A/N: My longest chapter in, well… ever, I think. That's cool, I guess.
PG-13 rating because desperate times call for desperate measures!
Disclaimer: I own nothing… especially not Harry Potter.
Happy Reading!
Chapter Seven – Miranda's Luck
Severus swept down the stairs, Miranda at his heels. He ignored Harry, who had evidently finished the wards and looked like he was going to ask a question. The three of them ran into the sitting room with Severus in the lead, and stopped in front of the fireplace. Severus quickly conjured up a magical fire and threw some floo powder into it. He dropped to his knees and stuck his head in the fire, saying "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Headmaster's office."
There was a pause, in which Miranda sniffled and Harry wondered what they were going to do next. The next bits of conversation between Severus and Albus were unheard by Miranda and Harry, as they were on the wrong side of the floo, but after a few seconds, Severus withdrew his head from the fireplace.
"Stand back," he warned, climbing to his feet and throwing out his arms, forcing the other two back. "He's on his way."
Sure enough, moments later Albus Dumbledore appeared in the fireplace, spinning like a top. He slowed down and stepped out, brushing his robes off half-mindedly. Harry suddenly felt a sense of relief, a feeling that usually came only when Dumbledore got involved in a problem.
"What is going on?" Albus asked, looking from Severus to Harry to Miranda, who was struggling to overcome her bout of tears.
"Christine's been kidnapped from right under our noses," Severus said quickly. "There is a traitor in our midst, somebody who knows of our location and is relaying information to the Dark Lord."
Albus said nothing at first, but he was evidently thinking hard, his expression thoughtful. Then, his mouth became slightly agape and he closed his eyes.
"Narcissa Malfoy," he muttered quietly, but whether to himself or to them, Harry couldn't tell.
"Narcissa?" Severus said incredulously.
"Yes, it all makes sense," Miranda said quietly, sniffling a little more but otherwise seeming to have regained control of herself.
Harry figured this statement was true, but that didn't keep him from not understanding what was going on. He hoped that somebody would explain soon.
"Severus saw her months ago in the apothecary; she said she was a double agent," Miranda continued. "Doesn't she know where we live?"
"Yes, she knows," Albus replied. "Many Order members know, including Draco Malfoy, who was recently recaptured by Death Eaters while he was taking a walk. It would seem that Narcissa Malfoy has betrayed us indeed, by recapturing her son and returning him to Voldemort."
Severus winced slightly at the name, but Miranda gasped.
"How could that be, Albus?" Miranda asked in shock.
"Draco was supposed to be guarded by his mother while he went on the walk. Narcissa returned to headquarters some time after the disappearance of Draco and said that she had been knocked unconscious by a wayward Stunner. Naturally I believed her, for her story was a good one, but I became uneasy. I think that Draco, who had been working vigorously for the Order of the Phoenix, was the one who broke into your home today. Draco knows the location of your home and, while he could not share this information, he could come here and do the Dark Lord's bidding, accompanied by Death Eaters that would make sure he did not try to escape." There was another pause until Albus finished, "Yes, this theory makes sense to me. Now, what to do."
"I will be going to fetch my daughter," Severus said, holding himself a little straighter.
"Me too," Miranda piped up with determination, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
"And me," Harry said after a moment. "This could be my only chance to kill Voldemort once and for all."
Albus rested his eyes on Harry, who noticed that the twinkle behind the half-moon spectacles seemed to have gone out. Harry thought that Dumbledore looked far older as well, and wondered what the wizard was thinking.
"Are you prepared, Harry?" Albus asked gravely. When Harry nodded, he sighed. "Yes, I thought you would be. Now, for the plan."
Harry listened even more intently than before, hanging on every word that was being said.
"I think, if this is going to be successful, we can not send more people than necessary," Albus said. "Somebody will have to go and retrieve the key that is holding Christine in her cell. Severus, you know the hideout better than anybody here, and will thus be able to maneuver your way to the chamber of keys better. This chamber will likely be an anti-magic chamber, as will be the chamber in which Christine is being held." Severus nodded gravely, his jaw set, and Albus turned to Miranda. "Miranda, you will be responsible for breaking entry to the castle and 'taking care of' as many Death Eaters as possible, so to speak, so that Harry has a chance of facing Voldemort without the Death Eaters coming to aid. This must be done discreetly and cannot be done in an attack – you must use every ounce of cunning you possess to fool and overcome Voldemort's minions."
Miranda nodded now, and Albus set his crystal blue gaze on Harry, and Harry was suddenly overcome with a sense of dread. So this was it, was it? The moment he had planned and trained for for years? Harry reached into his pocket and closed his fingers around the fake Horcrux, which he still kept on his person at all times.
"Harry," Albus said slowly, and then faltered slightly before finishing, "you will wait for Miranda's signal. After that, you know what to do."
Harry nodded and felt a strange feeling course through him, as if a load had been taken of his chest – he would have to wait only a while longer and then he would have his chance. And the, well, things would change, no matter what the outcome.
-
Christine lay down in her cell, having fought tooth and nail to get free. Unfortunately, the pointy blonde boy had managed to apparate her to this dark and dreadful place. He hadn't, however, gotten away unscathed; she had bitten his hand back in her bedroom, causing him to bleed profusely all over everything as he struggled to catch the six-year-old.
