THE AUROR
Chapter 5
The next day, the Auror did not leave her room, allowing the excuse that she was still weak from last night's transformation to cover her real reasons for not leaving. She was avoiding them and she knew it. But she couldn't make herself face them. Not yet. Dumbledore had said when she was ready. Not when they forced her.
Making up her mind, she resolved to be strong once more and not give in to either of them. Consequently she spent almost the entire day in phoenix form.
The young bird grew quickly, soon gaining feathers and doubling in size. It amused itself by exploring the Auror's room and attempting short flights from the edge of her bed. The only interruptions in its first day in the world were Dobby the house-elf bringing a most unusual assortment of food to fuel the creature's growth, and a piece of folded paper being slipped quietly under the door just after sundown.
The Auror transformed, gazing at the paper in astonishment. Finally, she reached down and picked it up. She could now tell that it was a wizard photograph, and she unfolded it very slowly.
There, forever young and innocent, were James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Charles Cookson and Sephine Winters. Almost all wore grim expressions, despite Dumbledore's encouragement's from behind the scenes. Charlie was the only one smiling, and his grin was wicked. His first reaction to the news that they would be staying behind with Snape was to begin plans for mischief and revenge.
The Auror sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at the photo. Who had put it under her door? She pondered that for a while, before coming to the conclusion that whoever it was was trying to make her remember things that she wanted to forget. Stubbornly she flung the piece of paper across the room, curling up on top of her bedcovers in a sulk.
When she drifted off to sleep, though, she could not fight the memories any longer...
~~~
Sephine leaned against the stone pillar, staring blankly at the flame burning on the opposite wall. The orange glow seemed to warm up the night, leaving her slightly drowsy and bored. Her watch duty that night was the dullest of them all. Snape and Charlie were out near the Forest, Lily, James and Sirius near the Lake, and Remus and Peter at the gates. Leaving Sephine on the lonely door patrol.
She was just considering charming the flames into other colours, when there was a loud bang. Startled, she moved away from the massive oak door, pointing her wand at it.
"Help!" Came a cry from outside. "Sephine? Is it you on watch here tonight? Help me! Its Severus! Oh God, Charlie!"
"Is it Severus or Charlie?" Sephine queried, readying her wand in distrust.
"Sephine--"
"Well I know you're not Sephine, 'cause I'm Sephine."
"Damnit, I'm Severus Snape! Open the door! There's something out here."
The urgency in his voice finally convinced her. The door swung open, and she stepped back again, armed with a sarcastic comment. "You mean something as well as you?" But then she saw him.
He was soaking wet and covered in pond weed and bracken, his face gaunt and white as he staggered inside, trailing slime.
"What the--?!"
"Charlie! We were standing at the edge of the Forest, near the Lake, talking about - about jokes, and kidding each other about pranks, when...when there was this...green light! And it kind of - of...engulfed Charlie! And then he just fell forward...God there was this totally stunned expression on his face...and he just - just went 'splash!' into the Lake...and he sunk and he's gone, and he didn't come back up and I couldn't find him or anything! And I couldn't find the thing that got him, and everything's gone dead quiet and I don't know what to do!"(**Author's note: I know dead bodies float, but I'm using sinking as an effect of the Avada Kedavra curse. If this is a no-no then I'm sorry.)
Sephine stared at him, at his pale face and wet robes. She listened closely to his babbling, becoming more and more worried as his grip tightened on her arms and his story progressed. "Oh no..." she whispered. "Oh God, oh God! It must be Death Eaters or something! Um...um..." She didn't know what to do either. But she did know that she didn't want to trust Snape. Not until she knew more. "Okay...where exactly were you?"
"R-right opposite the Whomping Willow. I'll show you if you want--"
But Sephine interrupted his offer before he came anymore to his senses. "No. You need to...um...get the others. I'm going to find Charlie and see if I can find the thing that was in the Forest. Go on." She turned him around and pointed him towards the still open door.
"What?" He asked, controlled once more. "That's ridiculous! You can't just waltz into the Forbidden Forest and expect to duel a Death Eater and win! At least wait until I get Dumbledore!"
"No! You get the others, and I'll get Dumbledore! Just get out of the castle!" She was becoming increasingly convinced and it made her frantic.
Understanding dawned in his eyes, though. "You think I...?" He whispered. "No, Sephine, wait!" She raised her wand, terrified that he would get her before she could warn her friends.
"Petrificus Totalis! Mobillicorpus!" She directed his hanging form out of the door and shut it once more with a charm. She stared at his wild eyes for a moment, disgusted by him, then ran from the castle down to the Forest.
