A/N: Thank you for all the responses to this story. I get such a warm and happy feeling whenever I see a review- you make my day! I'm glad so many people have added this to story alerts/ favorite stories... hopefully that means that you're liking it?
Disclaimer (forgot this the first chapter, but let's just count it for the whole story): I own no part of the world of Harry Potter. The storyline contains my own ideas, but the characters and world are wholly JKR's.
"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be."
-Isaac Asimov
Chapter 2: Sensible decisions
Severus Snape strode into the Headmaster's office at precisely half-past-five, arriving neither early nor late to his appointment with Dumbledore.
The Headmaster looked up from the papers he had been studying. "Severus! Punctual as ever, I see. Would you take a seat, my dear boy? How are you?"
"As well as could be expected, Albus. It has been a long week."
Dumbledore gave a half-smile. "Yes, yes, of course. Would you care for a—"
Severus anticipated the question, and interrupted quickly. "No, thank you Albus. Your note mentioned a pressing issue. Has something happened?"
"Yes, and no, my boy. Tell me, have you heard any murmurs recently about the Law for Perpetuation?"
Severus paused for a moment to think. Whatever he thought Dumbledore would ask, it certainly wasn't this. "I know that the seven-year cycle falls this year. Yes, I suppose I did hear something about it… Dolohov mentioned that he hoped to petition one of the seven witches. I didn't think anything of it at the time. Should I attempt to look into it?"
"No, there will be no need. Earlier today, Miss Granger received notice that she is one of the seven witches. She quickly received petitions from not only Dolohov, but also Carrow, Rowle, Yaxley, and Pettigrew. It would seem that this is Tom's latest strategic move. You can imagine what he wants from this law."
Severus saw the potential in the plan. Marry a Death Eater, and Granger could easily become Voldemort's pawn. "I'd heard nothing of this. What are you planning? Surely she can marry some member of the Order…" he trailed off, rethinking. "No, I suppose the Dark Lord would anticipate that. He will have safeguards at the Ministry, to prevent any other petitions for Miss Granger."
Dumbledore peered over his eyeglasses. "I agree, Severus. But she cannot marry any of those men. The only alternative would be to have someone close to Voldemort make an offer. Someone I could trust, with Miss Granger's best interests at heart. Severus, it weighs on me to ask this of you, but I must beg you. Would you intercede with Voldemort and offer your own petition?"
Severus sat in stunned silence for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was tight, the words forced. "I see you leave me little choice, Albus. I will do as you ask. I agree, Granger certainly cannot marry Pettigrew, though I cannot imagine that she would relish the idea of her Defense Against the Dark Arts professor as a husband any more than she would enjoy marrying that rat."
Dumbledore's eyes seemed to twinkle, and it looked as though his lips almost turned upwards in a smile. He restrained himself, remaining serious. "On the contrary, Severus. I think you underestimate yourself. I do believe Miss Granger will grasp the situation quite clearly, and understand your difficult position. I rather think she will appreciate marrying someone she trusts to protect her."
Severus's face remained stony. He rose. "Please excuse me, Headmaster. I have a potion that I must attend to in a few minutes. I will try to speak with the Dark Lord tonight."
"You may go, Severus. I can never seem to thank you as much as you deserve." The Headmaster bowed his head as the Potions professor exited, his cloak billowing behind.
Alone in his chambers, Severus Snape eyed a bottle of Firewhiskey with longing. He refrained from pouring himself a glass, however, as he expected a summons from the Dark Lord shortly. For Snape to perform his dangerous double-edged dance for Voldemort, he needed his full ability to judge any situation he might encounter. The Firewhiskey would wait.
Why did Dumbledore put him in these situations? Of all the things to ask of him, this seemed somehow the most intrusive. Marriage was supposed to be a deep and everlasting partnership, in theory. Severus had never put much trust in such a sentimental notion of relationships, but even his cynical view of the institution of marriage was better than what Albus proposed.
Marriage to a student? To Granger? Preposterous. Immoral. Unbearable.
She was half his age, and even if she weren't his student, he found that distasteful. But she was a student, and worse—Potter's best friend. Yes, she did have some intelligence, which made her more bearable than the insufferable Boy-Who-Lived, but her irritating habit of textbook recitation and desperate need to prove herself made her a great bother in the classroom.
How could he fathom marrying someone he found to be a complete irritation?
And yet, he would do it. What did that say about him?
