Snape's Secret Part V: Trouble in Auroria
The next morng, Issabelle woke with a sudden surge of energy. Glancing around the room, she felt very confused.
" This isn't Hogwarts? Where the heck am I? What's going on? " She mumbled, getting out of bed. Then walking over to the belcony looking down on the deserted stretch of sea below she slowly began to remember the events of the previous evening.
Remembering Voldemort's final words the night before, Issabelle went back to the inner part of her room and quickly dressed in a loose-fitting lilac dress and pulled her hair away frm her face with two matching bretts which were shaped like little hearts. Voldemort had been telling the truth -- the potion had worked wonders and Issabelle had had an excellent sleep and felt truly refreshed.
Feeling ready to face the day, Issabelle made her way downstairs and to the diningroom that Voldemort had shown her and Snape the night before. Entering the room, she found the two of them, along with three other death eaters, deep in discussion.
" Ah, good morning, Issabelle! " Voldemort said, breaking off the conversation and gestering to a seat between himself and Snape, " Did you sleep well? "
" Yes, thank you. " Issabelle said, sitting down and helping herself to some blueberry pancakes and sausage and pouring a glass of apple juice.
" You're right on time, " Voldemort continued, smiling, " We were just discussinng today's plans as you entered. "
" Indeed, " Snape said, speaking to her with a slight hint of sarcasm, " We are going to 'visit' Auroria today. "
" Severus, are you quite alright? " Issabelle said, a twang of pain slowly making its way to her heart, " You still seem quite upset at me. I didn't do anything to you... "
" Give him a bit more time, Issabelle, " Voldemort whispered, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, " Now, as Severus was saying, we are going to visit Auroria today. Our objective is to gather supplies from the shops and have some 'fun' with the muggles. "
Issabelle's stomach started churning just as it had last night. What was he talking about? Why hurt the muggles? She caught herself starting to worry about it and forced herself to squelsh the interse desire to protest. It worked, for the moment, but she didn't dare to breath a sigh of relief.
Without warning, she realized that Snape had taken the hand she had left resting on her lap and that he was now caressing it reassuringly. Glancing into his eyes, she saw no change of expression, yet she now realized that this was all part of his plan and felt waves of relief wash over her.
******
" Just what are you trying to pull? " Issabelle snapped, facing Snape angrily in his potions lab twenty minutes later. It was time to get everything put togather for the trip to Auroria, but Voldemort had told Issabelle he would take care of it so she could catch up with Snape.
" Listen to me, Issabelle, " he said, " This is no time to go getting delusions of grandeur!! "
" What are you talking about, Severus? "
" I saw the way you two were acting at breakfast! They way you smiled at eachother! Don't play the fool with me, is that clear? "
" Are you accusing me of cheating on you? Is that what this is all about? "
" Maybe! You're the one who said it. "
" Well I'm not, Severus. I truly do love you and I am doing everything in my power to protect you. "
" Would you care to prove that? "
" How would you have me do that? "
" By putting three drops of this on your tongue! " Snape said, pulling a vial of Veritaseum out of his long dark robes and pouring three nearly microscopic drops on a silver spoon.
" How long will the effect last? " Issabelle asked, taking the spoon from him carefully.
" Don't worry, Issabelle, " Snape said, understanding her concern, " I have the antidote right here. "
Issabelle's mind raced with questions as she raised the spoon to her mouth. What if she didn't love Severus? What if he decided not to give her the antidote and she told Tom everything? Did he really mistrust her this much? And, if so, how could he say that he loved her? The internal interrigation ended rather abrumptly when the liquid touched her tongue and her mind went blank.
" Do you love me, Issabelle? " Although the question itself was clear, the voice of the man asking it seemed very far away.
" Yes, with all my heart... " she replied, her tone flat but her eyes making up for the loss of vocal emotion.
Snape looked at her face and noticed that her eyes looked almost tearful. Slowly, he realize how foolish he was behaving and how much danger he was putting Issabelle in every minute the potion was in effect. Quickly, he turned and opened the antidote, poured three drops on another spoon and placed it carefully in her mouth.
" Sev...er...us... " she said weakly, crumpling into a tiny heap on the floor. Snape looked at her horrified, realizing that the potion had definately caused an allergic reaction. As if matters could get any worse, there was a single knock on the door and Voldemort entered the room.
He was dressed in fine robes of rich black velvet and had combed his usually unruly brown hair neatly into place. One look at Issabelle, however, made his scarlet eyes glow with fury.
" What have you done, Snape? " he barked, scooping Issabelle into his arms and wrapping his cloak around her.
" I... She... Well... Uh... " Snape was speechless, but not because of Voldemort's obvious outrage. He stood there staring at the powerful wizard who was once again holding his beloved Issabelle.
" Master, give her to me... She needs medicine... " Snape pleaded, losing his composer completely as he saw Voldemort look at her that way again.
