The Story of Severus: Chapter Five
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns everything.
By: Susan
Summary: Snape's past has been left a mystery. Why did he join Lord Voldemort? Why did Dumbledore clear him? Did he have a relationship with Lily Potter? How was he connected to Lily and James? And what about the prophecy?
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A meeting of the Order of the Phoenix had been called for one night, many months after Severus Snape had joined the ranks of the Death Eaters.
Alice and Frank Longbottom, who had married just weeks after leaving Hogwarts, had opened up their home to the members of the Order for a meeting of discussion.
"I suppose I should call order," Dumbledore said slowly. The last of the youth that had shone itself in his skin during the last years at Hogwarts had slowly begun to vanish since the rise of Voldemort.
Everyone had been silent, only the occasional whisper between the members, because of the grave sense of foreboding. For, that night, another set of men and women from their rank would set out against the Dark Lord, and it had become almost too much to wish for everyone's safe arrival home.
"We can't take everyone tonight," Dumbledore said, "We can't risk the numbers."
Everyone looked around, surveying each other. Who would possibly be condemned to death? Was there any in their number who would oppose this, when each and every once had sworn their allegiance?
It seemed unlikely that anyone in the Order could fear death. Old Mundungus Fletcher, a bit of an idiot, but he never let his loyalty waver. And there was Mad-Eye Moody, always the first to accusingly point the finger, and jump headfirst into battle, not a care in the world for his own life, just revenge against the Dark Lord. And Professor McGonagall, always brave, and high in her expectations of herself and the others. She'd never give in to the Dark Lord.
And the younger crowd, built of Sirius, James, Lily, Remus, Alice, Frank, and Peter. They'd certainly proven themselves as wizards beyond their age, and were highly respected by the older members of the Order for this.
There were other wizards too, but none as important to these and Dumbledore to the cause. So, as they looked around at each other, it seemed fitting to note that none had any resent about joining in the battle.
"The prophecy has been a source of question for each and every one of our ranks," Dumbledore said softly. "I expect everyone understands we must do everything to keep Lily and Alice safe. Inside of one of them resides the child that may change everything."
Lily and Alice looked at each other, neither too used to the fact of staying on the sidelines, nor the fact that there was a child inside of them.
"Mundungus, Peter, I'll ask that the two of you stay and keep Lily and Alice company," Dumbledore requested, "It will be hard enough tonight, we can't possibly protect them in the midst of battle."
Lily opened her mouth to immediately protest, but Dumbledore held up his hand, and instead, Alice began to speak.
"Albus, you surely cannot expect me to wait here while my husband risks his life. I'm sure Lily feels the same."
Dumbledore turned and focused his crystalline eyes upon Alice's round face. "Alice, dear, think of the future of the wizarding world."
"With all due respect," Lily started, "Keeping us here would hinder the future, Albus." He looked at her quizzically, and then gestured for her to proceed.
"Born to those who have thrice defied him," she whispered. James took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Exactly," Alice butted in, "You can't possibly make us stay here! One of us has to-"
"Alice, Lily, please don't make it harder upon yourselves," McGonagall said slowly, sighing. "If Albus thinks it is for the best, we should listen to him."
Peter Pettigrew, who had been looking around, almost flabbergasted, nodded in agreement.
"Then who is to fulfill the prophecy?" Lily asked quietly. "You can't possibly believe it will fulfill itself," she said sardonically.
To hers and Alice's surprise, Dumbledore nodded in agreement.
"You are correct," he said slowly, "But I need you each to promise that you will be as careful as you possibly can. You are the only women who have each escaped Voldemort once, the only women active in the Order, other than Minerva here. You are our hope in this bleak life," he said quietly.
Everyone was silent for a couple of moments, and Lily took Alice's hand. They hadn't been close while at Hogwarts, as Alice was a couple of years older than Lily, but they relished each other's company now. Dumbledore was right, they were the only possible answers to the prophecy, and neither could argue. They had to make the best of things.