Snape had been right, everything was silent. She prowled the edge of the Lake, becoming increasingly nervous. She could see James, Sirius and Lily in a huddle near Hagrid's hut, James was crowing quite loudly about Lily's 'perfect bump' and Sirius was being too preoccupied with his amazement that he would be a godfather to notice anything unfavourable that might be going on.
Sephine peered into the Forest with apprehension, brandishing her lit wand at ever-changing shadows. She gathered all her courage, and, for one so afraid of the dark, it took a lot to make her venture into the Forest that was forbidden.
She dimmed her wand almost to nothing, the instinct of caution only just overcoming the instinct of fear. The light step and heightened senses of the phoenix allowed her to glide almost noiselessly through the sinister shapes of gnarled trees. The person (?) whom she pretended to seek (proof must be obtained to convince others that it was Severus) was, however, not so soundless. The dark shape ahead of her made her jump when she saw it for the first time. Its black hood and robes automatically provoked dread in those who saw it...especially those who saw it at night, cloaked in shadows.
The Death Eater bent to examine something, suddenly catching a glimpse of Sephine out of the corner of its eye. Luckily for her, it appeared to have mistaken her Hogwarts robes for those of a fellow servant of Voldemort. "What are you doing here?" The voice hissed. "You should be at the door! Once it's open we need to alert the Dark Lord immediately!" Then it realised its mistake, and gave a cry of alarm, raising its wand.
Sephine was faster, though, years of Quidditch honing her reactions well. "Stupefy!"
The curse missed as the Death Eater jumped aside, laughing. "That the best you can do? Avada Kedavra!"
Sephine shrieked in surprise, transforming out of instinct and flying away from the deadly burst of green light.
The Death Eater stared at her in shock for a moment, before shrugging and taking aim once more. And again Sephine allowed instinct to rule her actions, hovering above him and transforming, wand pointed down at his black hood. "Avada Kedavra!" She shouted, not fully realising what she had done. She landed awkwardly to the right of the crumpled form of the Death Eater, more terrified than she'd ever been. "Oh my gosh, what...?"
Sephine scrambled to her feet, limping as fast as she could back out of the Forest, the dark now the least of her worries. ~~~
The Auror tossed and turned, her body trying to haul her mind out of its nightmares, but not affecting the pull of long-repressed memories.
* * *
Unknown to the Auror, Severus Snape was remembering the exact same memories at that time, only letting them consume his mind, going over them again and again, searching insatiably for answers.
~~~
He hung there for half an hour, unable to move or protest as Sephine rushed headlong into the Forbidden Forest. Try as he might, the spell she had cast was just too strong...fuelled by emotions he guessed. The Petrificus Totalis spell allowed the victim to keep his or her mind whilst being unable to move, which was what troubled Severus the most.
He hadn't bargained that she wouldn't have believed him. That she was like the others and mistrusted him as much as they did. His misery increased as the realisation that she thought he had killed Charlie sunk in. The thought of Charlie was enough to play back that scene again in slow motion...every agonising frame staring Severus out with perfect clarity.
One moment he was laughing at the memory of a particularly 'funny' prank of his, and then a bolt of incandescence struck him in the back, pitching him forwards towards the Lake. His eyes widened, the blacks pupils dilating almost to fill the green-blue orbs of the irises. Someone exclaimed in indignation as Charlie's body hit the surface of the Lake, sending plumes of dark water in all directions.
Snape waded in after his fellow watchman, trying to part the weeds that tangled themselves around his ankles. He had been just about to dive beneath the surface, when a noise behind him made him spin around. "Who's there?" he croaked, the words sticking in his dry throat.
He stumbled through the undergrowth for a minute or so, making enough noise that whatever it was appeared to have been scared off for now. Finally he stopped, alone in the Forest and with a complete quiet descended upon the grounds.
The boy shivered, turning tail and fleeing towards the castle door. Charmed shut.
He hadn't even considered the possibility that she wouldn't believe it. He had held her in his trust completely. And now he hung by magic outside the castle door, soaking wet and trembling - despite a petrifying curse - in the cold night air, all because he had made the mistake of trusting her.
A shriek from the Forest would have comforted him had he truly been upset with her, but he still admired her and held faith in her abilities. Inwardly he screamed with her, for her, not wanting to see her end up like Charlie.
The noise had done some good though. Everyone else now knew that not all was well at Hogwarts tonight. The door burst open, bathing Severus with the most welcome light he had ever seen. Dumbledore rushed to his side, undoing Sephine's spells with ease.
"Severus, child! What has happened?" ~~~
Severus scowled at the wall of his office, not appreciating his latest comprehension. Her mistrust of him should have told him quite clearly and simply that she had suspected him of being in league with Voldemort. And yet he had been so eager to blame it on hysteria, and hope that she would forgive him for a crime that he hadn't committed, that he had conveniently seen past her true convictions.
