CHAPTER 27 - Fair Terms and a Villain's Mind
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Severus Snape had been experiencing one of the best dreams he could ever remember having before the interruption. He had been alone with a beautiful woman. She had taken him to her, kissed him, caressed him, embraced him...welcomed him within her. He had felt warm, safe...loved, even. A rare moment of absolute peace. It had been so real that if he concentrated very hard, he could remember the smell of her skin, the taste of her lips, the feel of her hair. He could hear her gentle, slightly raspy voice telling him she loved him.
Being rudely jerked from that euphoric fantasy into reality was perhaps the cruelest thing anyone could have done to him. But, an even greater shock than the sound of smashing glass, was the shock and disbelief that he hadn't been dreaming. Or, at least, there was a head resting on his shoulder, and an arm flung across his chest, and they were both firmly attached to a woman. A woman who was curled up against him like a sleeping cat. Moreover, they were both naked.
Events from earlier in the day...possibly yesterday, considering the lateness of the hour...slammed into his consciousness and he quickly took stock of the situation unfolding.
Raven was waking up as well, but her process was taking much longer than that of the professionally paranoid spy.
Snape quickly rolled off the couch and dashed to where his wand lay on the coffee table. He had somewhat expected this, but not nearly so soon. His fingers were just curling around his black wand when it happened.
"Expelliramus," a clinical, almost bored voice said from the broken window across the room.
The ebony wand zoomed off the table and disappeared into the kitchen. Snape whirled around just in time to get pummeled square in the chest with a Stupify hex.
Raven, nude beneath her blue cloak, leaped over the back of the couch and kicked the masked Death Eater in the face just as he hopped down through the window into the room.
"FUCK!" the wizard shouted, clutching the white mask that had just been driven into his nose and mouth by her boot. The long blond hair was indicative of Malfoy Senior as he collapsed to one knee.
Without hesitation, Raven brought a crushing knee up to make contact with his jaw. In the middle of her follow-up, downward elbow, she caught movement in the window, but was too late to react to the second Death Eater's Petrificus Totalus. Every muscle in her body locked up and there was nothing she could do to keep herself from crashing to the floor.
The giggly, high-pitched female who had cast the curse stepped through and over the body of Lucius, who was rolling on the floor clutching his masked face. "You're welcome, dearie!" she cackled. "Lumos!"
Though completely paralyzed, Raven could still move her eyes around the room to observe as the two...oh, no, now there were three, four, five Death Eaters...entered and gathered around the unconscious body of Severus. One helped Lucius remove his mask, and she couldn't help but smirk (or at least, she would have smirked if her face worked) at the number she'd done on the pristine aristocrat's face. The Death Eater assisting him Vanished the blood and cast a few healing spells, correcting his broken nose, resetting his jaw, and sealing his split lip.
Rising to his feet, Malfoy walked over to where she lay, utterly defenseless and only partially covered by her robe where it fell. "You fucking bitch." The crass words, spoken without noticeable anger, sounded so incongruous when said in such a polished, refined voice.
The smaller-set female approached from behind him and leered at the frozen form at their feet. "Just one hex? One teeny weeny, non-lasting hex?"
The man's cold grey eyes narrowed irritably. "Do you need every one of our Lord's commands repeated to you, or just the ones you plan on disobeying?"
She shied away like a cowed dog.
"Besides...any form of torture we could inflict will be nothing compared to what she'll do to herself once she discovers the truth. It's so much more...harmonious this way, wouldn't you agree?" He returned his gaze to Raven. "Sorry about your...lover...but, he has been volunteered for a prestigious honor." With a sweep of his black robes, Malfoy crossed the room and broke up the other three that had surrounded Snape.
They were snickering among themselves at his state of undress. The first spoke in a heavy Cockney accent. "Well well, looks like th' Professor ain't a virgin after all!"
Another, with a similar accent, chimed in. "Ya think this were his first?"
"Hope it was a good'un, aye? Considerin' it'll be 'is last."
"Better fer 'im than any unfortunate bird who buggers 'im, I reckon."
