Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, places, items, ect.
Comments: Yeah, so I couldn't really think of a name for this chapter. Oh well, it kind of makes sense. I went on a writing spree today! Can you tell? And lookie, I'm a good widdle writer, two chappies in one day! -pats self on head-
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Chapter 45 – What Happened
Harry's landing was actually a bit more graceful this time – it was on his feet, at least, in the same corner of the room where he had found the ring. The ring, which he had been grasping tightly, slipped from his fingers as he landed, and he immediately bent to pick it up, but shot backwards suddenly upon remembering that it was a portkey. He carefully tore a bit of his shirt off and wrapped the ring in it. Then, he put it in his pocket and looked around. He distinctly heard voices coming from outside. He cautiously stepped into the doorway, and somebody gave a yelp of surprise.
He heard his name being shouted by everybody there, and they all rushed up to him. Silver reached him first, and reached out to enfold him in a hug, but her fingers barely touched his shoulder before he jumped away.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, glaring at her unintentionally.
She tilted her head to the side questioningly.
"The Cruciatus Curse," he explained.
"Oh, Harry," she sighed, sympathy evident in her eyes. Although she kept her distance, it was evident that she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms.
Harry suddenly noticed Hermione whispering something in Ron's ear. His eyes widened, and he exchanged a glance with Hermione. They both looked at Harry extremely hard, and he felt uncomfortable. Hermione proceeded to whisper in both Lupin and Tonks' ears, and in the end, they were all looking at Harry with that same look. He looked downwards and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably.
"So..." Lupin said, "What happened?"
"Well, I got transported to wherever Voldemort is," Harry said, "Nobody saw me at first, and I had dropped the ring in between two Death Eaters, so I was going to go and get Silver's clothes, and then get the ring, and leave."
"You didn't have to get my clothes, Harry," Silver said chidingly.
"Yeah well..." he said unapologetically, "Anyway, Voldemort caught me...well, I kind of attracted attention to myself, and then..."
Harry suddenly trailed off. And then Snape came, he thought. He looked down at Silver, and then up at the others.
"What is it, Harry?" Silver asked.
"Well...and then..." he paused, "And then Snape came."
Silver's eyes widened. She took a step backwards, realization flooding her eyes.
"And...and then?" she asked softly.
"Well, he made this kind of green bubble-shield thing, and it protected us from the other Death Eaters," Harry said slowly, "And then I...I summoned the ring..."
He was careful to leave out the part about Snape being tortured and sentenced to death, but he didn't think it was doing much good as he looked at her. Her eyes began to water at an amazingly fast rate.
"Harry..." she choked, "Where...where is he now?"
Harry looked at the ground avoiding her gaze.
"The shield, it will protect him, won't it?" she asked.
Harry shook his head.
"What? What do you mean?" she questioned, beginning to sound frantic.
"It...Silver...it won't work against Voldemort's spells," he said.
"But...he's not...he's not...Harry, is he..." she didn't finish, but when he met her gaze, she was looking at him pleadingly. He looked back down at the ground.
"No," she said, "He's not. No. Please, Harry."
Harry ran a hand through his hair. What would be a good way to say it? he wondered, "No, he wasn't dead when I left, but he doesn't stand a chance?"
"Well he...he wasn't dead when I left," Harry said slowly, "So...I don't know what happened."
He looked up at the others helplessly. They all had realization written all over their faces.
"Then he's not dead," Silver said decidedly, "He's alive."
"Well, you never know," Lupin said reasonably, "But Silver, you have to understand, it would be an incredible feat to be able to live when Voldemort wants you dead."
Harry glanced at Silver. She had her eyes squeezed shut, as if trying to block everyone out. She lifted her face upwards, her lips pursed in concentration.
"Silver?" Lupin asked.
"I know," she said quietly, "I know. But he's alive."
Harry squeezed his own eyes shut and pressed his hands over them. He wanted a time-turner more than anything at that moment. He would go back in time, and take Snape back with him. Or better yet, he wouldn't touch the dratted ring at all. Or, he would just stop Silver from leaving the ball. To think this all started on Valentines Day, he thought wryly.