* * *
Chapter 5
The next day, the Auror did not leave her room, allowing the excuse that she was still weak from last night's transformation to cover her real reasons for not leaving. She was avoiding them and she knew it. But she couldn't make herself face them. Not yet. Dumbledore had said when she was ready. Not when they forced her.
Making up her mind, she resolved to be strong once more and not give in to either of them. Consequently she spent almost the entire day in phoenix form.
The young bird grew quickly, soon gaining feathers and doubling in size. It amused itself by exploring the Auror's room and attempting short flights from the edge of her bed. The only interruptions in its first day in the world were Dobby the house-elf bringing a most unusual assortment of food to fuel the creature's growth, and a piece of folded paper being slipped quietly under the door just after sundown.
The Auror transformed, gazing at the paper in astonishment. Finally, she reached down and picked it up. She could now tell that it was a wizard photograph, and she unfolded it very slowly.
There, forever young and innocent, were James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Lily Evans, Severus Snape, Charles Cookson and Sephine Winters. Almost all wore grim expressions, despite Dumbledore's encouragement's from behind the scenes. Charlie was the only one smiling, and his grin was wicked. His first reaction to the news that they would be staying behind with Snape was to begin plans for mischief and revenge.
The Auror sighed and sat down on the edge of her bed, staring at the photo. Who had put it under her door? She pondered that for a while, before coming to the conclusion that whoever it was was trying to make her remember things that she wanted to forget. Stubbornly she flung the piece of paper across the room, curling up on top of her bedcovers in a sulk.
When she drifted off to sleep, though, she could not fight the memories any longer...
~~~
Sephine leaned against the stone pillar, staring blankly at the flame burning on the opposite wall. The orange glow seemed to warm up the night, leaving her slightly drowsy and bored. Her watch duty that night was the dullest of them all. Snape and Charlie were out near the Forest, Lily, James and Sirius near the Lake, and Remus and Peter at the gates. Leaving Sephine on the lonely door patrol.
She was just considering charming the flames into other colours, when there was a loud bang. Startled, she moved away from the massive oak door, pointing her wand at it.
"Help!" Came a cry from outside. "Sephine? Is it you on watch here tonight? Help me! Its Severus! Oh God, Charlie!"
"Is it Severus or Charlie?" Sephine queried, readying her wand in distrust.
"Sephine--"
"Well I know you're not Sephine, 'cause I'm Sephine."
"Damnit, I'm Severus Snape! Open the door! There's something out here."
The urgency in his voice finally convinced her. The door swung open, and she stepped back again, armed with a sarcastic comment. "You mean something as well as you?" But then she saw him.
He was soaking wet and covered in pond weed and bracken, his face gaunt and white as he staggered inside, trailing slime.
"What the--?!"
"Charlie! We were standing at the edge of the Forest, near the Lake, talking about - about jokes, and kidding each other about pranks, when...when there was this...green light! And it kind of - of...engulfed Charlie! And then he just fell forward...God there was this totally stunned expression on his face...and he just - just went 'splash!' into the Lake...and he sunk and he's gone, and he didn't come back up and I couldn't find him or anything! And I couldn't find the thing that got him, and everything's gone dead quiet and I don't know what to do!"(**Author's note: I know dead bodies float, but I'm using sinking as an effect of the Avada Kedavra curse. If this is a no-no then I'm sorry.)
Sephine stared at him, at his pale face and wet robes. She listened closely to his babbling, becoming more and more worried as his grip tightened on her arms and his story progressed. "Oh no..." she whispered. "Oh God, oh God! It must be Death Eaters or something! Um...um..." She didn't know what to do either. But she did know that she didn't want to trust Snape. Not until she knew more. "Okay...where exactly were you?"
"R-right opposite the Whomping Willow. I'll show you if you want--"
But Sephine interrupted his offer before he came anymore to his senses. "No. You need to...um...get the others. I'm going to find Charlie and see if I can find the thing that was in the Forest. Go on." She turned him around and pointed him towards the still open door.
"What?" He asked, controlled once more. "That's ridiculous! You can't just waltz into the Forbidden Forest and expect to duel a Death Eater and win! At least wait until I get Dumbledore!"
"No! You get the others, and I'll get Dumbledore! Just get out of the castle!" She was becoming increasingly convinced and it made her frantic.
Understanding dawned in his eyes, though. "You think I...?" He whispered. "No, Sephine, wait!" She raised her wand, terrified that he would get her before she could warn her friends.
"Petrificus Totalis! Mobillicorpus!" She directed his hanging form out of the door and shut it once more with a charm. She stared at his wild eyes for a moment, disgusted by him, then ran from the castle down to the Forest.