"Gentlemen," Lucius cut in with notable impatience, "I suggest we transfer him as per our instructions. We don't want to keep our Lord waiting. You," he pointed at the fifth Death Eater, who was short and fat and...had a silver hand. Raven placed him at once. "Show me where the talisman is."
Wormtail dashed over to the mantel over the fireplace. "It's here, sir." He reached out and grabbed the mirror with his silver hand, only to scream and yank it away as soon as he'd touched it.
Malfoy strode over. "Fool," he muttered, retrieving a black handkerchief from his pocket. Throwing the fabric over the hand mirror, Lucius carefully lifted the item and stowed it away inside multiple layers, ultimately putting it inside his robes. He turned back to face his team. With a bored sigh, he motioned to Snape's body. "Let's not be all night about it."
One of the Death Eaters grabbed Snape's black robes and tossed them on top of him.
"Mobilicorpus," another cast.
Raven watched helplessly as they floated Snape through the living room into the small foyer in front of the staircase. They unlocked the door and moved him out, bumping his head on the frame with snorts and chuckles. The four departed into the night, and she could hear the pops of them Apparating away.
Only Malfoy remained behind long enough to give her a disinterested once-over. "The Dark Lord sends his regards. And in the interest of keeping his Vow, he suggests you make haste back across the pond for safety." He replaced the white mask over his face and swept out the door with a theatrical wave of his hand. "Ciao."
His hand movement must have been a nonverbal Finite Incantatem, for the moment he left, the spell keeping her paralyzed lifted. Raven was on her feet the second she could move again and she dashed to the front door just as she saw Lucius Apparate away outside the front garden.
She backed away slowly, reeling in adrenaline and desperately trying to decide what to do. The backs of her knees hit the edge of the couch and she sank into it, feeling oddly numb. For someone suddenly free to experience emotions, she was having a hard time summoning a single one at the moment.
She had known it was too good to be true. That there was a hidden catch, somehow. Raven cursed herself for being so willfully blind to her instincts. You see Raven? This is what happens when you act for yourself. She shook her head. This type of thinking was counterproductive. Choices were made, now the consequences had to be dealt with. Self-loathing needed to be postponed until after this was handled.
Closing her eyes, she tried to remember and pinpoint the essential elements of information from the dialogue that was exchanged by the Death Eaters. What did she know, and what could she infer?
Her mirror...her Horcrux was stolen. Snape was kidnapped. She was untouched. Come to think of it, both he and she were spared from violence, despite their clear wishes to inflict harm on them. However, one of the men had joked this time with her would be his last. Implying he will be dead soon, she surmised. That would violate the Unbreakable Vow Voldemort made - something Lucius had indicated he was still bound to fulfill, otherwise he wouldn't have given her "reasonable protection" by warning her to leave.
Raven frowned in concentration as she tried to recall the exact wording the Dark Lord used in his Vow to her. They had actually been her words, she realized: Lord Voldemort will take no steps to punish or seek revenge on Severus Snape.
Her eyes opened in sudden clarity.
He was kidnapped for a prestigious honor. One he would not live through. One that would guarantee Voldemort's victory and possibly endanger her if she remained in the UK. Her Horcrux was gone.
She knew what she needed to do. Zipping up her leotard and hooking her jeweled belt around her hips, the Azthranian girl hunted on the floor of the dingy kitchen until she found Snape's wand partially under the refrigerator. He would need it when she found him.
Raven left the house on foot and began walking down the dark street, trying to find a cab. She realized with dismay that it would be impossible at this hour without a cellphone. There was no one around to ask.
Coming upon a large sign on the brick side of a building, she thought she recognized a subway map...or a tube system, she guessed they called it...but it was too dark to tell for sure. Hoping against hope that she had inherited some lucky, Magical genes, Raven raised Snape's wand and stated firmly "Lumos!"
Nothing happened. She took a breath and tried again, this time accompanying the incantation with a dramatic arm wave. "Lumos!"
BANG!
Raven was nearly knocked flat on her arse when a gigantic, purple, triple-decker bus backfired into existence right beside her.
A lanky, oily, pizza-faced young man in a uniform stepped out and began his obviously well-practiced speech. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor this evening." He finally took notice of his customer. "Well 'ello, luv. What's a pre''y little thing like you doin' in a place like this?"