"Silver, you can't be sure," Lupin said, his own voice quiet.
"But I know it, I just know it!" she said, "I can feel it. He...he might have run away, or, or..."
Harry personally felt that Snape was in no condition to run anywhere after the effects of the Cruciatus curse, and knew he was going to have to tell her so.
"...or Voldemort may have forgiven him, or..."
There's a laugh, Harry thought, Voldemort forgiving. She's just going to have to face that Snape is dead. There's no way that he survived, I mean, he could barely lift up his head.
"...or..." Silver was desperately trying to think up some way that Snape might be alive.
"Perhaps he Disapparated?" somebody suggested.
"Yes!" she exclaimed triumphantly, "He disapparated!"
Harry opened his eyes and looked at Ron, whom he assumed had said it. Ron was looking right back at him.
"Ron, I don't think he could have Disapparated," Harry said blandly.
"Okay...so why'd you suggest it then?" Ron replied.
"What? Me? I didn't," Harry answered, turning to Lupin.
"Don't look at me," Lupin said.
The three of them turned to look at Tonks.
"Oh, come on, my voice doesn't sound anything like that!" Tonks exclaimed.
When they looked at Hermione, she rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course it was me, because I sound just like that," she said sarcastically.
Suddenly Silver gave a gleeful laugh.
"Where are you?" she called, lifting her face upwards, as if expecting an answer from the heavens.
"Silver!" Hermione exclaimed, "You don't even know who said that!"
Silver laughed in reply.
"Silver, stop it," Tonks said, "You're inviting a stranger..."
Suddenly, Silver took off towards the house, but instead of going in it, she went around it. She rounded the corner and they heard a scream. Exchanging glances, they took off after her. Great, Harry thought, Now she's gone and gotten attacked by a Death Eater. They all rounded the corner with their wands drawn out and pointed in front of them, only to stop and gape. Silver was jumping up and down in front of a bloody and bruised Snape. Snape was watching her bounce with an amused look on his face, despite his physical state.
"Severus?" Tonks asked.
He gave her an annoyed look. "Yes?" he asked evenly.
"How?" Lupin questioned for her.
I thought I just told you," Snape replied, "I Disapparated."
"But you said that coming through that town was the only way to get here," Hermione said.
"Yes, I did," Snape replied, "And I was mistaken. The only ways to get here are either coming through the town, or Disapparating to a clearing in that forest..." he paused and pointed behind the house, where a thick forest was, "...and then coming here. At least, as far as I know."
"Oh," Hermione said, looking at the forest with interest.
"How come we didn't just go to the forest to begin with?" Harry asked, a bit angrily, "I mean, we had to walk through that horrible..."
"Shut it, Potter," Snape said irritably, "I didn't know that you could Apparate to the forest until just now. That's where it took me when I attempted to Apparate here. I must say, it was a better outcome than I expected."
Harry rolled his eyes and grudgingly closed his mouth. Silver was bouncing up and down on her tiptoes, her hands clasped together in front of her chest, looking as though at any moment she was going to launch herself at Snape. She was paying absolutely no attention to anyone else; in fact, Harry doubted if she would have known they were there if Snape hadn't been talking to them.
"We should go," Snape commented as he looked at her, "We'll use the forest again."
Everybody either nodded or murmured their agreement, and began to head towards the forest.
"You can't walk!" Silver exclaimed suddenly.
They all looked back at Snape, who was limping badly off his right leg. He shuffled along, wincing each time his left foot came in contact with the ground.
"Easier...in...forest," he grunted, "Trees."
The forest was about ten feet away from them, but Harry wasn't sure if Snape could make it.
"Severus," Lupin said cautiously, "How about we levitate you?"
Snape looked up with a deadly glare. "I can make it fine on my own, thank you," he said coldly.
Lupin looked as if he were about to protest, but Silver beat him to it.