Snape had been right, everything was silent. She prowled the edge of the Lake, becoming increasingly nervous. She could see James, Sirius and Lily in a huddle near Hagrid's hut, James was crowing quite loudly about Lily's 'perfect bump' and Sirius was being too preoccupied with his amazement that he would be a godfather to notice anything unfavourable that might be going on.
Sephine peered into the Forest with apprehension, brandishing her lit wand at ever-changing shadows. She gathered all her courage, and, for one so afraid of the dark, it took a lot to make her venture into the Forest that was forbidden.
She dimmed her wand almost to nothing, the instinct of caution only just overcoming the instinct of fear. The light step and heightened senses of the phoenix allowed her to glide almost noiselessly through the sinister shapes of gnarled trees. The person (?) whom she pretended to seek (proof must be obtained to convince others that it was Severus) was, however, not so soundless. The dark shape ahead of her made her jump when she saw it for the first time. Its black hood and robes automatically provoked dread in those who saw it...especially those who saw it at night, cloaked in shadows.
The Death Eater bent to examine something, suddenly catching a glimpse of Sephine out of the corner of its eye. Luckily for her, it appeared to have mistaken her Hogwarts robes for those of a fellow servant of Voldemort. "What are you doing here?" The voice hissed. "You should be at the door! Once it's open we need to alert the Dark Lord immediately!" Then it realised its mistake, and gave a cry of alarm, raising its wand.
Sephine was faster, though, years of Quidditch honing her reactions well. "Stupefy!"
The curse missed as the Death Eater jumped aside, laughing. "That the best you can do? Avada Kedavra!"
Sephine shrieked in surprise, transforming out of instinct and flying away from the deadly burst of green light.
The Death Eater stared at her in shock for a moment, before shrugging and taking aim once more. And again Sephine allowed instinct to rule her actions, hovering above him and transforming, wand pointed down at his black hood. "Avada Kedavra!" She shouted, not fully realising what she had done. She landed awkwardly to the right of the crumpled form of the Death Eater, more terrified than she'd ever been. "Oh my gosh, what...?"
Sephine scrambled to her feet, limping as fast as she could back out of the Forest, the dark now the least of her worries. ~~~
The Auror tossed and turned, her body trying to haul her mind out of its nightmares, but not affecting the pull of long-repressed memories.
* * *
Unknown to the Auror, Severus Snape was remembering the exact same memories at that time, only letting them consume his mind, going over them again and again, searching insatiably for answers.
~~~
He hung there for half an hour, unable to move or protest as Sephine rushed headlong into the Forbidden Forest. Try as he might, the spell she had cast was just too strong...fuelled by emotions he guessed. The Petrificus Totalis spell allowed the victim to keep his or her mind whilst being unable to move, which was what troubled Severus the most.
He hadn't bargained that she wouldn't have believed him. That she was like the others and mistrusted him as much as they did. His misery increased as the realisation that she thought he had killed Charlie sunk in. The thought of Charlie was enough to play back that scene again in slow motion...every agonising frame staring Severus out with perfect clarity.
One moment he was laughing at the memory of a particularly 'funny' prank of his, and then a bolt of incandescence struck him in the back, pitching him forwards towards the Lake. His eyes widened, the blacks pupils dilating almost to fill the green-blue orbs of the irises. Someone exclaimed in indignation as Charlie's body hit the surface of the Lake, sending plumes of dark water in all directions.
Snape waded in after his fellow watchman, trying to part the weeds that tangled themselves around his ankles. He had been just about to dive beneath the surface, when a noise behind him made him spin around. "Who's there?" he croaked, the words sticking in his dry throat.
He stumbled through the undergrowth for a minute or so, making enough noise that whatever it was appeared to have been scared off for now. Finally he stopped, alone in the Forest and with a complete quiet descended upon the grounds.
The boy shivered, turning tail and fleeing towards the castle door. Charmed shut.
He hadn't even considered the possibility that she wouldn't believe it. He had held her in his trust completely. And now he hung by magic outside the castle door, soaking wet and trembling - despite a petrifying curse - in the cold night air, all because he had made the mistake of trusting her.
A shriek from the Forest would have comforted him had he truly been upset with her, but he still admired her and held faith in her abilities. Inwardly he screamed with her, for her, not wanting to see her end up like Charlie.
The noise had done some good though. Everyone else now knew that not all was well at Hogwarts tonight. The door burst open, bathing Severus with the most welcome light he had ever seen. Dumbledore rushed to his side, undoing Sephine's spells with ease.
"Severus, child! What has happened?" ~~~
Severus scowled at the wall of his office, not appreciating his latest comprehension. Her mistrust of him should have told him quite clearly and simply that she had suspected him of being in league with Voldemort. And yet he had been so eager to blame it on hysteria, and hope that she would forgive him for a crime that he hadn't committed, that he had conveniently seen past her true convictions.
* * *