Title: "La Symphonie d'Amour – Part (3/?)
Author: Demeter
Warnings: Slash, RL/SS, DM/HP, OW/PW, HG/RW and any other couples I throw in just for fun! Angst, dark, sometimes fluffy, sometimes squicky.
NOTE: This is the second edition of Part Three! There's an extra bit in the conversation Arabella and Dumbledore has over Severus, and I edited some mistakes. A slightly better read!
This is for Sushi, who agrees with me that Hermione should have partially been a Slytherin!
Disclaimer: All rights and privileges to Harry Potter are trademarks and property of J.K. Rowling, Scholastic, Warner Brothers, Bloomsbury Books, Raincoast Books and associated parties. The author claims no legal responsibility for problems associated with using this work. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The original story and characters and relationships within the fic are copyright of Demeter.
~*~*~*~*~*~
With a frustrated sigh, Draco Malfoy tossed his books onto his silk-encased bed, ignoring the odd looks his Slytherin roommates were throwing at him from the corners of their eyes. His characteristically moody thoughts were starting to surface more and more steadily. Even with his father – no, Lucius now – being hunted down by the Ministry, every moment felt tense with suppressed worry. Lucius was ruthless, ambitious, and more intelligent then anyone could care to imagine.
Draco knew.
Hogwarts wasn't safe for him. If there were a way, any way at all, then Lucius would rout, disarm, and then sweep in with careless ease. He had the natural knack for getting his way into and out of anything.
Which worried Draco.
Not so much for himself, but for Harry. Lucius would want his son, his heir, his possession back. He would devise ways of making sure that Draco would listen to him. And Draco didn't doubt that those plans would involve Harry in one way or another.
I'll be damned if I allow anyone to hurt Harry.
His trademark smirk firmly back in place, he descended into the common room, where automatically, everyone sat up straight, stiffened, smiled, sneered or passed disinterest. Some were his friends. That he was sure. Others were neutral, waiting for the moment to decide which side to follow. Still a few were already belonged to Voldemort, body and soul.
Slytherin House was a place of constant tension. Due to the fact that Dumbledore had placed extra spells over their tower, the followers of the Death Eaters had little choice but to wait out their school years. The last two years had been fraught with danger, as the people who were loyal to Dumbledore and the ones loyal to Voldemort split Slytherin House jaggedly down the middle.
Draco had always known, on a vague level, that most of Slytherin House would turn toward Voldemort. He, himself, during his first, second, third, fourth, and fifth had thought he would follow his father. Draco had once worshipped the ground Lucius walked on. And he would have done anything, anything at all, if it were Lucius who had told him to. Not even his mother could have been able to dissuade her son from walking that paved path.
But then he and Harry had a chance meeting in the desolate and lonely fields of Hogwarts.
They had exchanged their customary insults, jibes, and sneers. But, somehow, it was different without other people around them. The entire ritual seemed silly, boring. They had done it half-heartedly, and for some reason, they decided to sit down together and converse in the old-fashioned way.
Soon, the little meetings had become a regular occurrence, floating throughout their fifth and sixth year. They rarely spoke about anything in Hogwarts; instead they chose to talk about the Muggle world, about the wizarding world, about anything and everything but their personal lives.
And slowly, without even realizing the implications, they had started enjoying each other's company.
During the middle of sixth year, Draco had been summoned.
By then, the seeds of doubt planted by Professor Snape, and nurtured by Harry, had sprung to full growth. He no longer believed everything his father told him, didn't want to believe. When he had refused to give Lucius Harry's blood, the world had nearly collapsed. He had managed to inform Dumbledore about what had happened before Lucius could strike. The ending result, after a bloody mess, was that Lucius had been placed on the 'wanted' list of the Ministry, Draco had inherited the Malfoy fortune, and Narcissa had died.
Draco missed his mother.
She had loved him dearly, and he had cared for her just as much. But she couldn't face the idea of him being bound to a Potter, couldn't understand why he wouldn't want to follow the Dark Lord. During the final attempt on his life, she had sacrificed herself for her son, knowing that with her husband wanted, her son bound to another, she had little left but her own maternal affections for Draco.
Lucius and Draco had shared a conversation before they had parted forever, one fraught with pain.
~*~
"Draco. You have finally defied me." In ways Lucius hadn't been able to with his own father.
There was a long silence, stretched thin and delicate. They had watched each other with Death Eaters lurking behind Lucius, Aurors behind Draco. It had been a mutual agreement to have no blood shed that day.
Father and son needed one more conversation before they separated.
"Father. In the end, I'm following the Malfoy doctrine."
"Yes." Lucius paused, his gray eyes flickering with a strange light. "The Malfoy doctrine. Repeat it once more."
"Malfoy's are strength. Both physically and mentally. The Malfoys will never fall. Will never fail. And they will always walk their own path, regardless of who they follow." The words were drawn from a wellspring of dulling memories, from a place where the words had been pushed, forced in.
Lucius had smiled then, a twisted smile that bespoke of anger, pride, and most of all, bitterness. He loved his son. But he was still a Malfoy. He would not stand for his only heir to submit himself to the hands of Harry Potter, for his only son to be bound to another man. Nor did he wish to be hypocritical and follow the path of Dumbledore's. He was Lucius Malfoy, strong, ruthless, amoral, and true to himself. Muggles would be the death of the wizard community and nothing could change his mind. (1)
"Very good, Draco. You've learned well."
With that, father and son had turned their backs on each other, knowing that this one, strangely tender scene, would be the starting point of a long, bloody battle. With Lucius trying to claim Draco back, with Draco fighting against his own father and heritage.
And they hadn't looked back.
~*~
The grief could come later. After Lucius was dead or imprisoned in Azkaban. Then the sorrow would rise like demons from hell. A humorless smile crossed his pale features. Lucius had always insisted that Draco present the perfect façade of icy perfection. How proud would he be if he knew that he had succeeded in ways that were ingrained into his personality?
"Draco?" Startled from his thoughts, he turned to see Pansy, her dark blue eyes questioning. With a slight nod, the two descended down toward the Main Hall, where he had made arrangements with Harry to meet. Under the pretext of getting closer to Harry, Draco had persuaded Pansy, in full hearing capability of some of the new Death Eater recruits, of making 'friends' with Harry. This insured the idea that they were either out together, or at least, not with adults.
If he was honest to himself, he knew he was a bit apprehensive. This would be the first time Pansy would be attending a meeting, and she had been unnaturally absent-minded all day.
He trusted her.
If he could trust anyone besides Harry or Professor Snape, he trusted her. If only for the fact that she was a Slytherin and had turned the same as he did. Though Professor Snape hadn't found it necessary to inform him of the circumstances surrounding her defection from Voldemort, he had asked discreetly around and discovered that she had been branded.
Branded like all Death Eaters.
Like he would have been if Harry hadn't…
Shaking that thought off, he wrapped pale fingers around his wand and clutched it tightly. Every witch or wizard worth their salt watched his or her back in Slytherin. There was no bitterness about that fact; it was a simple rendition of life in the 'dark' house of Hogwarts.
Passing several paintings in the hallway on their way through the dungeons, a few smiled at him, knowing him well through his many trips. Of all the current Slytherins, Draco was their favorite. Partially because he had brought such 'glory' for Slytherin House. Catching The Boy Who Lived was an achievement that many were quite proud of.