Severus did not have long to ponder this question, however, as he felt a deep burning in his arm that signaled the Dark Lord's summons. He closed his eyes and pinched his nose, trying to calm his tumultuous thoughts and stave off the growing headache. Then, he grabbed his cloak. He would find no peace tonight.
"My Lord." Severus bowed to the figure in the chair. Voldemort had summoned him to a private meeting, as he sometimes liked to do. He occasionally wished to quiz Severus on the happenings at Hogwarts with Dumbledore, and preferred to receive his spy in the privacy of the cavernous study in the cold, gloomy castle that had once been an abandoned fortress of the Lestrange family.
Severus had no idea of the location of the castle, as it was totally unplottable, and because he arrived always under cover of darkness he never saw the surrounding landscape. All he knew was that it was a hereditary holding of the Lestranges that had sat unused for several centuries. After the second rise of Voldemort, Bellatrix had offered it as a possible location for their Lord's residence. With a bit of restorative magic, Voldemort found it quite acceptable, and it became the de facto headquarters of the Death Eaters.
Severus could see why it appealed to the Dark lord. The castle's creepy exterior gave an air of dread, pervasive throughout the murky sorrows and unsettling shadows that lurked inside. Meeting in the Dark Lord's private chambers did nothing to relieve the sense of doom that enveloped the castle, but Severus pushed his emotions aside as he knelt before his master's chair. His mind became blank as he prepared himself for the inevitable sweep of his mind. The only light in the room came from the eerily flickering fire, and shadows cast by the shape of Nagini made shifting patterns on the floor where he knelt.
He was studying the folds of Voldemort's robes when he heard the soft voice above him, as the Dark Lord hissed, "Severussss, my faithful friend. What news do you bring of Hogwarts?"
Still with his head subserviently aimed at the floor, Severus responded, "My Lord, the Headmaster summoned me this afternoon to discuss the Law for Perpetuation." Severus raised his head, meeting the scarlet gaze of the figure in the chair. He felt the tendrils of Voldemort's legilimency delve into the privacy of his mind. He did not fight the invasion, but instead focused on only allowing the Dark Lord to pervade the thoughts that Severus wished to share. It was crucial that he retain control of the interaction.
He soon felt the dark presence recede, and Voldemort responded to Severus' statement. "Ah, yes. That was a scheme of Lucius' devising. A rather clever way to twist the Ministry's inane laws to our own purposes. Tell me, Severus. What did the old man have to say?"
"He was… dismayed and distraught over the fate of the Granger girl. He expressed that he will not permit her to marry any of the men who have submitted petitions."
The lipless mouth twisted into a sickening smirk. "He will have to. He must know that we will block any other petitions. What other choice does have? Surely he would not let the Mudblood's wand be broken?"
Severus concentrated on keeping his voice even. His knees had begun to hurt from kneeling on the hard stone floor. "He might, just to keep her from you, my Lord. He did offer another way, though. He indicated that if I were to petition for the girl's hand, he would persuade her to accept my petition. I could deliver the girl to you, my Lord." The last statement he uttered in a voice of total devotion.
Voldemort threw back his head with horrifying mirth. "HA! That fool always misplaces his trust and love. Why, even Pettigrew would make a better husband for that mudblood! But he has offered me such a gift, how can I refuse? You may submit your petition, Severus. Lucius will see that the Ministry approves it. Dolohov will be ever so disappointed—I know he deeply desired to show the Mudblood her place after she… slipped away from him in the Department of Mysteries."
Severus inclined his head once again, masking his satisfaction at the outcome of their discussion. "My Lord. I will marry her as soon as can be arranged. I'm sure she will provide valuable insight into the life of Potter."
"It will deal him a great blow, to see his precious Mudblood wedded to a much-hated professor. Do you think you gain her trust?" Voldemort queried.
"I believe I can, my Lord. She already inherently trusts me as a member of the faculty, and if Dumbledore voices his own confidence in me, I'm sure she will jump on the idea. She worships the very ground that man walks on," he sneered.
"Excellent. Make her believe in you and rely upon you. If you can, she will fall easily into our hands, undermining Potter's whole cause. She could be the very key to his downfall." His face twisted into an ugly smile, and he reached a hand out to grasp Severus' shoulder in a fatherly fashion. "I'm trusting you to do this, Severus. Do not fail me."
"Thank you, my Lord. I will do as you command." He let obedience steep into the tones of his voice, and pushed every emotion of willing servitude to shine through his eyes.
"Rise, Severus. You are dismissed."
