Drabble. Came to me after seeing the torture scene in Malfoy manor.

[Poorly written on my mobile, please forgive me]

JRK owns everything, except the ship. Fans built it. They are the wind in it's sails.

o0o

It was one of the core things they shared. One of the terrible ties that bound them together.
However, she was drawn to them. Like a moth to flame.
She supposed, to anyone else, it would appear she was mildly obsessed with his scars.
Was it the raw, carnal beauty? Or the horrifying intimacy they shared that intrigued her? She did not know.
Whenever given the opportunity, such as lying in bed together, she would map out the course lines with her fingertips.
Or even when they were making love, she covered them with her kisses or tongue.
Yet, there was always one in particular she gave special attention to: the one the serpent left.
For it was this scar that first awakened her. First bewitched her.
Being a Gryffindore, facing the obstacles she had, she thought she knew of bravery.
But it wasn't until that night, those memories, that she understood true courage. It was him.
When no body was recovered, it was this event that kept her awake, that caused her to search.
When, at long last, she finally did locate him, she tended to his neglected wound and healed him. And despite his numerous attempts to drive her away, she stayed. Proving to be just as stubborn as he.
It wasn't long before admiration spawned adoration.

o0o

He suspected she had cataloged each and every one of his scars within her brilliant mind. For her fingers easily sought them out and caressed them, even in the pitchest dark of night.
He didn't know exactly why she cared so much for them, while he, on the other hand, loathed them. Growing older, as their number grew, he became more and more disgusted with himself physically. Each blemish a reminder of a grotesque past.
But it would seem she saw something else entirely.
Despite finding her attention to them during intimacy peculiar, he never mentioned it.
Instead he imagined she may have felt, even if just on a subconscious level, that with her kisses, she could seal their love and ecstasy within them, relieving him of a fraction of the pain he carried. And he was grateful for this unfathomable compassion she seemed to posses.

o0o

Her scars were different. Unlike his, that revealed years of hardships, hers were linked to a single incident. A trauma that provoked many sleepless nights riddled with her cries.
Of course, he had seen it. Not just the scar, but the event itself.
In a foolish attempt to repel her, when she was healing him, he used Legilimency to determine her motive for insisting to stay beside him. He delved into her inner most nightmares, and what he saw chilled him to the bone. He had witnessed and endured his share of tortures as a pseudo-death eater. But watching the unnerving memory was unlike anything he had ever withstood.
The experienced changed them both. He vowed that no one would ever harm her again.
And so, his care for her scars were different. He tried his best to ignore them, as did she. Saying nothing when she sported long sleeves, even in the summer.
It wasn't the word that bothered her, he knew that. With as much magical potential she had, she didn't waste her time with the crudeness of lesser wizards. Even so, no one dared speak it in front of him anyway.
Nevertheless, they both carried on without a thought of the abominable carving.
But periodically, he would catch her arm in his hand and soothingly trace the marks. Perpetuating his promise, as he felt the lines beneath his lips.
His scarred, beloved angel.

o0o

On occasion, he considered wiping her memory of the event.. even without her knowledge or consent.
One evening, while he was comforting her after she awoke with a shrill scream, he presented the thought. He was surprised with her answer.
"Would you, Severus?" She asked in a whisper. "Would you choose to forget any one of them?"
It took only a moment for her words to sink in before he kissed her. He kissed her with such ferocity and passion that he was always astonished she could return.
When their lips finally parted, he spoke a hushed word. One that caused her eyes to brim with tears.
He rested his forehead against hers, and brushed her cheeks with his fingers as the tears began to cascade down.

"Never."