"Please, can't we just levitate you and let you rest?" she begged, laying her fingers gently on his arm and giving him a pleading look, "I don't want you to get any more hurt than you already are."
"No," Snape snapped, refusing to make eye contact with her, "I'm...fine."
He attempted to take normal sized steps, and he gasped as his face contorted in pain.
Giving no sign that she had seen his struggle, Silver stepped in front of him and rose on her tiptoes. He glared over her head. A small smile on her face, she waited patiently in front of him. Finally, he looked down at her.
"You're in my way, child," he informed her.
"Please let us levitate you," she begged.
"No."
"Please?"
He looked upwards quickly as she pleaded with him with her eyes. He glanced back down and made an exasperated noise when he saw that her expression had not changed.
"Fine," he relented.
Silver beamed, and stepped aside as Tonks and Lupin got out their wands. Snape made quite a fuss when they refused to let him down when they reached the forest, but rather insisted on carrying him all the way to the clearing.
"I TELL YOU, I'M FINE!"
"Come now, it must feel good to rest," Silver prompted.
"It most certainly does not," he answered, glaring at her coldly, "I want down."
"You're such a baby," she informed him, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"I am not," he argued.
"Then stop whining," she replied.
Snape made a face at her in a very childish way, and Ron had a suspicious coughing fit.
"Is this it?" Tonks asked suddenly, interrupting the death glare Snape was giving Ron.
In front of them the trees opened up to a small, grassy circle. It looked like a very peaceful place, except that one patch of grass was stained red with blood. Everyone's eyes traveled from it to the gash in Snape's shoulder, as if on cue.
"Yes, this is it" Snape said, glaring at everyone who was staring at him and shifting his shoulder uncomfortably, "Now put me down, for the love of Merlin!"
Tonks and Lupin obediently complied, gently setting Snape down. For a moment everybody looked at the obviously worn out Potions Master. As bad as it sounded, they all knew that his future was not looking so good at the moment. He had managed to escape Voldemort's wrath once, but, to put it frankly, he was not, under any circumstances, Harry Potter.
"So, ah, who's going to hang on to the kids?" Lupin asked suddenly, breaking everyone out of their reveries.
"I'll take the girls and you can take the boys," Tonks offered.
"Alri-"Lupin began agreeably.
"No," Snape contradicted, "I'll be taking Silver."
Tonks and Lupin exchanged glances.
"Are you...are you sure you're up for that, Severus?" Lupin ventured, "It would probably be easier for you to just Apparate yourself..."
"No, it wouldn't, as a matter of fact," Snape snapped.
Tonks sighed. "Just let him take her, Remus," she said, as Lupin opened his mouth to argue.
Lupin nodded. "You first, then," he said, motioning to Snape, "The Shrieking Shack, of course."
Snape looked at Silver, and she tentatively stepped beside him, with about three feet in between them.
"Come here, child," he said, sounding exasperated.
"I don't want to hurt you, though," she protested.
"Just come," Snape answered.
She looked at Harry questioningly, and he gave her a brief nod. She scooted closer to Snape, and he put one arm around her, shut his eyes in concentration, and they disappeared with a pop.
"Right then, you next," Lupin said to Tonks.
Tonks put an arm around Hermione, and they vanished. Lupin put one arm each around Ron and Harry's shoulders, and the next thing Harry knew, they were standing in the living room of an extremely old wooden house. Some claw marks on the wall caught Harry's attention, and when he looked at Lupin, he saw that Lupin was looking at them, as well. He realized that they were probably Lupin's own.
"As enchanting as strolls down memory lane can be, let's get a move on, shall we?" Snape asked, his sarcastic voice cutting through the silence.
He received many glares, and a look of sympathy from Silver which Harry completely did not understand. However, after looking at Silver, he seemed quite satisfied with himself. Tonks and Lupin began to withdraw their wands, and he glared at them suspiciously.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
Both of them looked surprised.
"Well, levitating you of course," Lupin said finally.
"I think not," Snape said coldly.
"What?" Tonks, Lupin, and Silver chorused.
