Chapter 7: Longing Within
Bree's mirror was calling to her. She went over to it and looked down into it. Her liaison was smiling up at her.
"How was your evening?" he asked.
She smiled at him. "Everyone thought I was charming. Well, except for Severus Snape. I think he thought I was annoying. All in all, everything went along as planned."
"So, the first part of our plan is underway. You will have no problems fitting in?"
"I don't think so." Bree thought for a minute. "There is one thing, though. I have told a story about my family that could be proven false if anyone were curious enough to investigate."
"What is the story, Bree?"
"I have told both Remus and Severus that my family was killed six months ago. I thought I was being clever, but if anyone were to do some digging, they would find the truth."
Her liaison put his hand up to his chin and thought. He looked back at Bree after a minute.
"I'll take care of it, Bree. I can place charms on any documents, making them support your story."
"Do you think Snape will do some digging about me?"
Her boss narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow. "He would feel he was being remiss if he didn't, I would wager."
"I should have come up with a different cover story," she chided herself as she lifted her hands to her head. "Oh, how could I have been so foolish? I've blown everything and nothing has even started!"
"Bree, calm down! The charmed documents will appease anyone looking at them. All is not lost."
Bree sighed. "I hope so, sir."
"Keep me up to date on what is going on with your new found friends in the Order, Bree. I will take care of everything from here."
"Thanks, sir. I will be in touch."
The man disappeared from the mirror. Bree sighed, hoping that everything she had done so far wouldn't be for nothing.
oooOOooo
Severus Snape stalked into the Ministry of Magic. He hated this building. It brought back memories of former Death Eater 'friends' who had named him as a co-conspirator. He also didn't like the bureaucracy that rampaged throughout all of the Ministry's many departments. But he wasn't here to speak with anyone. He was doing a little digging on Brianna Corwin. He had not seen anything untoward in his memory sweep, but he knew nothing of her except what she had told him. The spy in him wouldn't let him rest until he had confirmed her story.
He had casually brought up the Corwin family to some of his Death Eater associates. No one had remembered specifically targeting that family. Some told him that they had killed several families in the past year, but none could recall the name Corwin or any details about such a family. He wasn't too surprised, actually. Many times, the Dark Lord's minions were sent somewhere with orders to attack, neither knowing why they were doing so, nor the name of the persons on the hit list, only where to find them. He dared not bring the family up with the Dark Lord himself for fear of bringing danger upon Brianna. His last attempt would be to search the archives of the rags that called themselves newspapers. If there had been an attack, it would have been written up in one of the Wizarding papers. There had been many attacks recently. Of course, they weren't always labeled as attacks. The Ministry would not have chaos on their hands, so they toned everything down. But there would be some mention of the incident if almost an entire family had been slaughtered.
His musing had kept him from noticing much about his surroundings. He had already passed through security, boarded the lift, and emerged on the 2nd floor, where the archives were. He exited the lift and crossed the hall to a large door with an opaque window in it. In golden letters the words Archive Room were scrawled across it. Severus turned the handle and entered the room. He had been here several times, but the immensity of the room always impressed him. He assumed the room was charmed to be much bigger than the actual space it took up. There were rows and rows of stacks of information. Some items were housed on bookshelves, others in filing cabinets. Some just were stacked on top of tables.
Severus wandered over to a clerk and asked where he could find the newspaper archives. The young witch pointed him in the right direction, and he was soon fingering through a file cabinet of newspapers from the last year. He passed by the more recent ones and began with the papers from five months ago. He flipped each paper forward, looking for a headline. Surely such a massacre would make front page news.
Finally, he came upon a paper dated six and a half month's previously. The headline screamed out at him. Family wiped out by Gas Poisoning. Severus pulled the paper from the file. He opened it fully so he could read the story.
Last night, three people were asphyxiated in their home by a gas leak. The Corwin family household was flooded with gas from a Muggle gas stove that the family owned. The family, unfortunately, did not realize the stove was leaking and were found too late by their daughter, Brianna Corwin, who had been out for the evening. She returned to find her parents, Bartholomew and Monica Corwin, as well as her brother, Lance Corwin, all dead. Aurors were called to the scene, where they determined that the gas pipe had loosened from the wall, causing the leakage. No further investigations are pending.
