HAPPY UPDATE DAY!
I have no excuse, except life? I haven't given up though. I am slow, and it takes me forever, but I am working on it and will not give up on this story until Penny and Snape get the ending they deserve!
How are you all? I tried to write some fun in this one, so please enjoy. 3
Penny regretted her decision to overindulge in the liquor the night before with every step she took down the stairs. Though the hall at the bottom was padded with that thick, expensive carpeting, every footfall sent her head throbbing. Her eyes bleary and brain sluggish, Penny followed the kind servant girl, who'd appeared at her bedside some 20 minutes prior, and worked diligently to get Penny out of bed and clothed-a formidable task seeing as Penny felt on the verge of vomiting with every movement.
Miranda, as the girl called herself, was even kind enough to tame Penny's tangled hair before leading her by the hand out of the room that was now brimming with afternoon sun.
How long had she slept? Her angry stomach made her think much longer than she intended.
When the smell of whatever was roasting downstairs in the kitchens reached Penny's nostrils as they passed the kitchen, she could feel her mouthwater and her stomach protest, but Miranda led her past that and to the opposite end of the manor, to a door that opened to a beautiful circular patio that was crowded with exotic plants, and at its center sat the most magnificent of fountains.
Penny, even in her sleep daze, recognized that fountain, it was the same fountain Penny contemplated throwing herself off the veranda into on that wretched Mid Sommer night. Having come into the shit show her life now was, she sorely regretted not giving into her impulses.
Eyes closing of their own accord and watering profusely, Penny tried to block the intense light of the sun with her left hand, but it did not do much to calm her eyes.
It was not long before a gate clicked, and Penny's bare feet were met with soft, warm grass. Forcing her eyes open, she realized Miranda was leading her into the garden that seemed to span onward for eternity, like a maze of flowers. The sight of it turned Penny's stomach, reminding her of that very maze that had taken Cedric from her. Refusing to allow herself to dwell on thoughts of Cedric, because she did not want to feel the shame wondering what Cedric would think of her now would enduce, she looked at the ridiculous flock of birds strutting past them. While Penny had never been to this part of the estate, she had seen the peacocks roaming the grounds several times. The sight of them reminded Penny that the Malfoy's really were the most outlandishly extravagant people.
Mumbling a quiet goodbye, Miranda bowed when they came to what Penny felt was rather a bit of an abrupt stop, and let go of her hand before hurrying away. Not being her finest hour, it took Penny a full minute of standing in the garden, looking at the bees buzzing from flower to flower and wondering why the hell she'd been dragged out here, to notice him standing there beside a large flowered bush.
His black eyes were still, so still Penny wasn't entirely sure it was actually him. As she blinked several times, as though to be sure of what she was looking at, the world around them seemed to pause, Penny almost forgetting to breathe as she looked blearily back at him.
The face she'd always trusted to turn to for the last six years, how familiar it was, so awfully familiar that Penny wanted to throw something at it to make it change in some way; to make it match how the feelings it now evoked had been forced to change. No longer was it a source of comfort and excitement. It only provoked the fury of the hatred he planted deep inside of her. The man standing across from her was not her Severus Snape. He'd never been real. She saw it now, the fact he'd always been a stranger, a stranger who'd robbed Penny of what was most precious to her.
Before she could mull in her building anger too long, the world remembered itself and stirred again, almost as though it were attempting to prevent the impending disaster-the wind rustling across Penny's back and then through his hair, blowing it off his shoulder and revealing the milky skin of his neck.
He stood before her looking much too normal for Penny's liking, no longer being her professor, he'd forgone his customary Hogwarts attire and the Death Eater's robes she'd more recently become accustomed to seeing him in. Instead, he stood before her in that black t-shirt of his, tucked half-hazardly into his gray trousers that he'd rolled at the ankles, as though ensuring everyone did not miss those shiny loafers of his. The way they glinted felt like an unfounded jab at her. He'd put more time into ensuring his shoes were well cared for than thought into her these past months. It was a truth that sent that monster within her roaring into life.
"Morning, Severus," Penny said almost lazily as she moved from the spot she stood to pretend to be interested in the roses. Really, she just wanted an excuse not to look at him, his smug demeanor irritated her, and she needed to focus.
"Severus?" he repeated in that tone of his that told her she would only be allowed one chance to rectify her error and address him in the manner he thought appropriate.
"Sorry, darling, would you prefer fiancé?" Penny replied, her fingers plucking the rose petals violently from their home, one-by-one.
"No. I would have preferred never having the misfortune of you needing to address me ever again," he said, the strain in his voice making Penny look up with a smirk, she'd gotten under his skin with this little venture of hers.
"No need to play coy, with the Dark Lord planning our summer nuptials, I could hardly believe you aren't happy I saved you the trouble of coming to get me yourself," Penny smiled.
Snape's gaze trailed away from her face to the hand on the rose that had just given the bud a purposeful yank, putting it off and letting it fall, where she then ground it into the dirt with her bare toes.
Eyebrow arched, his voice tight he replied, "In case you hadn't realized, I called it off the night I left."
"Oh?" she replied, turning toward him and giving him a skeptical once over. "Funny, because I don't recall those words ever leaving your mouth, and your mouth was of particular interest to me that night," she went on, taking a step toward him.
Penny's reward was immediate, and she thoroughly enjoyed the way Snape stiffened in response to her wanton appraisal of him and insinuation. His face flushed delightfully and his hands snapped into a fist as he floundered for a response, mouth opening and shutting several times, before settling on, "I did not realize you needed me to spell them out for you."
