruciatus Curse. He was cut, bleeding, and groaning in pain as he writhed on the ground. Katherine listened to the conversation between Severus and one of the Death Eaters.
"Snape, you didn't really think your deception would go unpunished! You betrayed our Lord. You will finally pay for all your lies!" he hissed.
"Lookee, what I've got!" the man with young Katherine called out. Katherine whirled around to see herself in the air, suspended and frightened. The men all laughed and looked at the girl as she was dropped to the ground in a heap. She was dazed as she looked at the black robed men surrounding them. Snape was lying on the ground in pain. He was in agony. Blood was streaming from his nose, and his robes were slashed and his skin underneath lacerated.
"Come on, Snape! You love being the teacher. Show us how much!" Another man laughed.
"Let her out of this. Just kill me and let her go!" he begged. Katherine stood in disbelief. Severus never begged...never! It was surreal to see him so helpless.
Katherine looked over the face of her Potions teacher more closely. He was terrified.
The realization came over her. "No!" she screamed as she held out her hands. But no one could hear her. She was completely helpless to intervene. All she could do was watch as the horror unfolded before her woman's eyes. What was the most heart wrenching was that her younger innocent self was completely ignorant of the scene that was about to unfold. Her younger self was thrown down at the ground upon the beautiful flowers she had picked so lovingly earlier, looking confused and in shock. Everyone was talking at once. Katherine didn't want to hear and didn't want to see. She closed her eyes and shook her head in rejection, but the words came anyway into her head.
"Your choice, Snape. It is either you or the seven of us. And if she gets us, she'll die. At least we'll let you live with your guilt and shame."
"NO!" he thundered. "Don't do this! It's me you want to destroy, just kill me...let her go! I swear, just let her walk away, and you can torture me all you want. Just let her walk away!"
The man leaned down close to his face and whispered. "That is the point, old friend. You will live with your guilt and torment...that will be your torture. Every time you see her face, you'll hate yourself just a little bit more, and then, when you are ready, you'll decide to put yourself out of your misery. Now do it, or she will accompany us and die...but not before she spends time with us. And I promise you, it will be very painful and prolonged."
Katherine watched as he slowly and resignedly crawled painfully towards her younger self. Katherine crashed to her knees as she screamed, pressing her hands over her ears and shutting her eyes tightly. She did not want to know, did not want this to be real! She could hear words being whispered into her younger self's ear. It was soothing and gentle.
"I'm sorry; please forgive me. Just close your eyes."
Katherine watched her younger self as her eyes closed and turned her head away. She did the same and screamed and cried with her younger self, finally feeling the physical pain and trying to stop the realization from reaching her mind. Her younger self did not watch then, so Katherine wouldn't watch now.
Katherine could still hear her younger self was crying and choking through her screams, "Please, stop it! You're hurting me! Please, please!"
Katherine covered her eyes and screamed as if she were screaming out her very soul. All these years, this was the truth that surrounded her. And she never knew!
Finally, it was quiet. She opened her eyes slowly and saw the two of them, alone. The men were gone. Snape was cowering against a nearby tree, vomiting over and over. Her younger self had apparently passed out from shock. After he regained some composure, he crawled painfully back to her, kneeling before her, sobbing and screaming up into the sky as her younger self lay unconscious. The flowers surrounding her were the wild flowers and rose petals she had picked earlier, a sickening reminder of ruined youthful innocence. Katherine arose and walked closer to her younger self. She could see the blood on the roses and daises and smell of the lemongrass that was so strong and sickening, sweet smelling. Her teacher closed her legs and covered her with his cloak. She sank down onto the Forest floor and looked upon her unconscious self. She realized now why lemongrass and roses triggered such crying fits during her fifth year in Potions. She did not want to see anymore. She was whipped around and landed in the Infirmary.
