Ldub: Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I kind of really enjoyed writing that scene from another perspective, so I'm glad you liked it

Hawknest143: Thanks for reviewing! I'm proud of Charlotte too. She kept it together pretty well during the meeting. As for your question, I've put Charlotte through a lot, and I don't believe in putting a character through so much if you're not going to let them have at least a somewhat happy ending. Right now I'm trapped between two different endings and can't decide (it was once four endings, but I've narrowed it down). One is happier than the other, but it's slightly more canon divergent. The other is more bittersweet but ultimately ends a good note for Charlotte. So I'm not sure yet how happy she'll be with her ending, but it won't be devastating. It'll be a good ending for her; she'll at least be somewhat happy

Anonymous: Thanks for reviewing! Sorry you were bored. Hopefully it won't take too long before I can start posting more frequently like I was doing at the end of Part 2

CHAPTER 3

The Dark Lord waits until his precious snake has finished eating and is sprawled over the entire table, satiated, before saying, "You are free to leave," yet no one makes a move to do so. In fact, each and every Death Eater around the table remains completely motionless until the Dark Lord himself stands slowly and exits the drawing room.

Then Bellatrix releases my hand and follows the Malfoys out. Snape meets my eye, and though I am unsure exactly what he is trying to communicate with me, I have the sneaking suspicion that we will not be allowed to go back to Spinner's End just yet. My heart sinks at the thought of not being able to talk with him in the privacy of that small house until we finish whatever he needs to finish here. And who knows how long that could take. I just want to get out of here as soon as I possibly can.

A few more of the Death Eaters leave, three of them Disapparating from the room altogether, but still Snape does not move. Two Death Eaters, I believe they were the two called Amycus and Alecto by the Dark Lord earlier, catch Snape's gaze, and I take the professor's cue to stand and meet them in the middle of the room. "Rodgers," Snape informs me, "these will be two professors at Hogwarts this coming year." I look them both in the eye but fail to find something to say. "Amycus Carrow will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, and his sister Alecto will take over Muggle Studies. The position has just opened up." I try not to cringe at the woman's smirk when he makes this comment.

Both of the Carrows offer me their hands, and I willingly accept the gesture. "I'm looking forward to your classes," I say, keeping the frustration out of my voice well enough for them not to take notice but poorly enough for Snape to notice and cast me a warning look.

"The Dark Lord has asked us to make you as comfortable as possible while at Hogwarts," Amycus says. "I hope you will find everything to your liking."

I smile kindly. "I'm sure I will." They Disapparate, and I look to Snape and mutter, "Perhaps I can use that to our advantage."

"There's an idea I can support," he answers quietly.

Another man approaches us before I have a chance to say anything else. This is the very same man who had been glaring at me throughout the meeting. This close, he looks ill, not well-kept, hiding fury behind a mask of awkwardness.

His red-rimmed eyes sweep over me slowly, trailing from my face to my feet then back to my face. "Charlotte Rodgers," he says. I offer my hand, but he is either too ill to notice or is ignoring it completely. He shifts from one foot to the other. "It's really you."

"Yes, Avery," Snape says, stepping forward slightly to stand a tiny bit between me and the other man. "This is truly she." Avery? This can't be the Avery, can it? And is that a protective tone I hear in Snape's voice?

Did the Dark Lord already release him from wherever he was being punished? He nearly killed me, he should have been locked away at least a few more months. The Dark Lord doesn't actually care what happens to you, you know this.

"Snape," Avery greets him as if noticing his presence for the first time during this exchange. Then he looks back to me. "You're not at all what I pictured. I didn't know who you were when I saw you attacking Bellatrix. Did the knife leave a scar?"

I swallow. "I don't believe I know you."

He smirks. "You're right. We've never met."

"Snape," a man says from behind us.

Snape ignores the call, not removing his eyes from Avery, until the man places his hand on Snape's shoulder so he cannot be ignored any longer. The moment Snape turns, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "Mulciber," Snape says.

"I hear the Dark Lord is working to make you the next Hogwarts headmaster," the man named Mulciber replies.

"So how do you know me?" I ask Avery evenly.

"All the Death Eaters know who will be the Dark Lord's—" He twitches his head and stops talking, those red-rimmed eyes filling with hatred, his jaw clenching. Then he lunges at me, and I only have time to shout for Professor Snape before I am forcibly Disapparated.