By the time he'd managed this, Penny had already settled into his space, giving little thought to the fact that she was now in strangling distance.
Those dark eyes glanced away from her face and down to her chest, the mark he put there glittering in the light and free for all to see in the low-cut singlet she wore. He grimaced slightly at the sight of it. Was it what it represented that he hated-the fact he was tied to her, or was it that she would not allow him to hide from the choices he'd made? Whatever the answer, Penny was not the least bit inclined to care. The mark was hers and she did not feel like being ashamed of it any longer.
" I do, actually. We wouldn't want your brothers and Master to be confused about what's really going on here, " Penny said, voice airy and pleasant.
Continuing in her flagrant disregard for decency, her eyes wandered across his chest, her hand going rogue and reaching for his arm, finger skimming the surface of the exposed skin. Goosebumps erupted in her wake, giving Penny an extreme sense of satisfaction, which she allowed to show on her face when she looked back into the eyes she knew were watching her with unnatural intensity.
She noted that he was no longer so much taller than her that she could not reach his mouth. It hovered tantalizingly close to her nose, the warmth of his breath skimming across Penny's face; the smell of mint reminding her of what it tasted like. Yet, while her own mouth spread into a wide smile, his pursed into a thin line as she continued to prod. "Come now, Severus, they're four simple words-I don't want you-if what you say is true, they should be no trouble for you," said Penny, her finger continuing its excursion up his arm and across his chest, slowing slightly over the ripple of muscle.
The Adam's apple in his neck bobbed, betraying exactly how his baser desires were at her mercy. Being greedy as she was, she diverted from her path and slid her way up his neck, doing circles around it. She didn't miss the way his breathing changed, nor how he appeared to be struggling with himself, and so, she continued to push, getting onto her tip-toes so her lips could reach his ear.
"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" she breathed. Snape recoiled slightly, his face turning decidedly away from Penny, as though he did not trust himself not to kiss her again, but he did not respond, or perhaps he did not yet trust himself to. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is exactly where you wanted this to end up."
It was the final straw for Snape, who seemed to remember himself. His hand moved like it always did, more quickly than seemed possible, and he pulled Penny's hair into a vice-like grasp. He gave it a hard yank, making Penny gasp, the force of his tug pulling her away from him so he could sneer down on her, Penny's head forced back, neck exposed.
She should have expected it, she had expected, and that was the problem. She'd wanted this-the heat in the core of her body rippling outward and into her face as she looked up into the man seething down at her. The attraction she felt toward him earlier seemed to quadruple, making her blood boil beneath her skin. She hated herself for it, but mostly she hated him, for the way he continued to affect her this way; she hated him for being the only person who could make her feel anything these days.
Even the connection between amplified, at odds almost, as though it were fighting its most basic nature, so, in place of that quiet hum was a deafening crackling, as both Snape and Penny fought against the allure of that bond with every fiber of their being.
"I did not believe you vapid enough to harbor such a delusion, Potter, but alas, your attention seeking nature knows no bounds. Had you imagined that kiss was hiding something? Because I assure you-"
"Hiding?" Penny cut across him with a dry laugh, forcing herself not to wince when his grip tightened in displeasure, "I think we are both well aware by now that you are incapable of hiding how attracted you are to me, darling. So please, don't bother lying," Penny said, and just to dare him to disagree, Penny's thumb was on her own lower lip, caressing it softly backwards and forwards, her full lips parting in response.
As she anticipated, his eyes followed her hand, pupils dilating as he beheld the blatant spectacle before him. With his full attention hers, she opened her mouth further and took the whole thing into her mouth, pulling it in and out a couple of times before giving it a hard suck and then letting it go and wiping the lingering spit across his cheek.
The sneer that rippled across his mouth and how he closed his eyes, as though to banish the image of her from him, nearly made Penny laugh out loud. Malfoy had been right about how to gain the upperhand over him. It'd been far too easy to get under his skin, and Penny was much too pleased by the struggle she watched in him.
"Any warm blooded man would be attracted to your feminine charms, Potter, they are hard to ignore when you go out of your way to flaunt them," his hissed, black eyes snapping open and flashing down to her chest once again before capturing the green. "Regardless, they are not enough to tempt me. I see this for what it is, a feeble attempt to distract me from the fact you have not only proven yourself, yet again, to be the biggest nuisance in my life, but given another clear demonstration that you are incapable of any reason! Because if you were so inclined to sense, nothing could have possessed you to believe you could break into my house, burn it down, and stand here exuding such an insolent lack of sufficient fear for the retribution such an act warrants!"
"Our house, Severus. You were the one to give me the key, were you not? I'd also point out, I was able to waltz right in because it seems for some reason you weren't inclined to change the locks. One might argue that foolishness, but I know you better than that. You left them on purpose, you wanted me to show up. The only problem being, the girl who showed up at your doorstep wasn't the pathetic pinning one you hoped for to boost your ego. It seems to me you bit off more than you can chew, and now you want to complain about it."
"Wanted-" he spluttered. "My house, Potter! Everything I owned-turned to ash-because of you! You will not weasel yourself out of this one with such a pitiful argument, not when you so clearly went out of your way to completely disregard whatever safety measures that half-breed no doubt set up to protect you from this!" He gestured with his free hand to the manor behind them. "But no, of course Potter's daughter could never be bothered to exercise even the slightest bit of self-restraint, and certainly not when it gets in the way of her juvenile whims! You will not fool me into pitying you. No. Like a spoiled brat, you have ignorantly walked yourself into the lion's den, once again. But if you expect throwing yourself on my mercy will produce anything fruitful, you will find yourself sorely mistaken."
