3: THE DEATH EATER
Severus awoke feeling a fresh breeze from the open window. In a strange way, he felt more tired than before he fell asleep.
He looked down and found he was staring into a pair of pale blue-green eyes. Avalon was lying pressed up against his chest, and was gazing up at him thoughtfully. Severus could barely force a comforting smile onto his lips.
"Have you been awake long?" Avalon still didn't smile, but her expression changed and she looked more comfortable.
"You're late for class," she whispered. "Lucius and the others left for breakfast half an hour ago." Severus frowned at this.
"He didn't wake you up… did he?" Avalon shook her head slightly.
"No…"
"You're a bad liar." Avalon laughed quietly.
"I guess I am." Severus gritted his teeth together, Lucius was to be confronted later on…
"That nosy little git…"
"… doesn't get to me at all." Avalon filled in.
Severus held his lips together and dropped the subject. He just liked having Avalon in his arms, for the first time since many years before they had come to Hogwarts.
"Don't worry, I'll skip classes today." He yawned and looked around a bit.
"You shouldn't."
"Why not? You're not in classes." There was no answer, and then Severus remembered. *Fuck, fuck, fuck! The girl's parents just died!* He mentally smacked himself on the forehead. Avalon lowered her gaze quietly.
"S- Sorry…" Severus stammered.
"No harm, I'm not staying in bed all day, I have other reasons to take this day off." And with that, Avalon crawled out of his grip and slid down from the bed. Severus sat up and watched her take off her robes that were still just a bit wet from the rain outside. (By the way, she wore jeans and a T- shirt beneath it!)
"What reasons?" He tried not to sound demanding in any way, but Avalon knew he wouldn't let her leave before he got an answer.
Avalon turned towards him while combing her messy hair forcefully.
"I'm going to court, Severus. Before you woke up I sent an owl back to the Ministry, the trial of the Death Eater will be set this afternoon." She could see Severus' face-colour fade slightly, and he bit his lip in a way that told Avalon this was not something he liked.
"And I'm going to be there." She finished, making it fully clear she wasn't going to change her mind about this.
She turned away again, and looked at herself in the mirror in front of her.
"Good god girl, you're a living wreck!" The mirror declared. Avalon smirked sarcastically and started collecting her hair in a braid.
She noticed Severus watching her from his bed in the mirror, and said:
"God dammit, Severus, just say it before you'll bite your bottom lip off."
"I don't want you to go." She turned around and met his eyes seriously.
"But I am…" Severus lowered his eyes to the floor and sighed heavily.
"I just don't think this is going to help you get over your parents."
Avalon walked up to him sitting on the bed and grasped his hand.
"If you hadn't found me yesterday I would've still been standing out there by sunrise, frozen to death or something." Severus still avoided her eyes carefully. Avalon felt the tears welling up in her throat. "I can't go through this alone… I- I can't go through this without *you* okay? I've saved you before, and now you saved me. Just please don't turn your back on me now! Please…"
Before she could say anything else Severus pulled her to him and held her gently, his eyes still at the floor.
"I would never…" he whispered. "Promise. I wouldn't… ever."
"Okay…" she whispered and let go of his hand. "Will you come with me?"
This was something Severus did not expect.
*Oh god, what if the Death Eater is… maybe he's a friend of my family. Fuck, what if my father is there to defend him! *
"Of course I will."
(A/N: This trial of mine is supposed to take place at that dungeon-like courtroom that the Crouch-trial took place at in the Goblet of Fire. You know when Harry touched the Pensieve and falls into Dumbledore's memory of the trial. This is taking place at the same cold, stone-like courtroom.)
The courtroom, that could be called nothing else but a dungeon, was filling up with wizards from all of the country. Avalon didn't know her parents had been this well connected. Some of them she recognised as her father's working-partners, and some of them she had never seen before. No family was there, no aunts, uncles or cousins; Avalon guessed they didn't want to have anything to do with the complications this trial would conjure.
In brief descriptions, the room was big and round, covered with benches encircling a plain spot of the solid stone-floor. In the middle, there was a wooden chair, nailed to the floor, with chains on its arms. The benches rose in levels, so that everyone would have a clear view of what was going on at the centre.
The courtroom sent chills up on your spine, not to mention the chair in the middle.