Severus frowned. The Ministry hadn't even come up with a credible excuse for the slaughter. Anyone who had any Muggle experience would know that such a gas leak would immediately alert the homeowners with its putrid stench. He gazed sadly at the article and the picture of the white house. A bird flew past in the picture, giving the illusion of normality, but there was nothing normal about it. Looking closer, Severus could see where the photo had been doctored. A faint smudge sat over the household. At first glance, one might think it was a cloud, but Severus recognized it as having been a Dark Mark. The Mark had been erased before the photo had been published, leaving a slight smudge in the sky. There was the final proof he had needed. The Dark Lord had cut down another opposing family, and Brianna was lucky she had not been there when it had happened or she would be dead too.
oooOOooo
The next week found Remus and Bree back at another meeting. Several events were discussed, including the continued plans that Voldemort had for making a raid on an, as of yet, unnamed Wizarding target. They all discussed strategies and moved on to the next topic. The meeting went on like that for some time. Finally, they adjourned, and everyone moved into the kitchen for dinner.
Severus, once again decided to stay and take his meal in the study. He must be feeling tired again, he mused to himself, as he ate some pot pie while reading a Potions tome. He was just setting his plate down on the end table next to him when he heard the door open and someone approaching. He looked up to see Bree striding over to him, much the same way she had done the week before. She once again pulled up a chair and invited herself to join him without even asking.
"Hi, Severus, how has everything been going?" she asked him nonchalantly, as if they met and spoke like this all the time.
He scowled at her. "Everything was going fine until you interrupted me."
Bree laughed, which made Severus all the crabbier. He chose to ignore her and went back to reading his book.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" she continued, not noticing him trying to ignore her.
Severus sighed. "If it will get you to leave faster, then please… ask away."
Bree smiled to herself. This was a lot of fun. She loved getting a rise out of him. His sarcastic comments made her heart beat faster. She was really enjoying this game they were playing with each other. She continued to look over at him and asked her question.
"What do you have against Remus?"
Severus put down his book and stared at her as if she were stupid. He mulled over his answer to her before finally speaking.
"He's dangerous and a liability."
"You mean because he's a Werewolf," she queried.
"Of course," he responded as if that had been the most idiotic question he had ever heard.
She narrowed her eyes at him. For the first time she sensed that he was not being fully forthcoming with her.
"That's not the only reason, is it?" she demanded.
Severus raised an eyebrow at her. Was this woman psychic? How could she read him so well?
"The other reasons are none of your business," he said finally.
"Well, sure they are. Remus and I are seeing one another, and I'm at a loss as to why you could be so negative toward him. He's one of the nicest people I've ever met."
Severus scowled. "I suppose you haven't met many people then, have you?"
Bree scowled back. "This thought coming from the man who hides in the study while everyone else enjoys a meal together!"
Severus got to the edge of his chair. "Look, I didn't ask you to come in here and talk to me. If you don't like the way I live my life, then you are more than welcome to leave!"
Bree got to the edge of her chair. They were almost nose to nose. "I am not leaving until you tell me what you have against Remus."
"I told you it's none of your business!"
"And I told you that I am his girlfriend and have a right to know!"
"Are you always this much of an insufferable chit?" he yelled.
"No! I'm a lot worse when I'm angry!" she screamed back at him.
Severus opened his mouth to say something, but found himself at a loss for words. He glared at her, while secretly admiring her ability to make him speechless. Finally he gave in and let the smirk emerge that was threatening to take over his face. He relaxed a little and leaned back into his chair once again.
Bree also let up a little when she saw him withdraw. She too leaned back and crossed her legs, waiting for the explanation she had asked for. Severus' eyes narrowed at her. She seemed to be the type that would not give up without a fight. Fine, she wanted to know the truth, he would tell her.
"Lupin," he spat, "was part of a group that I went to school with. They were slime and took every opportunity to show the rest of the school how superior they felt they were to everybody else. One day one of Lupin's friends thought it would be funny to send me to the place where Lupin would hide when he transformed. I was unaware of Lupin's condition at that time and went to investigate. He almost killed me. If it hadn't been for another boy, I would not have escaped."
Bree sat open mouthed, staring at Severus. She couldn't believe that her Remus was the same boy that Severus had described.
"How could someone be so stupid as to send you to Remus when he was transforming? Did he want to see you dead? Or maybe even worse?"
