Snape's Secret Part IV: The Meeting on the Mountain
( A/N: I would advise you to read parts 1 - 3 of "Snape's Secret" if you haven't already. Aside from that, enjoy! )
Issabelle looked down from her broom, a troubled frown starting to slowly cross her face. She had never seen a Death Eater before -- at least not in their actual attire -- and she felt scared for the first time she could remember. Yes, she had been an Auror. Yes, she had been taught by the most famous of them all -- Moody. Yes, she hated Voldemorts ambitions. But she had never left the comfort of her office in the 15 years she had been with the ministry for anything more drastic then self defence training.
" You okay, Issabelle? You can go back if you want. " Snape said, noticing the look on her face.
" No, Severus. I am here to make sure you come outta this alive. If anything happened to you... " Issabelle looked at him, feeling a great urge to lie her head on his shoulder and cry, but realizing where she was, she forced herself to stop and take a deep breath.
" Ready to do this? " Snape asked, looking at her one last time.
" Ready as I'll ever be. " she replied, bittting her bottom lip and looking at the group that was gathered below. " What's our story, anyway? "
" None. We're going to have to make it up, otherwise he could catch us with a truth potion. "
" Ugh! Imagine getting caught with your own potion, Severus! That would not be very bright! " Issabelle laughed.
The pair kicked their brooms off of the ledge they had been resting on and slowly began to float down onto the same level as the bonfire the Death Eaters were standing around. It took Issabelle only seconds to find the scarlet eyes of their leader and she felt her mouth grow dry from nervousness.
" Ah, Severus... " Voldemort said, without bothering to even raise his eyes to check, " What a... pleasure.... to see you again. "
" The pleasure is mine, my lord. " Snape replied, bowing low.
" Tell me, " the Dark Lord continued, " Who is your lovely friend? I do not recall ever seeing her at any of our other meetings. "
" My name is Issabelle. " Issabelle said quietly, deciding not to give her last name incase he recignized it.
" Oh, she speaks for herself! How interesting! Not at all like most ladies who occassionally appear in our midst. " Voldemort chuckled coldly, " But tell me, Severus, why are you here? What makes you think you can just show up when you please? "
" I am sorry, my lord. Please forgive me. " Snape said, looking at Issabelle with a quick smirk of satisfaction.
" I do not forgive easily, Severus. That you know. " Voldemort said, twirling his wand between his slender fingers rhythemically, " However, I will allow you to prove that you regret your actions. "
" My lord is most generous. What do you think, Issabelle? " Snape asked.
" Surely the lady can not answer that yet. She has barely been here a minute. But enough stalling, Severus. I demand payment from my deserters -- Cucio! "
Snape doubled over in pain. His bones felt as though they were burning from the inside out and his eyes rolled back in his head violently. He writhered and shook like a snake recoiling from a bolt of lightening. Issabelle felt her stomach churning at the sight of such cruelty and was very tempted to stop the spell herself, but she forced herself to fold her hands togather and pretend it did not faze her as she and Snape had discussed.
" Relico! " Voldemort said after what seemed like forever and Snape callapsed to the ground. " Its all right, my dear, you can act concerned. "
" Severus! " Issabelle said, her eyes wide with panic as she gave him her hand and slowly helped him to his feet. Without a second thought she untied her pale lavender cloak and had put it around him, which made him look utterly rediculous. By the time she was finished making sure he was alright, the entire group of Death Eaters had fallen to the ground in fits of laughter.
" Thank you, Issabelle. " Snape said, trying to sound appreciative. However, his eyes gave away the fact that he would have liked nothing more then to put her though what he had just experienced tenfold.
" Have a heart, Severus! She was terrified! Surely you have to understand that. " Voldemort scolded mockingly, " Now come, let me show you where we will be staying. "
" Uh... " Issabelle looked slightly confused, " How did you know we would be staying? "
" Issabelle, " Voldemort said dramatically, " There is not much in this world that I don't know. You'll get use to it. "
*****
" Ahhhhh.... " Issabelle said, breathing a sigh of relief as the warmth of the bath she had prepared started to seap in at last, " I can't believe I'm doing this... Gee, I wonder what Anna would think of all this? Hmmm... She's probably say something like 'Issabelle, you've really gotten yourself in a fix this time'. Heh, she'd be right. This is the most completely insane thing I have ever done. "
" Really? " A quiet voice asked, hurling her out of her daydream with a quick jolt.
