3.
As soon as lesson finished for morning break, Snape made his way to Dumbledore's office. Soon he had climbed the moving stairway and was knocking on the door.
"Severus!" exclaimed Dumbledore, wrenching open the door, "Come in."
Dumbledore went over to the desk and sat down. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, eyed Snape inscrutably from his perch on the window ledge.
"Sherbet lemon?" asked Dumbledore, proffering an attractive glass bowl full of sweets.
"No thank you." Said Snape shortly. Then before he could stop himself he added:
"Who is the Leroux girl?"
Dumbledore looked mildly surprised.
"I thought you of all people would have realized." He said. "She is the daughter of Anton Leroux and Claudia Slane."
"Anton Leroux?" exclaimed Snape incredulously, "but he was one of the most famous aurors in France-"
"And she was Lord Voldemort's most valued supporter." Finished Dumbledore. He gave a strange smile. "Funny how things work out, isn't it?"
"I never knew." Said Snape. "I worked alongside her-" he broke off suddenly.
"And loved her."
"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Said Snape, with a half-amused, half-exasperated look.
"My dear Severus, I can read you like a book. No one knew they had a child. No one knew they were married. How would anyone guess? The idea was absolutely incredible. I only know all this because I was one of Anton's closest friends. They were besotted with each other. When they got married they promised each other they would abandon their separate ways of life: she would finish her activities for Voldemort, he would give up his work as an auror."
"What happened?" asked Snape eagerly.
"The inevitable." Replied Dumbledore with a sigh. "After six years, Claudia went back to Voldemort. When Anton found out he left, taking the child with him. Claudia wasn't a woman to be crossed, as no doubt you knew. She cursed her daughter. No one knows precisely what it did to her, but it was a miracle she survived at all.. Anton was beyond reason, he went after Claudia."
"And they destroyed each other." Said Snape. A feeling of great bitterness welled up inside him. Those two had loved each other passionately and fatally. She had never cared for him. He had been a fool to imagine otherwise. Being Snape, all he did was take a deep breath and pause for a few seconds before saying: "He was the only man she ever feared."
"And she was the only person Anton was afraid of."
There was silence for a few minutes.
At last Snape spoke:
"Why didn't you tell me she was coming here?" he asked
"I didn't think it would matter, it all happened so long ago." Replied Dumbledore, "Maybe I should have told you. She must have given you a nasty jolt, springing out of the blue, with her mother's eyes to boot. But you were exactly the same when Harry Potter came here last year looking so much like his father, and there weren't any problems then, were there?"
Snape looked up suspiciously, but Dumbledore seemed perfectly serious.
"Well, apart from that time when he thought you were trying to kill him." Conceded Dumbledore, in answer to Snape's glare. There was another pause.
"I suppose their marriage was hushed up." Snape said at last.
"Well naturally. As were their deaths, and Vivian's birth. It didn't really reflect credit to either side. A highly respected auror, married to one of the most renowned Death Eaters! It was unthinkable."
"Of course." Said Snape. He stood up. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"Not at all Severus." Replied Dumbledore politely.
Snape left silently, his mind busy. As he strode down the corridor, he was slightly disconcerted to meet Vivian, wearing a worried expression and hurrying in the direction of Dumbledore's study.
She was lucky. As she stood outside, wondering what the password was to get into the study, the wall opened and Dumbledore appeared.
"Did you want to speak to me?" he asked.
"Yes please, if that's alright." Replied Vivian nervously.
"Of course."
Once they were both seated comfortably in Dumbledore's study, with Fawkes perched on Dumbledore's chair, Vivian began.
"You know my mother, she was - "
"A Death Eater." Finished Dumbledore, "Please continue."
"Well she used to have people to the house, when Dad wasn't around. I mean Voldemort's supporters. I only realised that was what they were when I was older. Professor Snape was one of them. I recognised him this morning. I thought I should come and warn you."
"You did well." Said Dumbledore kindly. As he spoke Fawkes flew from his perch on Dumbledore's chair and settled on Vivian's lap. She felt glad of the comforting warm weight; recalling her past was never easy.
Dumbledore continued: "But in this case there is no need to worry. Professor Snape was indeed a Death Eater, but he abandoned Lord Voldemort before his downfall, and became a spy for our side."
"But how do you know that he's really left Voldemort?" asked Vivian suspiciously.
"Maybe he'll explain it to you himself one of these days." Said Dumbledore. "But can I ask you keep this information to yourself? It's not our secret."
"Of course, I won't say a word." Said Vivian, "I just thought maybe he was a spy or something."
"Naturally." Said Dumbledore kindly, "Thank you for telling me. There isn't anything else bothering you is there?"
Vivian thought about the worry which she had lived with since she had learnt her parents' story, the fear of what she might become. The sorting hat's words came back to her: you have that power. It was a heavy weight, and she thought of confiding in Dumbledore her long struggle against the power inside her, but her habitual reserve still dominated.
"Nothing else." She replied, rising to leave.
Dumbledore watched her leave with a thoughtful expression.
"Power." He murmured to Fawkes.
