AN: I am sorry it took so long to update (it seems I start every chapter with an apology) but I have been very busy. I finally have a new job which I think will offer me more time to write. You can thank my roommate for getting me motivated on this because she told me not everybody knows how this story is going to end because they aren't in my head with me (there's no room up there anyway) so I have to get going so you can all know how it's going to end. I will end with my plea for reviews, they make me happy and it's good to keep all the voices in my head happy ;)

Disclaimers: The title comes from a quote from Ambrose Bierce that I will borrow heavily from later but I will be sure to give proper credit as has been drilled into my head. Speaking of crediting people, I do not own any of the Harry Potter franchise; they come from the mind of J.K. Rowling as we all know.

REGION OF SOBS

Chapter 5 – Questions and Answers

They sat together in silence for about ten minutes before a burly young police officer approached them.

"Miss Jackson?" He said tentatively.

She sat up and wiped her eyes again. "Yes?"

"I am Officer Cooper, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

She sniffled and looked down at her hands, glancing at Snape beseechingly as she did.

He took her cue gracefully, standing and holding out his hand to the officer, "I am Miss Jackson's houseguest, Professor Severus Snape."

The officer looked quite surprised by Snape's forwardness but shook his hand none the less. "I may have some questions for you also, sir."

"I'm quite certain that your questions can wait until morning, I'm sure Miss Jackson would like to get to bed."

Beth Ann looked up gratefully at him from her seat on the step. The officer hesitated before saying, "I'm sorry sir but I must get a statement from you both tonight." The sturdy young man seemed hesitant to cross the dark man in front of him who was currently glaring down at him from his position on the steps.

"In the morning." Snape said in a dangerous whisper. He could not explain why he felt the need to protect the girl; he knew eventually she would have to face what had happened tonight. For now, though, she seemed too fragile to answer this man's questions especially with the way he was looking at her like a hormonal teenager.

The officer cleared his throat biding his time before he turned to Snape and stated bluntly, "Sir if you both refuse questioning I will be forced to take you to headquarters."

From her vantage point on the step Beth Ann saw Snape's jaw muscle begin to work, he was grinding his teeth, a gesture she had learned to treat cautiously in the time they had lived together. She stood slowly still close enough to him to feel the touch of his shoulder.

"We will answer your questions if you will answer ours." She said quietly.

Snape turned to her with a questioning look but when the officer acquiesced with a grunted, "Fine." Snape nodded at her and turned back to the officer.

The officer watched the pair for a moment then asked, "Miss Jackson, were you home this evening?"

"Please call me Beth Ann and no I was at a movie tonight." She answered. The officer turned to Snape and opened his mouth to ask him a question when Beth Ann interrupted him, "What happened?"

The officer looked at her, surprised, "I can't reveal the details at this time." He said a bit slowly as if she were an idiot.

She raised her eyebrows at him and said, "Then you are finished with your questioning."

He cleared his throat and said, "Ms. Miroslav died of unnatural causes and some of your neighbors claim to have seen a group of three cloaked figures leaving her home just after an explosion of some kind." He turned to Snape, "Now where were you this evening, sir?"

"I was here but did not notice anything out of the ordinary." Snape stated, silently berating himself for not noticing.

"You heard no noises coming from the square, did you see anything suspicious?"

"No I was at the back of the house, unable to see the road, and if I did hear noises I would attribute it to the atrocious music the neighborhood children listen to at all hours of the day and night." Snape said sourly.

"What do you mean an explosion? Was there some sort of bomb?" Beth Ann put in immediately.

The young officer cleared his throat again and looked as if he didn't want to answer but at Beth Ann's pleading look said, "A few witnesses claim to have seen a bright green light emanate from the house then three black cloaked figures leaving the premises, two witnesses even claim to have seen a green skull floating in the sky over the house."

Beth Ann's eyes grew large while beside her Snape stiffened, a quick glance showed Beth Ann that his jaw muscle was twitching and his hands were forming and reforming fists.

"Thank you, Officer." She said with a note of finality. "If we think of anything else we will give you a call." She said placing a hand on Snape's sleeve and giving it a slight tug. He turned to her and taking her cue bid the officer a firm goodnight and turned heading up the stairs behind Beth Ann.

Once inside she headed straight back to the kitchen saying, "I think we need some very strong tea."

Snape stood hesitating in the living room, he must talk to Dumbledore but perhaps she needed him now, she may not be safe. He looked up to find her standing in the doorway to the kitchen watching him, "Are you alright?" She said, concern written on her face.

He nodded somewhat sharply and walked towards her and into the kitchen, she followed him and set about making the tea while he closed the blinds and checked the lock on the back door.

