Sorry for not updating, I was trying to sort out the plot. Anyway, please review, read, whatever… Enjoy .
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Time had become somewhat stagnant. It was no longer an indicator of where things went but instead an indicator of moments lost. My mum kept a clock in the living room, with each member of our family having an individual arrow. Instead of telling the time, this clock told our current position in the physical or in the mortal world. All of us were now pointed at mortal peril and as the days passed those little arrows refused to move.
It was like life at Hogwarts. Day by day, we persisted, kept our heads down and fought a silent battle. We were alive but we weren't living. We survived, this was the real world. Fantasies crawled into my dreams but were banished at sunrise. Sometimes Harry met me, entwining me into false hopes, clever deceptions of my mind.
And the more I teetered on thin ice, the closer I came to the frozen end. That was until I was saved. Saved by a traitor. A man who had killed his mentor, his master...the man he should have come to think of as his father. And this man had given me a chance to help, to be a pawn in the war we were fighting. Or so I hoped. I had no idea what I was in for.
Seven came and I found myself walking down to the dungeons. My wand was at the ready and I kept a close look out for the Carrows. But as Snape had promised the coast was clear. I met no disturbance. I reached his office and I tried not to feel my confidence faltering. I knocked once, a single tap and waited. Almost immediately the door swung open, so fast it was startling. It was clear that Snape had summoned the door to open. I stepped inside the half lit room and the door swung closed behind me. I felt the ominous sense that I was being entrapped. Snape was sitting at his desk, in the shadows, most of his face hidden.
"Approach me." He said, from the darkened alcove. I swallowed and with nervous feet I walked over to him. I could barely see where I was going but my eyes caught the silver glint of a bottle as it was raised to his mouth. He sat in a worn but comfortable looking chair, looking relaxed but quite serious and brooding. He placed the bottle back on his desk and with steepled hands, considered me quietly.
"Miss Weasley." He said, in some way of a greeting.
"Professor." I replied, my voice a whispered shiver in the oppressiveness of the room.
"Do you know why I have requested you here tonight?" he asked me.
"Because you saved my life?" I said, hesitating over my own words.
"For a Gryffindor, you are quick to catch on."
"Thank you Professor."
"I was not paying you a complement Weasley." He growled, sounding malicious under cool waves of hidden emotions. This man was a riddle, it was impossible to decipher what he was thinking.
I remained silent, waiting for what would happen next. It was very uncharacteristic of me but instinctively I knew that I should not initiate any reason for disagreement or annoyance from this man.
"And the fact that I have saved your life has brought you here tonight, not from your free will, but because you are in my debt and as it is, I am requiring your assistance. "
"Me?" I spluttered. My assistance? What could I possibly do?
"You are as eloquent as ever Weasley, hold your tongue while I am speaking."
I fumed inwardly at his snide comment. Seriously this man's temper flared at any moment, for completely unjust reasons.
"As you may have noticed the…golden trio" (Snape paused with slight disgust at the mention of my bestfriend, brother and boyfriend), "Have decided to take matters into their own incompetent hands. Now I am lacking a messenger, conveyer of classified information. "
I began to speak but Snape held up his single hand to halt my speech as he continued, "Minerva would gladly trust the golden brat and he could have had the potential to relay classified information to her and to the Order. A would fulfil this task myself, if I did not have a persona to cover and that is where you come in Weasley. You will help me transfer important information to the order, seeing as you are the only child left at this school whose parents happen to be members of the Order."
He paused for a moment and I wondered if I should say something. Maybe he thought that I was going to object, maybe he thought I would consider the task too dangerous. Whatever he thought, he was probably wrong. I was dying do something helpful, anything that would make a difference.
"And what is it that I must do, Professor?"
"Miss Weasley," he said softly, as if I wouldn't be able to comprehend what he was about to say, "We are going to fake your own kidnapping."
"What?" I blurted suddenly, knowing full well that my outburst would irritate him but I couldn't help myself. Was this man serious?
"Weasley, I do not wish to repeat everything I say."
"So you're serious?" I said weakly. I knew he was telling the truth but I was still waiting for the "Haha, only joking". But it never came.
"Do I seem like the type that makes jokes?" he scowled back, his furrowed brow looking more menacing than ever.
Of course I knew the answer to that. But the question was, why?
"Because, Weasley." He said, after obviously reading my thoughts, "I can't just tell you information. You need a cover story, an alibi for the fact that you are coming into contact with Death Eaters. Under my instruction, you will be kept safe, long enough for you to gain the information you need and then you can successfully relay it back to the Order."
Something clicked and then things didn't make sense anymore.
"Professor, who will be kidnapping me?"
I dreaded the words. If he said you-know-who, I was going to be really pissed.
"Lucius Malfoy."
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse.
"Weasley, you have been gaining an unsatisfactory reputation as a troublemaker lately, and as a member on the Board of Governors, Lucius only wants the best for the children of Hogwarts, which means they cannot be susceptible to the influences...of your kind. And as things are going, it is only a matter of time before he would have acted anyway. Haven't you wondered about your little friend Lovegood?"
I bit back a retort at the mention of Luna and concentrated hard on what Snape said. He was going to get Lucius Malfoy to kidnap me. Kidnap me so I could access to classified information of the death eater's plans. All because I was in debt to him. Maybe I should have just kept quiet in that day in class.
"Weasley?" he growled, as I realised that I hadn't being paying attention as I drifted into my thoughts.
"When?" I questioned.
He narrowed his eyes a little at the informalness of question but responded, "Next week, Tuesday."
I swallowed. He really has planned this.
"In the meantime, I shall be giving you intense occlumency lessons, to strengthen your shields against attack. Since you have already been possessed, I expect your mind to recognise an invasion, and I am hoping these lessons will not take up too much of my time."
He was making it sound like I was a burden, but in fact the whole thing was his idea anyway.
"Professor, does Malfoy know about this? I am going to be living in his house, aren't I? What's going to happen to me?" I asked in a rush.
Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, placing his bottle of firewhisky on the table. "You will be transferred to a disclosed location and even though your life will not be in immediate danger, you will be put in a very risky situation. It is important that you take this seriously. You will play a crucial part in the upholding of the Order. I do not know if Mr Malfoy will know. I expect his father will tell him only what is vital."
"But Professor, surely Lucius isn't just going along with this to help a friend, what's his story?"
"As I said," Snape replied, sounding like he was rapidly losing patience, "He thinks what he is doing will be beneficial to the school…It will also quell your parents, warn them."
"My parents, they won't know that this is all a set-up, will they? Am I allowed to tell them?"
"Most certainly not. They were not blessed with the common ability of secrecy. No doubt the plan would unfold if your…family was to be involved."
Although it made sense, it still hurt. I was going to have to lie to everyone. They will all be so worried.
"There is no turning back, Weasley." He read my thoughts again, and eyed my with those glinting eyes of his own, endless tunnels into his skull.
He was right. It was too late now.
"You will report back here at eight, tomorrow night. If you are late, adequate punishment will be given."
"Yes, Professor." I said numbly.
"You can leave but you must not speak of these plans to anyone or you will wholeheartedly regret it." He said it with venom, I felt my heart beat rise in speed for a few seconds.
"Yes." And before he could say anything, I tore from the room, sped down the corridor and didn't stop running till I reached the safety of the common room.
There was no turning back. No way out.
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