{Disclaimer: I don't own anything, save the nameless character that I created from the depth of my imagination along with anything else that you don't recognize.}
This chapter is for Pixie, who was a wonderful, purring lap warmer during the writing of most of this chapter, even though I don't think she was supporting my writing and just wanted to be fed and petted.
Chapter 2
Why?
"So long as human beings stay human, death and life are the same thing." 1984 George Orwell
He never knew what had made him do it.
The raid had been well planned and executed with precision. The Dementors had willingly joined the dark forces. The prisoners had been brought to Lord Voldemort. Death Eaters that had been held in Azkaban were returned to the ranks. All the others had been offered to join the swelling numbers of the Death Eaters. Those that had not turned insane during their long stay mostly felt it was best to join with the Dark Lord. The ones that were insane were simply killed.
And then there was the girl…
Snape figured it out after a while. It had been her eyes that compelled him to save her from Lord Voldemort. The dark eyes, filled with anger, yet so easily blank when they needed to be. She had fought back. After the years that she had been imprisoned, she still had the will power to rebel. She could fight and would not bend against her beliefs. She could dodge curses thrown at her. Snape had decided that there was much more to her than there seemed to be.
She had been the only prisoner in the raid to escape. No others had even tried. No one else had the spunk to spit directly in Lucius Malfoy's face. No other prisoner had struggled and taken out a good handful of Death Eaters with only a spear. No other prisoner had the mind to escape.
How she escaped was an entire different matter. Lord Voldemort had called the Death Eaters to bow down before him, to show their complete obedience to him and him alone. She had snuck away through an open door and only by a slim chance was seen by a quick turn of a head. Snape felt the need to run after her. He was faster and more in shape than some of the other Death Eaters there. He ran after her through the twisting corridors, out into the front of the castle and almost over the edge into the sea. She had turned to look at him with those dark eyes and jumped into the water. Snape followed with a graceful swan dive.
She landed easily with Snape surfacing a few seconds behind. He swam quickly towards her, pulling her into a recessed cave where they could not be seen. "Listen to me. You are dead; you have drowned. Understood?" Snape was terse and short with his speech. There was not much time. She gave him a puzzled look, not being able to speak. "I am going to help you." Snape grabbed her arm and apparated quickly to one of his houses in a small Muggle development. It had worked as a hide out before; it would do for now. "Stay here. You'll be safe. Get cleaned up. You need it. The bathroom is at the top of the stairs. I will be back in a few minutes."
Snape disappeared, leaving her alone on the floor. He reappeared in the water and apparated back onto the dry land above. "She's dead, killed herself between jumping onto the rocks and drowning. We don't have to worry about her anymore." They had believed him. Morons, all of them were blathering idiots. Then again it was likely that any of the prisoners would be highly suicidal after being in Azkaban for so long. That did make it plausible, but that was their problem if they believed him.
Lord Voldemort had not been pleased with the information that his prisoner that had showed some promise was dead, but accepted it as a fact. There were many more that would fight for him. The Death Eaters had been dismissed.
Snape apparated back to his Muggle house were he had left the girl. He had to stop thinking of her as a girl. She was probably as old as he was, give or take a few years. She was only built like a girl. Snape heard the echoes of someone playing the piano in his living room. There was more to this woman than he had originally thought. He did not recognize the song that she played even though it sounded vaguely familiar. Snape walked toward where he had heard her playing, heading towards the haunting melody.
She was standing in front of the instrument when he arrived, balanced on the balls of her bare feet like a predatory waiting to leap or maybe a rabbit ready to run and hide, yet paralyzed with the fear of not knowing who he was.
"Hello," Snape said warmly. He had to be careful, knowing what she had done before. He eyes still held a look of fear. "I am not going to hurt you."
The fear slowly left her eyes to be replaced with a look of confusion. "Okay, this is difficult, isn't it? One sided conversations never work well." Snape pulled out his wand and pointed it at her.
The girl's eyes widened at the sight of the wand. She leapt forward at him, hand clawed like a wild beast. She grabbed him by the throat and forced him to floor. With nimble fingers she forced the wand out of his hand and ran back to a far corner of the room, holding it tightly. Snape was left to pull himself up from the floor. "Give that back. All I was going to do with it was remove the curse laid upon you so that you can talk."
She looked at him with an expression that clearly said 'oh' even though it was mixed with distrust. She walked slowly across the room and placed the wand in Snape's open palm. Snape whispered a few words to the wand and pointed it at her. A streak of white light burst out of the tip toward her throat. Tendrils of light wrapped around it, sending their healing energies through her veins. She could feel the power healing her broken vocal cords and bringing them back to life. "Thank you," she whispered softly, voice rough from disuse.
"You're welcome. Next time I try to help you, don't attempt to kill me."
She looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I did not try to murder you. All I did was disarm you. If had wanted to murder you, you would be dead by now."
Snape glared at her and she glared back just as steadily, a tall dark man staring down a shorter brightly clothed girl. "Just make sure it does not happen again."
"I can't promise you that, but I will try."
"Good enough. Now, who are you?"
She furrowed her brows, thinking. "I don't know."
"You don't know who you are? How can you not remember your own name?"
"After sixteen years locked up in a tiny, dark cell, you start to forget things. I don't remember my name, my past, anything save a few bits and pieces that come to me." She shook her head. "I just don't know."
'Great,' Snape thought to himself. 'Of all the people there, I found the one that doesn't remember anything.' He asked her another question. "So you don't remember why you were locked away in Azkaban."
She took a deep breath and sighed. "That's one of the few things that I remember. It still haunts my nightmares. That memory will never leave me…" she trailed off, looking away.
"What did you do? If you are going to stay here for a while, it would be nice to know who exactly is staying here."
"I murdered a few people." She told him like it a matter of fact, not at all gruesome or something that people don't want to hear.
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, I did. I think it ended up to be about five or six before I was captured."
"And you killed them with magic?"
She looked aghast. "Of course not! I murdered all of them with my bare hands, no magic what so ever."
"How do I know you won't murder me then?"
"All of them were done away with for a very good cause. They were all Tom's supporters," she spat the name. "Without the marks. Some of them worked in the Ministry. I guess that was why they put me away even though I was doing it for their own good."
Snape nodded slightly. "You mean Tom Marvolo Riddle?
"Oh, yes, the slimy git that he is. Self styled pompous idiot who was able to gain power just because he decided to be evil."
Snape didn't know whether or not to tell her that he was a Death Eater. It might cause some problems in the future if he kept it secret yet he did not know her well enough to know that she wouldn't kill him out right. "You do realize that the people who took you from Azkaban were all supporters of Lord Voldemort?"
She nodded. "I suspected that. It also means that you are at least a partial supporter of Voldemort, but not completely."
"And how did you figure that out?" Snape decided that once again there was a lot more to this woman than he had guessed there to be.
"A true supporter would have either killed me or returned me to the Dark Lord. Because you saved my life, you cannot be entirely loyal to him, which also could mean that you are a two sided double under cover agent for the good guys."
"And you figured this out how?"
"I just explained that to you. You would have turned me in or murdered me. You did not do so, which means you have some good in you. Which is why I won't kill you because I owe you my life."
"Right. That is encouraging to know that I won't be found dead in the morning."
"May I ask you a few questions?"
"Certainly. I have been bombarding you with some."
"Who are you other than a Death Eater turned good?"
"Snape, Severus Snape. I teach Potions at Hogwarts and am the Head of the Slytherin house."
"Oh," she sounded rather impressed with all of that. "You were a Slytherin, then. That would explain a lot. Do you have any tea?"
"Tea?"
"Yes, tea. In the sixteen years that I was imprisoned at Azkaban, I never had a cup of tea. It was quite dreadful."
"And I suppose you would like some food as well?"
"That would be a plus, considering I haven't eaten in," she counted on her fingers and gave up after three. "a couple days."
Snape raised an eyebrow with careful precision. "I should have some leftovers in the refrigerator, if you don't mind."
"That would be wonderful, actually."
Snape left to go to the kitchen, leaving the girl standing in the middle of the living room. She followed after him, watching him make sandwiches in the kitchen after putting a pot of water on for tea. "You prefer Muggle methods?"
Snape's head snapped up. He hadn't expected her to be standing there. "Yes, I do. Is there a problem with that?"
"Oh, no, of course not. I was just wondering."
Snape finished the sandwiches, putting each on a black plate decorated with a border of intertwined serpents. Matching mugs were pulled out of a cupboard and hot tea was poured into them. He passed her a plate and mug. Taking his own meal, Snape went back to the living room and sat in a straight backed chair. The woman followed like a shadow, sitting in a chair across from him. Snape watched as she slowly ate the sandwich, savoring every bite and sipping the tea. She had changed from when he had dragged her in from sea. Her matted hair was shorter and blond instead of the dark filthy color that it had been. He skin was pale from the lack of sunlight, but clean. She had found some of the clothes he kept for disguises when he wanted to go out into the Muggle world. He had forgotten that some of the items in there were female clothing. It brought back memories from when he still had a sister and partner.
"Thank you," she said after a long pause.
"For what?"
"For every thing that you have done for me. For saving my life and taking me in even when you didn't know what I was."
"I still don't know exactly what you are. You don't even have a name yet that you remember. You will need a name eventually."
"I'll think of one." She nodded. "I will think of something. Do you have a place that I can sleep?"
Snape looked at her. "You can have the bedroom where you found the clothes."