" I think that Issabelle has received enough of your 'medicine' to last her a lifetime. " Voldemort said, smirking and obviously enjoying himself. " I mean, you do have some nerve putting her under veritaseum to ask her if she loves you! I'd almost say she should be the one who needs to be concerned about your faithfulness. You should be ashamed of yourself! "
" Sev... didn't know... " Issabelle said in a barely audible whisper, " He -- "
" Shhh... Issabelle, save your strength. " Voldemort said, helping her stand up slowly, " It's obvious that he did not recignize your inability to handle heavy potions. "
" Issabelle, I... "
" It's alright, Severus. I understand. Now, let's put this whole unpleasant event behind us and get on with the rest of our day. " Issabelle said, leaving the room in a very noticable hurry.
Once outside, she breathed a sigh of relief. From Voldemort's display of concern, it was clear that he still suspected nothing about what she and Snape were really up to -- and she planned to keep it that way. The fresh air did wonders for her head and she picked up her stride slightly as she made her way back to her room and grabbed a saphire blue clock to go with her dress.
******
The day was bright and sunny as she, Snape, Voldemort and Lucius, a death eater she had just been introduced to, made their way into the tiny village of Auroria. The streets were narrow and unpaved, dotted with an unusual mixture of cottage sized houses and small local shops. Issabelle decided she liked the place immediately and went ahead of the others to explore.
" Look at her, my lord, " Lucius said, his mouth curling into a frown, " She is no more a suitable candidate to be one of us then I would be to work on a 'Save the Muggles' campaign! Look at how she talks to them! It's disgusting! "
" Let it go, Lucius. " Voldemort said, watching Issabelle gracefully jump a skipping-rope that two girls were turning, " She is a complete innocent. Besides, she amuses me. "
It was at this point that both Voldemort and Lucius realized that Snape had disappeared. The truth was that the clever potions master had ducked into a shop while the other two mages were deep in discussion so that he would be onhand to protect the muggles when Voldemort decided to attack. Assuming
that he had went on to find Issabelle, Voldemort and Lucius continued down the street oblivious.
Issabelle had finally reached her destination, a deserted park with an empty swingset met her eyes and she made her way to it and sat down.
" What am I gonna do? " Issabelle said quietly, glancing around, " If Tom's planning an attack here, I know that my powers are going to give Sev and I away and then we'll have a real problem. But what else can I do? I can't control it, what with that potion this morning, and this is my home town... "
" Are you okay, Issabelle? "
Issabelle looked up, silently hoping that it would be Snape standing there, but her heart sank when she realized that Voldemort had been listening to her every word.
The next morng, Issabelle woke with a sudden surge of energy. Glancing around the room, she felt very confused.
" This isn't Hogwarts? Where the heck am I? What's going on? " She mumbled, getting out of bed. Then walking over to the belcony looking down on the deserted stretch of sea below she slowly began to remember the events of the previous evening.
Remembering Voldemort's final words the night before, Issabelle went back to the inner part of her room and quickly dressed in a loose-fitting lilac dress and pulled her hair away frm her face with two matching bretts which were shaped like little hearts. Voldemort had been telling the truth -- the potion had worked wonders and Issabelle had had an excellent sleep and felt truly refreshed.
Feeling ready to face the day, Issabelle made her way downstairs and to the diningroom that Voldemort had shown her and Snape the night before. Entering the room, she found the two of them, along with three other death eaters, deep in discussion.
" Ah, good morning, Issabelle! " Voldemort said, breaking off the conversation and gestering to a seat between himself and Snape, " Did you sleep well? "
" Yes, thank you. " Issabelle said, sitting down and helping herself to some blueberry pancakes and sausage and pouring a glass of apple juice.
" You're right on time, " Voldemort continued, smiling, " We were just discussinng today's plans as you entered. "
" Indeed, " Snape said, speaking to her with a slight hint of sarcasm, " We are going to 'visit' Auroria today. "
" Severus, are you quite alright? " Issabelle said, a twang of pain slowly making its way to her heart, " You still seem quite upset at me. I didn't do anything to you... "
" Give him a bit more time, Issabelle, " Voldemort whispered, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, " Now, as Severus was saying, we are going to visit Auroria today. Our objective is to gather supplies from the shops and have some 'fun' with the muggles. "
Issabelle's stomach started churning just as it had last night. What was he talking about? Why hurt the muggles? She caught herself starting to worry about it and forced herself to squelsh the interse desire to protest. It worked, for the moment, but she didn't dare to breath a sigh of relief.
Without warning, she realized that Snape had taken the hand she had left resting on her lap and that he was now caressing it reassuringly. Glancing into his eyes, she saw no change of expression, yet she now realized that this was all part of his plan and felt waves of relief wash over her.
******
" Just what are you trying to pull? " Issabelle snapped, facing Snape angrily in his potions lab twenty minutes later. It was time to get everything put togather for the trip to Auroria, but Voldemort had told Issabelle he would take care of it so she could catch up with Snape.
