DISCLAIMER: All the characters you see here that are in any of the Harry Potter books belong to JK Rowling and I am not her. I am simply taking them out to play.

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Chapter 28: Whose Side?

When Mallory returned to the Crabbe Manor about an hour later, she was surprised to find Sophia sitting on the front porch steps. Her friend's knees were pulled to her chest giving her a small, child-like appearance. Mallory could not see her face because she was staring down at the snow. A black winter cloak obstructed any view of her friend's body other than the round shape and her curly blonde hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. She didn't stir with the resounding crack of Mallory's sudden appearance - nor with the crunch of Mallory's footsteps across the freshly laid snow.

"Hey," Mallory said quietly as she approached her friend.

Sophia looked up and Mallory recoiled. Her friends face was pale and lifeless – except the purple and blue bruise covering her left eye. Her usually fierce grey eyes had the same lifeless quality of her face. Her nose was pink and appeared raw, and her right eye was red and puffy. She had a strong frown upon her face as she stared up at Mallory.

Mallory stood before her in silence for a moment unsure of what to do Sophia's appearance was quite unnerving.

"Hi," said Sophia in a small and broken voice.

"I guess you've heard about the attack…?" Mallory asked cautiously. It was the only thing that made any sense.

Sophia nodded and went back to staring at the ground. She slowly rocked back and forth giving off the child-like impression more strongly.

"Are you alright?" Mallory questioned, again with caution. She didn't know how to handle this situation. She'd never seen Sophia upset like this before.

Sophia shook her head back and forth violently then thrust her face into her knees and Mallory heard her emit a sad and soft moan. Mallory quietly took the last few steps and closed the distance between herself and her friend. She sat on the porch somewhat gingerly and laid her hand on her friends back. Sophia began to sob into her knees and her entire body shook. It was half an hour before she calmed down enough to sit up. She wiped her eyes and took quite a few deep breathes. Mallory waited patiently for her to speak.

"I-" Sophia took another breath, "I'm sorry," she managed.

"For what?" Mallory demanded immediately in harsher voice than she meant. She was confused and she didn't like it.

Sophia shrugged then swallowed difficultly and as she brought her hand up to her eye to touch it delicately she winced.

"What happened to your eye?" Mallory demanded. She wanted some answers.

Sophia looked like she might cry again before she answered, "My brother's fist."

Mallory's eyebrows rose, "Your brother hit you?"

Sophia nodded.

"Why?"

Sophia shrugged then muttered, "It's a long story."

"Well let's go inside and have some tea and you can tell me?"

Sophia looked at the front door behind her and then back to the snow surrounding them. "Ok," she agreed and slowly got up from her position on the porch.

About half an hour later the two of them were seated in the kitchen drinking tea and feeling considerably warmer.

"I'm really sorry about Eagar," Sophia said interrupting the comfortable silence the two had been in. Mallory's heart clenched painfully in her chest and she nearly dropped the cup in her hand. Tears sprang to her eyes and she swallowed past the large lump in her throat.

"It's not your fault," she said softly and pain and regret filled her chest, "it's mine," she muttered angrily.

"No it's not," said Sophia immediately. "It's not your fault at all."

"My dad did it," Mallory whispered as hatred pushed past all her other emotions and boiled to the top, "to punish me."

"No he didn't," said Sophia and it was the certainty in her voice that made Mallory pause.

"How do you know?" She demanded.

"Because," Sophia took a shaky deep breathe. When she looked up at Mallory there were tears standing in her eyes, "because it was Antonin."

Mallory's expression darkened and she stared at her friend across the counter. "What do you mean?" She growled. The anger she'd felt toward her father was nothing compared to the fury bubbling inside of her now.

"I heard him telling my dad," Sophia whispered. She kept her eyes locked on Mallory's but tears were spilling rapidly down her cheeks. "That's why he hit me," she gestured toward her left eye. "He was ordered to kill them," she continued, "as part of his induction into … into some type of group or something. I'm not really sure."

Mallory wasn't sure what to feel. Sophia's brother had been ordered to kill them? Who would order such a thing? And why?

