Chapter Six: A Matter of Trust

Snape rubbed his eyes hard enough to cause lights to flash behind the lids, then took a deep drink from his glass. Red wine, in large doses, was the prescribed potion tonight. Not that he didn't have a sobering potion directly in front of him on the table. It would be careless to have no immediate remedy for inebriation, but he hoped there would be no need to take it.

After Emily had informed him that the 'tricky part' which had her so concerned, was that the runic circles would have to be activated before they could be destroyed, he had lowered them both from the chandelier and headed for the dungeon without another word. Emily was right. She needed a wand. It was unfair to ask her to face this kind of magic with no more personal protection than her own runic spells. Without a wand to handle any number of adverse situations, she could quite easily be killed. Of course, he would be there to defend her, but the kind of magic they were dealing with was so unpredictable that even he couldn't be certain of success.

He should see to getting a wand for her - surreptitiously, of course, or the Headmaster would have his head. But, could he trust her with it? Even if her intentions were good, and he was almost certain that they were, she was unpredictable to the point of being a danger to herself and everyone around her, always had been. Truth be told, he enjoyed having this kind of control over her. It was a welcome change to the way they grew up: Emily constantly thinking up elaborate schemes, getting everyone involved, then changing the plan in mid-endeavor, thus creating chaos. In the best of times, they narrowly avoided disaster. In the worst, well, one had to consider what she'd done to her brother as the worst-case scenario. Why in Hades she'd changed her mind about that, one could only speculate. She certainly wasn't discussing the matter.

"You wouldn't start a fire, would you?" Emily asked, toweling her hair as she sauntered in from the bath. "I'd forgotten how cold it is down here."

His eyes left his glass just long enough to notice that the nightgown he'd purchased for her, a long-sleeved black robe that covered her from collar to ankles, was sticking to her body where the skin was still wet. It was pleasing in more ways than one to see that she was beginning to fill out in all the right places. Severus shook the stray thought from his head. That was the wine thinking for him. It almost always made him unreasonably salacious. Most of the time when he'd imbibed too much, he allowed himself to indulge with someone hired to relieve those types of desires or one of a myriad of licentious women of his acquaintance who were almost always willing to serve beneath a Death Eater, in a manner of speaking. It was one of the few perks of bearing the Dark Mark. But not tonight, and most certainly not with a woman who was, for all intents and purposes, his prisoner.

Hating to lose the rare feeling of comfort into which he'd been slipping, he tossed back the sobering potion and started a fire roaring in the hearth.

Emily plopped down next to him on the sofa, threw an arm casually over the back, and stifled a yawn. He scowled in answer. She was tiring far too quickly, and if she fell asleep now, it would be the third nap today. He reached out a hand toward her and she flinched.

"Stop that, you silly girl," he snapped mildly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know. I'm sorry," she answered, keeping still this time as his fingers found her jugular and rested there. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Just reassuring myself that you're alive," he replied, flashing a tight-lipped smile.

"You know, anybody else would be fooled," Emily said smoothly, pulling his hand from her throat. "However, I know you well enough, Severus Snape, to know that when you start making wisecracks, something is really bothering you." She gave him an uncharacteristically somber look. "So, what's wrong with me?"

He narrowed his eyes. What a time for her insight to show up. She tapped a finger impatiently, staring into his eyes with an intensity she rarely possessed and he met the look with one of his own, the one he knew made her squirm.

She didn't budge.

Fine.

"Your metabolism isn't functioning properly."

"That's why I'm so tired." It wasn't a question, but he nodded anyway. "How do we fix it?"

"I'm afraid I've done all I can do with potions. The rest is up to you. You need to eat more often, and you need exercise."

She laughed heartily at that. "Well, I imagine I'll get plenty of that running away from whatever danger we find, a very good reason for you to continue insisting that I can't have a wand."

"It's not a laughing matter, Emily," he admonished. "I wish that I could trust you enough to allow you a weapon."

Her face grew somber once again with just a hint of resentment in her green eyes. "It's alright. I'll just shove you into the path of anything that comes after me."

He sighed and sat forward. "Have you no understanding of my position at all? Dumbledore would send you directly back to Azkaban and never trust me again were he to find that I'd armed you."