Before I have a chance to gain my bearings of this new place, he slams me through a glass table. I lie on the floor for a moment, trying to assess my injuries. Glass shards dig into my back and legs, and I reach to my face and feel something jutting from my cheek. I groan and roll over, then struggle to my hands and knees and whimper at the shattered glass clawing into my palms.

A boot rams into my stomach, and I fall over, back onto the pile of glass.

"You killed my father," he growls.

"He killed your sister."

"I had no sister! I lost her when she turned her back on the Dark Lord!"

"And what do you think you're doing now?" I try, struggling back up to my knees "Don't you think this is turning your back on him? He specifically demanded my safety!"

"Impedimenta!"

The spell flings my body into the wall, and the shards of glass in my back plunge deeper. I let out a yelp as I fall back to the floor.

"Don't act like you want to serve him! I saw your face in that meeting!" I reach for my wand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"You expect me not to try to defend myself?" I push against the wall, pain coursing through me, and work my way to my feet.

"I just don't think it will do you any good," he laughs. "This time, you won't be able to find help. Crucio!"

I collapse to my back, a shriek of agony tearing through my throat, but this Cruciatus Curse is not as bad as Bellatrix's curse had been. I guess he isn't as proficient as she is. Suddenly the pain ends, and I try to stand, but Avery again says, "I wouldn't."

"What do you think will happen when the Dark Lord learns of what you've done?" I cough. "Do you think he's just going to forget about it?"

"You won't remember this." He raises his wand at me, but before he has a chance to attack me, Bellatrix and the Dark Lord both appear in the room. Avery, looming over me with his wand pointed directly at me, looks over at the pair of them and pales.

"Au—"

"Charlotte," the Dark Lord quickly cuts her off, effectively preventing her from saying my real name. Then he looks at Avery. "I am disappointed." Without looking away from the man still threatening me with his wand, he says, "Bella, take her back to the manor. Tend to her wounds."

My mother rushes over to me, and I gasp when she grabs me, more glass digging its way deeper into my skin. "Shhh," she coos. "You'll be all right." I don't resist when she Apparates us from the place. She sets me down on the edge of her bed. "You'll be fine," she repeats softly.

I grimace at her. "Is that so?"

"Yes." She pulls out her wand, and despite everything she's done to me in the past, I close my eyes, something I once would never have dreamed of doing when she has her wand out. I don't understand what she's saying, but the shards of glass are pulled from my body. I wince, but keep down the whimpers threatening to break free. Once the shards are all gone, Bellatrix begins saying something else, and the pain lessens, bringing a small smile to my lips. Then her hands clasp my face, and I have no choice but to look at her. "I…I had no choice, Aurelia. I had no choice."

I nod.

She waves her wand, and a cup flies towards us. She hands it to me one. "Firewhiskey. For the nerves. Drink it." A few silent tears slip from my eyes and slide down my face. I look away from her, trying to fight down the sorrow building in me. "Aurelia," she says gently.

"I'm so tired, Mum," I whisper, wiping the tears away but unable to look at her. "I'm so tired of being hurt."

She gives my hand a kind squeeze. "I know."

I finish the drink, and she Apparates us from her room back to the drawing room.

Snape comes over to me. "What happened?" he asks quietly.

Bellatrix does not attempt to stop us from speaking. "Avery…wasn't happy with me…about what I did...after Mrs. Stoico."

"Where is he now?"

"With the Dark Lord," I say. "Can we leave now, I—"

The Dark Lord and Avery Apparate into the drawing room, Avery's wand in his master's hand. "Rodolphus, Rabastan," the Dark Lord calls. "Put him with the other prisoner. I'll deal with him later."

Two men saunter by me, and though I am unsure which one is Rodolphus, I drink in both of their faces, the faces of two men whose similarities obviously suggest that they are brothers very close in age. One of these men is my father. They both have blue eyes, my eyes, if Bellatrix was truthful about me getting my eyes from the Lestranges, though the one on the right has eyes of a deep blue rather than icy blue like I have. I watch them, both of them seemingly exhausted, dark rings around their eyes and tension in their shoulders, until they disappear from the room with Avery.

"I trust Bella assisted you," the Dark Lord says to me. Something about the look in his eye makes him seem genuinely curious as to whether I am okay.

"Yes, my Lord."

"He will not hurt you again."

"Thank you," I whisper, tears in my eyes again.

He nods once, then looks at Snape. "Severus, take her away now."

"Yes, my Lord."

