Chapter Nine

Trust

"Legilimency! During sex!" Aziz was floating near the ceiling with a gleeful expression on his face. Severus had told him all about his evening with Lucretia—he'd been stressing about it for days before it happened—and the djinn had listened quietly until the end. Severus had more important things on his mind, but that was not what Aziz fixated on at first. "That's brilliant! I never once thought of that, when I was still human."

"Do you think she'll forgive me for not coming back?" asked Severus seriously.

The djinn considered carefully. "Some women wouldn't, but she's using you the way you're using her. She'd only ditch you if you were lousy in bed, but considering that you gave her two orgasms, I suspect she'll be very forgiving. Apologize graciously and give her a gift." Aziz paused again, tapping his chin, and Severus waited, assuming that a suggestion for the recommended gift would be forthcoming. "It's the matter of this prophecy that really worries me. It's obviously linked to your fate in some fashion, but I can't figure out how."

"I won't be having a child by the end of July," Severus stated brusquely.

"No, no! Remember, you wished to be free of the Dark Lord. I told you it would be decades, right? So this child that's being born at the end of July obviously needs to grow up before your master is vanquished. But how can we best protect the child until it's powerful enough? I'm not getting any information on that."

Severus began pacing back and forth. At this point, the djinn had been serving him faithfully for almost five years, and he'd never seen him stumped like this before. Severus stared at the floor, striding as vigorously as he could in the small bedroom, for several minutes. Suddenly surprised by the quiet—he was used to Aziz's constant chatter at times like this—he looked up and saw Aziz curled up in a little ball, face crinkled into a rictus of pain.

"Aziz?"

The djinn opened his eyes. "I'm sorry, master, I really can't see what to do. Not that the future is ever really clear, but I can usually get flashes. It's as though I'm being blocked by some force of magic."

"It might not even be a genuine prophecy," Severus remarked wishfully.

"No, no, I'm quite sure it is. It's the one thing I am sure about. Look—can you do without me for several hours? I think I must summon the Djinni Collective."

"The Djinni…what collective?"

"We aren't completely solitary beings, you know," Aziz said reproachfully. "We just try not to meet up too often, because that large of a collection of magic in one place can be quite dangerous. But this—this is worth it, of that I'm sure."

"Go then," said Severus gruffly. "I think I can manage."

~~SS~~

Severus did manage fairly well on his own. It ended up being not just a few hours, but two whole days until Aziz returned. The first day—Sunday—he spent down in his home lab, extracting the essences of yellow roses and sweet alyssum to make a custom fragrance for Lucretia; he knew these to be her favorite flowers, and it was much easier to slip her a bottle of perfume unobtrusively than an actual bouquet. The second day, Monday, he was back at work.

"Three more days until Mayday!" said his supervisor happily as he crushed dried nettles with a pestle. "I suppose I ought to get a bouquet for Aurelia. Roses, do you think?"

"If she likes them," Severus replied as he diced frog livers. "Not all witches do, or so I hear." He was surprised that he could reply this way without Aziz around to advise him. It was really, really strange to not have Aziz around.

"Are you going to dance around a Maypole?" Elmore asked sarcastically.

"Who, me? Are you kidding?" Actually, Severus was planning to go to Prince Hall; the house elves had cajoled him into showing up for the evening. They were going to make him a meal and then put up a maypole…around which they were going to dance. It wasn't a real holiday, but it was the only holiday he could get off, and evidently the Prince elves had been dancing around maypoles with their friends for centuries.

~~SS~~

At lunch time, Severus went up to the lunchroom and was happy to find Lucretia there. "Thrown out of the Hog's Head?" she teased. "Banished forever? Even I've never screwed up that badly." She passed him a bulky package wrapped in paper; he took it while simultaneously handing her the small crystal bottle he'd filled the day before. She unscrewed the lid and inhaled. "Severus, this smells heavenly. Is it only the perfume?"

