After forty-five minutes, Severus started to worry. She might have been cornered by reporters. Thinking of which, how rigid were the protection spells around the school now? They would not be as thorough as they were during the war, would they? If they were, the camouflage spell would have been stripped away as soon as Mette entered the gate. How had he not thought of this? He needed to go look for her. To test its durability, he cast the camouflage spell on himself.

He sneaked out of the inn, through the back alleys of Hogsmeade and approached the gate to the school. When he entered, a sensation like warm water trickled down his skin. He looked at his arms and cursed. The charm was lifted.

A feeling of foreboding crept over him. He started jogging towards the castle, still hoping that he would meet Mette on his way there.

Slowly, he opened one of the heavy front doors and peered into the dimly lit entrance hall. No one seemed to be there. Faint music and the noise of many people talking reached him from somewhere inside the castle. Everyone was at the feast. After another moment of straining his eyes and ears, he slipped through the gap in the entrance and tip-toed up the stairs to the corridor where Mette's office was.

A weight dropped off his heart when he saw Mette lock her office door. He broke into a trot to get to her. When he was only a few paces away, he called her name. As she turned to him, she pulled something off from around her head and moved her right hand. Severus felt his wand slipping from its place at his hip. Claire caught it. Her strawberry blond hair now cascaded down her shoulders once more.

"Hello," she said cheerily. "What brings you here, I thought you were banned from the grounds?"

"Wait, no... what are you doing here? Where is Mette?"

"Oh, right," She said, her voice dripping with mock empathy, "poor Miss Squibby! Where could she have gone?"

"What did you do to her?" His heart had started pounding.

Claire laughed. "I didn't do anything to her, darling." There was something threatening underneath the sweetness in Claire's voice.

"Where is she?" Severus snarled.

"Safe. For now," Claire said lightly. He strode towards her, ready to grab her by the throat. She arrested him with her wand. "Now, now, calm down. We can talk about this." A pair of shackles appeared out of thin air and bound his wrists together with a small gold chain. He strained to break the chain but Claire said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see, if the chain breaks, your girlfriend will meet a fate worse than death – instantly."

Severus balled his fists and barked, "It was you! You put those patches on us, you fed my stories to the press!"

"Tut tut tut, better not raise our voices. Remember, you're not supposed to be here. But yes, of course it was me. I'm so glad we can finally drop this charade!"

"But... the patches are gone, how did you know where I was tonight, where Mette was?"

"Oh, honey! You don't think you had only one patch on you, do you? I have had... access to places that Squib has never even seen."

Severus started sweating. Why had he not checked his entire body?

"Also," Claire said off-handedly, "There are some in your office."

"How did you even get those things? Only people high up in the Ministry can buy them."

"Please! Look at me! I'm a beautiful, rich Pureblood. I have friends everywhere. And I have a way of making influential old men wax under my hands."

He had no trouble believing this. "Then what do you want with me? You could have anything you want without my help."

"Not anything. Not the things that really matter. You see, anyone can marry within their own circles. All my friends do it. But I cannot— must not be like everyone else. If I married, say, Kenneth, I'd disappear among my peers. And that's just something I can't let happen. I need to be more. I need to be everything. And You. Are. My. Ticket." With every word, she had taken one step towards him. "And I am yours."

"What do you mean?"

"You want to save your little girlfriend, don't you? And you also want to be left alone by the press. I will make all of that happen."

"I will not be blackmailed by you. Tell me where Mette is."

Claire laughed heartily, it sounded very different from her usual cute tinkling laugh. "Here's the deal. You do as I say and she will go unharmed. Otherwise, she'll get shipped to one of my elderly friends who has a taste for Muggle women and is skilled in casting submission charms."

Severus asked through clenched teeth, "What do I need to do?"

"Wonderful, now we're understanding each other. Tonight, we will go meet someone I know well, a reporter of the Daily Prophet. To her, we will tell your story. The whole story. About your tragic childhood. About your desperate, unrequited love for Lily Potter. About your breakdown after you betrayed Lily. The works. And my friend, skilled writer that she is, will spin a tale so profound and beautiful that all of Britain will weep for you and instantly forgive you."

She said Lily's name. All hope that Claire was bluffing evaporated. Severus' hands got numb and his throat closed. Not now. He forced himself to stay in control over his body. "What's in it for you?" he hissed.

"I will be by your side through your miraculous healing process. I will be the one who helped you get through your trauma, who helped you find the courage to finally address your issues and answer the wizarding world's burning questions about you.

"At first, I will act as your publicist. But the wizards of Britain will wonder about us, and Witch Weekly will print photographs of us, rumouring that there might be more than just a professional relationship. And then, how wonderful, a photographer spots us kissing! And soon, we will reveal that yes, we are in love. We will be Britain's power couple. Everyone will love us. They will marvel at your stoic bravery and my unparalleled style and beauty. Imagine our children! Red-golden hair and deep, black eyes... We'll have to do something if they get your nose, of course."

"You are mad."

"About you, darling! Which is more than what I can say of our dear Mette..." Claire shot him a sideways glance, waiting for her words to take effect.

"What is this?"

Claire laughed. "You don't know? That's hilarious!"

"What are you talking about?" he spat.

"Oh, my poor dear! Mette is leaving England at the end of the school year. She already talked to Minerva about it."

"You're lying."