I give Bellatrix one last glance, making sure to offer her a friendly smile, before Snape Disapparates with me.

The first thing I say to him when we make it back to Spinner's End is, "Which one was Rodolphus?"

It takes him a second to register what I mean before he says, "The one on the left."

The one on the left had a well-trimmed beard, a blank stare, and his hair back in a low, loose ponytail. He had the same icy blue eyes that I have. Rabastan was the one with the deep blue. I smile that I now have a face to associate with my father. But when I meet Snape's eye again, my thoughts change completely. "You said I would be safe," I whisper.

"I thought you would be."

"He could have killed me. He wanted to kill me."

Snape looks away from me. "You're right. I shouldn't have turned my back on the two of you. I didn't know anyone knew how his father died—"

"How does he know?"

"If he knows, someone else must know. He's unlikely to have discovered it by himself."

"Which means there are more people who know about that than we thought…"

"It's not all bad."

"How so?" I reply dryly.

"After what just happened—or rather what will happen—to Avery, others will fear attacking you. Not only will they fear the Dark Lord, but if they know how you bru—killed a man when you were ten, it might deter any future assailants."

"Why was he roaming free? I thought the Dark Lord would have kept him locked away for much longer after the dagger issue."

Snape watches me for a moment. "He needed him for something. I doubt if he'll ever get the chance to do anything again."

I nod but no longer want to talk about Avery and his possible punishment. Instead I glance down at my arms. There is no trace of the glass that had so recently been plunged into my skin. I suppose I'll need to thank Bellatrix the next time I see her. "How did they know where to go?" I ask suddenly. "How did they know where he would take me?"

"Avery is a fool. He took you to his house. I was about to Apparate myself when Bellatrix and the Dark Lord rushed back into the drawing room, asked who had taken you, and Disapparated."

He was about to come to my rescue. The thought brings a smile to my face. "How did they know something had happened to me?"

"I believe it was the snake," Snape says, "Nagini."

I shudder. "What is it about her?"

"I'm unsure." We're silent for a few moments. "The Carrow twins," he says, "don't trust them."

"Why not?" Not that I'd ever trust them anyway.

"They're wicked, and I fear that this year at Hogwarts is going to be a rough one. They have both been appointed as Deputy Headmasters."

"So they'll be taking over discipline?"

"Yes, and they enjoy torture techniques to command order."

I walk over to the sofa and sit down heavily. I could have been killed today. And now the Death Eaters are planning to hunt down Harry Potter and all of those who will be trying to help him escape to a safe house. I can only assume that the Weasleys will be involved in helping the Boy Who Lived. It would only make sense considering how close he is to that family.

Fred. After everything I've done to him, I have to help his family. It can be my last and final apology, something I absolutely have to do. "The Weasleys will no doubt be part of the party escorting Harry to one of the safe houses, yeah?"

Snape watches me suspiciously, a knowing look in his eye. "I would believe so."

"Then you have to let me go with you."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Charlotte, but I've seen you fly."

"Why does that matter?"

"I Confunded a man—"

"Your source, I'm guessing?"

He nods. "Who, in turn, convinced the Order to use the Polyjuice Potion. There will be seven Harry Potters leaving Potter's safe residence. Each will be paired with a member of the Order, each flying to a different place. Those of us who are to hunt him must be able to fly well on a broom. This disqualifies you."

Damn. The last time I flew I ended up face-first in the icy ground. And that was almost two years ago. I have gotten no better since then because I have had no desire to get back on a broom to learn. I would plummet to my death if I tried flying and helping the Order at the same time. But I owe it to Fred to try to protect him and his family, which means I have to find a way into this hunt. "How do you plan on helping Harry if you don't know which one he is?"

"Potter is arrogant, much like his father." I believe he might be biased. "It is my belief that he will be on a broomstick. He believes himself to be one of the greatest fliers there is."

"But this is just a hunch."

"I have another theory. Potter is a sentimental sort. With Remus Lupin being the last of the Marauders, the last of his father's best mates, I believe the boy will travel with him. Lupin would see protecting his friend's son as a way to honor his memory."

"So you intend on following Lupin and his Harry?"

"Precisely."

"I want to come along," I announce.

He seems somewhat sorrowful on my behalf. "We just went over this. You cannot fly."

"You're right. My flying is dreadful. Absolutely dreadful, in fact. I've tried it once in my life and nearly broke my neck. But you already know that, you were there, you mocked me. However, Professor, though I might be incapable of flying five feet off the ground, you can fly fairly well."

