Chapter 33:
As we arrive in a dense thicket, overgrown with brambles, I wish I had given more heed to Severus' warning. Reaching a hand up, I retrieve my hat from its temporary lodging place in the upper branches of a particularly wild rose bush. Tearing myself free from the thorns, I clumsily approach the spot twenty meters away where Severus had placed himself, impatiently tapping his boot against the ground.
"If you had bothered to help it wouldn't have taken me so long," I grumble, flicking aside his proffered hand as we reach an incline in the terrain. A few more steps and I find myself regretting this refusal. Determined not to show my foolish anger, though, I trudge on in silence, as we gain altitude, until we reach the apex of the hill.
The sight takes my breath away. The moon is almost full, shining over the valley below. Everything is bathed in the pale, quiet light. About halfway down the hill, I can see smoke rising above a fire. I cannot see a house nor cottage nor shepard's hut anywhere. I give a few quick glances around.
"The Moor." I breathe out, giving the land we about to enter the reverence it deserves. The moors in Dartmoor are an entity unto themselves. Barren by day to the untrained eye, there are a wealth of flora and fauna. There is something eternally eerie and erethral about the land here.
Severus touches me lightly on the shoulder to signal he is moving ahead. He, I know, also reveres the moor. That should not be surprising. It can quite unrelenting in its solemnity and sorrow. It suits Severus, as no other area quite could, not even the dungeons.
I follow reluctantly, wishing I could stay and drink in the moonlight, rather than experiencing the gathering. As we make our way towards the circle, Severus removes the white mask from underneath his cloak. I feel a shiver pass through my spine as he slips on the emotionless mask. As we approach, a hole opens to allow us passage. Severus tucks my arm in his and crosses the center confidently. In four quick strides, we take a place in the inner ring of those gathered. I do not see my lord anywhere. Lucius, however, makes himself known almost immediately.
"Dearest Bena, pleasure to see you again, alive." He stresses the last word. I glance downward and grasp Severus' hand. I bite back the response on my lips and simply nod me head.
Lucius inclines his head, "What, no barb? No insult? Tut, tut, Bena. Death has mellowed you."
He would have said more, but the heavy breathing that signals the arrival of Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort can be heard throughout the circle. There, groveling next to the monstrosity of a wizard so many call 'lord' is the even more pathetic excuse for a wizard. I had been fortunate enough thus far not to spend any time in the rat's presence.
I admit, that although I had no strong feelings of warmth towards neither James nor Lily Potter whilst at they were at school, I have always found their fate to be most unjust. That feeling has only intensified since meeting their ill-fated progeny.
The rodent-like movements of Pettigrew nauseate me after only watching for a few moments. Soon enough, he fidgets his way over to me. Severus takes a deliberate step back. Malfoy follows suit and I am left unprotected. Pettigrew guides me to a stool that has been placed at the left hand of Lord Voldemort. Masking the grimace on my face, I elegantly lower myself onto it. Voldemort claps his hands, drawing the attention of all those gathered.
"My friends, we are united tonight is the presence of a miracle. A muggle miracle." He said softly, stressing the last two words. Soft chuckles go up among the crowd. He lifts himself from the chair and struts around the circle.
"It appears love conquers all. Even death." The hairs on the back of my neck are at full attention. This can go nowhere good. I look back to the spot where Severus is. His body is fully tense, his right hand grasping the handle of his wand. If it comes to it, he told me to disapparate. He would deal with the consequences.
"Yes. Love." Says Voldemort lazily. "Something I apparently know nothing about, but there it is; they say it saved Harry Potter. And now it has saved you, dear Bena," he says, turning quickly to face me. "And commendable though that is, I fear there is an unpleasant lessons to be learned in all this. The lesson," he says, leaning down to my face, hissing warm breath upon me, "is that my orders need to be carried out to the letter the first time I give them. Crucio!"
