Snowdrops at Dawn


The Moor has done his work--the Moor may go
Fiesco; or, the Genoese Conspiracy
by Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller



The wind raged on, and the pouring rain was pattering on the tree leaves. The forest seemed to be deprived of any form of life. The animals sought shelter wherever they found a hole to hide in or a massive leaf to slip under. However, the occasional sound of breaking branches and squelching shoes betrayed that there was someone who defied the elements and continued his journey through the woods. Once or twice he cursed under his breath, but it was clear that his mind was set; he would go on, no matter what the powers held in store for him. He only came to a halt when a brook crossed his path. He knew the water was muddy, nonetheless he drew his flask. He pulled a stick-like object out of his pocket and waved it while murmuring something. Steam rose from the mouth of the flask. The baton went back into his pocket and the flask found its place in the bag, under his cloak. He crossed the brook and looked back. He had been doing that a lot lately, he thought, not without bitterness, while scanning his surroundings. He turned again and continued on his way; he quickened his pace as if he had seen something through the curtain of rain. It was clear that he was nearing his destination. When he reached what seemed to be the darkest, deepest part of the forest, he stopped.

He pulled out his wand again and after looking around once more, he murmured another spell, while giving a sharp flick with his wand and a little cottage appeared out of nowhere.

With another flick of his wand he opened the door and stepped inside. The place looked quite lacklustre, but he was used to that. There was only one room in the house, which served as a kitchen and a bedroom at the same time. The oven was ancient and the dark-stained table was only held together by magic. A single chair stood next to it, looking quite orphaned. The bed was simple and gave almost no comfort. The walls were clean but bare and there was nothing that could have conveyed the feeling of cosiness. He resented living there, but he had no other choice; he was on the run, he wasn’t allowed to be picky. This was a safe house no one else knew about. Well, there used to be someone else, but he was already dead. The only one who had knowledge about the whereabouts of this hideout was standing in front of it. He bitterly thought about all the places he had once called home and then been forced to leave.

There was his first, where he had lived through sixteen years of terror. Fortunately, he could only remember two thirds of that time, he was quite glad he wasn’t aware of the first five years of his life. And then there was his home at Spinner’s End, which felt spoilt after Wormtail moved in. Finally, there was his real home, Hogwarts. After the killing curse flew off of his lips, he knew instantly that he lost his true home forever. He knew that there would be no coming back, no matter whether they would learn the truth, no matter how much repentance he showed or what the circumstances were. He had killed one of his colleagues, but much more than that, he had killed his sole advocate. There was no way to fix that. He was doomed to live this half-life, where he was alive but had nothing to live for. He only had one purpose left, and that was what made it almost unbearable, what almost made him give up on life. He had to help Harry Potter defeat the Dark Lord. That’s why he had to leave the safety of this hut every now and then, risking his life by doing so.

He was looking for that uncertain Horcrux. He knew that Dumbledore had destroyed one part of the evil soul by shattering the ring and Potter had finished off another part in his second year. He knew what no one else seemed to know. He knew that Regulus Black had stolen another Horcrux. After fleeing from Hogwarts, he had secured that one and brought it to the hut. He was still thinking over ways to take care of the locket and its contents. He knew from Dumbledore that there were still three Horcruxes out there, waiting to be found. He also was informed that Potter knew that Nagini was the sixth Horcrux the Dark Lord created and that he also knew about Hufflepuff’s Cup. He deemed that Potter must find those Horcruxes alone; all he had to find was the one that belonged either to Gryffindor or Ravenclaw. He knew that finding it would bring relief. No, no redemption or remission of sins, but he would be finally relieved from this half-life he resented so much. Dumbledore had promised him that. And he might be dead now, but he had never broken a promise before. He simply had to believe in that; otherwise there wouldn’t have been any reason for doing the right thing.

Severus thought that it was more likely that the Dark Lord found an artefact of Ravenclaw’s. There were only two known possessions of Gryffindor, both of them safe at Hogwarts. Fortunately, his ability to read minds had done him a great service. He had learned where to look for the last descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, and he had found him. The old man was almost blind and his brain was addled by a poorly performed Cruciatus curse. He had tried to force entry into his mind, but it was like a web created by a spider with Firewhiskey addiction. There were places where the threads were somewhat intertwined, but there were memories in those places which didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the recollections the old Seneca Doherty’s brain carried.