"I will not be disgraced in such a way," Snape hissed.
"It wouldn't be disgraceful," Silver protested.
"I'm walking," was his firm reply.
Everyone's eyes traveled to the stairs.
"Can we at least levitate you up the stairs?" Silver ventured meekly.
"No."
She sighed. "You're infuriating," she informed him.
"I've obviously been spending too much time with you, then," he answered.
He began to head for the stairs at a slow shuffle.
Silver giggled. "I think it's the other way around," she informed him.
He merely looked at her and shook his head. When they reached the staircase, Snape didn't hesitate for one moment before putting one hand on the railing and using it to help lift him up onto the first stair. It was slow business, but he made it with no complaints. Silver watched him worriedly the entire time.
"I'm going to have Remus walk next to you," she said suddenly.
He gave her a sharp look. "Why?" he demanded.
"Because...I'm scared you're going to fall," she said.
"I won't fall," he replied.
"You're going to keel over any minute," she insisted.
"Don't make me sound old," was his reply.
"You are," she answered, a hint of teasing in her voice.
He gave her a look which clearly stated that he did not appreciate her comment.
"I was just kidding!" she exclaimed, "But really, Remus needs to walk next to you."
"I think not," he answered dryly.
"Well, I think so," she answered.
The two argued all the way to the tunnel which led to the Whomping Willow, which was actually a very long time, considering the pace Snape was traveling at. Neither of them gave an inch to the other the entire time.
"Fine," Snape said suddenly, "Just shut your mouth and leave me in peace!"
Instead of looking insulted, Silver looked pleased as she dropped back to allow Lupin to take her place. Looking extremely amused, Lupin stepped forward. Silver fell into step beside Harry, and he immediately put an arm around her and drew her close, wincing as he did so. Every inch of his body was still sore from the Cruciatus curse, but he had an intense desire to hold her in his arms and never let go.
"Harry, you're hurting yourself!" she exclaimed, attempting to pull away.
"No I'm not...ah!" he exclaimed.
He had pulled her a bit too close, and a wave of pain had shot through the side of his body.
"Harry, I don't want to hurt you," she said, snaking out of his grasp.
He clutched his side in reply. "Okay...just...walk...with me," he answered.
She fell into step beside him, and when he looked up at her, he saw tears in her eyes.
"What is it?" he asked.
She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself, and Harry understood.
"I can still hold you," he said, reaching out for her, but she jumped away.
"No, Harry," she said, "Just...stop."
He sighed and let his arms fall back to his sides. He didn't truthfully know if he would have been able to bear holding her, he was so sore. When they finally came to the exit, Lupin expertly used a long stick on the ground to prod the knot while everyone exited. Afterwards, he made a spectacular exit from the tree's flailing branches that made Tonks and Hermione nearly double over with laughter. It was a slow trek to the castle, and it was evident that Snape was furthering his pain with every step, but he determinedly continued on.
When they walked through the castle doors, they were subject to more than a few strange looks. Several people called their friends over to watch the strange procession make their way towards Dumbledore's office. Harry could see why. Lupin, Tonks, Hermione, and Ron looked thoroughly worn out, whilst he and Snape were bruised all over. Snape also appeared to be literally on his last leg as he shuffled through the hallways, a grim expression on his face, and blood trickling down his shoulder. And then there was Silver, whom appeared to be wrapped in a black towel, and nothing else. The moment they had entered, Silver had fled to Tonks, who was really the only one available to hide her from the curious stares.
Soon, the gargoyle came into view, and if Harry wasn't mistaken, Snape quickened his pace a bit. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall came flying around the corner, nearly crashing into Snape, which, needless to say, would have been disastrous. Snape gave her a glare, but she merely gasped upon seeing him.
"What happened to you?" she exclaimed.
Her gaze traveled to Harry. "And you!"