The door opened and a tall man gaited in, hooded and cloaked. Christine sat up, alert. He crossed the room with smooth agility and stood before the bars on Christine's door, his fiery red eyes shining from beneath his hood like two hot coals.
"Hello, little one," he said calmly, though his voice was unpleasant for Christine to hear.
Christine said nothing. She was not incredibly afraid, but she knew when to keep her mouth shut – a trait she had learned from her father. The cloaked man sank down upon his haunches and peered at Christine through the bars of the cell.
"May I ask your name?" the man asked nicely, patiently.
"No," Christine replied simply.
A feeling of surprise flooded through Voldemort, but he did not show it.
"What is your name, little girl?" he pressed, coaxing carefully.
Christine narrowed her eyes slightly, yet another something she had learned from her father.
"Mummy said for me to never tell who I am to a stranger unless he's a please-man," Christine said calmly.
Voldemort raised a brow.
"Ah, and your mother is a smart woman, isn't she?"
"Yes."
"And would she be… kind of tall with dark brown hair and a pair of old boots?" Voldemort said, his malicious grin hidden by the shadow his cloak cast over his face.
Christine did not answer, but her look of surprise betrayed her. Voldemort hissed softly.
"And what is your father's name?"
Christine shrugged this time and replied, "Daddy."
Voldemort narrowed his red eyes.
"What is his name? Your biological father?"
Christine, who had no idea what 'biological' meant, snapped, "I told you, Mister, his name is Daddy."
Voldemort, exasperated, tried a different tactic. He knew that Severus Snape was living with Miranda Kent, as he had been told by the loyal Narcissa Malfoy, but he still did not know who the biological father of Christine was. Christine was making no effort in helping him, either.
"Christine Kent, I am Lord Voldemort," Voldemort said. "Does that frighten you?"
"No," Christine replied simply, changing position so that she was sitting cross-legged in her purple pajamas. "But I know who you are. Uncle Ha –" she stopped from giving away the name just in time and continued, "My Uncle told me you are a bad man with an emotional problem."
Slowly, in an effort to further frighten the brave child, Voldemort reached up a hand with long fingers ending in pointed nails and pulled his hood back. Far from striking fear into her heart, Christine's face twisted suddenly, as if she was trying desperately not to laugh.
"What is it?" Voldemort snapped.
Christine pointed to Voldemort and chirped, "You got a funny face, Mister." There was a pause, followed by, "Can I have a piece of chalk, please?"
Voldemort, who was on the verge of strangling this child, was snapped out of his anger by the question. He opened his mouth to refuse her, but then rethought. He would have to keep this little monster around for many years to come, so why not begin the brainwashing process now? He conjured a box of sidewalk chalk out of nowhere and handed it through the bars to Christine, who thanked him before turning away from him and beginning to draw a window on the wall of her cell. Voldemort watched as she added a mountain and a valley to the poorly-drawn window, and finally left while she was halfway through drawing the sunglasses on the sun.
-
The plan was made and the date was set. That night was terrible for everyone. Harry tossed and turned in his bed in the sitting room, unable to get the thought of Voldemort off his mind. The idea that he could possibly be dead this time tomorrow was impossible to not think about.
After a few hours, Harry became so impatient and fed up that he crawled out from underneath the orange bedclothes, his hair standing on end from static electricity, and began to write a letter. He sat with his back propped up against the settee, thinking his words over carefully before using a Muggle pencil to write. The letter was for Ginny. After much gnashing of teeth and crossing out, the final letter was complete.
Dear Ginny,
I really can't say what's going on, but it's likely that I fight Voldemort tomorrow. Since I might not get a chance to tell you again, I'll say it now: I love you so much and you've helped me get through these bad times better than I could possibly imagine. If I manage to get through this, I want to get married, move into a place of our own and have a billion kids. Thank you for helping me become who I am today – I couldn't have done it without you.
Love,
Harry
"There," Harry said conclusively, quietly. "Short, sweet and straight to the point."
He sealed the letter and sent it off with the owl Christine had received for her birthday. The owl went by the name of Stupid, something Christine had thought up all by herself. After Stupid had disappeared from view, Harry flopped onto the bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Miranda drifted in the uneasy territory between consciousness and sleep. The sleep she did manage was punctuated with images of Christine, cold and alone and abused. She wept for the vast majority of the time, seeking comfort in Severus, who found that he could not help her. In fact, Severus found that he could not sleep at all. Every time he closed his eyes he felt as if some terrible coldness was gripping him, though the bed he was laying in was quite warm.
"Are you awake, Severus?" Miranda whispered, tears silently seeping from her eyes.
"Yes."
"Am I keeping you up?" She asked, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, giving a shaky and convulsive sniffle.
"No," he replied quietly. "I can't sleep anyway."
-
The following morning, the house was filled with so much tension that Harry did not speak at all. Severus, Miranda and Harry spent the vast majority preparing for the venture that they were going to take. Severus unceremoniously abandoned his work clothes, donning himself if his familiarly old, overly-dramatic swishy robes. Miranda and Harry both dressed in black, with the exception of Miranda's dark jeans. Harry was dressed similarly, only with the stiletto fastened to his belt. Finally, the time arrived.
