Author's Notes: Snape makes a very difficult choice. Sigh.our poor abused
Potions master. Why do I have to torture him so? Hasn't he been through
enough already? Not a chance! It's only the beginning of what leads up to
a major mind-fuck. Will he persevere and press on? Or will he crater
under the pressure and totally break down? You'll find out in a later
chapter just how all this angst and stress takes its toll. P.S. Don't
think for a moment that our friend Mira will get out of all of this
unscathed. But she's a strong girl; she'll pull through.
I give a look into what I feel was the pivotal point of the professor's life. A hint of the tragedy that turned him down that fateful path. Having been through what he's been through, he knows exactly how bad it will be when the conflict in the wizarding community explodes into all out war. Only he can know the true horror that's about to be unleashed, because he has been part of it. It's coming down to the wire, and the wizarding community is getting ready to explode. He's full of mixed and contradictory emotions, and can he sort them out enough to do what's right?
Disclaimer: None of what you recognize from the books belongs to me.
Chapter 13: You Must Play the Hand that you've Been Dealt.
Professor Snape got out of bed, dressed himself, splashed his face with cold water, and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it off of his face. He looked in the mirror, and was shocked at the slightly green tinge to his complexion and the bloodshot eyes.
"Damn that big hulking oaf, no hangovers my ass!"
Snape shuffled over to his potions cabinet, took out a small vial of pale blue hangover banishing potion, and drank it down in one swallow.
He then busied himself with checking the student potion supply cabinets, and making notes of what needed to be ordered from the apothecary before the start of classes. After lunch, where Hagrid looked like something Filch's cat dragged in, Snape returned to his classroom to write up the class outlines for the Fall term. He took special care to be extra detailed in the event that something happened to him and a substitute teacher was brought in to finish his classes.
At supper, Dumbledore asked him if he had made any progress with his lead on the artifact.
"As a matter of fact, I had a discussion with Hagrid concerning that topic, and I am planning to follow up on it further this evening, when I go into town to place the order for potions supplies."
"Good, glad to hear it Severus, trust me, the fates are at work here, I can feel it."
"You're starting to sound like Trelawney, you better get hold of yourself or you'll be reading your tea leaves at breakfast every morning."
Snape rose from the table, gave Dumbledore a curt nod, and returned to his chambers to get cleaned up and to retrieve the list of supplies. He decided to go to the village by broom for a change. It was a full moon, a harvest moon, and he hadn't been flying in quite some time. He opened a cupboard just inside the door of his chambers, took out a large broom, performed a shrinking charm on it, and tucked it into his robe pocket. He grabbed his cloak and sealed the door to his private chambers behind him. He exited the castle, took out the broom, returned it to its normal size, and flew off into the evening sky. After making the short flight to the village, he re-shrunk the broom, and met with the owner of the apothecary shop who had arranged to go over the Hogwarts potions supply order after hours. Business finished, Snape left the store, and walked around the corner to the tailor shop to see if Mira was still working.
He saw light inside the shop and stopped in front of the main display window. Mira was inside, facing the counter, folding what looked like shawls and placing them in a stack. The open sign was still up and the door was unlocked. He stood and watched her for a moment. She reached across the counter for another shawl. He fleetingly thought of walking in, locking the door behind him, fogging the windows, grabbing her by her hair, pushing her down onto the counter and forcefully having his way with her. Then casting a memory altering charm on her to make her forget about him altogether. He'd have had her, she'd forget he existed, and then he could just shut that door and walk away. But, he'd be no different than the man he closed the door on when he pledged himself to Dumbledore. He'd also have to put a memory charm on himself to get her out of his head, and he just wasn't willing to let her slip completely through his fingers. He had an idea of how to deal with the conflict he was feeling. It was impulsive, but he remembered his conversation with Hagrid and decided to act while he still could.
He reached for the doorknob, hesitated, took a deep breath, and walked into the shop. Mira kept her back to the door, and reached for the last shawl.