She didn't bother to look at the others, she simply ran up to the gargoyle, yelled a password, and waited for them all to pass through. It was slow business, getting up the slightly windy staircase with Snape in the lead. Although he never would have admitted it, he lost his balance a few times, and had to be steadied by Lupin. In each case, he yanked his arm out of Lupin's grasp and glared at him fiercely. Finally, they reached the top. Lupin opened the door, and they slowly filed in. Dumbledore's eyes did not manage to completely hide his surprise as he looked at them. Snape desperately made his way towards a chair, and then, wincing before anything had even happened, sat down in it. He then let out more than a few swear words, grimacing and gritting his teeth as he did so.
"I daresay a Muscle Relief Potion is in order," Dumbledore observed, "And you too, Harry?"
Harry had been slowly easing himself down in a loveseat, squeezing his eyes shut and wincing.
"Yeah," he croaked as he sat down.
Dumbledore opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out a forest green potion.
"I'm afraid I only have one at the moment," he stated.
"The boy," Snape grunted, obviously still in pain from sitting down, "Give it to the boy."
"No," Harry began, "You're more-"
"Shut up, Potter," Snape cut off, "Just shut up and drink it."
Harry obediently took the potion from Dumbledore, who was smart enough not to argue with Snape at the moment, and drank it. A tingling coldness flowed through his body, easing his aches and causing his muscles to relax. As he finished, he allowed himself to sink into the sofa contentedly. Dumbledore observed him approvingly.
"Minerva," he said, transferring his gaze to Professor McGonagall, "Would you please go down to Madam Pomfrey and obtain another vial?"
"Two," Snape grunted from his chair.
"Another two vials," Dumbledore corrected himself.
"Certainly," Professor McGonagall said.
She turned around, but as she did, her eyes caught on Silver, who had been edging closer to Harry. Her eyes widened as she surveyed her.
"Merlin, child, where are your clothes?" she exclaimed.
For a moment, there was no response, but then, very suddenly, Silver burst into tears, almost as if she had just remembered what had happened to her. Professor McGonagall looked shocked.
"Silver," Harry said quietly.
She needed no further urging to run into his arms. He pulled her close to him, reveling in her closeness and warmth. He turned his face into the side of her head, closing his eyes to the softness of her hair. He pressed a kiss into it, and lowered his lips down to her ear.
"It's alright," he whispered, "You're okay."
Her sobs subsided to quiet shaking against him, her face buried in the crook of his neck. He heard Professor McGonagall leave the room, and reluctantly drew his head back to look at Dumbledore.
"Miss Granger," he said quietly, "I don't suppose you would mind running and fetching Miss Riddle some clothes?"
"Of course not," Hermione replied, and with that, she was gone.
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, watching Silver intently.
Harry turned his attention back to her, murmuring comforting words into her ear.
"Harry," she whispered, so softly that he could hardly hear her, "I was really scared."
"I know," he whispered back.
He was about to say, 'You don't have to be scared of me,' when he remembered the look she had given him when she had just come up the stairway.
"Are you scared of me?" he asked instead.
"Oh, no, Harry," she whispered, tightening her arms around him, "Of course not."
"Good," he answered, kissing the side of her head once more.
He rubbed small circles on her back, and she relaxed into his arms. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back slightly, tightening his hold on her as he did so. The feel of her breath on his neck reassured and relaxed him greatly, and he allowed himself to match his breathing with hers. All too soon, Hermione arrived back, along with Professor McGonagall, who looked wholeheartedly disapproving of the position Harry and Silver were in.
"I believe, Miss Riddle, that you will find a very suitable changing closet through that door," Dumbledore announced, pointing to a small wooden door in the back corner of the room.
Silver nodded and wiped at her eyes as she drew away from Harry and accepted a bundle of clothing from Hermione. Once she disappeared into the closet, Dumbledore proceeded to place a silencing charm on the door. Then, he turned to Snape, who had just gulped down both the Muscle Relief potions. Harry wasn't sure if Dumbledore had ever looked so grim.
"I take it she wasn't wearing the towel when you found her?" he inquired.
"Ah...no," Snape replied, placing the empty vials on a table next to him, "That was my cloak...a piece of my cloak."
