THC
Hufflepuff
DADA Professor
Round 9, Year 8
Standard
Words: 1,043
Prompts: (Location) Knockturn Alley
(Object) Old Wand
A/N Thank you so much to my wonderful teammates, without whom I wouldn't have had the motivation to write this story!
The Elder Wand, the oldest and most powerful wand known to Wizardkind. It was the search for this particular wand that led Severus Snape to Knockturn Alley on a cold December night.
Severus could not believe he had let Albus talk him into this. Alas, the manipulative old wizard had managed to guilt cold-hearted Severus Snape into the mission. Needless to say, the Potions professor was not in a good mood. At all.
Knockturn Alley was unsurprisingly cold and mostly vacant. The only people Severus saw on his way to his destination were an old hag and Remus Lupin, who was almost certainly also on a mission for Albus. They both pretended to not see each other as Severus brushed past the werewolf.
Severus grumbled to himself as he pushed the door open into Borgin and Burkes, one of his least favorite places to be. During the first war, he had spent more than his fair share of time in this godforsaken place. Truthfully, he much preferred being here on behalf of Voldemort because he didn't have to come up with an inconspicuous story for why he was there.
The shop's owners, Misters Borgin and Burke, were standing behind the counter and speaking to Bellatrix Lestrange. They all turned around to face Severus as he entered the store.
Oh, what joy, Severus thought bitterly to himself. It took him almost no effort to keep his face void of all emotion, a skill he had perfected over the entire course of his life.
"Severus?" Bellatrix asked, a mix of surprise and frustration in her voice. "What are you doing here?"
Severus stared into her cold, hard eyes. "That is none of your business, Bella."
Bellatrix glared at him as she took a step closer to him. "Never call me Bella," she hissed. "Now answer my question, before I report this to the Dark Lord."
"As it so happens, I am on an errand for the Dark Lord," Severus lied easily.
Disbelieving, Bellatrix's eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "Really? And what, pray tell, is this errand?"
Severus's lip twitched into a smug smirk. "Nothing that concerns you."
"If it concerns the Dark Lord, it concerns me," Bellatrix scoffed.
"Not this time, Bella. I am the only one privy to this assignment. Now, I suggest you leave before I report you to the Dark Lord."
Bellatrix was angry and clearly wanted to retort something. However, she quickly thought better of it and left the store, slamming the door behind her.
Severus breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief, then turned to face the owners. "We have something to discuss."
Grumbling, Severus left the dingy store half an hour later. He was no closer to finding the Elder Wand now than he had been before. However, he had been given one useful bit of information: Mundungus Fletcher was also in search of the elusive wand.
It was easy enough for Severus to track down Mundungus. All he really had to do was handsomely tip Madam Rosmerta, and she began singing like a canary. Perhaps a bit too easy, but he was only focused on the fact that he now knew where the thieving scoundrel was.
Severus found Mundungus in the cheapest brothel in Knockturn Alley, exactly where Rosmerta had told him the thief would be. He pinned Mundungus to the wall of an empty room. It somewhat unnerved Severus that the thief was not putting up a fight, but he quickly brushed it away by telling himself that the man was merely submitting to the inevitable.
"What do you know about the Elder Wand," Severus demanded. He and Mundungus were so close that they were practically bumping noses.
Mundungus laughed in such a way that it made Severus feel uneasy. "Wouldn' you like t' know."
Severus narrowed his eyes threateningly at the thief. "I will only ask you once more. What do you know about the Elder Wand?"
The smile that grew on Mundungus's lips unnerved Severus even more than the laugh he had just given. "It seems the Headmaster didn' tell you everythin'," he said smugly.
If there was one thing Severus Snape abhorred, it was being misled by someone he trusted. "What are you talking about?" he seethed through clenched teeth.
Mundungus's smile grew so broad that Severus could see the majority of his rotted teeth. "We're both searchin' fo' the same wand."
Severus let go of Mundungus's shoulders and left the brothel without another thought about the thief, who was cackling madly.
Severus barged into the Headmaster's office, not bothering to so much as announce his presence. He was absolutely furious with Albus, and he was in no mood to try to contain his anger. To hell with his well-constructed level-headedness.
The headmaster looked up at Severus from where he was sitting at his desk. He had a knowing look on his face. He calmly took off his spectacles, folded them, and placed them down on his desk. "Hello, my child."
Severus walked right up to the desk and slammed his palms onto it so that he was leaning over Albus. "Why do you have me searching for the same thing as Dung?"
"Two is better than one," Albus said calmly.
"You know as well as I do that the wand will disappear into thin air if Dung finds it. That wand in your hands may very well be the only thing that can defeat the Dark Lord," Severus ground out.
"One must be known in order to be defeated," Albus stated, confusing Severus.
"What?"
"I have Mundungus searching for the wand as well because I want Voldemort to know what my plans are."
Severus flinched at his other master's name. He hated that Albus insisted on calling the Dark Lord Voldemort. "I do not understand why."
"If he believes that I am trying to make myself all the more powerful, it might be enough to draw him out into the open," Albus said.
"So that the Ministry will finally see the truth," Severus stated slowly.
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes."
Severus sat down in one of the chairs with a huff. "You could have at least told me what you were doing."
A smirk tugged at Albus's lips. "What would have been the fun in that?"