Severus stirred his tea thoughtfully as he waited to meet with Dumbledore.
When Sirius Black learned, in the course of his buttering up of Horace Slughorn, that the Potions Master was retiring, the Dark Lord saw an opportunity to place one of his followers at Hogwarts. Although Severus was the obvious choice, as Black had pointed out, Bellatrix did argue that he would not be trusted by Dumbledore.
"Dumbledore," Sirius had said softly, "is a man who believes in second chances. He believes that people should be given every opportunity to change their ways. I fully believe that he would cautiously accept Severus Snape into the fold, with the understanding that trust would take time. But with Dumbledore, it truly can be earned."
And so here Severus was, waiting for Dumbledore to finish an interview with someone who was apparently trying to get a Divination post at the school. Severus had very little patience for Divination, and he had a feeling that Dumbledore felt much the same, but Dumbledore was a patient man, and so he could sit through the farce of an interview and that was that. Severus only hoped that it didn't take long, as the Dark Lord was expecting him, and the last thing Severus needed was to anger the Dark Lord.
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After half an hour of pretending to be interested in all the foibles of pureblood society, Sirius caught Dorcas's eye, and they both quickly looked away and focused on the first person they caught sight of to avoid seeming too friendly, for her safety. It happened that Sirius's sight fell first on Rabastan Lestrange, who seemed to be rather interested in catching Sirius's attention, as it happened.
"Cara wouldn't tell me why you were around the other day," Sirius said softly, glancing out at the rain as it splattered on the windowpanes. "But I gather it had something to do with a certain Barty Crouch."
Rabastan hummed as he drank some of his wine. He set the glass down on a passing floating tray and said, "As it happens, yes. I threatened his life and limb, that sort of thing, but I don't think it will stop him from flirting. Perhaps it will stop him from trying to use magic on her, if that's any small comfort."
"If it doesn't," Sirius said softly, "Kreacher knows where I'm keeping my special stash of antidotes I've had whipped up. If you ever think she needs one, he can bring you the whole collection."
It was strange, talking to Rabastan like equals, especially about Cara. After all, Rabastan had been the trigger that started the horrible process of her memories returning, of their beautiful simplicity becoming the mess they were living now.
After a quick clearing of his throat, Rabastan leaned in closer and said, "One thing that would help, you know, is if she got pregnant. I believe we could get the Dark Lord to expressly forbid contact with her, then. For protection, you know."
Sirius wrinkled his nose and said, "If she were pregnant, I think Bella would call off the whole thing. I doubt she'd want to risk harming the Black heir whilst in the womb."
His memory flashed back to a brief thing Narcissa had mentioned in passing, that she was concerned about some of the suggestions of her Healers, and something Snape had once mentioned to Sirius about Barty's unusual interest in Narcissa's reproductive health.
"Damn," he muttered, glancing around. "Rabastan, when do you think the last time a pureblood killed another pureblood for inheritance purposes was?"
"Officially?" Rabastan asked with a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe a hundred years ago. Unofficially? Probably half the room would say you killed your father for that reason. Or that Regulus tried to kill you for that reason, so you killed him first. You know that's the first thought for why someone has died. Why?"
"No reason," Sirius lied. "Just…just something reminded me of it and I…."
He glanced over at Barty, who was watching Cara, very obviously trying to find a way to get closer to her without being noticed. Rabastan saw it too, and he excused himself, picking up another glass of wine from a second floating tray. The two men parted, Sirius going to Cara, Rabastan going to intercept Barty. Sirius really didn't care what his brother-in-law did to the man.
As far as Sirius was concerned, all punishment was deserved.
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When Severus was finally called in, he was beginning to feel a prickling of nerves in his hands. He contemplated putting up a base screen of Occlumency, but decided against it. If Albus Dumbledore wanted to see in his mind, wanted to know his intentions, all he could see would solidify that he could be trusted, and where his loyalties really were. To hide would only lead to questions that could not be answered easily.
The usually serene old man was visibly disturbed when Severus entered, and Severus wondered what could have happened while he was waiting. He was told to sit, and he did. He folded his hands, and he waited for Dumbledore to say something.
"Severus," Dumbledore said, sighing, "let us dispense with formalities. You are extensively qualified for the position, and you are the only one who applied with your particular qualifications. There is something you need to do as well, I'm afraid. Something troubling has just happened."
"Oh?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"There has been a rather strange occurrence," he said. "You see, Severus, true prophecies are very rare. And prophets capable of producing them regularly are even more rare. And while I do not believe that Miss Trelawney is one such Seer, I do believe that she has just had a very real prophecy. And it is about the one who will destroy Lord Voldemort."
Severus didn't realize he was holding his breath until his chest began to ache, and he let it out.
"I see," he said, slightly skeptical, but Dumbledore was no fool. If he believed this to be a true prophecy, then surely it would be. "And what do you expect me to do about it?"
Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling almost with mischief as he sat forward.
"My dear man, I believe it would be rather useful for you to…relay a message. I trust it would not be too unbelievable for you to be listening at doorframes?"
Severus smiled knowingly, but he didn't like this. He didn't like it at all.
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Although Dorcas Meadows was a woman with a knack for reading people. It was part of the reason Albus Dumbledore had sent her in among the snakes, as it were. Especially with people who did not show their thoughts and feelings as a course of habit, it was important to be able to read the subtleties of the guarded human face and discern its mysteries.
The struggle she was currently having was not anything to do with her usual focus of the wives of pureblood society, however. She had long since given up on trying to learn anything of interest – either for her or for Dumbledore – from trying to engage Sirius's wife. For one, Cara was a nervous, closed person by nature, but Sirius did not seem to share his more secret activities with her. For another, Sirius was especially protective of his wife, and particularly when Dorcas came near to her, he would slip over and steal Cara away.
Of course, he knew Dorcas's mission. It wasn't exactly top-secret in Order meetings. But what made Dorcas uncomfortable was that not only was she not fully privy to his mission, he so easily hid everything. The person he was in the Order before he married Cara was completely different from the person he was at meetings now. And what was more, the person he was in both time frames was totally different from the person he was in pureblood society. She wondered which was him, or if Sirius was actually a different man from all the personas, and how could they trust such a man? How could she? How could Dumbledore?
She found his wife's behavior toward the advances of Barty Crouch, Jr. to be especially interesting. Not only was Cara Black anxious and almost afraid of Crouch, but Sirius was not the only one keen to keep him away from her. Severus Snape, Narcissa Malfoy, and even Rabastan Lestrange often stepped in when Crouch managed to catch Madam Black alone, and Rabastan and Sirius both seemed to lose some of their well-bred calm in regard to Crouch's behavior.
"Miss Meadows," the cool, calm voice of Madam Selwyn, Cara's mother. "You are a clever woman, I think."
"You flatter me, Madam," Dorcas said, bowing her head with deference.
"Walk with me," she said as Bellatrix's gaze landed on them for a moment.
The two women crossed away from the back corner, toward the gardens. Madam Selwyn waited for Bellatrix to return to her whispering with Antonin Dolohov before she said, "You are familiar, I think, with the stories of Cara's conception and early life. I fear the rumors are quite well-known by now."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And I suspect you wonder how one of the few happily married women in our world has an affair, mothers a child, and allows the wishes of others to control that child's existence?"
Dorcas said nothing. It was not common for women like Madam Selwyn to confess their sins, but perhaps the weight was too much, given Cara's new lease in life. Perhaps that Dorcas was not one of the more insidious women, no obvious ulterior motives.
"It happens much like that," Madam Selwyn said, nodding toward where her daughter was being led nervously away from a rigid Barty Crouch, Jr., Sirius seething. "You see, my dear, if a woman's husband has less power than the man pursuing a woman, there is no real question of how the pursuit must end. My husband was diligent and attentive, but I think you knew Rudolphous and Rabastan's father."
With a hum and a nod, Dorcas confirmed that she recalled what a forceful, demanding, cruel man Mr. Lestrange could be.
"Cara is very lucky in one respect," Madam Selwyn continued. "The man she has married is intelligent, wealthy, powerful in many ways. And he has very powerful allies, if you take my meaning. The trust of great men, as I understand it. I know that no one thinks of me anymore, not now that my daughter is not in my care and they have no use for me, but I know. And Bellatrix may think she will get her way, that her backing of Barty will lead to the Dark Lord sanctioning Barty's behavior, but she is wrong. I believe that if the Dark Lord had to choose who to keep happy, he would take Sirius over Bellatrix.
"You control a man like Sirius," she whispered, "when you control his wife. By guaranteeing her, he secures Sirius. Do you see?"
"Yes, I think I do," Dorcas said softly, feeling even more troubled with the whole matter. "But, forgive me, why are you telling me this?"
"They think I don't see, but I do. I see everything," Madam Selwyn whispered, glancing over at Bellatrix, then at Narcissa, then at Sirius. "The Black family, Miss Meadows, is not such a great puzzle. There were the gentle souls who bowed their heads and did their duty, there were those who left, and there was Bellatrix. And the only one to fear is Bella."
"But Sirius didn't leave," Dorcas said. "He came back. He came back to us, for your daughter."
"Control a man's wife and you control a man," the woman repeated eagerly. "Do you see? I see."
Dorcas wasn't sure she understood what the woman was so anxiously trying to have her perceive, or what she wanted Dorcas to do with all of this information. Whatever it was, there was something she couldn't grasp, and she didn't like not knowing, because it could so easily be the end of her.
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"Tell me again what it is you have heard, Severus," Albus Dumbledore prompted. He knew that the young man was anxious about feeding such a story to Lord Voldemort, and for good reason. Without a true memory to present, it might not appear credible, but Albus thought that the fear would take over and Tom would take it at face value. After all, better safe than sorry.