"Also a mild aphrodisiac," he whispered. "In case you have trouble persuading Marshall, when the time comes." He looked down at the package at his lap, frowning: he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Don't open it here!" Lucretia warned. And with that, she launched into an account of a patient who had sliced their face open while trying to break a mirror with an Impediment Curse. The unfortunate witch hadn't realized that some mirrors would reflect spells the same way they reflected light.

Later, back in his office, Severus ripped open the brown paper enclosing the lumpy package and burst into laughter. Inside were the shoes he'd been wearing on Friday night (he'd had to wear his dress shoes to work) and a pair of black boxers.

~~SS~~

That evening, Aziz appeared in front of Severus as he sat at the rickety kitchen table eating his takeout pizza.

"I still don't understand," said the djinn.

"Nothing?" queried Severus, perplexed.

"No, we got an answer, we just don't understand how it can possibly work."

Severus wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked expectantly at Aziz. "Well?"

"The best way to protect the child is to tell Voldemort about the prophecy."

Severus stood up suddenly, knocking his chair to the ground. "That can't be! You don't know the Dark Lord; he'll kill it as soon as it's born!"

"No, he won't. I don't understand this fully, but the surge in dark magic when Voldemort tries to kill it will rebound on him somehow, rendering him powerless until the child is old enough."

"How can I trust you on this? How can I put what may be my only salvation in harm's way?" shouted Severus angrily.

Aziz bowed his head. "You've often not trusted me, master. You've often done what you've thought is right. How often has it turned out well?"

The young man bowed his head and considered. He remembered how wrong he'd been to trust Lucius over Aziz. He remembered how Aziz had been right that his uncle should have been the one to protect his mother. "You've always been right. I'll trust you on this, even though it makes absolutely no sense."

Sliding up his left sleeve, he used his right forefinger to press the snake-tongue on his Dark Mark. The vision of a drawing room imprinted in his brain; he turned on the spot, Apparating to the place he'd seen.

~~SS~~

He did not actually land in the drawing room, of course, but rather outside a tall, wooden gate in a hedge. A tortoiseshell cat looked him over carefully, then slipped under the hedge. A few seconds later, the gate swung open to reveal a walk leading through a traditional rose garden towards a modest country home.

Light spilled into the growing twilight as the door of the house swung open. Lord Voldemort stepped out, his red eyes flickering in annoyance. "I hope this is important, Severus. You interrupted the casting of a layered charm."

"I think it might be, my Lord," Severus replied. He looked at the ground, feigning humility, while he quickly pulled his liar's palace into place. "I overheard something that concerns you."

"Let me see," his master said, pulling Severus's chin up with one bony finger.

Voldemort was a strong Legilimens, but not a subtle one. Severus focused on the red eyes, pushing the memory of the prophecy at the forefront of his mind. He fixed the memories of his night with Lucretia just behind the prophecy, allowing them to intrude and intermix with the images of Dumbledore and Trelawney.

Voldemort released his chin and grimaced. "You were right. It was information worthy of an interruption. I wish you had told me sooner."

"I have never much believed in Divination, my lord. I took a class my third year at Hogwarts, then discarded it like so much drivel. I did not put any credence in it until today. But when I was talking to my friend …"

"The fair Lucretia, I suppose. Her father is one of us, and I'm sure she is sympathetic to our cause. If he'd listened to me, he would have betrothed her to you instead of that young buck, Fawley. Well, you were right to listen to her. Next time, report sooner."

"Yes, my lord. I will. Should I do anything else?"

"I will find out if any witches are due to deliver soon. Lucius should have easy access to that information. His wife is expecting a child soon; no doubt they visit the midwitchery office frequently."

"Yes, my lord."

"I will summon you again when I have more information. Fate has decreed that you will play a part in defending me from this threat."

"Yes, my lord."