Recovering from her shock, Raven send a thanks upstairs for sending this bus. She didn't even care the conductor appeared to be a licentious sleazebag. "Lost, I'm afraid. I need to get to Grimmauld Place."
He frowned slightly. "Grimmauld Place? That's a Muggle neighborhood 'cross town. What you want there?"
The girl sighed and brushed past him as she boarded the bus. "Me," she answered.
Shrugging, Stan closed the door behind her and off they went.
The bus took off before Raven could find a seat, and she was tossed all the way back to the furthest bench, sparing her from Stanley's unwanted attempts at small talk. The trip, although quite the nauseating rollercoaster ride, only lasted several minutes, and they soon came to a screeching halt...which sent Raven flying forward back to where she'd boarded.
"Wizard pass or Gringott's authorization please. One Galleon."
The Azthranian thought quickly, suddenly aware she was completely broke in this world. "Charge it to Lucius Malfoy's account," she smirked.
"Whotchu say, girl?" Stan started. "You know who you meanin'?"
"Indeed I do. If there's a dispute, tell him that covering my fare would be considered...reasonable protection of my well-being. There shouldn't be a problem."
The conductor rubbed his nose and sniffed unattractively in contemplation. "If you say so miss," he relented. "Off ya go." Then under his breath: "Hope you know what you're on about."
The girl hopped down and the bus backfired out of sight. Looking across the street, she saw the street sign for Grimmauld Place and headed down the street. Eventually, she came to numbers 11 and 13. Without an Order member, there was no way she was getting inside, and she knew better than to try and get the attention of the occupants by waking them.
She reasoned that perhaps there were wards or other security alarm measures protecting the perimeter. She walked along the front, touching the bricks as she trudged the distance between 11 and 13. Sure enough, as she was returning to the street, she heard an urgent, whispered voice from seemingly nowhere:
"Raven! What in Merlin's name...? Come in! Come in!"
She almost smiled when she saw Remus Lupin's face poke out from the invisible barrier bubble and an arm usher her to follow. Stepping through the gelatinous sensation, she pressed her lips together in a friendly, but still serious greeting. "Remus," she breathed. "I'm sorry for the sudden appearance, but-"
"Nonsense," he interrupted with concern, "we've been worried sick ever since you and Severus never returned and reported from the Death Eater meeting this morning...well," he amended, "yesterday morning."
He escorted the purple-haired woman inside Number 12 quietly in order to prevent waking up the portrait of Lady Black and in turn, the whole house. Remus brought them into the kitchen and prepared a cup of hot tea for them both. The dark circles beneath his eyes appeared more pronounced than the last time she saw him.
"I'm sorry," she expressed again, though this time for other reasons. Remus seemed to sense that and let her go on. "Things have gotten out of hand. I've made a terrible mistake that I fear could put an end to all of us."
Lupin brought the mugs of tea over to the table, sitting down next to her and bid her continue. He knew his first move should have been to contact Albus, but he could just sense that it needed to be held off. The gentle-hearted werewolf was reaffirmed of his choice when the notoriously self-controlled girl next to him began to show signs of emotional distress.
Much to her embarrassment, Raven could do little to stop the shaking breaths or the tears welling in her eyes as she tried to think through how to word the situation. It was her fault. It was all her fault. If she hadn't been so goddamn selfish and just sucked it up and lived with Trigon in her soul, none of this would be happening. She took an unsteady sip of tea before she went on.
"I was fully prepared to infiltrate and destroy the Death Eaters. To fight for this new world that had welcomed me. But I had something dangerous inside me that could just have easily destroyed all of you if I lost control of it. I'd borne it all my life. Severus warned me that the Dark Lord manipulates people, and I went in expecting that...but I never expected him to have a way for me to get rid of the evil inside. To give me a full life with emotions...the ability to accept and give love, to cry, and laugh..." she trailed off, blinking away a rogue tear.
"Did you give him your powers?" Remus asked quietly.
She shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "Worse, I think."
