The Match and the Spark

10. Where All Roads Lead

Being wedged into the back of car between two Muggles was not something Severus would have ordinarily have allowed himself to experience. And no matter what the Muggle detectives liked to think, he was there of his own accord. What did he care about the Ministry? Or the Aurors? He was fully prepared to Apparate away at a moments notice. And with Granger out of the way, he could be as reckless as he liked.

In some way, simply going with them was reckless enough, but the truth was, he was intrigued by their… intrigue. No doubt they thought he would have some information on Selwyn. But the lengths they were going to… Did they have a lead on Selwyn, after all? Well, he would humour them for the time being. They might think they had the upper hand in matters, but Severus was sure the advantage did not necessarily lie with them.

They drove in silence for nigh on twenty minutes and Severus recognised the route they were taking for one he had only recently travelled. That they were headed back towards Thistledown Cottage seemed inevitable. That most definitely was intriguing. Were they going to demand an audience with Abbott?

However, before they came within sight of the village of Blackwaterfoot, the car veered off the main road and down a narrow lane. Severus clenched his jaw, not especially liking the fact that he was possibly wrong about their intended destination. In any case, after bumping down the track for some time, the car soon came to be stationary.

Oakshott opened the door. 'We need to have a little chat, Snape,' he said as he stepped outside.

'Very well,' Severus answered calmly.

Oakshott shut the door behind him, while Thomas and the driver remained inside. Severus noted that they were standing near a small clearing of trees, but other than that, there was nothing. Just them. Oakshott leant against the bonnet of the car and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. 'Here's the thing, Snape. You're one of them, right? Death Eaters, you call yourselves?'

Severus casually placed his hands into his coat pockets, but once hidden, he clenched them into fists—one clenched tightly around his wand. He did not favour the detective with a look, but glanced with disinterest around their surroundings. He did not believe Oaskhott's flippancy for one moment—he knew the facts as well as anyone.

'I reckon you might know something useful about our missing Selwyn.'

Severus fought not to smile. 'Do you?' He made a sorrowful noise in his throat. 'I do so hate to disappoint, but in this instance, I'm afraid I must.'

'You're a slippery one aren't you, Snape? But do you know what? I'm going to believe you this time; after all, you did the dirty on your old pals, didn't you?'

'I'm sorry—you don't approve?' There was no mistaking the edge of distaste evident in the detective's tone.

Oakshott sucked hard on his cigarette and stepped away from the car. Severus turned to face him fully. 'I reckon there's something more pressing you can help with right now, Snape. You're probably aware that Selwyn's mother used to be friends with the Abbotts of Thistledown Cottage. Selwyn and Abbott are only a few years apart in age—'

Severus sniffed. 'Selwyn did not associate with Muggles unless he could help it.'

'Well, the mess he's got himself into, I daresay he just might not be able to help it.'

Severus privately agreed, but he had no interest in being transparent to Oakshott.

'You know Josiah Abbott has not been seen for weeks.'

Severus raised an eyebrow. 'We were led to believe he rarely had company, in the first place.'

'He didn't. He was confined to the cottage for the most part—some sort of illness. The old man who works in the Post Office is the only one who has noticed that something is not right. He's convinced something has happened to him, and guess what? So are we.'

He flung the end of his cigarette into the grass and then fixed him with a hard gaze. 'You shall go into the cottage and tell us if there are traces of magic inside.'

Severus stared at him. So that is what they wanted with him. 'It is unlikely that I should find anything, even if Selwyn has been there.'

'But it's possible, Snape, and that is good enough for me, and therefore, good enough for you.'

Severus could not deny this little bit of intelligence was suggestive. But he was certainly wary of continuing an association with these Muggles. 'And how do you I propose I manage it—without attracting the attention of the authorities? Or is that your intention—to let me get caught in the act?'

Oakshott smiled widely. 'We are the authorities, Snape. Believe me, no local plod is going to notice anything that might go on at Thistledown—we've seen to it.'

