All questions about Lily: be patient, please! And thanks for so many reviews!!!
NEVILLE
Lord Voldemort smiles with satisfaction, turning new Lapis Animae in his hands.
"Just think, Nagini" – he whispers – "what power it gives me. I have a plan that should shock good old Bumblebee." – he laughs aloud. "Merry Christmas, my dear Nagini! Angriff's dead – well, it cost me a lot of money but Snape and Malfoy dealt with him for me. Now, it's time to strike, my dear snake." Nagini slithers around his chair, hissing.
"Sssssstrike" – she says joyfully – "At lassssssst!"
Serp has woken up with a start. He's had the dream with Lord Voldemort again and that means that the Dark Bastard is undoubtedly up to something.
"I have no idea what he's planning." – sighs Dumbledore quietly. "But we've put the wards round the houses of our Muggleborn students and equipped them with Portkeys. If anyone tries to break the defenses, they'll trigger the alarm and the Aurors will come at once."
"Does Fudge finally trusts us then?"
"He has no other choice. I believe the tragedy of Malfoy family made him believe that he himself is also endangered and fear forced him to act at last."
"He should have acted months ago!"
"I know." – says Dumbledore quietly – "But some people prefer to pretend not to see than to face the unpleasant truth. Of course, you won't make your problems disappear by pretending that they don't exist but you saw yourself last year that's easier to say "It's impossible" than to fight. Good not everyone acts like that. I'm very proud of you, Harry."
"Call me Serpens, Professor. Harry Potter is dead; he's never existed, after all."
"I'm so sorry, Serp. It's partly my fault as well."
"What's done is done."
"You talk like your mother."
"I'm Dark like she was."
"The Unforgivable hasn't made you evil."
"Indeed?" – sneers Serp.
"Of course and I can proof that." – says the Headmaster.
"Proof? How?"
"How do you feel, Serp?"
"Like scum."
"And that means you aren't evil. If you were it'd be indifferent to you or maybe you'd even enjoy it. As long as you know that your deed was… well… Regulus would say: "It wasn't good; it was evil but it should have been done and it was right". Do you understand?"
"You mean lesser evil, don't you, Professor."
"Kind of, Serp. Your action was necessary and you've made the best choice possible, though it meant using the curse."
"But your opinion won't make me sleep at night without nightmares."
"I know and I'm so sorry, child. I shouldn't have agreed for that. You shouldn't have fought."
"Some Dogs were younger than me."
"They have been prepared all their lives to this job, not only technically but also psychologically. You haven't. It's my mistake – no, my FAULT that it happened."
"But the Dogs would have left if you hadn't agreed, Professor. You had no choice, I had no choice, maybe that man I… killed" – he takes a deep breath – "maybe he had no choice as well. Maybe he was born a Dog or maybe he was forced to join them… It was his duty to stop us, after all. The more I think about it the less I blame people… Even the Death Eaters. Maybe they had no choice at all. Maybe if I were in their shoes I'd do the same."
"And I, as the Headmaster, should have prevented my students from falling into evil." – says Dumbledore sadly. "Maybe it's all my fault. No one cared when Tom Riddle had to grow up in an orphanage, until he turned dangerous. No one cared about children scavenging on Knockturn until they realized crime would nourish them better. No one cared that some teenagers turn towards evil until they started firing Dark Marks into the sky. No on was born evil, Serp, even Lord Voldemort. It's the fault of the whole society, of us all, that we allow injustice to happen and pretend that everything is in order, though it is not. No one cares about evil until that evil breeds danger."
Two hours later
"Oh, hello, Cracker!" – shouts Freya out.
"Hi" – says Serp. "What are you doing in here?"
"I've come to say goodbye. We're leaving today."
"I thought you would stay. Somebody has to protect the castle!"
"We're here illegally, Serp. The Minister agreed for our presence only because he had no alternative but we have to leave now. The Aurors will be standing guard here so don't worry. They'll keep you safe."
"But Freya… I…"
"You like me. I like you. So be it. Keep the amulet I've given to you. It'll bring you luck, I tell you. And don't be so sad" – she smiles.
Dust in the windAll we are is dust in the wind.
Foam on the water
Leaves on the storm
That's all we are
We come and go
"Serp, I'm a Dog. I come and go and that's how my job looks like. Tomorrow I'll be thousands of miles away, fighting another enemy. That's normal. We never stay forever; we're mercenaries so when the war ends we pack our things and leave. We're harbingers of danger, always on the wings of the storm, to tell it loftily, and storms never last forever. Serp, I'd like to tell "you see you later" but it'd be better if we never met again. Remember that I'm the storm crow and I serve Deletrix, Lady of Destruction. May all gods of Darkness and Light bring you luck and may we never ever meet again… professionally."
"Meinherr, we're ready!" – one of the Blizzards has appeared in the doorway.
"Good luck, Serp! Be careful!" – she turns on her heel and leaves the chamber.
"Good luck Freya the half-Veela." – he whispers, watching her running down the stairs. "Good luck."
Hospital Wing
"Hello, Serp" – Snape's sitting on his bed and he looks quite well. "We have lovely" – he grins sarcastically – "Christmas, don't we? I have something for you. According to tradition I should take you to the shop so you could choose a new one but it'd be dangerous for you now so I've brought one that belonged to my family. Here you are." – he hands his son something long and heavy.
"What's this?"
"Unwrap it and see." – smiles Snape. "But be careful." Serp unpacks the gift with curiosity and his jaw drops. It's a sword!
"Wow…" – that's all he can say. "It must have cost a fortune!"
"It belonged to my grandfather." – replies Snape curtly.
"Which one?"
"Wolfgang "Wolfie" Malfoy."
"Malfoy?"
"My grandmother, Morrigan Romanoff married Wolfgang Malfoy."
