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Un-charmable

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Confrontations

It had never hurt so much, ever.

That scared the hell out of Severus.

Voldemort was calling him and he was not happy. Severus made his way quickly to the meeting place, only to find he had not been the only person summoned. Indeed, it seemed as though every Death Eater still alive was present. Hooded figure after hooded figure surrounded him, everyone whispering conspiracies to a neighbor.

'Something big is happening.' Severus thought. A chill went through him as he tried to shove his fear for Laurel out of his mind. He couldn't think about her here, not with the Dark Lord so close.

Severus didn't have to wait long to discover the purpose of the summons. Voldemort's voice quickly rose over the Death Eaters, the quiet murmurings quickly hushed as one and all searched for the source of the voice.

"My followers," the voice boomed, "I have called you here today for a very specific purpose."

The silence that fell over the room following his words was tense. One common thought was running through the minds of everyone in the room. Someone would not be leaving with their life.

"I am most troubled, you will find, over an issue that has yet to be resolved." Voldemort loved to speak it riddles. He let the crowd simmer, each heart beating rapidly. He gave them time to run everything through their minds, wondering if they were the one who would be called out tonight.

Severus crossed his arms as he listened intently. "Two years ago I had to depend on a rat to return me to my former glory."

Shoved in a small corner, Peter Pettigrew visibly flinched.

"I was lenient with many of you, allowing you to keep your lives, dismissing the fact that you betrayed my very name when you thought I wasn't looking." His voice rose as his words progressed, until the sound was deafening, "That was an oversight I shall never make again."

Severus's eyes narrowed as he began to wonder just where this was going.

Then again, he does seem to be quite adept at holding grudges.

"I trusted that you would appreciate my munificence, and yet still, after all of these years Potter manages to evade me. Tell me, how is it a school boy has been able to foil my every move? It would be an impossible task," Suddenly, those around Severus began to move, and he was forced back as a clearing formed near him, around none other than the Dark Lord himself. His eerie eyes scanned the room disdainfully, "That is, unless there was someone helping him."

Relief flooded through Severus. This was about Harry, and had nothing to do with Laurel. As he realized his, he felt rather silly for even thinking that in the first place.

'She's just a damn girl Severus. The Dark Lord has more to worry about than how to get his hands on her. You're being paranoid.' Unfortunately paranoia was never likely to leave Severus. Sometimes it was the only thing that kept him alive.

The relief was quickly replaced as his heart began to beat erratically in fear. Perhaps Laurel was safe, but he was not. For a moment, he contemplated apparating out of the room. That thought was quickly dismissed. He hadn't been convicted yet. There was still a chance everything was fine.

Severus would stay a Death Eater until the downfall of the Dark Lord, or his own death, whichever came first.

"I have made it painfully obvious in the past what happens to those who have betrayed me. Yet it seems that one person didn't quite learn the lesson." Hidden faces searched around, trying to find someone, anyone who was guilty. "Perhaps we should have a reminder."

Severus tensed as Voldemort neared his position. His palms sweated hotly as he tried to remain calm. Acting any other way would be suspicious.

"Bring me Lester Britton." Loud protests were heard as the crowd rustled, relieved Death Eaters forcing the accused forward allowing him to stop only when he was directly in front of Voldemort.

Along with many others Severus breathed a second sigh of relief. It seemed that this was another day he would be spared.

With a vicious snarl Voldemort ripped the mask off of the man and forced the hood backward, revealing the wrinkled face of an old, cowering man. The mask fell unceremoniously to the floor clattering loudly in the silent room.

Lester fell to the floor, eyes locked on the ground as he whimpered pathetically at the wizard's feet. "P-p-p-please My Lord, I've done nothing you accuse me of. I have been nothing but unfailingly loyal to you."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed at the man before him, "You believe that I am lying then?"

Lester's eyes widened as he quickly realized his mistake. "No, not at all Lord." He searched desperately for a way to redeem himself. "I was merely trying to say that you... that I... perhaps..." Unfortunately for Lester there was no redemption to be found.