" Who's there? " Issabelle asked, waving her wand and instantly finding herself decently dried off and in a bathrobe.
" Tom. " the voice replied.
" Tom? What, did you bring the rest of my lugage from downstairs? Just leave it in the hall, okay? " Issabelle asked, pulling her hair up in a ponytail.
" I want to speak to you. " the voice said, ignoring her responce complety.
" I said leave the lugage and go! " Issabelle said crossly, opening the door and coming face to face with Voldemort. " M-my goodness! I had no idea... "
" That, my dear Issabelle, was painfully obvious. "
" Don't take this the wrong way, but why do you keep calling me 'my dear'? " Issabelle asked, her eyes darting around nervously as she toyed with a strand of slightly damp hair.
" I just think, " Voldemort said, smiling in an unreadable way, " That we are going to get along splendidly well. Oh, I brought something for you. "
Issabelle pretended to be surprised so that he would not appear suspicious as she took the package from him and opened it.
" Its a relaxative potion. It will calm you down. You looked a little upset back there. Can't say that I blame you... You really like him, huh? "
" Uh... yeah. My uncle introduced us. "
" What's your uncle's name, Issabelle? " Voldemort asked, walking over to the sofa facing the fire and sitting down.
" Albus. " Issabelle replied, following him.
" Albus Dumbledore? "
" Uh... " Issabelle suddenly became very interested in the pattern that the flames were making and a deep silence fell between them.
" Well? "
" Yes. It's Dumbledore. " Issabelle said quietly, facing him, " Have you ever been in a really tough position? Like you don't know what to do about a situation? "
" Yeah, why? " Voldemort faced her and instantly noticed her troubled expression, " If you want to talk about it, maybe I can help you find an answer. "
" I've got a whole bunch of them right now... Let's see, first there is Severus. Is he gonna be okay? He sure looked mad at me... "
" No one would be in a good mood after that spell, Issie. Don't take it personally. I'm sure that he'll be back to his sweet old self in no time. "
" Okay, next question: have you ever met a girl named Anna? "
" Hmmm... Anna... " Voldemort said thoughtfully, rubbing a slender finger against his chin, " A friend of yours, I assume? Someone used the sleeping draught on her? "
" Yes! " Issabelle said, now very interested in the conversation.
" My turn to ask you a question, Issabelle. " Voldemort said, looking at her with his blazing eyes, " Why are you really here? "
" That was the last thing I wanted to ask you about, kinda... "
" How so? "
" Well, Sev and I have a bit of a problem. Ya see, Uncle Albus thinks I am gonna send him letters about what I do here. He caught me following Sev and that's another reason I'm worried Severous might get mad at me. "
" Hmmm... That is quite a delimma, Issie. I'm glad you've decided to ask me for advice. That was a smart thing to do. I'll help you write the letters to Albus so that he will not worry and Severous will never know any different. How's that? "
" That's a brillaint idea! " Issabelle said smiling at her own cleverness, " Did you have any other questions? "
" Just one, " Voldemort said, getting up and facing her again, " How would you like to be my advisor, Issabelle? I really like you and I would like to make you my most trusted councilor. "
Issabelle felt herself honestly beaming with pride. No one had ever paid this much attention to her before and she liked it, " I would be honoured. "
Voldemort smiled, " I am glad to hear that Issabelle. Now, get some rest. We all have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow. "
" Why? " Issabelle asked, very curious.
" Let's just say it's a... surprise. " Voldemort said leaving the room and softly closing the door behind him.