"That boy was the worst of the lot. Always plotting and making up practical jokes on people." Severus sighed. "Nonetheless, I don't think he meant for me to be killed at the time, just turned into a werewolf," Severus said tartly. Heaving a huge sigh, he continued. "I think he just didn't think out what the possible outcome could be."
Bree nodded. "I'm sorry that happened. I bet Remus probably is too."
"Remus and I have made our peace, but I still have a hard time being in the same room with him."
"Severus, he's a good man. It doesn't sound like he was a very nice youth, but he's not like that now."
Severus said nothing, but stared into the fire, deep in thought. Finally he decided to change the subject.
"So, have you decided whether to stay in Harrington or not?" he asked her.
She frowned. "No. I'm not really sure I like it, but I'm not really sure where else I would go if I decided to relocate again."
"You could always move in here." Severus suggested.
Bree looked at him quizzically.
"There are almost always some Order members rooming here. I have stayed here on occasion. The home is large, and there are many spare bedrooms. It might be good to room with some other people."
Bree thought about that. What better way to learn about the Order than to be living right at their headquarters. She would invariably be privy to many goings on that she wasn't aware of now, simply because they happened when she wasn't there.
"That's an interesting option, Severus. I might just do that. I'll have to think about it."
Severus nodded and dropped the matter. Secretly, he hoped she did move into Grimmauld Place. At least she wouldn't be with that Werewolf all the time. She could use a break from him. After all, he wasn't good enough for her.
They sat in companionable silence for a while, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Bree finally glanced at her watch and noted that it was getting late. She looked up at Severus and noticed he was staring at her. She felt a shock go through her body as her eyes met his. She suddenly forgot what it was she was going to say to him. She became lost in the depths of his stare. What would it be like to have him look at her like that all of the time? She wanted to feel his arms around her and his lips on hers.
oooOOOooo
Severus was looking at Brianna when suddenly her eyes met his. He felt frozen in time. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon. Her dark brown hair was almost black and fell in waves a little past her shoulder. Her black and green robes accentuated her curves and made her all the more alluring. Her hazel eyes were sharp and beautiful. He knew that if he let himself, he could drown in her eyes. How he wished he could take her and hold her close to him, feeling her breathing next to him. Suddenly his musings were broken by Brianna's voice.
She cleared her throat. "I guess I better hunt up Remus. It's getting late."
Severus nodded at her as she stood up.
"Well, goodnight," she said awkwardly.
"Good night, Miss Corwin," he replied.
She left the room, and Severus put his hands up to his face. What was he doing? She was involved with someone else. She cared for someone else. It wasn't fair to fantasize about her when her heart belonged to another. He wasn't that type of man. He didn't steal other people's women. He needed to control himself. She was only a friend, and that's all she could ever be.
oooOOOooo
Bree closed the door behind her and leaned against it. What had happened back there? She had never gotten lost in someone's eyes like that before. She had to admit to herself that she was falling fast. Severus was good looking, and his personality was intoxicating to her. She loved verbal sparring, and he was a master at it.
Bree sighed to herself. She didn't have time for this. She had a job to do. She was already stringing Remus along; she didn't need a real romance to muck things up. Besides, how could she have a real romance when she wasn't real herself? If anything happened it would be based on a lie. That would never work in the end. Besides, Severus had no interest in her. They were just friends.
She wandered away from the door and headed back toward the kitchen. She peeked in, looking for Remus. He was still in the kitchen. He and Nymphadora Tonks were the only ones left in the room. They were talking quietly to one another and smiling. Tonks said something, and Remus broke into his endearing laugh. Tonks laughed too and placed her hand on his. Bree expected him to pull it away, but he left it there and stared quizzically into Tonk's eyes. She smiled at him tentatively, and he smiled back. Bree noticed he had covered her hand with his own. She raised an eyebrow at that. Perhaps her dilemma of faking a relationship with Remus would solve itself.
She quietly withdrew from the room so that the couple wouldn't notice and went to the front of the house. She debated going back and chatting with Severus, but she felt she needed some distance from him because her raging hormones had had enough for one night. She calmly sat on the stairs and waited for Remus.
A/N: Next up: Bree helps Severus after a meeting with Voldemort.
Hmm, maybe Bree's troubles with Remus aren't so bad after all! Thanks everyone for your support and for reading. Drop a line and let me know what you think.