Snape was holding her unconscious form, cradling her form swaddled in his robes like a baby. He was so distraught; Katherine thought he might go mad. She watched as Minerva talked Severus into releasing her younger self and laying her down on the bed. She watched as he told Minerva and Madam Pomfrey what had happened between racking, heaving sobs and more retching. She then watched Minerva patch him up while he watched Madam Pomfrey heal young Katherine's scratches and clean her up. She went closer to Madam Pomfrey as she whispered to Minerva about the extent of the damage.
"Considering everything, Minerva, there is a slight tear, but I healed that in a heartbeat. No real physical trauma. I think the trauma will be more mental and emotional," said Poppy.
"Aye, and for Severus as well. I wish Albus were here. I don't know what we're going to do." Minerva looked very worried as she shifted her eyes from unconscious Katherine to the distraught Snape.
Poppy put her in a gown and tucked her in one of the beds. She was still mercifully out cold. Pomfrey brought her back to consciousness only for a moment to force a Sleeping Draught down her throat before she could start remembering anything that had transpired. Snape was now sitting by her side, tears coursing down his face. He was truly broken. Minerva put her arm on his shoulder. He winced and shrank from her.
"The transformation is now complete, Minerva. I am now officially a monster," he said, his voice hollow and defeated.
Minerva grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Look at me, Severus Snape! You did what you needed to do to get her out alive! Her life, Severus, her life! She is alive. You are NOT a monster. Those evil creatures are. You were just as violated as she was. Oh, Severus, I'm so sorry! Just when we all thought this nightmare was finally over!" she cried now. Poppy sniffed in the background.
"What are we going to do?" Poppy asked.
"We'll have to explain when she is strong enough," Minerva answered through her tears.
"NO!" roared Snape. He ran his hands down a non-existent wrinkle in Katherine's blanket and tried to smooth her sheets to make her more comfortable. It was unnecessary, but he was under a compulsion to guard and protect her.
"She can't know this; it will destroy her. No, I will not allow it! She has a future, and I'm not going to see it destroyed because my past happened to catch up with me while she had the misfortune to be in my presence! It's all my fault! All I asked of her was unquestioning obedience. She never failed me. But. I. Failed. Her!"
He broke down again and sobbed so desperately, Katherine thought he would just curl up and die right there. She was glad her younger self was unconscious. It would have been far too much to bear, seeing Severus like that.
Katherine stood stock-still, unable to process the farce the three created to tell her. Finally, a bottle was conjured, and while she was still unconscious, Snape performed Legilimency on her and extracted the memories from her young mind. Again and again, he probed and withdrew many silvery threads from her and deposited them into the bottle. It was a gut-wrenching process. At times he would have to hand the wand and bottle to Poppy so he could vomit once more. But by now, he was dry heaving more than retching. After numerous, exhausting episodes that kept repeating over and over, it finally ended. He then withdrew some of his own memories and placed them into the bottle. When he was finally finished, he was near total collapse. Poppy and Minerva put him in bed with a Sleeping Draught, and he mercifully slept.
Katherine whipped around to another scene where Severus was now dressed in his usual black robes and was healthy, but very sad. He leaned over her induced unconscious form and kissed her softly on the forehead and murmured, "I will take care of you. I will do everything I can to ensure no one ever causes you any more pain, I promise. I will avenge you, and I will always be here for you."
Katherine was whipped yet again into another scene. She was in the Headmistresses' office. She was working at her desk. Snape came in and threw a broken wand on her desk.
She looked up at him darkly, peering over her glasses. "It's over then?"
"Yes," he spat. "They are all dead."
Minerva sank back into her chair. "Finally," she whispered. "Can we tell her now, Severus?" she asked.
"NO!" he roared. "Never tell her! At least, if we ever MUST, it should be when she's an adult. I won't risk her happiness or her future. She's so entranced with that idiot Luddington!" he sneered.
"Why do you hate him so much, Severus?" she prodded.
"Because I am an evil man, Minerva. I know my own kind."