"Remember, Severus," Miranda said quietly. "The key."
He nodded gruffly as he sat on the stairs, pulling his combat boots on. Harry stood a few feet away, nervously clenching and unclenching his fingers, the fake Horcrux slung around his neck on its chain. Severus pointed at his boots and they laced themselves as he stood, taking his trench coat from Miranda and swinging it over his shoulders. He straightened it out, looking down at his wife with a grave expression. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of black sunglasses, handing them to him with the smallest of weak smiles.
"Do be careful, Severus," Miranda said quietly.
"Speak for yourself," he replied sternly, pocketing the shades. "Remember, do not follow me; find your own way inside."
Miranda nodded and waggled a finger at Harry in motion for him to join them. Slowly Harry started forward, looking distinctly pale and nervous. Severus, who knew the location of the Death Eater headquarters but could not reveal it because he was not secret-keeper, had spent a great deal of time struggling to invent a spell or something that could let Miranda and Harry know where to apparate to. Finally, after failing with charms and potions, he had developed a type of Occlumency and Legilimency that would let Miranda and Harry break into his mind and access the information. Since he was technically not revealing the location but having it stolen from him, the Fidelius Charm could not prevent him from allowing Miranda and Harry to access his thoughts. He wouldn't have been able to establish this sneaky loophole without the Progenitor Veneficium, which had become both a blessing and a curse in the last days.
Severus drew forth the image of the manor and concentrated on its coordinates and appearance with all of his might, his eyes closed tightly. Harry and Miranda broke into his mind at the same time, causing him to wince slightly, and received the information they needed. They pulled out.
"Ready?" Miranda asked, panting slightly. "Let's go."
Just as they were abut to apparate there was a knock on the door. Miranda, confusion on her features, crossed the room and opened the door. It was Trish.
"Surprise!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms open, beaming happily.
The smile slid off her face as she saw Harry, Severus and Miranda, all looking graver than she had ever seen. Her eyes dropped to the stiletto on Harry's belt and she eyed it with apprehension.
"What's going on?" she asked, and then gave an exclamation as Miranda pulled her into the house and slammed the door.
Miranda forcefully steered Trish towards the stairs and sat her down on them. Trish's eyes widened with apprehension at her friend's expression.
"Trish, Maria and Seth Simpson, as well as Monty Burns, do not exist," Miranda said hastily. "Our real names are Miranda and Severus Snape and Harry Potter. We were in hiding from a psychopath dark wizard named Lord Voldemort, who has sent one of his minions to capture Christine."
Trish burst into laughter.
"A wizard, Maria?" Trish laughed, wiping away a tear of mirth. Her laughter stopped abruptly when nobody else laughed. "Are you serious?" she asked in disbelief.
Miranda pointed a finger at Harry and his trousers caught fire. Harry gave a yelp, pulled his wand out of his pocket, and vanished the flames with a flick. Trish's jaw dropped.
"Wow!" she said, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I can't explain it now, there's too much," Miranda replied hastily, and then summoned a few sheets of paper from her room. Trish watched the papers zoom into Miranda's outstretched hand, overcome with awe. "But while you're here, make sure these papers get to the right people," Miranda added. "This is the last Will and Testament of Severus and I."
Trish slowly took the papers, eyes riveted upon Miranda.
"Your Will?" Trish said, dumbfounded.
"Yes, now we must leave," Miranda said quickly, standing up straighter. "It's been nice knowing you, Trish."
Trish opened her mouth to speak, but in the blink of an eye, Miranda, Harry and Severus had disappeared in a whirling of cloaks.
-
With three simultaneous cracks, the trio apparated near the manor, which looked like an abandoned Muggle mansion. Severus pointed to the front door and then in another direction.
"I go this way," he said, and then started off, pulling his nunchucks out of his trench coat pocket and putting on the dark shades.
Miranda and Harry shared a glance before running off together behind the nearest tree. She peered around the trunk at the front door, which was unguarded. The Death Eaters evidently didn't believe a guard was necessary, as they were protected by the Fidelius.
"Okay Harry," Miranda said, turning her back to the tree and casting her eyes upon Harry, quickly forming a plan for the raven-haired man. "There's a window on ground level. Sneak inside it and climb through the vent and into the air duct. Crawl along until you find the room Voldemort is in, and then wait for me to give you a signal."
Harry nodded and then asked, "How will I know when you're giving me a signal?"
"Trust me, you'll know."
Harry nodded, disillusioned himself and then darted off and up the slope towards the manor. Miranda sighed, slumped against a tree, and waited. What she was waiting for was a brilliant stroke of genius, an idea of some sort. Having found nothing in her mind, she crossed her arms and took a deep breath. Inspiration would come eventually, but a little snooping seemed to be in order. She disillusioned herself and began prowling around.
-
Harry found the ground-level window and dropped down on his knees in front of it. Nobody was in the room, which was dark and cold-looking. Harry withdrew his wand and pointed it at the door. After muttering "Alohomora" he opened the window and climbed through.
The room was utterly empty of furniture and people alike. Harry slipped down the wall and onto his feet, lighting the tip of his wand and looking around. He raised his wand over his head and saw in the corner of the room that a large air vent was installed on the wall. After crossing the room and taking a deep breath, Harry set his jaw, popped off the vent and climbed into the duct.