"We're getting ready to close. Hold on a sec, and I'll be right with you".
Snape silently crossed the floor as she folded the shawl, and stood directly behind her. Mira set the shawl down, turned around, and found herself nearly nose to nose with the professor. She let out a gasp, and took a step back into the counter.
"Jesus CHRIST professor, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Do you like to fly Mira?"
"Fly? You mean like on a broom?"
"Yes, do you like to fly on a broom?"
"Why?"
"I want you to come flying with me. There's someplace I want to take you, something I need to show you."
"Tonight?"
"Now".
"Have you been at the tavern professor? How many chilled meads have you had tonight?"
"I'm perfectly sober. And please, call me Severus."
Mira looked back over her shoulder, and backed up further against the counter.
"Come on, I've got my broom with me."
"What's this all about? Why are you here? And stop staring at me like that, you're making me nervous."
"I told you, I want to take you flying. Please, just come with me. I promise I haven't been drinking at the tavern, and I promise I'm not here to harm you. Trust me Mira."
Mira looked closely at his eyes, trying to read his emotions. She remembered what Lucy had said about him having ties to dark magic. She didn't sense insincerity or malice though. She sensed sadness, fear, and longing. The emotions were swirling with such intensity that she couldn't pin down exactly what his motives were. But they weren't to do her harm; she did sense that and let down her guard.
"I trust you. I think. This is so against my better judgment, but I'll go with you since you're insisting. Give me a second to close down the store."
Mira quickly checked the back door, closed the owl delivery window, pulled the shades closed in the front windows, and extinguished the lamps. She grabbed a simple brown outdoor robe from the coat rack and pulled it on over her muggle style clothes. She followed the professor outside and closed and locked the door behind them. Snape removed the miniaturized broom from his pocket and returned it to its normal size. It was a broom meant to carry a passenger or cargo, a little bit taller than a person. He mounted the broom and motioned for Mira to climb on behind him.
"No, not in the back. I've ridden on the back of motorcycles, and it scared the hell out of me, I'm not riding on the back, I'm afraid of falling off."
"Then sit in front of me, I can still steer".
Mira settled herself onto the broom, in front of the professor. He wrapped the front of his large black wool cloak around her, leaned over her back, reached around her waist and grabbed the broom with both hands.
"Hold on, we're taking off."
Mira grabbed onto the broom handle behind his hands as they rose up above the rooftops, up above the trees, and leveled off at around a hundred meters above the ground. She looked down, realized that the only thing between her and the countryside rushing by below was a piece of wood, felt a brief wave of panic wash over her, and let out a gasp.
Snape let go of the broom with his left hand, pulled Mira back against his chest, and wrapped his left arm tightly around her waist. She looked back over her right shoulder, smiled at him, and crossed her arms over his, holding on to his wrist with her left hand, and gripping the cloak shut with her right.
"Where are we going?" She said over her shoulder.
"South, towards London. There's someplace I want to take you, something I need to show you. It'll be about an hour's ride, you might as well relax and get comfortable. You won't fall, I've got you."
She relaxed her shoulders and settled back against him, enjoying the wind against her face, and his strong arms around her. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and his heart beating against her shoulder. She could smell his scent on the cloak. Heady, smoky, male, intoxicating...
Snape rested his chin on the back of her head; trying to remember the last time he had a woman in his arms. Had her for more than merely a means of physical release. "Too god-damned long," he said to himself. He briefly closed his eyes, buried his nose in her hair, and inhaled her sweet, spicy perfume. If he got out of all of this alive... But he couldn't afford to indulge in wishful fantasies. This was a dream, not real. A temporary respite from the hell he had made of his life.
They rode together, above the moonlit countryside, enjoying the freedom of flight, and the sensual pleasure of the proximity of each other's bodies. The countryside started to change, the terrain was flatter, and there were fewer hills and valleys. Snape took the broom lower, over crops and pastures, and gently banked towards a large forest. He slowed the speed of the broom, and sat up straight, looking for a familiar landmark.
