Snape's Secret Part VII: Anna's Return
[ A/N: So glad everyone liked the last part! It was one of my favorites to write. I think you will all find this part equally interesting. Things are gonna start moving! Its amazing to see how different people respond to my way of writing Voldemort and I am sure you will all find this chapter very facinating with all due respects to his character's development. ]
" Uh... " Issabelle mumbled, her eyes struggling to ajust to the light. Three days had passed since the attack on Auroria and she had just now awakened from her deep trance-enduced sleep. Looking around, she realized that the furnishings of the room she was in were unfamilar to her. She was lying on a large king-sized bed which was covered with gold satin sheets and a red comforter and a large ebony vanity was facing her from the opposite wall.
" You're awake! "
The voice in her ear made Issabelle feel as though she was about to jump out of her skin and she hastily spun her head in the direction it had come from to find Voldemort sitting beside the bed watching her.
" W-what are you doing here? Where am I? Where is Sev? " Issabelle stammered, shivering at the thought that she might be all alone in this room with him.
" I'm here, Issie. " Snape said, running her fingers over the back of her neck carefully, " Are you okay? We were all very worried! "
" Yes, I will be fine. But where am I? "
" You are in my private quarters. I wanted to take care of your recovery myself. When you are feeling stronger I also want an explaination about what you did back there. " Voldemort said, turning her head so that it was facing him again.
" My motivation was very simple, Tom. Auroria is my hometown. I told you that in the park. How much more obvious can it get? "
" You've misunderstood me, Issabelle, " Voldemort replied, looking at her with a mildly scolding glance, " I want to know how you did it, not why. "
" Oh, dear... " Issabelle said, putting a hand to her forehead and sighing, " I wish I knew, to be honest with you.... I seem to do that whenever one of my emotions is triggered. Its not always the healing rain, either. But how to control it? That's something I haven't been able to master. "
" I see. Well, I know someone who is dying to see you when you are feeling better. But for now, I think you should just take it easy. "
******
Issabelle recovered gradually, and within a few more days was basically back to her normal cheerful self. Many of the Death Eaters who had previously regarded her as a common muggle-born wizard started to behave in a much more friendly manner and everyone at Voldemort's castle treated her with the utmost care, both to please their master and to ensure her favour.
It had been two weeks since Issabelle had woken up on Voldemort's bed and she was growing anxious about the visitor that he had mentioned that day. Who was it? And... why did they want to see her? Issabelle's steadily growing anticipation reared its head that morning after breakfast.
" Tom, " she said, entering the library, where he was sitting with several ancient looking spellbooks opened, " When am I going to meet that person you were talking about a couple weeks ago? "
" Go away! I'm busy. " Voldemort mumbled, not bothering to raise his eyes from the book he was reading. However, Issabelle was not so easily discouraged.
" What are you reading about? "
" For the last time, leave! I do not want to be disturbed! " Voldemort snapped.
" Fine. " Issabelle said icily, turning and starting to leave the room.
" How dare you talk to me like that! " Voldemort roared, grabbing his wand and raising his head to aim it at his disruptor, " Cuc -- Issabelle?! "
" Yes, its me. You asked to see me, actually. " she answered, turning to face him again. " If I am keeping you from something, we can reschedule this.... "
" Goodness, no! Come in and sit down. I was so absorbed in my book that I did not realize it was you. Would you like a chocolate? " He asked, holding the box so that she could take one.
" Yes, thank you. "
" Wonderful. Now, on to what I thought we might want to discuss. " he said, taking one himself and pouring each of them a mug of tea, " As you know, I taught your potions class in your fourth year at Durmstrang Institute. "
" Yes. "
" And at the end of the term, I gave your friend Anna a vial of the sleeping draught. "
" Indeed. "
" Well, I am going to propose a little game to you. A ... contest, so to speak. "
" Go on, then. "
" Very well. I have your friend hidden somewhere within this castle. I will give you three days to find and revive her. If you are successful, she is yours to do as you see fit with. However, if you fail.... "
" Which I won't. "
" .... You will break off your relationship with Severus and agree to marry me. Do you accept? "
" Who's to say I can't find her outside the bounds of your little head game anyway? "
" You see, Issabelle, " Voldemort began in a mockingly explanitory voice, " It is very costly to keep someone alive under the sleeping draught. To put it bluntly, her payment has come due. Either you can take her off my hands, or she ... well, she'll just... die. "
" I don't like your odds, Tom. What your dong here is really dispicable. " Issabelle said, her voice dropping an octone, " You're basically telling me your holding my best friend hostage and that's just not going to mix well with our friendship. "
" Well, I like you and I can't seem to get you to like me any other way. "
" Tom, please. You are being really selfish, you know. " Issabelle pleaded.
