Chapter 7
The days that passed between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve dragged on for Marie. Severus had been preoccupied with the text she gave him and barely spoke with her. She thought that perhaps their conversation about her parents made him retreat into himself but she knew better. Marie had to remind him to eat every night and to put the book down, if only for a moment. She admired the piles of parchment paper with notes scribbled on them. Severus left them all over the house like a breadcrumb trail of knowledge.
The sun was setting and once more Marie was looking out the window with longing. She watched as the Muggles in the neighborhood of Spinner's End emerged from their homes to set up for the night's festivities. It was a predominately non-magical neighborhood but she wondered how many wizards were mixed in with the crowd going unnoticed. How she wished she could step outside to witness the fireworks instead of being trapped behind a pane of foggy glass.
"Good evening." Severus appeared from the back hallway and stood in the middle of the living room. His clothing was wrinkled and he looked as if he had just woken up.
Marie turned to greet him. "Oh, you're still alive." She grinned. "I hope you've been enjoying yourself." Severus caught the underlying sadness in her voice.
He nodded and attempted to smooth down his tangled hair. "Yes, time has gotten away from me it seems which is why I have decided to make some concessions." Marie raised one eyebrow at this.
"And that would be…?"
"New Year's Eve with the Order." He had to cover his ears when Marie began screeching with excitement. "Go get ready and be back down here within thirty minutes." Severus shooed her out of the living room and towards the stairs.
Marie sprinted up the steps and tripped on a few in her frenzy. "Bless you!" she called out as she reached the top and disappeared into her room.
I'm attending an actual party! I'm so happy to be getting out for a while… Marie was tearing through the clothing in her trunk attempting to find something appropriate to wear. At the bottom she found a knit long sleeve dress. It was emerald green and rested just above the knee. To pair with it she chose black tights, sensible flats, a matching scarf and a heavy coat.
Out of her peripheral she caught the glimmer of a small box resting in the center of her bed. The wrapping was simple black paper with a gold bow. Marie lifted the lid and gasped: inside was a pendant of a silver snake with green markings wrapped around a wand. She carefully took it to the mirror in the bathroom to secure it around her neck. The bewitched snake occasionally hissed and she watched it constrict and relax in amazement.
Once Marie had dressed for the evening she returned to the mirror and stared at her plain face. "I look like hell…" she brushed her fingers over her skin. Deciding that a party with the Order called for a bit more class, she charmed her hair so that it was softly curled and her face became made-up with black eyeliner, blush and a clear lip gloss.
"Okay, let's go!" Marie yelled as her legs quickly carried her down the stairs. She ran into the living room practically out of breath. Severus was tidying up the parchment papers that were strewn about the room. He turned to face her and was taken back by her appearance.
"You clean up well, but don't get disappointed when this gathering doesn't turn out like the Yule Ball." He quipped.
"Thank you for the…compliment?" Marie could tell he wasn't fully thrilled about going but she was determined to have a good time. Tonight would be about her happiness and the grumpy Potions Master would have to take a back seat.
Severus nodded. "I'll be finished with the preparations in just a moment." He continued walking around the room. Marie's excitement was growing and she began rocking back and forth on her heels. Now that she thought about it, she had no idea what the rest of the Order was like. She only met one member via a Polyjuice Potion. Was Dumbledore going to be present? Would that Potter boy be there, too? The thought of being in a large crowd was now starting to seem unsettling. She had gotten used to being around one person at a time.
"Here." Severus's order broke her thoughts and he was standing near the fireplace, Floo Powder in hand. Marie scurried by his side and looked up at him.
"Before we head out," she began, one hand trailing up to the chain of her new necklace. "I wanted to say thank you. I love it."
"It is a tad cliché, but I want you to understand that there is no shame in your blood. You are your own person, and the past lives of others do not dictate who you will become." He stated. Marie smiled and nodded, looking back down at the snake. "Now then, step inside and I will send you to their location." Severus motioned in the direction of the fireplace.
Before Marie had a chance to take in her surroundings and brush the dust and ash from her clothing, she was bombarded by the shouts and greetings of what she hoped was the Order. Everyone in the room was adorned in dress robes and held food and beverage in their hands. She scanned their faces for a moment before squeaking out an awkward greeting.