"Mundugus, Peter, I still ask that you stay about, making sure that there is no one listening in or transferring information between sides." He looked around at the rest of the room, "It would do well to be wary," he said, "Someone close by is giving Voldemort information. I needn't remind you that what goes on in these meetings is not to be shared with anyone?"
Everyone nodded, and nobody seemed to notice Peter's slight convulsion at Dumbledore's words.
xxx
It had been a lucky battle for the Order. None of their number had been lost, but none of the Death Eaters had been killed either. It seemed a standoff, but a slight one at that, for there had been so many close calls on each side.
Both Lily and Alice had each barely escaped their lives. Sirius had been badly injured in the arm, but it was slowly healing. Mad-Eye Moody had added yet another scar to his facial collection, but barely seemed disgruntled over the loss of skin. James had jumped in front of the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange in order to protect Lily as Frank sent a curse hurtling her way at top speed.
Dumbledore had again proven that he was the only wizard Lord Voldemort dared to fear. All signs of his age seemed to vanish as he stepped on the battlefield, opposing Lord Voldemort. But, in the end, neither came out above the other. And, curiously, the Death Eater that was suspected, Severus Snape, did not seem to be located under one of those thick black hoods that night.
It was a few days after this occurrence, when a man, nicknamed Wormtail, had come to see the man that his friends risked their lives each and every day to fight against.
This Wormtail, he was a man of many faces. His normal face, which he had used for so many years, had recently become a mask. No longer was he the blustering boy his best friends had known for so many years.
His true master was that of the Dark Lord, and he no longer reported his information to Albus Dumbledore. So, on that dark night, a few days after their battle, he arrived by his master's side.
"Wormtail…" Lord Voldemort said snidely. "What brings you to me of late?"
"Er…I…I've found out a bit…I mean…"
"Speak up, Wormtail, I haven't all night."
"Well…I attended a meeting of the Order, a couple of hours before…"
"Before the battle, yes, Wormtail. Would you finish? I wasn't lying when I said I haven't all night."
"Well…About the…er…the prophecy…"
Voldemort's eyes opened a bit wider, and it was obvious whatever it was Wormtail had to say had suddenly begun to appeal to him.
"Yes, Wormtail, do continue."
"I found out a bit of-"
"I'm quite aware you found out a bit of information. Must you announce it once more?"
"Lily Potter and Alice Longbottom are suspected by Dumbledore to be-"
"Once of them is holding the child that they believe will one day vanquish me?" Voldemort began to laugh, harder and harder, until Wormtail felt his head would split in two from the high pitched cackle.
"Er…master?"
Voldemort stopped and focused his blood-red eyes on the body of Wormtail. "The Longbottoms are both pureblood, and the Potters…A muggle born and a pureblood. Interesting. All too interesting."
Wormtail just looked at him with his watery eyes.
"Well, dear Wormtail, I do have to admit that was a good piece of information to give me. Is there anything else you'd care to tell me?"
"Er…Dumbledore suspects that there is someone giving you-"
"Lie low," Voldemort commanded, "Your position in the Order is something we cannot compromise."
"Yes master," Wormtail said, kissing the hem of his robes.
"Now be off," he demanded. "Leave me in peace."
Wormtail disapparated, and Voldemort was left alone with the moon and the stars.
"A Potter or a Longbottom could be my downfall," he said, still laughing to himself. "I highly doubt either." He looked at the night sky again. "I suppose I should kill as children, assuring neither would be a problem later."
"What was that cursed prophecy again? Born to those who have thrice defied him…Neither Potter nor Longbottom has escaped from me three times. Twice, yes…"
As he stood thinking about how he would go about killing the children of the Potters and the Longbottoms, the answer came to him.
"It has to happen sooner, rather than later," he told himself, "and I'll have to kill them both, to be sure."
And as he thought about his solution to the thorny problem that lay in his path to greatness, the idea was slowly being ruminated over and over in his head. And when he realized his solution was foolproof, he threw back his head and began to laugh, harder than he'd ever laughed before. The wicked, diabolic cackle seemed to streak through the darkness and into the heads of the many members of the Order of the Phoenix that fought so hard against him.
xxx
Lily Potter let out a scream as she found herself in a dark, encompassing graveyard, with the company of her husband James, and Alice and Frank Longbottom.