"Quiet," The Dark Lord ordered, and instantly the pitiable whimpers and sniffles from Lester ceased entirely. "I tire of your words."

Looking around the room, Voldemort addressed his audience, "This man has committed an unpardonable crime. For years now, likely even before my resurgence, he has been giving information to the very people I despise."

If you listened close enough you could hear quiet sobs of denial coming from Lester. No one paid them any mind.

"Let this demonstration remind you of the lessons you should have learned long ago. Those who follow me shall be rewarded. Those who fight against me shall fall. Those who deceive me shall face eternal damnation."

Snape resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It all sounded dramatic but in showings such as this the same thing always happened. A rousing round of Crucio followed by the killing curse. That could hardly be considered eternal damnation.

Almost as though on cue screams pierced the air and Severus could see the body of Lester writhing on the floor. Many cringed away from the sight, afraid of what it held, while others inched toward it, looking upon the sight with sadistic glee.

Still, no one spoke. All eyes were fixed on the sight as the mangled sounds ripping from Lester's throat were the only things breaking the silence of the room.

Few stuck around for long. Only minutes passed before popping sounds began to sporadically sound as Death Eaters apparated from the building. Some stuck around, but even they knew it wasn't necessary. Voldemort had portrayed his message, and they were no longer needed. Once that was finished, it wasn't about the lesson anymore. Instead, it became about pain.

Severus waited a while before taking his own leave. He apparated outside the grounds and made his way back to his room. For a moment he debated visiting Albus. It was closing in on midnight, and the old man might actually be awake.

Deciding sleep would be the best course, for both him and the headmaster, Severus prepared himself for sleep, his mind running through everything that would have to be mentioned the next day.

It was a shame to lose a fellow spy, though before the meeting had been called Severus hadn't even been aware of his existence. It was a life lost, one that could have otherwise been of great use.

If anything it made Severus more determined to find the person leaking information to Voldemort's forces.

Severus was on the verge of sleep when a loud buzzing noise reverberated around his room. Groggily sitting up Severus looked around for the source of the obnoxious sound. His eyes widened and he shot out of bed as he realized what the sound meant.

It was the alarm he had set for the wards around Laurel's room.

Not even bothering to change out of his sleep robe Severus ran from his room, and quickly made his way to Laurel's. His rapid footsteps were the only sound to echo throughout the corridor as he strained his ears to hear any sound that might hint as to what was happening.

A shiver of terror ran through him when he arrived to find her portrait door hanging open.

Silently praying the wards were enough Severus darted inside, and was slightly surprised, if not annoyed, by the sight that met his eyes.

Hanging from the ceiling, thanks to a clever hex Severus set up, was that dreadful girl Pippa. Almost directly underneath her, Laurel, still wearing her pajamas, which Severus amusedly noted had neon colored rabbits, was standing on one of her chairs.

Perched on the tips of her toes Laurel strained one hand upward, trying to return Pippa the wand that had fallen from her pocket. "What the hell are you doing up there anyway Pippa?" She let out a loud yawn, covering it up with her free hand.

"You think I know?" Pippa exclaimed, her face sullen, "Just give me my wand and I should be able to get back down."

Severus scowled as he took in the scene. Pippa was trying to sneak into her room in the middle of the night and Laurel was giving her wand back to her? What kind of an idiot was that girl?

Crossing to where Laurel stood on the chair in just a few short strides Severus picked Laurel up off of the chair, ignoring her protest, and plucked the wand from her fingers.

"Severus? What are you doing here?" Laurel asked, trying unsuccessfully to get the wand back from Severus, "We need to give Pippa her wand, she got stuck to the ceiling somehow."

"I hadn't noticed," Severus remarked dryly. "I am here because someone," he looked pointedly up at Pippa, "triggered the ward I set on your room. That would be why Ms. Russell is currently positioned on your ceiling. Personally I am more than interested in knowing what exactly she is doing in your room at this hour."

Pippa frowned as she crossed her arms. "You're here too Snape, maybe we should be asking you that question."