"I suppose you think I can't keep a secret?" she retorted. "I am a Slytherin, you know."

"The finest I've ever known," he replied sincerely. "And you seem far too capable of keeping secrets for my own comfort," he added with a distinctly pointed look.

He saw it in her eyes, that spark of anger he'd expected. The moment he spoke the words, he knew that she would be well-aware of the secret to which he referred. He had carefully calculated the manner in which he would bring it up, but this seemed too convenient a moment to shun.

"Some things are just none of anyone else's affair," she answered softly, a definite note of warning in her voice.

"They'll send you directly back to prison after this assignment is finished, Emily, if you don't tell them what happened... why you killed him."

In her eyes, there arose a flash of fury so violent that he, for an instant, reached for his wand, but there was no need. She simply stood abruptly and left the room without another word, the patented Slytherin way to end an unsolicited exchange.

Severus sat back, poured another glass of wine, and spent the rest of the evening brooding.

Headmaster,

I am pleased to report that Miss Grey was able, on her initial inspection of the entrance hall, to interpret the runic circle. It is locked, as you suggested, and the keys are scattered about the school... again, just as you suggested. Unfortunately, she has informed me that the keys must be triggered before they can be eliminated. This has made the situation much more complicated. It may take longer and become more dangerous than we anticipated.

I plan to interview the ghosts today as I'm certain they've seen the other runic circles and can assist us in mapping them out.

I shall inform you of our progress as events warrant.

-S. Snape-

Snape was prudent enough to knock before entering the makeshift bedroom which had been his second lab before Liri had his way with it. It was amazing what that tiny elf could accomplish for a woman. He had been a fine house-elf in the year Severus had owned him, but the addition of Emily had transformed him into something extraordinary. The extra care he took with tasks concerning her was almost enough to make the potions master envious of the attention. Perhaps she reminded him of his former mistress. Severus didn't know, and wasn't curious enough to ask.

When he had waited quite long enough for her to answer the door, he simply removed the wards and entered the room. If she didn't know he was out here, she'd gone quite deaf.

His eyes swept the room as he entered, uncomfortably aware of its lack of occupant. The bed was still a mess, and the window near the ceiling wide open. Beneath that, there was a work table with two of his trunks settled atop it, forming an unstable-looking ladder. As he made his way to the desk, cursing his stupidity, he caught sight of a parchment on the pillow. Heart pounding wildly, hoping she wouldn't betray him to such an extent, he sat down to read.

Dearest Severus,

I can't take it anymore, the lack of trust or your incessant questions. The truth is, my loyalties have never changed. I am still a child of darkness, a Death Eater, a loyal servant of the Dark Lord. I have gone now to inform Lord Malfoy of your treachery. He is the only one I trust to contact the Dark Lord immediately and...

Oh, I can't do it, even as much as you deserve the heart attack.

Don't panic, love. I've only nipped out for a walk, (getting that much-needed exercise) and as you've warded the door, I simply had to resort to muggle tricks to escape. I'll be out by the lake should you choose to join me.

Yours Always,

Emily

Severus was indeed clutching his chest, feeling as though he just might have that heart attack she felt he deserved. Sweet Merlin, that woman hadn't changed a bit! He left the room swiftly, headed for the lake, just to reassure himself that she had only been teasing. But, by all the gods, what a horrid thing to joke about!

Emily had been awake since well before first light, and had come to the lake to watch the splendor of the sun rising over the mountains, setting the water aflame with a brilliant red dawn. It was breathtaking, and she cursed her own shortsightedness for having never come out to see this when she was a schoolgirl.

She'd been incredibly preoccupied with other things, then. Her studies, Quidditch, finding ways to piss off the Headmaster, dealing with a father who was forcing her into a noble marriage she didn't want... and Severus. Always Severus, whether in the back of her mind or the forefront of her thoughts, he dominated every aspect of her life... even her decision to join Voldemort. Whether he would hear it or not, that had been driven almost solely by her desire to prove herself to him. Though what she'd proven in the long run had damned any chance she might have had, and made her an ugly, skinny, (though that was improving rapidly with the advent of Snape's potions) knutless pariah.