"We're almost there, see the clearing up ahead?"
Mira looked off to the horizon, and saw a large clearing in the forest, and what looked like some kind of large stone structure in the center. Snape circled over the clearing, bringing the broom in lower with each pass, and they landed gently on the weedy grass surrounding the structure. He pulled the cloak from around Mira's shoulders, and helped her off of the broom.
"What is this place?"
"My home"
Mira took a few tentative steps towards the structure; she could make out a few details in the moonlight. It appeared to have once been a fine dwelling of some sort. But it was clearly in a state of deep decay. The tower was partially collapsed in on itself, and there were signs of catastrophic damage all over the main part of the structure. The fancy leaded glass windows had gaping holes in them, there were what looked like scorch marks on the stone walls. Vegetation had grown up around the building, obscuring much of the ground floor. What once had been a fountain was now choked with weeds and had a large crack running up the side of the basin. Off to the side was a small fenced in area overgrown with tall grass.
"Your home? I don't understand."
"My ancestral home. My birthright. My childhood."
Snape started to walk towards the structure, his cloak and robe catching in the underbrush. He turned and motioned for Mira to follow him.
"This is where I was born, where I lived as a child."
He pulled out his wand, and performed a withering charm on the grass surrounding the fenced in area, revealing a small graveyard with five ornate marble headstones.
"Where my family died".
He took Mira by the hand, and led her towards the facade of the building. One massive wood and wrought iron door was on the ground, the other half hanging on its hinges.
"What happened here? What happened to your family?"
Snape removed his wool cloak, and spread it on the stone steps of the manor. He sat down and motioned for Mira to sit beside him. He sat looking at the ground between his feet for a few moments, ran his fingers through his hair, let out a weary sigh, and started talking.
"Mira, I brought you here because I need for you to understand the danger of the times we're living in. I don't know what all you know about the unrest that's going on in the wizarding world, but the threat is very real. Close to thirty years ago, a very powerful dark wizard came into power and seduced many witches and wizards to his side with promises of power and prestige. He and his followers committed all manner of atrocities against wizarding and non-wizarding folk alike. I was safely away at school during most of this time, I really didn't know just how far reaching the reign of terror was until it reached my family."
"This dark wizard, you-know-who they call him, killed your family?"
"Not directly, but he set the chain of events into motion that led to my family's destruction."
Snape stood up, ran his hands through his hair again, and paced back and forth for a few moments with his arms crossed over his chest. He stopped, turned back to Mira, and knelt down in front of her.
"This is hard for me Mira, but I feel you should hear the story to understand just what we are facing. When I was away at school, my father and older brother got mixed up in all of it. Father always had aspirations within the wizarding world, his ambition matched only by that of my brother. I was the bookish one, the quiet one, off at school, studying to be a potioner. My brother, Quintus, was approached by a man who offered him wealth, prestige and power if he and my father would allow our home, this building behind us, to be used as a safe-house for followers of the Dark Lord who were being hunted by the ministry of magic. My final year in school, some refugee Death Eaters, as the followers are called, were traced here by a group of Aurors. A major battle broke out between the Death Eaters and the Aurors, and my home was destroyed, my family killed. My father, my mother, my brother, his wife, and their daughter were hiding in the dungeon beneath the tower when a wall collapsed, crushing them. After that happened, my life fell to pieces. If it had not been for Headmaster Dumbledore, I'd be either dead or in wizarding prison today. He took me back into the school, offered me work, and gave me a reason to continue living."
He stood back up, and paced some more, stopping to look up at the crumbling facade. He knelt back down in front of Mira and took her hands.
