Disclaimer: All things Harry Potter belong to the wondrous mind of J.K.Rowling. I am simply borrowing them.
A/N: Hello all, I know this story so far is mainly the same as before, but once I get past the next several more chapters, it will be entirely new content Thank you to that kind soul who sent me my first review and for the correction. Maybe there are some other kind souls out there who would like to give me a review; good or bad, it doesn't matter. Much obliged.
Harry Potter and the Shards of Voldemort's Soul
Chapter 4: Back to Spinner's End
Snape and Malfoy appeared within the shadow of a crumbling structure with what looked to be an immense chimney. It was worn and some of the stone walls were cracked and crumbling and had obviously been abandoned for many years. The chimney looked like a crooked finger trying to reach out to the distant sky which was painted with the slight golden hue of a fading day. Nothing could be seen in the surrounding area but an overgrown thicket of drab brown bushes and dead leafless trees. The building seemed to be built slightly stretched atop of a twisting river of dark water that seemed to meander through the dead land, the water churning and pulsing like a vein of blood pulsing out a blackened heart. The place itself reeked of death and decay with garbage strewn across the ground which permeated a stench that had grown from disuse and neglect.
Altogether this was not a place that a Wizard should inhabit, but for Snape, it had been a refuge away from life. Here he could escape where none knew him or cared to know him. Here he had no sins, no past and the people were content to go about their daily lives in isolation. Draco looked about in disgust, not used to being around such filth. He instinctively brought up his hand to cover his mouth from the smell.
"Where in Merlin are we?" Draco demanded with a gasp. Snape smirked at his charge knowing that his pampered friend would be find this area extremely revolting, inwardly it pleased him to know that Draco was in discomfort. The boy had been a pampered prince for his entire life, its time he sees what the real world is like.
"We are close to my home. This is a Muggle town so we must be careful to not attract any attention," Severus responded pointing to the quiet, dark cluster of houses in the distance.
"Now that Balthazar has protected us from prying eyes, we can move about more quickly. I did not want to lead any of the Ministry trackers here." Draco grimaced at the mention of Balthazar.
"Why did you bring us there to that Vampire? Was there no other way to alter our magical signatures?"
"No method that would have been quick enough or close by. Balthazar was the only one with the capability or the inclination of helping us. Besides, I had no idea that you would have had reacted thusly to his presence," Severus said with a sneer. Draco flushed with embarrassment, feeling his robes stained with the pleasure of his tribute to Balthazar, wincing as he could almost still feel those cold hands running across his body arousing his pleasure. Draco had allowed himself to give in to the pleasure and took succor in the feeling. Turning away, he muttered several cleansing charms to scour his discretion away, disgusted at himself. Why had he reacted like that? He had never felt that way before? Turning back to Snape, he knew that he could not find any answers from him and pushed his thoughts in to the furthest recesses of his mind.
"What now?" Draco demanded in an attempt to change the subject.
"Now, we wait until nightfall and then we will go to my house," replied Snape. Walking to a nearby boulder, Severus dropped to the hard ground shifted himself uncomfortably, settling down to wait for nightfall. Sighing, Draco followed suit and they sat there in silence as the purple sky faded to the deep black of night.
Rising to his feet finally, Severus led a path through the brush towards to the town. "Come Draco, it is time to go," Snape ordered without looking back.
Draco complied and after a stretch of his stiff muscles, he followed Snape as he led them towards the township. Draco followed Snape through the dead shrubbery which became sparser as they approached the nearby houses. The ground was dry and dusty forcing Draco to cover his mouth with the sleeve of his robes to avoid hacking from the choking air that mixed in with the horrible odor that seemed to permeate through everything. As they approached the town's edge, the dusty ground gave way to cobbled grey stone barely lit by the street lamps that dotted the street at various points. Without pause, Snape led Draco through the maze of intersecting paths amidst the densely packed houses with boarded-up windows.
After a few minutes, Draco decided to break the silence. "Sir, there were things that Balthazar had said and…" Draco started to ask, but Snape cut him off.
"And now you have questions," Snape finished the sentence. Draco nodded glumly. Severus sighed and knew that they needed to have a discussion that Balthazar had unearthed, but it would have to wait until they were safely inside his house. "Your questions will be answered as soon as we reach my home." Draco nodded and they continued on through the labyrinth in silence.