" Listen to me, Issabelle, " he said, " This is no time to go getting delusions of grandeur!! "
" What are you talking about, Severus? "
" I saw the way you two were acting at breakfast! They way you smiled at eachother! Don't play the fool with me, is that clear? "
" Are you accusing me of cheating on you? Is that what this is all about? "
" Maybe! You're the one who said it. "
" Well I'm not, Severus. I truly do love you and I am doing everything in my power to protect you. "
" Would you care to prove that? "
" How would you have me do that? "
" By putting three drops of this on your tongue! " Snape said, pulling a vial of Veritaseum out of his long dark robes and pouring three nearly microscopic drops on a silver spoon.
" How long will the effect last? " Issabelle asked, taking the spoon from him carefully.
" Don't worry, Issabelle, " Snape said, understanding her concern, " I have the antidote right here. "
Issabelle's mind raced with questions as she raised the spoon to her mouth. What if she didn't love Severus? What if he decided not to give her the antidote and she told Tom everything? Did he really mistrust her this much? And, if so, how could he say that he loved her? The internal interrigation ended rather abrumptly when the liquid touched her tongue and her mind went blank.
" Do you love me, Issabelle? " Although the question itself was clear, the voice of the man asking it seemed very far away.
" Yes, with all my heart... " she replied, her tone flat but her eyes making up for the loss of vocal emotion.
Snape looked at her face and noticed that her eyes looked almost tearful. Slowly, he realize how foolish he was behaving and how much danger he was putting Issabelle in every minute the potion was in effect. Quickly, he turned and opened the antidote, poured three drops on another spoon and placed it carefully in her mouth.
" Sev...er...us... " she said weakly, crumpling into a tiny heap on the floor. Snape looked at her horrified, realizing that the potion had definately caused an allergic reaction. As if matters could get any worse, there was a single knock on the door and Voldemort entered the room.
He was dressed in fine robes of rich black velvet and had combed his usually unruly brown hair neatly into place. One look at Issabelle, however, made his scarlet eyes glow with fury.
" What have you done, Snape? " he barked, scooping Issabelle into his arms and wrapping his cloak around her.
" I... She... Well... Uh... " Snape was speechless, but not because of Voldemort's obvious outrage. He stood there staring at the powerful wizard who was once again holding his beloved Issabelle.
" Master, give her to me... She needs medicine... " Snape pleaded, losing his composer completely as he saw Voldemort look at her that way again.
" I think that Issabelle has received enough of your 'medicine' to last her a lifetime. " Voldemort said, smirking and obviously enjoying himself. " I mean, you do have some nerve putting her under veritaseum to ask her if she loves you! I'd almost say she should be the one who needs to be concerned about your faithfulness. You should be ashamed of yourself! "
" Sev... didn't know... " Issabelle said in a barely audible whisper, " He -- "
" Shhh... Issabelle, save your strength. " Voldemort said, helping her stand up slowly, " It's obvious that he did not recignize your inability to handle heavy potions. "
" Issabelle, I... "
" It's alright, Severus. I understand. Now, let's put this whole unpleasant event behind us and get on with the rest of our day. " Issabelle said, leaving the room in a very noticable hurry.
Once outside, she breathed a sigh of relief. From Voldemort's display of concern, it was clear that he still suspected nothing about what she and Snape were really up to -- and she planned to keep it that way. The fresh air did wonders for her head and she picked up her stride slightly as she made her way back to her room and grabbed a saphire blue clock to go with her dress.
******
The day was bright and sunny as she, Snape, Voldemort and Lucius, a death eater she had just been introduced to, made their way into the tiny village of Auroria. The streets were narrow and unpaved, dotted with an unusual mixture of cottage sized houses and small local shops. Issabelle decided she liked the place immediately and went ahead of the others to explore.
" Look at her, my lord, " Lucius said, his mouth curling into a frown, " She is no more a suitable candidate to be one of us then I would be to work on a 'Save the Muggles' campaign! Look at how she talks to them! It's disgusting! "
" Let it go, Lucius. " Voldemort said, watching Issabelle gracefully jump a skipping-rope that two girls were turning, " She is a complete innocent. Besides, she amuses me. "
It was at this point that both Voldemort and Lucius realized that Snape had disappeared. The truth was that the clever potions master had ducked into a shop while the other two mages were deep in discussion so that he would be onhand to protect the muggles when Voldemort decided to attack. Assuming
that he had went on to find Issabelle, Voldemort and Lucius continued down the street oblivious.
Issabelle had finally reached her destination, a deserted park with an empty swingset met her eyes and she made her way to it and sat down.
" What am I gonna do? " Issabelle said quietly, glancing around, " If Tom's planning an attack here, I know that my powers are going to give Sev and I away and then we'll have a real problem. But what else can I do? I can't control it, what with that potion this morning, and this is my home town... "
" Are you okay, Issabelle? "
Issabelle looked up, silently hoping that it would be Snape standing there, but her heart sank when she realized that Voldemort had been listening to her every word.