Severus Snape licked his lips nervously, while he consciously resisted grasping at the painful, burning sensation on his left forearm. His palms were sweaty; his normally steady hands were shaking. And the world seemed to be spinning around him.
His exterior belied his internal turmoil, however. He sat waiting in Dumbledore's office, seated in one of the cushioned chairs in front of the Headmasters desk, his head resting in his hands. The only sign of his nearly boundless concerns was his rapidly bouncing leg, which was twitching with his restless agitation. He knew what was to come. He had known it the moment the mark had burned black several hours ago; and if there had been any doubt in his mind, it had been erased when Potter reappeared from the maze, clutching Cedric Diggory's dead body as if it were his only tether to this world.
"He's back," Potter had gasped.
Screams had erupted around them at the site of Diggory's body. Wails had been rent into the night with abandon. Fear had run so rampant you could nearly feel it thrumming in the air. Severus had felt it thrumming in the pit of his stomach. With those two words his fate had been sealed. The Dark Lord had returned, and so too had his duty.
He had always known that if Voldemort returned, Dumbledore would ask for his service once again, so it had not been a surprise when it had been brought up earlier. As to his chance of success, he would place his odds at slim to none.
Returning to the Dark Lord this evening would more than likely mean his death. But that was not what was bothering him. His worry was what lengths the Headmaster would go to ensure Snape's success. Who would Dumbledore sacrifice in order to ensure he had a spy amongst the Death Eaters?
The Headmaster was currently still down in the hospital wing, seeing to Potter and making arrangements to call together the Order of the Phoenix. War was coming, and Severus was about to find himself in the middle of it.
"You know what I must ask you to do," Dumbledore had said in the hospital wing, just after his altercation with Cornelius Fudge, that pathetic excuse for a Minister of Magic.
There would be no help from anyone. Severus would be in this alone. A double agent, caught between two worlds, in which nobody completely trusted him. It was a lonely life, but it was how he preferred it. He did not like people much, as it was.
"I can't promise you success," Severus had whispered back to Dumbledore, trying to see to it that nobody else over heard them. He could geel those irksomely nosey Weasleys, plus Potter and Granger, staring at him, "There is no guarantee that he will trust me after I've spent nearly 15 years in your service."
"Wait for me in my office," Dumbledore had said. His blue eyes were hard, determined, but there was also a flicker of something else, like hesitation, "There is something that will ensure your loyalty to the Dark Lord if all else fails."
Severus had not liked the sound of that. He had a feeling he knew what Dumbledore was talking about, or rather who. He would not sacrifice her. No cause was worth it. Not even this one. He had nearly died trying to get her out of the country all those years ago, during the height of Voldemort's first reign. To bring her back now, to subject her to this after all that had been done to her – after all he had done to her - was cruel.
She had been only eleven years old when he had seen her the last time. Just old enough to be receiving her Hogwarts letter, and yet she had already been through a lifetime of torture beyond what most people could handle. She had been the Dark Lord's guinea pig. She had been experimented on in the most horrific of ways, and now Snape had a suspicion that Dumbledore meant to use her as a bargaining chip.
The door to the office swung open. Severus pulled his head from his hands in time to see Dumbledore sweeping into the office, his purple robes billowing behind him. He took a seat behind the desk, his face masked in that piercing gaze he was so famous for.
"Severus," he said.
"Albus," Snape replied, shortly. He did not want to have this conversation. He knew what the old man was going to suggest. He knew he would think it a small price to pay. What did one life matter in the greater scheme of all things?
"It is not easy for me to ask this of you," Dumbledore began.
"I would think the task is easier for you to ask of, than for me to perform," Snape replied, snidely.
"Severus, I know this is difficult for you. You work so hard - "
"Don't patronize me, Albus. I will do what you ask of me. But do not act like it is difficult for you to ask. You have your plans - they are what matter to you. The rest of us are merely tools for you to carry out what you deem necessary."
"You know that is not true," Dumbledore said, patiently.
Snape paused, his typical sneer in place upon his face, as he stared at Dumbledore. Perhaps the man did care, but even so, his plans would always outweigh his personal feelings. Look at Potter. He did not even know half of what Dumbledore was expecting of him. He was to be kept in the dark, until the right time, even if it was not the right thing to do. Dumbledore was brilliant, but that brilliance was born from cold calculation, whether the old man admitted it or not.
"I have every faith in you," Dumbledore ventured.
Snape scoffed, "Your faith will do very little for me when I am kneeling in front of the Dark Lord. More than likely, he shall kill me before I utter a single word."
Dumbledore paused, as if choosing his words wisely, "We have something that he wants. He will know that you may be his only chance of getting the information he desires."
"Someone," Snape bit out, annoyed that Dumbledore would dance around his point even as Severus was about to set off to his potential death, "We have someone that he wants, not something. You're speaking of Olivia, and she is, as far as I know, a person. Merlin's beard! At least have the decency to admit it! I risked everything to save that girl and you want to just toss her back like a sacrificial lamb."