"Don't tell me you're looking for an apology? What for exactly? Because I'm not the least bit convinced that you believed for one second that you walking out on me that night would be the end of anything. You made your decision knowing full well that ending up here was inevitable for us. The only difference is, by doing it the cowards way, as you chose, you get to pretend you tried to do the right thing, like somehow you aren't the despicable person we both know you are. The truth is, I did you a favor burning down that hell hole. I showed you how weak you were-too weak to burn down the memory of your vile parents, choosing instead to forever be trapped in the box they put you in. I freed you from them, and us from the lies you whispered to me when there was nothing but those walls to witness them. Consider this a fresh start for both of us, Sevrus, now our marriage needn't be burdened with any of it."
Penny felt no remorse for what she knew must be cruel words, why should she? Cruelty was something Severus Snape never shied away from, why should Penny? She owed him nothing.
His face a brilliant shade of puce, Snape shook from head to toe, the grasp on Penny's hair so tight now, she wondered when it would finally part from her scalp. It made her eyes water, but even in the face of his fury, she felt no fear, no remorse for the decision she made that brought her here.
The well of anger roiling in her chest roared its satisfaction at the dissolving of Snape's composure. Always the unaffected spy, never moved by anything, no room to care for anyone; Penny would break it, that facade of his, break him into a million unrecognizable pieces just as he had her.
"I told you I wasn't a good person!"
He was shaking her now, eyes bulging, as he shouted the words at her.
"And neither am I!" Penny shouted right back. "So you can stop pretending like you didn't know what I was from the very beginning. You made your choice to lie, deceive and betray me, and I've made mine to ensure you never know a single moment of peace for it."
His hand released her and Snape took several steps away from Penny as though burned by her. Penny stumbled, but straightened her shoulders, watching the black eyes widen and the lines on Snape's harshen as he looked back at her, eyes seeing through her, searching her for a lie that he would not find. She had bared the truth of her very soul-admitted to him the single desire that consumed all of her, and relished the way it disturbed him.
And then his face hardened and he seemed to make his own decision.
"Fine, Potter, you want to play this game, then I will show you exactly what you have signed yourself up for. Let's see how much you like playing wife," he said, voice quiet and dark eyes flashing dangerously.
"Finally, we're getting somewhere-" Penny smirked.
"On your knees," Snape commanded, taking a step toward Penny.
The smirk slid off Penny's face and her eyebrows furrowed, she was not entirely sure she'd heard him correctly.
"You want to be my wife, Potter, then you will learn to obey my every command. On your knees."
"It's a cute attempt, but I don't get on my knees for anyone but the Dark Lord,' Penny replied tersely, eyeing Snape warily as he took another step forward.
"The Dark Lord has given you to me because I am his most valuable servant, which means you belong to me, Potter. Whatever I tell you is law, and should you feel like disregarding that law, I will punish you and continue to punish you until you learn that the place of a Death Eater's wife is to do her husband's bidding."
"Well, I guess I should at least be glad you're finally showing me the kind of man you actually are, but I'm not interested in indulging your power trip, Severus. I'll be deciding what kind of wife I'll be, and it won't entail cowering to you," Penny said derisively, before turning her back on Snape and fully intending to walk away, but the grass suddenly disappeared beneath her feet, and Penny found herself engulfed by a floating sensation as every worry in her head was wiped away, leaving a sense of ease and a vague awareness of Snape watching her.
Then the voice in her head whispered, turn, and Penny, not remembering she was on her way out, heeded the voice, because why shouldn't she turn? This voice, it was like music to her ears, and she wanted to do anything to please it, to make it purr in approval.
And now she was facing Snape, still not quite seeing him when the voice spoke again. On your knees.
And again, Penny listened to the voice, finding no objection to obeying the voice, nor issue with his command.
The soft grass tickling her bare legs, and smiling stupidly up at him, it wasn't until the haze cleared and Penny blinked several times that she understood what Snape had done. He stood over her now, looking down at her with that cruel smile of his, his wand hanging loosely in that right hand.
"It seems you're more pliable than I first gave you credit for," he said, enraging Penny, who's cheeks burned with humiliation. She made to lift her hand and smash him in the nuts in retaliation, but Snape moved his free left arm first-clicked open the collar she had not seen him produce and snapped it around Penny's neck.
Before she even registered what he'd done, Penny had fallen backwards and was convulsing from the electricity pulsing from the collar through the rest of her.
"Consider this your first lesson, I will not tolerate my wife so much as lifting a finger against me."
The convulsing came to a stop, Penny rolling onto her side and vomiting a couple of times. Breathing heavily, her hands groped at her neck, fingers trying desperately to find a way to free herself from the vile thing, but it was no use and they both knew it.
Looking back up at Snape, Penny almost screamed in rage at the cocky expression gloating down at her, but chose instead to spit on his shoes. A mistake on her part, because she ended up on her back again, eyes stinging from the pain surging through her.
"Had enough yet?" he asked, that snarky tone of his nearly driving Penny to doing something else stupid, but she forced herself to close her eyes and take two deep breaths. Her hungover, aching stomach might not survive another round of punishment.