Dumbledore fixed Snape with a questioning look.
"No," Snape answered, "Only she did."
He motioned to Tonks at the last part of his answer, and Harry could guess what the question had been.
"Has she told you what happened?" Dumbledore asked.
Snape shook his head. "She was shaking badly, though, and crying," he said. He shook his head as if trying to rid himself of the memory.
Then something hit Harry. "Voldemort said that he and Lucius did something to her," he said.
"LUCIUS?" Snape roared, jumping up from his chair and withdrawing his wand, looking as if he were about to go hunting for Lucius.
"Sit down, Severus. I daresay it's a good thing I put that silencing charm on the door," Dumbledore said, and then, turning to Harry, "I have two questions for you. My first is how Lucius has escaped from Azkaban."
"Voldemort," Harry answered, "He let all the Death Eaters go."
Dumbledore nodded. "Right then, secondly, how did you come to encounter Voldemort?"
Harry blushed at the reminder of his own stupidity...or, as Snape would probably put it, foolishness. "Well...there was this ring on the ground, and I really wanted to touch it. I don't know why, I just had to. And, well, it was a portkey."
Harry pulled the wrapped-up ring out of his pocket and handed it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore almost opened it, when the doorknob of the closet turned, and opened. Silver came out looking considerably more confident and sure of herself, with Snape's torn cloak in one hand. Dumbledore placed the wrapped up ring on his desk and watched as Silver sat back down next to Harry and snuggled up to him.
"Feeling better?" Dumbledore inquired courteously.
"Yes, much," Silver replied.
Dumbledore nodded. "I am happy to hear that, Miss Riddle," he said, "However, I am going to need you to explain to me exactly what happened while you were with Voldemort."
Silver's eyes widened.
"Which is why," Dumbledore continued, "That I am going to ask everybody that is currently present excepting Severus to wait just outside this door, on the staircase."
Harry tensed. What did he mean, 'excepting Severus'? He should be allowed to stay, too! He gave Silver a questioning look, and she studied him for a moment before turning to Dumbledore.
"Please, can Harry stay, too?" she inquired.
"Of course," Dumbledore answered.
Harry relaxed once more, his arm still around her waist. She was no longer content in his arms, however, but she was now sitting up tensely, biting her lip and breathing deeply. She turned to him as Dumbledore went to place silencing charms on the door, her eyes soft and unsure.
"Harry?" she asked timidly, "I'm really sorry if this hurts your feelings, but would you mind sitting in a different chair?"
She took a deep breath and continued.
"I...I really don't want to be...touched...while I'm telling what happened. It would make me...it would make me scared. Just thinking about it, I can feel..."
She trailed off abruptly, closing her eyes and giving a sharp intake of breath. She shuddered visibly, making Harry want more than anything to stay right there next to her, ready to comfort her. But he would do whatever she needed him to.
"Nah, I wouldn't mind," he answered.
He began to get up, and she gave a soft tug on his sleeve. He kissed her on the forehead before he went to a different chair. For a moment, everyone just sat there. Everyone's eyes were on Silver; Silver's were on the floor. She hesitantly raised her head to look at Dumbledore.
"We'll start from the beginning," Dumbledore said quietly, "How were you taken?"
"Well, I was coming back from the bathroom when I remembered that Charisma was all alone..." she began.
Snape rolled his eyes, earning himself a glare as she continued.
"And then...wait, where is Charisma?" she asked suddenly, "Is she all right?"
"Hagrid is taking very good care of her," Dumbledore replied, "Please continue."
Silver nodded and continued. "And then, I was walking down the hallway to the dungeons when somebody grabbed me from behind, put a silencing charm and a blindfold on me, and tied me up. I never actually saw them, but I think it was Bella, because whoever it was...they punched me just like she used to."
"Punched you?" Snape interrupted, straightening in his chair, his eyes blazing.
"Yes," she said apologetically, "And then I blacked out."
Dumbledore nodded and waited for Silver to continue, but she didn't. Instead, she transferred her gaze to the floor, biting her lip once more. Harry knew that this was where things got bad.