" Not so confident all of the sudden? "
" Quit trying to play on my pride. Its not gonna work. " Issabelle muttered, standing up and walking out of the room.
******
" You're joking, right? " Severus asked, one Issabelle had finished telling him about her meeting with Tom that morning, " Well, we've got to help her. That is decided without question... We just need a plan. "
" But if we mess it up... " Issabelle said, her eyes showing her inner worry, " I love you! This could really cause a big mess. And he's bound to find another way if we succeed at this. And what if this is rigged? "
" Don't worry, Issabelle. Everything will be okay. Accept his challenge and make him give you his word that he isn't cheating and that nothing will happen to her. I'll take it from here. "
" Thanks, Severus... " Issabelle said, hugging him.
******
" Wonderful... " Voldemort said, clasping his hands togather gleefully, " And of course I'm not going to cheat. I assure you, no harm will come to her regardless of how this turns out. "
" Thank you. " Issabelle said, walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. As soon as she knew she was out of Voldemort's earshot, she ran down the hall to her own room, closed the door behind her and pulled a small ring with an emerald coloured eye out of it.
" This will tell me where she is, " Issabelle said, putting it on. Almost instantly, the eye began to blink in a steady rhythem, " Yes, she is here... "
******
That night, armed with the ring, an invisability cloak and her wand, Issabelle made her way into the hallway just outside her room. The candles had been snuffed and it seemed that everyone was fast asleep, which suited Issabelle just fine. Pointing her wand forward and saying "Lummos!" quietly, she pointed the tiny light at the ring and watched it begin to spin at a faster pace as she moved towards Voldemort's chambers.
She could not figure out what made her have such a strong urge to search here, but it seemed that her intuition was paying off as she quietly opened the door and opened the door and slid the wand under her cloak.
" Issie... " A hoarse voice whispered from a dark corner. Issabelle jumped, startled, banging into the vanity across from Voldemort's bed.
" Dammit! " Issabelle whispered under her breath, rubbing her right elbow and accidentily leaving a few golden-blonde strands of hair showing.
" Shhh... " the voice said, " Over here... "
Following the voice, Issabelle slid past Voldemort's bed and found a trap door leading down into a cellar. There, huddled in a corner on the floor, was Anna.
" Anna! " Issabelle exclaimed, forgetting where she was for a moment.
" Quiet! " Anna whispered, slowly standing up and letting Issabelle help her out of the dreary room and closing the trap door quietly.
Isssabelle pulled off her invisability cloak and pulled the long fuchia robes she had brough with her out of hidding, wrapping them around Anna. " Here, I want you to take this and put it in the robe pocket. He can't see it. "
" Okay. " Anna said, placing Issabelle's ring into the pocket. " What do we do now? "
" Tom! " Issabelle said, shaking him, " Hey, Tom! I found her! "
" Huh? What? " Voldemort mumbled sleepily, " WHAT?! "
" Hello, Professor. " Anna said, her voice dripping sarcasm.
" I win. " Issabelle said, grinning, " Fair and square. "
" Indeed, you do, Issabelle. You win this round. But knw this: I will not stop until you and I are togather! "
" Save your strength, Riddle. " Anna said, a slight smirk crossing her face.
" I'm not leavng this deal completely empty handed! " Voldemort said angrily, pulling Issabelle down onto the bed and kissing her.
" What was that for? " Issabelle asked, looking at him torn between confusion and delight.
