Rose Among the Thorns: The Third Evans Sister
By Jedi Blu, Lady at Large
Standard Disclaimer Found In Previous Chapters
Italics are thoughts, emphasized words, or letters.
NOTE: Y'all are really gonna hate me by the end of this chapter.
WARNING: ANGST-HEAVY-CHAPTER. Brace yourselves.
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CHAPTER FORTY: The Failure of Severus Snape
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Rose sighed and pulled her cloak closer around her, despite the heat of the late-summer day. She was worn out, tired, and the last thing she wanted was to deal with people and sunshine.
She kept to the inside of the walk in Diagon Alley, her head ducked, staying in the shadows. She had been up all night, going over the experiments assigned to her as well as the potions that Severus was supposed to be working on but didn't have the time to do.
He had been up all night too—and out of the house. She didn't even know if he had come home yet, but he wasn't there when she left to pick up a few ingredients from Knockturn and Diagon.
What he did with all his time she could never be sure. She wasn't even sure it was always for the Dark Lord that he was out.
'When did I begin to distrust him?' she asked herself as she dodged two ten-year old boys who were rushing for the Quidditch shop.
Chewing her bottom lip she allowed her mind to wander to a much more pressing problem; her hand reached up to rest on her abdomen, which still had not changed enough to hint at the life that grew within her. Which was as she wanted it, for now. Severus still didn't know that he was going to be a father, but daily he grew more and more suspicious of the single secret she kept from him.
It was ironic. He had hundreds of secrets, she had but one. Even though there were times when she mistrusted Severus, Rose still believed she trusted him more than he did her.
A body suddenly formed before her and Rose was jolted out of her thoughts as she stopped in her tracks to glare up at whoever had put himself deliberately in her way. She was ready to immediately cut down any attempt at unwanted flirtation when—
"If it isn't my sister!" James Potter was grinning, boyishly, down at her and out of nowhere came his arms to envelope her in a brotherly embrace. "Rose, Rose! So good to see you on this wonderful day!"
Rose shoved him away from her, more from shock than actual revulsion, but he didn't seem to care.
"Have you lost your mind?!" she demanded, pulling her dark red cloak back around herself.
"No," he responded blithely. "But I've found a whole new calling in life! I'm happier than I've ever been. Isn't it wonderful?" he asked, grinning like an idiot. He quickly took in her blank expression and laughed. "But you don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"
Rose shook her head. "No. Should I?" She glanced around quickly, making certain none of her darker acquaintances were within view.
"I'm sorry for that. Lily and I have been so busy—and we have to be careful who we write to nowadays. It's lucky I saw you so I can tell you the news; Lily and I just had a baby! We're parents! And you're an aunt!" he exclaimed, taking her by the arm and dragging her down the walk.
For her part, the youngest of the Evans sisters was completely shocked. "A baby?" she whispered, aware that James was pulling her towards the entrance and exit of Diagon Alley to London. "Merlin's beard! When—?"
"July 31st, just yesterday! She's been pestering me to let you and Petunia know but I've been so swamped with work and I'm beside myself—everything just flies out of my head!"
"Probably a result from one too many Quidditch injuries," Rose muttered, her mind still whirling. "Boy or girl?"
"Boy!" James exclaimed. "We're naming him after my dad and me; Harry James Potter. Of course, we'll name the next one after your side of the family after one of your parents, but Harry.... Rose, he's incredible! He's got Lily's—and yours, I guess—eyes and he came out with a full head of my ugly black hair and—well." James shrugged. "He's amazing."
Rose nodded. "Thank you for telling me. Lily must be very happy."
Inwardly the young witch was crushed, the realization of her own pregnancy hit her hard at that moment. She doubted Severus would be as happy as James was to find he was a father, and she doubted anything about her child would cause happiness. Her baby would more than likely be born in the shadows of the Dark Lord's people, her baby wouldn't grow up with parents as open, honest, and loving as James and Lily Potter were. She knew they would be perfect parents. After all, Lily and James were perfect at everything.
"She is! Tired, but happy. Rose, won't you come and see her and Harry?" he suddenly invited, gesturing to the brick wall they had arrived at. "St. Mungo's isn't very far, we can apparate there in a flash." They had arrived, with no difficulty, into the back alley of the Leaky Cauldron.