"What happened next?" Dumbledore prompted.
"Well...when I woke up," she said, her eyes filling with tears, "When I woke up I was lying on the floor, and V...Voldemort was there..."
She paused to gather herself, and Harry felt a surge of anger. Silver had never been afraid of saying Voldemort's name before.
"...Voldemort and...and Lucius," she continued, squeezing her eyes shut.
Snape made as if to stand up, but held himself back with a visible effort.
"They...they were waiting for me to wake up," she said, her voice breaking, "So that they...so that they could..."
She broke off, burying her face in her hands – or rather, Snape's cloak, which was in her hands. Both Harry and Snape vaulted out of their chairs, but Dumbledore put up his and gave them warning looks. They both backed up, but neither sat down.
"What did they do, Silver?" Dumbledore asked gently.
Silver began to cry in response. Harry leapt forward, but Dumbledore stopped him.
"Not now, Harry," he said.
Instead, he motioned Snape to step towards her. After giving Dumbledore a dirty look that's purpose Harry didn't understand, Snape knelt in front of Silver.
"Silver," Snape said, "We need to know what happened."
Silver shook her head. "N...n...no," she sobbed, "I don't want t...to talk a...about i...i...it."
"I know, Silver," Snape answered patiently, "But we have to know."
"Why?" she replied.
"Because, Silver, we need to know if there's a possibility...if you could be..."
Snape broke off and turned his head away, looking extremely embarrassed. It took Harry a moment to figure out what he was trying to say, and then all he could do was look at Silver, frozen in place and glad that Dumbledore had dubbed Snape as the one to ask her. Snape turned to look at Dumbledore, who gave him an encouraging nod.
"Just tell us what happened," Snape tried.
Silver shook her head, and Snape stood up, looking exasperated.
"I really wish you would just tell me," he said.
Silver shook her head again, and Snape made an odd noise in the back of his throat.
"Good Merlin, Silver, we need to know if you're pregnant," he said finally.
Silver gave a half gasp, half sob. "No!" she exclaimed fervently.
Snape looked relieved, and began to turn back, but Dumbledore gave him a stern look. Looking extremely uncomfortable, he turned his gaze back to Silver, who was sufficiently recovering now that she had realized that she didn't have to give them a blow-by-blow account of what they had done to her. After a few seconds, she lifted her head from the cloak and looked up at Snape as she sniffled up her sobs.
"Are you...are you sure?" Snape asked, oddly red in the face as he avoided eye contact, "There's not even a chance? You...you do know how to tell, don't you?"
To Harry's surprise and relief, Silver smiled. "You wouldn't tell me even if I didn't," she answered amusedly.
Snape was very red by this time, and he glared at her with a mixture of relief and annoyance. Harry failed horribly to hide a grin at the thought of Snape trying to give anyone 'the talk'.
"What's so funny, Potter?" Snape snarled, some of the redness fading from his face.
"Nothing," Harry replied innocently, sitting down in his chair and winking at Silver.
Silver smiled at him, and Snape gave him a murderous look as he returned to his seat. Dumbledore tried not to look too amused.
"So, Silver," Dumbledore said, dropping his formal title of 'Miss Riddle', "Is there anything else you would like to tell us?"
"Oh," Silver said softly.
She turned and looked at Snape, and he stared back for only a moment before turning to Dumbledore and announcing, "I can tell you everything else you need to know. She's tired."
"Very well," Dumbledore said agreeably.
For a moment, he and Snape stared at each other, as if communicating, and Harry watched interestedly. Both men turned to look at Silver the exact same moment, and a look of surprise registered on their faces. Harry followed their gaze to Silver, who had curled up on the small couch using Snape's cloak as a blanket, and appeared to be sound asleep.
"I doubt she'll be waking up anytime soon," Snape said, as if he were commenting on the weather.
"Shall we move her to-"Dumbledore began.
"No," Snape interrupted, "She's comfortable here."
