Chapter Three: Regrets, Reasons, and Apologies
Large green eyes unabashedly locked onto the form of a man wearing midnight robes with endless buttons and a flare for the dramatic. They examined him from top to bottom taking in the sallow skin that rarely met the golden rays of daylight. A pair of obsidian eyes, that could sear through a person's soul, and a hooked nose that had been broken one too many times and a bit too big. Yellowing teeth that hung at odd angles hidden behind thin lips pulled down into a fear-inducing scowl. Slick strands of charcoal hair damaged by endless potions fumes, which just barely touched his thin shoulders. His tall, but thin frame covered in dark dreary colors as well as his elegantly long and thin fingers made for making potions or playing a piano. And the imposing aura that surrounded him as he stood regally, almost as if daring the others there to disturb him at their own risk. Long lashes reluctantly blinked giving moisture to the dried out feasting eyes and gathering more of it at the lower lash line sparking lightly as sunlight reflected off of it, regret swimming within their emerald depths. With a deep inhale and slow exhale and shoulders heaving up and down matching the large breath the owner of the eyes turned away brushing a few stray locks of red hair from her face to look at the child by their side. A small hand was latched onto the light green robes that clung to the curves of their body. "Mummy, can we go to the Quidditch store? Ron said that there's a new broom out and I wanna see it."
" Sorry Hunny we can't, we're only here for a few books and some other supplies. However if you want when we stop at Flourish and Blotts you can pick out a couple of new books that you want." the woman responded looking into her son's eyes so much like her own. "Okay Mummy." She looked back up to catch a glance of the man from before, but he was gone.
Severus Snape stood in front of Eeylops Owl Emporium contemplating whether he should obtain an owl, as well as the various pros and cons of owning such a creature. He had currently been at the part of his inner monologue where the pros had by far outweighed the cons, when he felt the penetrating glare of another individual. Instead of turning around and alerting the person he was aware of the insistent gaze, he wordlessly levitated on a nearby pebble bringing it to his hand. He then proceeded to transfigure it into a pocket watch shaped mirror, before using it to evaluate his observer inconspicuously. What he found was red hair and green eyes iconic to Lily Potter née Evans. Tight hot anger began searing a way up Severus' stomach and clawing at his throat, his mind became a jumbled mess of unfinished thoughts, and witty phrases while his long pale fingers spastically clenched open in some unrecognizable rhythm. Not a moment later, he viciously pivoted and stalked into Eeylops, his mood shattering into a million microscopic pieces. Simultaneously he caught sight of James Potter in his peripheral vision, gliding through the sea of fellow shoppers towards said redhead. The very same woman that held Severus' long dead and glacial heart within the palms of her delicate hands.
James Potter stared at the woman he had been married to for years, standing there watching Snivellus. He didn't understand why. What could have possessed her to leave? Why did she leave him and for what the freak of nature the two of them had somehow managed to produce? Of all the things bad that could happen in his life he never imagined Lily Potter nee Evans leaving him over nothing. Couldn't she see the evil lurking underneath the big green eyes and shaggy hair of that child? Apparently, not if she left him, James Potter, for nothing and with the disgusting thing she had given birth to. How could all of this happen in the short span of an hour? One lousy hour, and their marriage was over. When he thought about how everything came to be a year ago, it all came back to one thing, Harry Potter. For that fact alone, the hatred in James soul that had begun to form the night of October 31, 1981, grew from a shard no bigger than a stack of quarters into the size of a soccer ball. From the moment Lily had walked out of his life and attempted to gain the attention of one Severus Snape, she had brought the wrath of the Noble House of Potter, and that was definitely not something she wanted. Especially when one considered the influence, James Potter held. An influence he knew how to use quite well. All of these thoughts, feelings, and emotions were zipping through his head
As James stood in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Diagon Ally, he let the entire expanse of his thoughts center on the beautiful redhead before him. So lost in thought was he that he missed her departure from the spot she was in; the same spot from which she had been staring unabashedly in longing and admiration of an old friend.