-
Severus strode into the anti-magic chamber, his trench coat whipping about behind him. The nunchucks in his hand swayed menacingly back and fourth, his laced-up combat boots making a faint jangling noise with every step he took. He walked right up to the desk at which Bellatrix and Mulciber stood and stopped before them, the faintest of sneers twitching in the corners of his mouth.
"I believe," Severus said, peering through his dark shades, "you have something that belongs to me."
Mulciber and Bellatrix exchanged a startled expression before turning back to the man standing before them.
"You think you can take us both?" Bellatrix said, crossing her arms and raising her brows coolly. Mulciber laughed coldly.
"Yes, yes I do. And I hoped it wouldn't come to this, gentlemen and female," Severus said calmly, bringing the nunchucks into view. He took one of the weapon's handles in each hand and pulled. The snap echoed throughout the room, causing fear to flit across the faces of both the stunned Death Eaters. "But if you want to try me, who would I be to deny you? Let's play."
With that, he jumped over the desk and attacked.
-
Looking frantically back and forth, Miranda struggled to hatch herself a plan while Severus went about getting the key from one of the anti-magic chambers. To her surprise, she saw a tall blonde woman apparate on the spot, scarcely clad and wearing stiletto heels. Stunned, Miranda hurried forward, took away the disillusionment charm and called out to the woman.
"Hey!"
The woman spun around, wand lit, but when she saw Miranda, wandless and alone, she let out a breath and lowered her wand. Miranda caught up with the woman and they began walking towards the manor together.
"What're you doing here? It's a dangerous place," Miranda warned as the woman continued to walk with her head held high, though her legs quivered as she walked over the uneven ground on her monstrously high heels.
"If you must know, I'm from Shady Joe's down in Kent," the woman said, and then added at Miranda's quizzical expression, "Prostitute."
Miranda's mouth formed a silent "O" in realization and raised her brows as she looked away from the woman. Were the Death Eaters really this stupid? Hiring a prostitute and bringing her to their secret hideout? Though the manor was under the Fidelius Charm, she supposed the woman was also probably under a forced Unbreakable Vow. She decided to test this theory.
"So how do you know about this place?" Miranda asked cheerfully, as if they weren't walking to someplace dangerous.
"Can't say," the woman said coldly, quickening her pace. "I can't give any details."
Miranda nodded once in approval. So she was right, then. And the woman was showing no interest in why Miranda was wondering around. Well, there was really only one thing that Miranda could do, and it was helping her own situation as well as the woman's. She hurried ahead of the woman a step and stopped in front of her, causing the woman to almost fall from her unnatural height.
"Hey, I'm really sorry about this," Miranda said reluctantly, and then raised her hand.
The woman fell to the ground, having been nonverbally stupefied. Miranda pulled on the elastic band that was holding her hair back in a sloppy bun and her hair fell free, just past her shoulders. She gave it a tug and it lengthened. With a tap on the top of her head, her hair brightened several shades and curled into elegant ringlets. She took the woman's shoes and found that they were the right size, then put them on. After rummaging around in the woman's purse, she applied a liberal amount of dark red lipstick and eyeliner, as well as mascara. She quickly transfigured her jeans into a rather short, plaid skirt and her shirt into a very much lower-cut, corset-like bodice. For more of her own comfort than appearance, she kept her long cloak on, but decided that it didn't take away much from her eccentric appearance. A garter belt and a pair of fishnet stockings later, Miranda was ready to roll. She examined her reflection with a mirror charm and was absolutely horrified.
"Ugh, I might have pulled this off a little too well. I look nothing like me," she said, eyeing her dismal appearance before turning to the woman, who was still unconscious on the ground.
After modifying the woman's memory, Miranda sent her off to wherever she had come from with the banishing portkey charm she had invented years back. She began to walk up towards the manor again, but was unable to keep her balance while wearing the ridiculous heels.
"Oh bullocks to this," she grumbled, and transfigured the stilettos back into her steel-toed combat boots.
Feeling slightly more comforted now that she had balance on her side, Miranda started off for the manor. She knocked on the door and impatiently waited for an answer. A man she recognized as Antonin Dolohov answered the door, his dark hair over his eyes.
"You're not the woman I talked to," he pointed out, and Miranda forced a laugh.
"Makeup and magic can do a girl wonders," she replied smoothly, raising an eyebrow and smiling sweetly. This was not a lie, as it had done so for her.
Dolohov shrugged and opened the door.
"Come with me then," he said, and led Miranda down a long stretch of hallway.
They stopped in front of a tall oak door and Dolohov pointed to her with a gloved finger.
"Hold up," he said to her, and knocked on the door.
A voice answered and the Dolohov opened the door a crack, revealing a bunch of Death Eaters, some Miranda recognized and others she did not.
"She seems a bit dodgy," Dolohov said slowly as he opened the door, eyeing Miranda, who felt all-too-vulnerable in her skimpy getup.
Quick, Miranda thought in alarm, Say something to remove all doubt from their minds that I am, in fact, a prostitute.