She looked around at them, each had strange, pained expressions on their faces.
"James?" she whispered, and he took her hand.
"Don't worry," he said sincerely, "we're in this together." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they continued to walk through the graveyard.
Something in Lily felt as if she was being pulled towards somewhere, and she followed the tugging inside of her, fearing it, but unable to tear herself away from this path that seemed almost instinct.
As they traveled through the trees and the gravestones, following Lily and Alice, they arrived at a clearing, where stood a man staring at the stars, laughing brilliantly.
"Lily and Alice," was all he said.
Lily felt the sudden urge to vomit. She was standing in front of the greatest mass murderer the wizarding world had ever seen, standing as if it were normal to meet the man in a graveyard.
"And Frank and James…" It seemed he fought off an urge to say something rude following James. And then he stared at them.
"Why are we here?" Alice asked softly.
The man looked positively gleeful. He stared at them, then raised his wand. Suddenly, all around them were people dressed in muggle clothing, and he uttered the word Crucio and each began to twitch and writhe and scream, while he just stared at Alice, Lily, Frank, and James.
Lily stared at him, more frightened than she'd ever been. Would she survive this time? She'd come close twice. Would this time be the same?
He sent a crooked smile her way and began walking towards them, his blood-red eyes surveying them each maliciously in turn. He raised his wand up at them and opened his mouth, ready to utter the two words that would end her life.
Lily began to scream, louder and harder than she'd ever screamed before.
"Lily?" She opened her eyes and stared into James' worried face above her. "Lily, are you all right? What's wrong? You were screaming something mad," he said. He held down her arms tightly under him as she struggled to pull away from his grasp. "Lily, it was just a dream," he said quietly, but when when she didn't respond, he bellowed, "LILY!"
"James?" She stopped, then she threw her arms around his neck and began to cry. Tears were streaming down her face, and James looked positively bewildered.
"Lily? Oh, Lily," he rubbed her back slowly, trying to soothe her. "Lily, what happened?"
She wiped the tears from her eyes and stared at him, her green eyes boring into his own.
"Oh, James, it was dreadful, we were in a graveyard, with Alice and Frank, and He was there," she started sobbing again, and he continued patting her back. He needn't ask who He was.
"Alice and Frank were there?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, yes James, and He was there and he was torturing the muggles and I wanted so badly to stop him and then he raised his wand and I started to scream and then you woke me up-"
She buried her head in his shirt and began to cry even harder. Lily had nightmares before this, but she'd never seemed to be this thoroughly affected by them. He was positively confused.
"Lily," he murmured, kissing the top of her head, "It was just a dream."
"James, that was not a dream," she whispered, then started to cry again. He stared at her, robotically smoothing her back.
"Lily, did you say Frank and Alice were there?"
"Oh, yes, James, it was awful, absolutely awful…" He looked at her, horrified. It couldn't be.
"Lily, I need to owl someone, hold on." He felt awful leaving her so upset, so he ran extra quickly down the stairs, grabbing parchment and quills and letting his barn owl out from the cage.
Albus-
You're needed here.
James
It seemed he hadn't been the only one planning to owl someone, for a huge grey owl appeared in the window as he attached the parchment to his own owl's leg.
"Hold on," he said, then ripped the parchment of the grey owl's leg.
James, Lily-
We need to speak with you. We'll be arriving shortly.
Frank and Alice
"Figures," he thought to himself bitterly, as he heard a crash in the fireplace. Alice probably couldn't apparate, she was distraught. He shooed his owl to go, then darted down to the sitting room.
"Alice? Frank?"
"James, did you-"
"She dreamed it too?"
"She was screaming something wild," Frank said, "She was convinced it wasn't a dream, and she had to speak with Lily." He looked down at James, who was in his nightclothes. "I'm sorry this isn't the opportune moment."
"Don't be stupid," James said briskly, "This is important." He started up the stairs, a shaking Alice and Frank behind him.