The first time he had tried to use Legilimency on him; he had been forced to break the connection almost immediately. The brief encounter had worn him out to an extent that he wasn’t able to Apparate afterwards. Next time he had been prepared, but it was nonetheless so excruciating that he had considered abandoning the idea. However, just when he had wanted to give up, a memory crossed the old man’s mind and a long forgotten episode surfaced. Severus had watched as Seneca was tortured into insanity by old Avery and Rookwood, after the Dark Lord questioned him about the whereabouts of Rowena Ravenclaw’s crystal chess set.

After stepping into the cottage, he took off his cloak and deposited his bag. He made a fire, and put water on. He went back to his bag, and rummaged in it. He caressed the book he had obtained just last night, and then heaved an almost contented sigh; he was finally on his own terrain. His ego suffered enough by being unable to cook up the Polyjuice Potion to alter his looks. He had been forced to resort to charms and spells instead, although he knew that Transfiguration was never his best subject. Now, he had the chance to secure the information Seneca’s brain had hidden a long time ago by bringing peace to the old man’s mind. And doing it by his own means brought a certain degree of contentment.

He opened up the book and after reading several pages about Potions for the Befuddled, he finally found something useful. Something useful, for which he was able to get the ingredients without further ado. He made himself tea and while drinking it, he took some notes. He knew he had to be patient because the potion wouldn’t work fast. It had to be applied twice every week, and the first signs would only appear after a full moon-cycle. He decided to get up early, and hoped that the rain would stop falling, although he was really grateful that it wasn’t snowing again; he hated to Apparate in the snow.

One year ago before, when he had spotted Albus Dumbledore coming out of the Forbidden Forest, carrying snowdrops, he couldn’t have imagined that 365 days later he would have to pick snowdrops at dawn. He remembered how Dumbledore had lectured him about snowdrops; that they were not only useful for potions, but also symbolized hope. Hope that there will be better days and that light shall rule over the dark. He had really been infuriated with Dumbledore at that time. He had wanted to speak about the vow and about its repercussions and all Dumbledore had done was ramble about a flower. Sometimes Severus was not sure whether Dumbledore himself wasn’t a clairvoyant after all.

Exactly two months after he discovered the potion in the book, he wanted to return to his house after one of his regular visits to the little village of Wiseton. He Apparated not far from the edge of the woods and after placing the Disillusionment Charm on himself, he walked on. Although he thought of these security measurements he imposed on himself as quite a nuisance, he found that this time it was really essential to take those precautions. Because after taking the first step towards his hut, he felt the inquietude of the forest. He immediately knew that something was wrong, that there was something that didn’t belong there. He proceeded cautiously, and braced himself for the scene. His suspicions were confirmed when he caught sight of his house. The little house was burnt down, the Dark Mark still lingering above it. He had been found, and now he had to pay the price for not being able to cover up the traces that led him to the old man. Fortunately, he always carried the treasured book with him, and always cleaned up after himself.

But the loss of another home affected him more than he was ready to admit. It was one too many. He was irate, he was livid with fury, he was in a murderous mood. Had the perpetrators been there, they couldn’t have stood a ghost of a chance against him. All his hard work was for nothing. He knew it would be beyond foolish to return to the village where old Seneca Doherty lived, and besides, it would have no use. Severus was sure that Seneca had been murdered while he was on his way home. He had to stifle a curse, because he caught glimpse of an ever so slight movement. Out of the corner of his left eye he noticed that there was someone, scurrying off to the opposite direction. He knew he hadn’t been spotted, but also knew that one false move would betray his position. He pointed his wand at the stranger; a yelp and the following thud signalled to him that he was successful.

He stepped closer to the petrified body of a man he despised to the core of his heart.

“Welcome, Wormtail, and say goodbye to the world that has tolerated your existence long enough,� he told the Death Eater and pointed his wand at the recumbent man again. But something in the eye of the weakling made him stop. “I see that you want to say something.� With that, he lifted the effect of the Petrifying Charm and watched patiently while Wormtail sat up and dusted off his robes.

“Severus,� Wormtail squeaked and turned towards the source of his voice. He was only slightly mistaken; Severus stood three steps to the right. “I really didn’t know it was your home, or else I would have convinced Bellatrix not to burn it down. I know it must have been some kind of misunderstanding….�

“There was no misunderstanding, Wormtail, and I think you forget that I’m able to read your mind. You knew perfectly well that it was my house and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that you offered your help to accompany Bellatrix here voluntarily. I can’t say that I’m astounded about the fact that two of you did this to me. And now, tell me why I shouldn’t kill you.�

“Severus, please, you are not a murderer,� Wormtail begged him, still trying to figure out where the other man was standing. He was still mistaken; Severus now took one step closer to him.