"I cannot tell you how much danger you could be in Mira. The man behind all of this death and destruction has returned. He's still weak, but gaining power every day. Also, he has many powerful and accomplished wizards and witches willing to do his dirty work for him. They're looking for this artifact. He wants it. He believes that it can restore him to a more powerful state than before his downfall. He'd stop at nothing to get it. And, I believe that his followers were after that artifact when they killed your family. I'm very concerned for your safety Mira. If they haven't tracked you to Hogsmeade yet, they're working on it, and they will come after you. I can't protect you from them Mira. They could be after me too. My fate lies here in England, no matter how this turns out. But you've got to leave Mira. You've got to go back to New Orleans and hide among the muggles. Or go to France and take refuge with your grandmother. You can't stay in Hogsmeade. He'll send somebody after you, and he'll kill you to try and get information about that artifact."
He grabbed Mira by her shoulders and looked into her eyes with a look of desperate intensity.
"Promise me that you'll be out of England within the week. The growing tension between the two sides is about to explode Mira, and you can't be anywhere near Hogsmeade when it happens. Promise me that you'll go far away and not come back, not until he's been defeated for good and it's safe again."
He let go of her shoulders, and sat beside her on the stone steps, slumped over with his elbows on his knees, staring into space.
"But what about Susan, and Tricia? Aren't they in danger too? Shouldn't you be warning them as well?"
"No, I don't believe they're in greater danger than any other wizard or witch. You're the one who inherited the shop and whom they believe has ties to the artifact. It's you they'll come after. And there's more Mira, you can't tell anybody, not even your family, where you're going. Can you do this Mira? Can you get away and stay hidden?"
"No, I can't just up and leave my home, my job, and my family. Not when the dark wizards are gaining power. I left one home to start over again here, I can't just abandon my life and go into hiding without telling anybody or making any long term plans."
Snape turned to Mira, grabbed her shoulders again, and turned her forcefully towards him.
"Mira! Listen to me! You cannot stay in England! You can do this either the easy way or the hard way. Either you make up an excuse to go away for a while. Go far away, and leave no trail which can be traced to you, or I will perform a memory charm on you and send you away and you will not get a chance to say goodbye to your friends and family. I don't want to have to resort to force, but I will take whatever steps necessary to get you safely out of the country. Now, can you make up an excuse to go away for awhile?"
Mira looked at him with shock and confusion, but the look on his face and intensity of his emotions told her that he meant what he said.
"I think so, I can say that I've hit a rough patch in my life again and need to travel to sort things out. I can convince Lucy, she'll convince Susan, it just might work. But what about you Severus, will you be safe? Will you go into hiding away from England too?"
"This isn't about me Mira, it's about you. My fate was sealed years ago; I don't have the option to flee. Whatever happens to me happens, and I have to see it through to the end. I pledged my loyalty to Dumbledore, I can't abandon him now that it's coming down to the wire."
"I don't understand, wouldn't he understand that you were in danger and send you away to keep you safe?"
"It's not that simple. I can't tell you any more about my role in all of this without endangering both of us even more. But you must believe me when I say that there's no choice for either of us in the matter."
Snape stood up turned towards the building. He took one last long look at the ruins of his home, and turned to Mira.
"Come on, we've got to go. The sooner I get you back to Hogsmeade, the sooner you can start getting your affairs in order so that you can leave."
He leaned towards Mira, helped her to her feet, clasped the cloak around his neck, and led her back to where he had left the broom. They climbed on, he wrapped the cloak tightly around her, and they took off back north towards Hogsmeade.
Mira pressed her back as tightly against his body as possible, gripped his arm, and tucked her head back under his chin. She didn't want the flight to end, she knew that it would be the last time she'd ever see him. From the way he was talking, he didn't expect to survive this wizarding war. Silent tears streamed onto her cheeks and were immediately dried by the crisp night air hitting her face.
Snape held Mira tightly with his left arm as they flew above the countryside. He let his mind wander during the flight. He felt a cold sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to send her away, but there was no choice. He couldn't run away with her and ignore the summoning. The burning of the dark mark on his arm would drive him mad and would eventually kill him. He couldn't protect her. If the Death Eaters came for her, he couldn't intervene without blowing his cover and destroying everything he had worked so hard to accomplish for Dumbledore and the resistance. If his cover were blown, they would come after her in retaliation against him. No. There was simply no other way. Maybe this was the way fate would punish him for the atrocities he committed in the past. By forcing him to send away the one person whom he wanted to cling to most in this time of fear and uncertainty.