Laurel sighed loudly and sat down on the chair she had previously been standing on. "Look, as fun as it would be to listen to the both of you argue I'm really tired. Can we save this all for tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid that would be less than wise. The ward I set on your room was set to trigger only if the person entering was uninvited, and had negative intentions toward your person." Laurel's eyes widened as she listened to Severus speak. "Seeing as I am not glued to the ceiling I would greatly appreciate an explanation."

Severus expected to see her cringe, to hear pleas of denial, of innocence. What he did not expect, was for Pippa to burst out laughing.

"Merlin, is that all this is about? I think you made your little ward a little intense than Severus, all I was planning to do was scare the daylights out of her. It's her bloody birthday today; I wanted to wake her up early."

Laurel grimaced, "Gee Pippa, what a great birthday present that would have been." Sarcasm laced her voice as she stood up and began walking toward her bed.

Severus was taken aback for a moment, as he realized that, as of midnight, it was Laurel's birthday. He had already given her a present, and had forgotten entirely that he had not given it to her on her actual birthday. 'At least I'll remember to wish her a good birthday.' He thought irreverently as he reluctantly recognized that Pippa actually had a point.

Despite this, Severus, was not as convinced by her explanation. "You have a present then?" Severus asked, his eyes never leaving Laurel as she moved around the room, "I certainly don't see one."

"Well, I was sort of expecting Laurel to kick me out about two seconds after I woke her up."

"You bet I would have," Laurel piped in, crawling into bed.

Pippa grinned, "I thought it would be better to give her a present later on in the day."

Severus opened his mouth to say something, but Laurel, who was pulling the covers over herself, spoke first. "Great, now that's all cleared up." She pointedly ignored the glare Severus sent her way. "Seriously, I get really mean if I don't get enough sleep. Just let Pippa down Severus, and you can both leave."

Severus' irritated glower wasn't noticed by Laurel as she had already closed her eyes. Doing as she asked, Severus released Pippa with a quick swish of his wand, annoyed by the smirk set firmly on her face as she returned to the ground.

"Geez Snape," Pippa teased, straightening her clothes out with both hands, "Did you think I was going to kidnap her or something?" she laughed, leaving a fuming Severus behind.

Instead of leaving, as he probably should have done, Severus made his way over to Laurel's bed. She groaned in annoyance as she heard his footsteps stop by her bed. "If I open my eyes and you're still here Severus I'm not going to be happy."

"We need to have a talk Laurel, and I don't particularly want to wait until morning."

With a pitiful whimper Laurel sat up and glared at Severus. "For your sake I really hope this is important Severus. I wasn't joking about what I said earlier. I'm not inclined toward benevolence when I'm sleep deprived."

Severus looked at Laurel, her hair sticking up at all angles, incensed glare pointed at him, and large rabbit pajamas covering her tired, slouched frame, he was stunned by just how adorable she was. It was entirely ridiculous.

"Russell wouldn't have tripped the ward if she was merely planning to scare you. I fear that something worse than a dreadful wake-up would have happened if my ward was not surrounding your room."

"Maybe it's like Pippa said. You could have calibrated it wrong or something."

"Hardly likely," Severus scoffed.

"Then maybe she was going to dump water all over me or something. It would have been just like Pippa to do something inane like that."

Severus frowned, and tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice, knowing that this would be difficult for Laurel to hear, let alone accept. "Laurel, I have... suspicions about Russell. I think it would be best if you weren't around her by yourself."

Laurel's brows wrinkled together tightly, "Just what are you trying to say Severus?" she asked carefully.

"You yourself said she has been acting strange as of late. I merely believe there may be a reason behind this."

Laurel looked at him incredulously, "So, what, you think that because she's been acting a little off she's a danger to me?"

He shuffled uncomfortably, "Not her specifically," he said. For some reason he felt the urge to clarify exactly what he meant, without ruining whatever it was that she and Pippa had. "However I believe she may be working for someone else. The conflict of interests would surely-"

Laurel held up one hand, and Severus stopped talking almost immediately, "Severus, I really don't want to hear this. It's absolutely absurd that Pippa would be anything buy loyal to us. She's the only person who has been a true friend to me the entire time I've been here."

