Chapter 93
The next morning, Harry, Ron and the others were waiting for Hermione in front of the hospital wing. After a final check up from Madam Pomfrey she joined their friends, happy to be released. Her eyes roamed the hallway for the one she wanted so desperately to see, but he wasn't there. Professor McGonagall had told her, what happened and how she had been saved. She had already thanked Professor Dumbledore, Professor Wells, Sirius and Lily Potter for their participation in the ritual that had saved her life, but Professor Snape had not come to see her since she was awake. The great passion she had felt right before she passed out has been replaced by a deep longing. She wanted to see him and thank him for his kindness and his help.
When the students left the infirmary and went down to breakfast, none of them recognized the dark figure lurking in the shadows. Severus had watched the mushy welcome back-scene when the Gryffindor know-it-all was released. He wanted to make sure that the girl was well, but he didn't dare to reveal his position. The love potion was still in effect and he couldn't risk bringing even more stress to her already delicate state of health with a refusal of her affections. He had other problems to worry about at the moment then a hormonally messed up teenager. Lestrange was after Potter, he still had to have an eye on Malfoy as well as on Dursley and now he even had to attend an official event.
His face clouded again with anger when he remembered the floo call he had received this morning. Dolohov had showed up at the crack of dawn and brought an official message from the Dark Lord. The deatheater had vanished as fast as he had appeared and Severus glared at the green seal with the Dark Mark on it. Quickly checking the scroll of hidden charms that might be dangerous, he sat down in a leather armchair.
He sighed and wondered what the old lunatic was up to now.
His eyes darted over the black writing on the parchment and he felt the anger rising. He was ordered to attend an official deatheater meeting that would end in a special event that required female company.
A deatheater party...
He had always hated the so called special events of the Dark Lord. It would most likely be to introduce his most loyal followers to the newest allies. He was just about to throw the scroll into the fire when the writing disappeared and was replaced by a final order. The scroll had to remain in his possession and would serve as a portkey at eight in the evening.
"Oh my" he sighed and ran his hand through his black hair.
Female company....
The only female he would want to accompany him was Celeste, but that was impossible. Prince Gregorius would be there and it would be lethal for both of them to make an appearance together. He couldn't bring Lily to the Dark Lord; he would be delighted to have her in his clutches. It would be too dangerous for Kimberly as well. He wasn't sure if the Dark Lord was aware of her relation to Dumbledore but he wouldn't risk it. He counted the other female members of the Order off and dismissed them one by one. Either they were married, aurors or not at all suitable for a deatheater get-together.
There was only one logical choice.
He shuddered slightly at the thought of bringing the cheeky witch into the Dark Lords lair.
If she would agree to accompany him, which he wasn't sure she would, he would have to give her a quick lesson in deatheater etiquette. A quick briefing with the headmistress was in order so he had decided to meet her in her office after he had made sure that Miss Granger was alright. While he marched off to the headmistress' office, he cursed the Dark Lord and his cronies for getting him in this situation. This evening would be just a waste of time and he could use it better finding a counter-potion for the know-it-all. He would have to face her on Monday and he was a bit afraid that she would make a scene after class or even worse – during class.
McGonagall seemed to be awaiting him because she wasn't at all surprised about his entrance.
"Did you make any progress with the counter-potion for Miss Granger?" she asked him after he had taken a seat opposite of her.
"Unfortunately not, Minerva. I was planning on working on it this evening but the Dark Lord has other plans for me" he said gloomily and crossed his arms tightly in front of his chest.
The questioning look of the headmistress' prompted him to continue.
"I have to attend an official deatheater event and –"his voice barely above a whisper he added "- female company is required"
Minerva's eyes grew wide and she glared at him with barely suppressed amusement.
"Who are you asking to accompany?"
"I don't have a choice" he snapped. "I have to take that insolent ancestor of Albus"
"Lady Tanya? Do you think that's a wise idea?"
Severus slit both of his hands into his hair and grabbed two fists full. He didn't know if it was wise but it was the only idea he could come up with. Together with the headmistress he went through the list of potential candidates again and again but in the end even Minerva had to admit that no other witch was available.