"I don't think so. Send her my good wishes," Rose answered instead, not even smiling, before turning to walk away.
"What? Rose, you should—"
Rose whirled around and cut him off, suddenly angry with this man who had allowed her to glimpse what a life of happiness, what a life of love, could produce; a proud father, a loving marriage, a new family filled with promise…. "No, I shouldn't! I should stay far away from Lily, and from you. Good bye, James."
"Wait—" he grabbed her arm, confused. "I only thought—"
She jerked away, trying to hold back tears and angry at herself for reacting so emotionally. Dangerous times, though, called sometimes for brutality...and hurting people. "Tell Lily not to contact me. It's not—it wouldn't be good for your family."
"She's your sister!" cried James, aghast at her behavior.
"So? Where's she been the last year of my life?" Rose demanded. "No where." It was dangerous for her to be talking to James Potter, someone who openly denounced Lord Voldemort and rallied to the cause of the Ministry and Dumbledore. It was dangerous for her and it would be dangerous for James should they be noticed by anyone. She wasn't supposed to have contact with her sister.... He-With-The-Stupid-Name had made that rule for her.
"What? Rose, you're not making any sense. Just...just come see Lily. If you've got a problem you can talk to us about it once we're—"
The very young, confused, hurting witch lashed out, wanting him to just go away and leave her, and her pathetic life, alone. "Maybe Lily is my problem! Tell her that and see what she makes of it! She hasn't bothered to contact me in months, why should I care to go and see her? And her brat who'll probably be as much of an arrogant prig as his father!"
At first the shock was evident in his expression, but his face quickly changed to convey a look of anger and indignation. "That's a hateful thing to say, Rose Evans—"
"Snape," she hissed, glowering up at him. "Rose Snape. You remember, Snivellus's wife?"
"Is that what this is all about?" James demanded, his voice lowering as he fought to control his emotions. Lily wouldn't want him losing his temper on her baby sister, no matter how terrible Rose was acting. "What has the Dark-Arts guru been telling you? Why's he trying to keep you away from us?"
"He's not! Let's just say, Potter, that I have opinions of my own now. I don't want to maintain contact with a perfect sister and her arrogant husband, nor do I want to be an aunt to anybody! Make certain you tell Lily that. I want no claim to her child, ever."
James grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to face him as he asked, deliberately slow, "Why do you want to hurt Lily so badly? She's your sister, for Merlin's sake!"
"Because, James, I never should have been Lily Evans's little sister," she answered, glaring.
There was a popping sound, James was thrown back against the brick wall of the alley, and Rose had disapparated.
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Rose was sitting at the table, watching the minutes tick by on the Swiss Phoenix clock. "Midnight, Oberon," she muttered.
"Who?"
"Is that all you're capable of communicating?!" Rose demanded, glaring angrily at the bird. "Just...go away, stupid bird."
The owl ruffled his feathers, blinked at her, then flew from his perch out the window to disappear into the darkness of night.
"Stupid owl," she mumbled to herself, casting a disdainful glance at her now-cold hot chocolate.
She was moving to dump the contents of her mug when a pain in her right arm startled her, as it was sharper and hotter than usual, and she dropped the mug, causing it to shatter and splatter the liquid everywhere.
Rose rubbed the dark mark, which was high up on her forearm. 'Demanding tonight,' she thought, and a shiver went down her spine. Had she been seen with James Potter after all?
In another instant her robes were free from the dark stain of chocolate and she had apparated away to one of the Dark Lord's more sadistic meeting places...the cemetery where his father was buried.
A storm was moving in, but had yet to break, and it was very dark out. Still, Rose could make out the shadows of her fellow Death Eaters. Most of them were wrapped up in cloaks with hoods, their faces in shadow, their identities hard to decipher. Rose hadn't had time to grab her cloak, however, as the summoning she had felt was so very strong.
She recognized one figure immediately, it stood apart from where the rest had gathered. She hurried to her husband's side. "What's going on?" she asked softly. "It looks like he's called everyone."
"Not everyone," Severus whispered, turning to look at her. His hood was down, she could only barely make out his pale face and weary expression. "Just the higher-ups. Not sure why you're here, either. You've been excused from so many of these...meetings, lately." His voice betrayed his puzzlement, and that did not bode well for them. Severus was rarely puzzled.