"Er," Miranda began nervously, and then put on a slightly deeper voice. "Hi, I'm Trixie…?"
"Sounds right to me!" Rookwood said hurriedly, lighting up a cigarette. "Let her in, Antonin."
Relieved and apprehensive at the same time, Miranda stepped inside. Though she was incredibly edgy, she couldn't help but mentally rejoice – she was in!
-
Severus straightened up, a key on a chain held triumphantly in one hand and the nunchucks on the other. He wrapped the chain around his wrist and stepped over a fallen chair as he headed in the direction of the long hallway, through which he would find Christine.
"See you around," he said smugly to the two dead Death Eaters on the floor. He gave Bellatrix a good kick in the side and tread on Mulciber's fingers on his way out the door. "Or not."
-
Harry climbed silently through the air duct, stopping at every vent to look into the room and see who it contained. He paused when he saw, at the end of one room, Lucius Malfoy and Rodolphus Lestrange playing poker.
"I win, again," Lucius said smugly, laying his cards out. "Fork it over, Roddy."
Rodolphus rolled his eyes and handed a bottle of firewhiskey to Lucius, who took it and grinned.
"You should play against Augustus sometime, Lucius," Rodolphus said, looking slightly put out. "You might be able to beat him."
Harry felt a tingling sensation in his nose, no doubt set off by the dust he was raising as he crawled on his hands and knees. He tried with all his might to hold it back, but he couldn't; he sneezed. Luckily for him, Lucius chose that moment to begin laughing loudly.
"Are you joking, Roddy?" Lucius sneered. "Augustus would destroy me in Poker."
Having heard enough to know this was not the place he was looking for, Harry continued crawling along the duct.
-
As she sat and listened to the Death Eaters talking, Miranda tried to form a plot in her head before she was forced to do anything she would regret. Unfortunately, it seemed that she would have to commit murder in order for this to work properly, but she was not as bothered as these were the people who had made her life, as well as her daughter's life, miserable.
"So," drawled the unmistakable voice of Walden Macnair. "Tell us about yourself."
Miranda was surprised out of her dark thoughts. They wanted to know about her? Maybe they were expecting some sort of show. Well, Miranda thought wryly, if a show is what they want, I won't disappoint them.
"Well," Miranda began in a silky smooth voice that she only ever used to make fun of Severus. "My mother died giving birth to me and my father disowned me when I became a… show girl, so I moved into Joe's strip joint." Miranda crossed the room and sat herself down on a barstool between Rookwood and Avery. "Of course, my self esteem was pretty low, but I'm better now. There's nothing more relaxing than hanging out with attractive men like yourselves," she continued, swinging her legs up and propping her combat boots a nearby Death Eater's lap. The men moved closer towards her, clinging to every word. "I recognize some of you, you know," she said nonchalantly, picking up the shot glass that was in front of Avery and downing its contents.
Yuck, she thought. Vodka.
"Anyway, you meet some pretty interesting folk in the business," she continued in her silky voice, holding the glass close to her face as if examining the contents.
She closed one eye and tipped the glass back, allowing the last few drops to fall into her mouth. She smacked her lips and slammed the shot glass upside-down on the table like she had done all that time ago when testing out the Anti-Avada potion.
"And coincidentally," she continued, snatching the cigarette that was dangling from Rookwood's mouth. "This just happens to be the largest group I've ever serviced."
She took a drag from the cigarette coolly, surveying the room as if seizing up the men, but really thinking of an escape route.
"You smoke?" Rookwood asked with interest, leaning his greasy chin on his hand and admiring her closely.
Miranda pulled the cigarette out of her mouth, blew out the smoke, tried not to cough, and handed Rookwood back the cigarette.
"Nope," she said in a choked voice, resisting the urge to clutch at her throat.
A plan quickly formed in her mind. She stood and snapped her fingers, and a whip appeared in her hand. Smiling pleasantly, she began striding through the room. She stopped near the doorway, which was being stood in front of by Rabastan Lestrange. She nonverbally blocked all vents of the room and locked all the windows and doors, minus the one that she was closest to her. If she could only get out, she could transfigure the air in the room into Carbon Monoxide and have all these Death Eaters finished. With this plan in mind, she cracked the whip in the air and wrapped it around Rabastan's neck.
"And you," Miranda said smoothly, pulling Rabastan closer with the whip. He gasped. "What's your name? Alias? Sign?"
"R-Rabastan," he choked.
"I like that name," Miranda said simply, grinning maliciously at him and exposing her perfectly straight, white teeth. "Yes, it's very… dark."
As the word 'dark' left her lips, she reached behind Rabastan and turned out the lights. An uproar ensued, in which the Death Eaters all stood and began blindly flailing around, looking for their wands and for Miranda.
Now, she thought, to get rid of Rabastan here…
Miranda swiftly tightened the whip around his neck and then loosened it to give him a false sense of security. She pushed him against the door and held it there with her body, her plan coming into play but not making her feel any more dignified, for Rabastan's hands had begun to roam to places he certainly did not have permission to have them. Quickly, she tightened the whip around his neck and, when he tried to yell out, silenced him by crashing her mouth onto his. He went along at first, undoubtedly thinking that this was merely part of her act, but became startled when she did not let up the grip on the makeshift noose around his neck. After a short period of time, in which the Death Eaters blindly ran about, shouting for somebody to turn the lights back on, Rabastan fell limp. Miranda tossed him roughly aside, whip in hand and disgust evident on her face. She opened the door, slipped outside, and then closed it again. With a flick of her finger the door melted into the wall.