“I am. I killed Dumbledore,� he said, trying to sound boastful, but even he had to admit that it wasn’t very convincing.

“You did it because of the vow,� Peter Pettigrew said, but it was clear that he was only trying to buy himself time.

“Oh, yes,� Severus told him, “but nonetheless, I murdered someone,� he said impassively, trying to hide the raging storm of emotions in his soul.

“Severus, please,� Wormtail begged on, and Severus was so disgusted by the look of him that he felt the urgency to spit. He lifted his wand once again, but then a thought crossed his mind. He was in Potter’s debt, but so was Wormtail. And if he had to endure some suffering because of that debt then death would be an easy way out for Pettigrew. Throwing a fiendish glance at the short man, he waved with his wand.

“There you have it, Wormtail. You’ll remain this way for three more hours. Have a good day!� With these words, he left. He felt a strange satisfaction at the sight of the dangling body of the cowardly man. “I hope you enjoy the view.�

*

The three lonely figures in front of him staggered through the mud in silence. In all likelihood, they were too occupied with their own thoughts and maybe concentrating too much on the effort to walk on to notice that there was someone else following the same path. Severus had finally managed to find them, and despite the fact that he still felt a strong dislike towards Potter, he had to admit that they deserved admiration to some extent. For they all looked worn out and thin, Potter even thinner than usual. Granger was sporting a deep cut under her left eye, and Weasley had bluish-purple bruises on his forearms. By the look of it, Potter himself was in no better state; he embraced his chest and probably had a broken rib or two, his face looked ashen. Still, they continued their journey, and that was rather remarkable. He was a bit surprised that they were still standing. He feared that they might fail and then all his work would be for nothing. But they were still there and they were still together.

“We’re being followed,� the young witch with the bushy hair warned the other two. She stopped, looked back and then around, but obviously couldn’t see anyone.
“I didn’t hear anything,� the wizard with the messy, black hair responded. He was leading the little group, but he too stopped and looked around. Shaking his head, he looked over at the young witch.

“Of course not, you were concentrating too hard on your broken ribs,� she retorted. Her attitude showed that her temper was rising.

“Just don’t, please,� the red-headed one whispered, barely audible. He stopped, too, judging by the look on his pleading face it was clear that this wasn’t the first occasion that the other two were snapping at each other. After seeing his tortured expression, they nodded.

The witch spoke up next. “You two go ahead. I’ll make sure that our traces are covered up.�

“Hermione, you...�

“Just do what I said,� Hermione cut off his protest.

Harry nodded his agreement and waited for Ron to catch up with him. They continued on their way towards the little forest, but Hermione stayed there, still looking around. One more minute passed, and then a smile crept across her weary face.

“Show yourself!� she commanded with a surprising force in her voice, although Severus was sure that she didn’t know where he was standing.

He lifted the Disillusionment Charm, and there they stood, face to face. They stared at each other for almost a minute before Hermione uttered what seemed to be the first thought that came to her mind.

“You look tired.�

“I can only counter your compliment, Miss Granger,� he said with a sarcastic undertone. Hermione Granger had never been a pretty witch, but now she seemed almost twice her age. She looked fatigued and drained of hope.

“Why are you following us?� she asked, her voice languid.

“I have some information concerning your little quest.�

“You know about the...� Hermione started to ask, but he interrupted her quickly.

“Dumbledore trusted me,� Severus said, as if this remark would explain everything. And in a sense, it did, because Hermione nodded. But then a bitter smile crossed her face.

“But you don’t expect us to do the same, do you?� Hermione asked back acerbically.

“It’s not what my heart truly desires, and it would be absolutely foolish on my part, don’t you think?� he retorted, not liking Hermione’s tone at all. But he had no choice; he had to endure this conversation. He knew that he had to win her trust if he wanted to speak to Potter about the Horcruxes. So he bit back his initial response and tried to stay calm.

“I trusted you too,� Hermione said in a whisper.

Now, this was something he would have never imagined. Saying that he was shocked was an understatement. He assumed that Potter’s friends were all the same, they all saw him as the source of all evil. Which he probably was, for running to Voldemort, after hearing that certain part of the prophecy, but he wasn’t ready to admit that. He knew that he had to fool himself if he wanted to go on.