"Mr. Snape, what do you think they wanted?" She said not turning around to him but facing the teapot on the stove. "I mean they had to want something from her, they wouldn't just kill a harmless old lady." He could tell she was struggling to hold herself together. She took a deep breath and turned to him. "Please tell me you know something that I don't."

Snape was shocked; she seemed to know that he knew something. Perhaps he was being too paranoid but the pleading in her eyes made him think that she knew something herself. Of course she does, he reminded himself, she's hiding something that she doesn't want anyone to know, but she might possibly know that somebody might be interested in her little secret. He had never quite looked at it this way before, he never thought that perhaps she was running from her secret or running from others who might want this secret. He looked into her eyes and shook his head, to clear the fog of those thoughts; he wasn't even making sense to himself.

"No I do not know why they might have attacked her." He said, bewildered.

She squinted at him then nodded and turned back to the teapot. She now knew that he at least knew who it was that had attacked Ms. Miroslav, the way he had said 'they' made her think that he knew exactly who had killed her but perhaps he was being honest when he said he didn't know why. Although to see him musing silently she was certain he had a bit of an idea.

She finished the tea and took it to the table, pouring them both a cup; she then opened the cabinet above the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of vodka. She came back to the table and poured a liberal amount in her cup, then grinned at him over the bottle while sliding it across the table.

"I'm sure we could both use a little help sleeping tonight." She said a bit guiltily, shrugging as she brought the cup to her lips.

He watched her blow on the tea and then take a small sip, grimacing, either from the temperature or the alcohol he couldn't be sure which, but it reminded of his grandmother drinking a nasty tonic. He poured a bit into his tea, knowing that the little bit of alcohol wouldn't affect him; he had to have his head on his shoulders to talk to Dumbledore later.

They sat in silence for close to fifteen minutes before she tried to stifle a rather noisy yawn. She grinned sheepishly at him then stood taking his tea cup and hers, as well as the bottle of genuine Russian vodka that Snape had been staring at for some time now, lost in thought.

She put the bottle and cups away then turned and said, "I think that drink has done its job. I'm off to bed. Goodnight." She turned and he noticed that she was a bit unsteady, in fact she ran into the doorjamb and used it to guide her out the door, he smirked to himself, she certainly couldn't hold her liquor, she looked like Albus after a visit to Aberforth.

After he heard her ascend the stairs he followed and headed to his own room. This was not good news he had but Dumbledore had to know. He quickly put up more silencing charms and warded the bedroom door.

He took a pinch of floo powder and knelt before the fire. As he threw the powder into the flames he said "Albus Dumbledore" very clearly to the green flames. He felt his head spin around and around then finally come to a stop looking out at Dumbledore's office.

"Severus," he said turning from his desk full of papers, "how is everything on your side of the pond? Well I hope."

"No, Albus, there has been an attack on Ms. Miroslav." He answered gravely. "She was killed by three cloaked figures that I can only guess were Death Eaters. Witnesses claim to have seen the dark mark in the sky over her home."

Albus was on his feet in front of the desk, drumming his fingers against it. "Terrible," he muttered to himself then turning back towards Snape, "Severus do they know about Miss Jackson?"

"I do now believe so; they would have immediately come here if they knew of her..... involvement." He answered. "Albus, there is no way that I can be with the girl every minute of the day. She is unprotected through the day; I cannot possibly go to work with her."

"Yes, yes you are right. Something will have to be done. I will speak with the Order." Dumbledore stated, pensively staring out at his office.

"Albus, she is scared, and she knows something. It seems she knows that they were after her. How could she possibly know that? How could she know people are searching for her?" Snape finally put his thoughts into words.

"We cannot know Severus, we do not know the nature of her secret and we cannot know what she may or may not know."

Snape snarled and said, "So we are essentially the blind protecting our sighted companions from our sighted enemies. Bloody brilliant thinking, I must say. We are completely buggered." He ended in a low growl.

"Severus, all will turn out right in the end. We must not loose hope and succumb to despair. Despair is for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.(1) Continue to protect her as best you can, I will work out the rest." Dumbledore said, finally looking at his fire and into Snape's eyes.

There was determination in the old wizard's eyes that did give him hope. Dumbledore had always been the only person who could ever make a promise such as the one he'd just made and make Snape believe it was possible to keep.

He nodded and backed out of the fire turning to the room behind him and crossing to the window. He would not be sleeping tonight; he turned and went downstairs carrying a book with him, he would read into the early morning before finally going upstairs to sleep a scant two hours.

(1)Can anyone guess where this quote comes from? Fifty points to whoever gets it first.