"You're sure?" Mallory asked quietly.

Sophia nodded, "Antonin saw me listening and he hit me and told me not to tell anyone."

Mallory nodded, she believed Sophia no matter how much she didn't want to. "I still think it had something to do with my father," she whispered as Sophia wiped away her tears.

"But why would you dad want the Harts dead?"

Mallory sighed, "Because he caught Eagar and I…" she let her voice trial off but it seemed Sophia didn't understand.

"Caught you…?" she asked in that somewhat naive tone she had.

"You know," Mallory replied and she could feel a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Oh!" Sophia's eyes widened and she stared at Mallory. "You were-?" Mallory nodded, "And he came in?" Mallory nodded again. "That's why you went to St. Mungo's?" Mallory nodded one last time. "I didn't even know you and Eagar were …dating?"

"Not many people did," Mallory replied and her heart squeezed painfully in her chest again, "but we were more than just dating."

"Obviously," Sophia half-smiled.

"I loved him," Mallory said plainly and a dry sob suddenly escaped past her lips.

"Did he love you back?" Sophia asked in a quite voice.

"Yeah," Mallory was near tears now, "yeah, he did."

"I didn't know," said Sophia solemnly and the two girls sipped on the tea in silence.

Desperate not to think about Eagar and everything that surrounded his death Mallory searched her mind for something else to think about and it went inexplicably to Sirius. She had always found him rather attractive but now that she knew what a wonderful kisser he was she was even more attracted to him. She frowned suddenly - how did she know that Sirius was a good kisser? Then it came back to her and her heart leapt at the memory. For a moment she let herself relive how good it felt to be held and kissed and wanted. Her mind had been blissfully blank of her pain when she had been in his arms.

"Where were you this morning?" Sophia's question brought Mallory crashing out of her thoughts.

"What?" She asked in what she knew was a scratchy voice.

"This morning," said Sophia, "I was sitting outside for about an hour before you came back."

"Oh," Mallory ran her fingers through her messy hair and whispered, "at Sirius Black's."

"Where?" Mallory wasn't sure if Sophia was asking because she hadn't heard her or because she couldn't believe it.

"Sirius Black's," she said a bit more loudly.

Sophia's eyebrows furrowed deeply, "Why were you there?"

"Because he was in love with Emily," Mallory answered with a shrug, "and I knew he would understand how I felt."

"Did he?" Sophia asked.

Mallory nodded before answering, "Yeah," she half smiled to herself, "and he helped me deal."

"How?" Sophia seemed confused and yet curious.

"It's complicated," Mallory lied. It was simple – he made her forget.

"Ok," said Sophia and she went back to sipping her tea.

"Potter and Lupin showed up," Mallory almost whispered.

Sophia's interest showed on her face, "Did they help too?" She asked.

Mallory shrugged and answered, "A little." Then she pushed away from the counter and carried her empty mug to the sink. "I'm going to take a shower," she announced before disappearing upstairs.

"I've decided," Mallory said as she stood in the doorframe of the bathroom where Sophia was getting dressed.

"Decided what?" Sophia asked.

"I'm going to go back," Mallory answered.

"Go back?" Sophia asked in a surprised tone, "I don't understand."

Mallory wasn't really sure when this decision had hit her but it made sense to her now. "I'm going back to the way things used to be," she clarified, "I can't afford to have friends." Sophia's frown deepened. "I won't let them hurt my friends to get to me again."

"Mallory, Eagar didn't die because of you-"

"I don't care," Mallory's words were sharp, "I won't go through this again. I won't. So if we're going to be friends, it'll have to be in secret, and you have to swear not to tell anyone."

"Mallory, I-"

"You have to swear." Mallory's words were forceful. She stuck out her hand as though to shake upon it.

"Alright," Sophia nodded and grasped Mallory's hand. "I won't tell."

"Good," Mallory nodded, "and I apologize in advance for what I am going to do to you when we get back to school."

Sophia's eyebrows rose in alarm, "What are you going to do?"