"Okay, come on," Miranda whispered breathlessly, leaning up against the door with all of her might, summoning her energy to cast a spell through the wall. After a few moments of inaudible mumbling she said loudly "Venenus!" and gasped.
She stepped away from the door and began running down the hallway, curls bouncing around her shoulders and whip in hand. She broke out into a run down the hallway in the direction of the place Harry was going and, when she looked over her shoulder to see if she was being followed, turned a corner and ran headlong into somebody. It was Severus, clutching his nunchucks in one hand and looking just as rushed as she.
"Hey Sev, fancy seeing you here!" Miranda said cheerfully, though anxiety was etched into her face.
At first it didn't seem as if Severus knew who he was talking to, and then his eyes widened behind his shades. He tore them off and stepped back. His jaw dropped as he took in his wife's rather incongruous and uncharacteristic appearance.
"Miranda?" he said, gaping. "Is that you? What the hell are you wearing?" he asked in slight disgust and disbelief. He sniffed the air. "Have you been smoking?"
"Heh heh, yeah," Miranda said all too quickly, her laugh uneasy. "Smoking and drinking and hanging out with a bunch of sleazy Death Eaters who, by the way, are all dead in some room with the door melted into the wall. Don't try go in there because the air is mostly Carbon Monoxide. Here, take this, I don't want it." she shoved the whip into his hand that didn't have the nunchucks in them. "I'd kiss you but I don't want to get this horrendous lipstick on your face and I don't think you'll be wanting to kiss me after what I just did. Have you got the key?"
Severus nodded dumbly and held up the key, which was wrapped around his wrist on a chain, his mouth slightly ajar in confusion. He looked as if he'd like to know exactly what she meant by 'what I just did', but he didn't get the chance to ask because she had already started off again.
"Good. Nice to see you bye!" She said in a rush, and ran off in the direction she had been heading, combat boots jingling all the way.
Severus stood where he had stopped as if frozen in place with shock and bewilderment. After a few seconds he shook his head vigorously, gave the whip a good crack, dropped it, and ran off in the direction of the place Christine was being kept.
-
At long last, Harry found himself in the right room. He peered through the vent and saw Voldemort sitting in a throne-like chair, accompanied by Peter Pettigrew. The temptation to kill Voldemort now was causing Harry some serious stress, but he knew he had to stay put.
A voice, Miranda's voice, suddenly echoed through his head.
"Harry, can you hear me?"
Harry jumped slightly before thinking hesitantly, "Yes, I can hear you."
"Good," Miranda said. "I just ran into Severus – literally. He's going to send Christine to wherever you are with the banishing portkey spell. You and I just have to wait while he does this. Where are you?"
"I'm in the air duct above Voldemort's room," Harry thought in reply, finding it very strange to communicate without speaking. "How are we communicating like this? Can't everybody hear us?"
"No," Miranda said thoughtfully. "I figured out how to make transmissions between two people alone so that nobody else can hear what is said. Anyway, I'm hiding out in the library, putting my dignity back together."
Harry snorted.
"How are you doing, Harry?" Pressed Miranda.
"Good, considering I'm stuck in an air duct and fighting the urge to kill Voldemort here and now."
"You mustn't, Harry," Miranda warned sternly. "Not yet. We must wait. We need to make a distraction for you."
Suddenly Christine appeared at Harry's side and Harry almost yelled out. He smiled at Christine, who knew she mustn't speak, and told Miranda through their mental link that Christine was with him and alright. She replied gratefully and told him to be careful, and then she closed the link.
After some time the door opened and Severus strode into the room, escorting Miranda, who was in her normal attire again, was bound by the wrists and gagged, and was putting up quite the struggle against her husband. Voldemort rose from his throne at once and stood before Severus, his wand drawn and pointing at the greasy man that had just entered. Pettigrew, who had not forgotten his last encounter with Snape, cowered behind Voldemort.
"Ah, Severus, how nice to see you," Voldemort said in what he evidently thought was a pleasant voice. "Your child is charming."
Severus took out his wand and tossed it to the floor as a sign of surrendering.
"My child, my Lord?" Severus said, looking genuinely confused. "No. Christine is not my child. I do not share the Progenitor Veneficium. This scum here was sleeping around long before I met her." He gestured to Miranda. "My Lord, before you kill me if you chose to, I would like to explain myself."
Voldemort seemed to consider this for a moment before sitting lazily down in his throne-like chair, his wand still pointed at Severus.
"Very well then, Severus," Voldemort said, narrowing his snake-like eyes. "Enlighten me."
Severus bowed low, maintaining a firm grip on Miranda, before beginning his speech. Harry and Christine shared a quizzical look; neither of them knew what was going on.
"My Lord, I knew you wanted nothing more than the Progenitor Veneficium, and I hatched a plan to get it for you, but I could not disclose this plan. You see, Miranda Kent was always good at revealing lies. So I faked my death and tricked her into falling in love with me."