As soon as lesson finished for morning break, Snape made his way to Dumbledore's office. Soon he had climbed the moving stairway and was knocking on the door.
"Severus!" exclaimed Dumbledore, wrenching open the door, "Come in."
Dumbledore went over to the desk and sat down. Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, eyed Snape inscrutably from his perch on the window ledge.
"Sherbet lemon?" asked Dumbledore, proffering an attractive glass bowl full of sweets.
"No thank you." Said Snape shortly. Then before he could stop himself he added:
"Who is the Leroux girl?"
Dumbledore looked mildly surprised.
"I thought you of all people would have realized." He said. "She is the daughter of Anton Leroux and Claudia Slane."
"Anton Leroux?" exclaimed Snape incredulously, "but he was one of the most famous aurors in France-"
"And she was Lord Voldemort's most valued supporter." Finished Dumbledore. He gave a strange smile. "Funny how things work out, isn't it?"
"I never knew." Said Snape. "I worked alongside her-" he broke off suddenly.
"And loved her."
"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Said Snape, with a half-amused, half-exasperated look.
"My dear Severus, I can read you like a book. No one knew they had a child. No one knew they were married. How would anyone guess? The idea was absolutely incredible. I only know all this because I was one of Anton's closest friends. They were besotted with each other. When they got married they promised each other they would abandon their separate ways of life: she would finish her activities for Voldemort, he would give up his work as an auror."
"What happened?" asked Snape eagerly.
"The inevitable." Replied Dumbledore with a sigh. "After six years, Claudia went back to Voldemort. When Anton found out he left, taking the child with him. Claudia wasn't a woman to be crossed, as no doubt you knew. She cursed her daughter. No one knows precisely what it did to her, but it was a miracle she survived at all.. Anton was beyond reason, he went after Claudia."
"And they destroyed each other." Said Snape. A feeling of great bitterness welled up inside him. Those two had loved each other passionately and fatally. She had never cared for him. He had been a fool to imagine otherwise. Being Snape, all he did was take a deep breath and pause for a few seconds before saying: "He was the only man she ever feared."
"And she was the only person Anton was afraid of."
There was silence for a few minutes.
At last Snape spoke:
"Why didn't you tell me she was coming here?" he asked
"I didn't think it would matter, it all happened so long ago." Replied Dumbledore, "Maybe I should have told you. She must have given you a nasty jolt, springing out of the blue, with her mother's eyes to boot. But you were exactly the same when Harry Potter came here last year looking so much like his father, and there weren't any problems then, were there?"
Snape looked up suspiciously, but Dumbledore seemed perfectly serious.
"Well, apart from that time when he thought you were trying to kill him." Conceded Dumbledore, in answer to Snape's glare. There was another pause.
"I suppose their marriage was hushed up." Snape said at last.
"Well naturally. As were their deaths, and Vivian's birth. It didn't really reflect credit to either side. A highly respected auror, married to one of the most renowned Death Eaters! It was unthinkable."
"Of course." Said Snape. He stood up. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."
"Not at all Severus." Replied Dumbledore politely.
Snape left silently, his mind busy. As he strode down the corridor, he was slightly disconcerted to meet Vivian, wearing a worried expression and hurrying in the direction of Dumbledore's study.
She was lucky. As she stood outside, wondering what the password was to get into the study, the wall opened and Dumbledore appeared.
"Did you want to speak to me?" he asked.
"Yes please, if that's alright." Replied Vivian nervously.
"Of course."
Once they were both seated comfortably in Dumbledore's study, with Fawkes perched on Dumbledore's chair, Vivian began.
"You know my mother, she was - "
"A Death Eater." Finished Dumbledore, "Please continue."
"Well she used to have people to the house, when Dad wasn't around. I mean Voldemort's supporters. I only realised that was what they were when I was older. Professor Snape was one of them. I recognised him this morning. I thought I should come and warn you."
"You did well." Said Dumbledore kindly. As he spoke Fawkes flew from his perch on Dumbledore's chair and settled on Vivian's lap. She felt glad of the comforting warm weight; recalling her past was never easy.
Dumbledore continued: "But in this case there is no need to worry. Professor Snape was indeed a Death Eater, but he abandoned Lord Voldemort before his downfall, and became a spy for our side."
"But how do you know that he's really left Voldemort?" asked Vivian suspiciously.
"Maybe he'll explain it to you himself one of these days." Said Dumbledore. "But can I ask you keep this information to yourself? It's not our secret."
"Of course, I won't say a word." Said Vivian, "I just thought maybe he was a spy or something."
"Naturally." Said Dumbledore kindly, "Thank you for telling me. There isn't anything else bothering you is there?"
Vivian thought about the worry which she had lived with since she had learnt her parents' story, the fear of what she might become. The sorting hat's words came back to her: you have that power. It was a heavy weight, and she thought of confiding in Dumbledore her long struggle against the power inside her, but her habitual reserve still dominated.
"Nothing else." She replied, rising to leave.
Dumbledore watched her leave with a thoughtful expression.
"Power." He murmured to Fawkes.