Severus felt his lip curl scornfully. 'What is in it for me? Why should I help you? You can wave as many guns at me as you like…' Severus shook his head, vaguely amused. 'Just one flick of my wand and the possibilities are… endless…'

He thought he detected a flicker in the eyes of the other man, but outwardly, at least, Oakshott remained stoic. Indeed, his expression became smirking.

'Tell me, Snape, just what is it about the young Hermione Granger that has you running about with her? I hope she's making it worth your while.'

He felt anger then. Anger that longed to propel himself forward and grasp Oakshott by his lapels and make him think twice. But it wasn't his style. Severus merely took several steps closer, staring at the other man. 'You think you know it all, don't you?' he hissed softly. 'But let me tell you, you know nothing.'

Oaskhott was staring back at him defiantly, his lip curled to suggest that he was not cowed by his demeanour. It would be so easy, Severus realised, to slip into the mind of the detective. And there was nothing to stop him, of course. Muggles did not go around practising Occlumency. He could feel an overriding sense of antipathy from the other man, no doubt directed at himself. It amused him.

Oakshott's expression was now showing some unease, and he blinked. Severus smiled inwardly, also blinking and breaking their connection. 'How's the wife?' he asked dryly.

A ruddy flush filled Oakshott's face and he looked accusing. 'How do you know about that?'

'The divorce?'

Oakshott swallowed and breathed heavily.

'Why, by an inspection of your left hand. There is a clear mark where your ring used to reside. How else do you think I knew?' Severus injected just enough lightness into the question to be suggestive.

Oakshott scowled and drew himself up. 'Listen, Snape, if you don't do what I want you to do,' he began, enunciating his words crisply, 'then I am afraid I cannot guarantee that when Selwyn does turn up, your Miss Granger will ever get to see him.'

Severus sneered at him in disgust. 'That decision isn't yours to make.'

'Isn't it? Let me assure you, we have our own priorities to look after, and the Ministry have been most accommodating. But we could be open to… rearranging them…'

Ah, so that was to be his bait, was it? It wasn't too much of a quandary, not really, but Severus hated it nonetheless, mainly because he knew he despised this man before him. He despised that Oakshott probably felt he held all the cards.

Severus knew he could walk away now. He should like to refuse, simply to enjoy the look on the detective's face; but he would not refuse. Yes, there was Granger and her crusade against injustice and the impairment of her friend, and he did not want to be the one to get in the way of that, but moreover, he was in deep himself. He'd come this far— he now had his own desire to get to the bottom of Selwyn's disappearance. It did seem that in spite of what he and Granger had thought of Abbott, it was possible that this man held the key to the mystery. He wanted to get inside the cottage—he wanted to discover how Selwyn had been evading capture these months.

He'd seen enough of Selwyn's smug visage over the years to want to be the one who ultimately wiped it off. Certainly, Oaskhott was an opportunist, and well, Severus himself was not blind to those moments either.

'Fair enough,' replied Severus, after a moment.

Oakshott moved to open the car door. 'And no messing us about, eh, Snape? We may not be able to arrest you, but I'm sure I could find someone who can.'

Severus almost snorted. He'd be willing to put money of the probability that it would be the detective doing the messing about.

The travelled the remainder of the journey in silence. They drove up to the cottage, whereupon Severus was told to get out. He was informed the others would be continuing further down the road to a lay-by, out of the way, to wait for his return.

As he was getting out of the car, Oakshott leaned over. 'Remember Snape, you pull a fast one, and you can tell Miss Granger why Weasley won't be seeing Selwyn anytime soon.' He winked and then shut the door.

Severus watched the car disappear and then turned to the padlocked gate before him. It was nothing a good Alohomora couldn't fix, but, instead, he followed the hedge that ran around the side of the house until that gave way to a wooden fence at the back. The back of the house looked as still and quiet as the front.

He scanned the garden, looking for any sign of life, but there was nothing. Nothing that he could see, anyway. He would use a Disillusionment charm, just to be safe. While nowhere near as effective as full invisibility, it would provide cover enough for any unexpected encounters.

Charm cast, he stepped onto the low fence and climbed swiftly over it. The door to the back of the house was, of course, locked. Not willing to take any chances, he aimed a Silencing spell at the doorframe. Oakshott had said the house was empty, but he would not take his word for it, and creaking doors would not be the hurdle he would fall at.