I give a look into what I feel was the pivotal point of the professor's life. A hint of the tragedy that turned him down that fateful path. Having been through what he's been through, he knows exactly how bad it will be when the conflict in the wizarding community explodes into all out war. Only he can know the true horror that's about to be unleashed, because he has been part of it. It's coming down to the wire, and the wizarding community is getting ready to explode. He's full of mixed and contradictory emotions, and can he sort them out enough to do what's right?
Disclaimer: None of what you recognize from the books belongs to me.
Chapter 13: You Must Play the Hand that you've Been Dealt.
Professor Snape got out of bed, dressed himself, splashed his face with cold water, and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it off of his face. He looked in the mirror, and was shocked at the slightly green tinge to his complexion and the bloodshot eyes.
"Damn that big hulking oaf, no hangovers my ass!"
Snape shuffled over to his potions cabinet, took out a small vial of pale blue hangover banishing potion, and drank it down in one swallow.
He then busied himself with checking the student potion supply cabinets, and making notes of what needed to be ordered from the apothecary before the start of classes. After lunch, where Hagrid looked like something Filch's cat dragged in, Snape returned to his classroom to write up the class outlines for the Fall term. He took special care to be extra detailed in the event that something happened to him and a substitute teacher was brought in to finish his classes.
At supper, Dumbledore asked him if he had made any progress with his lead on the artifact.
"As a matter of fact, I had a discussion with Hagrid concerning that topic, and I am planning to follow up on it further this evening, when I go into town to place the order for potions supplies."
"Good, glad to hear it Severus, trust me, the fates are at work here, I can feel it."
"You're starting to sound like Trelawney, you better get hold of yourself or you'll be reading your tea leaves at breakfast every morning."
Snape rose from the table, gave Dumbledore a curt nod, and returned to his chambers to get cleaned up and to retrieve the list of supplies. He decided to go to the village by broom for a change. It was a full moon, a harvest moon, and he hadn't been flying in quite some time. He opened a cupboard just inside the door of his chambers, took out a large broom, performed a shrinking charm on it, and tucked it into his robe pocket. He grabbed his cloak and sealed the door to his private chambers behind him. He exited the castle, took out the broom, returned it to its normal size, and flew off into the evening sky. After making the short flight to the village, he re-shrunk the broom, and met with the owner of the apothecary shop who had arranged to go over the Hogwarts potions supply order after hours. Business finished, Snape left the store, and walked around the corner to the tailor shop to see if Mira was still working.
He saw light inside the shop and stopped in front of the main display window. Mira was inside, facing the counter, folding what looked like shawls and placing them in a stack. The open sign was still up and the door was unlocked. He stood and watched her for a moment. She reached across the counter for another shawl. He fleetingly thought of walking in, locking the door behind him, fogging the windows, grabbing her by her hair, pushing her down onto the counter and forcefully having his way with her. Then casting a memory altering charm on her to make her forget about him altogether. He'd have had her, she'd forget he existed, and then he could just shut that door and walk away. But, he'd be no different than the man he closed the door on when he pledged himself to Dumbledore. He'd also have to put a memory charm on himself to get her out of his head, and he just wasn't willing to let her slip completely through his fingers. He had an idea of how to deal with the conflict he was feeling. It was impulsive, but he remembered his conversation with Hagrid and decided to act while he still could.
He reached for the doorknob, hesitated, took a deep breath, and walked into the shop. Mira kept her back to the door, and reached for the last shawl.
"We're getting ready to close. Hold on a sec, and I'll be right with you".
Snape silently crossed the floor as she folded the shawl, and stood directly behind her. Mira set the shawl down, turned around, and found herself nearly nose to nose with the professor. She let out a gasp, and took a step back into the counter.