Dumbledore sat asleep in his office chair behind the desk he had spent many sleepless nights. Two clocks lay on the varnished wood before him - one with the face of Raven on the hand, and the other bearing the face of Severus Snape. Albus hadn't thought to go retrieve the clocks until merely an hour ago, and by then he had missed the period when Snape's pointed to "Parents House" and Raven's to "With Severus" (an increasingly frequent position, as of late). Had he been a bit sooner to the Chamber of Clocks, he would've known where to find them, but he'd been too busy dealing with a Ministry meeting and badgering Remus on whether Severus had reported to the Order's HQ instead of Hogwarts.
Now, to the old wizard's utmost unease, Severus' hand was pointed at the noon position...which for him had always been "Mortal Peril." It was not uncommon for his spy's clock to be in this spot, but considering that, for all Albus knew, it could have been in that position all day, it was of grave concern to him. Raven's had transitioned from "Traveling" to "Order," but the Headmaster had succumbed to a restless sleep before it had moved to its final destination, hoping against hope that he would be wrested from his dreams by a Floo call, a Patronus, or the ungodly form of a large black bird emerging from the floor.
But there would be none of these this night.
Albus Dumbledore shifted in his sleep.
"Why aren't you calling him?" asked a bemused Raven.
The weary man sighed next to her. "Because I know what he'd say, and I don't want to risk his disapproval of your plan. His focus is on the bigger picture-"
Raven snorted. "Like someone else I met."
Remus's eyes narrowed in warning. "Severus' cover has already been blown. To Albus, he's no longer a useful asset and he wouldn't risk losing more Order members to bring him back if he felt the odds were too high against us. If he knows what we were up against, his next move would be to wait and let Voldemort destroy himself with his own lack of foresight. Then move in to clean up the mess."
The girl was silent as she digested this. They had long since finished their tea and were now sitting in the living room on the lumpy couch. "Why are you doing this?" Raven finally asked.
The man placed a reassuring hand on her knee with a tired smile. "First of all, I believe you that this imminent threat is blind to our war...it would be imprudent to try and use it for our purposes. Second, Severus may never consider me a friend, but let's just say that I owe him quite a bit." He hesitated, memories of his student years threatening to overwhelm him. "We've all done things we deeply regret." He took a breath before shaking himself. "And lastly, I'm Deputy Head of the Order, and I'm authorized to act independently of Dumbledore in emergency situations. I consider this to be a time-sensitive mission that requires immediate action."
Never dreaming she'd be the touchy-feely type, Raven indulged her impulsive desire to touch his arm in appreciation. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For everything."
Remus squeezed her knee in platonic affection. "I know better than most how much the desire for love and a normal life means to those deprived of it. Both you and Severus deserve happiness, just as I have found mine."
"Tonks," Raven smiled back knowingly.
His quirked eyebrow and sudden chuckle confused her. "Sirius," he corrected.
"Oh!" Raven exclaimed in surprise. Then the implication dawned on her. "Ohhh..."
With another chuckle, Lupin patted her leg and stood up. "Now that's cleared up, let's wake up the team, shall we?"
Crossing the room, Remus opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of none other than Albus Dumbledore standing on the other side with a look of absolute disappointment in his sky-blue eyes.
"Albus!" Remus blurted out.
The elderly wizard swept by him and approached Raven solemnly.
The girl fought the instinct to shrink back at his intimidating figure. "Headmaster," she greeted uncertainly.
"I'm surprised at you, Remus," he stated without looking at him. "Plotting behind my back because you presume to know and disagree with my plans."
The mild mannered Deputy Head responded evenly. "How long were you going to stand there eavesdropping?"
Dumbledore replied to his question with another question. "Is this really the route you're going to take after what you've been caught doing?"
"Headmaster," Raven interrupted, trying to deflect some of the attention off Lupin. "I apologize for not coming straight to you, but I knew this required the immediate attention of the entire Order. And to be quite frank, I didn't trust you to authorize the mission fast enough, if at all."
"And it seems I mistakenly trusted you to withstand the lure of Dark Magic, Miss Roth."
Raven gritted her teeth but said nothing as the old wizard continued.