"She is no longer a girl, Severus. She is a grown woman, nearly 26. I do not plan to force her into anything. It may be, instead, that she would want to help."
"She wouldn't," said Snape.
"And how would you know?" asked Dumbledore, "You have never once gone to visit her, all these years. You know nothing of her anymore."
"And you do?" Asked Snape, angrily. It was not Dumbledore's place to comment on the fact that Snape had not gone to visit the girl. There were things Dumbledore did not understand, couldn't understand. Severus had cared deeply for her, but he had also done terrible things to her - things that she had no idea he was responsible for. He had saved her, but that was only a fraction of the debt repaid. In truth, he was doing her a favor by breaking off contact. She was better off without another monster in her life.
"I have gone to visit her ever summer since we relocated her to America. She has grown into an amazing woman, albeit, with a sarcastic temperament, which does actually remind me strikingly of you, although there is a bit more good-humor behind it."
Dumbledore smiled at Snape, his eyes dancing.
"You speak fondly of her, and yet you are preparing to sacrifice her like she is worth nothing to you."
"I plan no such thing, Severus. If you would listen, you will understand. She is not to be sacrificed; she is to be made your ally. A second spy."
"We have no right to ask that of her. We have to right to drag her into this!" Snape said, angrily.
"To the contrary, Severus, we have no right to keep what has happened, from her. If anyone deserves to know of Lord Voldemort's return, it is Olivia. She can decide from there whether she wishes to be involved."
"Even if she wanted to help, setting her up as another spy would never work," scoffed Snape, "She ran away from the Dark Lord, escaped him, at the risk of her life – we helped her to the risk of our entire cause! How is she supposed to convince him that she now returns a loyal servant?"
"It will not be easy, but it will be possible. But first you must offer her to Tom. The plan will mean nothing if Tom is not interested in obtaining her. I am sure that he will be, and it will be an excellent way for you to reprove your loyalties, but you should never count your doxies before they hatch, so first she must be offered."
"He will want her back," Snape said. However long Voldemort had been gone; he knew the sting of losing her would not have faded. Besides, his pride being wounded, Voldemort had invested a lot of time into the experiments he performed on the girl. He would want the results.
"I suspect as much," nodded Dumbledore in agreement.
"But how do you intend to get him to trust her? He knows she hated him, enough to risk her own life to get away from him."
Dumbledore steepled his fingers, looking thoughtful, "You will tell him that she did not escape all those years ago. This will, importantly, help to conceal your role in the matter. Rather, you will tell him that I kidnapped her, and only revealed as much to you after Tom's down fall. Tom himself had spread the rumors of the great 'living weapons' he was making in his experimentations. I had intended to use her against him, but when he was vanquished by Harry, I sent her abroad to keep her safe should the time ever arise that I thought we should need her help. Tell him, that as she grew, she began to understand all the things Tom had done to her, all the power he had given her. She realized she had been wrong to ever give in so easily to me when I came to take her away. Rather, she found that she thought Tom's motives honorable. Tell Tom she sought to take up his cause. When I noticed these trends, I wiped her memory and brainwashed her to our cause. I could never risk losing such a powerful weapon. Tell Tom I mean to recall her now, to bring her back to Hogwarts with your help. Tell him that you believe you can reverse the memory charms and create for him a second spy within this very school. Tell him this, and I am sure Tom will not refuse you."
Snape was quiet for several moments. Dumbledore had given this a lot of thought. It was not a fool-proof plan, but it did have a chance of being successful. Still, setting up Olivia as a spy seemed a cruel thing to do. Severus knew more than anyone how difficult of a life that could be.
"Did you modify her memories?" Snape asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer. He knew Dumbledore would go to any lengths for this war. Perhaps Dumbledore was only sure Olivia would return because he had shaped her memories to fit the plan.
"Of course not, Severus. Olivia hates Tom more than anyone, more than even Harry, which is why I believe she will willingly join our cause."
"It sounds as if you've put a lot of thought into this," Snape commented.
Dumbledore sighed, "I have always known that Tom would return. I never hid that from you, or her. Kidnapping her weakened him last time. It made him desperate enough to act upon the partial prophecy I had you feed him. I think we can find a similar use for her this time around."
"And where exactly – ARG!" he gasped, as his arm gave a particularly hard throb of pain, "The Dark Lord grows most impatient," he grunted.
"Then go! And come back to see me when you return. We shall set things in motion at that point."
Snape stood up, his face pale, his hands shaking, "If I return, you mean."
"No, Severus, my dear boy, I mean when. Trust me, Tom will want Olivia returned to him. He will keep you alive if it means being able to get his hands on his daughter once more."
Thanks for checking out my first chapter! Hope you liked it! Comments and reviews are always appreciated!