Minerva looked so sadly at him. "You are not evil, Severus!"
"I can't seem to be able to steer her clear of this rotter, but she's happy. I won't be the cause of any more pain. I won't!" the Potions master raved. " I made a promise that I would never be the cause of any more pain. I will continue to do my part to warn her and try to make her see reason, but it is clear she is bound and determined to be with him. When the fallout comes from her romance with that piece of shite, I will be there to help her pick up the pieces, but I refuse to be the source of her pain!"
With that, he swept out of the room.
***
Katherine was swept back from that scene and back to the present time. She fell on the floor and wept. No one moved. Finally, after she was spent, she looked up and saw her teacher sitting in the corner of the room with his hands in his black hair. He was crying. She stood up, walked over to him slowly, and fell to her knees, embracing him. They cried together then, holding on to each other, finally sharing the pain.
She took his face in her hands. Everything was falling into place, all the events over the years: he had tried to warn her about Marcus; he had watched over her; he truly cared for her.
"You were silent all these years," she whispered in awe and wonder. "You carried it all, so I could be free to grow up happy. Thank you, Severus, for saving my life and being my friend."
She embraced him again and cried with him. "I still love you, Severus," she whispered. "You are the noblest man I've ever known."
"NOBLE!" he screamed as he jumped up. "I am a hideous beast; a monster that deserves to be locked away for the rest of my life. There is no excuse!"
Katherine quirked her lips to the side and her brow furrowed. "True, Severus. It was an evil act. But all the times you and I were in the forest, did it ever cross your mind to do that to me?" she asked.
"Of course not!" he spat. "I do not desire girls! I was sick for months. Every time I thought of it I retched. But I still did it. How can you call me 'noble?' I'm a sick and worthless piece of shite!"
She looked at him in sorrow. "Because I saw how they tortured and taunted you with threats of hurting me themselves! You saved me from horrible tortures that would have gone on and on and then a death that I'm sure would have been horrendous! You pushed your revulsion aside to save my life. Minerva was right; you were a victim too. That's why I can call you noble. You sacrificed yourself to give me some precious, blissfully ignorant years so I could become the woman I am today. I know I should feel angry at all the subterfuge and lying, but I can't summon that feeling. Maybe I need some time, I don't know. I'm just glad I didn't have to grow up knowing that. I'm not a Gryffindor. I don't know how to be that strong. But I do know about being loyal and caring about others above yourself, so I can't help but feel grateful that I wasn't told until I was older. I do wish though I had been told before I married Marcus. I could have been spared a lot of pain, but what's done is done, and I do still trust you, Severus. I do trust in you and your love for me; after all you did try to warn me against being with him. You have been my best friend, and...I still love you," she said finally in a choked whisper.
He looked at her with such pain and sadness. She grabbed his arms and held him to her. He sank into her embrace, and she held the wizard as he sobbed. It was her turn to comfort him. He cried until he could cry no more, and he resignedly sank back into his chair, looking as if he were a broken man.
Finally, he spoke. "Katherine, you have the authority to bring me to the Aurors and have me put away in Azkaban. I will do whatever you ask of me. I will marry you, if you will have me, and I swear I shall never touch you or assert any marital rights on you. Whatever you want of me, I will gladly pay."
Katherine kissed her friend's hands gently and said urgently, "I want you to be free and live!"
She turned to Minerva and said, "I don't think we need to keep Severus from enjoying his retirement. I am ready to take my position as Potions mistress here at Hogwarts. I have one week to prepare, and I'm sure if I need any advice, I can always owl Severus."
She turned her head to see if he would agree, and he nodded sadly. She forgives me, she still cares for me, but now I'm out of her life. Well, I said I'd pay whatever the cost. Exile isn't so bad.
"Good-bye, Severus," she said after she stood up from the floor. "Remember to live and be happy."
