Chapter 36: Explanations

"Severus . . ." Amarana whispered as she leaned against the man she loved. His presence calmed her mind, making it easier to remember. "Dumbledore. Is he really . . ."

Snape pulled her close to him and began to stroke her hair. "My Rana . . ." he said quietly. "Yes. It is done. He is dead. Draco had him cornered. His wand was gone. Draco could not do it, so I did it for him, as the Dark Lord intended me to."

Amarana pressed her ear against Snape's rapidly beating heart. "How did it happen? Start at the beginning. I'm still a bit confused."

"Dumbledore came to me and told me he would be leaving the castle that night, and that he would be gone for several hours at the very least. He told me he would act as if he was going to the Hog's Head for a drink, and instructed me to wait in his office until his return."

Snape said all this with a preciseness to his tone that sounded as if his words were lines in a play. It made Amarana realize he couldn't yet believe what had occurred.

"He had done this before, Amarana, even before the school year began. He would come to me and tell me he was going somewhere, he couldn't tell me where, but he would need me when he returned. I had begun to believe Dumbledore had discovered my true allegiance, but could not get rid of me."

She cuddled closer to him. "Why?"

"Each time Dumbledore went out, he returned with some sort of injury," Snape continued. "Something only I, as knowledgeable in the Dark Arts as I am, could heal. Like the curse on his hand. If I hadn't helped him, his whole body would have rotted and he would have died."

"Then why didn't you just let him die?" Amarana asked, confused.

"My orders were not to kill Dumbledore yet," Snape explained. "I was to continue my work in the Order, and draw some information from Dumbledore that the Dark Lord needed."

Amarana nodded and caressed his cheek. "I understand. Now tell me, what happened in the Tower?"

Snape ran a hand though his black hair, a sneer on his face. "I sent you the note, and then went to Dumbledore's office," he said, his eyes narrowing. "I planned on dealing with Dumbledore directly when he returned. I assumed he would return, as he had many times before, with an injury that would need attention before he could attempt to fight the Death Eaters. I was going to kill Dumbledore, then get to the Astronomy Tower to find you and Draco, and somehow smuggle the two of you back into the Slytherin common room. I would have pretended to fight against the Death Eaters . . . they know of my role and have been given orders not to attack me . . . and I would have stayed in my post, a spy in the Order." Snape clenched his jaw, fury oozing from every pore.

"You couldn't possibly have thought it could be so simple," Amarana told him, shaking her head wonderingly.

"I admit to being a bit overconfident. I assume it is because, in my worry for you, I forced my own mind to believe nothing could go wrong." He covered his face with his hands.

She touched his cheek. "Don't dwell on it. It's done, and we're safe. Please continue."

Snape moved his hands and pulled her closer to him. "I heard screams coming from above me, so I knew the Death Eaters had arrived. As I waited, I finally realized that Dumbledore wasn't going to come to me first. As you see, my plan went awry from the beginning." When she didn't answer, he continued. "I decided the best course of action would be to return as quickly as possible to my office. I didn't want to be caught coming from Dumbledore's quarters. It wasn't hard for me to get there without being seen, as most of the Order and the teachers were already upstairs. I made it just in time. The moment I shut my office door, I heard running footsteps and voices." His face turned red with remembered fury.

"Was it Flitwick?"

"How do you know about him?"

"I wondered what he was doing there," Amarana commented. She paled visibly, remembering what she had done.

Snape looked at her questioningly, but she shook her head.

"No, you finish. Then I'll tell you my story."

He sighed but did as she asked. "As I was saying, I could hear voices behind my door. It wasn't difficult to ascertain who they were, as they were quite audible." Snape snorted. "Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. Granger told Lovegood that she had given Ronald Weasley back 'the map'. Lovegood answered with that idiotic muttering of hers . . . 'Goobersnaps live in maps,' or some such. Granger told her to 'get under the cloak, or we'll be seen!'" He mimicked Granger's tone with a surly look.

"That's odd."