"Well I'd say that you look for her and talk about tonight's event. You have to make sure that she's aware how dangerous this is going to be"
Severus nodded mutely and bid the witch good bye.
He hoped that she would still be in the Great Hall at breakfast, because he really didn't want to look for her in the mongrel's private quarters. Severus was lucky for once. Just when he descended the marble staircase, she exited the Great Hall with Black by her side.
He heaved a sigh and approached her.
"Lady Tanya, may I have a word with you?"
"I don't know what kind of business you could have with her, Snape" Sirius snapped and wrapped his arm possessively around the witch's waist.
"That doesn't concern you, Black and I definitely don't have to ask you for permission"
He kindly placed his hand on her left arm and looked at her expectantly, trying hard not to show his anger and annoyance. "Lady Tanya?"
The witch cast an intrigued look at Severus and an apologetical one at Sirius.
"I will meet you in your room in a minute" she said to the animagus and tried hard to ignore the hurt and upset look in his eyes.
With pure hatred in his eyes for his long-term enemy, Sirius stomped off and up the marble staircase.
With an inquisitive look she followed Snape's lead down to the dungeons. She was highly intrigued what the potion master wanted to discuss with her.
He led her into his private sitting room and offered her a seat.
Quickly he conjured a cup of tea for each of them and Lady Tanya was impressed what a perfect host Severus could be if he wanted to. The fact that he was so kind made her suspicious. She looked at him expectantly while he settled himself in an armchair next to her.
"I trust you are aware of my special status inside the wizarding world and in what way I serve Albus besides my position as teacher and head of house"
Lady Tanya nodded and smiled at him.
"Yes I know that you work as a double-agent"
Snape gave her a pointed look as she continued.
"Albus has told me that you were a deatheater and in what way you serve the Order"
Grateful that he wouldn't have to go in any more details then necessary, he looked at her. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if he could peeve the dog with it. Then finally he discussed with her why he had requested this meeting with her. The witch's eyes had grown wide as well as her smile when she realized what kind of event this would be.
"You're going to take me to a party?" she cheered and clapped her hands in pleasant anticipation.
Snape sighed inwardly. Just as expected, the witch would take it too lightly.
"You have to understand that this is a very dangerous situation. If you let as much as a syllable slip about my real position, we both are as good as dead." he said, stressing the last word.
"You should also know that deatheaters are no gentlemen. They are purebloods through and through and will never accept a half-blood or muggle-born"
"Well, I'm a pureblood; as pure as you possibly can be" she called with indignation.
"This is why I have chosen you to accompany me. You have the status and the looks to impress and this is the only facts the deatheaters care about"
Her eyes shown with pride and pleasant anticipation, when she leaned closer to him.
"Well, I think it will be highly impressive if you show up with a 'descendant' of Richard Lionheart. Is there anything else that I need to know?"
"First of all deatheaters are a very archaic bunch. They believe in the superiority of the wizard so no insolent behaviour of a witch will be tolerated."
Recognizing the shocked look on Lady Tanya's face, he added "However those rules apply mostly to the married couple. Deatheaters do flirt too. Just make sure that you don't overdo it. Someone might be too intrigued and take matters in his own hands. If possible stay close to me and listen closely. I will introduce you to everyone and tell you about them what you need to know to get through the evening without putting your foot in your mouth"
"What should I wear for this special event?"
"I'd say green or black. If I were you I wouldn't stress the fact that you're Gryffindor. All deatheaters that will attend this festivity tonight have been in Slytherin"
"Don't you think they will ask questions about me? The British wizarding community is not that big after all, so maybe we should come up with a good cover story why they haven't seen me before"
Snape nodded thoughtfully. The witch had a point there.
"Maybe we should just say that you have been raised in Greece by a relative and went to school there; but of course you agree with pureblood superiority"
"Well that won't be a problem for me to play that part. I've been raised to be pretty and quiet; a nice decoration and that's it" she snorted but inwardly she knew that she couldn't follow through with that procedure.
