No Good Deed
" And we deserve each other
Don't you see, this is our chance?
We deserve each other
Don't we…"
Dancing Through Life - Wicked
CHAPTER 3
As Gertie and Severus lay in bed they both thought of their impending doom. Both had past full of pain and regret, but somehow being together helped soften the blow.
"What do you think we should do?" Gertie asked.
"As in, how do you plan on gathering enough evidence for the Ministry to absolve us, while keeping up the persona of a Death Eater?" Severus said slightly overwhelmed.
"Precisely." She said, now looking at him.
"I don't know Gertie. For the first time, I have no idea what the hell we are going to do." Severus said, holding her a little tighter.
"We could tell the truth." Gertie offered.
"Please, Gertie it is bad enough that we are facing the Dementor's kiss or a life in Azkaban. I refuse to subject myself to public scorn."
"Severus, What are you so bloody afraid of? If we told the truth, we could easily get absolved."
"Yes, but then just to be killed by the Dark Lord himself."
"I suppose it is a risk we will have to take."
"I am not very good at risks." Severus admitted.
"You took a risk with me." Gertie smiled.
"I suppose I did."
ooo
Gertrude Carrow returned to Hogwarts for her second year at Hogwarts, hoping beyond hope that it would be better than the last. Her summer was practically unbearable, if it hadn't been for her sister's company she might have gone mad. Not only was her father appalled that she was in Gryffindor, he ignored her even more than before. She spent most of her summer in her room reading, while her sister would ask to be taken outside for fresh air.
Unlike Gertrude, Cecile had normal skin and ears, however due to her father's concern that his second born would be as disfigured as her, he had fed his wife an ancient potion, which caused Cecile to be born with weak legs. Cecile had spent her entire life in a chair.
Gertrude's sister, Cecile was, to her fortune, sorted into Slytherin House along with a fellow Gryffindor's brother, Regulus Black. Once again, Cecile had kept her image of the good daughter. However, Gertrude worried, that she would be unable to care for her disabled sister.
"Gertie, don't worry I will be fine!" Cecile comforted her sister.
"Father told me to look after you." Gertie whispered back.
"Well, father, isn't here is he?"
"But how will you get up and down the dungeon stairs? And how will you eat at the table? How will you get to Care of Magical Creatures?" Gertie asked.
"Professor Slughorn, has kindly taught me the spell for levitation, so I can simply levitate myself. Please stop fussing. I am fine. Go to your common room!" She nearly shouted.
"Fine, but please be careful." Gertie said defeated.
Gertie remained nervous for the rest of the week, it wasn't until Potions with the Sytherin house, that she had something else to think about.
"Settle down, settle down class! Welcome to your second year in Potions, as we work on building your skills in order to brew potions that will be required on your OWLS." Professor Slughorn beamed.
"Now, I want everyone to pair up with someone from another house." Even before Slughorn finished his sentence, people began pairing up faster than you can say Herd of Hippogriffs.
Gertie eyed the Slytherins trying to find anyone that looked smart enough to be worthy of her as a partner. Finally she noticed Severus Snape sitting in the back row. He stood up and was walking towards her. Was he actually going to ask her? Her heart started to beat a little faster.
"Excuse me, Lily, do you have a partner?" Severus said shyly, while Gertrude looked defeated once again by Lily Evans. Everyone knew that Severus Snape had been pining over Lily Evans ever since she had gotten on the Hogwarts Express.
"No, I suppose not. I guess you will have to do." She responded rather bored.
"All right, everyone have partners?" Slughorn shouted.
"Excuse me sir, I can't seem to find a partner." Gertie said, not to anyone's surprise.
"Oh dear, anyone else missing a partner? No? Well then Miss Carrow, why don't you join Miss Evans and Mr. Snape's group."
The potions lesson when rather well, except it seemed that every time Gertrude made a suggestion it was ignored by the pair of them. Severus did most of the work, while Lily took most of the credit. And so it went for a while. The oddest group Hogwarts had ever seen. A girl with translucent skin, a boy with greasy hair and a hooked nose, and the most popular girl in school.
ooo
Around late October, Gertie stayed after Potions class to see how her sister was getting along in Slytherin. From their conversations at dinner, she seemed to be doing fine, but as her older and much more protective sister, she worried.
"Miss Carrow, please do not worry yourself over your sister. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. I believe she had made a few friends of her own, which is unfortunately more than I can say for you." Professor Slughorn stated while wiping the blackboard clean.
"I beg your pardon?" Gertie snapped.
"Gertie I have known you for nearly two years now, and you carry a chip on your shoulder that no mere wizard could bear to carry. You will never make any friends if you continue to shy away from them." He offered.
"You don't understand what it is like! You don't hear what they call me, what they do to me, just because I am different." She snapped.
"Very well, Miss Carrow forgive a man's advice. Perhaps you should join your peers for lunch." Slughorn said knowing that he was getting nowhere with the girl.
As Gertrude left the classroom, she heard a faint choking sound coming from down the hallway and went to investigate. She may have a chip on her shoulder, but that did not mean she did not care for others, she simply classified herself as guarded.
"You'll pay for this Potter!" She heard Severus choke out.
"Next time maybe you will keep your big, fat, greasy nose out of our business, Snivellus!" James Potter responded.
"Stop it. Let him go!" Gertie called as she saw Severus's feet dangling from the ground, as Sirius Black held him by the neck.
"Oy, Snape you got a girlfriend?" Sirius jabbed.
"She is not my girlfriend! I hardly even know her."
"I mean it, let him go!" Gertie said now outraged. As her anger grew, so did the energy in the room. Every fiber of her being began to radiate with heat. Finally with a loud bang, the energy was released and caused Sirius and James to go flying into the opposite wall, while Severus fell to the floor with a loud thump.
Terrified, James and Sirius took of glaring at Gertrude as they fled. As soon as the two were left alone, Gertie came over to see if the Slytherin was still breathing.
"Why did you go and do that for?" Severus scowled as he came to.
"You were being bullied, in case you didn't notice." She said picking up his books for him.
"I don't need your help, I don't need anyone's help, is that clear?" Snape retorted.
"Crystal clear. Your bleeding by the way, did you know?" Gertie said nonchalantly.
"Damm, I hate those stupid Gryffindors." He hissed.
"I'm a Gruffindor, you know."
"Yeah, well, your just as stupid, don't you think you have a hard enough time in your house, now to go and stand up for a Slytherin, you won't have any friends." Severus said once his temper had calmed down.
"You're a fine one to talk. Come on." She said in observation.
"Where are we going?" Snape asked as Gertrude had a hold of his books.
"To the Hospital wing."
"How did you do that by the way?" Severus asked after a few moments of silence.
"Do what?"
"That magic down in the dungeons." Snape said curious.
"Oh, well, when I get angry or upset, I can't control it." She explained.
"I have seen wild magic before, what you did, it was different, and it was calculated." Severus stated.
"Look I don't know. The hospital wing is down that corridor, I have to go." Gertie said as she handed him back his books.
"I know where the hospital wing is. Look, if you tell anyone about what happened, I swear." Severus snapped again.
"Who am I going to tell? My imaginary friends? Look, your welcome." She hissed. At this twelve year old Severus felt a twinge of guilt, but mostly all he felt was pure embarrassment.
"Look, if you want I am going to do our potions homework tonight after dinner in the library." He conceded.
"Are you inviting me to join you?" She asked somewhat surprised.
"I suppose, after all we are theoretical suppose to work together." He said.
"Okay, tonight then." Gertie said, turning her back with a slight smile on her face, maybe she finally had found a friend.