Disclaimers: Hell has not frozen over… They still aren't mine.
Author's Note: IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!! Please be aware that the flashback scene in this chapter contains a conversation that deals with the subjects of rape and abuse. I have not gone into graphic details of the events themselves however; if the concept distresses you too much, please skip the flashback section (It is clearly marked). You should still be able to follow along with the story.
When Living is No Longer Enough…Chapter Six
Snape sat back in his chair in stunned silence. 'Why go after Potter's family now, after all this time?' he wondered trying to decipher Voldemort's intentions with this latest act. 'And how the hell did Draco get himself killed? I taught him better than that!'
"It seems that Voldemort has once again issued a warning to us this night," the headmaster said gravely. "No one is safe, be they muggle or wizard, and he will dare anything."
"Has Potter been told of this yet?" Severus asked quietly. He knew the young man had no great love for his abusive muggle relations however the boy would have never wished for their demise. 'Typical Gryffindor' the voice inside his head sneered.
"No, but he will be soon," Albus replied. "The Ministry is pulling him off of his current assignment and bringing him in."
"This won't be easy for him. He may not have liked his relatives very much but he will blame himself for tonight's events. Have the Weasley's been notified?" he asked anticipating the devastation this new void would cause in the close-knit family.
"Yes. I spoke to Arthur a short while ago and they are all in shock, not only by Ginny's death but by the deaths of Harry's family as well. You know, they have always looked upon him as if he were their own son," Albus said thoughtfully.
"Yes, his impending marriage would merely have made him an official part of the Weasley clan rather than an honorary one," Severus agreed.
"He will need their strength to pull through this," Albus said softly. "So much death and devastation for one so young. I wonder sometimes if young Harry is fated to walk a path of loneliness?"
"Perhaps," the potions master conceded quietly. "At least until Voldemort is defeated."
"Yes. Merely another reason to support our growing need of such a potion as we discussed earlier," the headmaster said, staring directly at Snape. "The sooner the better if we are to prevent more tragedies of this magnitude from befalling the members of the wizarding community."
"I will 'tackle the problem' immediately as the muggles would say. However, you should be aware that I feel this task is nothing more than an exercise in distraction. Your own skills in the potions field are formidable and you know as well as I that creating such a concoction is next to impossible," Severus said, his gaze boring into Dumbledore with an intensity that might have shocked the older man had he not been familiar with the young wizard's straight-to-the-point approach.
Merely inclining his head in acknowledgment, the Headmaster decided to steer the conversation into another direction. "I fear this new project will deprive you of most of your free time, Severus. Perhaps you should ask Professor Granger to assist you. She may bring a different perspective to the matter at hand."
Snape's head snapped up as if he had suddenly been slapped. 'Hermione! Had she been told of tonight's events and if so, how was she reacting to the news that three of her best friends lives had just been irrevocably altered by the uttering of a few simple words?' Looking up to meet the eyes of his long time friend, he asked "Has Herm… Professor Granger been told of tonight's events?"
Secretly smiling at the obviously unintentional slip, the headmaster nodded solemnly. "Yes, I spoke to her prior to flooing here. That is of course, how I knew of Miss Saunton's visit to you earlier this evening."
"Is she alright?" Snape asked feeling inadequate and wishing he could take her pain for himself in order to spare her the emotional roller coaster she was sure to be riding over the upcoming weeks and months.
"She will be eventually but for now she will need our support and understanding. After all, Ginny Weasley was one of her best friends. The fact that the young woman's life was so entwined with Hermione's other best friends, through her roles as sister and fiancée, will only succeed in making her path more difficult," Dumbledore answered.
"How much have you told her of tonight's events Albus?" Snape asked wondering exactly when he had become so concerned for the young witch. 'Probably right after that kiss,' an inner voice sneered derisively although he was honest enough with himself, if not with anyone else, to admit that his feelings for the Gryffindor had been building for quite some time.
"Everything," the headmaster replied. "Although she seemed most shocked to learn of Draco's status as a double agent."
"What did you expect?" the professor snorted, thinking back to her school days and the repeated taunting Draco had subjected her to throughout her seven years. "The boy lived to torment her for the first five years of their schooling. It was an added bonus for him that his harsh treatment of Miss Granger had the additional benefit of annoying Potter and Weasley to no end as well."
"Yes, but all of that changed at the start of their sixth year," the headmaster reminded him.
"True," Snape agreed. "But the Magnificent Three had no way of knowing that Draco had underwent a change of heart after his mother's death. As far as they were concerned, he was still following in Lucius' footsteps."