"And you haven't been filling me in," she accused with a smirk.
"Haven't been at liberty to," he responded, slightly sneering. "As you well know."
Rose shrugged, then shivered again as she and Severus moved with the others deeper into the cemetery to form a semi-circle around Thomas Riddle's tombstone.
"Cold?" Severus asked, raising his eyebrows. Before she could respond, in an odd show of gallantry, he swept off his cloak and settled it around her shoulders, exposing himself to the strange weather. Very strange weather for August, but with a storm coming in...the temperature was bound to drop some.
"Thank you," Rose whispered, smiling some. Severus still had some quiet, tender moments now and then.
The milling Death Eaters quieted suddenly as a dark green flash occurred on top of the very grave of Old Riddle. The Dark Lord then stood before them, swathed in an expensive, intricately embroidered cloak. The embroidery was a series of dangerous looking snakes, all entwined with each other. The Dark Lord had a penchant for the creatures....
"Glad to see so many were able to make it," he hissed, his voice so soft and yet so piercing that those nearest him cringed and stepped back. In the beginning of his reign of terror Voldemort had used charm to lead, but once he had seduced so many with his tales of power and Dark Magic he had changed into a brutal, hated, and much-feared wizard even among his own followers.
There were some polite murmurs of greeting from a few Death Eaters, and then silence once more as Voldemort stood straighter, became much more...dominating.
"Word has reached me," he whispered, "that there have been two boys born...at the very death of the seventh month. Both born to some of Albus Dumbledore's pets." He chuckled darkly. "The Longbottoms and the Potters."
Rose's skin began to crawl. 'What do new babies have to do with anything? He talks as if he wants to eat them or something....'
Severus tensed at her side, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Both sets," he hissed, grinning darkly, "of parents have defied my wish for their deaths...thrice. One of these children, one of these innocent, tiny, worthless little babes is the one. Now what, my family, do you propose we do about this?"
Bellatrix, long enamored with the powerful sorcerer and bearing something like a school-girl loyalty to him, shouted out, "Kill them all!"
"Shall I?" Voldemort asked. "It would be an interesting experience. But, child, prophecies cannot be taken so lightly. Plans must be made in these circumstances. Simply killing the children will not do, as I am sure there will be protections set all around them. Albus Dumbledore, unfortunately, heard the entirety of the prophecy while I am only able to work off a few lines." He smiled, lightning flashed in the distance. "This will involve some study. Nothing hasty."
There were murmurs of agreement, Rose suppressed the urge to ask her husband what, by Merlin's beard, were they talking about? What prophecy?
"Have we an edge, My Lord?" Lucious Malfoy asked from his place very near the Dark Lord's position.
"We always do," Lord Voldemort whispered. "Always. Further study must be done on these families. We must determine who is the greatest threat, and quickly."
"How, My Lord?" another, faceless, asked.
"Spies. Family members. We look for weaknesses, we look for opportune moments." He raised one hand and pointed. "Rose Snape," he hissed, her name sounding like a curse from his lips. "Come forward."
Not even daring to glance at her husband, Rose came forward. She was surprised, however, when he fell in behind her and stopped just a few paces from where she did in front of the Dark Lord.
"Nervous, Snape?" Voldemort asked, lazily, looking behind her at her husband.
"No, My Lord. As my wife she is my responsibility and as my responsibility I feel I must be attentive when she is given a duty. It insures doubly, My Lord, that your will is done." Severus had never paused, never stuttered, and his voice was supremely cool and confident. Had Rose turned she would have seen a calm, collected look on his face and an almost dead look in his eyes as he began practicing his Occlumency.
Rose had begun to collect her own thoughts close about her conscious, putting up her mind blockade quickly. "What is your will, My Lord?" she asked after bowing, deeply, to him. She gave no indication that she realized Severus was behind her.
"My will, young witch, is to find out all I need to know about Lily Potter from you. You two are sisters, are you not?" he asked, smiling, bending forward. His eyes were red, cold, full of hatred. "You must know something about her." He kept those eyes focused on hers as he tried to delve into her mind.