Well as long as she made sure that she wouldn't go too far she could surely have some fun and maybe get some information in the process. The Gryffindor inside her was more than excited about the adventure.
At ten minutes to eight she was on her way to the dungeons. Her black cloak covered some very expensive looking dark-green velvet robes. The sleeves were decorated with golden fringes and the bodice had rich embroideries in Greek style.
She had taken the bed curtains from one of the spare rooms and transfigured them into dress robes. A muggle movie she had once seen with Albus had inspired her to do just that. She loved the way the soft fabric felt against her skin and wondered if her appearance would be impressive enough when she knocked at the door to the potions classroom. The door opened magically and she moved on to Snape's private quarters.
He was already waiting for her in the sitting room, clad in what had to be his deatheater robes. The look on his face didn't reveal if her attire was appropriate, but the fact that he didn't snap at her right away, she took as a yes.
"Come here" he command and Lady Tanya touched the parchment that had been charmed into a portkey and set at eight sharp.
Just then she felt the familiar tug behind her navel and they were gone.
Severus was pleased that the witch had proven a better taste in clothing than with her lover. They had taken the portkey as soon as she had arrived and all he wanted was to get it over with. He wondered why the Dark Lord had chosen this way to gather his followers. They just as well could have all been summoned by the Dark Mark; they knew where to go after all. When they arrived at their destination, he was absolutely stunned.
He had never expected to end THERE!
Lady Tanya seemed to just as shocked when she looked at her surrounding.
Severus recognized that around them several other deatheater couples arrived and he wondered what a meaning this specific location was supposed to have. Tanya pulled her cloak tighter around her; the cold breeze giving her chills as well as the lusty glares of several deatheaters. The potion master also realized what kind of attention his company was receiving and he had a closer look at her. She truly looked stunning. Obviously to make their cover story of her education in Greece, she had chosen to wear her hair pulled up in a fancy bun, while several tresses of her dark hair framed her face. She had it slightly curled and the contrast of her raven hair with her creamy white skin, made her look like a perfect Grecian beauty.
He offered her his arm and they followed the other through an archway and into the building. Lady Tanya had heard of this place before from Sirius on several occasions, but she was sure that he wouldn't even recognize it anymore. The cold stone interior had been totally removed and the hall had been turned into a large sitting and dining area. To her right she saw another archway that led into a ballroom, but it was currently empty.
Several groups of deatheaters had formed, the witches that accompanied them had gathered together next to the large buffet. Lady Tanya was grateful that she had chosen her rather expensive looking attire because the other witches were displaying their pureblood status (and the wealth that mostly came with it) rather shamelessly. Severus held her rather tightly to him and she had the impression that he was afraid that she would get them into trouble. That disturbed her a little. What did he think she was? A silly little girl who didn't know how to behave in public?
Well she would show him that she had been dining with a king and that she would have no problems handling a handful of dirty deatheaters. With a look on her partner for the evening, she put on her most conceited expression, held her head high and stood as straight as she could. Thankfully, the high heels improved her height to a point that she was just one head shorter than Severus. The potion master thoroughly enjoyed the envious looks he was getting from the other deatheaters. Obviously they were highly impressed about his company and he knew he'd have to answer many questions during the meeting.
He led Lady Tanya to the refreshment buffet and offered her some punch which she gratefully accepted. He then pointed out the different deatheaters to her and gave her some details in a low voice.
"Those two in the black leather armchairs next to the fireplace are Crabbe and Goyle. Their sons are students at Hogwarts"
The witch nodded mutely and looked at the quite unintelligent features of the two men. They looked more like dressed apes than anything else.
"Right next to the entrance are Dolohov and Jugson. Dolohov is supposed to be in Azkaban right now –"
After this comment Lady Tanya had to stifle a giggle and Severus shot her an annoyed look.