"Whatever I can to make Bellatrix and Darcy believe they are my friends again."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"They have information," Mallory answered simply, "about the 'Dark Lord' that killed Eagar. I want to find him and make him pay if it's the last thing I do."

"Mallory," Sophia said in a gasp, "You can't be serious."

Mallory just looked at her friend.

"You can't-" Sophia sputtered, "I mean, how can you? He's been killing people left and right Mal, you can't really think you're going to stop him."

"Sophia," Mallory said sharply, "You're either with me or against me."

"What?" Sophia's voice raised an octave.

"Choose," Mallory ordered, "either you're with me or you're not."

Sophia's jaw dropped. "We don't live in a black and white world," she replied, "how can you ask me just like that?"

"This is a simple matter," said Mallory, "either you agree with this 'Dark Lord' who forced your brother to kill innocent people, or you don't. If you don't then you're on my side."

"No," Sophia shook her head, "I don't agree with him, but I am not about to stand against him."

"Why not?" Mallory shouted suddenly, "Don't you want it to stop?"

Sophia frowned, "Who are you?"

The question took Mallory by surprise, "What do you mean? I'm Mallory Crabbe."

"No," Sophia looked Mallory up and down, "you're not. Because Mallory Crabbe is smart and this is stupid. Are you telling me that you're willing to risk your life to get revenge? That's not like you at all."

"The life I have isn't worth living anymore," Mallory replied with a steely determination in her voice, "without Eagar, it's not worth it."

"You don't mean that-" Sophia began appalled.

"Yes I do," Mallory said with enough force to knock down a brick building. There was such passion and anger in those words that there was no room for doubt.

"So which side are you on?" Mallory asked after a beat or two of silence.

"It's not the simple," Sophia answered in a whisper, "I can't-" she paused "I'm not-" she looked down at the floor. "This is something I need to think about."

Mallory nodded once with a frown on her face and left the room silently. She had a lot to do and she would not stand around and wait for others to make decisions. If Sophia didn't see the decision as an easy one to make then it was her own problem. After grabbing her heavy winter cloak, she stepped outside and disapparated.

When she reappeared outside of Severus Snape's house she walked purposefully to the front door. She wasn't sure how but she had to convince him that she was on his side. And that she'd severed any ties he thought she held to his tormentors.

After knocking and waiting patiently for a few minutes, she heard heavy Severus-like pounding footsteps on the stairs and the front door opened rather violently.

"What do you want?" His face showed no surprise in finding her there. It was as though he'd been expecting her. He pulled his arms across his chest and waited for a response.

"A few minutes of your time," she responded coldly.

He frowned at her for a long second with a calculating look in his eyes then, grabbing his winter cloak, stepped outside. "C'mon then," he muttered as he stalked away.

"No," this one word made him stop in his tracks.

He turned around and his black and hardened eyes narrowed, "What?" His voice was like the crack of a whip in the still, cold air. It was pointed and angry.

A sly smile slipped across her lips, "I don't really feel like walking a million miles in the snow," she replied icily as she walked closer to the front door, "Let's talk inside."

Severus' frown deepened, "This is my house," his voice was low with what she assumed was supposed to be intimidating anger, "and you asked me to give you some of my time, therefore we will talk where I say we will talk."

She shook her head and gave him a hard and steady gaze not impressed by his speech in the slightest, "First, this is your father's house not yours," she corrected in a clipped tone, "and second I refuse to freeze while following you through the snow so you can feel safe. I highly doubt that anyone will object to my presence or to the topic of our conversation. Therefore you will walk back over here and we will go inside."

His eyes blazed angrily and for a long moment he tried to stare her down. When her calm yet powerful gaze didn't waver under his fierce and demanding one he dropped his eyes from hers and walked back up the steps. She stepped aside, a triumphant smirk on her lips, as he used his wand to open the door and escorted her inside. He locked it again once they were both inside and led her down the narrow hall and into a small den to the left. She sat on the couch and he sat in the arm chair to her right.

"So?" He never really was one beat around the bush.

"Manners Severus," she reprimanded, "aren't you going to ask me if I'm thirsty or hungry?"