She was worse than a murderer. She was a blood traitor, a killer of her own kin. What did it matter, really, if she was sent back to prison? It wasn't as if she could ever have a life on the outside. Of course, what one had on the inside was hardly life, either. She pulled back the sleeve of her robe and stared disconsolately at the scars there. For all intents and purposes, her life was over.

In fact, if this one last adventure didn't kill her, she fully intended to end it properly this time. Severus always kept poison on hand. It would be all too easy to acquire, and where Snape's potions were concerned, there was no possibility of error. If the contents of a bottle were intended to be deadly, then they were. Period. Severus did not make mistakes.

She ran a hand through disheveled hair, and pushed back the desire to cry with the memory of the letter she'd left for him. That, at least, had been fun.. imagining what kind of fit he would...

"Lady Emily Brigid Tara Grey!" came an angry voice from directly behind her.

Speaking of whom...

"Good morning to you, too, Severus," she greeted calmly, pointedly refusing to refer to him by his full title which could take several breaths as worn out as she was from the walk.

"You do realize the danger you are in, do you not?"

"Am I?" she returned dully. This really wasn't the way she preferred to end this enchanting morning.

"The Dark Lord's chosen are not incapable of breaching our wards, and we still have no idea how they managed it. What if I had been one of them?"

"Then you would've tripped the ward you're standing on," she replied casually.

Severus scowled down at his feet to see that there was, indeed, a very faint, barely noticeable imprint of a complex runic circle surrounding the stone on which she sat. "I suppose you think that excuses you for wandering about on your own," he intoned sternly.

She smirked. He was deliberately not mentioning the letter which meant that it had really shaken him. "I hardly need an excuse to do what you told me to do, Severus Snape, so don't take that tone with me," she snapped, standing up to glare up at him as he squinted in the sunlight. "Is there something you want?" she added, refusing to flinch at the glare he was directing at her.

"Your breakfast is getting cold," he answered simply, turning on his heel and returning the way he came.

"They are scattered, Professor," the Bloody Baron answered in his typically impassive tone.

"I need their exact locations," Severus intoned as dryly as his house's resident ghost.

The silvery specter nodded once, slowly, then began to speak. There was one in the herb garden on the east side of the castle. Mab's dark heart, if Emily had stumbled into that one in the half-light before dawn... he shook his head. Stubborn, thoughtless woman.

Another lay in the caverns under the school itself beside the underground lake. The third was atop a torch-lined tower on the south side. The other two remained hidden, but that was enough for a start.

Upon returning to his office, he spotted Emily at his desk, completely absorbed in her notes, and stood patiently, waiting until she came to an acceptable place to pause. When she finally looked up, it was with tired eyes, but a more exuberant expression than he'd seen since their school days. He almost smiled at the difference it made in her face.

"The Baron knows of three," he stated without preamble.

"Where are they?"

As she listened to the given locations, she made notes on a parchment which Severus couldn't begin to read. Not only were the English words mixed with Ogham and runic notation, but they were so scribbled as to be completely illegible. After a few seconds of writing, she lifted her head once more. "I'm going to hazard a guess that the one beneath the castle is tuath, the one in the garden is aiet..." she chewed her lip for a moment, perusing her notes. "I'll have to have a look at the other."

"Have you determined the order?"

She filled her cheeks with air, and released it in a soft puff. "No," she answered unhappily. "I'm not even certain that there is a proper order. I need to have another look at the large one in the entrance hall."

Severus slid onto the sofa and poured a glass of wine. "And, you're not doing so because..."

Emily let her head fall forward onto the pile of notes. "Because I'm exhausted," she mumbled into the parchment.

He checked the clock on the wall. It was still fairly early, but she'd been awake all day, a record since her removal from Azkaban. "Perhaps you should turn in."

She yawned, stretched, and cracked her interlocked knuckles in one motion, and Severus chuckled lightly. "You should definitely turn in."

"Right," she mumbled, rising wearily, stumbling around the desk, and past the potions master. A casual brush of her fingers through his hair and a murmur of, "'Night, Sevvie," bespoke her exhaustion. It was an all-too-familiar gesture and pet name, and brought the memories he'd tried so hard to keep at bay flooding back.