Finally they came upon the street called Spinner's End and Snape led them right up to the last house on the block. Snape's house was cold and uninviting and the air here seemed a little chiller then on the rest of the street. Snape walked straight up to the front door and waved his wand at the lock. Hearing a click, the door swung open with a loud creak that shattered the stillness. Snape quickly ushered Draco inside not noticing the small rat that scurried in underneath his robes. He led him to the small sitting room and motioned for him to sit down. Waving his hand, several candles fired in to existence revealing the cluttered nature of the room. Draco was surrounded by walls of leather bound books of various sizes and colors. Looking around, Draco saw that the entire room seemed to be covered with a layer of thick dust telling him that that this house must not be in use that often.
"You live here alone?" Draco asked quietly.
"Yes for the most part. I had a house guest in Wormtail last summer whom the Dark Lord had commanded to stay with me. But he left when I went back to Hogwarts," Severus answered.
Sighing, he sat down on the ancient looking armchair issuing a small cloud of dust that surrounded his face and tickled his nostrils, but he waved away the soiled air and turned to address Draco.
"Well Draco, you had some questions; we might as well get them out of the way," Severus muttered as he leaned back comfortably in to the chair that seemed to ease his tiredness.
"Well sir, Balthazar mentioned that you were kin and also that you shunned the ways of your heritage. Does that mean that you are a…" Draco asked hesitantly, unsure if he really wanted the answer.
"A Vampire?" Snape answered the boy's question. "Yes, I have Vampire blood in me. My Great Grand-Father was a Vampire and therefore passed on the noble Vampire heritage through my line to me. The gene is very weak in me, but it is still there. I do not like sunlight, thus I prefer the darkness of my dungeons, but it is a preference; I am not weakened by it. I am a normal human being and very much alive unlike my Vampire relation. I do not seek out others to try and suck out their blood, nor can I turn anyone in to a Vampire by having them drink my own. I do have an aptitude for the magic of the mind: Occlumency and Legilimency, but I do not have the bewitching eyes of a Vampire, so no Draco, I won't be tempting you to my bed," Severus said with a smirk. Draco blushed again in embarrassment.
"Sir, about that, I…I..don't.." Draco stammered out red-faced, unsure of how to ask his questions that had plagued his own mind since their excursion to see Balthazar.
"Let me tell you one thing about Vampires Draco. They are creatures of the undead that have been reanimated through magical means. You know the basics of how they maintain their own existence; that much I've taught you. They are raw magical creatures of instinct, hunger and sexual desire and one of their tendencies is to evoke such desire in to their intended victims," Severus told the boy, realizing that Draco was no doubt confused by his own reactions, remembering his own such reactions years ago when he was first acquainted with a vampire. However, in his own circumstance, the vampire happened to be a female, so he could understand Draco's confusion.
"But why, to what end does it serve other then to satisfy their own perverse pleasure?" Draco questioned with a shudder.
"You understand that they must suck out human blood in order to live, but what you do not know is that they also crave emotion. They are creatures that feast upon the strong vibrant feelings of the living. Fear, hate and most of all lust are their food and drink just as much as our own living blood." Draco listened with rapt horror at what Severus was telling him.
"Balthazar no doubt saw your innocence and could not help himself as he was driven by pure instinct and desire. You were his unfortunate victim and as we had no other choice, I had to comply with his unsavory appetite," Severus explained with a sigh.
"So it was completely normal then to react as such, it doesn't mean that…you know…I'm." Draco asked quietly, his face reddening fiercely. Severus raised his eyebrows at this and thought for a moment on what to say.
"Draco, if you mean to ask me about your own sexual tendencies, then I'm sorry, I can not give you the answers you seek. As for your reactions to Balthazar, then yes, it was a completely normal reaction," Snape said with a grimace, hoping to find an end to this uncomfortable line of questioning. He had often wondered about Draco's preferences having observed the boy for many years, but this was the first time that he had ever seen the boy voice questions about his own confusion. There were some things that he absolutely refused to discuss.
"Do you have any other questions of substance?" Severus snapped wearily.
"Is it true that you made an Unbreakable Vow with my mother?" Draco asked pointedly. Severus sighed in response and nodded.
