Chapter 40. Sinking Ship
Astrid was pulled from the dining hall kicking and screaming, she begged to be killed, sobbing, as Wormtail and Yaxley dragged her to a guest room where she would wait it out until Hogwarts was taken by death eaters placed at the ministry.
"Here, Lucius, take this…" Voldemort sneered as he heled the infant out to him, Lucius took her quickly, folding his arms around her he hugged her tight. "And… go make yourself useful." The Dark Lord waved him off, Lucius headed for the door without hesitation, but before he disappeared into the guts of his house, he turned, narrowing his eyes on Severus… he shot the man a dark look over the top of Everly's blonde hair.
"How long, my Lord, until we have control of the ministry? Pius is on the job I suspect?" Severus questioned as he crossed his legs.
"Days I suspect… then you will take the castle, you will need some new professors I imagine… take the twins with you… they can serve you as deputy heads," Voldemort smiled at his on-the-spot thinking.
"Yes, very good, my Lord."
Astrid had tried every possible means of escape from the room, but without a wand, her options were limited. After banging on the door until her skin was red raw she slumped down with her back to it, her knees to her chest, sobbing. She sat like that for hours. Over the sound of sniffles and cries she heard something from the other side…
"Astrid?" A small voice choked out. "Astrid darling?"
"Lucius!" She breathed, turning around she could hear him through the cracks. "Lucius is that you?"
"It's me, my love, I'm here," He whispered from the other side, his voice hoarse and full of pain. "I have Everly, she's here too,"
"Everly," Astrid whimpered as she pressed her fingertips against the crack and closing her eyes, she rested her forehead on the cold surface of the door. "Oh Everly,"
"We have missed you, so, so much my darling," Lucius choked out.
"And I you, oh Everly," Astrid cried, "I thought I lost her, lost her for good,"
"I'm going to find a way to get you, to… rescue you," Lucius' voice cracked with raw emotion, "I'll kill Severus if I have to, I will get you back, I promise you."
"No!" Astrid croaked, "Don't do anything stupid, don't! I can't lose you." Astrid heard Lucius sigh on the other side.
"I heard about your father," He exhaled, "I am so sorry my dear, whole heartedly sorry."
"Do you know…. Who did it?" Astrid asked.
"No," Lucius lied to her. "Somebodies coming, I have to go, I promise… I will find you; I love you until my dying breath,"
Astrid didn't even have time to tell him that she loved him back, for she heard his footsteps fade away. She wished he wouldn't say things like that 'until my dying breath', she didn't need any more losses planted in her head.
Three days passed, Tilly visited, two or three times, with food and water. She was happy yet sad to see Astrid in the manor again, cheered by the sight of the girl alive, saddened by her capture.
When the third day came to a close, and the sunset over the trees at Malfoy Manor, the door to the guest room was unlocked and in stepped the imposing figure of Severus Snape. Astrid backed up against the furthest wall, shaking her head.
"It's time… we are leaving," Severus told her monotonously.
"No," Astrid spat, "Over my dead body am I going anywhere with you!" She reached for the closest object, a lamp, and chucked it as hard as she could. The power she through it with was superb, the aim however needed some work as it crashed into the wall a few feet to the side of him. But the man didn't wince or flinch, he was completely unphased by her outburst.
"You don't have to be so dramatic Astrid," Severus rolled his eyes and with the flick of his wand rendered her unconscious and caught her falling body mid air with a simple levitation spell. With a sigh he pocketed his wand and scooped his arms under her legs and back. He carried her limp body through the manor, earning a distasteful scorn from the young Malfoy boy as he passed by him in the hall. Once outside he walked to the end of the rose garden and entered a grassy patch, where he and Astrid disapperated with a pop.
From a third story window, Lucius took a swig from a bottle of red wine as he watched Astrid and Snape vanish from the grounds.
Astrid awoke in a strange bed, not that there was anything wrong with the bed, it was a lovely bed, it was just strange to her. It had a domed ceiling above it, a dark bluish purple in colour it had the constellations painted on it in a fantastic gold. Astrid sat up and pushed back jade green velvet covers. She was still in her red dress, she felt dirty, soiled, but pushed that feeling to the back of her mind as she hopped off the bed onto unsteady legs.
It was a large room, but not empty, filled with furniture and fantastical items. Book cases spanned the walls with books and interesting looking contraptions on them. Jacquard drapes hung from the ceilings, adorned with tassels and gold fringing. A large fireplace was host to two large arm chairs, a small mahogany table nestled between them. A teal jacquard chaise longue resided in the corner, piled up with books. A large armour with mirrored doors was nestled behind an antique screen of foreign make. It was a beautiful, fantastical room, but she had no time to explore. She tip toed towards a door, opening it to find a lavish bathroom, she sighed, closing it. She tiptoed in the only other direction there could be an exit, where light seeped through some pulled drapes. Slipping behind the heavy curtains she found herself at the top of the stairs at the back of Dumbledores office. It felt illegal to be here, to be in this place with Dumbledore. To be laid in the bed he once resided in. Astrid felt sick to her stomach at the thought. And then she saw him: Severus.