Pansy paused to whisper quietly with a tiny painting that had been stuck in a dusty corner. She had discovered the beautiful piece of art on one of her assorted trips through the dark and dank hallways outside Slytherin Tower. The thin and unsmiling woman talked in a spidery voice and was often quite gloomy, making Draco wonder what Pansy saw in the lady. But it was apparently a lot, since she was often found idling by it and speaking in low voices.
What she talked about, he never knew, but Pansy always looked better after speaking with the woman. Less haunted. Younger. Wherever the change was rooted, he never asked. It was her own business after all, and it wasn't his place to speculate.
Entering the long, wide hall that led to the Headmaster chambers, he spotted a few people, most noticeably Harry.
"Harry!" Draco hurried forward, detaching himself from Pansy's side. With a guarded look back at her, she merely nodded and he moved forward, his mind focused on one thing: to place himself within those warm arms that offered him so much safety and sanctuary. Harry already had his arms open. Within seconds, the two were nestled together, ignoring the not-so-nice snort that escaped Ron's throat. Nor did they pay mind to Hermione's sigh of vicarious thrill.
However, their moment of sweetness was interrupted by a Severus Snape who came walking around the corner to see his favorite student and his most-loathed student in a clinch that would have done up the most fiendish sex demon with hot blushes.
Grumbling, his loud and purposeful step past them was enough to break the two up, much to the relief of Ron and the disappointment of Hermione. Draco smirked at Ron and the most hot-tempered of the Weasley's sneered back. It didn't matter if one was the best friend and the other the lover of the same person; there was no way in hell they could ever come close to liking each other.
Respect, yes, but never, ever 'like.'
"Er… Draco? Um…" Hermione trailed off her words, her normally vast usage of vocabulary failing her.
He turned and his gray eyes pinned themselves on Hermione's uncomfortable gesturing toward Pansy, the Slytherin figure oddly desolate and alone in the hallway.
With a sharp grin that was hardly a smile, he went back to Pansy's side, his pale face shuttered. The two exchanged the briefest of glances, communicating silently in the way only Slytherins could and Pansy shook her head.
Draco cocked his head slightly to the right, toward the trio, and once again, she shook her head no. Scrutinizing her face, he finally nodded, turning back to Hermione. "Pansy is to join us for the first meeting today."
There was an uncomfortable silence, as was not unusual. Before them stood a girl who had done everything in her power to humiliate Hermione, insult Ron, spread nasty rumors about Harry, and if any of the gossip was correct, trying to get into Draco's pants.
But Harry studied the girl. His memories of her consisted of a slightly pudgy blonde girl who had shrieked every other word, vile epithets spilling from lips that were often rouged a bright, maudlin red. Later, it was the aloof, icily elegant Slytherin Queen. Only now…
Now she looked different.
There was no other word for it. She was different. He had noticed that when she had returned from the summer after their sixth year; there had been so little to her. He remembered that several of the Gryffindors had become deathly quiet when they had seen her. Especially himself and his friends. She had caused enough disturbances in the past that when the Welcoming Ceremony started, many Gryffindors automatically turned their eyes briefly to the Slytherin table in search for the 'enemies'.
Harry instinctively knew something had happened.
An event that must had scarred her badly, because he never saw her smile after that. She seemed to float through life, hardly paying attention to anyone. Even her close friends had been at a loss. The gossip mills had immediately started supplying various reasons why the normally meticulous Slytherin 'Queen' had abandoned all attentions to her physical attributes.
Some of them had been far from nice and Harry had chosen to dispel those with a few sharp words. He knew far too well how hurtful rumors could be.
But then, a little after Christmas, she had turned around. Her face filled out and the gauntness he had grown to associate with her slowly melted back to thinness. And from Dumbledore, he had found out that Pansy had been sworn into The Order.
To say he had been surprised would have been an understatement…
~*~
"Pansy? A member of The Order of the Phoenix?" Harry chewed on his bottom lip, green eyes worried and skeptical. "Are you sure Professor?"
Dumbledore had turned his steely blue gaze on him for long moments, his eyes unusually shuttered. His hands steepled beneath his chin, he asked in a completely neutral voice, 'Why do you ask, Harry?"
He wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond, but the first answer to come to his head was, "She's a Slytherin. Aren't they all with Voldemort? Well, except for Draco of course." He added quickly.
Once the words had flown out of his mouth, he knew, he *knew* instinctively that he had said something wrong. Dumbledore's eyes had grown sad, their blue color deepening in pain, with unacknowledged wrongs that could never be righted. Harry wouldn't admit to it later, not even in his darkest of moments, but he had felt frightened of the usually venerable-looking Headmaster.
"Professor?"
"Harry. Let me tell you a story." Dumbledore paused, the lines on his face sinking, growing pronounced. "It starts with prejudice. Simple prejudice. Not just of Slytherins toward muggles. But of Gryffindors toward Slytherins." He eyed Harry who was now wearing a stunned look of confusion on his face.
"What?"
"In the days of Voldemort's first attempts of penetration into the wizard community, Slytherins were considered the evil House. Not as flagrantly as now, but still, it was enough to isolate most Slytherins from the rest of the school. I had thought myself a completely fair and just Headmaster. But… in the end, I had chosen the Gryffindors."
"What do you mean?"
"There was a boy. He was a smart boy. One of the most intelligent of his class. He was also a Slytherin. There were Gryffindors who resented him, hated him. It was easy to hate him. He was arrogant, proud, and verbally abusive… but he had principles. Fierce principles (2) that I was proud to observe in him, proud to think that he had obtained them from Hogwarts. In the end, what I did was ground those principles to the dirt."
Harry gaped at Dumbledore, his mind whirling.
"During their fifth year, the Gryffindors… more precisely, a single Gryffindor, decided to play a prank on the Slytherin. Not just any prank. If this 'prank' had succeeded, the Slytherin would have died. The one time the Slytherin decided to trust someone, especially a person from Gryffindor, the one time… the one time he was betrayed. The prank should have warranted expulsion, or in the very least, suspension and a years worth of detentions. But none came."
"Why?" Harry felt baffled. He had done far less and had been threatened with far more.
"It was that moment. I had to choose between Slytherin and Gryffindor. And I chose the Gryffindor without even thinking about what I was doing to the Slytherin. Because of my lack of protection at that crucial moment, I let that Slytherin boy fall. I failed him. And I will regret it for the rest of my life."
This was starting to sound awfully familiar. Emphasis on 'awfully'. Prank in fifth year. Would have died if succession had been created. And slowly, an image dawned on him, the horror forcing bile up his throat, threatening to choke him with acidic hatred.
"You don't mean… you don't mean…" Dumbledore held up a hand.
"No, Harry, don't ask. It's not for me to place any names."
"But…"
"Harry." That was enough to silence the boy. "But even then, I didn't realize what I had done. The grievous error I had committed. Not until years later when he came to me and begged for sanctuary, for peace from the evils done to him, from the evils he had committed… and from the nightmares that still plague him. I knew then. I knew then that I had failed the Slytherins. And not only them. Every child who chooses to go to the Dark Side under my tutelage; it was my failure. One after another, I let them fall."
The undeniable pain in Dumbledore's eyes was choking. Harry didn't want to know this. He didn't *need* to know this.
Harry managed to croak out, "I still don't understand. What's that got to do with anything?"
