Chapter 35

Changes Coming

"Luther, please sit down. You are making me dizzy."

Luther glanced only briefly at his sister before returning to rapidly pacing the floor of their shared sitting room. "I don't like what I'm hearing, Patience. I don't like it at all. Mark and Fabian are too excited and too smug about something. Aldebaran got a little out of Fabian, but Mark isn't talking and you know that if Mark won't talk to me than it is serious."

"He won't tell you what he is doing? I thought he told you everything. You always said he told you far more than you wanted to know."

Luther waved his hand to indicate that she was correct. "He always wanted my approval or at least to see if I thought he was making a good decision. But some time ago Mark made a choice that I couldn't…I really shouldn't talk to you about that, actually."

Patience tilted her head as she said seriously, "Try, Luther."

"All I can say is that Aldebaran and I made different decisions about something than Mark and Fabian. This has been a point of contention between us all for almost a year now."

Patience narrowed her eyes at her brother and took a deep breath before saying, "I know that you are not a Death Eater, Luther. Severus told me so. You are saying that Mark and Fabian are involved with that lot?"

Luther grunted to indicate that she had surmised correctly. After a minute of leaning against a chair and staring into the flames of the raging fire, Luther pulled out his sand needle case from his pocket and began to speak. "Something is going on. It is not just seeing Mark look as if he were about to come into a sack of gold—I am hearing other odd things. In fact, when I talked to Warrington yesterday I found out something and I'm not sure what it means."

Patience placed the violet leather book that she had been tapping with the end of a tiny black quill into the desk drawer and stood up. "Severus would know what is happening, wouldn't he? He is one of them." Luther gave his sister a severe look, which caused her to sigh and ask, "But Luther, if you don't approve, if you didn't decide to become one of them, does that mean you would try to stop them?"

Luther shook his head. "No. I never choose sides unless I am forced. Neither does Aldebaran. There is no benefit. I have no faith that the Dark Lord will win this time when he could not the last time when he was much stronger and had more followers. That does not mean that I do not sympathise with their agenda. You know that I do."

Patience nodded. "You do know that I would not let you do anything that would endanger Severus, don't you? If you were going to inform against the Death Eaters because you felt it was to your benefit, I would do what I had to do to stop you. I won't let you put him at risk."

Luther stopped walking his circuit of the room and responded respectfully, "Yes, I do believe that you would, Patience. However, you need not worry. I won't betray your precious husband. In fact, it is almost impossible for me to do so. In any case, I have no desire at the moment to get in the way of anything that the Dark Lord has planned. It is unlikely to be anything of which I would truly disapprove, even if I might think it is in poor taste."

"What if they begin the killings again?"

"They won't come to us, Patience. They dare not, since Snape is one of them. Our entire family are sympathisers, so we would be more useful to them alive. They would likely begin with Mudbloods or blood traitors or those that opposed them the last time."

"But why do they have to kill everyone? Isn't there a way to just train Muggleborns to behave more reasonably? Can't we just teach them how to be decent witches and wizards? I mean, Eva says that if we only bred with other pure-bloods all our children would be Squibs with tails and six fingers. I don't see why they want to go round killing everyone and making life horrid even for we pure-bloods."

Luther frowned. "Some short term sacrifices might be necessary, if we could be certain that were where it would end. Allowing Mudbloods into proper society or even allowing them to join the Ministry where they will be making laws and policy that they know nothing about is beyond bearing. No matter how much magical ability some upstart Muggleborn has, they cannot possibly know what is best for the magical community when they were not even raised amongst us. I think restrictions on their wands and legislation of which jobs they may hold is more useful than killing them off, frankly."

Patience screwed up her face as she tried to think of how to phrase her thoughts. "But…well, can't one train them up properly? What if Muggleborns were given an extra year of classes or something before they begin Hogwarts, so that they can learn how to be decent witches and wizards? I cannot see how killing people is ever right, Luther. They are people, not beasts, and we have laws to protect most beasts from being cruelly tortured, don't we?"

"It isn't that simple, Patience. They fight back. They believe that they are our equals, so training just is not practicable, Patience. You don't think that one year of school could truly make them real magical folk, do you?"

"I don't know. There were some very nice Muggleborn witches in Hufflepuff. A little clueless at times, but I liked them. They were witches, Luther, no matter what you say."

Luther waved his hand at his sister before taking another pinch of sand needle. "But all your friends were pure-bloods weren't they? That is not coincidence. In any case, you are a very caring person, Patience. I know you do not want to hurt anyone, so it is hard for you to understand that sometimes short-term hardship is necessary. Our world is in danger now, Patience. We have to save it whilst we still can. `However, as I was saying, I'm not sure that is what will happen if the Dark Lord wins. Too much damage will be done–like cutting off a leg to heal a sore."

"So you think that they are going to do something soon?"

"Yes, I know that they are. I heard something that made me wonder if I am going to be able to sit this war out, however. I might be forced into taking a side."