"While it is true I tend to think on a more strategic level, that doesn't mean I'm foolish enough to believe this can be manipulated to serve our interests. I believe it's best to stop Voldemort before he can enact his...scheme. It's therefore with the utmost urgency that I approve this short-fused venture. However, I insist you remain behind." He held up a wrinkled hand to curb any interjections. "Not only would there be conflicting interests in the case of Severus Snape, but in the event of an all-out assault on the Dark Lord's stronghold, you would be little more than a liability, my dear."
"It's my Horcrux," she argued.
"Miss Roth, without your powers, there would be little you could do. Have some faith in the Order members."
"I don't doubt their abilities or their commitment, but I'm the only one who knows what you're dealing with over there. The sooner I can get my hands on the mirror, the faster I can stop all this. I'll take it all back right there in Malfoy Manor if I can. I'll be fine... Voldemort swore an Unbreakable Vow not to harm me."
"That may be, but his Death Eaters are not under such constraints. I will not risk it. We'll wait until you're in a safe place to attempt the reversal."
The Azthranian girl took a bold step forward. "Why?" she asked. "What's there to lose if I die? If the mission's a success, then it's no great loss. If it fails...then, well...we'd all be better off dead."
Remus cleared his throat. "If I may, Albus. It may be useful to, at the very least, have her in a support capacity. Arrive with the team, but remain on the perimeter."
"We're coming, too," said a voice outside the doorway.
Remus and Raven started and jerked to the open door, stunned beyond belief when none other than Harry Bloody Potter walked in, followed by Hermione and Ron...there were others behind them, but neither she nor Lupin could identify them in the darkness.
"For shit's sake, Dumbledore!" Raven swore irritably, "Did you bring all of Hogwarts with you?"
The Trio looked taken aback at her vehement anger at seeing them.
The Headmaster sighed heavily and began to clean his half-moon glasses on a piece of his robes. "There is much you still don't understand about our war, my dear. Suffice it to say, there has been a prophecy that foretold the destruction of the Dark Lord at the hands of Harry. We've been leading up to a final confrontation with him, and I've been trying to put it off as long as I could to give the boy more time. But, with regret, it appears your oversight has cost us any more preparation. The time is upon us."
"I'm ready," Harry declared bravely, though his convulsive swallowing didn't help.
Raven scoffed. "So you're just going to toss him into the fray and hope he manages to kill Voldemort. Why does that not inspire confidence?"
His blue eyes hardened. "He'll have the support of the entire Order behind him, including myself."
"And all of us," added Ron, pointing behind him at the tiny group waiting outside.
"Dumbledore's Army reporting for duty," Hermione announced confidently. "If this is the last stand, we're going to be there for Harry."
Raven turned back to the Headmaster, seething. "They're students, Dumbledore! Harry's just a kid! Why are you involving them at all?"
"Though they may be students, they've been involved since the day they were born."
"So I've heard!" she snapped. "Having children do the dirty work... Stopping Voldemort from getting the Sorcerer's Stone. Killing the basilisk. Saving Sirius. I may have a lot to understand about your world, but I doubt there's much more to understanding you."
"That's not fair!" Harry retorted. "There's a lot of that he couldn't control! And besides, I'm basically an adult now, and it's our choice to join this fight. You have no authority to keep us here.
"Like you said Raven," Hermione contributed, "if we fail, then what does it matter anyway? As far as I see it, the more people we have fighting on our side, the better chance we have."
The Headmaster let out another grave sigh as he returned his spectacles to his face. "Remus, assemble the team. We'll brief them and give them the mission details in the dining room over tea."
With a curt nod, Lupin darted up the stairs to wake the other Order members.
No more than ten minutes later, everyone was sitting or standing around the long wooden table. Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks were the only other Order members present. The remaining people consisted of DA members: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Raven stood awkwardly to the side as Dumbledore stood before them and described what their objectives were:
Find, secure, and retrieve the Horcrux. Destroy any ceremony-related artifacts they found. Kill Voldemort...if this proves to be nonviable, then rescue Professor Snape...where feasible.