For an instant, Rose panicked. Not only did she wish to keep all things about Lily from this man—blood was thicker than oaths at times—but Severus had not taught her how to allow specific information through to a Legilimens and keep other things back. She struggled momentarily, trying to arrange thoughts and words in her mind when—
"You're hiding things from me," Voldemort whispered, so quietly none but she and Severus heard him.
Severus tensed, as if he knew what would come next.
"Lower your shields, witch," was the quiet command. "Or you may experience some pain as I try to probe further into your memories." This was said loud enough for all to hear.
There was a hushed whisper of outrage among the Death Eaters—how dare she hide anything from their master!
Trembling now, Rose did the only thing she could and lowered her shields. She wanted to avoid torture. Instantly she felt the trespassing presence of Lord Voldemort in her mind. It was as if cold, slimy syrup was being leaked into her mind and memories. She felt it, oozing through the passages of her mind. Every corner, every crevice, the Dark Lord looked to discover all about her.
It did not take him long. He was experienced, she was not.
He cackled, softly, as he withdrew from her. He glanced at Severus over Rose's shoulder, dark amusement in his eyes. "Even from you she keeps secrets. Wise little witch. She misses her sister, too. I wonder what would happen if I asked her to deliver Lily Potter into my hands.... You know, Mrs. Snape," he said, turning his eyes back to her. "If it were not for the fact that you are so unaware of so many of our meetings, I would guess that it was you who has warned the Potters when I have made arrangements to exterminate them. You see, three times I have undertaken the duty myself to destroy them and each time they manage a miraculous escape...disappearing for weeks before I can find them again. But, of course, you know nothing about that. I have seen your thoughts, and you are not trained in Occlumency."
Rose felt her eyes fill with tears and she had to fight to keep her expression neutral. Immediately she knew why Severus had been steadfastly told to keep her in the dark, he knew she would not stand to hear of threats to Lily's life. He knew she would leave the Death Eaters if it came to warning her sister to flee.
Severus came forward, bowing, his face hard and stern. "My wife knows nothing of stealth, of undergoing secret missions, My Lord. She is unsuitable for any such tasks and belongs making up potions and saving the lives of our brave soldiers."
"Do not presume," Voldemort said, loudly so that all could hear, "to tell me where one of my Death Eaters belongs. That would be dangerous, Severus. Now, Mrs. Snape." He smiled at her, and her stomach turned over. Her flesh crawled and in that instant Rose knew something terrible was about to happen. "You know you cannot lie to me."
"Yes, My Lord," she whispered, her knees all ready beginning to buckle. "I know that I cannot lie to you."
"Very good. Rose Snape, if I asked you to go to your sister—for I know you could find her where my spies have not—to go to her and bring her brat to me, would you do it?" He raised a hand. "But make no answer just yet. First, take this." He held a vial out to her. "Veritaserum," he whispered. "Made by your husband in my private laboratory. Made, as I'm sure you know, with his usual care and skill. It is fool proof."
Trembling, knowing she could be tortured and killed for what her answer would be, Rose took the vial but did not drink. "I will not, My Lord, cause you to waste this precious liquid. I know what it takes to make this potion and it is a laborious task." She swallowed and attempted a smile, but it came out wobbly and quickly disappeared. "The truth, My Lord, is that I...I would not be able to do as you asked. I cannot betray my sister or my blood ties to her." And any wizard who answered less than she would be lying—for a wizard, or a witch, is hard-pressed indeed to betray their own blood.
Thunder rolled, very near them now, and the Death Eaters were in a state of shock. They did not, however, make a sound. It was the first time someone openly defied the Dark Lord, and to his very face.
"If you will not give me your sister's child, Rose," Voldemort said with a careless shrug. "Then you will give me yours." He had found that secret, her greatest secret, so very easily.
Before Rose could do more than turn, looking over her shoulder and into her husband's shocked, wide eyes, with a silent plea in her own dark green eyes, she felt an incredible pain fill her body. She heard a scream—it was not hers or any persons, but it was the scream of the dark, evil magic that the Dark Lord poured into her.
Rose fell to the earth, at the foot of Thomas Riddle's grave. She tried to scream and could not, she could only writhe in agony on the ground, only aware of the pain and the sudden burning within her abdomen.