Patience placed her hand on her brother's arm. "What would you decide?"

Luther turned to the fireplace and growled, "In that case I would choose the side that would be of more benefit to me and those whom I love. Unless…unless what Warrington told me was true."

Patience asked nervously, "What is that?"

Luther looked scornfully at his sister, "You don't honestly expect me to tell you?"

"Why not? I'm not as dense as you think, Luther."

Luther shrugged. "I don't think you are stupid at all. I did once, but you proved me very wrong and you know it. Nevertheless, that does not mean you can handle this information. You could tell me, however, if you know of any reason why Eva has not owled me since yesterday morning even though I am to see her tonight. She always answers promptly."

Patience tilted her head and said, "No, I don't. That is odd, isn't it? Did you go by to see her?"

"No. I have been told by both her brother Harry and her father that they do not approve on any level of the idea of our marriage and therefore that I am unwelcome in their home."

"They did? Eva didn't tell me that." Patience stood looking up at her brother with tightly balled little fists, as she continued speaking angrily, "Well that is just not right. He has no reason to be so unfair. I will go to see Mr Rosser."

"No, Patience. That won't help."

"Mr Rosser likes me, Luther. He wouldn't like what I have to say, but it might make a difference."

"Don't get involved, Patience. It will be all right. Eva and I have already discussed what we are going to do. We are meant to be married tomorrow from the Ministry bureau. That is what has made me so nervous about why I haven't heard from her."

Patience sat clumsily in the nearest chair and exclaimed, "Tomorrow! She never said anything to me!"

Luther placed his hand on her shoulder, "I told her that I would talk to you. She thinks that you won't approve of the decision."

Patience looked incredulously into her brother's face and asked, "What have I ever said to make her think that?"

Luther said in an unusually kind, soothing voice, "Nothing. Eva is afraid of her family's reaction to an elopement, Patience. She is feeling immense pressure from them right now, so I think she is fearful of losing your support, as well. I have told her that I believe you would stand behind whatever she does, but she keeps saying that you don't think I'm good enough for her so you won't want her to marry me."

Patience gasped, "But…Luther that isn't what I meant at all."

Luther patted Patience's head. "I know. Eva is overwhelmed, Patience. Her family is putting unreasonable expectations on her about the business and her family obligations. But I will be putting a stop to that."

"I just can't believe that Eva would think that I wouldn't support her. I always would. Always."

Both siblings turned at that instant towards the sitting room door, which had just been flung open. Patience jumped up from her chair and exclaimed, "Eva! What is wrong? Are you all right?"

Luther crossed the room in three large strides and placed one arm round Eva, who immediately burst into tears. Luther stroked her hair with his free hand and asked softly, "What is wrong, my love? What has happened?"

"Father. His heart. At St Mungo's."

Luther looked down at Eva tenderly as he asked, "Did you want me to come back with you?"

"Yes. We've been waiting all afternoon. They couldn't heal it because it was caused by some old curse. They don't even know when he is going to wake up."

Luther kissed Eva's forehead and then said, "He will be all right, Eva, St Mungo's are superb at these sorts of things. You didn't have to leave to come get me, darling. I would have come to you if you'd owled."

"I sent an owl. I've sent five owls. They all came back."

Luther looked at Patience, who shrugged her shoulders and said gently, "Eva darling, we never got anything."

Luther added, "No matter, I know now. Let me get my cloak. I won't be more than a minute."

"When we were waiting, my brothers and Uncle started talking about arrangements for taking over Father's position at Daedalus. They decided that I will have to begin taking over things now, since Father will be too ill to manage. Harry said that Uncle would help me for a few months and then I'll have to do everything."

Luther set his jaw firmly and spoke sharply, "No, you won't. If they want anyone to take over the business right now then they may do so themselves. You do not want to do it, so you shouldn't have to."

"But they won't, Luther. They won't. They have all decided that I am the best one to do it."

Luther sighed and after a brief pause asked, "Do you want to take over, Eva?"

Eva clung to the front of Luther's robes as she sobbed. Her speech was muffled by his chest, as she said, "No. I can't. I would hate it, Luther, and I don't know anything. They say that I am the best of all our siblings at negotiating and managing things and that I should easily be able to learn how to manage the business, but I couldn't, Luther. I really couldn't. Just because I am the cleverest sibling doesn't mean that I have any of the skills I would need for that."

Luther stroked his fiancée's dark head and spoke in a soft, low voice, "If you do not want to do it, Eva, than you shan't. You have two brothers who are much more capable of being the director than you are. You are happy running the Proprietary Charm department, which is the most important portion of Daedalus' success, isn't it? Can any of them manage the Proprietary Charm?"

Eva shook her head, "Only Harry, but he has to do one shipment at a time! And he has no Anti-Jinx skills and he could never do the Special Delivery Charm. There is ever so much more to the department than just the Proprietary Charm. They would want three or four people to manage what I do."