Summer nights, lying out on the back lawn of the Grey estate with his head resting innocently in her lap. Hours at a time had been spent in this manner with Emily languidly brushing her fingers through his silken, black hair as they carelessly mused about whatever happened to inspire them at the moment.

Life had been simple, then. Friends and enemies. Manicured futures. And, the perfect sense of peace he felt in those easy moments when all the world belonged to Emily and Severus, and nothing could ever come between them.

The door swung closed behind her and still he remained silent, at once overwhelmed at the power of the vision in his head. It was only the nearly-sentient walls of Hogwarts which saw the small, sad smile and heard the faint, tender whisper.

"'Night, Em."

Quietude: Would you please be a sweetie and send your e-mail address to me again so that I can send that alternate ending to you? I'm a complete moron and erased your letter without saving it. (Smacks head)

Ellessar Evenstar: My story doesn't exist? That's just great. As if my ego weren't squashed enough! Oh, well. I'm glad that our dear website finally changed its mind and let you continue reading. Don't worry. Missing a chapter isn't going to make me hate you, just don't be a stranger. Reviews keep me writing. Your 'drinks all 'round' quote sent me into a 'Pirates' frenzy and I was forced to watch my favorite scenes for an hour after I read your review. Great Merlin, I love that movie! As for the story. Yes. Emily is head over heels for Severus and has been since childhood. And, I must thank you for your comment about having a good reign on their passion. That was a really sweet compliment, and it was just what I needed to help me make a decision I'd been struggling to make about a change in the outline. How cool is that? And, yes, I much prefer Severus when he's being a scowling little prick. He's just so damn charming when he's like that. I truly hope that my tiny little ficlet lives up to your expectations. I'll let you know when/if I decide to post it.

Queen of the Faeries: I hope that Emily doesn't disappoint. She's becoming much easier to write now that I'm warming up to her. I've always loved the look of runes and Celtic Knot Work, so I wanted to include them in the runic circles. Luckily, it makes a lot of sense to do so as runes, Ogham, and Knot Work were often used together to create spells, according to Druidic and Wiccan tradition. The Portcullis Knot that was used at the beginning of each spire of the pentacle, for instance, is a symbol for passing through a threshold for some magical purpose. Therefore, it was only a short hop to have it stand for needing to pass into and activate the rune in order to destroy it. So, yay for us! Now, if I could only render a drawing of the work. Because, frankly, I'd like to see it, too.

Captain Oblivious: Of course I answered your review and gave you muffins! You took the time to tell me what you thought of my story, and I appreciate it. Hope the muffins were yummy! They're organic and cruelty-free, so eat up! Sorry about Sirius being dead. Even though I dislike him (or maybe because of that) he would have been fun to have in the story as something other than a brief mention in a flashback. You have a Sevvie on a leash??!! Mmmmnnnn. The possibilities.... Yes, Lucius is, of course, out of prison because it just wouldn't be Lucius otherwise. Yes, he'll be in and out of this story, enough to add to the plot, but not nearly enough to be a main character. Sorry. I miss him, too.

Cecikun: I've always wondered (forgive an old woman her ignorance) what LOL means. Can you possibly enlighten me? I appreciate your review. Do, indeed, have a cup of tea and a muffin, but do stop waving the teaspoon about, dear. You're likely to put someone's eye out. ;) Emily is already madly in love with Severus. Whether those feelings will be returned remains to be seen. Hope you'll stick around, have more muffins and tea (DO stop waving that teaspoon, dear!) and give more breathless reviews until the end is resolved. I'm more than happy to explain any aspect of the story that causes confusion. No worries, there. As evidence, I present this: The runes are an ancient alphabetical script which, in Wicca, Druidic magic, classical Witchcraft, and a few other disciplicnes, are used for divination and magical inscription. As Rowling has yet to really describe an Ancient Runes class to us, I have taken the liberty of mixing my limited knowledge of classic runic spellwork and the Potterverse to create a method of runic inscription for powerful spellwork. I assert that it is powerful because, at Hogwarts, it is considered to be a rather advanced class. As for their specific use, particularly in this story, I must extend my apologies for not being able to give you details and assure you that you will see your first runic circle in action in chapter seven. I hope for your sake (as you seem rather in invested in the idea) that things work out between Severus and Emily... but I'm not gonna tell.