At this, Miranda gave a particularly hard jerk of her shoulder and made to kick Severus, but he stepped on her foot and held her still, seeming quite bored with her.
"She did not trust me, however, even after we were joined in matrimony – much like Albus Dumbledore, refusing to give me the Defense Against the Dark Art position. And anyway, once I gained her trust, which took many years, I saw Draco Malfoy skulking about outside our home. Needless to say, I knew what he had come for. I made sure to distract Miranda, granting Draco the perfect opportunity to kidnap the child. Afterwards I told Miranda I knew where they had taken the child and she gladly let me take her. She had no idea that I would be bringing her to you. And here we are."
Voldemort placed the tips of his long fingers together, thinking deeply before gesturing to Miranda and asking, "Why can she not use magic to free herself?"
Severus laughed coldly and Harry felt himself shudder involuntarily.
"I tricked her into drinking a magical draining draught this morning," he said cruelly, giving Miranda and extra jerk for effect.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes, as if performing Occlumency on Severus, but seemed to decide that his story was genuine. He grinned, revealing unnaturally-pointed canine teeth.
"Very well then, Severus, you have done well," Voldemort said. "But I do not think that –"
What Voldemort thought, nobody found out because at that moment, the door flew open again and Lucius, Narcissa, Draco and Rodolphus, the last remaining Death Eaters, strode in, wands drawn.
"My Lord, the child is gone!" Rodolphus yelled.
Voldemort stood and pointed his wand at Severus.
"You –!" he exclaimed, infuriated.
"Me!" Severus yelled in reply, and let go of Miranda.
The ropes holding Miranda disappeared at once and she and Severus sprung into action, the two of them using both hands to duel the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Peter Pettigrew was taken out first with an Avada Kedavra from Severus' left hand while Severus blocked an attack from Voldemort with his right hand. Rodolphus began firing the killing curse at random, causing it to bounce off the walls and ceiling. Draco was struck by one of these wayward curses and fell to the ground, dead. Narcissa gave a horrified shriek and rushed over to her son. Consequently, Miranda hit her with an Avada Kedavra and she, too, fell.
"Now, Harry, now!" Miranda exclaimed through the mental connection as she knocked Rodolphus unconscious, and Harry started.
He began to try and get out of the vent as quietly as he could to maintain the element of surprise. His brain was reeling. What if it didn't work? What if he couldn't kill? What if he died trying? Harry didn't know, but he did know that he had to try. He fumbled with the latch of the vent and it collapsed from underneath him and Christine, sending them both to the ground with a crash. As quick as he could, Harry summoned up every terrible thought that he had ever felt about Voldemort and thought of all the lives he'd changed for the worse. As he did so, Voldemort wheeled around and saw Harry.
Mum, Dad, Sirius, Charlie, Harry thought, letting the anger and desire to kill Voldemort engulf him. He didn't notice the tip of his wand turning a bright green, for he was thinking too hard, becoming overwhelmed by anger and hate and need for retribution. The Weasleys, Miranda, Lupin, Hermione and –
"ME!" Harry yelled the last thought out loud and then pointed his wand at Voldemort, who had been forced to turn and dodge a killing curse from Miranda. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" Harry bellowed, and Voldemort spun around, trying to save himself.
But it was too late for Voldemort. The force of the curse hitting him straight in the chest not only killed him, but sent him flying backwards into the wall, narrowly missing hitting Severus in the head during the process. His body crashed into the wall, cracking the concrete as well as well as his skull, a sickly red light pouring from his eyes. He slid to the ground and crumpled in a heap, dead.
At the same time that Harry killed Voldemort, Lucius Malfoy pointed his wand at Miranda, who had let her guard down for a split second in light of the events that were taking place, and yelled, "Crudesco Corporus!"
Severus gave a shout and tried to deflect the curse, but he was too late. A blue beam of light hit Miranda squarely in the stomach and her breath was knocked out. She fell down on her knees, eyes wide with surprise, and gasped. A thousand knives were surely stabbing at her insides, ripping her apart from the inside out. She threw back her head and screamed in anguish, plummeting to the ground. Severus, in his rage, sent a beam of green light towards Lucius and it killed him instantly.
"No!" Severus yelled, not waiting to watch Lucius fall.
He darted over to his wife and picked her up.
"Get… out!" Miranda managed to choke out, her voice weakening.
Harry didn't need telling twice. He grabbed Christine's hand and pulled her towards the back door of the room, Severus in hot pursuit, his trench coat billowing behind him. Harry threw open the door and wrenched Christine through it, her sock-clad feet actually leaving the ground. Miranda's feet dangled limply, swaying back and fourth in her combat boots as Severus hurried out into the night.
The room they were in was more of an underground version of outside with a moat going around the building. It looked distinctly like a cave, in all actuality, and Harry wondered whether it was or not. A small orb of light could be seen at the end of the tunnel on the other side of the moat, and Harry assumed that this was the exit.
"Here, Potter, swim across. Quickly," Severus ordered, plunging into the water and taking Miranda with him, her weak arms wrapped around his neck. "Take Christine."
Harry, who was not all too keen on jumping into a mystery moat, got down on his knees.
"Climb on my back, Christine," Harry ordered.