"You better take this serious. Dolohov is very dangerous. He has tortured and killed more people than all deatheaters put together"
With satisfaction he recognized that his words had the desired effect. The witch paled several shades and grabbed his arm tighter. Her eyes travelled slowly to the before mentioned wizard and took in his rather unpleasant features. His long black hair looked more like fur and went down over his shoulders. She shifted slightly to the right to get a better view of his face. Just then he did her a 'favour' and turned around fully. The wizard next to him, who Severus had introduced as Jugson pointed in her direction and Lady Tanya swallowed hard when the two men made their way over to them. She stepped backwards and tried to shrink back to the shadows, but Severus' firm grip prevented it.
"Deatheaters are like a pack of wolves. Showing any sign of fear will be lethal, my dear"
The witch nodded ever so slightly and turned her gaze back to the two men who had now almost reached them. Dolohov's charcoal black eyes bore into hers before they travelled down to her cleavage. Lady Tanya all of a sudden felt very naked and she wished she wouldn't have put her cloak away. Mustering all of her Gryffindor bravery she put on a sweet smile and leaned against Severus. The potion master gave her a surprised look but was glad that she finally took the masquerade seriously. The pleasant side effect was that nobody would be bugging him tonight about his none-existing private life.
"Hello Severus, I'm glad you could make it?" she heard the low growl of Dolohov's voice when the deatheaters had closed the distance.
"Well, I wouldn't have wanted to miss it" Snape answered evenly and then snaked his arm around Lady Tanya's waist.
"Who did you bring with you? I can't recall that I have seen this delicious little bird before"
Severus snorted slightly with disgust at the language Jugson was using.
"She's a friend of the family." he then said coolly, knowing that they would pry him for information anyway.
"We have to go, gentlemen. It's time and the Dark Lord is waiting for us" Dolohov growled and Lady Tanya recognized that the other deatheaters in the room all moved to a black oak door, which was slightly ajar.
"Enjoy yourself, my dear. It shouldn't take long" Severus said almost friendly and gave her arm an assuring squeeze.
"Of course, love" she purred in response. "You go and handle your business and don't worry, I will find some amusement"
Severus wasn't sure if he liked her statement, but there's nothing he could do at the moment. He'd have to rely on her common sense and hoped that the Gryffindor wouldn't get the better of her. With a few quick strides he had crossed the room, together with Jugson and Dolohov and disappeared through the door way.
Lady Tanya winced slightly when the door fell shut with a loud bang and she was alone.
Well, not totally alone.
She turned around when she heard the rustling of robes behind her and saw about seven witches coming over to her, looking terribly like birds of prey. Chiding herself for being such a wimp, she narrowed her eyes slightly and pictured herself as a lioness on the hunt... the hunt for information.
"It's nice to see that Severus finally found himself a woman" the blonde, chubby witch, who seemed to have taken over the role of the leader, said with a sickening sweet voice.
Quickly the witches formed a circle and Lady Tanya found herself being the center of it. She felt like a cattle at a meat inspection when the women sized her up; this was much worse than the few lusty glances from the men.
"I'm Belinda Nott, pleased to meet you" a middle-aged, scrawny, black-haired witch said and smiled at her.
"It's my pleasure" Lady Tanya said sweetly. "I'm Tanya Brandon"
They had agreed that her real name and title should better remain a secret. They could still claim her status because the Dark Lord usually set his wards that only purebloods could enter the area when they had an official get-together.
"How did you end up with dear Severus? Oh and by the way I'm Georgia Goyle".
The chubby, blonde witch stretched her hand out and Lady Tanya took it gratefully.
They didn't seem to be so bad after all.
Soon, all the witches had introduced themselves as the wives of Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, Jugson, Mulciber and Travis. At last a petite mahogany-haired witch introduced herself as the sister of Dolohov.
So that explains it. I would have never believed that someone like Dolohov actually has a wife.
They sat down on the leather armchairs which had before been occupied by the male Crabbe and Goyle. Lady Tanya just hoped that the deatheater wives and sister wouldn't ask questions about their private life. Her hopes were crushed when Christina Mulciber, a pretty, red-head prompted her again on the question on how she and Severus got together.
Lady Tanya took a deep breath and delivered her well rehearsed answer.