"Harry, many of the Slytherin's were and still are raised in the Dark Arts. Some are nurtured in the shadow of evil, as many would say. This shouldn't have been used to condemn them though. It should have been used as a reason to sympathize and try even harder to understand them and bring them to our side. These children don't know any other life. When they come here, ostentatiously, they are given a choice between good and evil… but I've realized throughout the years, that this is an extremely hard decision. Their families or a Headmaster they meet only at the age of eleven? A heritage that's been drilled into their heads or a new thinking that others say they should believe in? For a school that disliked them, a Headmaster that seemed to not care, or a Lord that promised them vengeance, wealth, and power?" Dumbledore leaned back into his seat, his face troubled. "In the end, the choice wasn't really a choice for most."
Harry was stunned. He had never considered that perhaps even Professor Dumbledore would have such doubts, such serious doubts about everything in general. The general consensus around the fireplace was that Dumbledore could do anything… well, almost anything.
"Professor… I'm still…" He flailed helplessly in his quest for the right words. But they all seemed to escape him.
"It all boils down to one thing. All have to make the choice… but Slytherins have to struggle to find that choice. In ways the other houses don't." He paused. "Perhaps its time you went back to your schoolmates. It's lunchtime after all."
Harry nodded numbly and managed to make his way to the Great Hall where lunch was noisily commencing.
~*~
Hermione shifted by his side, bringing him back to the present. Heavy-minded, he managed a smile at Pansy, where she nodded briefly in return. Hermione and Ron followed his example, reservations obvious, but making an attempt to bridge the yawning chasm between her and them. It wasn't common after all. She was a Slytherin; they were Gryffindors. Even with Draco, Hermione had a hard time sometimes revealing her feelings.
It just wasn't the same.
"Ah, Harry. Here you are." They turned to see Remus striding toward them, his demeanor suffusing with pleasure at seeing his former students. A great, black dog was close on his heels, and there was an amount of glee from the trio's side at seeing Sirius walking in broad daylight. Even if he was in his Animagus form.
Harry leaned over to hug 'Snuffles' and a private conversation consisting of barks and questions commenced, allowing Hermione to drag Remus and Draco into a discussion about the meeting that would be occurring in a half-hour. This time, apparently, most if not all members were going to be attending, and she was wondering how they would fit comfortably into the room.
Which left Ron and Pansy eyeing each other in their sudden awkward silence. It wasn't that he didn't trust her yet; he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, even moreso than for Draco, since he saved his hatred for male adversaries, but still… she was a Slytherin. And Slytherins were practically famous for joining You-Know-Who.
"Er… how have you been doing?"
"Alright. You, Weasley?"
"Um, yeah, I reckon I'm doing really good."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I got an eighty-seven on McGonagall's test… how 'bout you?"
"Ninety-nine."
"Oh… um… " Ron now flailed around for a topic to continue the conversation, but finally in desperation, he turned to Hermione with a pleading glint in his eyes. "What'd you get, 'Mione?"
She took one look at his panicked expression and took momentary pity on him. She joined their conversation with a cheerful grin and said, "I got a hundred, but I also got five percent extra credit." Hermione paused suddenly, realizing that she was doing exactly what the Slytherins used to make fun of her for.
Risking a careful glance at Pansy, Hermione noted that the Slytherin girl's face was tooled into an impassive mask. She had noticed that a lot lately. None of the Slytherins were very fond of revealing emotions beyond contempt, indifference, or hate. Sometimes she wondered whether they even had any other emotions… of course, Draco was the exception; but that was only with Harry. He was as cool as before where Hermione was concerned. If they happened to be together alone, they exchanged the customary insults.
But those were mercifully rare and she knew Draco well enough now to trust him and accept his words with several grains of salt.
A clapping of hands refocused their attention back to Remus. He was smiling indulgently, looking much like a paternal figure among so many teenagers. "I would think we should head toward Professor Dumbledore's chambers. I, for once, would like a seat around the table."
His voice was slightly teasing since they knew that seats would automatically be kept for them. He moved forward, Snuffles following behind him, his eyes shining with barely-suppressed excitement. Hermione pulled the three boys aside, beckoning for Pansy to join also. The girl shook her head no and followed after Remus.
"Well? I think it's close to the time we execute Operation Snog!" Hermione stated, her eyes shining with glee.
Harry snorted and commented, "I don't know why you insist on calling this thing we're doing that."
"Now? As in during the meeting?" Ron managed to choke out after going an unhealthy white.
"Not now! But later… we can plant the idea in Snape's head. Remus won't chase after him. You all know that. He's gone through too many rejections… and he respects Snape's privacy and all that. And Harry… what do you suggest I call it?"
"Then why are we getting involved again?" Draco drawled out, his gray eyes interested, regardless of his self-affected indifference. He patted Harry on the arm as the Gryffindor seeker shrugged at Hermione's question.
"Because! They won't get together if we don't help, and I, for one, will not stand around to watch love go down the drain like that." She finished indignantly and glared at them. They mumbled and looked away, avoiding her eyes. True love was all right… but connecting it with men old enough to be their fathers was rather odd and… disturbing.
However, Draco smirked. "Granger, as much as I hate to say this, but you have a mind worthy of a Slytherin sometimes."
She sniffed and said, "Of course. I was almost sorted there after all."
Dead silence.
Ron finally croaked out, "What?"
"Well, at the sorting ceremony of first year, the hat mentioned Slytherin though it decided to put me in Gryffindor."
One of Draco's eyes had arched so high, that it looked as if it disappeared into the silver fringe of his hair. He coughed delicately and asked, "You, Slytherin?"
"Yes. One crack out of you Malfoy and I'll slap you again." She smiled cheekily and he allowed a small grin in response. Ron groaned and mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'my girlfriend, a Slytherin.'
Hermione rolled her eyes and gave up on trying to convince them to help. For now. They had more serious things to think about. She was infinitely patient; she could wait for the perfect moment in order to 'persuade' them to implement her plan into action.
She wasn't the smartest witch of her class for nothing.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Pansy had spent the last few days agonizing about the meeting. The Meeting. With capital letters and ominous music. She didn't think she should have gone… no, to be correct, she didn't want to go. Her experience with people outside of Slytherin was not particularly pleasant.
The teasing. The hate. The disgust. The utter loathing.
Shivering, she wrapped thin arms around her torso, wanting no more then to crawl back to her rooms and bury herself beneath her silk comforter and sleep. She hadn't been able to sleep in so long… her nights were plagued with endless nightmares and she already had to cast silencing charms every night in the event one of her more dubious roommates overheard and reported her screams to her father.
Walking with her head down, she didn't notice Remus stop and she walked right into him. With a startled cry, she bounced backwards and landed hard on her back. Staring up at the ceiling in stunned surprise, she felt pain arc up her spine. There was so little tissue to cushion her fall that every touch that was harder then the usual give and take caused her intense, shooting pain.
Rolling to her side, she lay still in order to allow the pain dissipate before attempting to rise. A slight tingle in the dark mark on her arm focused her thoughts and she sat up, her right hand coming up unconsciously to grasp the area where it was still stinging. From what she had learned from Professor Snape, it would hurt forever until the day Voldemort was truly dead.
"Are you alright?" Lupin's voice washed over her, a concerned adult among many who simply didn't care.
She looked her, her face carefully blank. "Yes, Professor." She stood and moved past him, ignoring the confusion washing over his features.