He visibly bristled, "are you hungry or thirsty?" He managed to grit out through his clenched jaw. She'd forgotten how much fun annoying people – especially him - was until this very moment.

"No, but thank you for asking," she replied with that smirk that seemed to slip so easily on her face.

"Alright then," he replied through his still clenched jaw.

"You really need to learn to control your emotions Severus," she said for what felt like the millionth time, "they'll only betray you otherwise."

He rolled his eyes and relaxed slightly as he leaned back in his chair, "yes mother," he mocked her.

"I'm only trying to help you," she snapped.

"Why?" She frowned at the question. Don't you know? She thought almost willing him to read her thoughts.

"Why what?" She asked with a sigh. He kept his eyes locked on hers and they were void of any emotion. Apparently he'd been getting better at that hiding his emotions thing. Either that or he was simply trying harder at the moment.

"Why are you trying to help me?" He asked as his eyes seared holes into hers, "Why do you care?"

Her fast thinking mind kicked in and she saw her opportunity and took it, "Because someone like you could be very useful to our side."

She held his gaze and saw the confusion that stayed just a bit too long in his all too telling eyes. He wasn't as good as he could be. "Our side?" He asked casually.

"Yes," she said simply.

He blinked and seemed to be collecting his thoughts before speaking, "Whose side would that be?"

"Ours," she answered.

He frowned, "You said that. What do you mean?"

"Yours and mine."

He just stared at her for a long moment, "What do you mean?" He finally repeated in an agitated voice when it was clear that he didn't understand her.

"I mean that you are the only person I trust. Therefore, I want you on my side."

"Why?"

"Because together, we could do great things."

"What makes you think that?" He asked with a bit more calm.

"You know how powerful I am-"

"I'm just as powerful as you, if not more!" He barked as he leapt out of his seat.

"My point exactly," she lied in a hiss, "But you, unlike me, lack complete control of your powers – just like your emotions."

"I do not," he growled.

She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him, "If you have complete control then why did that picture frame shatter?" He turned his head to look at the picture frame that was on the desk to their left. Indeed, it was shattered. It had not been so when they entered the room.

"How do I know you didn't do that?" He asked.

"Do you see my wand?" She raised both of her hands, palms up, toward him.

"You can do magic without it," he had an answer for everything.

"Not anything that precise," she countered, "it's not that fully developed yet."

He glared at her then sat back down in his chair letting out a long breath. He closed his eyes and laid his head back. Mallory waved her wand and restored the picture frame.

"Do you know how often you've lost control in my presence alone?" She asked as she twirled her wand carelessly between her fingers.

"No." His voice was flat now – devoid of any emotion.

"Ninety-eight times including today," she answered.

His head snapped up and he stared at her with narrowed eyes, "You've been keeping count?" He asked.

"Since your first year," she nodded, "it was a lot worse at first. This is only the seventh time this year."

"Why would you keep count of something like that?"

"Because I knew this day would come," she answered..

"What day is that then?" There was a slight mock in his question.

"The day I'm going to start teaching you how to gain and maintain control over your emotions and eventually your powers."

"You're going to teach me?" He was still mocking her.

"Of course I am. If we're going to work together you need to be better prepared."

He sat back and stared at her. There was a calculating look in his eye and it seemed he was in deep thought, "You know," he spoke at length, "now that I think about it I only remember three times of you losing control."

She smirked at him, "In your presence there have only been four, but I wasn't sure whether you saw the last until just now."

"How many outside of my presence?" He asked casually but she knew he really wanted to know.

"I'm not sure," she lied.

He frowned, "You know all of mine, but you don't know yours?"

"I don't know all of yours," she snapped, "I only know the ones that happened while I was there."

They sat in silence for a few beats before he shook his head from side to side and chuckled slightly – a rather unnatural sound coming from him.

"What is funny?" She demanded.

"It's just good to have you back," he answered with a genuine smile. "I've missed this."

The phrase, 'It's good to be back' flitted absurdly though her brain but was quickly squashed before a syllable uttered. She just smirked at him and thought about how little he really knew.


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