The street was quiet, almost too quiet for a Friday night. The moon was hidden by a cloud, and the decrepit street lamps failed to illuminate the street, merely adding to the gloomy atmosphere. The mist that had settled over Britain seemed almost condensed on this street. It was thick, like a fog and obscured most of the houses from the vision of any passer by.
A solitary figure staggered up the street, looking slightly confused as they counted out each house to try and find their destination. Greasy black hair seemed almost gelled back from the figures face due to the moisture in the air which had condensed on it. The man looked up at a small house in the middle of the street and clutched the parcel he was carrying tighter against his person, as if afraid some mysterious force was about to take it away from him.
He made his way up the path towards the door, looking each way as he went and pointing his wand in all directions, seemingly afraid of some invisible pursuer. Satisfied that there was no one following him, he knocked hesitantly on the door. It took several moments before anything happened. He raised his hand to knock again but was interrupted by a voice.
"Password?" Came the raspy enquiry.
"Sentience." He replied softly.
There was a pause.
"Name?" The voice enquired.
"Severus Snape." He replied again.
Another pause.
"You're not on the list."
"Please," he said. "I need to speak with her urgently. It's a matter of great importance."
There was a longer pause this time. His shoulders slumped in defeat and he turned to leave, when the door was suddenly opened, spilling light onto the porch where he stood. He was grabbed roughly and hauled inside, registering that the door had been slammed and locked directly after he had been thrown inside. He looked up and noticed that there were three wands pointed directly in his face.
"I'm not here to cause trouble." He said shakily, watching the three figures carefully. One of them, who had been holding a paper, threw it down at him. He glanced at it and noticed with a sickening swell in his abdomen that it was a detailed account of the funeral which had just taken place for Dumbledore.
"I can explain…" He started, but stopped when one of the wands was pushed into his throat, threatening to cut off his air supply. He stilled, unsure of what to expect from these creatures. After all, they weren't quite human.
"Save the crap for someone who actually has the time." The figure said, reaching out and grabbing him roughly by the robes and setting him to his feet.
"Where are you taking me?" Snape asked.
They laughed.
"You said you needed to see her right? We're doing you a favour. Now shut up and move." The figure replied and motioned for him to go forward.
Snape did as he was told. He was led through many corridors before finally reaching a room with a large mahogany doorframe and what looked to be an ivory handle. His guide knocked firmly on the door twice and waited.
"Enter." Came the response from within.
The figure motioned Snape to enter, so he grasped the doorhandle and opened the door.
The room was small, but a lack of furniture meant that it didn't look crowded or cluttered. There was a mahogany desk in the middle of the room with two chairs. One of them was on the side of the door, and the other facing the adjacent wall, which was currently occupied. A woman spun in the seat from her position looking out the window and looked at him for the first time. Snape shivered, as if the air in the room had suddenly dropped by about 10 degrees.
Her skin was pale, like moonlight. Too pale for something that was alive, but then again, Snape reflected, there was a thin line between life and death for these creatures. Her hair was silvery and she was so thin that every bone in her body seemed to show through the robes she was wearing. Her face was also gaunt and skeletal. The effect was frightening.
"Severus Snape." She said softly. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
She watched him curiously as she gestured the seat before her. He sat down. With a wave of her hand the door closed and locked, though her gaze never wavered.
"I had nowhere else to turn. This was the only place I could think of. They're after me." Snape said, somewhat disjointedly. The effect of being awake for nearly 5 days straight and being on the run from aurors had taken its toll.
"Yes." She said. "You could expect this kind of trouble when you consider what you are being charged with."
Her eyes bore into his own, as if seeking answers that he couldn't voice.
"But it's not what they think!" He said, half hysterically. He began laughing, not joyful laughter, but desperate sounds which could almost be mistaken for sobs. "He knew! He set me up for this! I didn't have a choice!"
"There is always a choice Severus, even when it seems that we have none. The question is, did you make the right choice?" She said softly in reply.
"I don't know." He said lamely, resting his head in his hands. "Please help me! I don't know who else to turn to, he said that you would be willing…"
"Child, do you think you would be here if I did not know your story? Do you honestly think I would have seen you tonight if I were not going to keep to my end of the agreement?" she replied, her fingers interlacing themselves in front of her as she watched him in amusement.
"But… I…. How?" He stammered.
"You are tired Severus. You haven't slept in days. You shall rest, then we shall discuss this further." She replied, pressing a button on her desk and turning her chair back to the wall as it had been when he had arrived.
The door opened suddenly with a loud click and the man who had led him here came in and grabbed his arm.
"Goodnight Severus." She whispered as the man led him out of the room.
After they had left she sighed and opened a locket that rested against her breast. A picture of a wizened old wizard smiled and waved merrily at her.
"Albus you old fool, what have you gotten me into this time?" She whispered, then closed the locket and continued to gaze out the window and into the fog.