There was a growl and she looked to the side to see the black dog that followed Lupin all around school. His eyes were the color of chocolate and for a moment, she could have sworn human intelligence was sparking behind those dog eyes. One hand strayed out to touch it lightly on the head, but the animal snarled and moved away.
Pansy's hand was left in mid-air. The pale fingers trembled a moment before she controlled her shudders and pulled them into her robes, digging the nails into her hand, bringing forth bloody crescents. It seemed that even dogs couldn't abide her presence.
Throwing her head back, she marched toward Dumbledore's chambers.
Sirius stared after her, his eyes now growing thoughtful. She had drawn blood; he could smell it in the air.
"Paddy."
Sirius turned around his massive body to stare at the reproaching face of Remus. There was a moment of tense silence before he shrugged his furry shoulders. There was no guilt about his actions; she was a Slytherin after all, and all Slytherins were evil gits. He was a Gryffindor and it was his right to hate them for what all they had done, did, and would do.
A pity that his own godson had fallen in love with a Malfoy, but Sirius supposed that Draco was different. A fluke to Slytherin like how Peter Pettigrew was to Gryffindor.
Remus frowned, wanting to insist that Sirius apologize to Pansy later. But he knew that Sirius had his own morals, no matter how narrow they were. It would do no good to try and change them after nearly twenty years.
Absently beckoning to the whispering little group in the back – briefly wondering what they were being so secretive about – he shuffled to the door, a bit nervous at seeing faces he hadn't seen since his days at Hogwarts. There was also the distinct possibility of meeting up with old enemies, even old rivals. Severus had always…
No, don't think about it.
Entering, he realized that the room was starting to fill up, people arriving either from the floo network or from other means. What 'means' they were, he didn't quite know, but Apparition was out of the question for obvious reasons such as it wasn't possible on Hogwart grounds. As was just flying in on a broomstick.
Pansy was looking around uncertainly, the most diverse expression on her face he had seen yet. Perhaps it was because of the sudden enormity of the situation. Or perhaps she was just realizing what she was dealing with in the enormity of her choice. Remus decided he would keep an eye on her. He didn't doubt Severus's judgments, but to err on the side of safety, not only for Harry's sake, but for Severus too. Undoubtedly, if she weren't what they thought she was, the one hurt most would be the Head of Slytherin House.
Severus, you put too much of yourself into these students of yours.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Minerva was moving around the room, shaking hands and doing the general meet-and-greet for these sorts of gatherings. The air was by and largely cheerful, but everyone, including her, could feel the tension that was simmering below the surface. This was a vitally important meeting that would expunge all doubts of what was happening in the wizard community.
Albus was speaking pleasantly in one of the corners with several older wizards and witches, each listening intently. He had magically enlarged the room until it would fit comfortably several hundred people.
She nodded to Alastor Moody who had come thumping into the room, his leg newly restored after the episode with Barty Crouch Jr. during Harry's fourth year. (3) It was a pity, but the retired Auror had become even more paranoid after that episode.
Clapping her hands together, she said, "Time to start!" Her poor attempt at gathering everyone's attention was an utter failure as no one but the people nearest to her even noticed. Grumbling, she directed her wand at her throat and once again shouted, "Time to start!"
This time, everyone heard (with more than one rubbing their ears afterwards) and they settled into the numerous seats placed around the massive stone table that stood rather stately in the center. Harry recognized a few of the people in attendance and of course, Mr. Weasley was there too, along with Bill. Percy and Oliver were in France, to convince the Delacour Family to support them. The full-blooded Veela's would undoubtedly join Voldemort, but they were hopeful of claiming the half and part-Veelas. And the Delacour Family was their ticket.
Ron looked rather proud of the fact that his father was in The Order, but refrained from making any smug comments at Draco.
Snape was sitting on the right side of Dumbledore, looking as dark and forbidding as usual. There was a rather nasty curl to his lips whenever he glanced at Sirius and Remus, but Harry supposed that it was natural. After all, one was his would-be murderer and the other was the person who had sent him there.
He was still questioning Hermione's sanity for even thinking that there was anything between Remus and Snape. It was utterly ridiculous.
Like you and Draco?
Shut up.
Flopping into a seat, with Draco settling in next to him, he ignored some of the whispers that rose like a flock of birds at the sight of Draco Malfoy sitting by Harry Potter. There were still prejudiced gits who couldn't get over the fact that perhaps, just perhaps, The Boy Who Lived was perfectly happy with the son of one of the most infamous Death Eaters.
Hermione clucked her tongue and glared at the dissenters. With a dramatic flair, she plopped down on the other side of Draco and started talking rather loudly about the wedding. A tiny smile graced the pale face of his beloved and Harry relaxed the tiniest of fractions. But he kept to his lover's side and adopted his 'protective boyfriend' demeanor.
Turning his attention to Dumbledore, Harry was rather unnerved to see wizards and witches of every field gathered there, their faces complacent and intelligent. But he also noted the occasional person who seemed ill at ease, as if they would rather be in the open spaces.
Shaking his head, he sat straight up automatically as Dumbledore cleared his throat. The room quieted steadily, as if the very presence of the venerable wizard commanded an aura of respect and peace.
"Welcome, old friends, old allies. Welcome, new friends, new allies. The Order of the Phoenix will commence." With a nod at Minerva, she stood up, her eyes sharp.
"On several notes of discussion, we've sent Rubeus Hagrid and Madame Olympe Maxime to plead our case with the Giants." She paused to let the whispers die down. "They have not returned yet, but they've sent an owl to us that stated that the Giants are willing to listen."
A wizard with a slightly paunchy build raised his voice. "Can we trust the Giants?"
"I believe we can. It was a mistake during Voldemort's first reign that we ignored them. They joined Voldemort's side and there was a great deal of killing that could have been prevented."
He nodded slightly, his hand stroking his chin with a pensive air.
"Next, we believe that the Death Eaters may have employed Quidditch as a weapon. Or rather, the weapon of flying. We're not sure how this will work, but apparently they're starting to target some of the lesser European League teams. Our contacts there have insinuated that the offers are grand enough that many of the mediocre players are considering joining."
Moody snorted and said, "Which is why you can't trust those air-headed flying fools."
Many turned to glare at him, but he sniffed and turned his attention back to Minerva. In her mind, she rolled her eyes, but continued in her dry tone that all her students knew so well. "Not only that, but there's also owls from the Asian countries that the traffic for some of their dark magic's have grown noticeably and that there's rumors of a coalition who's recruiting members for a new revolution. Under the name for "Ree Dell."
There was a moment of horrified silence before agitated whispers broke forth like a storm and ravaged the room. McGonagall allowed this for several moments before calling the attention back to her notes. "However, the Asian Ministry, or the ones who are with us, has sent assurances that they've sent a team to investigate."
Pausing, she cleared her throat. "As for the Delacour Family of France, both Percy Weasley and Oliver Wood have owled us and confirmed that Fleur Delacour, current heir to the Family's legacy, is willing to join us." Arthur beamed with pride and Oliver's father, Elmond Wood, sat up straighter, his face wrinkling with smiles and accepting the whispered congratulations of the impending marriage between the two families.
Dumbledore indicated with a jolly nod of his head for McGonagall to sit down. He stood and motioned to Severus with a wide wave of his arm. "All of you know Severus Snape, our current and only spy within the Death Eaters." He beamed at everyone, seemingly ignorant – or ignoring – of the fact that many people were looking at Severus with askance glares in their hooded eyes.
