Chapter 39: Hog's Head

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"Always in motion is the future."

-Yoda, Star Wars episode V

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Severus sniffled in the bitter chill as he closed the door of the small specialty potions shop on Hogsmeade's High Street and brought his patchy winter cloak up closer to his chin, his newly-purchased ingredients tucked in a paper bag in an inside pocket. The quiet wind ceased altogether for a short moment or so and his dark eyes snapped up as he recognized the voice of the cloaked man walking ahead of him. The man was wearing a dark blue winter cloak and a short, warm-looking wizard's cap on his head of long white hair.

"…Yes, my dear lady, I do. Cassandra was a celebrated Seer."

The woman walking beside him with frizzy dirty-blonde hair and a fuzzy gray winter cloak said something in reply Severus couldn't catch.

"Mm," Dumbledore replied rather noncommittally. "Yes, I read them."

They'd reached the entrance to the Hog's Head and Dumbledore opened the door for the woman and the two went inside. Severus hung back a moment and then followed. Who was this woman Dumbledore was meeting with? Why was he meeting with her? Hoping he could overhear some useful information and win favor with the Dark Lord, Severus spied on them, watching as they were led up to the second floor and when the man who had escorted them there came back down, Severus climbed the stairs and listened at the closed doors along the hall until he again heard the Headmaster's voice.

"…was explaining before, Sybill, Professor Jezebel had little taste for crystal gazing, preferring to work in the more organic arts, and I should like the post filled by someone willing to expand the curriculum and make the course a bit more challenging."

Severus' face fell. It was an interview for a teaching position, not Order business. He scowled but spitefully eavesdropped on the rest of their conversation, amused by the woman; she was overdramatic and had an obviously inflated view of her own seemingly-nonexistent talents. She reminded him of fortune-tellers at Muggle carnivals, full of ceremony and ambiguity. Dumbledore was obviously drawing the same conclusion and he politely began to pull the interview to a close.

The scraping sound of chair being pushed back and the two standing made Severus twitch to leave when there was a crashing tinkle of glass or china accompanied by the woman's rasping inhale.

"Syb—" Dumbledore began, but he was interrupted by a voice that must have been coming from the woman's throat, though it sounded ancient.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…" she intoned and Severus' eyes widened as he pressed closer to the closed door. He heard steps on the staircase and knew he very well might get caught, but this was too important to miss—this was a prophesy—

"Born to those who have thrice defied him…"

"Oi!" the man called as he saw Severus and came toward him. "What d'you think you're doin' there, eh?"

"…born as the seventh month dies…"

Severus struggled but he didn't hear another word through the door as the barkeep seized him by the collar and turned him to face him. "There'll be no spyin' in my pub."

Angry, Severus tried for his wand but the barkeep prevented him with a hand on his arm.

"Eh! No ye—"

Severus' other hand swung up and collided hard with the man's ribs. He dropped with a wheeze, but Severus heard steps coming toward the door on the other side of it and knew he had mere moments before he was face-to-face with a wizard far more powerful than he. He fled.

When Dumbledore wrenched open the door he saw the barkeep groaning on the floor and Severus disappearing down the stairs. Behind him, Sybill was asking him what had happened.

"I dropped my cup," she said, bemused. "I'm sorry. I don't… Is there someone at the door?"

Severus was quaking with an emotion he could not identify.

He stood in the center of the dim, grungy main room left to him by his parents on Spinner's End, waiting for his summons to bring his master to him.

The violent crack made him jump and he fell to both knees.

Lord Voldemort stared down at him. "Why have you the audacity to call me to your hovel tonight, Severus? Have you any idea what I was occupied in doing?"

"No my Lord," he breathed in an unsteady rush. "That's why the summons was necessary, I— Look into my memories, my Lord, see them! I have spied on Dumbledore, I heard—"

"Silence," Voldemort snarled. Severus felt his mind stab into his own and lowered his defenses, bringing to the surface of his thoughts what he had overheard and how he had overheard it. He felt none of the Dark Lord's own thoughts.

Voldemort dug, forcing the memories to catch up to the present. When he was finished, Severus opened his eyes and saw such fury and malice above him glowing in the Dark Lord's eyes that he felt certain he would pay for being the messenger of such news. Voldemort would tear him to pieces in his shock and fury.

"You have done very well, Severus," he said quietly, much to his servant's surprise.

"M-my Lord, I live to serve only you."

"Rise."

Severus rose shakily to his feet.

"We must search for this child…" the Dark Lord growled, beginning to pace. "Destroy its mother before it's born if we can, destroy the child after if we cannot… There are years before it could possibly be of any real threat to me…"

"Yes, my Lord."

Voldemort faced him. "I will send Avery and Rodolphus to discover any children this prophesy could refer to. The Longbottoms come to mind—the number of times from which they have escaped destruction at our hands is three, though I am not aware if the woman is with child. And let us not forget the other brigades outside of the Order—those defying me independently. The Rowwans have fought us twice and escaped…"

Snape only listened, nodding.

"Severus," his master commanded, "I will choose to whom to tell this information. There are those I do not trust with it."

"Of course, my Lord."

With distant eyes already calculating his next moves, the Dark Lord Apparated out of Severus' house.

It was hours later when Severus realized he too knew of a child expected as the seventh month dies. Born to those who had defied the Dark Lord and still worked to do so. The realization made him so nauseous he gave up his meager dinner to his toilet.

Lily…

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