She left the room, making made her way down to her room. She felt a huge weight had been lifted that she never realized was there. She didn't give a tinker's damn what people thought of her because she knew the truth. She knew she was a good person worth loving. Severus taught her that.
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Latest 25 Reviews for Silent All These Years
39 Reviews | 5.31/10 Average
It was an interesting story. Thank you.
I adore this story. I started it on another site and went looking for extra chapters. I thought your ending was perfect.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
I'm so glad you liked it. It was real tricky, but I thought I did them justice.Thanks,Livvy
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
I'm so glad you liked it. It was real tricky, but I thought I did them justice.Thanks,Livvy
a lovely end to an excellent story!!!!!! i love the way u pair severus with other witches...... and the wya you explore his character.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you very much, I'm so glad you like my fics! Snape is such a complex character I can not help myself! :)
Livvy
First and foremost...I want to say that you're an excellent writer, I had originally seen your work on a different website and followed you over to this one. I spend a lot of time on the road and I've been reading your stories using a link I sent to my cell phone. Yes, by cell phone. It's worth the hassle and the amount of time it takes the pages to load just to read what's going to happen next. It's something that I've grown to look forward to over the past few months. Very few people have ever captured my interest the way your writing has, let's just say it's been few and far between. I've been waiting for the chance to get home and sit down at this computer and give you the review you so rightly deserve.That being said, I believe you handled the subject matter of this story perfectly. You have really taken the time to consider the emotional nuance of your characters, giving them a life that seems more realistic than mere words and sentences. After reading, you get the sense that you could have known them as living, breathing individuals, not just simple creations of fictitious imagination. Your capability to create the perfect OC to match Snape time after time is a skill I have grown to envy. Thank you for providing me with the pleasure of your work, and I look foward to your next masterpiece.~Carma
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Carma,
My whole life I have been writing. I wrote even when my family told me over and over it was a waste of time, I wrote when teachers told me I couldn't write. But I continued to write because I cannot NOT write.
I can't tell you how wonderful your review was and how much it meant to me. I will cherish it forever and whenever I feel like a failure, I can look at your review and know that I'm not, that I have a voice and it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I have touched people's lives.
I am honored more than words can say and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Livvy
I couldn't have imagined a more perfect ending - well done!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Oh! Thank you very much. I'm so glad you liked it.
Livvy
What a very sweet ending. Well done!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you very much! I appreciate you continuing to review during this fic.
Livvy
And here ends yet another lovely story of yet another wonderul OC. You are the mistress of OC mates for Severus, Livvy! Wonderful!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you, so much! I just got done responding to your recommendation on the Live Journal.
Now, hold on to your socks! My next fic is already in the queue and I'm doing a HG/SS. My first - ever. I am scared shitless! If I'm the Mistress of OC mates for Severus, then YOU are the Mistress of HG/SS.
If I bollocks it up too bad, I'll blame my Muse and Cissy_n_Snape, since she is the one that talked me into doing it in the first place (just joking).
So glad you liked the ending!
Livvy
Response from mia madwyn (Reviewer)
I can't wait to read your Hermione--and you'll end up with more readers, because so many people don't read OCs but we all love HG/SS!
Very satisfying. What was the daughter's second name? When she goes to Hogwarts it could be a little awkward to have the same first name as the headmistress, especially when the headmistress was talking with her. It souinds as if Katherine was completely prepared when she went to see him in Potorfino. You say they married immediately and in his memory she was wearing a white satin wedding dress on their wedding night, so she had to have brought the dress with her. Obviously she knew what she wanted and wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Her full name is Minerva Katherine Snape. It could be awkward, but being the daughter of Severus and Katherine, everyone will know that McGonagall is a family friend and also Godmother (although I didn't put that in the story).
No, Severus finished packing and they Apparated to Rome where they bought the dress and wedding rings and then married. Katherine isn't a Slytherin. She would have accepted Severus' "No" if he really meant it. She came to him not knowing how it would end out, but she was going to give it her best shot! She's a Hufflepuff and is sensitive to other people's feelings. But also she is very in tune with her own, and that's what makes her so passionate and loyal. She's just the kind of woman Severus needs.