"Yes, I did. Your mother came to see me just after you received your task from the Dark Lord. She was afraid that you would die in the attempt and was incredibly distraught. She sought my help, unfortunately Bellatrix came with her to try and stop her. Bella didn't trust me nor should she have. I made the Unbreakable Vow with your mother to help you and complete your task should you not be capable of completing it yourself along with the additional duty of trying to keep you safe. I made the vow to convince Bellatrix as well as other doubters of my loyalty to the Dark Lord. In the end, when you could not kill Dumbledore, I had little choice but to kill him myself or die from breaking the vow." Inside, Snape's heart was breaking as he relived this dark time in his life that had led to the destruction of his only friend.
"But you weren't loyal were you?" Draco asked suddenly startling Severus in to speechlessness.
"What do you mean?" Snape queried, his voice cracking slightly.
"Balthazar had said that this death above all others affected you deeply. He seemed to think that you regretted your actions. Why else would you regret killing Dumbledore unless you were friendly with him and his ragtag band of followers in the first place? Dumbledore himself told me that you were a double-agent," Draco accused.
"Before I answer this question, I have one of my own," Snape said quietly. His voice was hard and cold and he knew that now was the moment of truth. He hoped that the Headmaster's suspicions about Draco were true; otherwise this could get very ugly.
"Why couldn't you kill Dumbledore?" Draco trembled, this was the one question that he was afraid was going to be asked and he didn't really understand the answer himself.
"I .. I don't k..know," Draco sputtered hiding his face from Snape's cruel stare. Leaning forward from his chair, Snape pressed in.
"You don't know. You, whom have been groomed by Lucius himself, the former right-hand to the Dark Lord, does not know. You, who has tortured others and willfully committed the Unforgivable curses, does not know. Your trembling Draco, that's a sign of weakness. The Dark Lord does not abide weakness in his followers. His Death Eaters are strong, they are vicious, they are blood-thirsty and above all else, they do not cringe at committing murder." Draco was visibly shaking now. With each word, he seemed to flinch and shrink lower in to himself.
"I ask you again Draco, why didn't you kill Albus Dumbledore. He was weak and helpless. He had no wand and he was at your mercy so why did you not finish him off," Severus said coldly with a sneer.
Draco remembered standing upon the tower, his wand pointed at Dumbledore's heart. The old man was slumped against the wall in front of him; his face was full of pity, pity for him. Here he was, standing at the mercy of Draco's wand and the old man felt pity for him. Then those words that filled him with awe and fear were uttered.
'No Draco, it is my mercy, not yours that matters now.'
'Draco, you are not a killer'
'The Order can hide you'
"Draco," Snape shouted. "I asked you a question. Why didn't you kill Albus Dumbledore? Are you a Death Eater or not?" Draco looked up defiantly and stood up before his mentor, his hands gripping his wand tightly.
"NO!" he shouted. "I am a Death Eater no longer. I want to defect, like you did. I want to join the Order of the Phoenix." Snape looked up at the boy impassively, his eyes penetrating in to his mind. Silently, he cast those familiar words; 'Legilimens' and he plunged in to Draco's mind. He was affronted with a jumble of images and sounds and he had to strain to not be engulfed by the boy's raging thoughts and emotions. He was obviously in turmoil and was split between his fear of the loss of his family's lives at the hands of the Dark Lord and the loyalty to his father's cause. Finally, he found his thoughts on that night in the tower. He replayed them slowly, watching as Draco trembled before his old friend. No, Draco could never have fulfilled his mission. It was true; Dumbledore had gotten through to the boy's heart and found something decent within. Lucius had not been able to corrupt the boy fully. He retreated from his mind and noticed that Draco shuddered when he left. Both fell back in to their respective chairs with a great of explosion of breath, drained.
"Very well Draco, I will help you. You are correct; I am a double-agent and have been for years. It was very unfortunate for all of us that Dumbledore had to die, you have no idea how much I did not want to complete the act, but there was no other choice. However, there is still hope in Harry." Draco sneered at the mention of his long-time rival.
"Potter, you've got to be joking. The lack wit has no chance against the Dark Lord," Draco laughed cruelly. It was so sudden that it took Severus by surprise. For a minute, he was looking at a boy who had lost all hope and then defiantly pledged for the side of good and the next, there stood the proud boy with hatred in his heart. So much like me, he thought.
"Draco, listen to me. You are walking down a very dangerous path; one that I know very well as I have already walked it. It is no surprise that there is an enmity between Potter and myself that stems back from my childhood days. But, you Draco have a chance to mend that before it is too late. Don't become like me, full of hatred and arrogant spite. You have the chance to turn your life around, I suggest you take it and put the past behind you and bury your rivalry with Potter. Otherwise it will torture you for the rest of your life and it will twist inside you becoming vile and loathsome." Both men were silent for a moment and then Draco cleared his throat.