Avalon had greeted the members of the Ministry of Magic that would lead the trial, and she was careful to keep Severus out of it. She knew in what circles his family had their connections, and this was not the place for him to show up.
Now, the two youngsters took place at the back row, not wanting any attention drawn to themselves. Severus noticed Avalon was very tensed; she kept pushing straws of her hair back from her face and looking around with big eyes. Every time someone made a noise as they settled down in the courtroom, Avalon jumped in surprise, and her grip on they bench beneath her hardened.
Severus looked down at her hand, then broke it free from its grip and took it in his. Avalon's breathing then steadied slightly, and she relaxed her shoulders.
Dumbledore arrived, and this was something that made Avalon very, *very* nervous. To think of it, it was pretty obvious that he would attend in the trial, but she was sure he would want to talk to her afterwards.
To hers and Severus' relief, no one else sat down on the last row. The others were all seated at the front, as a door opened.
Led by two Dementors, a man whose head was covered with a black hood stumbled in, and the members of the Ministry rose from their seats behind the square table in front of the chair. Whispers filled the courtroom as the Dementors pushed the man down to sit in the chair. Avalon didn't not move at all, Severus wasn't even sure she was breathing. She was just staring at the weak man being chained to the chair by his escort.
So this was the man who was partly responsible for her parents' death. In simpler words, this man had killed her parents. She wanted to see his face; she wanted to know what he looked like.
Cornelius Fudge, the youngest of the members from the Ministry, spoke:
"We are here to bring this follower of Lord Voldemort into justice, arrested for the murder of Mr and Mrs Lambert," the black hood was ripped off by one of the Dementors, and a pale, snake-like face showed beneath it, Fudge growled in disgust,
"Mr Snape."
A/n: OOOOPS! Now I want to hear a big "WHAT??!!" coming out of all of you! One, two, three… WHAT??!! *Hides behind my desk* Oh this is so horrible! Sorry to leave it like this, but I really have to take a piss… Kidding! The next chapter will be up soon, I just loooove cliffhangers, don't you? They're so much fun!
Thanks to all of you, especially Lady Doncaster! You're my angel!
Next: The trial. This is where everything happens.
Severus awoke feeling a fresh breeze from the open window. In a strange way, he felt more tired than before he fell asleep.
He looked down and found he was staring into a pair of pale blue-green eyes. Avalon was lying pressed up against his chest, and was gazing up at him thoughtfully. Severus could barely force a comforting smile onto his lips.
"Have you been awake long?" Avalon still didn't smile, but her expression changed and she looked more comfortable.
"You're late for class," she whispered. "Lucius and the others left for breakfast half an hour ago." Severus frowned at this.
"He didn't wake you up… did he?" Avalon shook her head slightly.
"No…"
"You're a bad liar." Avalon laughed quietly.
"I guess I am." Severus gritted his teeth together, Lucius was to be confronted later on…
"That nosy little git…"
"… doesn't get to me at all." Avalon filled in.
Severus held his lips together and dropped the subject. He just liked having Avalon in his arms, for the first time since many years before they had come to Hogwarts.
"Don't worry, I'll skip classes today." He yawned and looked around a bit.
"You shouldn't."
"Why not? You're not in classes." There was no answer, and then Severus remembered. *Fuck, fuck, fuck! The girl's parents just died!* He mentally smacked himself on the forehead. Avalon lowered her gaze quietly.
"S- Sorry…" Severus stammered.
"No harm, I'm not staying in bed all day, I have other reasons to take this day off." And with that, Avalon crawled out of his grip and slid down from the bed. Severus sat up and watched her take off her robes that were still just a bit wet from the rain outside. (By the way, she wore jeans and a T- shirt beneath it!)
"What reasons?" He tried not to sound demanding in any way, but Avalon knew he wouldn't let her leave before he got an answer.
Avalon turned towards him while combing her messy hair forcefully.
"I'm going to court, Severus. Before you woke up I sent an owl back to the Ministry, the trial of the Death Eater will be set this afternoon." She could see Severus' face-colour fade slightly, and he bit his lip in a way that told Avalon this was not something he liked.
"And I'm going to be there." She finished, making it fully clear she wasn't going to change her mind about this.
She turned away again, and looked at herself in the mirror in front of her.