"A necessary diversion to ensure the boy's protection against both his father and Voldemort," the headmaster reminded Snape.
"Of course, it didn't hurt that he was gaining valuable information for the Order through his spying activities on Lucius either," Severus drawled dryly.
"Yes." Dumbledore answered quietly, aware of how much Draco had given up in his own short life to ingratiate himself into Voldemort's inner circle and assist the Light in thwarting many of the sorcerer's darkest plans. After several minutes of silence, the headmaster looked over to his friend who sat lost in thought. "You realize that Lucius will be aware of the dual role in which Draco was cast after tonight's events, don't you?"
Dragging his gaze from the patterns created by the flickering flames in the fireplace, Severus returned his attention to the conversation at hand. "In what way?" he asked in confusion.
"Young Malfoy was killed as a result of trying to protect Neville Longbottom. According to the young man, Draco managed to cast several counter-curses and attempted to cast the killing curse on his fellow 'comrades' on two separate occasions. Both of which, unfortunately, were unsuccessful in light of the way the events of the evening played out" the older man reflected.
"So then he was not responsible for any of the killing curses cast on Potter's relatives? Do we have any idea as to the identity of the other two Death Eaters?" Severus asked thinking that the probability of the men turning out to be Crabbe and Goyle were rather high.
"No," Dumbledore answered. "But Neville did tell the Ministry that both men left the house immediately after the killing curse meant for him succeeded in striking Draco instead."
"So the boy died a hero and no one will ever know," Severus said sadly, reaching for his previously abandoned glass of whisky and tossing the remaining liquid down his throat in a swift, angry gesture.
"We know, my friend" Albus replied gravelly. "And eventually, others will learn of his sacrifice as well. But for now, we must assume the other Death Eaters have already reported back to Voldemort, and although he is power hungry, he is by no means ignorant. He will surely have deduced the politics of the situation by now. We must be cautious, Severus. More so than ever before."
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It was a long while after the headmaster had left, that Snape finally began to immerge from his stunned stupor. 'What is this world coming to when children are compelled to step forward and willingly face the horrors created by the deranged minds of their own flesh and blood in order to save others from unmentionable fates? And what can be said of those of us who are older and more experienced in the harsher aspects of life who allow them to do so?' he thought despairingly as he remembered a night seven years prior when Draco approached him regarding the future Lucius had planned for him.
*** Flashback***
"Professor Snape?" asked a tentative voice.
Startled from his deep concentration, Snape looked up from the essay he was grading and took note of the blond haired young Slytherin that stood in the doorway to the dungeon classroom. Unsettled by the hesitant look in the usually icy gray eyes, Severus set his quill down and invited the boy to take a seat in the chair nearest his desk and waited patiently for him to get comfortable. After several minutes of tension-filled silence, the professor decided to begin conversation in an effort to prompt the boy into revealing the reason behind the unexpected visit.
"It's late Draco. Shouldn't you be back in the dormitory preparing for tomorrow's classes?" he asked.
The young man's eyes darted nervously around the dungeon to be caught briefly by those of his professor's and he suddenly exhaled sharply as he allowed his posture to slump in a gesture of defeat. "I'm sorry Professor Snape," he began which was unusual in itself. Lucius had always told Severus in their own school days that a Malfoy never apologizes for anything. It was a sentiment which he had heard Draco utter on more than one occasion during his previous five years at Hogwarts. "I didn't know who else to turn to. I know that, officially, you are a Death Eater but I'm hoping that my instincts are correct and that you will be able to help me anyway."
Snape's face became a hardened mask at the mention of his status as a Death Eater. 'Of course the boy would know,' he thought to himself remembering the many times throughout the years that he had visited Malfoy Manor and disappeared with Lucius to attend dark revels in the dead of night. Looking straight at the nervous boy, Severus merely raised an eyebrow and said, "Continue."
Nodding nervously, Draco began to relate a tale of horror that no child should ever conceive of, let alone experience.
"As you know professor, my father is a loyal supporter of the dark lord. This is something I've known for years and never questioned. Until recently. I've spent my life learning whatever he demanded of me, dark magic, hexes, curses and even the casting of unforgiveables, although I have yet to actually use one. I learned and adopted his prejudiced ways towards anyone who wasn't a pureblooded wizard and have taunted others with my supposed superiority. I never questioned this just as I never thought to question his future plans for me in Voldemort's circle. After all, I am a Malfoy and Malfoy's are supposed to crave power and glory. Right?" he asked although his words were more of a statement than a question.