"Ye must be that Slytherin girl!" A peculiar looking man cried out, pointing at her. Marie tried her best not to stare at his glass eye as it darted around quickly in its socket. Her eyes moved from his prosthetic eye to his prosthetic leg, wondering if he lost them both to the war. He must be the man they call 'Mad-Eye' Moody.
"Y-yes, that's me, I –"she stammered and turned around when she heard and felt the presence of Severus behind her. Marie was thankful that he arrived and perhaps he would do the introductions for her.
"Hello…everyone." Severus grunted as he emerged from the fireplace, attempting to be polite.
"I'm shocked that you brought her here, Severus. You were never the partying type." That was a familiar voice to Marie. She looked in the direction of the sound and laid eyes upon her old professor, Remus Lupin. He took a sip of his drink and handed it to the woman next to him. Marie recognized her as the real Tonks and she shrugged off the bad memories that were unfortunately associated with the image of this woman.
Remus crossed the room and stood in front of the pair. "It's nice to see you again," he looked down at Marie and smiled. "My, you've grown - Happy New Year, dear!" Marie had not seen the man in years. Ever since he was let go from his teaching position at Hogwarts she wondered where he ended up and if he was alright.
Marie heard the rumors about what happened at the end of her third year; how he was a werewolf, that he helped Sirius Black and Potter, and loads of other tales that traveled around the school's halls. She noted that although only four years had passed, he looked to have aged considerably. She felt a pang of guilt for a moment – she had only considered her own personal situation and not the troubles of everyone else being affected by the war. "It's good to see you too, Professor."
"May I introduce her to the rest of us?" Remus turned his attention to Severus. "I promise she will be fine – you can follow behind us if you must." He saw the hesitation in the other man's eyes.
Marie took Remus's arm and accompanied him around the large room with Severus on their heels. She became acquainted with nearly every member of the Order in no time and began to relax and enjoy herself. Left and right people were offering her food and drink that had been prepared earlier by Molly Weasley. It wasn't long before she was stuffed and had to politely decline.
Eventually Severus decided to give Marie space and stood at the back of the room. He never let his guard down and his eyes darted between every possible entrance and exit, making careful note of her location at all times.
"It warms my heart to see how dedicated you are," Albus Dumbledore had slowly made his way through the crowd to the back of the room where Severus was brooding. "The body guard routine is a little much, wouldn't you say?" he had lowered his voice.
The younger man shook his head. "You and I both know very well that one can never be too cautious." He snapped. "We are only here because I know it will make her happy, if only for an evening. If I were alone I would have been in bed by now."
Dumbledore sighed. "Have it your way then – at least one of you is enjoying themselves." He beamed at the sight of Marie working the room, laughing and joking with the others. "It's amazing how they react so much differently than we do when danger is on their doorstep – I envy them." Severus knew he was making reference to the 'Golden Trio' as well.
"He is still safe, isn't he?" Severus questioned. For a while now he had been out of the loop on all things Potter related and it frustrated him. "Why isn't he down here?"
"The boy didn't feel well, I'm afraid. More terrifying visions and all that. He's upstairs with Granger and Weasley." Dumbledore reached for a piece of licorice that sat in a bowl on a nearby serving table. Severus snickered to himself. He previously attempted to teach Potter the same lessons in Occlumency he administered to Marie and Draco, yet the 'Chosen One' couldn't seem to put his pride aside and just listen to him. Either way he was grateful he didn't have to come across their path tonight – worrying about one girl was enough.
The two remained standing in silence just observing the party. Severus had to silently admit that watching Marie's face light up brought him the slightest happiness. This wasn't just a job or an order from Dumbledore any longer – he genuinely cared for her safety and well-being, but he would never say that out loud. Back at his home she walked around like the living dead and her laugh rarely graced his ears. He speculated if the cause of her unhappiness there was her situation or if he was making her feel worse.
"Headmaster." Marie had approached the two wizards and was gripping her bottle of Butterbeer tightly. "I'm glad to see you're still with us." Flashbacks of the night Severus plucked her from the Forbidden Forest crossed her mind, when she was still unaware of who was alive or dead. The last time Marie saw the old wizard with her own two eyes was that same night at dinner in the Great Hall.