"Jesus CHRIST professor, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"Do you like to fly Mira?"
"Fly? You mean like on a broom?"
"Yes, do you like to fly on a broom?"
"Why?"
"I want you to come flying with me. There's someplace I want to take you, something I need to show you."
"Tonight?"
"Now".
"Have you been at the tavern professor? How many chilled meads have you had tonight?"
"I'm perfectly sober. And please, call me Severus."
Mira looked back over her shoulder, and backed up further against the counter.
"Come on, I've got my broom with me."
"What's this all about? Why are you here? And stop staring at me like that, you're making me nervous."
"I told you, I want to take you flying. Please, just come with me. I promise I haven't been drinking at the tavern, and I promise I'm not here to harm you. Trust me Mira."
Mira looked closely at his eyes, trying to read his emotions. She remembered what Lucy had said about him having ties to dark magic. She didn't sense insincerity or malice though. She sensed sadness, fear, and longing. The emotions were swirling with such intensity that she couldn't pin down exactly what his motives were. But they weren't to do her harm; she did sense that and let down her guard.
"I trust you. I think. This is so against my better judgment, but I'll go with you since you're insisting. Give me a second to close down the store."
Mira quickly checked the back door, closed the owl delivery window, pulled the shades closed in the front windows, and extinguished the lamps. She grabbed a simple brown outdoor robe from the coat rack and pulled it on over her muggle style clothes. She followed the professor outside and closed and locked the door behind them. Snape removed the miniaturized broom from his pocket and returned it to its normal size. It was a broom meant to carry a passenger or cargo, a little bit taller than a person. He mounted the broom and motioned for Mira to climb on behind him.
"No, not in the back. I've ridden on the back of motorcycles, and it scared the hell out of me, I'm not riding on the back, I'm afraid of falling off."
"Then sit in front of me, I can still steer".
Mira settled herself onto the broom, in front of the professor. He wrapped the front of his large black wool cloak around her, leaned over her back, reached around her waist and grabbed the broom with both hands.
"Hold on, we're taking off."
Mira grabbed onto the broom handle behind his hands as they rose up above the rooftops, up above the trees, and leveled off at around a hundred meters above the ground. She looked down, realized that the only thing between her and the countryside rushing by below was a piece of wood, felt a brief wave of panic wash over her, and let out a gasp.
Snape let go of the broom with his left hand, pulled Mira back against his chest, and wrapped his left arm tightly around her waist. She looked back over her right shoulder, smiled at him, and crossed her arms over his, holding on to his wrist with her left hand, and gripping the cloak shut with her right.
"Where are we going?" She said over her shoulder.
"South, towards London. There's someplace I want to take you, something I need to show you. It'll be about an hour's ride, you might as well relax and get comfortable. You won't fall, I've got you."
She relaxed her shoulders and settled back against him, enjoying the wind against her face, and his strong arms around her. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and his heart beating against her shoulder. She could smell his scent on the cloak. Heady, smoky, male, intoxicating...
Snape rested his chin on the back of her head; trying to remember the last time he had a woman in his arms. Had her for more than merely a means of physical release. "Too god-damned long," he said to himself. He briefly closed his eyes, buried his nose in her hair, and inhaled her sweet, spicy perfume. If he got out of all of this alive... But he couldn't afford to indulge in wishful fantasies. This was a dream, not real. A temporary respite from the hell he had made of his life.
They rode together, above the moonlit countryside, enjoying the freedom of flight, and the sensual pleasure of the proximity of each other's bodies. The countryside started to change, the terrain was flatter, and there were fewer hills and valleys. Snape took the broom lower, over crops and pastures, and gently banked towards a large forest. He slowed the speed of the broom, and sat up straight, looking for a familiar landmark.
"We're almost there, see the clearing up ahead?"
Mira looked off to the horizon, and saw a large clearing in the forest, and what looked like some kind of large stone structure in the center. Snape circled over the clearing, bringing the broom in lower with each pass, and they landed gently on the weedy grass surrounding the structure. He pulled the cloak from around Mira's shoulders, and helped her off of the broom.