Severus bowed his head and departed. As he swept out, he kept his face a mask of indifference and his thoughts a blank page. He knew that he was safe from the Dark Lord's mind-probing once he left the chamber, but Severus preferred to keep himself closed off until he was back within the relative safety of Hogwarts' walls.
It was well past midnight when the dark figure of Severus Snape apparated at the boundaries of Hogwarts' school grounds. He strode quickly up the path, entering the castle in minutes. As he swept through the halls, he remained on high alert, looking for any rule-breakers to receive the force of his frustrations. He encountered none, and he soon found himself back at his chambers, deep within the dungeons of Hogwarts.
Though his new Defense Against the Dark Arts office and classroom were more centrally located in the main corridors, his chambers remained in the dungeons. He was, after all still Head of Slytherin, and so he needed to be close to the House dormitories.
The location suited him well. Far from the prying eyes of children, he relished the privacy afforded him in the deep bowels of Hogwarts. He even had his own potions lab, though he no longer taught the subject.
He sank heavily into an armchair by the fire. The weak light of the flames cast shifting shadows on the walls. He sighed deeply. The bottle of Firewhiskey still sat innocently on its shelf, and he raised his wand to summon it, as well as a glass. He poured himself a drink, and raised the tumbler to his lips. He felt the fire burn through his throat and chest, and he fixed his gaze on the empty hearth.
Damn. He cursed inwardly. He saw no way out of this miserable situation. He had made the only sensible decision, and now he would have to live with it. Albus had put him in a terrible bind, but it was not the Headmaster's fault. Dumbledore simply acted in the best interests of Miss Granger and the Order. Nor was it Granger's fault: she was a victim of Voldemort's machinations. No, the fact that Severus was imprisoned in this hell was entirely a result of his own bad choices made so many years ago.
No matter how hard he tried to unwind the tangled web, it grew only tighter. Granger was just another strand of the noose he'd begun to tie the day he chose to embrace the Darkness.
Oh, Fuck. Had his thoughts always been this morbid? Severus stopped to look at himself, drinking away misery, alone in his dungeon lair. With sudden rage, he flung the half-full tumbler at the hearth, watching with satisfaction as it shattered into a thousand glittering shards.
He'd be damned if he ever turned into a drunk. He'd seen his father go down that path, and he'd vowed never to repeat the mistakes of Tobias Snape. Looking back, Severus reflected that ironically the mistakes of his father, though terrible, couldn't hold a candle to his own mistakes. Better a drunkard than a Death Eater.
He corked the Firewhiskey and placed it back on the shelf, near the back. As he was turning to depart, the flames of the fire turned bright green, and the familiar face of Albus Dumbledore appeared.
"Severus. It's good to see you've returned safely. What happened this evening?"
Severus was thankful that Dumbledore did not bother with too much idle chatter that night. His own mood would not tolerate needless pleasantries. He moved straight to business, hoping not to have to delve into great detail at such a late hour. "The Dark Lord affirmed that he is the force behind Miss Granger's unfortunate fate, as you suspected. The plan was Lucius' idea. I made my offer and expressed your blessing. He accepted, gladly."
Dumbledore's disembodied head nodded sagely. "That is good to hear. Tomorrow you must send in a petition, my boy."
"As you wish. I must warn you, though—the Dark Lord hopes that I will be able to make Granger trust me enough to betray Potter's secrets. You must know that she will walk a dangerous line by agreeing to this. Is there no other way? Couldn't she go into hiding somewhere with her parents to avoid this mess?"
"I wish it were that simple, Severus. But surely you must see how much Harry needs her in order to fulfill his own goals. She is far to valuable to disappear, and far to courageous to hide while her friends risk her life. This is the only way forward, Severus… the only sensible decision for her. I can ask her, of course, but I think we both know what she will say." He paused for a moment. "Thank you, again, Severus, for your ever-growing sacrifices."
Severus said nothing, simply inclining his head in acknowledgment.
"Goodnight, Severus. Catch some rest. I will meet with Miss Granger tomorrow, and tell her of our plans. You might join us, after I've had a chance to discuss this with her."
Severus looked away, defeated and tired. "Of course, Albus. Goodnight."
He turned to leave, as the face of the Headmaster disappeared from the flames. Sleep would be elusive. He had too many troubles to rest peacefully.
A/N: Please review! Even if it's just a sentence!
I will try to get the next chapter up quickly, but real life calls, and I doubt the update will be as fast as this one. It won't be more than a week, though... I promise!
P.S. Reviews encourage me to write faster...