I brace myself for the jolt of pain, but it does not come. Instead, a scream is heard to my right. Severus. My eyes pop open. My husband is on the ground, writhing in pain. After the initial cry that was more surprise than pain, Severus clenches his jaw shut for the remained of the torture. I attempt to run to him, but Pettigrew places his silver hand on my shoulder, forcibly keeping me in a seated position.
After another minute longer, Severus is released. He picks himself up slowly from the ground, panting heavily. Voldemort chuckles. Around the circle, the Death Eaters shift uneasily.
"My dear friends," he addresses them again. "Eighteen years ago I instructed the then-young Severus to kill his wife as a way to show his loyalty to me. Bena here was rather outspoken against me, and I thought that although the idea of the boy being less morose than normal in her presence, the influence she might have gained over him was too great a risk. He went with the intent of ending her life that night, of that I have no doubt."
He is enjoying this, I note dryly. Severus has remained on the ground, resting on his backside, arms around his knees, listening to the story. He does not look at me.
"However, she managed to escape and the Old Fool" again he capitalizes the reference to my uncle, "hid her. I never managed to find her. Until she walked willingly into my grasp a week ago. And now, now, dear friends, we see her alive. Not having escaped death once, but twice, because of the love that exists between her and her husband.
"Now, I am sure many of you would like to point out that our Severus had nothing to do with the first escape from death. You may be correct," he is pacing around the circle, drawing their attention most effectively. I had thought about attempting an escape, but a quick nod from Severus cancelled that idea. "but, I like to think that the bond of marriage alerted her, however unintentional from the new groom, to the danger that was fast approaching. And so now, twice TWICE she has escaped death. And twice, TWICE Severus has been ordered to end her life."
I glance up. Severus failed to mention a second death order hanging over my head. I look imploringly at him. Not once muscle in his face twitches. I hang my head. "I am offering Severus one final chance," Voldemort crackles.
"In front of all of you, I offer him to the chance to make good on his order.
"Severus, stand up."
He does.
"Severus, point your wand at your wife."
He does.
"Severus, destroy her."
As we arrive in a dense thicket, overgrown with brambles, I wish I had given more heed to Severus' warning. Reaching a hand up, I retrieve my hat from its temporary lodging place in the upper branches of a particularly wild rose bush. Tearing myself free from the thorns, I clumsily approach the spot twenty meters away where Severus had placed himself, impatiently tapping his boot against the ground.
"If you had bothered to help it wouldn't have taken me so long," I grumble, flicking aside his proffered hand as we reach an incline in the terrain. A few more steps and I find myself regretting this refusal. Determined not to show my foolish anger, though, I trudge on in silence, as we gain altitude, until we reach the apex of the hill.
The sight takes my breath away. The moon is almost full, shining over the valley below. Everything is bathed in the pale, quiet light. About halfway down the hill, I can see smoke rising above a fire. I cannot see a house nor cottage nor shepard's hut anywhere. I give a few quick glances around.
"The Moor." I breathe out, giving the land we about to enter the reverence it deserves. The moors in Dartmoor are an entity unto themselves. Barren by day to the untrained eye, there are a wealth of flora and fauna. There is something eternally eerie and erethral about the land here.
Severus touches me lightly on the shoulder to signal he is moving ahead. He, I know, also reveres the moor. That should not be surprising. It can quite unrelenting in its solemnity and sorrow. It suits Severus, as no other area quite could, not even the dungeons.
I follow reluctantly, wishing I could stay and drink in the moonlight, rather than experiencing the gathering. As we make our way towards the circle, Severus removes the white mask from underneath his cloak. I feel a shiver pass through my spine as he slips on the emotionless mask. As we approach, a hole opens to allow us passage. Severus tucks my arm in his and crosses the center confidently. In four quick strides, we take a place in the inner ring of those gathered. I do not see my lord anywhere. Lucius, however, makes himself known almost immediately.
"Dearest Bena, pleasure to see you again, alive." He stresses the last word. I glance downward and grasp Severus' hand. I bite back the response on my lips and simply nod me head.