When he finally came back from his thoughts, he was startled to find that she was no long there. A moment later, he decided to visit his favorite store and it was there where he found his beloved Lily once more, as well as a few unexpected complications.
Harry Potter gazed at the Quidditch store several shops ahead of where he and his mother stood. At six, he already knew what he wanted to do when he is all grown up. At this point, it was all a matter of getting the right things and practicing like crazy. Harry along with his best friend Ron wanted to be professional Quidditch players. Ron for the Chudley Cannons and harry for Puddlemere United. It was their dream regardless of the fact they wanted to be on different teams. Harry as a seeker with his lithe build and Ron as a keeper, with his ganglier frame. Since neither child had all of the equipment needed, especially the most important one involved, a broom, harry was relentlessly searching for the latest broom to hit the market. When he finally spotted what he was, looking for Harry turned towards his mother and hesitantly asked, "Mummy, can we go to the Quidditch store? Ron said that there's a new broom out and I wanna see it."
His hesitant smile slowly dripped off his face when he saw the sad look on her face that scream, 'I'm sorry' and the heart crushing words, "Sorry Hunny we can't, we're only here for a few books and some other supplies. However if you want when we stop at Flourish and Blotts you can pick out a couple of new books that you want." Knowing her response was all that he was going to get, responded back to his mother a pout across his face with a disappointed, "Okay Mummy."
Ten or fifteen minutes later as they were passing the Quidditch shop, a blur of brown, gold and red, passed through the corner of Harry's eye. His head whipped around and green eyes sought out the person the colors belonged to. With a quick intake of breath, he was screaming, recognition taking hold of his mind and adrenaline pumping through his system, "DADDY NO!" Trails of liquid salt began falling down pinkening cheeks and chaos erupted.
Anger. The most dominant emotion clouding his existence, followed quickly by Hatred and Revenge. In the form, he currently occupied feelings were what enveloped the life he had been in for the past five years. Drifting in and out of the eclectic areas until he'd finally gained more awareness then the first two years of his pitiful existence. Logic wasn't as prevalent as it should have been, but what could he do as a stewing mass of virtually nothing. For all his scheming and searching for immortality, he forgot the most important fact about the means he used to obtain it. For example how to resurrect him or even how to find him. So he stewed in his inconceivably dark emotions and waited impatiently while contemplating the horrific details on how to punish his pitiful excuses for followers. Still he drifted in between the various hues of greens and browns of the area he was in. For all the insanity-tinted plans he continued to make, the fact he could only enact them were he corporal seemed to slip his mind.
I held Mummy's hand as she approaches the scary vampire man, she says is 'Severus'. 'Sev'rus' is scary and he is unhappy, with a frown that's always on his face. I've only seen him one other time. We are at Diagon didn't look happy then either. I wanted a broom, but Mummy said I couldn't have one. He was looking at the owl store, and then was gone. Daddy was there. I was scared. Mummy was mad and sad. She was looking at Sev'rus. A LOT. Then he was gone.
She's looking at him now. She looks sad, but she's smilin' too. The vampire man looks mad. He keeps trying to leave. Mummy won't let him.
He gives mummy a really mean look and says, "Release my arm this instant Potter". But Mummy doesn't listen, instead she tells him, "I'm sorry Severus. I'm so sorry. I should have never ended our friendship over stupid house prejudice, words spoken in anger and my fear or you turning dark. Severus please listen to me." Sev'rus doesn't listen though. He keeps saying, "You made your decision a long time ago Lily. Now you have to deal with the repercussions of your actions."
"Please!" Mummy's crying now. Just like when Mummy took us away from Daddy.
"Where were your forgiveness when it was I doing all the pleading? There was none. Now, I have matters to attend to and your blubbering is delaying it. This conversation is over." He's gone just like that other time I saw him.
