Disclaimer: Yet again, I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, it all belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling. Also, the title of this story comes from a song by Paul Oakenfold, something that I didn't know until just recently so I don't own that either. I do own a very annoying Siamese cat though, so there.
Chapter 11: Practical Progress Part 3
"Take a seat, my dear." Dumbledore walked around his large desk to sit down in his own elaborate chair as Anna sat down slowly in the ornate chair he had indicated.
Once she had sat down she tucked her hair behind her ear before folding her slender hands in her lap. It wasn't long before she started twisting the material of her robes in her hands nervously.
"Would you care for a cup of tea?" Dumbledore asked as Anna looked around at the snoring portraits of Hogwarts past Headmasters and Headmistresses that graced the walls of Dumbledore's office. Though she suspected that not all of them were truly sleeping.
"Oh, yes, thankyou." She replied absently.
Snape was hurt, and hurt badly it seemed. What had happened? Who had done this to him? Anger flared inside her, anger directed towards whoever had hurt him so.
Just thinking of Snape lying hurt and motionless in the dark Hospital Wing with only Poppy for company made Anna's heart ache.
Accepting the offered cup of tea from Dumbledore, she took a small sip and closed her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, Dumbledore, who had been watching her carefully, knew his suspicions had been confirmed when he met her gaze.
The old professor sighed.
"Annalyse, could you please tell me what happened tonight?" Dumbledore asked softly.
Cradling her teacup in her hands, Anna gazed into its depths as she told Dumbledore about the patrol.
" – Then I heard a bang – " she stopped, the noises! How could she have forgotten about them?
"A bang?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes…I had forgotten about that, I don't know what it was. There was more than one though." She looked up apologetically at Dumbledore. "Just after the bangs, I ran into Professor Snape," she left out the fact that they had literally run into each other. "That was when something seemed to hurt him, he clutched his left arm I think before saying he had work to do and leaving." Anna lifted her teacup and took a slow sip.
Dumbledore nodded solemnly.
"What happened then?"
"Well, er…" Anna avoided his gaze.
"You followed Severus." He said calmly.
"Well, I tried to. I lost him quickly and ended up wandering the corridors for quite some time." Anna gave the Headmaster a very small nervous smile.
"It is alright. Please continue."
So Anna told him of going to the Entrance Hall a while later, Snape stumbling in injured, how he had wanted to speak to the Headmaster and then taking him to the Hospital Wing. When she had finished, Dumbledore placed his teacup down on the desktop and leant back slightly in his chair with a weary sigh.
"Albus?"
Dumbledore gazed at Anna from behind his half moon glasses.
"Yes, Annalyse?"
Anna returned her gaze to her teacup for a moment.
"He will be alright, won't he?" she raised her head slightly to look at Dumbledore.
"Severus is strong and I have complete faith in Poppy. I'm sure he will be fine." Dumbledore pushed his teacup to one side and folded his arms on the desktop.
"Oh, good." She paused for a moment. "I don't know why I'm so concerned over him. I mean I was furious with him this afternoon and he hasn't exactly been kind to me, always scowling and snapping at me." She said quickly as Dumbledore watched her in silence.
"Are you sure you don't know?" the old professor asked quietly.
Anna opened her mouth to reply that she had no idea why she felt like this, but stopped. She did know why she felt like this, well, she figured she did.
Dumbledore nodded as he saw the realisation in her eyes.
"You care for Severus, Annalyse. More than most people. I had my suspicions…" he gave her a kind smile.
"I…I do." Anna said slowly as if she had just understood the meaning of those words. "I do care for him." She said again as she carefully placed her teacup on the desk.
Dumbledore reached forwards slightly and covered one of her hands with his.
"Annalyse, I understand that this a big matter for you to grasp, for you to fully understand your feelings towards Severus will take time. As it is," the Headmaster paused for a moment. "As it is, I had hoped that Severus would have been able to tell you this, but under the current circumstances I believe you need to know now."
"What are you talking about Albus?" Anna watched him curiously.
"Annalyse, promise me that you will think carefully about what I tell you. Promise me that you will not abandon him due to the opinions of others." Dumbledore took one of her hands in his as he spoke.
"Abandon him? You mean Severus?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"What? Why would I – " Dumbledore cut her off.
"Promise me, Annalyse. Please."
"Alright, Albus. I promise." What was he talking about? Why would she 'abandon' Severus? She had only just confirmed what she had been feeling towards him these past months, why would she feel any different about him after Dumbledore had spoken to her?
"I know the reason behind Severus' disappearance and injuries, Annalyse." He said gravely.
"You do? What happened? Who – " Dumbledore held up a hand to silence her.
"I do, but it will be better to start from the beginning I think. Would you care for another cup of tea before I start?" he asked her gently. Anna waved his offer away.
"Please, tell me what happened Albus!" curiosity and impatience sounded in her quiet voice as she focused her attention upon the Headmaster, not even noticing that some of the portraits had woken up and were watching her with gloomy eyes.
"Alright."
So Dumbledore told Anna about Severus Snape.
The minutes ticked by unnoticed by the two as Dumbledore reached the part he knew would shatter Anna, all he could hope for was that she would be able to pick up the pieces.
"When Severus left Hogwarts, he fell under the influence of powerful wizards. Including his father. I cannot lie and say that none of it was Severus' choosing but I do know that he regrets his choice every minute of his life." Dumbledore sighed slightly as his blue eyes met Anna's. "Severus became a Death Eater."
Whatever Anna had been expecting, it wasn't that.