"That's when Flitwick appeared. When I opened the door, I couldn't see the Mudblood or Lovegood. Flitwick told me that Death Eaters were in the castle and the others needed my help. I realized that I needed to prevent Granger and Lovegood from following me, so I came up with a quick plan. I told Flitwick that I needed to alert Dumbledore and turned back into my office. Flitwick followed, I Stunned him, and shouted 'Professor Flitwick, are you all right?' as loud as I could. I knew Granger couldn't stop herself from helping. She and Lovegood ran right into the room."

"Why didn't you kill them, or at least Stun them?" Amarana asked sullenly.

Snape looked contrite. "I'm sorry, Rana. I was protecting myself. But if I would have known that Granger would . . ."

"Don't talk about that now," she snapped, looking away from him. "I . . . I can't deal with that just yet. What did you tell them?"

"I acted surprised to see them, began to yell at them for being out at night, then told them that Flitwick had rushed in with important news and fainted. I told them to stay with him until he woke up, and to remain in the office. I told them it was dangerous to be in the hallways and that I needed to go help the other teachers. They accepted my story, began tending Flitwick, and I left. Some students were in the corridors, and it took me a bit to get them to go back to the common rooms. After that, I found you. Thank Merlin I got to you when I did."

Amarana nodded. "I would be dead if you hadn't. I suppose it's time for me to tell you what happened to me." Taking a deep breath, she told him her story, from hearing the voices under the Astronomy Tower stairs, to finding Flitwick in his office, to hiding in the room she had been wounded in, taking care to skip over the murder.

As she described the swordfight slowly, the memories just coming back to her, Snape's lips turned white with fury. "That girl will die," he told her angrily. "I can promise you that. Is that what you're so upset about?" He took a good look at her pale face and trembling hands.

She shook her head slowly. "No. I . . . I killed Flitwick."

"What do you mean?"

"I hit him in the head . . . with that statue of the goddess Artemis you have on your desk. He wanted to lock me in your office. I didn't know what else to do. I guess I could have Stunned him, but I couldn't think. I just had to act."

He pulled her tightly to him. "You should have let him lock you in. Then you would have been safe. You wouldn't have been harmed."

She glared up at him. "And stay at Hogwarts while you and Draco were running for your lives? I don't think so! How would it have looked for the teachers to have found me in your office? If Dumbledore has told any of the teachers about Draco and I, they could easily have put two and two together and sent me to the Ministry for questioning . . . especially since Dumbledore would have been found dead."

Snape's face darkened at the mention of Draco, but he quickly hid his anger by pressing his cheek against hers. "You're safe now, and with me," he said steadily. "That's all that matters."

"Yes, but Severus, you didn't finish," Amarana said after kissing him. "What happened to you after you left me? How did you kill Dumbledore?"

He relaxed and kissed her back. "It was difficult at first. The Order and the Death Eaters were fighting in the room just under the Tower, so I had to fight my way through. Knowing you were dying just outside caused me to be a little . . . indiscreet."

"What do you mean?"

"There can be no mistake now that I am a Death Eater. I cursed several members of the Order in front of all the teachers and other Order members." He sighed in relief. "The Dark Lord agrees that the time was opportune for me to declare my true allegiance, or I would have suffered severe punishment. Anyway, as I was making my way through, Havering called to me that Draco was upstairs with Amycus, Alecto, Phinneus, and Greyback. I ran up. I killed Dumbledore."

He laughed vindictively, his tone triumphant. "And Rana, it was the greatest moment of my life! I destroyed the old fool! All that horrible Mudblood lover ever did to me, all the times he took Potter's side over mine . . . it felt wonderful to see his surprise, his fear, to hear his pleading! Severus . . . please!" He laughed, long and terribly.

Amarana stared at him, surprised at his passion. "So where was Potter during all of this?" she asked after he quieted down. "I can account for the whereabouts of the two Weasleys, Granger, Longbottom, and Lovegood. Potter wasn't with any of them. But he was fighting you just before we left . . . I'm sure that wasn't a dream."