He was at Dumbledores desk, signing what looked to be paperwork.
Astrid moved silently along the metal staircase, her bare feet padding lightly down it, pressing herself against the bookcase that enveloped the outer wall of the stairs. As she reached the bottom, she had still gone unnoticed. From the shelves she silently picked up what looked to be a vintage quidditch beaters bat and edged towards Severus silently.
"If you're planning on attacking me with whatever blunt object is in your hands, I wouldn't," Severus sighed, not even looking up from his paperwork. Astrid kept her back to the wall as she skirted around the edge of the office, she extended the bat towards Severus as she made her way to the door. He seemed not to care, not even sending a curious glance her way. Locked. She tried the handle three or four times out of frustration.
"A locked door is exactly that Miss Moody, a locked door. You cannot pass through it. Now… give up on your ridiculousness and come take a seat." Severus said firmly, nodding to the chair on the other side of his desk.
"I'm not coming anywhere near you," Astrid hissed as she tightened her grip around the bat. "You're a murderer." Severus jumped up from his seat and with his palms on the desk yelled at the girl:
"Sit down this instance! If you are going to behave like a child, you will be treated like one, now come sit down so we can discuss things like grown adults!"
Astrid gritted her teeth as she slowly made her way to the chair, with the bat of course, she really had no other option, she wasn't able to escape, what else could she do? Severus sat down now, flipping his dark hair out of his face he went back to signing papers. After minutes of silence Astrid grew restless.
"I thought you wanted to talk?" She spat, drawing her knees up to herself she held the bat in front of her legs, ready to use it if necessary.
"I'm waiting for you to ask a question; you're burning with many of them no doubt?" Severus murmured as he read through the documents before him.
"Why did you do it? Why did you kill Dumbledore?"
"You would not believe me if I told you," Snape murmured as he scratched his signature onto a ministry document.
"Try me."
Severus set his quill down and leant an arm on the desk in front of him, he looked up at the girl and stared her dead in the eyes.
"He asked me to."
"I don't believe you." Astrid shook her head and scrunched up her button nose.
"As I said, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Dumbledore wanted to die at my hand, not that of somebody else, just as you would prefer to die at Lucius's hand than Voldemort's, I am sure?" Severus sighed. Astrid eyed him suspiciously, he sounded so convincing, but she couldn't bring herself to fully believe his words.
"Why did you take Everly?" Astrid asked, her voice cracking.
"That was never my plan Astrid, Bellatrix told Yaxley to kill you and take the child, I was never consulted, I didn't know."
"Who killed my father?" Astrid asked with narrowed eyes.
"The Dark Lord was the one who cast the killing curse that hit your father, for that, I am sorry. Alastor was a great wizard." Severus exhaled.
"Don't you dare say his name, don't you dare! He was twice the wizard, twice the man you will ever be!" Astrid spat as she drew her knees closer to her body.
"Like I said, I am sorry for your loss." Severus said. His face was stone, but his eyes, there was a truth behind them that told Astrid he really was genuinely sorry for her father's death.
"Why am I here? Do you really think I'm going to give myself to you?" Astrid asked narrowing her eyes on him, a disgusted look on her face. Severus sighed and leant back in his chair, in Dumbledores chair.
"No, I don't," he told Astrid. "The proposal, of you being my…" Severus trailed off, not able to bring himself to say that word to her face, "it was the best I could come up with in so little time… I saved your life."
"You have damned me to a life as your whore, I would rather have died Severus." She spat.
"You seem to be misunderstanding Astrid, I do not want you as my whore, it was an excuse… to spare you." Severus told Astrid firmly. "This school year is going to be the most difficult yet for Hogwarts students, the carrow twins are taking residence as professors and deputy heads, they are incredibly cruel individuals, and I am expected to run this castle with an iron fist. Having you here, as a friendly face for those students, as someone I can trust to help them, is a benefit on top of saving your life."
"You want me to… teach?" Astrid asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Severus exhaled as he picked up his quill once again. "Unless you don't want to, in that case I'm sure I can find you jobs to do around this office."
"No!" Astrid outburst. "I will teach."
"Good, any more questions?"
"Thousands." She admitted, as more and more popped into her head.
"The Carrows are on their way," the portrait of Phineas returned to his frame and told the new headmaster.
"Your questions will have to wait," Severus sighed, setting down his quill once again. "Go upstairs and make yourself scarce," He ordered.
"Can I not go to my chambers?" Astrid asked with furrowed brows.
"These are your chambers. Though you won't be my… whore as you put it… the Dark Lord, and by extension all of his death eaters, including the Carrows, are expecting you to be my whore Astrid, and so regrettably, yes we will have to share Chambers, and in the presence of others… you will be obedient and… affectionate, maybe even loving if you can muster up the acting skill, understood?"
Astrid jumped up, angered by the rules he had just laid out for her. She gripped the bat and for a second thought about beating him to death with it, instead she gritted her teeth, clenched her fist and headed for the stairs without another word to the vile man that sat behind the desk.
"We both must play our roles to survive Astrid, do you understand? Neither of us can falter or we will both go down with the sinking ship of the other." He shouted after her.