"Thank you. Good night." She left the room, heading up the stairs. Snape watched her leave. He picked up the dishes and mugs realizing that he had barely touched his own sandwich. They were brought to the kitchen and washed by hand. He went into his study and sat down in the leather chair behind his desk.
He did not know what to do. He had rescued a murder from Azkaban who had lost her memory. Snape did not know if she was telling the truth or not. For all he knew, she could kill him by morning, happy thought that it was. There were no reasons to trust her. There were no reasons not to trust her. He could do this in one of two ways. Wait until she regained her strength and send her out into the world alone or keep her with him. Either way posed a problem. If he sent her away another Death Eater would find and maybe murder him if they recognized her. He would die if they recognized her and realized that he had lied. If he kept her with him, she would either have to stay at the house or take her with him to Hogwarts. He didn't know how Dumbledore would feel if he brought a convicted murdered with him to Hogwarts. She might kill someone there.
Either way there was not much he could do. The first step would be to ask Dumbledore. Dumbledore would know what to do; he always did. There was still time in the day to apparate into Hogsmeade and walk to Hogwarts from there. That would be what he would do. He scribbled a quick note to the girl, explaining that he had to run a few errands and would be back in a few hours. The note was signed and left on the kitchen counter. Snape apparated into Hogsmeade and began to walk towards Hogwarts castle.
The castle was deserted save for the few teachers that had come in early to get their classroom set up and lesson plans done before the semester started. Snape had no problems getting in or finding his way to Dumbledore's office. He spoke the password (Blood Pops) and entered.
"Ah, Severus. I was waiting for you to come and see me. I heard about the raid on Azkaban."
Snape took a seat. "Yes, it went as expected. The Dementors joined Voldemort's forces. The prisoners that were Death Eaters rejoined the ranks. The others joined or were done away with."
"I thought as much. You didn't come just to tell me that did you?"
"No. One of the prisoners escaped. I saved her. I told the rest of the Death Eaters that she had killed herself."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "Do you know who she is?"
"No, she does not remember her own name. She only remembers that she was locked into Azkaban for murdering a handful of people."
"Did she say how long ago she was locked away?"
Snape thought back for a moment. "I believe she said something about sixteen years."
Dumbledore levitated a thick book from one of the many shelves. "Can you give me a description of what she looks like?"
"Short, maybe five feet tall, blonde hair, dark eyes, she was Silenced before she was imprisoned, I don't know much else about her."
"That will do." Dumbledore pointed his wand at the thick book. It flipped open, pages turning, until it stopped somewhere near the last third of the book. He scrolled down the page. "Age: eighteen, height: five foot, hair color: blond, eyes: dark brown, Silenced after the trial. This is rather interesting. It doesn't say why she was Silenced. It does not give a name either, only a number. I think you have found yourself a quite a mystery, Severus."
"I believe that I have. I wanted to ask you what I should do with her."
"Yes, that could pose a difficult problem, couldn't it? You cannot let her go since the Death Eaters think that she is dead. You might be caught for lying and be killed if they find her. I suggest that you let me meet her before anything else is decided. I might be able to find something about her."
"Thank you, sir."
"You're quite welcome, my dear boy. After all the help you have given us and all the times you have risked your life, I owe you something. Bring her in as soon as she wakes up."
"Yes, sir, I will do so."
"You should get home now. We don't need her escaping again."
"Thank you." Snape left the office with a flurry of his black robes.
Dumbledore stared after him. There was good in him, no matter what other people thought.
Snape returned to find the girl asleep on the floor of the living room in the same clothes that she had been wearing before. She snapped awake at the sound of his footsteps. "Oh, it's you."
"Are you awake?"
"Yes, sort of. I couldn't get used to sleep in a bed, so I decided to sleep on the floor down here."
"Professor Dumbledore wants to talk with you when you are awake."
She nodded from her position on the floor. "I remember a Dumbledore, I think." She stood up, slightly rumpled, but none worse for the wear. "Take me to him."
Snape looked her over with a critical eye. "You can't go like that. It's too conspicuous if you are going out into the world."
"What do you mean?"
"You are wearing Muggle clothing going into the wizarding world."
"Oh."
"You need a robe," he looked down at her bare feet. "And shoes. Go upstairs to where you found what you are wearing now. There should some things up there."
She ran up the stairs, returning a few moments later with a dark navy robe and a pair of worn brown sandals. The robe was pulled over the clothing that she had been wearing before. "Better?"
"Yes, much."
Snape held out his hand toward her. She grasped it cautiously. Together they apparated into Hogsmeade.
"I remember this place," the woman whispered softly as Snape led her down the well used path to Hogwarts. She gasped at the sight of the gigantic structure as they rounded a corner.
"Welcome to Hogwarts." Snape set a quick pace up to the castle and inside. He led her around corners and stopped in front of the gargoyle. For the second time that day, he spoke the password and went up the stairs to Dumbledore's office.