~~SS~~

Severus enjoyed Mayday at Prince Hall; his mum and Uncle Ty came back for the occasion. "You really should settle down, Ty," Eileen said, after watching her brother prance around the maypole with the house-elves. "You'd be great with kids."

"Yes, the maypole is a fertility rite. We dance for Master Tiberius," croaked Mopsy, who was the oldest of the house-elves. "For Master and for Cottie."

Severus glanced over at the youngest house-elf and grimaced, realizing that she was, indeed, expecting a baby. No wonder the house-elves of various estates congregated on major holidays like this one. He'd never contemplated house-elf reproduction before; yuck!

"It's not the right time," said Ty. "Not while He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is terrorizing Britain."

"Soon," said Mopsy. "We dance for your wife-to-be, too." She darted a glance at Severus. "But not you, Master Severus. It is not your time."

~~SS~~

Days passed and turned into weeks, and Severus could not help but be reminded of fertility. He received a note from Lucius and Narcissa, announcing the birth of their son, Draco. Severus attending the naming ceremony a week later. Not long afterwards, Lucretia finalized her betrothal to Marshall Fawley. "He says we can wait two years to have children," she told Severus, and blushed. "It's dumb, Sev, but I actually can't wait to have children. I don't even love Marshall, and I want kids anyway." Severus sighed: he didn't know why anyone would have children when the Death Eaters were terrorizing Muggles and Muggle-lovers alike.

As July drew to a close, Severus's master, Elmore Greengrass, got more and more nervous. "Aurelia is getting huge," he said. "But still, two months to go. How much bigger is she going to get?"

Severus had taken to scanning the Births and Deaths section of the Daily Prophet very carefully. Nowadays it was usually more deaths than births, but you never knew. The first birth announced in the last part of July was Millicent Bulstrode, daughter of Herman and his Muggle wife, Catherine.

"Millicent's the one, Aziz!" said Severus. "That's who we have to protect. Oh, no. Lucretia!" He'd just noticed the note that Catherine Bulstrode had died in childbirth.

"Lucretia?" asked Aziz.

"I mean—you remember how crushed Lucretia was when Herman broke off their engagement? Well, he's available again. His wife died."

"Lucretia was never meant for Herman," responded the djinn sagely. "Millicent will have a part to play, but she's not the one."

"What makes you so sure?"

"The prophecy. The child must be born to those who have thrice defied the Dark Lord. Which means they have to be part of the resistance group."

Yes, Severus knew about the resistance group. On Midsummer Eve he'd been out with a group of Death Eaters who were about to begin torturing some Muggles (or, rather, golems resembling the Muggles, courtesy of Aziz) when four figures wrapped in cloaks Apparated into the living room and began firing curses. It had turned into a real firefight, and Severus had only barely escaped injury. There had been other sightings of the resistance fighters before and since then, though not when Severus was around. Voldemort, who had previously left the muggle-baiting to his followers, had started accompanying Death Eaters on raids to try to help take out the mysterious group.

"You don't think Herman's one of them?"

"Not likely. For one thing, the wording of the prophecy suggests that both of the child's parents would defy the Dark Lord, and I don't think a Muggle would qualify. Also, with Puddlemere in the playoffs, he's been on the field every night."

"True. But it's the 26th, and July is almost over."

"Just wait," remarked Aziz calmly.

~~SS~~

Severus did not have long to wait. On the thirtieth of July, he saw a birth announcement for Neville Longbottom, son of Frank and Alice Longbottom. Both Frank and Alice had been a few years ahead of him in Hogwarts; Alice was the same year as Lucretia, if he remembered correctly, though she'd been in Gryffindor. Frank had been a Gryff, too, though maybe a bit older? Severus hadn't paid much attention to the Gryffindors who weren't in his year. Yes, Frank and Alice were just the right sort to fight against the Dark Lord. Poor baby Neville: did he even know what was in store for him?

