Chapter Fifty-Six: Foiled Plans
Posy had a bad feeling about that night. They had had a close run in with a Death Eater only days before. Posy had begged her husband to postpone the meeting for a week at least”just to throw the Death Eaters off their trail, but the group had grown too large. It would be more suspicious to try to tell everybody secretly. And messengers, he reminded her, were likely to get intercepted.
So they gathered, like always, in darkness in the Rowe flat. The group had almost tripled in size since the first meeting. It was getting almost impossible to get everyone inside without attracting attention. “We’ve got a few Death Eaters, and that’s good,” Nathaniel said, officially beginning the meeting. “But we can’t let it get to our heads. Each capture has brought us closer to being found, so for our next one, we have to be exceedingly careful.”
He looked around the group. “And I know there have been some close calls in the past,” he continued. “This time will probably be more dangerous. Do any of you have bandages or any other sort of medical supplies?”
Nobody raised their hands. “Okay, so this might be a little tricky.” Nathaniel smiled shakily. “I want you all to””
BANG.
The whole building shook from the blow. Posy could hear footsteps approaching, loud and clunking over the thin wooden floors. It was a moment of complete horror. The entire group was frozen, before she hissed, “The window. Go.” It took a moment for her words to sink in. People moved after a beat of frozen stillness. Only a few of them had reached the wall when the door was blasted open.
“Muggle filth!” screamed a robed Death Eater.
There was a blinding green light. The Muggle nearest to the door crumpled. “RUN!” Nathaniel bellowed.
It was a wild, horrifying moment. Posy pushed past the rest of the group, farther into the room. Everybody was trying to go the opposite direction to the door. In that moment, Posy was able to get lost in the shuffle and pushed aside one of the mattresses. In the shallow, hollow space, she collapsed into the smallest position possible and pulled the mattress over herself. She hid in darkness.
She hated doing this, but her and Nathaniel had gone over the plan before. They had to be separated”maybe one of them would survive. One of them had to make it to continue the rebellion; one of them had to make it for Lottie.
From her hiding spot, she could hear screams from the Muggles and triumphant laughter from the Death Eaters. “Trying to start a revolution?” cooed one of the wizards. “Crucio.”
Screams”deafening, horrible screams filled Posy’s ears. All she could do was pray that it wasn’t Nathaniel. This forced terrible, half-forgotten memories back into her mind”her mother, tortured just like this”her father, dropped dead on her doorstep”her daughter, appearing one night in the middle of a revolt, scared and in danger…
The Death Eaters were screeching hexes and laughing as they did so. The screams continued, but they were fewer now. Posy hoped that meant that some had escaped, not that they had all died. From her stuffy spot under the mattress, all she could do was pray.
“It’ll teach you,” hissed a Death Eater. “Little shit””
“Please,” pleaded a high-pitched voice. The voice sounded young, definitely female”and afraid. With a horrible, sinking sensation, Posy realized who it was”Live, the teenager who had known Lottie. “Please,” she whimpered again. “I’m only sixteen”I’m scared”please.”
“All the better. Crucio!”
Live’s shrieks were almost too much for Posy to bear. Tears burned in the corners of her eyes. She had to fight the urge to throw off the mattress and try to save the child. She had to stay hidden for Lottie. One life for another. She hoped that Live would understand.
“Avada Kedavra.” The sound of a body slamming against the ground”a Death Eater’s laugh”and everything became still.
Posy waited a full five minutes before moving. There was no noise, no movement at all, except for her own ragged breathing. She didn’t want to believe what she just heard, but she couldn’t think of any other explanation for it. The minutes stretched on. Finally, she decided that it was safe and pushed the mattress aside.
All around her was complete destruction. Bodies upon bodies littered the floor. The door had been blasted off its hinges. Posy looked around. Everything was still.