"Back already, Severus?" Dumbledore asked politely, more interested in the woman that trailed behind Snape than in the Potions Master. "Do sit down, both of you."
Snape sat in the same chair that he had vacated only a few hours ago. His charge sat nearby.
Dumbledore looked over the small built woman. She seemed vaguely familiar, like he should know her. She was probably a student at Hogwarts once. "I am Professor Dumbledore, Head Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He gave her his hand to shake. For a small person, she had a strong grip.
"Hello," she blinked a couple of time. "I think I remember you."
Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Severus explained to me about your conundrums. I believe that I may be of some assistance."
"If you could do anything, I would be extremely grateful."
"I would like to try a memory charm on you first."
"Fine, go ahead." She seemed to trust the Head Master more than she had trusted Snape.
Dumbledore waved him wand at her, speaking the words of the spell. "Can you remember your name now?"
The woman closed her eyes, racking her brain for the information. "No. I don't remember it."
"Then let us try a stronger one, shall we? Severus, I would like you to cast the same spell at her when I do."
Both wizards spoke the spell together, wands toward her. "Try it now."
She tried again with the same results.
"Hmmm… Interesting. If anything, I would say that someone cursed you to forget about something that they did not want remembered."
"How did you figure that out, sir?"
"Quite simply, my dear. The two spells that we tried on you would have cured any person of amnesia, so that they would remember any thing of their past. They did not affect you, so there has to be other forces at work. The only other force that could control a person's memory lose would be a strong curse."
"That might make sense."
"It makes more sense than you think. In the log of all the prisoners that had been imprisoned in Azkaban, there is one matching your physical description that was locked away sixteen years ago, as Severus said that you had been. There was no name attached to the file, only a number and it stated that you had been Silenced. Obviously, Severus took the care of removing the silencing spell, which is simple to remove if one knows how to do it. The file did not state why you were Silenced. I have a feeling that someone set you up."
She looked at the Head Master with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"
"I am almost certain. Can you tell me what things you do remember?"
Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "I remembered how to play the piano. I remembered Hogsmeade and Hogwarts and you, professor." She paused, faltering. "I remember the murders that sent me into Azkaban. I don't know what else, other than a vague recollection of a quarter staff and fighting."
"So you must have attended this school. Do you remember which house you were in?"
"No."
"That we can find out quite easily," Dumbledore stood up and pulled a worn hat that seemed to be one its last legs of life off the shelf. "This is the Sorting Hat. We use it to sort people into the four houses. It should remember you." The hat was placed gently on her head.
"Now what have we here? You are not a student. You are too old for that," the hat spoke to her in her mind.
"Professor Dumbledore said that you might remember which house I was sorted into when I attended this school."
"He did. Yes, then let us see. Hmmm… Do you know when were you were sorted? It would make everything easier."
"I was eighteen sixteen years ago, which would make it about twenty three years ago."
"That will do. Interesting mind that you have there. There is intelligence, honesty, ambition, loyalty, bravery you could have gone into any of the houses. I do not believe that you would have done well in Hufflepuff, so you could not have been there. There is some ambition, but not enough to place you in Slytherin. That would leave Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. Since bravery seems to rise over intelligence, though they are almost equally matched, I would have to place you in GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word.
She took off the hat, handing it back to Dumbledore. He looked bemused at what the hat had said. Snape wore a similar expression. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing that I was a Gryffindor?"
"You are fine, my dear. That should help us greatly. We just need to find a list of the Gryffindors that graduated sixteen years ago. Dumbledore pointed his wand at a large tome on another shelf. The book landed on his desk with a small thud. "Now let us see here." He thumbed through the pages, stopping on a section and reading it. "Hmmm… There seems to be a page missing where the Gryffindors from your year should be." He fingered the ripped edge carefully. "Someone is definitely against you, my dear. I have a feeling that you were not put into Azkaban for the murders that you remember."
{Author's Note: That was interesting, to say the least considering most of it was written after being sleep deprived from play practice, performances, and cast parties that lasted until two in the morning. So if there are random tangents or things that no one else understands, I apologize. Thank you to the two people that did review the first chapter.
Anna Black: Thanks for thinking that this is "cool." I did not know that the priest in CoMC was the same actor that played Dumbledore. I just saw the movie because there were sword fights in it.
Jackie: You and your dancing pirates are welcome.
Okay. Eso es Eso. That's it. We are done blabbering for now. Oh, and I finally purchased the Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack. It's awesome. John Williams is God-Like! (For more reasons than one, he is God-Like. That is another story. I think I scared some people when I proclaimed that while doing their stage make-up for the musical.)
Thanks and read and review my other stories as well as this one while you are at it, The One and Only Nataly Ravenlock}