I like to think Severus got the happy ending you wanted for him: happiness, respect, love. Same for Katherine as well!
Thanks as always for reviewing. I'll be e-mailing you back when I get the frame of mind to think about it.
Livvy
Response from Trickie Woo (Reviewer)
Yes, that was the kind I happy ending I was hoping Severus would have.
Wow, Livvy, you really blew me away! This was a really well-written, moving chapter. Good job!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thanks! I appreciate the compliment. Hope you like the epilogue, it'll be up soon!
Livvy
It's a lovely end to the story, but I expect that there will be times in their future that either his ghosts from the past and his guilt or her own ghosts from the past will crop up and they will have problems. But that happens in every marriage, even the happiest, because you can't change the past. They couldn't have a normal relationship or a normal marriage without those problems.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Well, the end isn't until the epilouge. And some of what you pointed out will be said. I hope you like the final chapter.
Livvy
Very well written, very sensitively written..........well done.
Glad to hear that's not the end for them. My heart almost broke when Severus cried.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you. I worked harder on this chapter than on any I have ever written for fanfiction. Yes, lots of tears, but it is not over for these two! Next chapter is in queue!
Thanks for reviewing!
Livvy
How very tormented Severus must have been! Interesting plot twist. It was like a punch in the gut. I feel so terrible for both of them. Quite Sensitively written!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you, I worked hard with my beta to make sure that this chapter wasn't too gory and also keep in mind the age of Katherine. THe next chapter will show how the next three years gives them time to process and rebuild their lives apart from one another. So I'm not done with them yet.
I hope you like how things will end.
Livvy
I was kinda scared to read it since I really dont like rape scenes. But you managed to get your point across without making it so horrible. I cant wait until your next chapter. And great job as always.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you, because of Katherine's age and just, the way the I wanted the story to be told, I did not want there to anything more graphic than needed to be. THe whole situation is ugly, you can't work your way around that, but there are things that can be implied without have to spell out every gory detail.
I am excited about how the next chapter will be recieved. It's chock full of three years of Katherine and Severus trying to rebuild their lives without each other. I hope people will like the conclusion of that chapter.
Thanks for reviewing!
Livvy
You managed to write it so that I could read it and not feel revulsion. Minerva and Katherine were both right when they told him he was violated too; he was raped too.
I can understand Kathrine's reaction. It's unfortunate that the rest of us don't have someone like him to protect us and provide and maintain that innocence that is so precious and rare. I think anyone would forgive him for what happened.
You ended this chapter as though it were the end of the story. Is it, or does the story go on to the ending I've been expecting?
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
First, I want to say I am so happy you were able to read the chapter and not cause a big problem or stumbling block for you. My beta and I worked hard towards that.
Second, I was very anxious as to how people would respond to Katherine's reaction. I am so glad I was able to convey what was in my heart and mind and you, the reader understood.
Now, this is NOT the end! In fact the next chapter is in queue. It is a very full chapter, a lot of stuff, but it will deal with three years after Katherine found out the truth and how she and Severus deal with getting their lives on track - alone. I wonder what is the ending you were expecting? You'll find out at the end of the next chapter.
Livvy
Response from Trickie Woo (Reviewer)
The ending I'm expecting is the one I always want for him, Love, respect, and happiness.
that was amazing...but...wait....that's not the end right?
i hope not. great plotline and everything. tonz of smiles and claps for you.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you very much. It was the most difficult chapter of any fic I've written. And no this is not the end. The next chapter will be very interesting, but I'm not done with Katherine and Severus yet. :)
Thanks,
Livvy
whew!!! it sure is different from your usual style and i love the way u've portrayed snape.....just wish he finds the healing!!!!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thanks, I hope you will stick with the story and let me know how you like the way it unfolds.