"Glad to see you've learned to make an intelligent choice, I know how difficult that must have been for you."
It was Penny's turn to shake in anger, fingers curling into a fist, her fingernails digging into her palms. She was trying to forget him, dull her sense to his presence, but the toe of that annoyingly shiny shoe prodded her in the side of her ribcage.
"Enough of your sulking, the Dark Lord is expecting us, you have a visitor," Snape said, his foot lingering painfully between her ribs until the green eyes acknowledged him, and he made for the gate she'd entered by.
Penny ignored him, and stayed where she was, staring up at the sky as her chest rose and fell in rapid succession. That uncontrollable power of Grindelwald's was rising within her, Penny knowing if she did not calm herself it would boil out of control, and that would only result in more misery, but it was nearly impossible to quell the fury she felt; banish the desires to pummel Snape for what he'd just pulled.
"Now," intruded that insufferable voice, and a sharp, momentary shock made Penny yelp, but it had the intended effect and she scrambled to her feet, mumbling curses at him under her breath as she trailed mutinously after him.
It wasn't until she caught up with him that she realized he was carrying two wands.
"Give me back my wand!" barked Penny, trying to snatch it from him, but he kept it just out of her range.
"You're not allowed a wand," he said, glancing sideways at her, but not slowing his progress.
"Why!" demanded Penny.
"Because I said so."
"That's not a reason, I'm a wizard, I have rights!"
"No, you're my wife, and you only have rights if I say so."
"You do realize I know where you sleep? And I swear to Merlin I will have no qualms killing us both, if it has to come to that."
"As terrifying as your melo-drama no doubtedly is-" Snape said dryly, clicking the gate and stepping aside to allow her though. Penny gave him an incredulous look, folding her arms and refusing to accept his gesture after blatantly tormenting her. He rolled his eyes and moved through, letting the gate slam shut in her face. "-It has fallen to me to ensure you don't do anything characteristically you," he went on, Penny scrambling after him to catch what he'd said.
"So what, I'm never to do magic again?"
"Is that what I said?"
Penny forced herself not to reply even though she very much wanted to argue with him, but her head was already in too much pain to risk tempting him to rebuke her attitude.
"It will be returned to you on September 1st when you return to Hogwarts," he said.
"Return? They don't have a Headmaster seeing as you murdered the last one," said Penny.,
Again, her collar gave a sharp zap that made Penny say, "Ow! What? I figured you preferred to be given proper credit for the deed, I mean you've made it so plain it was your plan all along."
Another shock.
"Fine. Sorry, dear husband, would you prefer I say offed, killed or betrayed? Which is easiest on your delicate sensibilities?" Penny said with a sardonic bow.
"Hogwarts has a new headmaster," Snape said stiffly, evidently deciding he wasn't in the mood to pick this fight with Penny.
"Who? McGonagall? She's the obvious choice-"
"Me."
"You?" Penny choked, coming to an abrupt halt. "Who in their right mind would choose you, you're not even qualified!"
"Obviously, I am, and the Dark Lord!" Snape replied through gritted teeth, rounding on Penny in his irritation.
"As I said, no one in their right mind," Penny said, as she considered him for a long moment. "But if that's the case, I won't be going back then."
"You will be finishing your magical education whether you want to or not, Potter!"
"Why? I don't see what the point of it is now."
"Of course you don't, you have no appreciation for anything of import. Nevertheless, I will not be married to a magically illiterate child!"
"As opposed to a literate child?"
"You know what I meant!"
"I don't, but as you say, husband," Penny continued with an eye roll that made the ridiculous man across from her splutter in his fury.
Hand on her chin and ignoring him, she mulled over the issue of her education, saying more to herself than him, "Maybe I should just ask the Dark Lord to finish my education, he did make the offer previously. I'm sure you of people can't find fault-"
"You will do no such thing," Snape spat, all the color draining from his face. "I forbid you from mentioning it to him!"
"Oh? What are you afraid of, me surpassing you as the favorite?"
"This is not a joke, Potter. What you are suggesting-you will return to Hogwarts and you will sit your NEWTs and score nothing less than is befitting my wife. End of discussion."
"And what makes you think I'll listen to you?"
"I believe you know very well I have no qualms failing every single one of your friends if you do not heed me. But if you do not mind ruining their lives as well as your own, by all means."
He turned again, and in annoyed silence they walked their way back to the manor, the sun already dipping low behind the horizon by the time they were inside.
Snape led them down that familiar hall, Penny's stomach rumbling even more angrily now. It was so loud, Penny felt certain Snape had to have noticed it. It was in that study of the Dark Lord they stopped.
Yaxley and Rowle stood beside a man that was on his knees facing the Dark Lord, who was reclined in that chair he was always in, considering the spectacle before him with some interest.
When they entered, he looked up, eyes finding Penny and glittering malevolently.
"Ah, here she is," Voldemort said with a smile that did not meet his eyes. "Come, Penelope," he added, extending a long hand toward her.
Penny moved without thought, pausing just before the Dark Lord and looking warily at him. He inclined his head slightly and she accepted his hand, Voldemort pulling Penny onto his lap, where she now sat face-to-face with a man she recognized as Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic.
His face was battered, and his beard and mane of hair, crusted with blood, he peered back at her from his one good eye, the other strewn on the floor beneath him.
Penny regretted looking down at it, and even more so at the oozing, empty socket.
"Why are you trembling, my pet? Does not the Minister on his knees before your Master not please you?" said that cold voice.