"And they were Dogs of War."
"That's right."
"Tell me something about them."
"I don't remember them, Serp. They were killed before I was born."
"They died on duty, I suppose."
"Of course."
"And your parents?"
"They died when I was a child but I remember them well. They were great people."
"They let Voldemort brand you when you were five!"
"That's true."
"Don't you hate them for that?"
"Why should I, Serp?"
"Why?! I thought you hate Voldemort!"
"I do. I wouldn't risk my life spying against him if I didn't."
"So you should be angry with them. They gave you to him."
"They wanted to help me, Serp. They knew they could be killed or apprehended so they found me a protector and I must admit they've chosen the most powerful one."
"And the greatest bastard!"
"Decent people rarely hire Dogs, let alone Dog children, don't you think? My parents were Dark wizards and knew that only a powerful criminal could help me if they died. It was my decision to change sides, Serp. They could be mistaken but nonetheless they wanted my best. Look at the Dark Lord: isn't he a perfect master for a Dog of War?"
"Some gangs wouldn't follow him, even if he gave them Mount Everest of gold."
"My parents served anyone who paid them." – sighs Snape. "They were rather low-quality Dogs, to tell you the truth. They couldn't choose like the Blizzards or Sabaki who always have more offers than they can accept. When you aren't the best you must take what they give you."
"And you still consider them great people."
"They loved me. They were robbers and murderers but they gave me the best childhood they could. They really cared about me though maybe in their twisted way. I've been a teacher for years and I lived on Knockturn so I saw many, many unhappy, neglected and abused children but I can't tell one bad word about my own parents. They did their best for me; it was my own decision to change sides."
"You're strange, you know, Severus?"
"I'm a hopeless looner. Serp, thank you for your trust and help. We'd have died if you hadn't helped us. When I saw you as a unicorn I nearly blacked out."
"You thought it was my mum, didn't you."
"You look the same."
"So I'll be able to turn into an unicorn at will, won't I?"
"Of course."
"Will I have such a tattoo like you do?"
"A tattoo with your Animagus form on your shoulder? Well, many people decide to make it; if you want I can conjure it."
"Maybe later, OK?"
"As you wish, Serp. Is your arm all right?"
"How do you know it hurts me?"
"I'm a spy; it's my job to know as much as possible." – laughs Snape out. "I know about your vampire bite, of course."
"How can I have a bite if I were born, kind of born, a vampire?"
"Every vampire has such a scar, Serp, regardless of the origin of their vampirism. The wound opens when your change starts and often reopens under severe distress. I see that you're holding your arm in an unnatural way; that means it hurts you – and I suppose I know the reason."
"There are so many things about vampires I don't know." – sighs Serp.
"You'll learn."
Suddenly Serp notices a pile of papers on the table next to Severus' bed.
"Our essays? Are you reading our essays?"
"Teacher's duty." – replies Snape curtly. "Miss Ganger, it's always pure bliss to read her work…"
"I thought you didn't like her."
"A faithful Death Eater can't praise a Muggleborn child in public."
"Right. Do you bully other people for the same reason?"
"Some I don't like; some I have to hurt."
"And Neville, for example? I know that his father…" Snape's face darkens suddenly.
"His father was a bastard and I'm glad he can't hurt anyone again." – he hisses venomously. "But I can't say anything evil about Alice, his wife. She was an Auror as well but never hurt me. Frank deserved his fate but she was simply in the wrong place in the wrong time."
"Can't they be helped?"
"Serp, it was me who found them and I alarmed Athene Malfoy at once. I've never seen a better Healer but even she was helpless. We managed to save only Neville."
"Was he tortured as well?" – Serp nearly falls off his chair. "But he was a baby!"
"Tell Bellatrix that." – growls Snape. "Tell any fanatic they hurt innocent beings and they'll laugh you into the face."
"Does he know about it? Was he Obliviated?"
"Of course he was."
"So he can't remember anything."
"Professor Dumbledore repeats the spell from time to time, just in case."
"Doesn't it affect his memory?"
"Serp, will you promise not to tell anyone?"
"I do."
"Well" – says Snape slowly – "You know that Cruciatus and some other curses cause brain micro injures which may be serious and even irreversible if many curses are cast in a short period of time and that was Longbottoms' case. Athene said that there's just one thing we can do for them."
"What?"
"Avada Kedavra."
"Fast and painless death."
"Exactly, Serp. However, there was still hope for Neville because children recover more easily than grown-ups so Athene asked me to brew a potion that would help the boy. I did that but the potion was administered also to his parents, against Athene's will. It saved their lives but wasn't able to heal them so I think they should have let them die." – Snape is talking in a very low voice. "It was beyond my abilities to help them but Neville healed. Still, I believe his memory hasn't repaired completely; we can't be sure about it but Frank and Alice were bright and powerful to give them their due and he's a half-Squib and he's barely passing his exams. Honestly speaking, his memory is abysmal. He can't even memorize the password to Gryffindor Tower if I'm not mistaken. That's why I think some injure remains and every time I look at him I see the effects of my own incompetence."
"You weren't incompetent."
"Well, I wasn't good enough; his problems are my fault, after all."
"So how can you hate him so fiercely?"
"Because he's Frank's son and because he's a living proof of my incompetence and mistakes! If I had been a better spy he wouldn't have gotten hurt and if I had been a better Potions' Master he would have healed!"
"Even Athene Malfoy wasn't able to do that! Even Dumbledore couldn't!"
"That means we're all helpless and pathetic." – barks Snape. "Bellatrix was better than me!"
"It's easier to destroy than to rebuild."
"Serp, have you switched minds with Dumbledore?" – murmurs Snape angrily. "Tell me once more "It wasn't you fault, Severus" and I'll show you some really brutal Dark Arts."