Life was taken from inside of her.
One moment she could feel the heartbeat of another, barely formed, and the next there was a block of ice within her. She clawed at the ground, not seeing, not feeling anything but pain.
Running through her mind was the repetitive cry of a child and her own voice, screaming in her head. 'My baby! Severus! Help me! My baby, my baby!' Over and over, along with the pain.
A high-pitched, shrill cackle rent the night air even as the clouds began to break and rain poured down upon those present.
The Death Eaters had stood, in frozen fascination, as Rose Snape threw herself around on the ground before them, soon covering herself in mud, her mouth open in a silent scream and tears coursing down her deathly pale face.
And Severus Snape stood still, horror written all over his features.
He couldn't move. He was paralyzed, shocked, and afraid. Every horror, every beating, every cursing, every bad memory he had ever had seemed to rise up at the same time as the Dark Lord attacked Rose. Severus wasn't sure if it was a spell or his own weakness that held him immobile.
"Would you even try to stop him?" she had asked.
He didn't move.
"Yes." Then he had sealed himself to it, "I promise."
But he couldn't move.
Not until Rose had stopped thrashing about, which was a long while after the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters disapparated, did he move. The rain had stopped by then as well. Rose just laid in the mud, at the foot of that horrible grave, staring at her own bile and blood as it began to wash away. At the end her body had ejected the baby, the barely formed, barely recognizable body of what could have been a girl.
Trembling, weak, Rose reached for her wand in her pocket. Her intention was to bury the body of the unformed child. The little girl that could have been hers. Her little girl.
She was a mess. She was in shock. She didn't even want to think about how everything had happened or what torment her body had gone through. She just wanted to—
But Rose was scooped up into the arms of her husband.
"No..." she whispered, not even able to fight his hold on her. "The baby...."
Holding his wife against him, Severus maneuvered his wand from inside his sleeve and gave it a wave. The dead fetus sank into the earth, mud flowed over to cover it as well. Soon it was gone, and the evidence of it would be washed away from the ground, but never from his memory. Never.
"You...promised..." Rose whispered. Then her eyes rolled back into her head as she finally, mercifully, lost consciousness.
Severus held her limp body close, putting his face against her neck. He sank to his knees, the shock finally beginning to break over him as well. He realized tears were rolling down his face; he was crying. He began to sob, heart wrenching sounds of anguish and despair escaped his soul in a rare form for him.
He didn't cry.
He fell apart.
He had failed her.
They would have had a baby.
They hadn't only lost the baby. They had lost each other.
It was the last step, the last measure, to break the fragile bond they had.
It was over. Friendship, alliance, marriage.
Over.
There was more, of course. There was always more pain. He had failed in an oath and failing in an oath, when both parties were wizarding folk, always had dire consequences.
No sneak preview.
To My Most Unfortunate Reviewers: WARNING: I've been reading Lemony Snickett's Series of Unfortunate Events. GREAT series. Helps you write depressing stuff with some flavor, too.
emikae: As a matter of fact, I've been very ill lately. Skipping work and school in favor of staying in bed, and as a result I have not paid much attention to my fic. But holidays are coming up, which will give me time to write.
kiss-of-cuteness: Is this a crazy enough twist for you? :-(
nabenabe: Angst. Right on the mark.
Lydia: Reason enough to dread, do you think? Tsk. What a dark chapter. Almost a month and I haven't gotten back to you. Sorry. Am re-reading OotP so I can respond aptly to your email.
dnd4ever: Impatience is no virtue, and here is the reward.
Rae Roberts: No sugar-coating here, for certain. I am anxious to know what you thought of THIS chapter. Difficult to write. Not sure if I'll get the effect I wanted.
kikicatlover: Welcome to the story! It seems you came in at a bad time if you've made it this far….
Evil Duckie of the Blacklagoon: Poor Severus. Whatever will they do? He failed.
Zaq: Still lovin' it? I warned ALL OF YOU that angst was coming.
Illume: So…that wrench in the works you were talking about…yup. This was almost a major plot hole for me, but I think it's going to work out.
Rinny Z: Yes, Lily was reading Chaucer, as I was when I wrote that chapter. But anyway. Look forward to hearing from you again soon!
Y'all still love me?
-JB-