Raven clenched her jaw at the phrasing, as though he were an afterthought. Deep down, she knew she had to face certain realities. Namely, that despite her newfound love and attachment to Severus, this mission would - in all likelihood - result in his death...one way or another. If they succeeded, Voldemort would be dead, bringing all his marked Death Eaters with him to the grave. If they failed, then Snape would be dead, having been the necessary sacrifice in the manifestation ritual necessary to unleash Trigon on the world.
Either way, Raven had to come to grips with the reality that Severus wouldn't survive the next twelve hours, regardless of the outcome. Under previous circumstances, the Azthranian would have set about meditating the pain and sorrow away...bottling it up and shoving it down into the deepest recesses of her mind to ignore for eternity. But being as she was now, Raven found herself discretely wiping her nose and eyes on the backs of her hands and hoping none of the others in the room noticed.
What had she done?
She suddenly felt a hand on her bicep and she was jerked back into the moment, only to realize that everyone was filing out of the room to make preparations for the upcoming invasion. Looking to her right, she found Remus looking at her with concern.
His touch and open care was her undoing, and Raven found herself emitting silent sobs against his chest as he held her tightly. "I've killed him, Remus" she choked out. "I've killed him..."
The werewolf rubbed calming circles on her back as he shushed in her ear. "Shh shhh shhhh, I know Severus," he murmured soothingly. "You've given him something precious that he never would have experienced if it hadn't been for you." He squeezed harder as she shuddered in tears. "And I know he would rather have loved you for one night than spend a lifetime of loneliness without you."
She let out a mournful, but quiet sob as she pulled back and away. "I always destroy the ones I love. Even when I try to protect them." She wiped the tears from her violet eyes furiously. "Especially when I try to protect them."
Lupin offered a reassuring smile. "Then let's break the pattern. You have all of us behind you."
Still doubtful, but appreciative of his confidence in her, Raven forced herself to return his contagious, but meaningful smile. "I guess we'll see, won't we?"
Following the others out, the pair stopped behind the small crowd in the living room as Dumbledore went over last minute notes. He was charming several Portkeys for those not licensed in Apparation or, like Raven, unable to do so.
"As stated earlier," he was saying, "once we arrive outside the gates of Malfoy Manor, we'll split into groups and assault the grounds from three different sides. At no point will DA members separate from their Order handler. We'll coordinate our attack the moment I bring down the protective spells on the estate...there are undoubtedly strong, Anti-Apparation spells protecting the actual property, otherwise we would simply surprise them in their beds."
"That's if they're sleeping..." Raven voiced.
"Quite so, my dear. Do not expect this to be easy. I do not anticipate maintaining the element of surprise for very long, so don't dally. Should anyone come into direct contact with Lord Voldemort before myself, do not attempt to fight him. Run. Hide. Leave. Only Harry and myself should make a stand against him, and only Harry once I've weakened him as far as I'm able. Is this understood?"
There were nods of acceptance.
"Very good. Sirius? You'll have Miss Granger and Mr. Longbottom. Dora? You're with Mr. Weasley and Miss Lovegood. Miss Weasley with Remus. Harry and Raven, you'll accompany me."
He carefully distributed the Portkeys between the groups, setting them untouched on the ground in front of them.
The teams made ready, wands drawn, looking anxious as they gripped each others arms in preparation for the Portkey jump.
Dumbledore returned to the front to give one last, ominous warning. "Don't forget. If we are too late to stop the Summoning and Trigon is released... I doubt any of us shall return. Let's proceed with haste and stick to the plan."
Without further ado, the Headmaster strode forward and grabbed Raven and Harry by the wrist. His face suddenly brightened up, seemingly oblivious to the sudden drop in morale among the warriors. "All set then? Any last questions? No? Very well. If you will, everyone, it's time."
Raven barely had any chance to take one last look at the dismal interior of 12 Grimmauld Place before she, as well as Albus and Harry, disappeared with a POP.
After a few quick, nervous glances at the others, the teams knelt down and, as one, touched their Portkeys and spun out of sight.
A/N: Now that I've ramped up the rating to a solid 'M,' I'm becoming more prone to dropping profanity in the story. I hope that doesn't offend or turn off anyone.