Lucius inclines his head, "What, no barb? No insult? Tut, tut, Bena. Death has mellowed you."
He would have said more, but the heavy breathing that signals the arrival of Peter Pettigrew and Lord Voldemort can be heard throughout the circle. There, groveling next to the monstrosity of a wizard so many call 'lord' is the even more pathetic excuse for a wizard. I had been fortunate enough thus far not to spend any time in the rat's presence.
I admit, that although I had no strong feelings of warmth towards neither James nor Lily Potter whilst at they were at school, I have always found their fate to be most unjust. That feeling has only intensified since meeting their ill-fated progeny.
The rodent-like movements of Pettigrew nauseate me after only watching for a few moments. Soon enough, he fidgets his way over to me. Severus takes a deliberate step back. Malfoy follows suit and I am left unprotected. Pettigrew guides me to a stool that has been placed at the left hand of Lord Voldemort. Masking the grimace on my face, I elegantly lower myself onto it. Voldemort claps his hands, drawing the attention of all those gathered.
"My friends, we are united tonight is the presence of a miracle. A muggle miracle." He said softly, stressing the last two words. Soft chuckles go up among the crowd. He lifts himself from the chair and struts around the circle.
"It appears love conquers all. Even death." The hairs on the back of my neck are at full attention. This can go nowhere good. I look back to the spot where Severus is. His body is fully tense, his right hand grasping the handle of his wand. If it comes to it, he told me to disapparate. He would deal with the consequences.
"Yes. Love." Says Voldemort lazily. "Something I apparently know nothing about, but there it is; they say it saved Harry Potter. And now it has saved you, dear Bena," he says, turning quickly to face me. "And commendable though that is, I fear there is an unpleasant lessons to be learned in all this. The lesson," he says, leaning down to my face, hissing warm breath upon me, "is that my orders need to be carried out to the letter the first time I give them. Crucio!"
I brace myself for the jolt of pain, but it does not come. Instead, a scream is heard to my right. Severus. My eyes pop open. My husband is on the ground, writhing in pain. After the initial cry that was more surprise than pain, Severus clenches his jaw shut for the remained of the torture. I attempt to run to him, but Pettigrew places his silver hand on my shoulder, forcibly keeping me in a seated position.
After another minute longer, Severus is released. He picks himself up slowly from the ground, panting heavily. Voldemort chuckles. Around the circle, the Death Eaters shift uneasily.
"My dear friends," he addresses them again. "Eighteen years ago I instructed the then-young Severus to kill his wife as a way to show his loyalty to me. Bena here was rather outspoken against me, and I thought that although the idea of the boy being less morose than normal in her presence, the influence she might have gained over him was too great a risk. He went with the intent of ending her life that night, of that I have no doubt."
He is enjoying this, I note dryly. Severus has remained on the ground, resting on his backside, arms around his knees, listening to the story. He does not look at me.
"However, she managed to escape and the Old Fool" again he capitalizes the reference to my uncle, "hid her. I never managed to find her. Until she walked willingly into my grasp a week ago. And now, now, dear friends, we see her alive. Not having escaped death once, but twice, because of the love that exists between her and her husband.
"Now, I am sure many of you would like to point out that our Severus had nothing to do with the first escape from death. You may be correct," he is pacing around the circle, drawing their attention most effectively. I had thought about attempting an escape, but a quick nod from Severus cancelled that idea. "but, I like to think that the bond of marriage alerted her, however unintentional from the new groom, to the danger that was fast approaching. And so now, twice TWICE she has escaped death. And twice, TWICE Severus has been ordered to end her life."
I glance up. Severus failed to mention a second death order hanging over my head. I look imploringly at him. Not once muscle in his face twitches. I hang my head. "I am offering Severus one final chance," Voldemort crackles.
"In front of all of you, I offer him to the chance to make good on his order.
"Severus, stand up."
He does.
"Severus, point your wand at your wife."
He does.
"Severus, destroy her."