"It certainly sounds like the Malfoy philosophy of life which your father has spouted on numerous occasions," Snape conceded. "What of it?"
"This past summer I took ill and was not able to visit my cousins in France as I do every year. I've always wondered why Mum remained so quiet around my father but I dismissed it as the behavior of a good wife. You know, subservient and obedient and all of that… Anyway, father returned from a meeting with Voldemort one evening and I heard them arguing. I removed father's invisibility cloak from his study and put it on and then ran to my parent's room to see what was going on." At this point, the boy raised his eyes from the faded ink blotch that he had been staring at on the desk in front of him and looked up to judge Snape's reaction.
"Yes," the potions master prompted quietly, becoming worried as he took in the haunted expression that had settled over Draco's face.
"He was very angry and he reeked of liquor. He started shouting accusations at mum about her seeing someone else and she began crying and pleading that he was wrong," the young Slytherin recounted, becoming lost in past memories. "He started hitting her, across the face, on the back of her head, everywhere. He called her horrible names. The louder she cried and the more she begged, the worse he became. Then he…"
Severus took a deep breath when Draco suddenly stopped his story and wiped an errant tear from his eye. He had known Lucius since his own school days and the depravity and vileness of the man was unrivaled with the exception of Voldemort himself. So far, everything Draco had described was standard behavior for Malfoy Sr. and Severus was certain he knew what the next part of the story would be. "What did he do Draco?" the professor asked softly.
Draco looked directly at him at that moment, the tears now falling in a steady stream, unheeded, down his face. "He…He…"
"He raped her," Snape said quietly, speaking the words that were too hard for the boy to utter.
Letting a small sob escape and then turning his head away in shame, the young Slytherin nodded. "Yes" he answered in a small voice. "He was so angry… I didn't have my wand with me and I sat there in shock doing absolutely nothing. She was my own mother and I did NOTHING!" Draco shouted in anguish.
Severus stood up from behind the desk to stand in front of the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "There was nothing you could have done Draco," he assured the boy quietly. "To attempt to do so would have only turned your father's anger on you as well."
"I just sat there. I couldn't believe he would do that to his own wife, a pureblood witch. Then he stopped and just laughed at my mother's cries. I thought that was it… that it was over and that he would let her go…"
"But he didn't?" Snape asked knowing that the boy had to recount the tale if he was to ever be able to handle the emotions and the guilt that the actions had left in their wake.
"No" Draco confirmed, shaking his head in a gesture of disbelief. "He started taunting her over and over about different things. Things that weren't important. Things that weren't true. Mum began crying harder and louder and then he cast crucio on her over and over and her cries became screams. They were horrible. He was horrible. She was in so much pain…"
"What happened next?" the professor asked, knowing that his worst suspicions were about to be confirmed.
"He killed her," the Slytherin whispered softly and placed in face in his hands, allowing the tears to fall. "The bastard cast Avada Kavadra and killed her!"
The potions master leaned back against the desk and closed his eyes momentarily, willing the emotions that threatened to break loose to remain under his carefully constructed façade of indifference. He had never believed the story that Lucius had released to the public concerning his wife's sudden death and now the boy himself had confirmed his worst suspicions. 'Merlin, what do I do now?' he wondered.
"Draco," he said softly, waiting for the boy to collect himself, "why did you come to me with this? What is it that you want me to do?"
"I want to bring down my father and Voldemort," he replied and suddenly the tears stopped to be replaced by a cold, hard, calculated look. "I want to join the Order and in return, I'll use my supposed position to bring you whatever information you need."
Several minutes passed in silence as each one stared at the other. Severus knew that Draco was asking for vengeance. He also knew by the determined look in the young man's eyes that he would have it one way or the other. 'Better to guide and assist him then let him attempt to accomplish his task on his own,' he thought to himself. Suddenly making a decision, the potions master stood upright and looked down at the boy in front of him.
"Draco, let's go talk to Dumbledore."
***End Flashback***
Severus threw his head back and let out an agonized groan. It had been that night in the beginning of the boy's sixth year at Hogwart's that he had entered into an agreement with Albus Dumbledore and became a double agent for the Order. Nearly two years later he had taken the Dark Mark to further his cover and had been masquerading as a loyal Death Eater for the past five years. 'And for what?' an internal voice questioned, 'Lucius still lives to terrorize those he feels are beneath him and another valuable member of the wizarding community lay dead. Two members,' he corrected himself thinking of the young red headed witch who had meant so much to so many people.
Shivering with frustration and despair, Severus placed his head in his hands and, for the first time in twenty-two years, began to cry.
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TBC