"I disagree with where you're taking this."

"If I go—"

"Which will not happen."

"Even if I could fly, the Dark Lord would not want me going. So if I do, I'll need to be under the Disillusionment Charm. I don't need to fly because you can. I just have to be invisible." His jaw clenches, and I simply have to grin at his frustration. "I can ride on the back of your broom."

"Absolutely not."

That was expected, of course. "But, Professor, you said the Weasleys will most likely be involved in helping move Harry to a safer location. That means Fred will be there as well. I have to be there, just in case something happens. I have to help him in any way that I can." I lower my eyes and add quietly, "He could die."

Snape watches me closely.

"I owe it to him for lying to him for so many months as I did. I owe it to him. If he dies and I'm not there doing all that I can to help, I will never forgive myself. Surely you've been in this position before, yeah?" I say. "Someone you once loved was in danger and you did the best you could to protect them even though you never spoke anymore." Maybe this is a dirty tactic, but I almost don't even really care. "You're a Death Eater, you have to have been in my shoes before. Please let me go with you and help him. Please."

"You won't even know which one Mr. Weasley is, and therefore you will be unable to help him."

So maybe that hadn't crossed my mind, but I say, "Not all of his family will be Polyjuiced"—I'm not even sure if that is a word—"and I can help protect the ones I see. And besides, you won't know which one he is either. You can't promise to protect him for that very reason. And even if you could, no offense to you, I doubt if you would try to protect him."

"You think I would neglect—"

"You would be too busy protecting Harry. Your first priority is to ensure that Harry survives. Your second priority is ensuring that as many of the Order survives as possible. Fred has to be my top priority. It just has to be. I owe it to him, don't you understand that? I owe it to him."

Snape seems prepared to argue another point, but I quickly add, "I don't want to lose him while we are on such terrible terms. He still hates me, and though he and I are in the past, I don't want him to die without him knowing how truly sorry I am for what I did."

With this, despite the guilt slowly rising in my chest and making it difficult to breathe, I am relieved to see that I have won Snape over. I doubt he would want anyone to suffer that way, and I know eventually I will be overcome with regret for playing on Snape's emotions about Lily this way. I know I will hate myself for basically inserting myself and Fred into the scenario he once lived out, but for right now I still don't care. I have to try my best to ensure that Fred comes out of this thing alive.

Maybe then he will forgive me. And even if he doesn't, I'll know that I did all in my power to atone for my sins.

"I don't doubt your ability to use the Disillusionment Charm effectively," Snape begins, and I would certainly hope he doesn't doubt me considering he has seen me use it before, "but I simply must lay out the rules for you if you are to join the Death Eaters when this happens."

I nod. "I'll do whatever you tell me to."

"The Charm stays on you at all times. I do not care what circumstances might arise, the Charm stays on you at all times, am I understood?"

"Yes."

"You are to remain completely silent throughout the entire process. You may not speak any spells, you might not cry out for help, you may not utter a single noise. This might be difficult for you, but I trust your ability to cast nonverbal spells."

I'm actually pretty proud that he believes in my ability to cast silent spells successfully enough to let me go with him. "The only part of that rule that seems difficult is not crying out for help, but I trust myself to do it. And I can even put a Silencing Charm on myself if need be. Go on, what other rules are there?"

Snape sighs. "As you are not supposed to be there at all, I will need to act as if you are not. If you are caught, we will both be severely punished. This means, however, that if you fall from the broom, there is absolutely nothing I can do for you. You will simply plummet to your death silently, and no one will ever really know what happened to you. You dying in this manner will leave me in a predicament, as I will surely be blamed for your disappearance. I will most likely be killed."

"So you're saying that I need to be extra careful not to die and cause a string of events that will not only lead to your death but will also lead to some other Death Eater taking over Hogwarts and probably harming students to a gross degree?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying. If you feel that you're about to fall, stop what you're doing and readjust on the broom. Do not risk your life."

"You sound worried about me, sir."

"Or perhaps I'm worried about my own life and what might happen if something unspeakable happens to you while under my care. The punishment will be most regrettable."

I smile. "But deep down you're kinda worried about me too. Don't lie. I saw your reaction when I returned after St. Mungo's."

"I have no recollection of that."

"Sure."

He grimaces. "No falling to your death, no speaking."

"You have a deal, Professor."