Unable to meet the gaze of the man before as she replied, Penny said "Yes, of course it does, Master," to the floor.
"Then explain to us why you're trembling," Voldemort pressed, making the Death Eaters snicker. "Do not tell me you feel sorry for him? Such feelings, while praised by that old fool, Dumbledore, are a weakness, Penelope. You would do well to master them."
"Y-yes my Lord. I confess, I did feel sorry for him when I looked at him, but I am not trembling because of that."
"How honest of you to admit. Your Master rewards such things. Now, tell me why you tremble then."
"Your touch, my Lord," Penny started, the world spinning around her as the pain from his skin on hers heightened. She could barely stay upright, barely focus on the faces around her. "The pain-" she went on in a small whimper.
"Ahh, yes. We must address that, perhaps build your tolerance, if your fiancé will spare you. But not today, today you have the honor of the Minister of Magic, himself, coming to see you," Voldemort said, nodding to Snape, who took Penny around the waist and helped her to her feet, Voldemort rising from the chair and nodding toward the table. Snape got Penny across the room, pulled out a chair and seated her there while the Minister was pulled roughly to his feet and forced into the one across from Penny.
"I don't know why he'd want to see me," Penny said, not liking the uncomfortable silence that had settled around the room. Everyone was dispersed around the pair of them at the table, eyes moving between Penny and Scrimgeour, except Snape's, who took up residence behind her as Voldemort prowled toward the Minister.
The man did not so much glance in the monster's direction, instead, his eye remained fixed on Penny.
"The Minister has recently taken to making house visits," Voldemort said to Penny. "Why don't you tell Penelope who it was you were visiting before you came to see her," Voldemort said to Scrimgueor.
"Harry Potter," came the defiant reply.
The breath caught in Penny's chest, and she felt a hand squeeze her shoulder in warning, reminding Penny to control her emotions. This was an interrogation, not just of the Minister, but Penny too.
Voldemort watched her, that placid smile of his still in place.
"It seems Albus Dumbledore made a point of remembering your unfortunate brother in his will."
Brows furrowed, Penny bit her tongue. What could Dumbledore have thought important enough to leave to Harry? Did it have something to do with the horcruxes? But these were dangerous thoughts to be had in the presence of the Dark Lord, so Penny pushed them to the back of her mind, and focused on Scrimgeour, who was looking at Penny with such intensity that it unsettled her.
"T-they were close," Penny said, glancing at the Dark Lord. "People often said Harry was his favorite student." Penny wasn't sure why she was saying it, but it just felt like she was supposed to say something, anything.
"And you?" Voldemort said softly.
"Me? I'm sorry, my Lord, I don't think I understand-"
"What did Dumbledore think of you?"
"He didn't-think of me," Penny replied, perplexed.
"Are you saying you never had any contact?"
"No-we did. It's just-I don't think he liked me-not in the way he did Harry."
"There it is again, that loathsome name. Why do you speak it, Penelope? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were still holding onto some affection for the boy."
Red eyes flashed, the fingernails on the hand clasping her shoulder now digging into her flesh.
"Old habits, my Lord," Penny stuttered to the ground. "I won't let it happen again."
"If Dumbledore held no affection for you, as you say, I wonder why it is he bothered to mention you in his will."
Her eyes snapped back to the Minister.
"Me? There must be some mistake."
"There is no mistake." It was Scrimgeour who spoke this time.
"Why don't you show Penelope why you came to see her today," Voldmeort said, his long thin hand clasping Scrimgeour's shoulder much in the same way Snape's was hers.
Without so much as an acknowledgement, the minister reached into the pocket of his jacket and unfolded note and read,
"To Penelope Evans Potter I leave my time-turner, in hope that when she finds herself without compass, she will look to the past to remind herself she need not feel as though she must forge her own path, but find the one Dream has laid out for her."
"Dream or dreams?" Penny said when Scrimgeour finished.
"Dream," he repeated back to her, passing the paper across the table to her so she could see for herself.
Penny looked down at that familiar scrawl and found it, scribbled in those twirly letters of Dumbledore's-Dream-it wasn't a mistake, but Penny did not know how Dumbledore could know, or why he had never mentioned anything while alive. . .
And then something slid across the table, and Penny looked up at the time-turner. He'd actually left it to her. She reached for it, but stopped, turning to Voldemort, who was watching them with quiet interest. He nodded, and Penny proceeded, turning the object over in her hand.
There were too many thoughts going through Penny's mind, but she could not allow them to get the better of her here, it was too dangerous.
"Is there anything else you wish to tell, Penelope, Minister?" came Voldemort's cold voice as he turned his red eyes back on Scrimgeour.
"No."
"Would you be so cruel as to not even tell her how her dear brother is doing? They are twins, you must know she worries terribly for him."
"I did not speak to him for long, I could not say." Scrimgeour's tone was clipped, final.
"I'm sure Penelope is curious where it was you found him, she would dearly love to wish him a happy birthday. You see, they both turned 17 today, an important milestone, wouldn't you agree?"
Silence. Stony silence. Green eyes stared at the eye staring back at her, firm, resolved, intent upon her, and then she understood what he was trying to tell her. He'd made up his mind, saw the folly in his previous approach. Rufus Scrimgueor had decided to believe in Harry. Whatever his faults, he would not sell her brother out, and for some reason wanted to be certain she understood this point, remembered it and made sure the world remembered him for it. He was giving her his last request and Penny suddenly felt grossly inadequate for it and unprepared for what came next.