Mummy's crying now. The tears are making long shiny lines down her cheeks. She doesn't wipe them away like I do. She's really really sad. Maybe if I pat her hand like Mrs. Weasley does it'll make her happy again. I do. She still looks sad, but there are no more tears.
"Mummy can we go get ice cream,. It always makes me happy when I've been crying."
"Not today Sweetie. Maybe another day." Why does she have that sad look on her face? Did the scary guy say something mean to her? I don't understand at all.
"Mummy?"
Severus Snape stalked through the opulent halls of Malfoy manor, searching out the Lord of the manor. He did not have to search for long when he came across the person he was looking for leaving through a door that granted access to the man's study.
"Severus, what can I do for you today? I have to admit your visit is a bit unexpected, even for you. Come join me in my study. Would you like a glass of Firewhiskey?" silkily spoke a man with long platinum locks, chilling steel grey eyes, and an unyielding presence that screamed old money and power. Held within the grasp of porcelain fingers was a crystal decanter. The well cared for digits were wrapped around the item in a caress beckoning Severus to accept some of its amber liquid.
A hesitant sigh escaped from thin lips and "No thank you Lucius. I'm here to discuss some important and sensitive information", rang into the air. One of the perfectly maintained eyebrows belonging to said man arched up.
"Is the room secure? No one can know about what we're about to discuss. Especially those fools you call colleagues and the minions of that blasted old fool at Hogwarts."
"Severus do you doubt the strength of the wards around the study. You should know how safe this room is. After all you are within the confines of Malfoy Manor, old friend."
"I have not Lucius. However, there have been rumors. Ones pertaining to the Ministry, Malfoy Manor, a specific Auror, a rather dubious listening spell and last week's raid."
"Mad-Eye. Follow me. It would seem you are correct, Severus." With that, both men began to head towards one of the three libraries located within the Manor. The library also happened to be the closest to Lucius' study. They walked in peaceful silence for fifteen minutes before the library came into view. Instead of walking into the magnificent room where every wall had books lining it with the exception of the one across from the door that held a fireplace, Lucius and Severus walked passed it. Both men instead chose to stop in front of a stretch of wall three rooms down from it. Once there, a black brow rose in condescension.
"Oh, have faith friend. Not everything is, as it seems. This is the only room in the manor that wasn't searched due to the very specific blood wards surrounding it. Only someone with Malfoy blood running through their veins can see the room, or someone who has been keyed into the wards by one with Malfoy blood. I need your hand in order to allow you entrance, but first an unbreakable vow must be made." Dark eyes searched the aristocratic face across from him, before nodding to him.
"Bonder?"
"Dobby!" with a loud pop a creature the size of a dwarf with overly large floppy ears, tennis ball yellow eyes, a crooked nose, draped in a ratty old pillow case, stood before the two, before bowing to Lucius.
"What can Dobby bes doing for yous, Sir?"
"Go get Narcissa."
"Yes sir." And with an equally loud echoing pop, he was gone.
A few minutes later Dobby returned with one of his tiny hands clutching a woman's robes, before letting go and bowing. "Anything else sir?"
"No." Lucius turned to the woman and grabbed her right hand before kissing the top. "Narcissa Dear, I need you to be our bonder for an unbreakable vow, between Severus and I." She nodded, before drawing her wand. As one Lucius and Severus faced one another and grasped each other's right hands. Not long after the slim wood of Narcissa's wand joined the entwined hands.
Lucius silky voice pierced the air. "Do you swear to never give away the location of this room to any being, whether they be humanoid or beast?"
"I swear." A thin tendril of fire erupted from Narcissa's wand, wrapping around the clasped hands.
"And do you swear to never remove, replicate, or in any other form take anything from within the confines of the room, unless permission is granted by I, Lucius Malfoy or Narcissa Malfoy?"
"I swear." Another tendril joined the first.
"And finally, do you swear to not discuss any information obtained while in the room with anyone, with the exception of those who are privy to such information?"