"Lily?"
"Oh, James-" she immediately stopped when she saw Alice and Frank.
"Alice! Frank! Oh, my, I was so worried, were you able to escape?"
Frank looked at her quizzically. "James? What's going on?"
James looked back at him, just as confused. "No idea, mate. I sent an owl to Dumbledore, but it won't get there until an hour from now, and we surely need to see him."
"Oh Lily, I was so afraid, thank goodness you're all right!"
"D'you mind if I use your fireplace?" Frank asked. "We'll be needing him straight away."
"Go ahead," James assured him, "Downstairs, I'd expect you'd know since you just came-" He stopped because Frank was already rushing out of the room and stampeding down the stairs.
"Lily? Alice?" he said cautiously, "Er…What happened?"
Each, by now had stopped crying, knowing the other was safe, and they weren't mad. Alice sat down on the bed next to Lily, and put her arm around her.
"It was this dream, James-"
"But it didn't seem like a dream, it seemed so real."
"And Voldemort was there-"
"He was torturing these poor muggles-"
"Wait, wait," he interrupted. "Frank and I were there too? How come we didn't have the dream?"
Lily and Alice looked at each other confusedly.
"If I may presume, I think I have the answer," came another voice, and James, Alice, and Lily turned towards the door to see a very alert looking Albus Dumbledore.
"I'm bloody grateful that you're here, Albus," James said, relieved, "I don't know for the life of me what is going on?"
Dumbledore looked at the women sitting on the bed, his eyes discerning, surveying them each intently.
"It is my prediction that Lord Voldemort has found out that one of you is carrying the child that could one day vanquish him, and he tried to kill you tonight."
"Kill us? But why would he-"
"Either that, or he did it to let you escape," James said quietly. "That way, he can have his pick at which of you he thinks is carrying the child, now that each of you, and also Frank and I, have defied you."
Lily looked at him, confounded, then her face broke into a state of understanding.
"You're saying Voldemort let us escape so that now we've all escaped from him three times?"
"It is highly possible," Dumbledore said quietly. "I wouldn't doubt it for one moment. Now that you have fulfilled that part of the prophecy, he has his pick on which child he will come after."
Lily, James, Frank, and Alice stared at him, each in disbelief.
"He takes his pick on which child he wants to murder?"
"Unless…" Dumbledore's eyes seemed to light up for a moment, "But suppose he doesn't know the second half of the prophecy. He wants to kill both the children, he doesn't realize that he has to choose one."
"How do you know that?" Frank asked.
"Well, it's simple, really," James said, catching on. "If he knew he'd have to choose one, he'd have done it already and not bothered to bring all of us to the graveyard in the dream."
"Exactly," Dumbledore said wistfully. "Exactly."
They were all silent. Lily and Alice still clutching each other's hands.
"My dears, you are going to have to be awfully careful," Dumbledore said softly. "I suspect he will wait until after each of you give birth, however. If he outright attacks one of you now…"
"That would create all sorts of problems," Alice said, "Because of our position in the Order."
"It would be easier for him to murder a defenseless child," James said bitterly. "I won't bloody let him touch our Harry," he shouted. "He's my son and I won't let anything happen to him!"
Frank, Alice, and Lily nodded their agreement.
Dumbledore sighed, then slowly edged toward the window. "We have to have hope," he said quietly. "It's all we have on our side right now."
James put his arms protectively around Lily and kissed her soothingly. "Don't worry, Lily, I won't let anything happen to you."
Lily was surprised at how much he sounded like the boy she'd met in first year who had proclaimed his love for her on a daily basis.
"James…Don't worry about me, worry about Harry." She looked down at her stomach, which had, in the last week, begun to swell, and placed her hands upon it.
"I'll worry about everyone until Voldemort is defeated," he said bitterly. He sat on the bed beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
While Frank was reassuring Alice, Dumbledore stood staring at the stars in the night sky.
How one man could inflict so much pain upon so many others and feel no remorse would be a question that would trouble him for many years to come.
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