Knowing she could not have the conversation she wanted to have with him in the midst of their current audience, Penny squared her shoulders and said, "You have no reason to protect him. He never trusted you."
"I see now that was a wise choice on his part, and I have every reason."
"Then why throw away your life to bring me this?"
"Because it was entrusted to me to ensure that the last will and testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was honored."
"You're the Minister of Magic, surely you are more important than the last whims of a senile man."
"Nothing is more important than what Dumbledore deemed pertinent enough to leave us."
"Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you Minister?"
The stony-faced man before her startled everyone in the room by bursting out into a loud, harsh laughter, even going so far as to throw his head back cackle, before looking back at her and saying "Yeah I am. Glad we straightened that out."
Penny almost sighed in relief. He'd understood her meaning, accepted it as her own promise to him. She could do little for him after he'd offered himself up just to give her the time-turner that was cold in her hand. The least she could do was be sure he knew that she would do as he requested.
Silence settled over the room once more, and Penny thought she saw the Minister incline his head in thanks, but Voldemort had moved again and her eyes were drawn to him, not wanting to be caught unaware by what he would do next.
"As fascinating this little back-and-forth is, Minister, if you are not going to give up the whereabouts of Harry Potter, I'm afraid you are no longer of any use to me."
Penny's gut clenched, and panic quickened her pulse. She was afraid, afraid of what came next. But sitting opposite of her in utter calmness, Scrimgeour smiled back at Penny and replied, "I have no intention of helping you find Harry Potter. He is our only hope."
Scrimgeour spoke with an assurance that made Penny marvel. How was he able to stand in the face of death with the kind of calm certainly; knowingly walking into the hands of his enemy when he had more protection at his disposal than virtually any other person? It was the kind of heroism that Penny had only seen in books. But books never told the truth. And the consequences of such an action, honorable or not, were some of the most vile Penny had ever witnessed, and would not soon forget.
In a disturbingly affectionate movement, Voldemort pressed his wand tip against the man's temple, whispered, "Pity," and killed Rufus Scrimgeour execution style.
Penny did not even see the light leave the remaining eye, the man before her just slumped forward and moved no more. Instinctively, she recoiled, a sickened gasp escaping her lips and hand instinctively grabbing the one on her shoulder, desperate not to be sucked into that voicd of silence along with Rufus Scrimgeour.
"It seems our young friend is squeamish," Voldemort said to Rowle and Yaxley.
"Nothing I can't help her with," Yaxley said with that yellowing grin of his.
"Unfortunately, I do not think Penelope enjoys your methods much, Corbin. And with the nuptials nearly upon us, I would not wish to cause any premature marital strife for Severus."
"Thank you, my Lord," Snape's voice said from behind Penny.
"Though, I would ask your understanding, Severus, for what we might employ, should Penny choose not to be forthcoming with what comes next."
Still horror struck by the dead man he just murdered slowly turning blue before Penny, she didn't quite understand what was happening now, all she knew was that she wanted to be anywhere but where she was at this moment.
"Of course, my Lord. But I would express my utmost confidence in Penny's willingness to serve you, and would find myself surprised were she to foolishly try to withhold anything from you."
It was a warning. Snape was preparing her, ensuring she didn't try anything stupid. Although, they both knew she'd have to be a lunatic to try and resist the Dark Lord, or keep anything from him. But that fact paled in the wake of the question she knew he would ask her. Snape wanted Penny to give up an answer that she would sooner die for.
He wanted Harry. The Dark Lord believed there was a chance that Penny knew his whereabouts and intended to make certain, if she was harboring that information, then he would make it his, so he could accomplish his goal of finally killing Harry.
Her twin; the other half of her soul, and her only remaining family member. Even though she felt quite confident Voldemort would not be able to get through the magic protecting the Burrow, Penny could not-would not give Harry or the Weasley's up. She'd just watched a man die for that information-murdered to protect something he believed to be more important than himself. Whatever it would require of her, Penny had to convince Voldemort that she didn't know where Harry was. No matter the cost.
"I hope Penelope proves herself deserving of such confidence," said Voldemort, nodding to Yaxley and Rowle who returned to action in an instant.
Snape lingered for a moment, but then tugged his hand free of Penny's grip to step away and leave her sitting there, dumbstruck.
"This isn't necessary," Penny growled, kicking out at Yaxley. "I came here willingly!"
Yaxley wrestled past her leg, finding Penny's arm, Rowle grabbing her other because she was distracted by Yaxley. They hoisted her from the chair with an unnecessarily violent yank.
"Indeed you did, but all of my servants have had to prove themselves at one point or another, my pet. Most would consider this an honor, for you have proven yourself valuable enough to me to see the merit in not taking the information myself."
The two men forced Penny around so they could pin her back onto the table. With a thud that knocked the breath from her lungs and little dots into her vision, Rowle began shackling Penny's arms to the table and Yaxley her legs. He skimmed her inner thigh longer than she knew was necessary, but Penny was too horror struck by the cold ear of Rufus Scrimgeour pressed against her cheek to care.
In an effort to focus on anything but the fluid oozing slowly from the dead man and pooling beneath her neck, Penny made the mistake of looking at Snape. He stood at the end of the table, looking down on Penny, those black eyes of his boring into hers with murderous urgency. Was that fear she saw flicker through them as he saw right through her like he always did?
