Aurora is a fool to stay with Rufus, even if he IS threatening Severus. I doubt very much that Severus would wish her to risk her life and well-being to protect him, nor do I think that he would appreciate it. If anything, I think that he would lambaste her for it. All she is doing by remaining under the thumb of Rufus is giving him permission to hurt her. She needs to tell someone what he is doing and get the hell away from him. It might not be a bad idea for her to tell Dumbledore, who certainly has the power to protect her.....
Author's Response: Thanks for the review. :) I agree with you about how Snape would react, and it shouldn't be too long before we see his reaction to all this. Thanks again.