"I don't know if I can do this, be this man that you want me to be, but I will try," Draco said earnestly. Severus nodded and gripped him on his shoulder, willing him his own strength to do what he must.
At that moment, the bookshelf that doubled as the door to Snape's hidden room burst outward, spraying them with a shower of heavy volumes and jagged wooden shards that bit deeply in to their skin. Bellatrix stepped out from behind the wreckage of the door, a maniacal gleam in her eyes. She carried a large bundle wrapped in what appeared to be a plush burgundy bed sheet over her shoulder that she tossed unceremoniously to the ground.
"How touching, I think I'm gonna cry," Bellatrix laughed in her hideous baby voice.
Snape was the quickest to respond. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his side, he rolled to his feet thrusting his wand in front of him silently casting Stupefy. A jet of red light was emitted from the tip of his wand and flew towards Bellatrix with dizzying speed, but no matter how fast his spell was, Bellatrix was faster. She slashed her wand upwards and the spell was repelled towards the ceiling. She slashed her wand again and Snape was caught in a blast of light that propelled him roughly in to his now broken table. By this time Draco was on his feet and cried, "Diffindo!" The spell caught Bellatrix in the arm who did not had the chance to dodge in time and sliced deep through her dark robes through her skin; a small spray of crimson staining the walls. She cried out in psychotic rage, leveling her wand at Draco, she screeched the word, "DEBILITO!" Draco had tried to move out of the spell's path but found himself backed in to the corner of the tiny room and was overcome by a wash of black light. He bones became weak and felt brittle and he seemed to lose all strength in his limbs. He fell to the floor in a crumpled heap his wand rolling out of his hand.
Cackling madly, Bellatrix waved her wand and both of the fallen wands flew in to her outstretched hand.
"Well, what do we have here: a filthy double-crossing turncoat and a simpering wimp of a pansy who was my former nephew, eh?" Snape slowly pulled himself up to a seated position and took stock of their condition. It was then that he recognized a slip of blond hair from within the bundle of cloth that Bellatrix had tossed to the floor earlier.
"NARCISSA!" he cried, immediately crawling over the broken rubble to her side. Feeling her pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief; she was alive, but only barely. He had to get them out of here.
"Why Bellatrix, why would you do this?" Snape demanded while coughing spasmodically.
"Why?" she cried out in obvious insanity. "Why to secure the Dark Lord's favor of course. I knew that you were a traitor, but I just couldn't prove it; not to Narcissa and not to the Dark Lord. Then you had to make that damned Vow which would ensure that Dumbledore would die by your hands and that would have elevated you above me. Thanks to your flapping jaws, I now have the proof I need. I will bring you all in to the Dark Lord and take my rightful place as his right hand." While she was parading about the room, Snape had been secretly dipping his hands beneath the folds of his robes, pulling out a thin vial from an inner pocket.
"You would do this to your own family, your sister, your nephew?" Snape said trying to keep her distracted.
"Of course I would. Cissy was a fool to trust you and she clearly went against the Dark Lord's orders by entering in to an Unbreakable Vow with you. If she hadn't of married that pompous ass, I would have already been the Dark Lord's most respected servant. But Lucius had his money and his prestige with the Ministry. He had secreted himself quite nicely until his screw-up in the Department of Mysteries. In my eyes, this is entirely her fault. Now is my chance and absolutely nothing is going to stand in my way. Nothing, do you understand me?" she cackled, her eyes dancing wildly.
She turned sharply at a noise behind her; a couple of books falling from the shelves, but Severus took his chance and tossed the vial of what appeared to be grey smoke at Bellatrix's feet. The vial shattered and immediately the room was filled with murky clouds of thick fog. Bellatrix shrieked with rage and immediately fired a Reducto spell in Snape's direction but he had already rolled out of the way. Swinging his legs out, he caught Bella in the legs bringing her crashing hard to the floor. Unfortunately, in her fall, she had released her grip on their wands and Snape quickly recovered his wand. He jabbed his wand out and cried Obliviate while focusing his mind of their entire encounter with Bellatrix. Hopefully, her memory of the last thirty minutes will be so jumbled that she would not be able to tell the Dark Lord what she had overheard. Bellatrix slumped to the floor reeling from the mental attack.