Apparently, he was not at all pleased that she was considering such things, and while she could not rightly fault him for feeling it a stupid thing to try and keep anything from the most accomplished legilimens, she still found herself irrationally annoyed with him for it. Afterall, if Snape had been less obstinate and actually applied himself to teaching her something useful during their short occlumency lessons, this situation might be less dire than it currently was.
"Fret not, Penelope, seeing as you are the betrothed of my most useful servant, I will permit you a couple of practice rounds to loosen that tongue of yours," Voldemort said, stepping up beside her. Her eyes darted from the black and were instantly snared by the red. His long thin hand reached out to run a cold finger across her cheek. "I warn you though, should you be anything less than forthright with all of your answers, you will pay the costs of that dishonesty."
The shiver that his threat evoked rippled from her head to her toes and made that monster smirk down at her, seemingly pleased by the vitriol reaction his mere words were able to evoke in her.
"Let's start with an enjoyable topic, shall we. Your finacé perhaps? Tell us, Penelope, what is it you like most about your betrothed?"
"I d-don't know."
"No need to be shy," said Voldemort.
"We all know it's that throbbing cock of his," Rowle added with a bark of laughter.
"I don't like him," Penny tried again, feeling as though that were the most honest answer.
"It seems your bride is having second thoughts," Yaxley said to Snape with a smirk. "Didn't I tell you, Penny, that he would bore you."
"Now, now Corban, it is not unusual for even the most devoted of brides to have some second guessing this close to the blessed day, but I'm afraid Penelope here is lying to us."
"No! I'm not. I swear it. I hate him!"
"Another lie." Red eyes flashed, and Yaxley moved back to the fireplace and returned with a red-hot poker, Penny suddenly getting a vivid image of Yaxley using it to force Scrimgeuor's eye from his socket.
"He is arrogant, conceited and harbors such a selfish disdain for the feelings for others that I could not ever be prevailed upon to find any redeeming quality in him!"
The soft chuckle that left that lipless mouth at these words startled Penny from her rant, and she turned in abject fear to the pale snake-like face.
"While I can appreciate that you have convinced yourself that is the truth, your Lord does not tolerate lies."
Teeming with glee, Yaxley moved Penny's skirt aside and pressed the molten metal against the delicate skin of her inner thigh, provoking a guttural scream of agony from Penny.
The tears were instantaneous, Penny feeling on the verge of passing out from the pain of it, but still Yaxley held it there, melting away her skin and fat. The smell was repulsive. But even worse than that was the way that monster continued his toying with her.
"Now, are you ready to tell us the truth?"
The heat faded, but the blistering pain did not. Struggling to get a handle on her sobs Penny said, "I hate his stupid handsome face and the way I can't stay focused when he has his slutty arms out like that, and the way that whenever we are in a room together, I want nothing more than his attention, no matter how volatile. I hate the way I don't hate him at all-that I'd choose him over the bloody air in my lungs and never regret it." Breathing labored and crying pathetically from the lingering pain, Penny spewed out the words, not knowing from where they came, but she hoped they would appease the Dark Lord.
"You've chosen nothing, if not a passionate partner, Severus," Voldemort said, the amusement in his voice reminding Penny she was not in fact alone.
"If you're not up to the task of helping the girl relieve some of that pent up frustration, let me take her for a ride," Rowle said with a shake of his head.
"And you accused me of being the cruel bastard, at least when Penny was with me she never wanted for attention," Yaxley almost purred. "I tell you, it's truly delightful when she makes that little sigh-"
Snape's fist connected with the side of Yaxley's face before he could finish the sentence, Snape hitting him with the second and sending him toppling to the floor before he could recover his footing.
"Enough, Severus."
His wand at the ready, Snape stopped dead in his tracks and turned to Voldemort and gave him a low bow. Penny could not see his face, but she could fear the frigid fury barrling off him, and if it weren't for the fact she was preoccupied with her own agony, she might have been terrified by the spectacle of the man.
"Count yourself lucky that I did not let him continue, Corbin. But rest assured, if your talents were not necessary at the moment I would have. I will only remind you this one time that Penelope has not only been deemed worthy to become the wife of my servant, she has proven herself a most useful pet to me, and as such, will receive the respect befitting her position, or suffer my displeasure next time."
A grunt told Penny Yaxley understood what his master required of him, Rowle moving away from Penny's left side to help him up, just as the door swung open and Lucius Malfoy walked in.
"M'Lord."
"I thought I told you, we were not to me disturbed, Lucius."
"Yes, I'm very sorry, M'Lord, but Rabastan and Rudolphus have broken through the charms at the safe houses."
"Then pray tell me why you are standing here like an oaf when you should be bringing me Harry Potter!"
Between the throbs of pain, Penny could almost feel Mr. Malfoy grimace. "O-of course M'Lord."
"No, don't bother Lucius, this requires a competent servant, just get out of my sight. Rowle, go gather the rest and divide yourselves among the locations, I'll join you shortly. Yaxley, dispose of the Minister and come up with some story to feed the masses about his most unfortunate premature death."
The cold body pressed next to Penny began to float away and the red eyes turned back to her.
"It seems we will not need to proceed after all," Voldemort said, running his finger across her cheek once more. "I trust you found the exercise instructive. Severus, you will take our Penelope and ensure she is fed and cleaned up for her festivities tonight. You only turn 17 once and I want to be sure she remembers this night."
And with a flick of his cloak, he was gone, the door left ajar, and Penny a whimpering mess, still tied to the table.