Livvy
Oh dear, I feel as though Severus' heart is about to break.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
It's already been broken, I'm afraid, for many years. Now I think the fear is that Katherine will pick up the pieces and start pitching them at him. That's the real question for me looking outside in, (because I know the whole story) is how Katherine accepts the truth and what does she do with it? So we'll see. But yes, Severus is in a very bad way.
Thanks for reviewing, like always! :)
Livvy
I wish they had given her the choice of whether or not she wanted to view those memories. I think she would have chosen to view them, but I think she may have chosen to wait because she didn't feel strong enough physically or emotionally to look at them yet. She obviously knows that it's something terrible that was very damaging to her and her instincts must tell her it will be emotionally devastaing and that she may not yet be ready to face it.
Everything should be her choice, she had no choice in what happened and in what they did to protect her afterwards; and she had no choice on her wedding night or in the annulment. From now on she should be left to make her own choices in her life and everyone else should give her advice only if she asks them for it.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
I agree Katherine should be making her own choices. That is why I did it this way. She kept on asking in the hospital "Why?" "What has happened to me?" "Why won't anyone tell me what happened to me?" She wanted to know even when she was younger and kept asking "Why" and the answers were kept from her. I kept that in mind when I did it this way. The time for the truth was long overdue, and she was going to just wither away if she didn't get the truth.
I hope you are able to read the next chapter. Because of her age, there is no graphic sexual content, it is all implied, but there are momets that are disturbing and full of angst. But what I am most interested in is how you take Katherine's response to it. And I'm not done yet with Katherine. This revelation will be her turning point.
The next chapter will be up soon.
Thanks,
Livvy
Errr I can not wait untill the next chapter!!!!!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Next chapter will be the BIG reveal, where all will be told and Katherine's reaction to everything. It should be up in a few days.
Thanks for reviewing!
Livvy
Oh dear. It just feels like that as bad as I think it was? It's going to be worse.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
I just posted THE chapter, so it'll be up in a few days. It's not going to be pretty, that's for sure, and there will be tears, but do remember at the end of the chapter it will not say "the end".
Livvy
Oh, after all the pain, this is an interesting turn of events at the end of the chapter. Hmmm....
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Yes, we're getting closer to the "all shall be revealed" chapter. But this story isn't close to being over. Still have a few more twists and turns.
Livvy
Thank you for the warning, it wasn't as graphic as I feared it could have been. I am confused by what was going through his mind at the very end, I hope it isn't the thought that struck me after I read that part.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
There are some realities that need to be eased into. My beta writer and I worked hard on this chapter and the one to come when the whole truth comes out. I want to make sure it is done as tastefully and abstractly as possible. I don't want to focus on the graphic, horrific things, but somethings have to be sad and are distastful, but abuse, no matter how you present it, is ugly.
Yes, I wanted there to be a question at the end of the chapter. Like, what was that?
I do hope, if only for you, because you have been such a devoted reviewer and with our private talks, I've gotten to know you and respect you very much, that you will like how this story resolves itself in the end. All I can say is that it is always darkest before the dawn.
I haven't forgotten your last e-mail. I'm sick right now with some flu, but I MUST answer my reviews! My husband thinks I'm insane :)
Livvy
Oh dear I have the terrible feeling that Severus was made to do those things to the young Katherine.
Brilliant chapter.
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thanks for reviewing. I won't say either way, just that I hope you'll be pleased with the end. Thank you for your compliment and for reviewing!
Livvy
I love her. She's wonderful!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you!
Livvy
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Thank you!
Livvy
No wonder he feels so responsible. The angst!
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Oh yeah, and it's going to get worse. A lot of pain for these two. But the darkest is always before the dawn!
Livvy
Response from livvy6 (Author of Silent All These Years)
Oh yeah, and it's going to get worse. A lot of pain for these two. But the darkest is always before the dawn!
Livvy