"However, this year, we have gained a new spy within the folds. A newly recruited Death Eater was initiated during the passing summer and she has agreed to turn her back on Voldemort and work for us. Severus?"
Snape stood, his sallow skin paler than normal. But with a smoothness that belied any sort of nervousness, he said, "This summer, a number of people were introduced into the Death Eaters. Most, if not all, were the children of the Inner Circle."
"Children?" The horrified tone seemed to echo many sentiments in the room as most blanched.
Snape nodded. "Yes. Children." He paused, his eyes blackening. "Most seemed willing, but several seemed to be forced. We targeted these students and we've successfully asked and tested one of them. Miss Parkinson?" Snape asked, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Pansy felt as if her neck weighed a thousand kilos. She had spent already most of the meeting staring at the table, very careful not to look up and accidentally catch the eyes of anyone that hated her, loathed her, wondered why she was even there.
Finally, with a great amount of inner will and strength, she looked up slowly, her blue eyes catching within the intensity of Professor Snape's own eyes. His head inclined the barest fraction of an inch and she stood up slowly.
Dumbledore smoothly intercepted the sudden tense silence in the room. "Miss Parkinson is a newly inducted member of The Order. I'm proud to see her break from her family's past in order to turn spy for us." (4)
The whispers broke out in a flurry of noise and more than one person glared at her with loathing and anger in their eyes. She was a Slytherin. A Parkinson. A Death Eater.
One middle-aged woman, her hair scraped severely into a bun, asked mildly, "How do we know she can infiltrate the Death Eaters?"
"Miss Parkinson?"
Pansy stilled. This was the moment she was dreading. She didn't want to reveal that blasphemous scar that blighted her arm. She didn't want all those eyes already filled with hatred to shine with disgust too. She didn't want Draco or Granger or anyone to see that mark.
"Well? We really don't have all day." The sneer was obvious in the words and more than one turned to glare at the balding wizard who was smiling rather scornfully.
Pansy turned her head around the room slowly. There was undisguised curiosity, penetrating stares, icy expressions of displeasure, and impassive masks of potential condemnation. With shaking fingers, she slowly pulled up the sleeve of her left arm. She was terrified of the moment the Dark Mark would come into focus.
Shutting her trembling eyes, the last few inches were yanked up with ruthless efficiency. It wasn't as visible as the night when it had burned blacker then pitch, the night they had branded her like some sort of animal, ignoring her shrieks, her pleas for them to stop.
Dimly, she heard the indrawn gasps and curses as they all stared at her upper arm, the Dark Mark faint, but exuding such blackness, such evil, such horror, that several had to turn their eyes away, the mark bringing back memories of nights when they had seen the same mark in the sky, floating in green mist.
"Death Eater!" A woman screeched and her next movement was so quick that several people had to throw themselves at her before she could launch herself at Pansy to tear her apart. The woman was screaming, her shrieks echoing with endless pain, such dark, dark hatred. Pansy had immediately hidden her arm and she shrank away into Professor Snape's side, where he put an arm around her and protectively pushed her behind him and several other professors.
McGonagall was shouting for everyone to calm down, even as the women continued to scream, her thrashings nearly uncontainable. It took the combined strength of two wizards and a burly witch in order to pin her down and even then she continued to strain herself toward Pansy, nothing on her mind except to hurt the Death Eater – disregarding that the girl was barely over seventeen.
"Althena!" Finally, Dumbledore's roar brought everything to a deathly silence. Althena had slowed her fighting, her face dropping her head into her arms. The quiet sobs emanating from her tiny form echoing through the room. Pansy was as white as ash, her eyes huge and dilated.
Althena's friends gently took her away, shooting poisonous glares at Pansy, who felt more than saw Professor Snape glare right back at them and pull her protectively toward his body. All she could see was that woman's grief-stricken face, the pain that had twisted her mind into nothing but a mindless animal.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Miss Parkinson may have the Dark Mark on her arm, but I assure you, she is as much as one of us as anyone in this room." Dumbledore was quiet in his conviction, but apparently, even he could not undo the damage done.
A man stood, his green eyes snapping. "Albus. I don't doubt you're judgment, but she's a Death Eater! She has the Dark Mark! That proves that she's guilty beyond any redemption!" His eyes twisted with insane rage and his hands twitched as if they were begging to be wrapped around her neck.
"I agree with Roger. Dumbledore… she's a Slytherin after all, and she undoubtedly received that mark willingly. It would be foolish of us to allow a possible traitor into our group." The woman spat out her words, her lips sneering with disgust.
Snape clenched his fists and he looked thunderous, as if he wanted to shout at them about their prejudices and biased feelings. But narrowing his eyes, he refused to let anyone close to Pansy who looked as if she was close to fainting, judging from the gray pallor of her skin.
But once more, Pansy surprised him.
"I didn't."
The arguing adults turned as one to stare at her with astonishment. She shrank a little, but at the same moment, she pulled herself up, her eyes flashing with something akin to desperation. She repeated louder, "I didn't. I didn't want to get the mark. Don't say things you don't know." Her hands were grasped so tightly in front that the flesh seemed completely white.
"Didn't want? Don't make me laugh! You're the same as all the Slytherins! Evil, dark, wicked! You all joined You-Know-Who during the First Wave and you'll join him now! You want to sabotage The Order!" Roger shouted, his face reddening to a deep vermilion red under his anger. With a vile word to her parentage, he stalked from the room to the adjoining chamber.
Now there was utter silence.
"Well, it seems that we have several prejudiced gits to deal with." The dry words broke the spell and Dumbledore's face once again lit up.
"Arabella! I had not thought you would make it!"
The elderly woman grinned back, looking much like Dumbledore in the sense of spry and gleaming eyes. She had been listening to the entire meeting from the back, hidden among the shifting bodies. "Of course I made it. I didn't intend to spend all my days living in that house across from those horrid Dursleys. Nasty muggles if I ever met any. And I doubt Harry will disagree."
She winked at Harry and he grinned back. Finding out that 'crazy, old Mrs. Figgs' really was a witch had been the shocker that had nearly zapped the socks off Aunt Petunia and thrilled Harry beyond all boundaries. No longer under the pretense of acting somewhat like a muggle, she had wanted him over at her place all the time. The Dursley's had grudgingly relented and now Harry could spend his summers almost-deliriously happy with Mrs. Figgs. She was quite willing to take in Draco too, so everything was perfect. (In Harry's eyes)
It turned out that the reason she had volunteered to move to Privet Drive in the first place, was in order to take care of Harry. Dumbledore had been worried that the blood protection spells they had cast over the entire area might still contain a loophole here or there, and after she had listened to his doubts, she had taken on the task of protecting James and Lily's son. She was rather fond of Lily and had a soft spot for James. And Severus had made such a special request…
~*~
"For Lily."
"Why?"
Severus had paused then, his voice dropping away to silence. He was prowling restlessly through his dim and dank chambers, eyes brooding. She had taken up the usual cup of tea he offered. Their relationship was a rather peculiar one. She had met him several times during his student days. He had been an odd student, quiet, pale, at times verbally vicious, but enticingly smart. She had enjoyed her word duels with him then and always looked forward to besting him once in a while.
She had developed a fondness for the boy, even if he and most of the Gryffindors hadn't gotten along very well. After he had graduated, she had lost contact with him. The next time they had met, she had been an Auror and he had already become a Death Eater. She would never forget that impromptu meeting in Dumbledore's office where he had confessed to the two of them of what he had done.