He crept silently into the kitchen and stood stock still, listening and concentrating hard. As far as he could sense, there were no discernable spells on the house itself. As for the house, it was silent, apart from a dripping tap over the kitchen sink. He edged forwards down the hallway. The next room was a downstairs bedroom. Abbott's no doubt.

He stepped inside, his feet making no noise on the soft carpet underfoot. He looked at each of the walls in turn and almost started violently when he saw what stared down at him. Another copy of Eliza Mortimer's painting of Thistledown cottage. Severus felt a smile spread across his face. If only Oakshott were here to see this, he thought smugly. He turned away and cast a Revelio charm on the room at large. He was just a little irritated to see that nothing revealed itself.

The painting attracted his attention again, and he stepped up to it. This time, he cast the strongest revealing charm he knew. In response, the canvas glowed very faintly. That was a good enough sign for him. Now he just had to decide whether to leave behind a duplicate, for he would be certainly taking the original. Surely, this time, Oakshott would not be able to recognise the difference? Unless, of course, he was really being tricked here.

Shrinking the painting down, he put it in his pocket to mull over later. He turned back out into the hall, feeling that this exercise was actually going to prove fruitful. Mindful of the low, beam covered ceiling, he stepped into what appeared to be the living room. The room was, in the main, uncluttered. It wasn't very large and was dominated by an impressive old-fashioned fireplace.

He'd expected it to an extent, but this was obviously not a place that had seen excessive use of magic. The whole atmosphere was distinctly Muggle, and they would need much more to go on than that painting. Whatever magic was in it could have been put there by Eliza Mortimer herself, he knew that much.

Sighing, he glanced around the length of the room. Should he bother with looking through the desk? Or should he…

Oh. The fireplace.

Severus rushed forward and bent to his knees. There were still ash and embers remaining from the last time it had been lit. Conjuring a container, he scooped it through the grate several times until it was full. He lifted it up to the light. It was a punt, certainly, but it would be a good one if his suspicions were proved correct. The corner of his mouth lifted. It really was good to know that he was still capable of the odd epiphany, and—

The ceiling above him suddenly creaked.

He spun round instantaneously, pointing his wand at the ceiling. He stuffed the jar he held into his pocket and stared upwards, wide-eyed. All was still, but he knew what he had heard. He moved silently out into the passage, curling his hand onto the banister as he stood at the foot of the stairs.

He listened again, but there was no sound to be heard. Severus was sure that he, himself, had made no noise. Therefore, he likely had the advantage of his fellow intruder. He looked at the stairs—it was almost inevitable one would give him away, so he waved his wand and muttered a spell. He tested his foot on the bottom step and it sunk lightly into it as if the step were made of rubber.

Clutching his wand tightly, he ventured slowly up the stairs. There were four rooms leading off the landing, but there was one door ajar. Ignoring the sudden pound of his heart, reverberating around his skull, he inched forward to position himself with a view through the partly open door.

It was another bedroom. From what he could see, all seemed as it should. Severus glanced behind, suddenly feeling unsure, but when he turned his gaze back into the bedroom, he saw it. There was someone standing by the bed. Someone who was also wearing a Disillusionment charm. He saw the tell-tale shimmer in the air as they moved. He smiled; it would be easy, he decided.

There was a flicker again, and he wasted no time thrusting his wand towards it, sending a sharp Stupefy as he did so. There was a distinctly loud thud as the spell found its target. Severus stepped fully into the room, feeling momentarily exhilarated. Merlin, what if he'd just discovered… No, he wouldn't speculate; there was only one way to find out. He flicked his wand to remove their Disillusionment charm.

'What the…?' Severus stepped around the body so he was no longer looking at them upside down. He dropped his own disguise. 'Granger—what the hell?'

He looked at her with no small amount of surprise. Casting Ennervate caused her eyes to spring open and she raised her wand in fright. On registering who her assailant was, her expression changed to a frown and she lowered her wand to touch her head.

'Christ almighty!' she muttered, blinking rapidly.