" Simply... " Voldemort paused, glancing at Issabelle longingly, " A taste of things to come. "
[ End Note: Who do you want to see Issabelle with? What will happen next? And what other plots is Voldemort coming up with to win her? Will he succeed? ]
[ A/N: So glad everyone liked the last part! It was one of my favorites to write. I think you will all find this part equally interesting. Things are gonna start moving! Its amazing to see how different people respond to my way of writing Voldemort and I am sure you will all find this chapter very facinating with all due respects to his character's development. ]
" Uh... " Issabelle mumbled, her eyes struggling to ajust to the light. Three days had passed since the attack on Auroria and she had just now awakened from her deep trance-enduced sleep. Looking around, she realized that the furnishings of the room she was in were unfamilar to her. She was lying on a large king-sized bed which was covered with gold satin sheets and a red comforter and a large ebony vanity was facing her from the opposite wall.
" You're awake! "
The voice in her ear made Issabelle feel as though she was about to jump out of her skin and she hastily spun her head in the direction it had come from to find Voldemort sitting beside the bed watching her.
" W-what are you doing here? Where am I? Where is Sev? " Issabelle stammered, shivering at the thought that she might be all alone in this room with him.
" I'm here, Issie. " Snape said, running her fingers over the back of her neck carefully, " Are you okay? We were all very worried! "
" Yes, I will be fine. But where am I? "
" You are in my private quarters. I wanted to take care of your recovery myself. When you are feeling stronger I also want an explaination about what you did back there. " Voldemort said, turning her head so that it was facing him again.
" My motivation was very simple, Tom. Auroria is my hometown. I told you that in the park. How much more obvious can it get? "
" You've misunderstood me, Issabelle, " Voldemort replied, looking at her with a mildly scolding glance, " I want to know how you did it, not why. "
" Oh, dear... " Issabelle said, putting a hand to her forehead and sighing, " I wish I knew, to be honest with you.... I seem to do that whenever one of my emotions is triggered. Its not always the healing rain, either. But how to control it? That's something I haven't been able to master. "
" I see. Well, I know someone who is dying to see you when you are feeling better. But for now, I think you should just take it easy. "
******
Issabelle recovered gradually, and within a few more days was basically back to her normal cheerful self. Many of the Death Eaters who had previously regarded her as a common muggle-born wizard started to behave in a much more friendly manner and everyone at Voldemort's castle treated her with the utmost care, both to please their master and to ensure her favour.
It had been two weeks since Issabelle had woken up on Voldemort's bed and she was growing anxious about the visitor that he had mentioned that day. Who was it? And... why did they want to see her? Issabelle's steadily growing anticipation reared its head that morning after breakfast.
" Tom, " she said, entering the library, where he was sitting with several ancient looking spellbooks opened, " When am I going to meet that person you were talking about a couple weeks ago? "
" Go away! I'm busy. " Voldemort mumbled, not bothering to raise his eyes from the book he was reading. However, Issabelle was not so easily discouraged.
" What are you reading about? "
" For the last time, leave! I do not want to be disturbed! " Voldemort snapped.
" Fine. " Issabelle said icily, turning and starting to leave the room.
" How dare you talk to me like that! " Voldemort roared, grabbing his wand and raising his head to aim it at his disruptor, " Cuc -- Issabelle?! "
" Yes, its me. You asked to see me, actually. " she answered, turning to face him again. " If I am keeping you from something, we can reschedule this.... "
" Goodness, no! Come in and sit down. I was so absorbed in my book that I did not realize it was you. Would you like a chocolate? " He asked, holding the box so that she could take one.
" Yes, thank you. "
" Wonderful. Now, on to what I thought we might want to discuss. " he said, taking one himself and pouring each of them a mug of tea, " As you know, I taught your potions class in your fourth year at Durmstrang Institute. "
" Yes. "
" And at the end of the term, I gave your friend Anna a vial of the sleeping draught. "
" Indeed. "
" Well, I am going to propose a little game to you. A ... contest, so to speak. "
" Go on, then. "
" Very well. I have your friend hidden somewhere within this castle. I will give you three days to find and revive her. If you are successful, she is yours to do as you see fit with. However, if you fail.... "
" Which I won't. "
" .... You will break off your relationship with Severus and agree to marry me. Do you accept? "
" Who's to say I can't find her outside the bounds of your little head game anyway? "
" You see, Issabelle, " Voldemort began in a mockingly explanitory voice, " It is very costly to keep someone alive under the sleeping draught. To put it bluntly, her payment has come due. Either you can take her off my hands, or she ... well, she'll just... die. "
" I don't like your odds, Tom. What your dong here is really dispicable. " Issabelle said, her voice dropping an octone, " You're basically telling me your holding my best friend hostage and that's just not going to mix well with our friendship. "
" Well, I like you and I can't seem to get you to like me any other way. "
" Tom, please. You are being really selfish, you know. " Issabelle pleaded.