Severus felt a dull sting at her words. It hurt to know that Laurel saw someone as asinine as Pippa a better friend. Bitterness rose to the surface and his words came out harsh. "It is not ridiculous Laurel, and if you would open your eyes for a moment you might see that. Did you ever stop to wonder just why Pippa was upset Hagrid accompanied you to Hogsmeade?"

"I explained that already, she wanted to have a girl's night out. Pippa can be finicky like that sometimes." Her voice was quiet and her eyes shot to the ground, refusing to meet his. It was clear she didn't even truly believe her rationalization. It infuriated him that she would look past her better judgment just to keep that damnable Russell in her good graces.

"No," he exclaimed, resisting the urge to grab her shoulders and shake her. "No Laurel, stop being so damn naïve. Just because someone is nice to you doesn't mean they are your friend. Just because someone speaks to you that doesn't mean they are telling the truth. You're not a 'normal' person anymore Laurel and people are going to try and take advantage of the fact that you have no idea how to take care of yourself."

"I can take care of myself just fine," Laurel bit out, "but what you're saying doesn't make any sense. Pippa has been nice to me so I shouldn't trust her? Well who the hell is it okay to trust then?"

Severus took a short step back, his eyes widening as only one answer popped into his head, 'me'.

That wasn't an answer he was about to give Laurel. "She has been nothing but kind to you, doesn't that strike you as a bit suspicious Laurel? People have emotions, people get angry, and no one can be happy all of the time."

Laurel rubbed her face with both hands, sighing loudly. "Severus, just go before one of us says something we'll regret."

He stiffened, "Just promise me that you'll be careful around her. Instincts are something I've had to rely heavily on. I've learned to trust mine, and right now they are screaming that there is something wrong with that woman."

"I can't do that Severus. I can't just ostracize someone who's been perfectly civil to me. You may be fine pushing everyone away, but I'm not."

Hurt flashed onto Severus face for a moment, before he quickly shoved it away in favor of an emotionless mask.

Laurel groaned loudly as she buried her face in her hands. "I didn't mean that..." her apology was muffled by her hands and she quickly moved them away. "You know I didn't... This is exactly what I meant. We're both tired, and upset, and people say things they regret when they're like this. I truly didn't mean that."

Severus didn't speak.

Hanging her head, Laurel looked to the side, avoiding Severus' haunting gaze. "I'll try to be more careful or something, alright?" Severus nodded his head sharply before turning to make a quick exit.

"Severus?" He stopped, but didn't turn to face her. "I mean it when I say I don't want to lose Pippa as a friend, but please, don't be mad at me for that. I don't-," her words cut off sharply and he heard her draw in a shaky breath. Severus started as he realized she was softly crying. "I don't want to lose you either."

Severus could almost feel tension exiting his body as he whispered, "You won't." before leaving Laurel alone in her quarters.

Had it been anyone else, Severus would have told them mere facts. Had it been anyone else, Severus would have blatantly told them his opinion, not caring whether or not it hurt their feelings.

When he decided to confront Laurel, this had been his intention, but when standing in front of her, he had found himself unwilling to break the news roughly, not wanting to see hurt clouding her eyes.

Even while he was telling her, he became frustrated will all of the backtracking he had to do. What should have been a simple, brief explanation, turned into a full blown conversation, all because Severus wanted to explain everything to Laurel, to show her that he was doing this for her own good, and not because of his.

It was awfully annoying to actually care about someone else's feelings.

End Chapter Twenty Eight

So I have a request. One of my main issues is that I can't seem to get the whole "I'm just a plain evil bastard" personality that I would love to have Voldemort have down... Does anyone know of any good fics that feature him as a relatively large character, but still just a plain bad person? I would love to hear from anyone who has some suggestions.

Other than that, the fall semester has finally ended for me. :) I'm hoping I'll be able to crank out a few chapters before the next semester begins. Hopefully I'll be able to give you a few semi-regular updates.

Once more, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It was great to hear from some new people :) Thanks also goes to my lovely patient beta evenstar101!!

~Whoopsydaisy