She had forgiven him almost immediately, even as she was horribly disappointed, because she could sense there were things he wasn't telling them, circumstances that could never be explained. Arabella had wanted immediately to take him to the countryside to recover, but Dumbledore had overridden her objections and had sent him back to the darkness.
To the War. (5)
For the next year, she didn't see him again.
The next time she had met him was when Moody had hauled in a half-dead Severus after the final raid. Though she disapproved Moody's way of handling Death Eaters, she had never intervened before. Not even for Severus.
But there had been something in those eyes of his. Snape's.
Dark, dead, so very, very black. She couldn't have imagined anyone to have such dead eyes. Such lifeless eyes in a body that was still very much alive.
And he was so old. Only twenty-something. So young for a wizard… yet, his eyes were so very old.
The moment she had seen those eyes, she felt something inexplicable well up in her. In the end, the unusual moment of tenderness had ended up in a near-duel between her and Moody, intense arguments that had resulted in her calling in several favors, and a final meeting with Dumbledore and the Governor's Board, where they had worked out a deal for Snape to work at Hogwarts as the Potions Master.
Snape knew. She instinctively could tell that he was aware of all the deals she and Dumbledore had struck with the Governor's Board in order to allow him to become the Head of Slytherin House. But he wouldn't mention it. As she wouldn't. It was a silent promise between the two of them that would forever remain buried.
There was a distant look to those eyes of his. Arabella had always found it incredibly sad that of all the eyes she had seen, it was the Slytherin eyes that hurt the most. Sometimes they were angry, sometimes lost… but the worst was the blankness, the complete detachment. She wondered sometimes whether their unofficial policy of ignoring the Slytherin children, many times who they found huddled after raids in the houses of their parents, was right. She really did wonder sometimes.
They were children after all.
Not Death Eaters.
But *children*.
Snape was obviously unwilling to share whatever history he had with the former Lily Evans. Arabella was about to give up on prying the answer out of him, when Snape himself, in a faltering voice, said, "Lily… she was… she was the only one to stand up for me in seventh year when… Black had told everyone that I was a Death Eater." There was a moment of twisted silence. Both of them were still half in shock over the stunned betrayal of Sirius Black.
"And?"
"She was the only one."
"Severus…"
"You know what I'm asking."
"I don't have anything against it. Albus has asked me to do the same thing. And I've agreed. The world doesn't need a retired Auror anymore." There was no bitterness to her voice, just a dry acceptance of the facts.
"It's the one thing I can do for her."
"But you're still going to hate that boy when he comes, won't you?"
"If he's to fight Voldemort… he'll need strength. Not pampering."
"I know."
"You'll be leaving soon?"
"Very soon. You do understand that after this I won't be able to see you for quite some time. Most likely not until he starts Hogwarts. At the very least, that'll be ten years." Her unvoiced question lingered in the air.
Could he really last ten years with the possibility that he might not have a single supporter except for Dumbledore?
"I know." His voice was barely a whisper.
Arabella eyed him for a moment before nodding. Standing, she went over, her slightly wrinkled hand clasping him on the shoulder. They stood that way for a long time, delaying the moment they would have to say goodbye. Their relationship was still considered nearly blasphemous by many. A former Auror and a former Death Eater?
No one but a select few understood the intricacies of their friendship. It wasn't explainable. Nor was it thinkable. A person either accepted it or not.
When their moment had passed, she pressed a kiss against his cheek, a motherly affection that his own mother hadn't ever bothered to give him. Then she had left.
~*~
That had been the last time they had seen each other for nearly thirteen years. After Harry's third year, he had suddenly appeared at her house one dark night, raving about 'Remus Lupin, Defense Against The Dark Arts, Sirius Black, werewolves, Remus Lupin, the Shrieking Shack, Dementors, Dumbledore, arrogant children, Harry Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Dementors, betrayal, Dumbledore, pain, and nightmares'.
It had taken her hours to persuade him go to bed and to get some badly needed sleep. She had seen him worse, the day Moody had dragged him in, but that night had been almost as bad. He mumbled about favoritism at its worst, choked out terrors that had her half-fumbling for her wand to blast at Sirius Black, and raved for Dumbledore in a way that had her soothing him with words, before he could drift off.
As soon as he had managed to fall asleep, her eyes flashed like the avenging angel she fancied herself to be. Immediately, she had written a scathing letter to Dumbledore that had angrily asked what the hell he was doing. And what in damnation was going on with Sirius Black.
They had a heated argument that night. He had come over as soon as the 'Speedee' Owl had delivered her letter, his obvious relief at finding Severus abating her anger somewhat. But not enough that they didn't end up nearly shouting at each other. The only reason they restrained themselves was in concern for the fitfully sleeping Severus.
She had told him furiously point-blank that one of their deals was that she would leave Severus in his care. His care. Which implied that he would actually take care of the Potions Master for her. Arabella didn't have high hopes for Albus in the first place, but for Severus to end up in such obvious pain, she felt that her end of the deal had been grievously slighted.
Albus had given her a full account of the year's events and although she was nearly struck dumb about Sirius' innocence, she stuck stubbornly to the original reason for her intense anger. After she had let loose several well-placed comments on his handling of the situation, he had lost his own temper and told her that Severus had wanted to deliver Sirius to the Dementors.
And she had shouted back…
~*~
"You give him little cause not to, Albus! Sirius Black nearly killed him their fifth year and nothing was done! Nothing at all! Here, the supposed murderer and traitor of the Potters comes back, at the foot of his ex-best friend, Remus Lupin, and you think Severus wouldn't consider it another attempt to end Harry's life? You should know better!" She raged.
"Arabella! Severus of all people should understand that nothing should be read at face value!" Dumbledore rumbled, his voice annoyed.
That had stopped her. She had glared at him, her eyes narrowing, her cheek twitching. "That was low, Albus. Even for you." Pausing, she trooped angrily around the kitchen, getting a breakfast together that would be able to settle Severus' upset stomach.
"You know how much Severus cares for that boy. He'll do almost anything in order to ensure that Harry will survive all this trials. But you don't see that, do you? You only see how hard he's on Harry, and how much his anger toward James seems to be affecting his judgment. That's all you see, isn't it?"
"That's not it. I understand that Severus is working to protect Harry… but truly, at times, I cannot condone his way of protection."
"*His* way? His way is the only way he knows how to prepare Harry! Voldemort's not going to treat him like a human being! Voldemort won't bother waiting for Harry to arm himself before killing him! Voldemort won't apologize when he accidentally hits Harry with Cruciatus! What Severus is doing is *righ*! What you and your Professors are doing is *cruel*! You're sending him out like any other kid when he should be told, when he should be prepared! How do you expect him to survive?"
"Harry's still a child! He should have a childhood like any other."
"Then stop giving him these crosses to bear! Give it to the adults! Give it to the Aurors! But don't give it to a thirteen-year old child and a man who's already shouldered thousands of crosses!"
"I'm not. I'm allowing Harry to make his own choices. I've laid out the facts, but I keep certain things from him so he can enjoy his life. The life he should have had if James and Lily hadn't died."
Arabella snarled. "I don't care, Albus. You promised. You promised that if I left him in your care, you would take care of him. I understand that Sirius is innocent. I'm thrilled. Why? Because that means Severus can stop torturing himself about the guilt in not warning everyone about what Sirius was really like." She stirred the pot of soup viciously, transferring all her resentment about the situation into that innocent vat.