But the following day Severus was shocked to see yet another birth announcement in the Prophet. Harry James Potter had been born to James and Lily Potter. James and Lily Potter! He'd known they were an item, but he'd been eager to forget James—and too busy to check in on the childhood friend who abandoned him.

Severus knew that technically the child of the prophecy could be either Neville Longbottom or Harry Potter. But the instant he saw the announcement, he just knew, and he buried his head in his hands.

"Master?"

"It's Lily's son, isn't it?"

"We don't know that for sure."

"You may not, but I do. Aziz, does it always feel like this—knowing something horrible in the future?"

"The feeling of dread, the disquiet, the urge to throw something out a window?" replied the djinn.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Yes. But let's not think about that. You'll be summoned tonight: you're not the only one who's been reading the Prophet. I want to make sure you're prepared."

~~SS~~

Aziz was right, as usual. Severus was summoned to a meeting at the same country home he'd been to previously. As it turned out, the house belonged to Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange; the Dark Lord, for some reason, seemed very fond of Bellatrix.

Both Lestranges were present at the meeting, plus Rodolphus's brother Rabastan. Lucius was there as well, as well as a man named Antonin Dolohov.

"Dolohov, you're our expert on prophecies," Voldemort began. "We have these three children, all born at the end of July: are they all equally likely to be the one?"

"No," the man said gruffly. "The Bulstrode girl is the daughter of a Muggle. Not a Muggleborn, witch, your lordship, but one without magic. That woman could not have defied you thrice."

"Who cares?!" cackled Bellatrix. "Just kill them all!"

"Hush, Bellatrix," said Rodolphus. "We may yet turn Bulstrode into a Death Eater. Killing his daughter won't help our cause. Dolohov is right; the girl is not the one."

"As for the other two," continued Dolohov, "It could be either. But I suspect it is the Longbottom boy—he's pureblood, and therefore more likely to be the most powerful."

"I will not kill a pureblood without cause," said Voldemort carefully. "His parents—do we know for sure that they are in the resistance?"

Lucius spoke up. "Aside from Dumbledore, we know for sure of the Weasleys, the Prewetts, Alastor Moody, and Hestia Jones. There are more we aren't sure of, though."

"I'm sure I've spotted my dear cousin Sirius," grinned Bellatrix. "And where Sirius is, rumor has it, Lupin and Potter are not far behind."

"It is Potter," Voldemort said decisively. "The boy is a half-blood?"

"He is, my lord."

"Then it is of no import if we kill him."

~~SS~~

When Severus returned home, the first thing he did was consult with Aziz. "He's going to kill the Potter boy! As soon as possible, I think. What shall I do?"

Aziz buried his head in his hands. "It's going to be hard, Severus."

"Anything, Aziz. You know I'll do anything to destroy that monster."

"You have to become a double agent. It's the only way."

"No, no, what? I can't possibly—"

"You are the best Occlumens I've ever trained. If anyone can do it, you can."

Severus grabbed his teacup off the table and threw it at the wall, where it shattered, spattering shards and tea everywhere. "You expect me to just go up to James Potter and tell him I'm on his side now? You think that will work? Because I sure don't."

"No, Severus. You need to go to Dumbledore."

"He won't believe me either. Aziz, you can't be right—"

"Dumbledore knows you used to love Lily. Tell him you still do. Play it up, Severus."

Severus picked up the saucer next, flinging it angrily against the wall near the shattered teacup. "I can't Aziz, I can't. I've only ever used real memories in my liar's palace. I can't fabricate new ones." He knew Dumbledore was a Legilimens, and a clever one at that.

"It's less a matter of creating new ones and more a matter of…hybridizing them. Combine the passion you felt with Lucretia with the fondness you felt for Lily. Find your most intense feelings and overlay them on top of the most mundane interactions you had with her. I know you can do it, master. Pretend it's only her you want to save."

And so it was that, a few hours later, Severus found himself on a cold, windy hilltop, making an unbreakable vow to obey Albus Dumbledore and keep his secrets.