Snape finally sank back to the floor releasing a loud sigh and wiped his brow from sweat. Turning to Draco he waved his wand and muttered, "Finite Incantatum." Draco stopped his spasmodic shaking and visibly relaxed. Turning back to Narcissa, Severus pulled another vial from his robes, which contained this time a fierce red liquid and pulled Narcissa to the couch so that he could ply the liquid down her throat. The effect was instantaneous and she coughed and sputtered until she regained a regular breathing rhythm. She looked around and up at Severus with confusion.
"What has happened here?" she demanded weakly absently pulling the strands of blond hair that had plastered in front of her face.
"I'm afraid Bella has turned against you Narcissa. She attacked you and brought you here to lie in wait for Draco and I to return, then she attacked us," Severus explained.
"Oh Bella, how could you?" Narcissa said softly, a tear rolling down her face.
"Shed no tears Cissy, she was ready to kill us all for her insane ambition. Now, we are left with this mess to clean up."
"Mother," Draco cried out, having risen to his feet, he ran in to his mother's waiting arms.
"Draco, you are safe," she said with uncharacteristic warmth and returned the hug warmly. She turned back to Severus and said, "Thank you for helping my son Severus. I am eternally grateful." Severus nodded silently.
"Draco, you remember our conversation before Bella attacked us?" Snape asked. Draco nodded. "Good, you've made a bold decision and now it is time to see it through."
Narcissa blinked in confusion and looked down at her son. "What decision, what's going on?"
"Mother, we are leaving the Dark Lord's service and joining the side of light. Severus is going to help us," Draco explained to his mother who stood back from him open mouthed in shock.
"Draco, I can't go with you. My place here is too important to abandon now. I must remain in the Dark Lord's service and continue to act against him," Severus told the boy sternly.
"But why? The Dark Lord will kill you if he finds out," Narcissa exclaimed in wonder.
"Cissy, the Ministry, the Order, everyone thinks that I'm working for the Dark Lord, who can I spy for? Who would I give my information to that would believe me? No, there are other ways to help the Order from within, I will remain."
"You're a fool and will die a fool's death." she snorted in derision.
"Perhaps, but I still have to try. Now listen closely. Draco, remember what I said about putting the past behind you. Now will be your first opportunity. I am sending you to Potter, he will help you." Both Draco and Narcissa looked at Snape as if he grown an extra head. "I am serious. Take this and give it to him." Snape handed him a pin that resembled a Phoenix in flight. "Tell him that Dumbledore gave this to you and tell him your story. He may have a thick-head, but he is not stupid and will trust his feelings."
"But what if he thinks that I pulled if off of Dumbledore's body?" Draco asked incredulously.
"Tell him that only a member of the Order can give this freely to another, it cannot be taken. Tell him to confirm this with a member of the Order."
"Severus, are you sure about this?" Narcissa asked unsure of his plan.
"Yes, they will believe you. They will probably interrogate you and perhaps they may force you to you sign a magical contract to ensure your silence, but they will believe you. Another thing, you cannot tell them that I am still aligned with the side of light or that I helped you. They must believe that I am Voldemort's servant."
"What, I don't understand," said Draco confusion clear on his face.
"If their reactions in battle are anything less that an all-out attempt to kill me, then the Dark Lord will be suspicious and all that I have done will be for nothing. You will obey me in this," Snape demanded sternly. They both nodded their agreement. He grabbed one of the fallen books and waved his wand above it. "Portus." He held it out to them.
"Potter lives at Number 4 Privet Drive in Surrey. This portkey will take you to Surrey, but you will have to locate his house. Find him and make him believe your story, understand?" They both nodded. "Speak the words Follow the Light and you will be taken to Surrey. Find Privet Drive, find Harry. Go."
They took the book and with one last look at Severus, spoke the words and vanished hoping beyond hope that they were doing the right thing. Turning back to Bellatrix, he found her mysteriously gone and discovered the front door open. She must of wandered out in the confusion, he thought. No matter, he was certain that he successfully Obliviated her memory of what she had witnessed. He waved his wand and the door closed, but not without first allowing a tiny rat scurry out in to the darkness.
A/N: Another one down. The next one will be out soon. These chapters are the easiest as they are already written except for some minor corrections and changes. So it should be quick. Please keep your comments coming, I value constructive criticsm.