"Arabella…"
"Don't you 'Arabella' me! We had a deal! I would stay and protect Harry as much as I could, and you would take care of Severus for me! And in the end, I think *you* got the better end of the deal!" Her utter fury of the situation wasn't lost on Dumbledore and he softened considerably.
"I'm sorry. But I had to protect Sirius. He's suffered enough."
"I know he's suffered. Far more than many. But so has Severus. And I'm not about to let the fact that Sirius had spent those years in Azkaban to override Severus himself!"
"I'm not! I'm just as worried about Severus as you are."
"No, you're not." She had been absolutely calm at that point.
"What?"
"You. Don't. Care. For. Severus. Like. Me."
"Arabella, explain yourself."
"You care, but you will never know what it's like to be him. You will never know what it's like for him to watch you praise and excuse everything your precious Gryffindors do, while lecturing him for doing anything, anything at all, wrong. You'll never know what it's like to have his world crumble around him and then only to have the one person who he trusted to push him back into evil. You'll never know."
"And you do?"
"No, I don't. No one can understand his pain. But in the very *least*, I put him first and not always SECOND!" She veritably roared. With that, she branded her spoon at him and hissed, "Albus. You know I trust you more than anyone in this world. But at this moment, I would gladly see you flailing around under Cruciatust rather then Severus. That poor boy has suffered enough. I won't stand by to see him hurt more!"
"He's not going to be hurt anymore. He understands why I did that!"
"Does he?"
"I explained the circumstances to him."
"You explained the favoritism! Albus. I'll make one thing clear. If I am to allow Severus to return to Hogwarts as Potions Master and spy, you will put his needs first. Not Sirius Black. Not Remus Lupin. Not Harry Potter. Him. Do you understand? I don't care about all your grand plans. If Severus is hurt again, I'm taking him away, regardless of the consequences."
Dumbledore shook his head in defeat. "Arabella…"
"Albus. Promise me. Please. I need to know that I didn't spend the last thirteen years here for nothing." She turned to him, her hands clenched on the spoon, wondering with weariness whether her choice in leaving Severus in the care of Dumbledore those long years back, had been right after all.
"You know I care for Severus."
She slumped into chair, all the fight seeping out of her. Waving a hand tiredly, she said, "I know. It's just that… You didn't see him tonight Albus. He was a wreck. Even worse then that morning after the Shrieking Shack incident." Her dark eyes pierced his blue ones and she dared him to refute that statement.
"Do you really believe I handled that situation badly?"
"I do."
"I was protecting Remus."
"I know. But you didn't explain that to Severus. He's believed all these years that you were protecting Sirius Black." (6)
Dumbledore rubbed his face in exhaustion. He hadn't realized there were such deep rifts between his members of The Order. "I didn't… Things were different then, Arabella."
"I know, Albus. I know. I know better than anyone. Forget it." She shook her head in fatigue. "Harry's doing fine. Apparently, that godfather of his, the one you happened to neglect to tell me was Sirius Black, has some sort of special 'charm' on the Dursleys. They're not as beastly as usual. Albus. What's happening next year?"
"The Triwizard Tournament."
"So they're reviving that old doddy?"
Dumbledore chuckled and the two sat down. They talked far into the night, with her shooing him out before Severus could wake. She knew it would only do more damage for a temporarily weakened Severus to see his mentor, the only man he worshiped.
Arabella returned from her musings to the present and saw that Severus was watching her with a suspicious glint in his eyes. Winking at him, he stiffened and turned away, a rather annoyed expression on his face. She easily routed out the petulance that caused him to revert back toward his school days.
Considering the situation and her part in many of Snape's 'protections', she was mostly well liked by her colleagues. Her position as a former Auror helped immensely, and she was one of the few that hadn't gotten drunk on the power that came with the position. Tuning back into the debate at hand, she filed away a certain tidbit from Snape's schooldays in order to share over tear and biscuits later.
Dumbledore sighed and then repeated to the occupants of the room, "If we aren't supportive of each other, then Voldemort and his Death Eaters will have won already."
Several witches and wizards colored, their faces growing forbidding. With scowls, they quieted their dissensions before choosing to glare silently at Pansy, who was had been pushed into her seat by Severus and was staring at her clutched hands, her eyes shadowed.
With a few more words and departed warnings, Dumbledore ended the meeting with a smile and twinkling eyes. People slowly filtered out, some speaking in low voices to Dumbledore, others pausing in front of Severus and Pansy and seeming like they wanted to say something. But with hesitation in their footsteps, most simply just averted their eyes and moved on.
The woman who had broken down hadn't reappeared and Snape assumed that her friends had taken her home. Good riddance. Her words had lashed deep wounds in Pansy's spirit, in her soul, in her eyes. He could see where they had started to bleed, leaving her bereft of any hope for happiness.
She moved listlessly toward the door, Draco appearing at her side, his face slightly belligerent. Whispering words into her ear, she nodded slowly. The two disappeared through the door while Harry and Ron hung back to talk with Sirius and Remus. Hermione had gone already with Professor McGonagall, hoping to discuss one of her grades.
Snape and Dumbledore spoke in low, intense voices. Arabella listened in, an indulgent look gracing her features. Remus sidled up, hopeful that perhaps he could speak to Severus alone for a few moments.
"Ah, Remus! Severus and I were just discussing Miss Parkinson. It seems that we have disagreements over her position. What do you and Sirius think?"
Remus glanced at Severus and swallowed at the menacing expression on Snape's face. Forcing his voice to come out normally, he replied, "They'll come around, Albus. They usually do."
There was a vigorous nod from both Harry and Ron, anxious to support Remus. They were also testing out Hermione's theory on the two Professors relationship. Without seeming too awkward, Harry asked, "Professor Snape?"
Snape turned, confusion lingering in his black eyes. Rarely, if ever, did Harry direct words at him that weren't insults or at least, petulant whines. "What?"
"I was… er… wondering… if you would… um… tell me more about my parents!" He finished with triumph.
Sirius sputtered, "Harry! I can tell you more about James and Lily! You don't have to ask him!"
"Er… Professor Dumbledore said that Professor Snape knew my mum really well." Harry shot a pleading glance at Dumbledore and the wizard picked up on it.
"Yes, yes! I remember that Severus and Lily were the best of their class. They were usually paired together for projects and whatever. Even Minerva put them together in Transfigurations class…" He trailed off fondly, his weathered face growing wistful. "What a pair they were."
Harry stared at Dumbledore, his mouth hanging open. Ron elbowed him in the ribs. Croaking, he managed to say, "Really? That's… um… interesting." Nodding quickly, he and Ron quickly shut up, ignoring the suppressed grin on Figg's face, seeming to know of what they were attempting to accomplish.
"What do you know? The boys are growing up." She winked at Remus and he flushed, sneaking a small look at Snape.
He wasn't as forbidding as before, his face slightly soft. It was a great achievement and did much to smooth away the old lines of care and pain. For a moment, he seemed like the Severus Snape Remus had known during their school days instead of the new, unattainable creature that he transformed into.
And Sirius broke the delicate balance with a short laugh.
"I suppose if Lily hadn't gone for James, Harry could have been Harry Snape." His scornful words iced the air and Snape stiffened. The way his name had been spat out, one would have thought Sirius was speaking about Voldemort or someone equally vile.