"I swear." One final tendril of fire wound itself around Severus' and Lucius' linked hands before all three tendrils of fire sunk into the skin. A few moments later, Lucius disappeared behind the stretch of 'wall'. He grabbed a bloodstone, a long black athame, a medium sized marble mortar, and pestle, and three glass jars filled with daisy pollen, hyacinth stems, and Euphorbia petals, before returning to the hall. Lucius handed all the items to Narcissa with the exception of the bloodstone and the athame, which he hands to Severus. He proceeded to place the bloodstone in front of where the door should be, drew his wand, and transfigured it into a table, before chanting, "Pour la guérison et la force (For healing and strength)".
Next, he placed the mortar and pestle next to each other in the middle of the table. To the right of them he placed the Daisy pollen, the Euphorbia petals and Hyacinth stems. Lucius took the athame from Severus, carved a line in the palm of his left hand above the mortar, until it was ¼ of the way full and chanted, "Le sang de la ligne Malfoy (Blood of the Malfoy line)". He took two pinches of the Daisy pollen and dropped them into the mortar. At the same time he chanted, "Pour innocence, le secret, et la chance (For innocence, secrecy, and luck)". Next Lucius grabbed three large Euphorbia petals and ground them into the pollen-laced blood in to mortar. "Pour la purification et de protection, comme un vrai Malefoy (For purification and protection, like a true Malfoy)" soon followed. A medium Hyacinth stem cut into quarter inches was next to go into the mortar, after "Pour l'amour dans un sens, la protection familiale et le bonheur (For love in a familial sense, protection and happiness)". Lucius then handed Severus the athame and said, "Add blood from your left hand to the mixture until it reaches halfway up the mortar".
Severus did just that, while Lucius chanted, "Devenir l'un dans le sang, de rejoindre la famille Malefoy (Becoming one in blood, to join the Malfoy family)". Once Severus' blood was added to the mixture, Lucius used the pestle to combine everything, making a bloody paste. As soon as the paste was done, he change the table back into a bloodstone, and then gathered all the paste from the mortar into his right hand, before smearing it against the 'wall' in the rune for family.
After the rune was completed, the door became visible to Severus and with a nod to Narcissa; both men briskly entered the room. Once inside the room, Severus took note of the décor of the room. It was painted in various hues of green, bordered by black with silver inlays. The furniture of the room was done in different shades of charcoal, and grey. There was a barely noticeable hint of dark magic pulsating through the entire room. Overall, the room screamed dark wizard, so it was no wonder the room was warded the way it was.
"Severus?" sliced through the silence of the room.
"Lucius, what do you know about Horcruxes?"
Dumbledore was sitting in his office at Hogwarts, going through a stack of paperwork from the Board of Governors, when a shiver went down his spine and a huge foreboding feeling gripped his old soul. He abruptly stood and turned to Fawkes.
"James what have you done?"
AN: Sorry this chapter took so long. I knew what I wanted to address, who was going to feature in it and how I wanted certain parts to go. Everything else was either no planning or decided it needed to be placed in a certain spot. For the other chapters I was able to get some feedback from a good friend of mine which helped to speed things up and work out specific kinks, but I didn't have any of that on this chapter. Also for most of what was written in this chapter happened to be written out of order. It was like inspiration came out of nowhere, but happened to be for a later section or if I wanted to work on a later section for an earlier one. However the Severus/Lucius section didn't want to be written at all and didn't even come out the way I had written in my flimsy notes. It also took the longest to write. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long to write.
I had other things I wanted to address as well, but I can't remember the life of me. Oh... wait. If anyone wants to be a beta for this story message me. I'll need all the help I can get. I've learned that if I'm getting constant feedback on a chapter or at least a little here and there as I work, chapters come out a little faster. They also tend to be more smoother. On a side note. I hope this will be the first multichapter story I finish. Ever. Anyways, see you next chapter. ~Poog