Once Christine was safely attached to him, Harry fought to swim across the moat with the extra weight on him. He felt alarmingly like the time in the Triwizard Tournament when he had dragged two dead-weight bodies all the way up from the bottom of a lake. He spluttered and breathed with difficulty, but thought with determination, if I carried two bodies when I was fourteen, one of which was my weight, I can carry a scrawny six-year-old now.
Severus got to the other side first, unscathed. He lifted Miranda out of the water first and then clambered out himself, dripping and breathing heavily. He picked Miranda up and lowered her gently to the ground a few feet from the water's edge.
"Severus," Miranda said so quietly that she could scarcely be heard. "Severus."
Severus took one of her hands in his and looked down at her where she lay on the cold, hard ground. A grave feeling, like ice, swept over him.
"I'm here, Miranda," said Severus. "Hold on, I'm going to get you home."
She shook her head vigorously and he furrowed his eyebrows. Miranda tried to speak several times, her breathing shallow. Severus squeezed her hand between his own. Harry climbed out of the water, panting with Christine holding him around the neck, but Severus paid them no attention; his dark eyes were glued on his wife, who was struggling to speak.
"You were right, Severus. My independence was my downfall," Miranda said weakly, a small trickle of blood dribbling down her chin. Severus suddenly felt sick.
Severus said, frantically, "No. Miranda, you're going to be fine; it was just a scratch. Just a wound. I can help you."
She shook her head again and more blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Severus," Miranda said even more quietly. "I'm d-dying."
His blood ran cold and his breath caught in his throat. He hurriedly wiped away the trickle of blood from her mouth, as if this gesture would take back her words. Shaking his head so that his greasy, wet hair flopped about his face, he refused to believe her.
"No," he said again. "No. You can't, Miranda, I need you here. I can help you. Just let me…" His voice was filled with desperation.
Miranda smiled weakly and laughed her sweet laugh. More blood ensued.
"I'm not afraid to die, I am ready," she said calmly, coughing slightly. More blood. "But you have to stay here. Stay with Christine."
"What are you saying?" Severus asked weakly, refusing to believe still.
"Listen to me," Miranda said, her throat catching on her breath. The grasp of her hand weakened. "Take care of Christine. Raise her well, Severus. Let her grow up to be big and strong, like you."
"Like you," replied Severus, eyes brimming. "I can't do it alone, Miranda. Christine needs you. I need you. Here. With me. I can't make the choices on my own, I can't raise a child on my own – I need help."
"You can do it, Severus," Miranda whispered, her voice weakening more. "I know you can. You will not be alone."
His voice broke and he shook. He brushed her hair away that was plastered to her sweaty face, fingers shaking. He bent low and kissed her forehead gently, feeling her coldness spreading to him like a wire, hearing her shuddery breaths penetrate his brain, leaving nothing else to think about.
"I love you, Severus." Her voice was almost inaudible but she stared up at him with the same eyes.
"Don't go."
"I must. There's nothing you can d-do for me. If there was, I'd have it done. Tell Christine… tell her to be good and to try her best. Every day."
"I will."
He kissed her lips lightly, tasting the coppery substance that was splattered on them. Noting the considerable lack of strength in her fingers, he squeezed her hand. She tried to squeeze back, but her energy was draining now. The light was leaving her eyes.
"I love you, Severus," Miranda repeated.
"I love you, Miranda," he whispered a shaky reply. "I can't go on, I don't think. I can't."
"You won't be alone," she said, her breathing catching in her throat again. Her eyelids fluttered. "I'll always be…" her voice faded into nothing and, with one last breath, she closed her eyes and set her jaw.
Severus stared. If only she would open her eyes now and yell "April fools!" he might be willing to forgive her, because she couldn't be dead. And yet…
He looked down at the pale, cold hand that was in his own and knew that if she was alive, Miranda would have squeezed his hand in return by now. And then it hit him. No more witty comments, no more comforting embraces, no more Floyd Fridays.
"No," he said hoarsely, desperately, resting his shaking fingertips on her temples. "Episkey! Sanous! Salveus!"
He tried desperately every healing spell he knew, but somewhere deep inside him he knew that there was no spell to save the dead. Before he knew what was happening, hot tears were escaping from his eyes and sliding down his face, dripping from his hooked nose and splashing down his front. He kissed her chilled fingertips, fighting to keep the sob down that threatened to burst forth from his chest. Without caring that he was still utterly vulnerable to attack, he let his head fall into his hands and he wept. It seemed that Miranda's luck had finally run out.
A/N: Okay, that chapter was too long for me.
Some poor Latin translations for you to understand some of the spells and whatnot that I invented are here.
Sanous – to heal
Salveus – to be well and in good health.
Crudesco Corporus – "to be violent to the corpse"
Venenus - poison
Anyway, I'm leaving on Friday and I won't be back for about three weeks, so don't expect anything more from me if there's nothing by Friday night. Sorry for the whole 'dying sappiness' thing. It was utterly necessary and I wouldn't change it for the world… okay, well maybe not the world. But I wouldn't change it for a lot of stuff.
Oh yes, and I apologize to anybody with the name Trixie who might have been offended with my comment. I wasn't making fun of your name, it's an inside joke. Sorry.