Severus simply stared. It wasn't his fault his spell had been a strong one; she shouldn't have been lurking, should she? Besides, he'd not forgotten that time in the Shrieking Shack all those years ago. He'd made it a point not to.

'Are you, or are you not, supposed to be on your way home?'

She sighed and struggled to her feet. 'As if!' she mumbled irritably.

Severus didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed.

'I knew you were coming here,' she said.

'And you came here to rescue me, did you?' He raised an eyebrow to indicate his disbelief.

'Did you need rescuing?'

'No.'

She appeared to consider for a moment. 'Well then, I simply came back so that we might pick up where we left off.'

He nodded, wondering if he was imagining the faint tinge of pink in her cheeks.

'I saw them arrive, sir, two Aurors.'

'Aurors?' he hissed at her in confusion.

She nodded quickly. 'I don't know where they are gone, but they are waiting for you to come out.'

He was looking at her like he'd never seen her before. Where, when, had she learnt all this?

'We should not linger,' she continued. 'I think they mean to ensure that we do not continue in pursuing Selwyn. I can take us as far as the port. From there, I don't know.'

'Very well,' he replied, a little hazily. Damn Oakshott, the double-crossing bastard.

She touched his arm and made to Apparate. Nothing happened. 'Anti-apparition jinx!' she cried.

Severus groaned inwardly. 'If we create a Portkey, we will still have to move beyond the ward for it to activate, but this way we can travel further than the port. Word will probably have reached Oakshott and the others that you did not make it to Ardrossan. They will probably be watching the port.'

Severus led the way back downstairs and into the kitchen, careful to stand back from the windows. 'We will have to run for it. We will get over the fence and straight into the field beyond. The ward cannot extend beyond that, I am sure.'

'I take it we are recasting our Disillusionment charms?'

'Yes, though, as we have seen, they will only help us so much.'

She cleared her throat uncomfortably.

'You will go first, Miss Granger. You will have to create the Portkey with only a few seconds before it will activate, so make sure you judge wisely.'

She nodded confidently. It was ridiculous to expect anything less with her, he realised.

He opened the door slowly. There had to be at least one Auror watching the back of the house. Although, where they were stationed, he wouldn't like to say.

'Off you go then; I will be following.'

She shimmered into the air and moved outside. Severus followed a few steps behind. It was after he passed the garden fence that he heard a voice. He did not look back, but broke out into a run. The ground was soft from rain and he prayed that neither of them would slip. He could vaguely make out Granger up ahead, and as they approached the furthest side of the field, he was sure they would pass beyond the wards at any moment. He risked a glance behind and he could see a man standing at the fence watching hard.

'Sir!'

He dropped his charm, and then suddenly there was a hand on his arm. The tell-tale crack of Disapparition sounded, and then they were gone.

Severus was sure he felt his heart sink into his boots when he saw where she'd brought him.

'You brought us here?' he asked dumbly.

He sensed her shimmer back into full visibility out of the corner of his eye, but he did not look at her. He was transfixed by the wrought iron gates and the crest that adorned them.

'Of all the places we could have gone… you brought us here?' He felt sick to his stomach. To be confronted so suddenly with the source of so much of his regret…

'Yes, I thought it best under the circumstances.'

He snorted bitterly. 'You thought…' he muttered under his breath angrily.

'Oakshott knows where you live—'

'Yes, and whose fault is it that I have to avoid my own home?'

She blanched with surprise. 'I'm sorry about that, but it is not my fault. Coming to Hogwarts seemed—'

Severus stepped forwards and shoved the gates with a frustrated groan, before turning on his heel in the opposite direction. He stormed off in the direction of Hogsmeade, cursing Hermione Granger for getting him involved in the mess, and cursing himself for allowing it. Why did they have to come to Hogwarts?

What the hell was he to do? Would he have the Aurors looking for him at his house? Would Oakshott, once he got off the Isle of Arran, high-tail it down to Spinner's End? Merlin, all this crap, and what for? For nothing!

She thought she could bring him to Hogwarts, did she? He felt a bubble of hatred rise up inside him. Who it was directed at, he wasn't sure. At her? How he wished it could be so. He knew though that it was more likely directed at himself.