"Good god girl, you're a living wreck!" The mirror declared. Avalon smirked sarcastically and started collecting her hair in a braid.
She noticed Severus watching her from his bed in the mirror, and said:
"God dammit, Severus, just say it before you'll bite your bottom lip off."
"I don't want you to go." She turned around and met his eyes seriously.
"But I am…" Severus lowered his eyes to the floor and sighed heavily.
"I just don't think this is going to help you get over your parents."
Avalon walked up to him sitting on the bed and grasped his hand.
"If you hadn't found me yesterday I would've still been standing out there by sunrise, frozen to death or something." Severus still avoided her eyes carefully. Avalon felt the tears welling up in her throat. "I can't go through this alone… I- I can't go through this without *you* okay? I've saved you before, and now you saved me. Just please don't turn your back on me now! Please…"
Before she could say anything else Severus pulled her to him and held her gently, his eyes still at the floor.
"I would never…" he whispered. "Promise. I wouldn't… ever."
"Okay…" she whispered and let go of his hand. "Will you come with me?"
This was something Severus did not expect.
*Oh god, what if the Death Eater is… maybe he's a friend of my family. Fuck, what if my father is there to defend him! *
"Of course I will."
(A/N: This trial of mine is supposed to take place at that dungeon-like courtroom that the Crouch-trial took place at in the Goblet of Fire. You know when Harry touched the Pensieve and falls into Dumbledore's memory of the trial. This is taking place at the same cold, stone-like courtroom.)
The courtroom, that could be called nothing else but a dungeon, was filling up with wizards from all of the country. Avalon didn't know her parents had been this well connected. Some of them she recognised as her father's working-partners, and some of them she had never seen before. No family was there, no aunts, uncles or cousins; Avalon guessed they didn't want to have anything to do with the complications this trial would conjure.
In brief descriptions, the room was big and round, covered with benches encircling a plain spot of the solid stone-floor. In the middle, there was a wooden chair, nailed to the floor, with chains on its arms. The benches rose in levels, so that everyone would have a clear view of what was going on at the centre.
The courtroom sent chills up on your spine, not to mention the chair in the middle.
Avalon had greeted the members of the Ministry of Magic that would lead the trial, and she was careful to keep Severus out of it. She knew in what circles his family had their connections, and this was not the place for him to show up.
Now, the two youngsters took place at the back row, not wanting any attention drawn to themselves. Severus noticed Avalon was very tensed; she kept pushing straws of her hair back from her face and looking around with big eyes. Every time someone made a noise as they settled down in the courtroom, Avalon jumped in surprise, and her grip on they bench beneath her hardened.
Severus looked down at her hand, then broke it free from its grip and took it in his. Avalon's breathing then steadied slightly, and she relaxed her shoulders.
Dumbledore arrived, and this was something that made Avalon very, *very* nervous. To think of it, it was pretty obvious that he would attend in the trial, but she was sure he would want to talk to her afterwards.
To hers and Severus' relief, no one else sat down on the last row. The others were all seated at the front, as a door opened.
Led by two Dementors, a man whose head was covered with a black hood stumbled in, and the members of the Ministry rose from their seats behind the square table in front of the chair. Whispers filled the courtroom as the Dementors pushed the man down to sit in the chair. Avalon didn't not move at all, Severus wasn't even sure she was breathing. She was just staring at the weak man being chained to the chair by his escort.
So this was the man who was partly responsible for her parents' death. In simpler words, this man had killed her parents. She wanted to see his face; she wanted to know what he looked like.
Cornelius Fudge, the youngest of the members from the Ministry, spoke:
"We are here to bring this follower of Lord Voldemort into justice, arrested for the murder of Mr and Mrs Lambert," the black hood was ripped off by one of the Dementors, and a pale, snake-like face showed beneath it, Fudge growled in disgust,
"Mr Snape."
A/n: OOOOPS! Now I want to hear a big "WHAT??!!" coming out of all of you! One, two, three… WHAT??!! *Hides behind my desk* Oh this is so horrible! Sorry to leave it like this, but I really have to take a piss… Kidding! The next chapter will be up soon, I just loooove cliffhangers, don't you? They're so much fun!
Thanks to all of you, especially Lady Doncaster! You're my angel!
Next: The trial. This is where everything happens.