Chapter 50: An Encroaching Terror
{A/N: Here's Another Update...}
My Thanks To All My Readers And Reviewers Enjoy -S.S
The Dining Hall ,12 Grimmauld Place, Muggle World...
The familiar twinkling blue eyes of one Albus Dumbledore had been on the younger ebony clad wizard standing amid the shadows of the great Black family dining hall as many members of The Order Of Phoenix had taken their respective seats at the table. One of whom had been Sirius Black himself as he strolled in with a glass of whiskey tightly in his grasp and a dinner jacket drapped over his torso. His lengthy brown locks fell at his shoulders and he seemed in a rather chipper mood when one compared his previous appearances since his inital escape from the prison of Azkaban. The Weasley clan settled in while the golden trio made their respective way to their seats. As much as Dumbledore had wished to keep the students out of the current events he had known all too well that they'd stop at nothing to be apart of the preceedings. Hermione Granger seemed to be quite weary of Sirius Black as she sat looking rather uncomfortable beneath the gaze of the rather charming wizard. Harry had been all smiles as he got the chance to spend more time with his godfather, and Ronald had been happy it seemed to stuff his face with his mother's notorious cooking. Snape remained on the shadowed part of the room with his arms folded rather casually across his ebony clad chest. His own dark eyes holding a good deal of contempt for all things Gryffindor. Occasionally he'd roll his eyes at the amusement or cheer of those sitting at the table if only to convery his vastly limited patience.
"Why don't you have a seat Snivellus?" asked Sirius making concersation with him in a strangely casual tone. "Surely you don't expect to get any taller sulking about in the darkness."
"Fuck off Black." growled Snape.
"Severus..." Molly Weasley chided him. "There are children present."
Sirius smirked.
"He can't help it Molly." remarked the charming Gryffindor. "It's not like he's had any children of of his own to raise...aside fromt he little snakes in the dungeons."
The comment about Snape not having children had caused him to brisle some as Hermione did her best to remain uneffected by the insufferable mutt's seering comment as well. He knew very well that Snape had sired at least one child during his life time and the reminder of his premature death had plauged him constantly.
Dumbledore watched the young wizard growing ever curious as he sensed that all had not been as cut and dried as it had been before when it came to Sirius Black and Severus Snape's heated rivalry. Of course, Snape had understandably hated Sirius due to his past actions over the years but he had not been privy to just how much that had been intensified, at least not yet as far as the Headmaster had known.
Depsite the age of his eyes, Dumbledore noted the familiar flicker of magical flame that seemed to outline Snape's body as he glared back at Sirius Black for a few moments seething in obvious rage before quelling it almost immediately.
"At least I've been with an actual woman." replied Snape in a bitting tone. "Which is more than I can say for you, Black...too bad you could do little aside from move about your cell at Azkaban."
Everyone watched as Sirius Black's face controrted in fury before he attempted to laugh it off in a rather charming fashion. He had been wounded rather well by that remark it seemed and the images of Snape being with Eveyln Shaw past and present had only made his rage shoot to the surface.
"Fuck you Snape." he growled fixing his eyes upon the ebony clad wizard.
"Sirius!" chided Molly shocked at his words.
Snape smirked rather wickedly.
"I suppose you can blame that on Black's imprisonment." he said.
Hermione sighed not wishing for him to provoke Sirius any farther lest he say something he shouldn't.
"ENOUGH!" said Dumbledore growing tired of their constant bickering. "This is not why we have come here."
Everyone's eyes immediately fell upon the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
"Severus, Sirius, this bickering is at an end, we have more important matters to discuss." he continued.
Snape rolled his eyes and Sirius sat back down in his chair content as it were to resume undressing the enraged dark wizard with his eyes as the meeting continued.
"There has been an attack recently." explained Dumbledore. "A dark wizard with extrodinary ablities appeared out of no where and decimated a nearby muggle town...there were no survivors."
This made everyone freeze given the severity of the discussion.
"Another death eater raid?" asked Lupin in confusion.
"No...I'm afraid this was something far more sinister and vastly dangerous." said Dumbledore. "Everyone is to be on the look out for this wizard which will prove difficult given how little we know of him."
"That's not much to go on." said Hermione in confusion.
"I suppose I'll have to see what the fuss is about this mysterious wizard." said Snape knowing full well what Dumbledore was going to task him with this time around.
"From what I gather the lad is quite young but extremely deadly." added Dumbledore. "That's all we managed to get from a man barely alive after the attack before he succumbed to his injuries."
"Bloody Hell." said Ron in utter shock.
"Ronald!" said Molly aiming to wash his mouth out with soap.
"I've never heard of anything like it...a whole town just wipped off the face of the earth." said Arthur Weasley looking a bit shaken. "The Ministry of Magic is investigating of course but even they were shocked to see a blackened crater where the town should have been."
"Not even the despot is capable of that kind of carnage." said Sirius thoughtfully. "But there is a chance this bloke whomever it may be is working with him."
Snape said nothing more as he turned his attention to the rather shaken Hermione.
"Perhaps we should send someone to check on Potter and Granger's extended family given the severity of the situation." he said. "I shall gather whatever intel I can and report back as soon as possible."
"That's a good idea Severus." agreed Dumbledore hoping to put the minds of both Harry and Hermione at ease.
Hermione had been grateful and Harry still reeling in shock.
Snape took his leave without so much as a means of awaiting dismissal taking off into the night as quickly as he arrived putting a good deal of distance between himself and Sirius Black's manor. Hermione had been a jumble of nerves worrying for the sake of her family in the muggle world and her husband whom had been put directly in the path of whatever new threat had possibly been doing the despot's bidding.