Harry knew that what Snape really meant by that is that he didn't want her out of his sight, and he felt the same way.
"Very well," Dumbledore agreed, "Harry, would you please allow the others to come in?"
Harry obediently went to the door and opened it. As he went, he heard Dumbledore saying to Snape, "You do realize that you're going to have to get the full story out of her?"
"Why?" Snape replied as Harry opened the door.
"Um, you can come in now," he informed everyone as they turned their eyes to him.
He strained to hear Dumbledore's answer. "...not healthy for her to keep it to herself."
As Harry walked back to the armchair he had been sitting in, he looked at Silver. There was no doubt that she was sound asleep. Although her hair looked a bit tousled, it was still shiny and smooth as it fell over her face. She had a peaceful expression, and one hand was clutching to Snape's cloak as she lay there. People on my 'To Kill' list, Harry thought to himself, half sarcastically and half seriously, Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange, and now Lucius Malfoy.
As everybody seated themselves, Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"I believe, Severus, that you have something to tell me?" he inquired.
"Voldemort is going to attack Harry's family today around noon," Snape answered promptly, "And he's also going to attempt to have the dementors perform the kiss on Fudge while he's making the rounds of Azkaban today."
Dumbledore's gaze transferred from Silver, to Harry, to Snape, to the clock. Harry followed it, and everyone in the room did as well. It was seven o' clock in the morning.
"Well, that leaves us two hours to save Cornelius and about five to save Harry's family," Dumbledore commented, "Fawkes, would you please send out the alert?"
Fawkes, whom Harry had not even noticed before that moment, disappeared in a flash.
"Saving Fudge isn't absolutely necessary," Snape ventured casually.
"Yes, well I daresay you wouldn't consider saving anybody necessary unless it happened to be Miss Riddle," Dumbledore answered amusedly.
"I saved Potter!" Snape answered defensively, "Twice, in fact. Once when he was getting bucked off his broomstick and then today when he was trying to convince Voldemort and a flock of Death Eaters to attack him."
"I wasn't trying to convince them of anything," Harry protested.
"Well it sure looked like it," Snape sneered in reply.
"Now, now," Dumbledore interrupted as Harry opened his mouth to reply with a nasty comment.
Harry and Snape glared at each other, but the hatred drained from their faces when Silver suddenly stirred slightly and they both snapped to attention in order to look at her.
"Seems like there's one thing you two agree on," Tonks commented.
Harry's eyes rose to meet Snape's. They stared at each other perfectly emotionlessly for about three seconds.
"I think not," they said in unison.
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Response to Reviews
P4L – So happy you liked that chapter! Stay tuned for more! (was that cheesy or what? I couldn't resist)
Retrieve the Melon – Well, maybe I shouldn't apologize, but I like updating, it's not a chore for me. 'Tis fun!
wordwiz8121 – Naw, how could I kill Snape when Silver loves him so? Besides, he adds humor to the story. Nope, gonna keep him around a little longer, at least.
sun-star-n-moon22 – Like I've said before –points upwards-, I couldn't kill Snape! Oh and I'm not so sure about the whole bringing Sirius back thing – maybe one day if I'm writing another fanfic and I feel like it. Heh. Oh and this wasn't such a terrible cliffy, was it? In fact, was it a cliffy at all?
Tekvah Ariel – Sorry! I got so many reviews for that chapter that I only answered ones with direct questions! -winces- Anyway, since I didn't give you one then, I will give you two right now!
Strawby168 – Yes, I have been rather evil with the cliffies. I'm trying to cut back. Oh yeah, and...-raises banner that says, 'Snape Lives!'-
Tumblechick – yeah, that was kind of a short chappie, actually. This one is nearly twice it's length. Anyway, I hope you don't have to go to sleep not reading this chapter! ;)
Tekvah Ariel – Look! You get two responses! Yaaaayyyy for you! -cheers-
Note: If I missed anyone, I'm sorry, but it's likely you sent yours in during the time that I was editing this, so I likely hadn't received it when I posted this chapter!