Her heart pounded in her throat. Where was Nathaniel? Had he been killed too? Please”no. She slowly began to pick her way across the room. Everybody”everybody was dead. Their eyes were still wide with fear, their mouths gaping open in terror. Posy passed Live’s body and felt bile rise in the back of her throat. The tiny, crumpled body lay contorted on the floor, tears still glistening against its cheek.
Something stirred. The door that had fallen off its hinges moved aside to reveal a figure. Posy’s breath hitched in her throat.
Nathaniel Rowe stood up at full height and wiped his face with the back of his hand. His nose was distorted and blood covered him”but he was unmistakably alive. “You”you’re okay,” he croaked.
“So are you.”
“It’ll take more than a few Death Eaters to kill me,” he said. All humor that had been in his voice faded away as he looked at his surroundings. Posy saw the realization occur in his eyes”she saw the guilt, the hatred, and the shame. “Everybody?” he asked.
Posy nodded slowly and turned her gaze back to Live. “What are we going to do, Nathaniel?”
Nathaniel took a slow breath. His mind was racing, Posy could tell. It was not often that he had that troubled expression on his face. “We’re going to regroup”and try again.”
“What?” Posy hissed. “Nathaniel”we can’t. It’s not safe”we’ll be killed””
“So what?” He rounded on her, his lanky form stretched to full height and jaw set. “What else are we here for?”
“But, Nathaniel”Lottie””
“Posy, Lottie is doing the exact same thing we are.” In that moment, with his glaring eyes and darkened face, he resembled Lottie so much that it was almost startling. “She is risking her life every day to stop this. She’ll understand if we die trying to do the same.”
Posy felt tears stinging her eyes. Intellectually, she knew it made sense, but emotionally, it was just wrong. A mother could not just abandon her child like this.
“Posy, what else are we going to do?” Nathaniel asked again. “Wait for the Death Eaters to kill us? There’s no point in anything anymore if we don’t stop this.”
Posy could see the determination in her husband’s face. Nothing she could ever say would stop him, she knew. She turned back to the room. She saw Live’s small, crumpled body, and saw the piles of corpses. They had all died for this. She took a breath. “Okay.”
Severus Snape took to the skies. He had only been in the middle of destroying the Muggle coup when the Dark Lord had summoned him. And amusing though killing Muggles was, his master’s summons took priority; the young Death Eaters could handle the filth.
The wind whipped about him as he flew, pushing his dark hair out of his eyes and causing his black robes to billow around him. In the dark night sky, he appeared little more than a shadow. He could have Apparated of course; as the Dark Lord’s favorite servant, he was able to Apparate directly to his quarters. But he preferred the flight”it gave him time to collect his thoughts and employ Occlumency.
He landed gracefully outside of the London gates, and surveyed his surroundings. It was deserted”it was always deserted. He strode carefully to an entrance to the old Muggle underground. Crude though their transportation had been, it made a useful headquarters fifty years later.
After descending the stairs and taking a complicated series of passages over the old Muggle railways, he stopped before a broken-down train, muttered an incantation and stepped inside. To somebody unsuspecting, the interior might have caught them off guard. It did not resemble a train at all, but looked more like a dungeon, similar to those of Hogwarts, complete with stone floors and flickering torches.
“My Lord.” Severus rushed to the cloaked figure in the shadows and knelt before him. As was customary, he kissed the hem of his Lord’s robes.
“Severus,” said the Dark Lord. His voice was soft and high, but immeasurably dangerous. “No doubt you know why you are here?”
Severus looked about. They were alone”truly alone. No other masked figures lurked hidden. Unusual, but men of his standing often got privileges. “My Lord,” Severus said, carefully bringing his black eyes to meet red. “I do not know what you desire exactly, but””
“The weakness, Severus.” The Dark Lord drew his wand out of his pocket and ran his finger over its handle delicately. “You have been stationed in Alsemore for over two years and you have not succeeded in finding Fornax Maelioiric’s weakness. I wonder whether you are losing your touch.”