As she went rigid with shock, disbelief coursed through her body.
Severus Snape a Death Eater? Ok, so he wasn't the nicest man alive, but he couldn't be…
Even as she tried to grasp reasons for it to be a lie, she knew deep inside that it was the truth.
It explained far too much, his absences from the school, the mistrust directed towards him by Michael and the students, his sudden disappearance tonight, his left arm…
His left arm…the Dark Mark!
"No…it – it can't be true." Anna stared at Dumbledore in shock. She removed her hand from his gentle grip.
"I am afraid it is true, but let me continue – "
Anna stood up so quickly she almost knocked her chair over.
"No!" anger was replacing the shock and disbelief. She wasn't sure who the anger was directed towards: Dumbledore, Snape, herself…
"He can't be, he can't be one of them!" Anna clenched her hands into fists, her knuckles showing white.
"Annalyse, please, you have to understand – "
"Understand? Oh I understand! Understand that he most probably tortured, murdered and God knows what else!" Anger sparked in her blue eyes as she snapped at the old professor and as she did so, a thought occurred to her.
"Eric. Was he part of the attack on Eric?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking with barely controlled anger as she tried to calm down.
"I honestly do not know Annalyse. It is something you will have to ask him for yourself." Dumbledore rose from his seat as he saw the anger flare in Anna's eyes again.
"Ask him? Oh, hello Professor Snape, I was just wondering if you were one of the Death Eaters who tortured my brother into madness!" Anna was now sounding slightly hysterical. The thought of Snape torturing Eric was too much for her as memories of that attack were dragged up from the depths of her mind.
Dumbledore swiftly walked around his desk and over to Anna, whose eyes were shining with barely suppressed tears.
Everything had just been too much for Anna today, the argument in the Headmaster's office, the patrol, Snape's injuries and now this. Her emotions were going haywire.
"I just…it can't…" Anna began to tremble slightly, both from exhaustion and her emotions.
Dumbledore looked at the young professor in sympathy before wrapping his arms around her in comfort.
That display of comfort broke what was left of Anna's strength and she cried into Dumbledore's red and gold robe.
After a few minutes, Anna had calmed down somewhat and Dumbledore led her back to her chair.
Producing a bright purple handkerchief from one of his pockets, Dumbledore handed it to Anna as she sat down.
"Thank you." She murmured.
"Annalyse, I know that this has been a great shock for you, but you don't know the complete story." Dumbledore stood beside her chair as he spoke.
Anna wiped the tears from her face and blew her nose rather loudly. She was glad that there were no mirrors nearby; she knew she must look awful. Some people could look beautiful when they cried; Anna wasn't one of them. She always ended up red and blotchy when she cried.
"The complete story?" what else did he have to tell her?
"Yes. Will you allow me to continue?"
"Yes, yes, of course."
"Severus was a Death Eater. He stayed with them long enough to become part of Voldemort's – " Anna flinched " – inner circle. I cannot tell you what sort of 'activities' he was involved in, that is for him to tell you if he chooses to. But it wasn't long after he became part of the inner circle that he came to me for help." Dumbledore moved back over to his chair and sat down.
"Severus and I had a long discussion, the details of which I do not wish to disclose right now." He looked at Anna from over the top of his glasses.
"I understand." She said quickly.
"Since the punishment for deserting Voldemort – " Anna flinched again " – is death, Severus agreed to turn spy."
"Spy?"
"Yes, Severus passed useless information about Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic to Voldemort – " Dumbledore gave her a stern look as she flinched yet again at the sound of the Dark Lord's name. " – while in reality he was collecting useful information for us. He managed to convince Voldemort – " Anna managed not to flinch this time " - and the Death Eaters that he was indeed loyal to them when in fact he wasn't. When Harry Potter brought about Voldemort's defeat, Severus was captured by the Ministry and put on trial. He ended up cleared of all charges, but there are very few who trust him now. Most seem to believe that the trial was manipulated and that Severus belongs in Azkaban." Dumbledore smiled sadly.
"When Voldemort and the Death Eaters who had managed to escape being sent to Azkaban returned, Severus, at great risk to his life, resumed his role as spy."
Anna's eyes widened slightly.
"So that's why he left tonight!"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Yes, apparently Voldemort called his Death Eaters to him tonight, something I hadn't expected to happen."
"Then it was You-Know-Who who hurt him so?" Anna asked quietly.
Dumbledore nodded again.
"Obviously something happened to displease Voldemort. I will have to wait until Severus regains consciousness before I can find out exactly what happened." Dumbledore looked at Anna intently. "Annalyse, for everyone's safety, especially Severus', I must ask you not to speak a word of this to anyone."
"Of course, Albus." She replied, twisting the bright purple handkerchief in her hands as she rose from her chair. Dumbledore followed suit.
"Do you have any questions Annalyse?" his blue eyes searched hers. She gave him a sad smile.
"Many, but I don't think you can answer them."
"Of course. Well, remember that I am always here if you wish to talk Annalyse. And please, remember your promise." He smiled softly at her as he escorted her to the office door. "You're a smart woman Annalyse, don't let others sway your judgement. Keep it." He said as she held the handkerchief out to him.
Brushing some stray strands of hair from her eyes, Anna gave him a nod before moving to leave the office. She paused for a moment though and turned back to face him.
"I do have one question you could answer though,"
"Yes?"
"If you know that he is, was, a Death Eater, why do you let him teach here? Why do you believe that he is on our side?" she asked curiously.
Dumbledore met her gaze and replied simply:
"Because I trust him."