"My family and the Snapes are befriended since generations. I was raised by relatives in Greece because my parents died when I was still a baby. Just now, my guardian has sent me to get to know my home country. This is how I came to visit Severus and he invited me to this event"
Her explanation had the desired effect. It revealed just enough to let them believe whatever they wanted to and it ensured that nobody would wonder where she so suddenly came from. The next hour was spent with small talk and soon the witches forgot that Lady Tanya hadn't been there all along. The others seemed to know each other for many years and so there were no explanations necessary about who they were talking about.
"I'm wondering where Miss Trixie is today. I have seen her husband and her brother-in-law but she's absent. I thought she'd be the first to lick the Lord's boots tonight"
The witches laughed loudly about the comment of Samantha Travers and Lady Tanya had a good idea about who 'Trixie' was.
Severus was less easy on his seat, wondering in what trouble the witch would get herself into. They had renewed their oath to the Dark Lord and he was once again more than grateful that he was able to perjure.
"It came to my knowledge that Mr James Potter is currently enjoying his family life immensely" the Dark Lord growled and looked in the faces of his most loyal followers.
"This is something I cannot and will not allow. It is most important that this man is brought to his infinite death immediately and that his son is brought to me. Since we have been finally able to finish the preparations necessary for the immortality ritual, we will strike in the near future"
Severus knew that if they wouldn't find the final clues to the spell Lily was currently researching, the last chance of defeating the Dark Lord would be gone. The meeting had been going on for the good part of an hour already and the deatheaters started to get restless. Severus could feel the tension building up, although no one would openly show that they were getting tired of listening.
"Finally I would like to introduce you to the newest allies I could win for our purposes"
Just then a door to the left opened and three vampires followed by three of the Egyptians entered the hall.
Severus tuned out the introductions because he already met the creatures before. His eyes were set on the leader of the Sons of Sekhmet. He knew that those would be the ones to be mostly aware of. They were pure evil and he was sure that not even the Dark Lord himself was totally sure what they were capable of. To his utter disappointment, there had not been any real news for him. The Dark Lord would never reveal his true plans until the night of the battle so he hadn't expected to hear anything about it yet. The werewolf had been sent out to warn Potter so he should be safe of Lestrange for now. Just one thing made Severus quite nervous. The Dark Lord knew that Lestrange had failed to get James and kill him but it didn't upset him.
There had to be more about this and he was determined to find out what.
"I just wonder why he has chosen Azkaban of all places to celebrate this event." Louise Crabbe said with her high-pitched voice and took another sip of her punch.
"It really doesn't matter where we are, but you have to admit that he had it fixed up rather nicely. At least it's not dusty here"
That seemed to be an inside joke because the other witches were all laughing.
Lady Tanya was positive that Severus had no idea how the deatheater wives were when alone. They most definitely could hold their own and maybe this was the reason why Lady Tanya felt so comfortable... too comfortable. She had indulged into several glasses of punch, urged by Antonia Dolohov, who could, despite her delicate figure, drink like a hussar. Just then the door opened and the wizards filed out one by one, joining their wives or sister (in Dolohov's case).
Severus had watched her from the second he appeared at the door and seemed relieved that she had actually managed to behave. He joined her and the little group broke apart when the couples started to settle themselves around the large dinner table. As always Lady Tanya enjoyed the vast varieties of food, provided by darkly looking house-elves, clad in dark green towels. She wondered how Voldemort got a hold on house-elves, who normally only served old wizarding families, but she stopped thinking when a large slice of cheese cake appeared on her plate.
Snape snorted with disgust when she shoved large pieces of cake in her mouth.
"One could think you were related to the Weasleys" he muttered sternly and the witch looked at him with slight embarrassment.
"Don't worry, there's enough for everybody" he could hear the drawling voice of Nott, who raised his eyebrows at her disapprovingly.
She muttered an apology and continued with her dessert in a more behaved manner.
"At least you weren't smacking and slurping" Severus drawled and this time Lady Tanya's head shot up. "This is disgusting Severus. I'm a Lady after all"
He gave her a pointed look and she dropped her fork on the plate.