“Why?� he asked back, when he was able to utter his thoughts again.

“Dumbledore trusted you,� Hermione began to explain. “If your evidence was good enough for him, then it is good enough for me.�

“But?� Severus wanted to say something, but he neither had a clue what nor had he the time to say it. Hermione interrupted him immediately.

“You killed him!� she shrieked.

“Now, be the sensible girl you usually are, Miss Granger, and keep your tone low!� Severus ordered her and he felt his anger rising. He looked around, but saw nothing suspicious.

“Harry told me Dumbledore asked you not to kill him, but you still did,� Hermione went on with the accusations.

“I won’t explain my...­� Severus wanted to say, but he was again cut off.

“Oh, you better had because if Harry gets here and I don’t tell him otherwise, he will kill you and then everything is lost,� Hermione said, trying to sound dispassionate.

“Had Dumbledore struck you as someone who would have begged for his life?� he asked her, rather than giving her an explanation.

“No, I admit that I was thinking along the same lines, but…� she said and then trailed off.

“I know, I know! This doesn’t change the fact that I murdered him. He told me to do so, because I swore an Unbreakable Vow. You surely know what that means.�

“He asked you to make an Unbreakable Vow?� Hermione asked, taken aback.

“No, he would have never done that. It was Narcissa Malfoy,� Severus told her, waiting for a reaction. He watched Hermione digesting this new piece of information. He saw that she was putting together the old pieces of the puzzle anew, in order to get a new picture.

“I understand now,� Hermione said, accompanied by a nod. She looked at him expectantly, as if she was awaiting further revelations about the incident, but Severus decided she had to be content with the information he had already given her.

“Perfect. Then maybe we could proceed with my initial information?�

Hermione made a gesture with her hand to signal that he should go on. He saw that he had her undivided attention and his anger was slowly vanishing. He always liked this side of Hermione Granger. She was always respectful towards teachers, and Severus had to admit that it was flattering that a smart witch like her was drinking in his every word. He knew he was vain, but since his vanity wasn’t fed upon external appearance but upon his intelligence he accepted this side of himself.

“I have two of the Horcruxes with me. One is destroyed; the other one is still intact,� he informed her and was satisfied upon seeing her reaction.

“You stole the locket from Grimmauld Place?� she asked, after the initial surprise subsided.

“You figured that one out? You knew that Regulus stole the locket?� he asked back, trying to hide his amazement.

“We knew that a certain R.A.B. did,� Hermione said and then told him about Harry and Dumbledore’s adventure to the cave. “It was Ron who came up with the idea that it was Regulus Black. And what about the other one? Is it from Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?�

“Ravenclaw, and...� Severus began when someone else appeared at the scene. He had already wondered when they would start missing Hermione. It was Ronald Weasley who came back and he looked extremely dumbfounded at first.

“Hermione!� he exclaimed, the shock clearly written on his face. “What are you doing here?� He then turned to Severus and glowered at him with real hate. Then something unfathomable appeared on his face that almost looked like anxiety.

“Well, as you can surely see, Weasley, I’m conversing with Miss Granger.�

“You have the nerve to...� Ron started to ask, anxiety giving way to anger.

“Indeed, I have,� Severus interrupted him. He knew what Ron was trying to get at. And then suddenly an image flashed through his mind. “And don’t even think about that!�

“Avada…�

“Ron! Don’t!� Hermione shrieked, and then took a quick look around. Fortunately, Harry was nowhere to be seen.

“Why shouldn’t I, Hermione? He is a murderer, he deserves to die.�

“Maybe, but by killing him you make yourself a murderer too,� she said and tried to lock eyes with Ron, but he averted his gaze.

“I don’t care, Hermione,� he said with a shrug of his shoulders, clearly wanting to convey the impression that he couldn’t care less. “I have to do it. We already talked this over; we can’t let Harry do it. You remember what Dumbledore told him; in order to win the battle against You-Know-Who, his soul must remain unscathed.�

“I know and I remember. But Professor Snape already explained� Hermione tried to reason, but Ron was not to be persuaded.

“And you believed him?� he asked incredulously, and then looked at Severus. “You must consider yourself very clever. You could not only fool Dumbledore, but the smartest witch I have ever known.�

“Ron, he has two Horcruxes with him,� Hermione told him, in hope to stop his rampage.