"What is this place?"
"My home"
Mira took a few tentative steps towards the structure; she could make out a few details in the moonlight. It appeared to have once been a fine dwelling of some sort. But it was clearly in a state of deep decay. The tower was partially collapsed in on itself, and there were signs of catastrophic damage all over the main part of the structure. The fancy leaded glass windows had gaping holes in them, there were what looked like scorch marks on the stone walls. Vegetation had grown up around the building, obscuring much of the ground floor. What once had been a fountain was now choked with weeds and had a large crack running up the side of the basin. Off to the side was a small fenced in area overgrown with tall grass.
"Your home? I don't understand."
"My ancestral home. My birthright. My childhood."
Snape started to walk towards the structure, his cloak and robe catching in the underbrush. He turned and motioned for Mira to follow him.
"This is where I was born, where I lived as a child."
He pulled out his wand, and performed a withering charm on the grass surrounding the fenced in area, revealing a small graveyard with five ornate marble headstones.
"Where my family died".
He took Mira by the hand, and led her towards the facade of the building. One massive wood and wrought iron door was on the ground, the other half hanging on its hinges.
"What happened here? What happened to your family?"
Snape removed his wool cloak, and spread it on the stone steps of the manor. He sat down and motioned for Mira to sit beside him. He sat looking at the ground between his feet for a few moments, ran his fingers through his hair, let out a weary sigh, and started talking.
"Mira, I brought you here because I need for you to understand the danger of the times we're living in. I don't know what all you know about the unrest that's going on in the wizarding world, but the threat is very real. Close to thirty years ago, a very powerful dark wizard came into power and seduced many witches and wizards to his side with promises of power and prestige. He and his followers committed all manner of atrocities against wizarding and non-wizarding folk alike. I was safely away at school during most of this time, I really didn't know just how far reaching the reign of terror was until it reached my family."
"This dark wizard, you-know-who they call him, killed your family?"
"Not directly, but he set the chain of events into motion that led to my family's destruction."
Snape stood up, ran his hands through his hair again, and paced back and forth for a few moments with his arms crossed over his chest. He stopped, turned back to Mira, and knelt down in front of her.
"This is hard for me Mira, but I feel you should hear the story to understand just what we are facing. When I was away at school, my father and older brother got mixed up in all of it. Father always had aspirations within the wizarding world, his ambition matched only by that of my brother. I was the bookish one, the quiet one, off at school, studying to be a potioner. My brother, Quintus, was approached by a man who offered him wealth, prestige and power if he and my father would allow our home, this building behind us, to be used as a safe-house for followers of the Dark Lord who were being hunted by the ministry of magic. My final year in school, some refugee Death Eaters, as the followers are called, were traced here by a group of Aurors. A major battle broke out between the Death Eaters and the Aurors, and my home was destroyed, my family killed. My father, my mother, my brother, his wife, and their daughter were hiding in the dungeon beneath the tower when a wall collapsed, crushing them. After that happened, my life fell to pieces. If it had not been for Headmaster Dumbledore, I'd be either dead or in wizarding prison today. He took me back into the school, offered me work, and gave me a reason to continue living."
He stood back up, and paced some more, stopping to look up at the crumbling facade. He knelt back down in front of Mira and took her hands.
"I cannot tell you how much danger you could be in Mira. The man behind all of this death and destruction has returned. He's still weak, but gaining power every day. Also, he has many powerful and accomplished wizards and witches willing to do his dirty work for him. They're looking for this artifact. He wants it. He believes that it can restore him to a more powerful state than before his downfall. He'd stop at nothing to get it. And, I believe that his followers were after that artifact when they killed your family. I'm very concerned for your safety Mira. If they haven't tracked you to Hogsmeade yet, they're working on it, and they will come after you. I can't protect you from them Mira. They could be after me too. My fate lies here in England, no matter how this turns out. But you've got to leave Mira. You've got to go back to New Orleans and hide among the muggles. Or go to France and take refuge with your grandmother. You can't stay in Hogsmeade. He'll send somebody after you, and he'll kill you to try and get information about that artifact."
