Author's Notes: This story is a little diddy that's been floating through my mind for a while. I'm writing this for my enjoyment and for the enjoyment of others. I have no aspirations to become a professional writer and view scathing, sarcastic commentary as a sign of mental illness. (In other words, criticism is welcome if it is constructive. If you don't know how to do this, then learn the art as it is perhaps the most lucrative job and social skill one can hone.)
I hope you enjoy.
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Chapter 4 - The Most Indigent And Obscure House Of SnapeThey arrived in the living room through the floo, as she did not want to take any chances with apparating given her head injury. She quickly brushed off the little bit of soot, surprised that she wasn't caked head to toe in black ash. The cottage was larger than she remembered, with a large living area that connected to a small eating nook. To her left was the entryway into the kitchen and to the right was a hall that, if she remembered correctly, led to two bedrooms and a common bathroom.
Ruedella had been here a few times before when she was a young child. Her father often consulted with Deaville Snape, Severus' mother, for various herbs and potions ingredients. The back garden, she recalled, consisted of a small greenhouse and several large plots of land where Deaville grew the most exotic plants and herbs, the likes of which few could obtain even in Diagon Alley itself. Deaville was a noted Herbologist, from that she made her living, however despite her reputation she barely made enough to keep what she had. It wasn't, as Ruedella understood, that the woman made little, it was that the debt she inherited was enormous.
The estate, so it once was at one time, now consisted of a few acres and a modest cottage as the land over the years had been sold off to pay various debts. The Snapes, as she had heard from both her brother Rodolphus and her father, were quite fond of gambling and drink. Over time a proud wealthy family whose treasures once rivaled that of the Malfoy's themselves dwindled over the centuries as they were pawned or auctioned. The main house had been sold years ago, long before Deaville was born, to a Muggle family. The last major parcel of acreage sold a few years before Severus' birth to pay for Deaville's father's legal fees.
Aside from gambling, loose witches, and drink, the Snapes were notorious for their interest in the Dark Arts. A hobby, Ruedella's father once warned, "Was a passion that could take one's soul, but ensured it took one's possessions first." Her family was hardly innocent of dabbling in the Dark Arts themselves, as the various trinkets that lay around the Lestrange estates would prove (and any doubt remaining was remedied by her brothers' incarceration); yet they were greedy enough to keep their wits about them. Her father rather liked Severus, she now recalled, and he even once noted that given Severus' straight-laced, icy demeanor and attention to work, that the boy might be the one to break the generations of ill repute. She thought, idly, that her father would be pleased that he became a Master at Hogwarts at such a young age and a Head of House to boot. It wasn't a lucrative position, but one that did command a deal of respect in the community and did set himself up nicely to become Headmaster one day.
"It has been a long time," Ruedella said, looking around. The walls had a few ancient portraits, minus the frames (she quickly concluded that the frames were probably sold long ago) and a smaller number of photographs. A few pieces of ad-hoc art hung here and there, but most of the room was covered with bookshelves groaning with various tomes or stuffed with scrolls. The furniture was old, but in good shape, and overall the cottage was quite tidy and fit.
She took a peek out of one of the windows. The grounds seemed to be well maintained, with a few giant trees providing a cool shade during the hot summer day. It was out back, in the yard near the gardens, where years ago she watched Severus try to mount a tired and worn second-hand broom he received for his seventh birthday. She remembered her five year old self laughing, her voice carried in the crisp late fall air, as the boy desperately tried to mount the bucking broom (unbeknownst to him Rabastan was hiding behind a tree, using his training wand to hex it). Her laughter egged Severus on further until he eventually broke down in tears from the frustration.
Severus was always a proud person, she remembered, although frequently brought to tears when he was younger. By the time she entered Hogwarts, he had established a considerable reputation as both a Dark Arts expert and crybaby, which she always thought was an unusual combination of traits for which to be known. As he matured, he managed to control himself more, although he was quick to anger. By the end of his sixth year, however, his transformation to the aloof, distant wizard standing with her had begun; a transformation she knew born from pain and desperation.