Luther nodded, "That is what I thought. Tell me something, darling. Do you still want to be married?"

Eva's head snapped up as she looked up at Luther. "Don't you want to be married, Luther? Do you want to wait?"

Luther tightened his grasp on Eva's waist, "No darling, I do not want to wait. However, I need to be certain that you still wish to be married before I suggest what I have in mind."

Eva hung her arms round Luther's neck and sighed, "I do, but with Father in hospital I don't know if we can. What shall we do now?"

Luther gently asked, "Is he stable, darling? What are they doing with him right now?"

"He is asleep, so they are waiting. In fact, they told us to go home to wait. That is where the family thinks I went. They would not have let me come for you. They are mostly waiting at Uncle's house, I think."

"However, you want to return to St Mungo's?"

"Yes. I don't want to stay at home. I want to be with Father."

"Then that is where we will go, darling. However, I want to ask you something first. How would you feel if I offered to take the directorship? When we are married then I could give your family that option. I won't let them force you into doing it, Eva, but I would be willing to do it myself."

"You? But you have your research, Luther. I don't want you to have to give that up. You wouldn't be happy and you don't like business."

"I won't give my research up, Eva. It would merely be relegated to spare time. I am far more concerned about you being forced to do something that would make you miserable. "

"They won't ever agree."

"Once we are married, my love, I will explain to them that they have the option to take on the family responsibility themselves, which was what had been the plan until two of your brothers chose to ignore their family duty to join the Ministry, or they may look outside the family for a director, or they may accept me since I will be part of the family. But when we are married, I will have the right to tell them that I won't allow you to be manipulated into doing what will only make you unhappy."

"But with Father ill what are we going to do? I don't know if I can just leave and get married when I should be staying with the family."

Luther frowned, "If you are not ready, Eva, then we will wait. Nothing has changed, my love. I told you that how and when we are married is your choice. I will do whatever makes you happiest. However, we can discuss all of this later, love. Right now I'm going to take you back to St Mungo's."

Severus Snape stood looking down at the pile of third-year essays that were laid on the desk in his office. He had been grading essays for what seemed like every spare moment of every day that week. It had been four days since Snape had written to his wife, so he had no doubt that there would be several pages filled with her tiny green copperplate for him to read. He had been waiting for the moment that he could allow himself to read the book. However, the situation in the school had become so dangerous and mistrustful, with students being encouraged to inform on anything ostensibly abnormal and Umbridge seemingly suspicious of everything, that Snape felt no surety that he was even safe from observation in his private rooms. He could not risk being seen with the third year text without an obvious, legitimate reason for its use.

However, in order for yet another additional essay to be assigned to the third year classes, he had been forced to assign essays to every year so no pattern would be discernible. Snape was entirely aware that his concerns amounted to paranoia, since he had always been known to be capricious in handing out extra assignments and a sudden increase in essays for the third year could easily be explained by contending that he had taken a dislike to the entire third year class or even one student in particular. However, he could not dare risk even one person noticing a pattern.

His hand hovered over the book as he unsuccessfully tried to control his nerves before he tapped the cover of the book with his wand briefly. Snape then quickly turned to page 267, stroked the side of the page, and waited for his wife's writing to materialise. His already tensed jaw tightened further as he saw the few lines that had appeared at the bottom of the stained paper. He turned the page with irritation, but when he saw only another blank yellowed page Snape flipped through the entire book. However, there was nothing more than her earlier entries to be found.

Severus Snape felt his hands forming into tight fists as he stared uncomprehendingly down at the words on the page in front of him. He had not been fully aware of how greatly he had been anticipating poring over the inane ramblings of his silly wife that evening. He needed to know how she felt and what she had done that week. Over the last few weeks their Paired-Script books had proved to be a medium through which Patience had confided details of her life that were far more intimate than she would have ever dared tell him in person. He had been treated to a glimpse of the girl who had first entranced him—the girl who had befriended and helped every student she remotely knew at Hogwarts, but who was too afraid of him to do much beyond meekly submit to his commands and desires.

The cutting words of his response to her had been designed to camouflage his true message, which, in his eyes, was tantamount to an open declaration of love and desperate yearning. The fact that the blatancy of the message was clear only to him and might well have been lost to his wife under the accompanying biting, peremptory dismissal had not been of concern to him when he had written to her. However, as he contemplated the paper in front of him, Snape realised that he could no longer bear the solitude that had been his existence for so many years. His life at Hogwarts had never been pleasant, yet it had been bearable before her. Now Snape was tormented not only by his old, desperate loss that had been his constant companion for so long, but also by the awareness of what he wanted and could almost have had. He now knew he would be unable to withstand a complete separation from his wife. Acceptance of this fact was recognition of crippling weakness on his part, but as Snape angrily tapped his wand to the page of the book to return the pages to their usual state, he had already begun to plan how to change the situation that he had created.