'You think you can talk to me like that and just walk away, do you?' Hermione Granger's voice rang out a little hollowly from a few paces behind, but he neither slowed his pace or made any sign of acknowledgement.

'Professor Snape, I don't understand!' she shouted impatiently. She was running after him now, and he stopped and turned before she could accost him.

'I'm sorry if coming here has caused you distress, but I know that was certainly not my intention! Please, if you must go, at least tell me what it is the Muggles wanted with you? They know something, don't they?'

'They have no idea where he is—just like us,' he spat.

He turned without another word and carried on walking. There was more he could have said—more information he could have given her. But what was the point? It would all come to nothing, in the end. That's what everything came to in the end—nothing.

'Severus? Hermione?'

For the love of Merlin! Severus looked helplessly in the direction of the Three Broomsticks where Minerva McGonagall and Filius Flitwick currently stood in the doorway. He could see from where he stood how the expressions of his former collegaues faltered as they studied him. Damn Granger for bringing him here!

'What?' he demanded, as if it hadn't been months but only days since he'd last seen them.

McGonagall took a few steps forwards. 'I'm just surprised to see you both here… Won't you come up to the castle for some tea—'

He pretended to think about it. 'Um, no, I don't think so.'

He should just take his chances and go back home. If anyone dared to turn up on his doorstep, well, they could look forward to finding themselves hexed into next week. He was better off just left well alone. At this rate, he could learn to appreciate his lethargy of recent months.

'Sir, please!' Granger was right behind him again. 'Professor McGonagall only wishes to know how you are.'

'I will say this only once, Miss Granger,' said he, glaring at her. 'Stay out of what does not concern you.'

McGonagall and Flitwick were still standing in front of the pub, he could see. But then the Charms master was tugging on the sleeve of the Headmistress, and then they were walking slowly towards Hogwarts.

'All right! Forget Hogwarts! But please, can we talk about Selwyn, and —'

He shook his head. 'I've had enough.'

He turned away from her once more, but he had only taken one step when he faltered. His coat pocket caught his attention. There was something heavy in his coat pocket, banging against his thigh with each step, and he'd only now remembered it. Putting his hand inside, he wrapped it around the cool glass jar and frowned.

It would be easy enough to ignore it—put it in the bin and forget about it. It was probably useless, anyway…

He was fed up of interfering Muggles, fed up of escapee Death Eaters, fed up of Granger, and, most of all, fed up of himself. He wanted to forget the whole issue; his mind was a jumble and he wanted to go home to rail against injustice and to just wallow contentedly in his memories of Hogwarts. It was so easy; already his mind was swimming with long ago scenes.

He squeezed the jar in his pocket and struggled to bring himself back to the matter at hand. He swallowed and tried to tell himself that he was being ridiculous.

No matter how he felt right now, he could not bring himself to stand between Granger getting at the truth and saving her friend. He didn't need to consult his appointed moral compass for this one. He pulled the jar out of his pocket and tipped the ash inside it sideways. He'd long fascinated himself with what it was like to be able to do the right thing, to do it completely, and here, if he could put aside his own feelings of regret and… shame, then he could put his mind towards better occupation.

She was watching him closely when he faced her. Her eyes fell to the jar in his hand and he could see she was confused. He could also see the spires of Hogwarts in the distance and, despite himself, he could not deny that her idea to come here was, in theory, a good one. Who knew what Oakshott had a mind to do now that they'd given him the slip?

'Perhaps we should go in the Hog's Head—no one should bother us in there,' she suggested tentatively.

Severus sighed inwardly and his throat felt suddenly dry. He glanced at the jar he held, again. 'No… I think it best that we go to… to Hogwarts.'

Her eyes widened perceptibly. 'We don't have to…'

He replaced the jar in his pocket, prevaricating. 'We cannot risk any Aurors turning up here and finding us. Similarly, we should not be seen going into the castle.'

She nodded slowly. 'Well, then?'