They had, during their years together at Hogwarts, spent some time together, although most of it was forced by Rabastan who found the two of them—skinny, gangly, introverted and studious—as an interesting potential pair. She did not mind Severus' company so much, as he never really snapped at her or was otherwise ill-mannered. He would simply sit by her and brood silently, watching the others pass by. From time to time he would share a few curses and other thoughts, eventually giving her some private lessons here and there if he felt the exercise would help strengthen his own skills. It had been eighteen years since she last saw him at a Halloween party in 1978. She had finished her studies at Hogwarts the prior June and had begun work at Gringotts soon after. During the party they exchanged a few pleasantries and began to talk, slowly situating themselves further away from the main party. Eventually too much Fire Whiskey unearthed a combination of youthful hormones and mutual attraction; their 'conversation' took them to the rose bushes where they were discovered, partially undressed, by Lucifer Malfoy and her brother Rodolphus, who was less than amused.
In some strange way, she was not surprised to see Severus today.
"Not a mansion as you are used to," Severus said quickly, taking off his hat and hanging it on a nearby hook. "If you wish to change, you may go into the second bedroom. I located some clothes of my mother's that may be suitable until we can convince the Ministry to release some of your possessions. If not, I assume you can perform a simple resizing charm?"
"I can if I have my wand," Ruedella replied. She watched as Severus emptied his pocket, producing a small cardboard box that contained her jewelry and then her wand, laying it carefully on the table. "Could it be, Severus, that after all these years you have actually become trusting?"
"No," Severus looked at her, his expression blank. "However, given your situation, I don't see you rushing off any time soon."
"But you posted bail for me," Ruedella questioned.
"No I posted bond and your possessions, not mine, are the collateral," Severus pointed out. "You should look more carefully at the documents you signed. I'll assume, of course, that you were not thinking straight. I believe it is fair tell you this now, before your devious mind concocts up a plan that you will later regret. While you are getting changed into a… normal… witch, I will prepare dinner. Unless, of course, your palate is so used to House Elf prepared cuisine that what I have to offer would not be suitable?"
"I'd imagine that you would be a passable cook," Ruedella offered civilly. "You forget, Severus, that I have not had House Elf cooking—save for an occasional Gringotts' banquet—for some time. Had I know that this would have happened, I would have saved the blood pudding sausage for tonight—your mother's recipe, I believe."
Severus considered the comments and then nodded towards the bedrooms for her to change.
The hall was dimly lit, so Ruedella took it upon herself to light a few of the sconces. She proceeded to the second door, Severus' old room, and turned the black knob. The door creaked open and she stepped inside, quickly issuing a charm to light any candles within. The room was small, with a single sized bed in the one corner. The ceiling, she noted, was covered with scorch marks from a time, she assumed, when Severus was alone and bored in his youth. A set of drawers and a chair sat on the other side of the room, while an old armoire flanked the bed. On the chair was a neat stack of clothes. Ruedella sifted through the lot, picking out a black witch's dress that she felt was close in size; she laid it on the bed. Taking the remaining clothes, she piled them next to the dress and transformed the extras into a pair of black high-heeled boots; more suitable footwear than the sandals she currently wore.
After changing, she folded her Muggle clothes and set them on top of the dresser. She was concerned about what to do about nightclothes, as she was unsure about Severus' earlier innuendo. He was never one to joke and although it did relieve her that her own possessions were put up as collateral for her bond as it did limit the leverage he had over her. What concerned her most, however, was that she didn't know what other things-- behind the scenes-- he did to get her free. One thing she did know was that she never did register her location with the Ministry. She had no idea how a return owl receipt could be found in her home.
Returning back to the living area, she saw Severus setting the table. "Here, let me…" she said and then paused when Severus scowled.
"You are a guest," he reminded her.
"A guest that you were not planning," she retorted. "If you feel comfortable with me assisting while you attend to the cooking, then I am willing to help." Although she had not seen Severus in nearly seventeen years, their time together long ago did give her some insight, albeit to a very small degree, into his psychology.
"I do not permit people to use or impose on me," he said quickly and left.
"Well, at least I'm welcome," Ruedella surmised to herself from his comment. Taking a seat, she waited patiently as Severus brought out a small, very rare beef roast, a pot of seasoned boiled potatoes and a bowl of tossed salad with dressing.
Sitting down, he summoned over a bottle of wine from a nearby small curio and opened it, pouring each of them a half glass before setting the bottle down in the center of the table. The two ate in silence, Severus mainly picking at his food, nibbling a few bites here and there, but mainly moving it around on his plate.