"Well I'm glad to see you too, dear!" his demeanor became bright and cheerful. "I hope Professor Snape has made your life easier and not harder." He laughed and elbowed Severus in the side jokingly – his face remained stoic.
Marie giggled and turned red. "All things considered, it's been…good." She made quick eye contact with Severus then looked at the floor. "I was actually hoping to borrow him because, well it's almost midnight and uh, no one should be alone, y'know?" she looked up again, squeezing the bottle so hard she thought it would shatter. "You should join the others too, Headmaster." Marie quickly added.
"You are too thoughtful." Dumbledore smiled at Marie then at Severus before taking his leave to mix back in with the crowd.
"Has everyone been treating you well?" Severus inquired. "Usually they're rather obnoxious and nosy."
Marie shook her head. "They're actually treating me like a normal person – it's rather refreshing. No one has even mentioned why I'm here in the first place." She tilted the bottle back and finished what was left. "Do you think I could have a real drink tonight, considering it's a special occasion and all?"
Severus did not want to argue and he knew that Marie was technically of age in the Wizarding World. He opened his hands and two empty glasses floated over from the main serving table. He muttered a spell and they were filled with Firewhiskey. "Do not go overboard." He warned her, handing over a glass. "I don't need to be carrying a drunkard home."
Marie had tasted this once when an older student smuggled it into the dormitory back in her fifth year. She closed her eyes for a moment, the smell bringing back memories of Hogwarts. Her eyes opened again when the rest of the party-goers began shouting the countdown to midnight.
"10!…9!…8!…"
"Well, here's to a new start then, Professor." Marie raised her glass to meet his and they connected with a clink. "I hope that at the end of all this, we just get to be happy."
"7!…6!…5!…"
"It's a nice sentiment." But a foolish one. Severus held her gaze until she broke it by downing the alcohol in one shot. He raised one brow and brought his own glass to his lips, not wanting to be shown up by her.
"4!…3!…2!…"
Marie's heart started racing as the clock came closer to striking twelve. The seconds felt like hours and time seemed to slow down dramatically.
"1…Happy New Year!"
The room was instantly filled with cries of joy, shouting, ringing clocks, clinking glasses and other sounds of celebration. Before Marie or Severus could speak the lights in the house were cut out, revealing only darkness. The shouts of joy became cries of confusion and the crashing of glasses on the wood floor filled their ears. Marie heard a scuffle and many pairs of footsteps from where the Order members had stood and spells began to fly in every direction. Through the reflection of light the spells gave off she could make out Severus's outline.
He called for her and fumbled for his wand, cursing himself for not placing it somewhere more accessible. "Professor!" Marie shrieked. Another spell flying by emitted enough light for her to see a dark figure approach from behind him and strike the back of his skull. She dove to the floor and crawled to where he had fallen. Reaching out blindly she felt what she believed to be his arm and then chest. She lowered her ear to him and listened for any sign of life but the commotion made it impossible.
Marie quickly pulled out her wand. "Lumos!" she saw a trickle of blood seeping from his hairline and down his face. Severus was groaning but not fully coming to – it had been a hard impact. Marie was crying and panicking, trying her best to get him back on his feet. He was the center of her attention which left her unaware of what was happening to the rest of the Order.
"NO! TONKS!"
"GET DUMBLEDORE OUT OF HERE!"
"SOMEONE GET HARRY!"
Marie slid under the long serving table and tried to pull Severus under for safety but he barely budged. She pulled up the floor length cloth to peek at the situation the others were in and her hand flew over her mouth. Lying on the floor were several lifeless bodies belonging to Mad-Eye, Tonks, Remus and others. She let the cloth fall, not wanting to look at the gruesome scene anymore. Shaking violently she returned to the other side of the table to see that Severus was now gone. "Professor?!"
"Just me, darling." Marie froze and turned to see who spoke. When she did she became face-to-face with Fenrir Greyback – a murderous werewolf belonging to Voldemort's army. He smiled, baring his sharp teeth and growling viciously. Marie could just barely make out his hideous features by the light of her wand. Before she could make a sound or take in his appearance he snatched her up and sprinted on all fours out of the room and crashed through the nearest window.