And so, as February came to a bitterly-cold close, it was a decidedly more
buoyant group meeting nightly in the dungeon classroom. Draco was accepted
by all without comment; even Ron and Harry managed to set aside old
differences in order to work with him. Tests and experiments continued at
one end of the classroom and a new strategy table had been set up at the
other. Snape, Dumbledore, Lupin, Harry and Draco downed endless pots of
coffee every night as they formulated a plan to finish off the Death
Eaters.
In a short space of time, it was agreed that Draco would write his father and tell Malfoy he was "working on bringing Snape back into the fold." At the next Death Eater's meeting, Snape would bring in a narcotic-based potion as a gift for the group - to "enhance" their revels. Dumbledore's eyebrows raised as Draco and Snape began discussing the details of the potion.
"Don't look at me like that, Albus," said Snape. "An illegal drug that will make them 'high' is much less dangerous to take them, than some type of poison, for example. They will only kill a few brain cells with it - and can't use it to harm anyone else directly."
Dumbledore nodded in understanding. Harry, who had been thinking quietly for most of the discussion, piped up.
"Draco, since the goal of your father and his minions isn't to 'get' me now, why don't you convince Lucius that I want to join you as well. That way, when the time comes for battle, you aren't the only two there. Just tell him I've spent a lot of time with Snape because of Hermione and I want to follow him and secure my future or something," he said, cautiously.
Snape opened his mouth to tell Harry exactly what he thought of his ludicrous idea, when a red-haired blur shot past them and out of the dungeons - obviously upset and obviously Ginny Weasley.
"She heard you, so I think you'd better go to her, Harry," said Snape. "We'll discuss this more later."
Harry looked at him in shock.
"You two aren't exactly as discreet as you think, and I was young and in love once myself, remember?" Snape smiled. "We won't broadcast it to the Daily Prophet, don't worry. Get moving, Potter."
The gang finished their planning and went to the cauldron area to help Molly, Hermione and Ron clean up for the evening. Snape walked up behind Hermione and, wrapping his arms around her expanded middle, hugged her and nuzzled her neck. She leaned back into his embrace and turned her head to gently kiss him.
"Urgh," intoned Ron. "If you guys are trying to make me sick, it's working."
Snape and Hermione turned to glare at the good-natured teen, who was grinning at them and trying to make a face.
"Why don't you guys go on home, we'll finish up and you can go do - whatever it is that overgrown bats and their 'maidens fair' do in the privacy of their lairs," he said, ducking as Hermione threw a dishcloth at his head.
"I think we should do just that," she said, taking Snape's arm and drawing him out of the classroom.
They entered their quarters earlier than they had in weeks. Snape lighted a fire and summoned a House Elf to bring them glasses of milk and a plate of Hermione's favorite cookies. 'Who would have ever guessed I would be cuddling with my pregnant wife and enjoying milk and cookies on a cold night by the fire?' he mused. 'I'm not giving this up, either, not for the likes of Malfoy.'
He sat next to Hermione and they curled up together on the sofa watching the flames. The cookies and milk appeared on the coffee table, but neither moved to touch them - they were too wrapped up in their thoughts.
"Did you know that Harry and Ginny are dating, love?" said Snape.
"No! That little prat didn't tell me!" said Hermione in shock. "I'm going to kill him."
Snape laughed and pulled her a bit closer.
"Well, wait until morning. I'm not sure Ginny is finished killing him yet," he said. At Hermione's questioning glance, he continued. "Harry offered to join the Death Eaters as a recruit of mine. I suppose he thinks it will help me be accepted and will also give us one more 'good guy' on the inside. Ginny wasn't happy about the idea, needless to say."
"I don't blame her," said Hermione, rather coldly and pulling away.
"Angel --?"
"Severus. I don't fully understand why you have to go back to another meeting; why you have to join back up and become a Death Eater officially again. It's insane. Let Draco get the information from his father. Stay here. Stay out of harms way for once in your life. Let someone else do it," she pleaded.