"You don't need to do that," she said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"I remember that you really never ate much. You don't need to move things around on your plate to make it look like you are. It's okay, I know… err… Rabastan mentioned something when we were in school…"
"I see," Severus said, dropping his fork to his plate. "Yet you still came here?"
"You were quite insistent. Why did you get me out?" Ruedella asked, dodging his question.
"As I said in the jail, I heard what happened and that you were injured," Severus replied. "I contacted your Grandfather and he entrusted me to see that you were free and had a roof over your head."
"I didn't know you knew my Grandfather…"
"Lucius Malfoy introduced us a few years ago," Severus explained. "Your mother and Lucius' father were siblings, correct?" he asked.
"Yes," Ruedella confirmed. She and her brothers inherited the Malfoy grey eyes from Lucretia Malfoy, their mother, while their brown moppy hair (which she constantly kept under control by pulling it back) was definitely a Lestrange trait. She pushed her roast beef around the plate a few times and then inquired, "You mentioned that the Aurors searched my house and found the return receipt for my registration owl. Do you know what else they seized and when it will be returned to me?"
"You solicitor will more than likely floo in the morning," Severus began to answer. "However, since you did bring up the receipt, you do realize that you never had one…"
"Really?" Ruedella replied. "It was in my house, the Aurors seized it…"
"You are entirely too bright of a witch to act like such a dunderhead. I arranged to have this item forged and it was I who was able to apparate into your house and placed the receipt in your drawer. After liberating, of course, a few other items that I suspect you didn't want the Aurors to discover."
"How could you gain access to my house? Although the external protections were failing, I did have a number of traps and wards on the entryways. Besides, the Aurors always place their own wards around a property to assure that it won't be disturbed…"
"Albus Dumbledore," he replied quickly. "He felt that you were not all that you seemed. He believes that you are innocent and really were not after Harry Potter, that the whole event was a fluke, an unfortunate coincidence. You could have kept watch on the boy when he went to the park, abducting him there, you could have just as easily used a curse instead of 'stupefy' on the group guarding the Muggle house. That, and a number of other abnormalities that just did not fit, in his opinion, with that of a Death Eater. As such, he arranged to have me do a quick, unofficial, inspection. I reported back to him that I saw nothing out of the unusual. No shrunken elf heads, no poisoned snuff boxes or that enchanted muggle device…"
"I only enchanted the toaster to feed itself the bread and then butter and jam it when it was done," Ruedella replied. "Unlike a certain lip-biting goblet that SOMEONE in this room created in hopes that Sirius Black would pick it up…"
"This discussion, I believe, is about you," Severus said coolly. "On the other hand, from an entirely different perspective, it does appear that you were, indeed, after Potter waiting for the right time, testing the special spell that supposedly protected him. A good curse breaker can break other spells as well, with enough time, patience, and motivation." Severus drummed his long fingers against the table. "Your situation, I find to be most compelling, one, that if you manage, can put you in a tremendously advantageous position. Provided, of course, you receive the proper mentoring to manipulate it properly."
"And I suppose you are the mentor you have in mind?" Ruedella asked, frowning as Severus nodded his head. "So, if I understand this plainly—the evidence, prior to your intervention, pointed to me being in league with the Dark Lord. With the evidence, it simply points to me making some unfortunate decisions. Without it, I will be put in Azkaban for the rest of my life. However, what keeps me from Azkaban could get me killed by others. Without you telling the right people, discreetly, about your intervention, it will appear that I was avoiding my brothers and am unfaithful to the Dark Lord." She paused for a second, "What do you believe?"
"What I believe is not relevant. What is relevant is the opportunity this presents," Severus replied.
"However, my brothers and cousin will be rather suspicious about the receipt and the fact their owls came back," Ruedella replied. "One could point out that the wards would be necessary so that they didn't accidentally blow my cover to create an unusual situation in a Muggle neighborhood. However, I do not know if something as simple as a forged return receipt will convince people for long."
"Hardly," Severus snorted indigently, "We will tell them what I did. That I felt the receipt was necessary to solidify Dumbledore's suspicion. The Headmaster is now quite concerned for you, in fact, he even laid some of the groundwork himself."
"How's that?"
