Snape felt the world growing steadily heavier upon
his shoulders as the days passed; Hecate did not ask for him to
participate in her work, allowed him to retreat to the house,
but still he felt like scum. He was doing nothing to stop her!
Surely this was a sin of some sort! But what could he do to
stop her? He was surrounded by a host of people who did not
trust him, did not receive him warmly; he shivered in his warm
black cloak, aware of his situation now more than ever.
That evening, a week after he had first agreed to
stay, he was sitting on the couch when Hecate entered the room,
looking frustrated, angry, and alone. She sat on the opposite
end of the couch wordlessly, staring into the green flames with
passionless eyes. Snape turned his head slightly, noticed she
was sweating a bit, but said nothing to her; she looked too
upset to speak. "We're having setbacks," she said, after a
moment, "and it's all because of Dumbledore." Snape felt his
heart sink at news of Dumbledore; he had let the Headmaster down
once again.
Just then, the door swung wide, and in stepped a
blonde young man; Snape's expression turned to ice and stone as
Hecate jumped up and squealed, "Draco!" She ran to his open
arms, and he smiled coldly, receiving her with an almost
arrogant look upon his face. Snape stood up, smoothing his
black robes quietly, waiting for Hecate to finish hugging and
kissing him as if he were the only other person on the planet.
She turned to Snape, "Severus, you remember Draco Malfoy, don't
you?" He smiled icily, "I most certainly do." Draco, in turn,
looked upon Snape with interest, "Ah yes. Professor Snape. So
nice to see you again. Glad to see you finally discovered your
true self." Snape repressed the urge to throttle him, silently
cursing him with every hex he knew of, "Indeed."
Draco smiled poignantly then turned back to Hecate,
looking down at her with something Snape did not like, "It's
been such a long time since we last saw each other." She
nodded, "I know. Your presence here is just about the only
thing keeping me from falling into a depression. You and
Severus, that is." She gestured to the couch and the three of
them sat down together on the couch, Draco in between Severus
and Hecate. "So," said Draco, "we should probably get the
problem of Dumbledore out of the way before we get to anything
else." Hecate nodded, growing serious, "He needs to go away.
I'd rather not see him dead, more as I would incarcerated."
"You're too soft," Draco said somewhat snappishly, "The old man
needs to die. Otherwise he could come back and create a nuisance."
Snape's skin crawled, his vision growing redder;
"If we could just get him out of the way," snarled Draco, "our
path to glory would be secure. Instead his little force of
Aurors keeps buzzing at us like an annoying midge." Hecate
cleared her throat, "The easiest way to dispatch of that would
be to knock them all out at once, for which I have a good idea."
Snape mentally shut off his ears, closed his eyes as Draco and
Hecate plotted together.
He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and never wake up again.
* * *
The next evening Draco and Hecate left together,
some new plot clearly on their minds. Snape was left alone for
an hour and a half when Hecate suddenly Apparated into the room
looking disheveled, hair askew and bleeding from her left
temple. Snape leapt to his feet, "What happened?" She
collapsed on the couch, gasping for breath, "We're winning, but
only just. The fighting is almost over, I think, but I can't be
sure. We'll know in a few minutes if someone returns with news."
For twenty long minutes they waited, with Snape, in
the meantime, dressing her wound carefully with a few good
Healing spells. When he had finished, Hecate said, "Thank you,
Severus " suddenly she looked up at him, "I think things might
have turned out differently for the two of us had we stuck
together." Snape did not know what that meant, nor had any time
to think as a New Death Eater Apparated into the room. "We're
losing, my Lady," said the Death Eater, gasping painfully, "our
numbers are diminishing." "Is Draco still leading the fight?"
said Hecate calmly. The Death Eater said nothing; "He's
fallen," said Hecate suddenly. The Death Eater nodded, "We
tried to save him, but " She winced, "You are dismissed." The
Death Eater Apparated back to the battle, Hecate's face a mass
of confusion.
"I'm sorry," said Snape, "I'm sure you two were
very close." She turned to him, "Not as close as you think. I
was only using him for strategic reasons. Although I do feel
like I've lost something." "You still found solace in him,"
replied Snape quietly. "I did," said Hecate, "but I regret it."
* * *
That night Severus was sleeping lightly when he
heard the door to his room open. He said nothing, only clutched
his wand tightly in his hand, waiting for his attacker. He felt
a warm weight on the foot of the bed, but he did not move not
yet. The weight moved up the bed slowly, and his grip on his
wand tightened; he could annihilate them in a flash, but
remained still. "Severus," whispered Hecate's voice, "it's me."
His grip loosened and he replaced his wand on his nightstand,
"Thank God, I thought it was an intruder."
"I have bad news, Severus," she said steadily,
"we've lost." Severus felt his heart leap to his throat with
joy and at the same time, sadness. They would be found anytime
now, and when they found him with Hecate...they would both be
carted off to Azkaban. "I'm sorry," said Severus, sitting up
and turning on the bedside lamp. Hecate looked only slightly
rattled, "It's alright. I somewhat expected this, in a way.
There's no permanent win over someone as powerful as Dumbledore.
I know that now." Severus remained silent, then, "What are you
going to do now?" Hecate's chin fell slightly, clearly in deep
thought; for a long moment, he waited. Finally, she spoke.
"I'm turning myself in."
For a minute, Snape's heart boomed with pride; she
was no fool, and because of that, she might live...for a little
while longer, at least. "But first," she said, standing up and
facing him, "there's the small matter of you." Snape's blood
turned to ice; this couldn't be happening. She raised her wand,
"I'm sorry, Severus..."
He reached for his wand too late as the Cruciatus Charm hit him.