Severus cleared his throat and said, "I have heard a prophecy given by a Seer to Albus Dumbledore, which proclaims the destruction of the Dark Lord. It said that he would be vanquished by one new to parenthood, one with pure blood, young in years, whose defiance of the Dark Lord is their greatest occupation. He will be stabbed in the back by this one."
"Very good, Severus, you have touched on all points."
"Professor," Severus said, his neck stiff, perhaps still anxious about referring to Albus as a colleague rather than a student addressing his headmaster. "What does it mean? Who does it refer to?"
"Well, apart from knowing quite well to whom it does not refer," Albus said, with a tight smile, "it is very difficult to say. You, of course, are quite incapable of fitting the description, but the Longbottoms are with child, as are the Potters, as are the Malfoys. Andromeda has been a mother too long to be the one prophesied."
"So why do you want me to pass this along? Do you think he will know?"
Albus stood, pacing across to the window, then pacing back to his chair, but not sitting down.
"As I told you before, Severus, prophecy is quite rare. There is much we do not know about prophecy, but one thing has become quite clear to me in my limited studies of the subject. Prophecy is half predestined, half choice. Our knowledge of future events is cryptic, but our interpretation of them leads to their truth."
Severus nodded and said, "You want to see who he believes it to be about. And what if he thinks it is about…"
Albus noted Severus's hesitation. There was obviously some concern that Sirius and Cara might conceive, and that it would cause suspicion that would be detrimental to their cause.
"But I believe he will be concerned about that, Severus," Albus said softly. "I believe he will be very concerned that Cara Black not become pregnant, because who better to betray him, who better placed to destroy him than Sirius Black? He wants to trust Sirius. Do you see?"
It seemed that Severus did understand, and his black eyes glowed with sudden satisfaction at the realization of how many problems it could avoid.
"And if he decides it is James Potter?" Severus said softly. "What then?"
"We will cross that bridge when it comes, Severus. For now, it is important that he keep Sirius from becoming a father, and that he continues to trust him. We must keep our options open, Severus."
The young man nodded and said that he would pass along the message to the Dark Lord. He bowed his head, thanked Albus for the employment opportunity, and turned to go.
"Oh, Severus," Albus said softly when the thin, pale fingers touched the door handle. Severus paused. "There may be something at the school we will be looking for, if you understand me. It may be that I require your assistance further. I trust I can rely on you to be ready to undertake any number of tasks."
A small muscle on Severus's jawline twitched, but he nodded. The reminder that Lily's husband might be in danger, and by extension, Lily, was a powerful one, which was why Albus had made a point of listing the possible people referred to in the prophecy for Severus's benefit.
"Have a wonderful night, Severus," Albus said softly, watching the young man leave in his stiff, stalking manner, his cloak billowing behind him dramatically. The students would no doubt be frightened of him, but there was no question of his skill, or his usefulness.
For the greater good, Albus told himself again. For the greater good.
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Sirius slipped his robes off, watching Cara as she unpinned her hair with shaking hands in the moonlight. He wanted to tell her that he could get Barty Crouch to leave her alone, but it seemed that he and Rabastan had limited power without approval. The problem was, Sirius knew who he had to bring the problem to, who the approval had to come from, and it made him sick to think of asking Voldemort for more things. The more he owed that monster, the more that could be asked of him, and Sirius already sometimes thought his hands were slick with blood. In quiet moments of solitude, he felt like the monster he was fighting and he wondered how Cara could stand to touch him.
"How are the plans for the house coming?" he asked lightly, unbuttoning his shirt and walking up behind her, leaning in to let his ears touch her lips. "Any brilliant insights?"
"I think we should revamp the boiler room," Cara said nervously. "I mean, none of the pipes need work, but Kreacher could do with more of his own place. What he has now is a bit of a hovel, and we can give him some comforts without giving him clothes."
Sirius sighed. Part of him wished he could free the damn elf, not because Kreacher wasn't be a very good servant, but because he was just such a reminder of everything Sirius hated about the dreaded childhood in Grimmauld Place.
"Whatever you want, darling," he said, kissing the shell of her ear. "There is nothing I care about except that it changes and that you get what you desire." He tossed the shirt off and pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. "I love you, you know that?"
"Of course I do," she said, touching his arms delicately and leaning back, resting her head on his shoulder. "And I love you, Sirius. More than anything in the world."
A/N: So… PROPHECY! We're really getting into the end game now, and so many possible killers. Given how weird I'm going, let's be real, it could be anyone who destroys the Dark Lord.
Except Severus. It can't be Severus.
Review Prompt: You get two choices (or both if you really want). Thoughts on Madam Selwyn? Also, who d'you think I'm going to select as the person to kill Voldemort? I'm rubbing my hands in glee awaiting your thoughts.
-C