Remus turned to him, his eyes wide and pained. Holding out a slightly beseeching, partially placating hand to Snape, he was ceremonially brushed away. In a mocking tone, Snape broke out, "And if Lily had accepted your advances, Potter would have been Black."
With features that were darkening, Sirius hissed, "I wouldn't know, would I? Lily and I had an understanding."
"Of course, Black. Keep telling yourself that and maybe your ego won't completely disappear."
Harry tugged on his godfather's arm, his face worried. Whenever the two ended up in the same room, they usually left either spitting out insults at each other or actually fighting. Physically. Sometimes magically.
"Maybe you should tell that to yourself, Death Eater."
Once the words had left his mouth, Remus gasped, his face whitening. Dumbledore pushed himself between Sirius and Severus, knowing that it was the only thing that would keep Severus from hurling several damaging hexes at Sirius.
Arabella's face was thunderous, and she threw a look that clearly said, "I told you so" to Dumbledore. With a haughty sniff, she took a painfully rigid Snape by the arm and led him out. He was staring hard at Sirius and his gaze slid, liquid-like, to Remus who was now berating Sirius below his breath.
Remus must have felt his gaze because he turned, and for one, turbulent moment, their eyes locked.
And broke.
~*~ FINIS ~*~
Notes:
1 – This particular Lucius Malfoy belongs to Priestess of Avalon, creator of one of the few Lucius' that I actually like. Do go and read her fics; you'll find baby!Draco, angsty!Snape, sly!Remus, non-sadistic!Lucius, even… vampires! *grin* One of my favorites – everyone can find it in my favorite authors
2 – Fierce principles? ^__^ That comes from the desk calendar that described Severus Snape on one of the days. My favorite page so far. I've kept it in my HP folder.
3 – Actually, I'm pretty sure he didn't need a new leg, but this was a nod to a the "Darkness and Light" series, where Severus Snape and Maud Moody are in love. Fantastic series and I absolutely love the side-fic where a little romance (albeit sadly-ended) between Alastor Moody and another female character was played out.
4 – Almost a direct line from Obake's lovely Draco/Harry fic, "All Torn Down". Quite beautiful and it's one of my favorite Draco-turns-his-back-on-his-family fic. The line's a nod to Draco's own trials toward Dumbledore's side, highlighting my own preoccupation with Pansy Parkinson.
5 – In Seeker's fic, "Choice", it's a lovely bit of Remus and Severus… especially the shagging that ensues at the end. I was crying when I first read it, and I loved the line that described Severus going back to the darkness in order to fight Voldemort.
6 – A nod to JayKay's third part in the Wicked Game series. It's the part where Dumbledore finally clears up the twenty-year old mystery to Snape; why didn't he enact justice then? One of my favorite scenes in the series. The whole incident actually happens to be my favorite subject to work around. ^__^
This part took less time then part 2… and yet, was longer… Hm. That's quite odd. I'm not completely happy with this chapter. I don't know why, but it just doesn't feel right so far. *shrugs* But it's alright for now. If I have to make a drastic change, I'll inform everyone with capital letters.
*winces* Sorry to the ones who are waiting for the more intense Severus and Remus moments. I'm working my way there, and this is just the usual, monotonous. plot building. *sigh* I've enjoyed writing about Draco and Harry… but definitely, they're not my sort of couple. They're immensely hard to write about, and I find myself indulging in Sevvie and Remus scenes in my mind.
I'm still planning to do a set of series that will revolve around the major couples in this fic and how they got together This fic will be the base and there'll be one for Draco and Harry, Hermione and Ron, and Percy and Oliver. There'll be others, since I'm still looking for a semi-compatible guy/girl for Pansy, but no one suitable is turning up… I'm considering Sirius… but he has this deep-rooted hatred of Slytherins and Death Eaters… so that probably won't work.
H/D and R/Hr will be the normal fare, but I intend to make Percy and Oliver work for their relationship. *evil grin* Lots o' angst and pain. Heh heh heh.
Thank you Reviewers!
Franthephoenix – Thank you! I was hoping to make it as real as possible, since I know the feeling. All-out slash where everyone in Gryffindor and their Uncle's are gay and snogging like rabbits. ^__^ I like slash, but to an extent. Melancholy? Darn… it's going to get a lot darker, with random spurts of insanity and glee. It'll be reminiscent of a the psychedelic roller coaster.
ThreeOranges – The Pansy and Hermione tension will come into play later. I'm rather annoyed with Rowling to have included only one female heroine… with everyone either being a shrieky bitch or a gossipy busybody. Has anyone noticed that? Except for the adults, all the kids are basically portrayed in three ways. Cute and sweet (Cho and Ginny), smart and bossy (Hermione and Penelope), or bitchy and gossipy (Parvarti, Lavender, and Pansy). *makes face* Makes me annoyed. But thanks for reviewing! I'll dedicate the eventual Hermione-Pansy chapter to you! ^_^
Cassi Hunter – I will! The next part will be out within a week or two. Depends on how much I write and how fast. Also depends on my mood and what fanfics I've been reading. ^__^ Thanks for your review!
Youko Gingitsune – Remus won't do a thing. But they'll end up together. *grin* That's all I'll reveal.
Shinigami – I wouldn't call her a 'good girl'. She still has all her Slytherin traits and much of her original personality. To take those away, it would be the same as creating an Original Character. She'll be as nasty as ever… but that's as soon as she can start coping.
Slytherin Mud Blood – The flower was a suggestion from my sis, since she loves the language of flowers. As for Hermione… it was partially a nod to the slash community and our odd fixation on two men shagging each other senseless.
Sushi – You're prophetic, aren't you? I had written that bit about Hermione admitting to being considered for Slytherin before I had seen your review… and yikes, my eyebrows just went to the ceiling. She's as ambitious as hell (as is Percy) and I believe that Rowling may expand on that later in the series. ^___^ More outtakes are good! Veeeeeeerrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyy good. ^__^ I read the sequel thingy; I was sobbing before I realized he was still alive. Ya bitch. ^__^ You know I love you. *evil cackle*
Tinderblast – *beams* I've been rereading each chapter before sending it out. I've also got a fa-bu-lous beta. Zebee, sweetie! I love you! *cheers* I've taken down the Smart Quote function on my Word, so the problem should be fixed… but I'm not completely sure it'll do that. Since I view all of FF.net on PC, it tends to look perfect from my comp, so I had no idea it was so messed up for apple and macs. Anyhoo; you like the post-Marauder relationship? That was my favorite part to write. I was always kind of disgusted with the idea of Sirius being the "Sex God". It just means so many things. It also adds on to my personal little list of reasons why I don't like Sirius… *sigh* Of course, I like him more after writing "The Survivors", but he'll never be on my top Twenty list.
Silver Goddess – "All-around nasty guy" he is. Snape will forever be ingrained in my mind as the one who bespoke in that silky voice… the one that makes every Gryffindor within a mile radius, keel with shock. ^__^ Thanks!
Kate – Auugh! *runs and covers head* I'm done! I'm done! *grins* I'm writing generally faster than usual. I'm lengthening the parts so as to get maximum viewing pleasure. ^__^
Thanks to all ya cool reviewers!
For all those joining in, read (obviously) and review! Reviews leave me in a cheery mood… will then write fluff fics to appease those moods. ^__^
Demeter