A tall dark figure stepped into her purview, but Penny refused to look at him. She did not want him to see how afraid she was, afraid for Harry.
He reached over her, tapping the shackle on her wrist and unclasping it with a cold, gentle hand before moving to the other and then both legs.
When she was free, Penny tried to sit up but fell promptly back down, gasping in pain.
"Spread your legs so I can see," came Snape's voice, causing Penny to choke. "Don't excite yourself, I'm hardly interested," he drawled, Penny certain an eyeroll accompanied those words, though she couldn't see them because he was busy pushing her knees apart to get a better look at her inner thigh.
"Have you no decency," Penny finally managed to say, feeling suddenly thankful for Malfoy being meticulous about waxing her.
"It's not anything I haven't seen numerous times before, Potter. Seeing as you take zero pains to consider the length of your skirt when you sit, I'm positive there isn't a single boy in all of Hogwarts who hasn't seen your underwear."
Fully prepared to rip into the man trying to blame his looking up her skirt on her, Penny let out a blood curdling yell when his finger skimmed the area surrounding whatever mutilated mess he was looking at.
"You deserve nothing less for deigning to lie straight to the Dark Lord's face."
"I didn't think I was lying!" Penny said furiously between tears.
"There is no such thing as passive lying, Potter."
"I'm pretty sure you don't even know which are your lies anymore, so I'm going to go ahead and disagree with you."
"All you needed to do was tell him you liked my hair! But of course, like an imbecile, you always insist on the path of most resistance!"
"I don't even like your hair!"
His dark gaze peered at her over her leg, the scowl telling her he was much too aware that was a blatant lie.
"It's too lush, smooth and shiny," she went on lamely, wishing very much she'd shut up while she was ahead.
"I'm going to need to close this with a spell, or it won't heal properly," Snape said, blatantly ignoring her.
"No. I don't want nor need your help."
"I wasn't asking your permission."
The threat was evident in his voice, and with the pain almost unbearable, Penny resigned herself to letting him win this one.
"This will hurt," he went on, straightening up and reaching into his pants pocket. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, which he offered to her.
Penny accepted them, and promptly placed one between her lips but struggled with the lighter.
"Can you manage anything," Snape snapped, swiping the lighter from her and leaning forward between her legs to light it for her.
He paused there a moment, green finding black through the flame between them. He'd tied his hair back, probably to get a better look at her injury, revealing the sharp lines of his jaw. Eyes trailing away from them, she found the dark eyes transfixed on her, as though he was looking at something he'd never seen before.
Penny was the first to look away, the stirring in her chest making her suddenly want to put some distance between them.
Letting loose her first drag from her lungs, she said quietly, "I'm ready."
Ten minutes of Penny cursing, nearly kicking Snape in the face, Snape threatening to tie her down and three cigarettes later Snape was satisfied and even produced a serum to help Penny with the pain.
Snape moved just to Penny's left to sit on the table beside her and picked up his own cigarette as she tested the efficacy of the pain relief by sitting up tentatively. There was no searing pain like there had been before, so Penny was forced to conclude that Snape might have actually done a competent job, though she would argue his incompetence to her death.
"You're 17 today," Snape said after a couple minutes of silence, Penny not realizing he'd been watching her stare at the space Scrimgeour's lifeless had occupied not but 20 minutes prior.
"So I'm told. Turns out 17 feels just as shit as 16, who knew?" Penny said dryly.
"If you're unhappy, Potter, wish for something better."
The serious manner with which he uttered the words nearly made Penny laugh out loud. Surely he had to be continuing with his intentions to be the most annoying on the planet, but when she glanced sideways at him, she found no malice in the dark gaze looking back at her.
"You expect me to make a birthday wish at the party a bunch of Death Eaters are throwing for me? Are you holding out for them to kill me for you? Because that's just insulting-"
"If you hadn't noticed, we're quite alone right now, Potter," Snape said, letting a large pillar of smoke free from his lungs before taking another long inhale.
"You want me to make my wish here with you of all people?"
No response.
"You know what, why the hell not," Penny said, turning toward him so they sat side-by-side. Taking his arm in hers, she pushed his sleeve up, causing him to furrow his brows at her, but he did not pull away.
Plucking the cigarette from her own mouth she said, "I wish for my mother's flower tiara that my aunt gave to me when I left that miserable house of hers and forgot in my rucksack at Remus' when I got the hell out of there when I discovered he refused to tell me he was expecting a baby. I always fancied wearing a tiara on my wedding day, and that's the one I want," and closing her eyes, she pressed the tip of her cigarette into his milky skin, causing him to hiss in annoyance.
When she opened her eyes again she found whatever anger he'd been provoked to a moment ago, replaced with disbelief.
"You can't wish for that," he said in that scolding Professor's tone of his that Penny never heeded.
"Too late," Penny said, flicking the budd to the floor. Hopping to her feet and giving a big stretch she added, "Is it okay with my darling fiancé if I get some food now?"
Not bothering to wait for his response, Penny made for the door, completely unaware of the way the dark eyes watched her, agony etched in the lines around them. Her words played through his head, as crystal clear as the moment she uttered them-I hate the way I don't hate him at all-that I'd choose him over the bloody air in my lungs and never regret it.
For all his efforts to break free of her grasp and protect her from the worst parts of himself, she stood before him, more beautiful than anything he'd ever beheld, and he accepted, no matter how many harsh words he put between them, he would forever be at her mercy-completely undone by something as insignificant as a birthday wish.