"The Order of Phoenix headquarters is located in the former Black estate. A Fidelius charm prevents me from disclosing the location, mind you. The House Elf, Kreacher, saw you gagged and bound on the floor and overheard Dumbledore telling another member of the Order that you were caught in Harry Potter's home, presumably to do some harm. While a witch was attending to your wounds, I investigated your house. In the meanwhile, the House Elf, who is bound to the home, but has no Master, ran gleefully to your cousin's estate and reported what he overheard to Narcissa—well, at least to Narcissa' own elf as Narcissa was otherwise occupied-- who undoubtedly has told Narcissa the second she and Draco arrived home, which I would presume would be by now."
"Dumbledore used a House Elf?" Ruedella exclaimed. "So, in other words, you saw the situation, thought out the long term implications and then presented some evidence which would solidify my story for either side. I suppose now I should ask what you want to get from this?"
"There are a few intangible benefits which I expect to reap, however, those do not directly aid me towards my long term goals," Severus began before Ruedella interrupted.
"If I can obtain the location of our estate from Rodolphus I could obtain the key to our vaults. I am certain we can negotiate a suitable payment for your assistance…"
"Over the last few years, Ruedella, I started to notice something. Do you know what that was?" Severus disregarded her payment offer and slowly stood up and waked over to a small glass curio cabinet that held many fine, and presumably cursed, objects.
"What is that, Severus?"
"That the old pureblood families are dying out, or will be after this generation. Quirrell, Couch, Diggory, Rosier, Wilkes, McKinnon, Prewett… Black…" At the last Severus snorted and then the smallest wisp of a smile crossed his face.
"For someone in support of the Purebloods," Ruedella added, "the Dark Lord is certainly killing enough off. There's a Muggle saying, 'Be careful where you point your gun.'"
"Why did your brother make the estate unplottable?" Severus inquired. "You could not return."
"It was, I thought, a maneuver to keep my Grandfather from seizing the estate should anything happen to Rodolphus or Rabastan. Rodolphus felt that I was too young at the time to keep my Grandfather and my uncle at bay."
"Rodolphus was correct, you would have been eaten alive by Thuban and Lucifer Malfoy. You were young, quite naïve if I recall, and unmarried. With your father dead, you had no name or house to protect your interests. Rodolphus was quite wise. He knew you were employed and that a curse breaker made a fine living…"
"I think we need to get back to what you want," Ruedella said firmly.
"Do you see these items?" Severus pointed to a few knickknacks, including an ornate silver music box, an Order of Merlin, First Class and a large gold ring bearing a familiar looking family crest. "Many are that of my mother's family. Items that I purchased back over the years. My cousin, Perloin Borgin would floo when something that he knew once belong to us crossed his path. Never one to give a discount, but I was the first one he called. The other items are ones that were being discarded, but I felt I was entitled to own them." He turned on heel to the woman, "What I want, Ruedella, is to regain the status and prestige of the Snape name. My mother saw to the debts and, when she was killed, at least I did not have to face that burden. What I make at Hogwarts is passable, but will not in a thousand years return the estate to the glory it once was and provide the means to purchase the lands and the treasures back."
"You could make far more privately," Ruedella countered.
"Legitimate organizations, Ministry included, are hesitant to hire me given that I admitted to being a Death Eater. Even if I actively sought private contracts, which I do accept some from time to time, the vast majority would more than likely involve Dark Arts and less than reputable contacts. Regardless, what I require takes far more income that what I can make alone. As for presenting opportunities, I have found the Hogwarts position to be far more lucrative."
"I daresay, Severus, you have completely lost me. Except that you want money. I have money and if I can get Rodolphus…"
Severus reached forward and grabbed Ruedella's chin. "I do not wish to receive a direct payment from your family, Ruedella. What I will demand, when you brothers decide to pay us a visit, is something a bit more permanent than an exchange of gold, but they will see the logic and how their own interests are served. The first stage is being executed as we speak. A few weeks ago, I began a number of legal proceedings. In fact, I was at a private meeting at the Judge's home this morning working out a few final details," Severus said with a stiff, smarmy smile. "Although I did not get everything I wanted, I daresay that I received more than I thought remotely possible even a year ago—a victory that will work to fulfill many agendas and prerequisites. Now, sit and finish your dinner and in due time you shall learn exactly what I expect out of you."
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