"I can't do that, Angel," he said. "If we are going to convince Lucius that Draco is loyal to him, what better way to do it than Draco bringing him his favorite prey. Without Draco gaining his father's approval, he will never have a chance at seeing the information on the Dark Mark, Hermione. And without that information, the Death Eaters could rise again and I will most certainly be killed anyway."
She stared at him, not responding. He sighed.
"I have no choice, Hermione."
"Yes, you do. Let Draco take Harry, he's a prize, too," she spat.
"You would sacrifice Harry? No, Hermione, I've made my bed, now I must lie in it. If Draco and I are successful, I will never have to waste time on my youthful mistake again. But until then, Lucius is right, I am a Death Eater. And I will always be one, until this Mark is removed," he said, looking into her angry brown eyes. "We can't think of another way."
"Well you had better," she said, rising from the sofa. "You sacrificed 17 years of your life to the cause. Don't think Dumbledore didn't tell me about how many times you nearly died, trying to curb Voldemort's activities after our fourth year. Don't think that I have no idea how many evenings of torture you suffered in an attempt to prove your loyalty again and be admitted to his upper ranks. And don't think that I believe for one minute that you will come out of this crazy plan alive. You won't. You are going to die this time, Snape. You've beaten the odds too many times."
"Hermione, you don't know that," he began, softly.
"No. It's time to stop playing with your mortality. You have a wife, you have a child on the way, you have a home. I want to be happy, safe and comfortable. Stop telling me it is your duty to do this stupid thing or that it is your penance to sacrifice even more than you already have. You're trying to always take the high moral ground in order to redeem yourself," she stormed.
"And I should, Hermione. My first foray into the Dark caused suffering and death, do you realize that? I may never pay my debt," he yelled.
"You accuse me of trying to take the high moral ground," he paused and ripped his sleeve up to expose the Dark Mark. "You tell me how easy it is to take the high moral ground, and be a leader on the high moral ground with *this.* I'm wearing the Dark Mark, Hermione. I'm branded. I have no choice but to take the high road. If I take the low road, I'm lost."
"Then take no road at all," she said, defeated. "Just don't go back to them and get yourself killed. We need you."
"I have no choice, Hermione."
She looked at him silently for a moment and left the room, heading for their bedroom. The sound of the door slamming and the sudden appearance of a blanket and pillow on one end of the couch let him know that tonight he would sleep alone.
In a short space of time, it was agreed that Draco would write his father and tell Malfoy he was "working on bringing Snape back into the fold." At the next Death Eater's meeting, Snape would bring in a narcotic-based potion as a gift for the group - to "enhance" their revels. Dumbledore's eyebrows raised as Draco and Snape began discussing the details of the potion.
"Don't look at me like that, Albus," said Snape. "An illegal drug that will make them 'high' is much less dangerous to take them, than some type of poison, for example. They will only kill a few brain cells with it - and can't use it to harm anyone else directly."
Dumbledore nodded in understanding. Harry, who had been thinking quietly for most of the discussion, piped up.
"Draco, since the goal of your father and his minions isn't to 'get' me now, why don't you convince Lucius that I want to join you as well. That way, when the time comes for battle, you aren't the only two there. Just tell him I've spent a lot of time with Snape because of Hermione and I want to follow him and secure my future or something," he said, cautiously.
Snape opened his mouth to tell Harry exactly what he thought of his ludicrous idea, when a red-haired blur shot past them and out of the dungeons - obviously upset and obviously Ginny Weasley.
"She heard you, so I think you'd better go to her, Harry," said Snape. "We'll discuss this more later."
Harry looked at him in shock.
"You two aren't exactly as discreet as you think, and I was young and in love once myself, remember?" Snape smiled. "We won't broadcast it to the Daily Prophet, don't worry. Get moving, Potter."
The gang finished their planning and went to the cauldron area to help Molly, Hermione and Ron clean up for the evening. Snape walked up behind Hermione and, wrapping his arms around her expanded middle, hugged her and nuzzled her neck. She leaned back into his embrace and turned her head to gently kiss him.
"Urgh," intoned Ron. "If you guys are trying to make me sick, it's working."
Snape and Hermione turned to glare at the good-natured teen, who was grinning at them and trying to make a face.