He grabbed Mira by her shoulders and looked into her eyes with a look of desperate intensity.
"Promise me that you'll be out of England within the week. The growing tension between the two sides is about to explode Mira, and you can't be anywhere near Hogsmeade when it happens. Promise me that you'll go far away and not come back, not until he's been defeated for good and it's safe again."
He let go of her shoulders, and sat beside her on the stone steps, slumped over with his elbows on his knees, staring into space.
"But what about Susan, and Tricia? Aren't they in danger too? Shouldn't you be warning them as well?"
"No, I don't believe they're in greater danger than any other wizard or witch. You're the one who inherited the shop and whom they believe has ties to the artifact. It's you they'll come after. And there's more Mira, you can't tell anybody, not even your family, where you're going. Can you do this Mira? Can you get away and stay hidden?"
"No, I can't just up and leave my home, my job, and my family. Not when the dark wizards are gaining power. I left one home to start over again here, I can't just abandon my life and go into hiding without telling anybody or making any long term plans."
Snape turned to Mira, grabbed her shoulders again, and turned her forcefully towards him.
"Mira! Listen to me! You cannot stay in England! You can do this either the easy way or the hard way. Either you make up an excuse to go away for a while. Go far away, and leave no trail which can be traced to you, or I will perform a memory charm on you and send you away and you will not get a chance to say goodbye to your friends and family. I don't want to have to resort to force, but I will take whatever steps necessary to get you safely out of the country. Now, can you make up an excuse to go away for awhile?"
Mira looked at him with shock and confusion, but the look on his face and intensity of his emotions told her that he meant what he said.
"I think so, I can say that I've hit a rough patch in my life again and need to travel to sort things out. I can convince Lucy, she'll convince Susan, it just might work. But what about you Severus, will you be safe? Will you go into hiding away from England too?"
"This isn't about me Mira, it's about you. My fate was sealed years ago; I don't have the option to flee. Whatever happens to me happens, and I have to see it through to the end. I pledged my loyalty to Dumbledore, I can't abandon him now that it's coming down to the wire."
"I don't understand, wouldn't he understand that you were in danger and send you away to keep you safe?"
"It's not that simple. I can't tell you any more about my role in all of this without endangering both of us even more. But you must believe me when I say that there's no choice for either of us in the matter."
Snape stood up turned towards the building. He took one last long look at the ruins of his home, and turned to Mira.
"Come on, we've got to go. The sooner I get you back to Hogsmeade, the sooner you can start getting your affairs in order so that you can leave."
He leaned towards Mira, helped her to her feet, clasped the cloak around his neck, and led her back to where he had left the broom. They climbed on, he wrapped the cloak tightly around her, and they took off back north towards Hogsmeade.
Mira pressed her back as tightly against his body as possible, gripped his arm, and tucked her head back under his chin. She didn't want the flight to end, she knew that it would be the last time she'd ever see him. From the way he was talking, he didn't expect to survive this wizarding war. Silent tears streamed onto her cheeks and were immediately dried by the crisp night air hitting her face.
Snape held Mira tightly with his left arm as they flew above the countryside. He let his mind wander during the flight. He felt a cold sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want to send her away, but there was no choice. He couldn't run away with her and ignore the summoning. The burning of the dark mark on his arm would drive him mad and would eventually kill him. He couldn't protect her. If the Death Eaters came for her, he couldn't intervene without blowing his cover and destroying everything he had worked so hard to accomplish for Dumbledore and the resistance. If his cover were blown, they would come after her in retaliation against him. No. There was simply no other way. Maybe this was the way fate would punish him for the atrocities he committed in the past. By forcing him to send away the one person whom he wanted to cling to most in this time of fear and uncertainty.