He breathed deeply and Apparated them north of the castle, as close to it as the wards would allow. They stood on a hillside overlooking the school. It was just a castle. Events were imprinted in his mind enough that physical representation was superfluous, he told himself.

'We'll be less likely to be seen going in through the back.'

Keeping his eyes trained on the ground, they walked downwards until they reached the perimeter wall. They moved along it for a few minutes and came to an oak door. Severus undid the Locking charm and opened the door. 'Up the stairs,' he said.

'What is this place?' she asked as she passed by.

'Some sort of gatehouse, I believe. No one uses it for anything anymore. Minerva won't mind.'

Inwardly, he sighed. If they were hanging around Hogwarts for any length of time he would have to face her at some point. It wasn't just memories he longed to avoid. He sent a glare at the back of the bushy head before him. With her around he was increasingly getting pushed into things he wasn't quite sure he was prepared for. And Merlin, how he hated being unprepared.

The room was small, including only a table and a few chairs. Out of the window, he could see right up to the main part of the castle. He didn't look for a long. Instead he occupied himself with sitting down and placing the jar of embers on the table between them.

'Firstly, the Mortimers, according to Oakshott, were well acquainted with the Abbotts of Thistledown cottage.'

She nodded.

'As you were no doubt aware, Josiah Abbott was absent from his home. What, perhaps, you don't know is that there are some who believe he has been missing for some weeks.'

'Missing?'

'No doubt if we'd spoken to the Postmaster, that is what we would have heard. However, no one has formally reported his disappearance.'

'And what did Oakshott want with you?'

'To comb the cottage for signs of magic. Although, I think he would pay good money to discover that I am harbouring Selwyn myself.'

'Are you harbouring him?'

He actually felt his insides contract with some sort of feeling of indignant dismay. But as he was trying to account for the feeling, he could see from her expression that she was joking. Irritated, he refused to dignify the comment with a response.

'The point is, presuming Selwyn has a wand, and has been in that cottage, does he seem to you the type of person that would leave obvious traces of magic behind in a Muggle house?'

'I suppose not—I could not sense anything when I was in there.'

'Me neither.'

She looked at the jar. 'What does this have to do with anything?'

Severus pulled out his wand, reached for a candlestick that stood on the table and proceeded to Transfigure it into a sieve. 'This, Miss Granger, is ash from the fireplace.'

'I see…'

He opened the jar and began tipping the contents into the sieve, already feeling his previous discomfort begin to fade at the conundrum they were discussing. 'Selwyn could not stay at Thistledown for long, let us say. For one thing, despite Abbott's reclusion, there was a good chance someone might notice him. Similarly, we do not know the exact relationship between the two, if, indeed, one existed, but for now we will safely assume one does. So, if you were on the run, how would you go about coming and going from the cottage?'

She was looking at the fine dusting of white powder that had passed through the sieve and was now covering the table. 'Merlin, that's Floo powder!'

Severus looked at the powder, feeling not a little triumphant. It had been a punt, but he'd got it right. 'An unregistered Floo connection is the perfect means of transport. It is also perfectly easy to get hold of Floo powder. He covered his tracks well; whatever Floo connection there was from the fireplace in Thistledown cottage, the only trace left is the remnants of the powder.'

Her expression was one of admiration. 'I never thought to… But this is surely confirmation that he has been there?'

'It's not conclusive, but fairly damning…'

'And no one else knows?'

'Not unless the Aurors decide to poke around the cottage, and, even then, it's debatable whether they would discover it.'

'What do we think he has done with Abbott, then? Has he stolen his identity, do you think?'

'I should say that if Abbott does turn up, we should be wary as to whether it is actually Abbott.'

She nodded and, still looking at the jar, smiled slightly.

'Why were you in the cottage?'

It had occurred to him then that he had no idea how she had come to be in the cottage, when he had last seen her getting on the ferry. Perhaps he had needed rescuing, after all, however ridiculous that sounded. He supposed he should have anticipated it from her, but he'd not considered that she might feel any obligation to him.

'Oh, I saw them take you away, and, ah, well, I Apparated off the ferry. It was an educated guess that lead me back to the cottage. I knew that I would arrive before the car, and so I decided it would be best to wait… inside the house.'