" Not so confident all of the sudden? "
" Quit trying to play on my pride. Its not gonna work. " Issabelle muttered, standing up and walking out of the room.
******
" You're joking, right? " Severus asked, one Issabelle had finished telling him about her meeting with Tom that morning, " Well, we've got to help her. That is decided without question... We just need a plan. "
" But if we mess it up... " Issabelle said, her eyes showing her inner worry, " I love you! This could really cause a big mess. And he's bound to find another way if we succeed at this. And what if this is rigged? "
" Don't worry, Issabelle. Everything will be okay. Accept his challenge and make him give you his word that he isn't cheating and that nothing will happen to her. I'll take it from here. "
" Thanks, Severus... " Issabelle said, hugging him.
******
" Wonderful... " Voldemort said, clasping his hands togather gleefully, " And of course I'm not going to cheat. I assure you, no harm will come to her regardless of how this turns out. "
" Thank you. " Issabelle said, walking out of the room and closing the door behind her. As soon as she knew she was out of Voldemort's earshot, she ran down the hall to her own room, closed the door behind her and pulled a small ring with an emerald coloured eye out of it.
" This will tell me where she is, " Issabelle said, putting it on. Almost instantly, the eye began to blink in a steady rhythem, " Yes, she is here... "
******
That night, armed with the ring, an invisability cloak and her wand, Issabelle made her way into the hallway just outside her room. The candles had been snuffed and it seemed that everyone was fast asleep, which suited Issabelle just fine. Pointing her wand forward and saying "Lummos!" quietly, she pointed the tiny light at the ring and watched it begin to spin at a faster pace as she moved towards Voldemort's chambers.
She could not figure out what made her have such a strong urge to search here, but it seemed that her intuition was paying off as she quietly opened the door and opened the door and slid the wand under her cloak.
" Issie... " A hoarse voice whispered from a dark corner. Issabelle jumped, startled, banging into the vanity across from Voldemort's bed.
" Dammit! " Issabelle whispered under her breath, rubbing her right elbow and accidentily leaving a few golden-blonde strands of hair showing.
" Shhh... " the voice said, " Over here... "
Following the voice, Issabelle slid past Voldemort's bed and found a trap door leading down into a cellar. There, huddled in a corner on the floor, was Anna.
" Anna! " Issabelle exclaimed, forgetting where she was for a moment.
" Quiet! " Anna whispered, slowly standing up and letting Issabelle help her out of the dreary room and closing the trap door quietly.
Isssabelle pulled off her invisability cloak and pulled the long fuchia robes she had brough with her out of hidding, wrapping them around Anna. " Here, I want you to take this and put it in the robe pocket. He can't see it. "
" Okay. " Anna said, placing Issabelle's ring into the pocket. " What do we do now? "
" Tom! " Issabelle said, shaking him, " Hey, Tom! I found her! "
" Huh? What? " Voldemort mumbled sleepily, " WHAT?! "
" Hello, Professor. " Anna said, her voice dripping sarcasm.
" I win. " Issabelle said, grinning, " Fair and square. "
" Indeed, you do, Issabelle. You win this round. But knw this: I will not stop until you and I are togather! "
" Save your strength, Riddle. " Anna said, a slight smirk crossing her face.
" I'm not leavng this deal completely empty handed! " Voldemort said angrily, pulling Issabelle down onto the bed and kissing her.
" What was that for? " Issabelle asked, looking at him torn between confusion and delight.
" Simply... " Voldemort paused, glancing at Issabelle longingly, " A taste of things to come. "
[ End Note: Who do you want to see Issabelle with? What will happen next? And what other plots is Voldemort coming up with to win her? Will he succeed? ]