"You're right, he was there. I'm not sure . . ." Snape paused thoughtfully. "You see, Draco told me after we escaped that there were two broomsticks up in the Tower. He knew that Dumbledore had flown in on a broom, that was the only way in other than the room where everyone else was fighting. Draco was sure someone was up there with Dumbledore. He had no proof, it was just a gut feeling. But if it was true, the person had to have been Potter. What I don't understand is, knowing Potter's penchant for heroics, why didn't he attempt to help Dumbledore? He had to have been there, because he knew I killed the old fool, none of the others on Dumbledore's side could have known yet . . . so they couldn't have told him."

"Maybe he was frightened, my love," Amarana said smugly, kissing Snape deeply. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? You did what had to be done."

Snape ran his fingers through her hair. "You're right, Rana. Dumbledore is dead. That was the mission, and it is fulfilled."

"I'm so glad its over," Amarana whispered, leaning into him.

"Yes. And now, all we need to do is concentrate on getting Potter. There is no more Dumbledore to protect him, and the moment he turns seventeen, the protective magic his mother left him will be gone." He sighed. "But that is for the Dark Lord to decide . . . and anyway, it's late. We should have some dinner and then get to bed. I don't know if we will stay here again tomorrow, the Dark Lord doesn't like being in one place for too long."

"Am I to sleep in here?" Amarana asked coyly.

"No. You will sleep in the room beside mine. Snape stood up, pulling her up with him. "The Dark Lord knows of our relationship, and he doesn't disapprove. We will not anger him by sleeping together before we're married." He smiled wryly. "We have to wait until the time is right."

She stared at him, confused. "Do you mean to tell me that he disapproves of premarital sex?"

Snape looked embarrassed. "He may be ruthless in getting what he wants, my love, but he's still respectable. The Dark Lord's plan is to bring back the traditions of our ancestors. Our . . . well, your entire family and pureblooded ancestors were very particular about what unmarried men and women could and could not do. The Prince family was as well, I suppose. I wouldn't be able to tell you, as I've never met them."

Amarana shook her head incredulously. "But that's so . . . so old-fashioned!"

"Never speak out against the Dark Lord's beliefs, Rana," Snape said soberly.

"I'm not . . . I'm just . . . surprised."

"Never mind about that. I have good news. Your things have been brought here," he said, smiling at her.

"What?" Amarana stared in shock. "How?"

"Miss Parkinson took your trunk home with her before any of the Order could get it. She sent it along with her second eldest brother James, who just became a Death Eater. It arrived two days ago." He tossed her a set of blue dress robes, her hairbrush, and makeup kit. Snape nodded toward a 16th century folding screen. "There is a jug of water and a washcloth behind that screen. You should wash up a bit and get dressed before we go downstairs."

Amarana clapped her hands joyfully as she took the robes from him. "I don't believe it. I was so worried about that . . ." She bit her lip and trailed off.

"What is it, darling?" Snape asked, taking her hands. "Tell me."

"It's just that . . . I sort of took something from my father. Something very important to our family. It's supposed to be in a safe in my father's house, protected by a series of very complicated spells."

He looked frightened. "What are you talking about?'

"I stole the Egyptian High Priestess regalia that has been in my family for generations." She turned away, moving behind the screen. "It's technically mine . . . my father's mother, Grandmother Ravinike left it to me in her will . . . but if it would have gone missing, I would never have forgiven myself. I didn't think about what would happen to my belongings. I feel so stupid for not planning everything out better."

"Great Merlin, Amarana, how could you risk losing such a . . ."

The look she gave him around the corner of the screen bade him shut his mouth quickly. Just as quickly, Amarana's expression changed to one of joy before she disappeared behind it again. "Now that I know I have them, I can wear them when we get married."

Snape smiled and pulled a watch from his robes as he listened to her dress. "It's almost dinnertime. The Dark Lord will be expecting us to go downstairs soon."

She came around the corner, dressed in the pretty robes, her hair neatly brushed and enough makeup on to cover the dark circles under her eyes and to color in her pallid cheekbones. Smiling sweetly, Amarana put a hand on his shoulder. "Then we mustn't keep the Dark Lord waiting."

Snape put an arm around her and led her downstairs.