"I'm really not. Listen." She tapped the side of her neck with her wand. Mette's voice emanated from the spot, quietly, but clearly audible.

"I accomplished what I came here to do," Mette's voice said, "There's no reason for me to stay in England any longer. I will leave after the exams." There was the sound of someone else talking, more quietly, but Severus could not discern the words. Mette said, "I know, and I'm really sorry. I wish I could have told you earlier, but I found the information I was looking for only a few days ago. Now, I really want to leave as soon as possible, to get back to my life at home."

Claire tapped the spot again with her wand. She pouted and took Severus' hand to pat it. "Truth hurts, doesn't it," she said gently. "Stop running after someone who only wants to use you for her own gain. You'll get nothing out of that. I can offer you so much!"

Had Mette been using him? It couldn't be, they had gotten so close. And yet... Something Mette had said when he had told her about Legilimency popped up in his mind: You were the solution all along, I just looked at you from the wrong angle.

Claire looked at him earnestly. "If we stick to my plan, you'll be beloved and famous. A true prince among wizards."

That word made Severus look at Claire. Prince. He frowned. "You've promised this before, when you strung me along to that party. Yet, none of your friends seemed to care about me at all."

"Oh, that! I'm so sorry, that was my fault! You see, I hadn't really told them who you are. Just in case you'd say no to the date, I couldn't embarrass myself like that, could I. I'd just dropped a few hints. So, they suspected it might be you, but were unsure. And they didn't want to make a big fuss just to find out afterwards that you weren't who they thought you were! It was totally my fault. Tomorrow, though, everyone will know what you look like. Your picture will be in the newspaper along with the article."

"My picture? One of those photos they took when I ran through Hogsmeade?"

"No, silly! There will be a photo shoot tonight as well. We'll be sure to catch your essence – deep and thoughtful, tormented by your past, but on your way to turn a new leaf. I know the photographer too, of course."

"What about Mette?"

"I promise we'll get her back to Sweden safely. Tonight, as soon as the interview is over." She shook his hand back and forth as if to shake him awake. "Come on, you don't want to disappear into obscurity, do you? You wouldn't let everyone think you're some cowardly Death Eater who has to hide from the world? Don't you want every wizard out there to know how brave you are?"

He did want people to know that. Right now, everyone around him only focused on the bad things he had done. Madam Malkin had shown him very clearly what the broad public thought of him.

"If I were to go with you," he said, "how am I supposed to ever trust you? You spied on me for months!"

Claire looked at him with a mixture of pain and pity on her face. "Darling, I protected you! I understand that you are wary of me right now, but you must believe that I only ever wanted the best for you! When you first arrived here, you were so... lost. But I saw your potential. You can be the most beloved wizard in Britain. In the world, even!

"Right now, you are going in the exact opposite direction. Fraternizing with a Squib!" Claire shook her head and creased her brow. "I know that what I did was not great, but I had to keep my eyes – well, ears – on you somehow." She giggled, then got serious again. "It was all just to make sure that you didn't get lost and damaged your chances of being recognized for who you really are! And Mette... you heard her. She was using your knowledge and power for her own gains. She was going to abandon you either way!"

"Why didn't you just tell me this? Why did you have to kidnap her?"

Claire threw him a pitying look. "Darling, I tried to talk to you so many times! But she was always there, making sure I couldn't catch you alone. I had to take her out of the equation – if only to finally get your full attention. Don't you understand I just want the world to see you for the wonderful man you are?" She looked at him pleadingly. "Don't squander this precious chance."

Severus searched her expression. She looked unusually earnest.

Could this work? Could Claire really give him an easy way out? The sessions with Xanimus were hard work, and what had Severus really gained? The one friend he'd thought he had had used him. And everyone else hated him. Which was crazy, considering what he'd done during the war. They should be thanking him. But he was just not good enough at telling his story. He would only ever end up having to justify himself, but coming woefully short.

With Claire, a world of people – important, influential people – would be at his fingertips. What if everything bad he had done became perfectly understandable once someone put it into the proper perspective, someone who knew how to convince people? He could stop hiding, stop struggling, stop being ashamed.

He had experienced first-hand how powerful the press was, how easily they could sway public opinion. If the right story was told, fame and glory were within his reach. And Claire had no troubles wrapping people around her finger. At that party, she had been dancing on air, fluttering between groups and becoming the centre of each of them as soon as she appeared. Everyone had been interested in her life. They had not been interested in him, Severus, as a person, but as Claire's partner. She did seem to be the key ingredient to being accepted.

"Don't think about it for too long, someone might catch you here any minute now," Claire coerced him.

He examined his feelings for Mette. He had trusted her, so much. He had opened up to her completely. But she was just going to leave him. There was no reason for her to stay, she had said so herself. No reason. In fact, she couldn't wait to get away. There is no love for you! You knew that, didn't you? a voice cackled in his head. Still, he needed to make sure that nothing would happen to Mette. It was the right thing. If he was going to start a new life, he needed to do so with a clear conscience. He shoved away the feeling of desperation that was trying to grab hold of him. He swallowed the sadness that was threatening to overwhelm him. Mette had made him weak. He would have no more of that.

"Where's the interview?" he finally asked.

"In Hogsmeade. My friend is already waiting for us."

"I'll come with you."

Is Severus going to give in to the easy way out? Subscribe not to miss the grand finale! Only two more chapters to go!
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