[ What is going on here?? Could Voldemort possibly be developing a crush? Is Anna alive? What is the "surprise"? And... What happened to Snape? Keep your eyes peeled for "Snape's Secret Part V" and find out what lies ahead!! ]
( A/N: I would advise you to read parts 1 - 3 of "Snape's Secret" if you haven't already. Aside from that, enjoy! )
Issabelle looked down from her broom, a troubled frown starting to slowly cross her face. She had never seen a Death Eater before -- at least not in their actual attire -- and she felt scared for the first time she could remember. Yes, she had been an Auror. Yes, she had been taught by the most famous of them all -- Moody. Yes, she hated Voldemorts ambitions. But she had never left the comfort of her office in the 15 years she had been with the ministry for anything more drastic then self defence training.
" You okay, Issabelle? You can go back if you want. " Snape said, noticing the look on her face.
" No, Severus. I am here to make sure you come outta this alive. If anything happened to you... " Issabelle looked at him, feeling a great urge to lie her head on his shoulder and cry, but realizing where she was, she forced herself to stop and take a deep breath.
" Ready to do this? " Snape asked, looking at her one last time.
" Ready as I'll ever be. " she replied, bittting her bottom lip and looking at the group that was gathered below. " What's our story, anyway? "
" None. We're going to have to make it up, otherwise he could catch us with a truth potion. "
" Ugh! Imagine getting caught with your own potion, Severus! That would not be very bright! " Issabelle laughed.
The pair kicked their brooms off of the ledge they had been resting on and slowly began to float down onto the same level as the bonfire the Death Eaters were standing around. It took Issabelle only seconds to find the scarlet eyes of their leader and she felt her mouth grow dry from nervousness.
" Ah, Severus... " Voldemort said, without bothering to even raise his eyes to check, " What a... pleasure.... to see you again. "
" The pleasure is mine, my lord. " Snape replied, bowing low.
" Tell me, " the Dark Lord continued, " Who is your lovely friend? I do not recall ever seeing her at any of our other meetings. "
" My name is Issabelle. " Issabelle said quietly, deciding not to give her last name incase he recignized it.
" Oh, she speaks for herself! How interesting! Not at all like most ladies who occassionally appear in our midst. " Voldemort chuckled coldly, " But tell me, Severus, why are you here? What makes you think you can just show up when you please? "
" I am sorry, my lord. Please forgive me. " Snape said, looking at Issabelle with a quick smirk of satisfaction.
" I do not forgive easily, Severus. That you know. " Voldemort said, twirling his wand between his slender fingers rhythemically, " However, I will allow you to prove that you regret your actions. "
" My lord is most generous. What do you think, Issabelle? " Snape asked.
" Surely the lady can not answer that yet. She has barely been here a minute. But enough stalling, Severus. I demand payment from my deserters -- Cucio! "
Snape doubled over in pain. His bones felt as though they were burning from the inside out and his eyes rolled back in his head violently. He writhered and shook like a snake recoiling from a bolt of lightening. Issabelle felt her stomach churning at the sight of such cruelty and was very tempted to stop the spell herself, but she forced herself to fold her hands togather and pretend it did not faze her as she and Snape had discussed.
" Relico! " Voldemort said after what seemed like forever and Snape callapsed to the ground. " Its all right, my dear, you can act concerned. "
" Severus! " Issabelle said, her eyes wide with panic as she gave him her hand and slowly helped him to his feet. Without a second thought she untied her pale lavender cloak and had put it around him, which made him look utterly rediculous. By the time she was finished making sure he was alright, the entire group of Death Eaters had fallen to the ground in fits of laughter.
" Thank you, Issabelle. " Snape said, trying to sound appreciative. However, his eyes gave away the fact that he would have liked nothing more then to put her though what he had just experienced tenfold.
" Have a heart, Severus! She was terrified! Surely you have to understand that. " Voldemort scolded mockingly, " Now come, let me show you where we will be staying. "
" Uh... " Issabelle looked slightly confused, " How did you know we would be staying? "
" Issabelle, " Voldemort said dramatically, " There is not much in this world that I don't know. You'll get use to it. "
*****
" Ahhhhh.... " Issabelle said, breathing a sigh of relief as the warmth of the bath she had prepared started to seap in at last, " I can't believe I'm doing this... Gee, I wonder what Anna would think of all this? Hmmm... She's probably say something like 'Issabelle, you've really gotten yourself in a fix this time'. Heh, she'd be right. This is the most completely insane thing I have ever done. "
" Really? " A quiet voice asked, hurling her out of her daydream with a quick jolt.