To Be Continued...
his shoulders as the days passed; Hecate did not ask for him to
participate in her work, allowed him to retreat to the house,
but still he felt like scum. He was doing nothing to stop her!
Surely this was a sin of some sort! But what could he do to
stop her? He was surrounded by a host of people who did not
trust him, did not receive him warmly; he shivered in his warm
black cloak, aware of his situation now more than ever.
That evening, a week after he had first agreed to
stay, he was sitting on the couch when Hecate entered the room,
looking frustrated, angry, and alone. She sat on the opposite
end of the couch wordlessly, staring into the green flames with
passionless eyes. Snape turned his head slightly, noticed she
was sweating a bit, but said nothing to her; she looked too
upset to speak. "We're having setbacks," she said, after a
moment, "and it's all because of Dumbledore." Snape felt his
heart sink at news of Dumbledore; he had let the Headmaster down
once again.
Just then, the door swung wide, and in stepped a
blonde young man; Snape's expression turned to ice and stone as
Hecate jumped up and squealed, "Draco!" She ran to his open
arms, and he smiled coldly, receiving her with an almost
arrogant look upon his face. Snape stood up, smoothing his
black robes quietly, waiting for Hecate to finish hugging and
kissing him as if he were the only other person on the planet.
She turned to Snape, "Severus, you remember Draco Malfoy, don't
you?" He smiled icily, "I most certainly do." Draco, in turn,
looked upon Snape with interest, "Ah yes. Professor Snape. So
nice to see you again. Glad to see you finally discovered your
true self." Snape repressed the urge to throttle him, silently
cursing him with every hex he knew of, "Indeed."
Draco smiled poignantly then turned back to Hecate,
looking down at her with something Snape did not like, "It's
been such a long time since we last saw each other." She
nodded, "I know. Your presence here is just about the only
thing keeping me from falling into a depression. You and
Severus, that is." She gestured to the couch and the three of
them sat down together on the couch, Draco in between Severus
and Hecate. "So," said Draco, "we should probably get the
problem of Dumbledore out of the way before we get to anything
else." Hecate nodded, growing serious, "He needs to go away.
I'd rather not see him dead, more as I would incarcerated."
"You're too soft," Draco said somewhat snappishly, "The old man
needs to die. Otherwise he could come back and create a nuisance."
Snape's skin crawled, his vision growing redder;
"If we could just get him out of the way," snarled Draco, "our
path to glory would be secure. Instead his little force of
Aurors keeps buzzing at us like an annoying midge." Hecate
cleared her throat, "The easiest way to dispatch of that would
be to knock them all out at once, for which I have a good idea."
Snape mentally shut off his ears, closed his eyes as Draco and
Hecate plotted together.
He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and never wake up again.
* * *
The next evening Draco and Hecate left together,
some new plot clearly on their minds. Snape was left alone for
an hour and a half when Hecate suddenly Apparated into the room
looking disheveled, hair askew and bleeding from her left
temple. Snape leapt to his feet, "What happened?" She
collapsed on the couch, gasping for breath, "We're winning, but
only just. The fighting is almost over, I think, but I can't be
sure. We'll know in a few minutes if someone returns with news."
For twenty long minutes they waited, with Snape, in
the meantime, dressing her wound carefully with a few good
Healing spells. When he had finished, Hecate said, "Thank you,
Severus " suddenly she looked up at him, "I think things might
have turned out differently for the two of us had we stuck
together." Snape did not know what that meant, nor had any time
to think as a New Death Eater Apparated into the room. "We're
losing, my Lady," said the Death Eater, gasping painfully, "our
numbers are diminishing." "Is Draco still leading the fight?"
said Hecate calmly. The Death Eater said nothing; "He's
fallen," said Hecate suddenly. The Death Eater nodded, "We
tried to save him, but " She winced, "You are dismissed." The
Death Eater Apparated back to the battle, Hecate's face a mass
of confusion.
"I'm sorry," said Snape, "I'm sure you two were
very close." She turned to him, "Not as close as you think. I
was only using him for strategic reasons. Although I do feel
like I've lost something." "You still found solace in him,"
replied Snape quietly. "I did," said Hecate, "but I regret it."
* * *
That night Severus was sleeping lightly when he
heard the door to his room open. He said nothing, only clutched
his wand tightly in his hand, waiting for his attacker. He felt
a warm weight on the foot of the bed, but he did not move not
yet. The weight moved up the bed slowly, and his grip on his
wand tightened; he could annihilate them in a flash, but
remained still. "Severus," whispered Hecate's voice, "it's me."
His grip loosened and he replaced his wand on his nightstand,
"Thank God, I thought it was an intruder."
"I have bad news, Severus," she said steadily,
"we've lost." Severus felt his heart leap to his throat with
joy and at the same time, sadness. They would be found anytime
now, and when they found him with Hecate...they would both be
carted off to Azkaban. "I'm sorry," said Severus, sitting up
and turning on the bedside lamp. Hecate looked only slightly
rattled, "It's alright. I somewhat expected this, in a way.
There's no permanent win over someone as powerful as Dumbledore.
I know that now." Severus remained silent, then, "What are you
going to do now?" Hecate's chin fell slightly, clearly in deep
thought; for a long moment, he waited. Finally, she spoke.
"I'm turning myself in."
For a minute, Snape's heart boomed with pride; she
was no fool, and because of that, she might live...for a little
while longer, at least. "But first," she said, standing up and
facing him, "there's the small matter of you." Snape's blood
turned to ice; this couldn't be happening. She raised her wand,
"I'm sorry, Severus..."
He reached for his wand too late as the Cruciatus Charm hit him.
To Be Continued...