'I think I may be becoming a bad influence on you, Miss Granger.'

A faint hue of red appeared in her cheeks. 'That was when I saw the Aurors. I didn't get to hear the whole of the conversation, but they certainly knew you were coming back to the cottage.'

Severus suspected that the Ministry was none too happy that he and Granger had become aware of their co-operation with Muggle authorities.

'Did you find anything in the house?'

'No… but I did not manage to check the whole of it. Certainly, it had not been inhabited for some weeks.'

There was something else he should probably tell her, he realised. Something which, she would not like very much at all. 'Miss Granger, my cooperation with the Muggles was based on the understanding that upon capture, Selwyn would be presented to restore your friend… I'm afraid that both of our subsequent actions will not have endeared them to upholding their proposal.'

She frowned thoughtfully and sighed. 'To be honest, I'm not sure that I would have trusted them to keep to their word in the first place. Besides, there was no way I was staying on that boat, and they have no right to manipulate us like that.'

Severus wondered if he was getting a glimpse into what it was like to have a friend such as Hermione Granger. It was interesting… But then, hadn't he already decided she was infuriatingly noble?

Now was not the time for such meandering of thought. He pulled out the copy of Eliza Mortimer's painting from his pocket. Granger's face changed to an expression of comprehension.

'Ah—you brought it with you.'

'Indeed, I did. There is magic in this painting, did you know?' he asked lightly.

She hesitated, and he bit back a smirk as he studied the painting. He touched his wand to the sign on the cottage, but unlike the painting they removed from the Selwyn home, the painting did not change.

'I suppose that makes sense,' she commented. 'Eliza's was likely the original and the other two were copies. If we are to assume that this copy was given to Abbott's parents, then there was no need for the extra charm. Although, we aren't quite sure if they were both Muggles, are we?'

'No, and that is something we will need to establish at some point.'

But what charm is on this one, then? Severus mused to himself. He cast the Revelio again, and the glow returned briefly once more.

'It's green…'

Severus scowled and ignored her muttering to herself about charms that were green in colour to concentrate. He propped the painting upright in front of him, effectively blocking her out. Three identical paintings in three different houses. There had to be some connection…

He tapped his wand on the surface of the painting.

'It's probably a charm that needs activating…' came the voice on the other side.

'I'd got that far myself, Miss Granger.'

'A password, do you think? A wand pattern?'

He'd show her a bloody wand pattern now if she wasn't careful—the pattern of a Silencing spell!

A password. What would Selwyn use as a password?

'His wife's name, perhaps? Or his child's name?'

Severus almost rolled his eyes. 'Miss Granger, think of what you have learned of Selwyn these past months, and then try again.'

He tried the wife's name, nevertheless, just to be sure. But nothing happened, and he couldn't remember the child's name, anyway. He tried his father's name—nothing.

They could sit there all day, and not get anywhere. There was a million and one things Selwyn could have picked, if, indeed, a password was even the answer.

Granger piped up again. 'You're right, Selwyn was not sentimental in that way, but I can think of one way he might have been.'

'Oh?'

'Why don't you try 'the Dark Lord?'

Severus paused. Why hadn't he thought of that? He tapped the painting with his wand, and with only a trace of discomfort, said the words 'the Dark Lord.'

It was quite fair to say that what happened next was entirely unexpected to him. Indeed, if he could have hazarded a guess to what the painting was hiding, he would have been miles from the truth. The image of Thistledown cottage was gone—dissolved into a quite different representation.

Moreover, this time, the image wasn't a painting. And neither was it still.

Through the frame, Severus could see into a room in which a man was dozing in an armchair. A man that looked rather familiar. It was a clever piece of charm work, but Severus knew exactly how it had been done. He'd been a spy, hadn't he? He'd looked into all sorts of surveillance charms in the past.

Oh, it was certainly crafty; he suspected the subject had no idea he was being watched.

He stood up and twisted the frame around so that his companion could see. 'Say hello, Miss Granger, to our Mr John Mortimer.'

He considered the surprise on her face summed things up fairly well.

AN: Thanks for reading : )