Her appetite was gone with an instant and her good mood almost as well
When the Dark Lord rose from the table, Severus and Lady Tanya were among the first to enter the ball room. An evil smirk crept on her lips when she realized that Severus would have to dance with her to make sure that the deatheaters would keep their hands off her.
He had promised to protect her after all.
Then she heard soft music in the distance and her feet started tapping the floor with the beat. That earned her another patented scowl from Severus but she didn't care. When she saw several couples moving to the dance floor, her skin was tingling with excitement.
"Severus can we dance please?" she then said urgently and tugged on the sleeve of his black deatheater robes.
"Certainly not" he exclaimed but then he saw the fear in her eyes and followed her gaze.
Dolohov was on his way over to them and even to Severus it was clear what his intentions were. Maybe he hadn't been convincing enough about his relationship of Lady Tanya. He looked at the scared witch beside him and knew he couldn't leave her to the likes of Dolohov. He had been at his side during many raids and he knew what kind of perversities the deatheater took pleasure in.
"Don't fight me" he whispered and put his arm firmly around her shoulder while he led her on the dance floor before Dolohov was close enough.
She felt his strong arm encircle her waist when he started to move her after the beat of the waltz that was playing. He held her closer than necessary and almost automatically, her head came to rest on his chest while they danced. She had never thought that a man who despised the presence of others in his private space would be such a good dancer. Just when the music ended, he lifted her head and placed a chastise kiss on her lips. She saw from the corner of her eye Dolohov standing not far away. His eyes were firmly set on her and she new that this little display of affection wouldn't be enough to convince him. So she wrapped her arm around Severus' neck and deepened the kiss, knowing that she had just signed his death warrant if Sirius should ever find out.
Severus was more than shocked when he recognized what the witch had in mind, but obliged. It had been quite a while since a woman had willingly kissed him with such passion. She could still feel Dolohov's eyes on her when they stepped off the dance floor and Severus seemed to read her thoughts. He immediately steered her to the refreshment buffet and handed her a glass of firewhiskey. Although it wasn't lady-like, she drowned the glass in one big gulp and it immediately took effect.
The lusty glares of the dark and disgusting deatheater were nothing but ridiculous and soon she was her old cheery self again. Just when she got up and walked over to the piano that had been charmed to play the music, he knew that the firewhiskey had been a bad idea.
Sweet Circe help me, he thought when he followed her with swift strides but it was too late.
Before he reached her she had tapped the keyboard of the piano with her wand and changed the music. Then the ballroom was filled with the sounds of a muggle singer that he knew Albus adored.
Damn her, he thought. She'd be the only one bold enough to play Elvis Presley at a deatheater meeting.
He took a deep breath and let the air out through his nostrils. Impishly she grinned at him when she tried to drag him to the dance floor once again, but he wouldn't move.
The warden threw a party in the county jail.
The prison band was there and they began to wail.
The band was jumpin' and the joint began to swing.
You should've heard those knocked out jailbirds sing.
"How fitting... the Jailhouse Rock" he spat venomously. "Are you bloody trying to get us killed?"
With a flick of his wand he changed the music back to the original waltz and dragged her away from the piano.
"The music was boring so I just wanted to change the beat a little" she pouted when he dropped her unceremoniously on a chair at the side.
"You will not change anything again tonight, not even a word with anybody except me" he growled and his black eyes pierced into hers.
"We were quite lucky that nobody really has recognized your little antic. This is why we're still alive. A muggle singer at a deatheater get-together is like throwing a cow into a pond with piranhas"
Just then Severus recognized that the witch didn't look well at all. Her hands were almost transparent and her eyes were just a bit too bright. With a quick movement he scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to Wormtail who was talking to Jugson.
"Please relay my apologies to the master, but Miss Brandon is not well and I would like to make sure that she is well taken care of"
Pettigrew stuttered "Y-yes of c-course, Severus"
And with a swirl of black robes he rushed out of the room.
Outside the main building that once had been Azkaban, he looked at the witch again and now he knew what was wrong with her. With a plop he apparated them both to Hogwarts to make sure she could return to her painting.