“He knows about the Horcruxes?� Ron asked and was dumbfounded again

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake!� Severus exclaimed, loosing his patience. It was one thing to explain everything to Hermione Granger, but now he had to do it again? And to Weasley? No, he didn’t want that. “Yes, he does. Yes, Dumbledore trusted him. Yes, he swore an Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa Malfoy. No, Dumbledore didn’t beg for his life, and yes, he is a murderer.�

“Yes, you are,� a voice came seemingly from nowhere.

“Still sneaking around in your father’s cloak, Potter?� Severus couldn’t help it; Potter always evoked the desire to snarl at him.

“Please, sir,� Hermione spoke pleadingly.

“Good to know that my friends are worried about my unscathed soul,� Harry said acidly, glaring at his two friends, livid, whereupon Hermione and Ron averted their eyes, shamefaced.

“Oh, Potter, get a grip!� Severus exclaimed, showing his annoyance. Potter was a teenager, but he was not alone in this business. Everyone had to endure some hardship during these dark times, but Potter made it look like he was the only one suffering. “You are the weapon, get used to the thought.�

“If I’m the weapon, what are you then? The fuse that has to be destroyed in order to set the weapon off?� Harry sneered.
“No, Potter, I’m a mere player and so was Dumbledore. He knew that, I know that. He was there to assist you in the grand scheme of the war between good and evil, although I still don’t know what had taken the powers when they chose you as their champion. By no means are you a worthy match for the Dark Lord.�

“Still calling him the Dark Lord?� Harry snapped back.

“Harry, sir, please!� Hermione begged, looking pleadingly at Ron, but he only shrugged his shoulders. Disappointed, she turned back to the two. “There is no use to continue quarrelling. We are on the same side,� she said and almost immediately interrupted Harry, who wanted to contradict. “Could we get to the house before someone spots us?�

*

Severus awoke with a splitting headache. He sat up in his bed, but that was a bad decision. The pain became excruciating. He sank back into the pillows under his head, and took a look around, insofar as the pain let him to do so. After seeing the small vase on the table that was standing in the middle of the room, he recognized that he was still in Potter’s house. He watched the dust particles dancing in the light and realized that he was alone in the cottage. He willed himself to sit up and climb out of bed. After succeeding, he went into the little kitchen and saw that there was a letter next to a vial full of potion. After spotting his name in neat handwriting on the envelope, he picked up the letter and went back to bed. It was a relief to lie down again.

Dear Professor Snape,

When you read this, we are already on our way to confront Voldemort. I’m actually glad that you are reading this letter because that means that you awoke. I had my doubts indeed. In case you don’t remember–I wouldn’t be surprised if you couldn’t–we destroyed the Horcruxes. Both of them. Thank you for helping with Hufflepuff’s, too. We couldn’t have done it without you. We are forever in your debt for securing Ravenclaw’s and helping to get rid of the chess pieces and the cup. I know you won’t believe me, but we are very grateful for what you have done. Offering your assistance was a very noble gesture, but from now on we have to do it alone. Harry has to do it alone, as he was kind enough to remind me. The potion behind the letter is for the side effect of destroying the wrong piece of chess. You have inhaled a nerve gas-like substance, after using the Splitting Charm on the queen. Fortunately, Harry was on the lookout, so he was able to perform the Bubble Head Charm on the two of us, or else the dose would have been lethal to you, you were standing too close to the chess piece. After that we were able to shatter the king too, although not without casualties. Ron lost his left hand. Harry Apparated to St. Mungo’s with him, I stayed to write this letter. Also Harry told me that he didn’t want to keep this place and that it could be yours. He will send the documents of transfer later. Please, don’t get upset. He won’t thank you face to face, but by giving you this cottage he wants to express his gratitude. You lost your house because of this mess and he wants you to keep this one. If you don’t want to accept, just send back the papers. If you like the cottage… Well, good luck.

Best regards,
Hermione Granger

Severus appraised the place and then nodded. This could be his new home. He could even convince himself that Potter owed him a substitute for his lost house. Of course, he would pay for the cottage, but the place was suitable. He put down the letter and then looked around. Obviously he should redecorate the interior. He went back into the other room and had a look around there, too. He should change the colour scheme; the bright yellow and red were too much to bear. Maybe a darker shade of blue or green. He went to the table with the small vase and touched the tulip first and then the tablecloth. It was a dark green and had a snowdrop-pattern. He would keep that for memory’s sake, but the curtains had to go.

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Many thanks to Lys for being my beta and for the wonderful title!