“My Lord, as I have explained,” Severus said, quickly glancing at the yew wand, “it would be foolish to charge into his office and use Legilimency. He will know””
“I would expect a man as clever as you to be able to have come up with a solution by now.” The Dark Lord’s eyes glinted dangerously. “Must I be forced to question your devotion?”
“No, my Lord.” Severus thought for a moment before speaking. “The man hardly spends any time alone. He is in Ryan Clynalmoy’s office more than his own.”
The Dark Lord’s expression did not falter. Severus could feel him trying to probe into his genuine thoughts, so carefully projected a sense of earnestness. Despite being unable to find a lie, the Dark Lord did not seem pleased.
“But my Lord,” Severus said quickly, “I come with news”fortunate news. Perhaps you will be able to stop this pitiful revolt at once.”
The Dark Lord glanced down at his wand before returning his stare to Severus. “Yes?”
“The students of Alsemore”along with some adults”Maelioiric and Palmyitor included”are traveling to the Hog’s Head this weekend.”
The Dark Lord did not seem impressed. “How, Severus, do you believe that will help? No doubt they will have the strongest protective enchantments””
“They do,” Severus said grimly. “They have placed a Fidelius charm around the entire pub.” Severus paused. He knew the Dark Lord’s history with this particular charm, and waited until the red eyes flitted towards his before speaking again. “They made me Secret Keeper.”
The Dark Lord, for the first time, looked pleased. “For once, Severus, you have done something useful.”
“I have Naesa Palmyitor wrapped around my little finger,” Severus said. “I will need to accompany them to Hogsmeade. I will play my part well until you arrive, at which point, of course, I will help you destroy them.”
“You have done well, Severus,” said the cloaked figure, “and the Dark Lord always rewards his followers.”
“My Lord?”
“Though I must admit”” the Dark Lord’s eyes flashed dangerously once more “”I wonder why you wish to tell me this when your previous actions have shown no loyalty to me.”
“I do not understand, my Lord.”
“You do understand.” The Dark Lord drew his wand fully. Severus did not flinch, did not draw his own wand. “Those children”four years ago”in the other headquarters. You claimed they were daughters of my followers when you knew that they were Mudblood scum of the revolt.”
Severus stood in silence for a moment. He did not let his thoughts show on his face, though his mind was working wildly. Yes, he had rescued Rowe and Woolbright years ago; he hadn’t realized that the Dark Lord had witnessed it, though. “Forgive me, my Lord,” Severus finally said. “One of the girls is a favorite student of Naesa Palmyitor. With the safe delivery of her back to school, the old woman trusts me completely.”
The Dark Lord lowered his wand and considered this. “A clever plan, Severus. Surely the salvaging of one student was worth gaining trust.”
“She will be at the Hog’s Head also, my Lord,” Severus said. “I am sure the chance to kill the child will arise again.”
“Which one was the favorite?”
Severus looked into the Dark Lord’s red eyes. “Scrawny, little thing,” he said. “Short, brown hair and glasses.” Severus watched the Dark Lord. He could almost see the moment of recognition in his eyes. Wooolbright would probably die because of this, but she was expendable.
“I see.” The Dark Lords thin lips stretched into a smile. “You have done well, Severus, exceedingly well.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” Severus knelt again, kissed his Lord’s robes and left the train. He did not stop once he was away from the Dark Lord’s watchful eye, but kept walking purposefully onward. It was not until he reached the cool breeze of fresh air above ground that he stopped.
That, he realized, was close. The Dark Lord was growing much more experienced and thoughtful. And if he had seen Rowe and Woolbright years ago, that posed a large problem, for both the immediate trip to Hogsmeade and the future. Severus ran his hand over his left forearm, over the cloth that hid his brand, and gazed at the Muggle camp, stretched across the distance. There was little he could do at this point. Severus sighed and once more again took to the skies, flying, this time, back to Alsemore.
Halfway to Infinity by Eponine
Chapter Notes: Thanks to coolh5000 for being an awesome beta! This chapter is dedicated to my fellow NaNoWriMo winners. Good going, guys!