" Who's there? " Issabelle asked, waving her wand and instantly finding herself decently dried off and in a bathrobe.
" Tom. " the voice replied.
" Tom? What, did you bring the rest of my lugage from downstairs? Just leave it in the hall, okay? " Issabelle asked, pulling her hair up in a ponytail.
" I want to speak to you. " the voice said, ignoring her responce complety.
" I said leave the lugage and go! " Issabelle said crossly, opening the door and coming face to face with Voldemort. " M-my goodness! I had no idea... "
" That, my dear Issabelle, was painfully obvious. "
" Don't take this the wrong way, but why do you keep calling me 'my dear'? " Issabelle asked, her eyes darting around nervously as she toyed with a strand of slightly damp hair.
" I just think, " Voldemort said, smiling in an unreadable way, " That we are going to get along splendidly well. Oh, I brought something for you. "
Issabelle pretended to be surprised so that he would not appear suspicious as she took the package from him and opened it.
" Its a relaxative potion. It will calm you down. You looked a little upset back there. Can't say that I blame you... You really like him, huh? "
" Uh... yeah. My uncle introduced us. "
" What's your uncle's name, Issabelle? " Voldemort asked, walking over to the sofa facing the fire and sitting down.
" Albus. " Issabelle replied, following him.
" Albus Dumbledore? "
" Uh... " Issabelle suddenly became very interested in the pattern that the flames were making and a deep silence fell between them.
" Well? "
" Yes. It's Dumbledore. " Issabelle said quietly, facing him, " Have you ever been in a really tough position? Like you don't know what to do about a situation? "
" Yeah, why? " Voldemort faced her and instantly noticed her troubled expression, " If you want to talk about it, maybe I can help you find an answer. "
" I've got a whole bunch of them right now... Let's see, first there is Severus. Is he gonna be okay? He sure looked mad at me... "
" No one would be in a good mood after that spell, Issie. Don't take it personally. I'm sure that he'll be back to his sweet old self in no time. "
" Okay, next question: have you ever met a girl named Anna? "
" Hmmm... Anna... " Voldemort said thoughtfully, rubbing a slender finger against his chin, " A friend of yours, I assume? Someone used the sleeping draught on her? "
" Yes! " Issabelle said, now very interested in the conversation.
" My turn to ask you a question, Issabelle. " Voldemort said, looking at her with his blazing eyes, " Why are you really here? "
" That was the last thing I wanted to ask you about, kinda... "
" How so? "
" Well, Sev and I have a bit of a problem. Ya see, Uncle Albus thinks I am gonna send him letters about what I do here. He caught me following Sev and that's another reason I'm worried Severous might get mad at me. "
" Hmmm... That is quite a delimma, Issie. I'm glad you've decided to ask me for advice. That was a smart thing to do. I'll help you write the letters to Albus so that he will not worry and Severous will never know any different. How's that? "
" That's a brillaint idea! " Issabelle said smiling at her own cleverness, " Did you have any other questions? "
" Just one, " Voldemort said, getting up and facing her again, " How would you like to be my advisor, Issabelle? I really like you and I would like to make you my most trusted councilor. "
Issabelle felt herself honestly beaming with pride. No one had ever paid this much attention to her before and she liked it, " I would be honoured. "
Voldemort smiled, " I am glad to hear that Issabelle. Now, get some rest. We all have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow. "
" Why? " Issabelle asked, very curious.
" Let's just say it's a... surprise. " Voldemort said leaving the room and softly closing the door behind him.
[ What is going on here?? Could Voldemort possibly be developing a crush? Is Anna alive? What is the "surprise"? And... What happened to Snape? Keep your eyes peeled for "Snape's Secret Part V" and find out what lies ahead!! ]