"Why don't you guys go on home, we'll finish up and you can go do - whatever it is that overgrown bats and their 'maidens fair' do in the privacy of their lairs," he said, ducking as Hermione threw a dishcloth at his head.
"I think we should do just that," she said, taking Snape's arm and drawing him out of the classroom.
They entered their quarters earlier than they had in weeks. Snape lighted a fire and summoned a House Elf to bring them glasses of milk and a plate of Hermione's favorite cookies. 'Who would have ever guessed I would be cuddling with my pregnant wife and enjoying milk and cookies on a cold night by the fire?' he mused. 'I'm not giving this up, either, not for the likes of Malfoy.'
He sat next to Hermione and they curled up together on the sofa watching the flames. The cookies and milk appeared on the coffee table, but neither moved to touch them - they were too wrapped up in their thoughts.
"Did you know that Harry and Ginny are dating, love?" said Snape.
"No! That little prat didn't tell me!" said Hermione in shock. "I'm going to kill him."
Snape laughed and pulled her a bit closer.
"Well, wait until morning. I'm not sure Ginny is finished killing him yet," he said. At Hermione's questioning glance, he continued. "Harry offered to join the Death Eaters as a recruit of mine. I suppose he thinks it will help me be accepted and will also give us one more 'good guy' on the inside. Ginny wasn't happy about the idea, needless to say."
"I don't blame her," said Hermione, rather coldly and pulling away.
"Angel --?"
"Severus. I don't fully understand why you have to go back to another meeting; why you have to join back up and become a Death Eater officially again. It's insane. Let Draco get the information from his father. Stay here. Stay out of harms way for once in your life. Let someone else do it," she pleaded.
"I can't do that, Angel," he said. "If we are going to convince Lucius that Draco is loyal to him, what better way to do it than Draco bringing him his favorite prey. Without Draco gaining his father's approval, he will never have a chance at seeing the information on the Dark Mark, Hermione. And without that information, the Death Eaters could rise again and I will most certainly be killed anyway."
She stared at him, not responding. He sighed.
"I have no choice, Hermione."
"Yes, you do. Let Draco take Harry, he's a prize, too," she spat.
"You would sacrifice Harry? No, Hermione, I've made my bed, now I must lie in it. If Draco and I are successful, I will never have to waste time on my youthful mistake again. But until then, Lucius is right, I am a Death Eater. And I will always be one, until this Mark is removed," he said, looking into her angry brown eyes. "We can't think of another way."
"Well you had better," she said, rising from the sofa. "You sacrificed 17 years of your life to the cause. Don't think Dumbledore didn't tell me about how many times you nearly died, trying to curb Voldemort's activities after our fourth year. Don't think that I have no idea how many evenings of torture you suffered in an attempt to prove your loyalty again and be admitted to his upper ranks. And don't think that I believe for one minute that you will come out of this crazy plan alive. You won't. You are going to die this time, Snape. You've beaten the odds too many times."
"Hermione, you don't know that," he began, softly.
"No. It's time to stop playing with your mortality. You have a wife, you have a child on the way, you have a home. I want to be happy, safe and comfortable. Stop telling me it is your duty to do this stupid thing or that it is your penance to sacrifice even more than you already have. You're trying to always take the high moral ground in order to redeem yourself," she stormed.
"And I should, Hermione. My first foray into the Dark caused suffering and death, do you realize that? I may never pay my debt," he yelled.
"You accuse me of trying to take the high moral ground," he paused and ripped his sleeve up to expose the Dark Mark. "You tell me how easy it is to take the high moral ground, and be a leader on the high moral ground with *this.* I'm wearing the Dark Mark, Hermione. I'm branded. I have no choice but to take the high road. If I take the low road, I'm lost."
"Then take no road at all," she said, defeated. "Just don't go back to them and get yourself killed. We need you."
"I have no choice, Hermione."
She looked at him silently for a moment and left the room, heading for their bedroom. The sound of the door slamming and the sudden appearance of a blanket and pillow on one end of the couch let him know that tonight he would sleep alone.