A door on one side of the desolate banquet hall opened loudly. A man stepped into the room as the door swung shut behind him. His cold, dark eyes took in the damage. Shards of china and crystal were strewn all over the floor. He rested his eyes on the shadow of a man bent double on the other side of the room. His footfalls echoed in the silent room as he crossed quickly to where the other man leaned down over a crumpled body.
“You are needed.”
The words, spoken softly, seemed to ring out in the silent space.
Both men stood to their full height; one man dark and gaunt, the other fair and self-assured.
A girl crouching beneath the folds of a crisp, starched linen table cloth lowered herself to her stomach and peered out from the tiny crack between the table linen and the tile. The tile was icy against her cheek, causing her to suck in her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut, praying that no one had seen her.
“Such a pity,” drawled the fair-haired man, tossing his head in a gesture of impatience.
“She was a mere child,” replied the other.
“You have much to learn,” stated Lucius Malfoy sharply, frowning down at the body and sliding his wand back inside his cloak.
Lucius took a few steps away, but then turned quickly.
“Leave her,” he commanded, “let them find her here.”
Lucius turned and strode from the room when the man assented with a nod of his head. The door snapping shut behind him sounded like a gunshot. The man looked up sharply. He had heard not only the door, but another, softer noise.
Remaining frozen in her spot beneath the table, the girl watched the man scan the room slowly. She gasped inaudibly when his gaze stopped upon the table under which she was hiding. She shook her head frantically “ she didn’t understand. She was positive she knew who he was “ she had seen him frequently enough to know. In fact, she knew both of these men. Her mind raced, trying to put all the pieces together.
Gazing upon the banquet table that had somehow escaped damage, the man weighed his options. Someone was hiding underneath the table. He was sure. He could feel the fear pulsating out from beneath it. He did not think he was in danger, but he did not want to be too confident either. He needed to know what kind of mess Lucius left behind that he was going to end up cleaning up.
The sound of glass crunching under his feet made the girl blanch as she realized he was quickly moving toward her. In one swift motion, the man had flipped up the cloth and was crouched low with his wand pointing directly at her.
“Please, no!” she gasped, hiding her face in her hands and curling into a ball as quickly as a cat.
The sound of shattering glass punctuated the moment as two crystal goblets fell from the table, one by her head and the other by her feet. The silence that followed seemed to stretch out endlessly.
“Violet?” the man asked sharply. “Violet Evans?”
The girl peered out from between her fingers as she nodded, exhaling slowly.
When the man lowered his wand and rested back on his heels, Violet scrambled out and threw herself into his arms sobbing. To balance, he put his hand back quickly and cut his palm on a shard from a china dinner plate. He sucked in his breath.
“Severus! Severus, I don’t understand!” she pleaded.
Severus Snape regained his balance as the girl clung to him shaking. He shook his injured hand as the blood began to flow down to his fingers. He remained crouched awkwardly for a moment before putting his other arm around her and standing them both up.
“Violet,” he said trying to push her away from him. She resisted, burying her face deeper into his chest and shuddering.
“Violet,” he said again, a note of desperation creeping into his voice.
This girl, clinging to him so tightly, was causing his heart to beat much more rapidly than he was accustomed to. He was starting to feel very unsettled.
“Violet, enough!” he barked, wrenching away and turning his back to her. She quieted immediately.
Snape examined his hand carefully. The gash was deep. It would probably leave a scar. He forced himself to focus on that thought only as he took a couple of deep breaths.
“Severus, what’s going on? Why was Lucius Malfoy here?” she asked beginning to cry again. “Tomorrow is Lily’s wedding.”
Snape turned around slowly, his face now a mask showed no feeling.
“My hand is cut,” he told her, pulling a long, white handkerchief from the pocket of his black vest.
He wrapped the handkerchief around his hand tightly as Violet gasped. She could already see the crimson beginning to stain through.
“Your hand,” she stammered as she cried, reaching up to take it in hers. “I am so sorry!”
Snape snatched his hand out of her grasp and took a step back. She winced at the sound of glass crushing under his feet.
“I…I don’t understand,” she said again.
“Does Lily know you are here?” he asked evenly.
Violet shook her head.
“Severus, please,” she began imploringly. “Lucius Malfoy…I don’t understand…why are you here? That girl…that girl is my friend!”
Snape could hear the hysteria creeping into her voice again. His countenance softened then, almost imperceptibly.
“Lily would be devastated to know that you had just witnessed this,” he said softly, eyes taking in the desolate scene.
Snape thought of the last time he had seen Lily Evans.
“Why are you here?” Violet asked again. “Why did you come for Lucius? Who sent you? How did you know where…”
Violet’s voice trailed off as her eyes grew wide with comprehension. She shook her head slowly.
“Severus?” she questioned.
Severus Snape squared his shoulders then and glared coldly into the eyes of Violet Evans.
“Please no, Severus,” she whispered. “Please tell me that this is not true.”
Snape remained silent, staring into her eyes as she stepped back slowly.
“Severus, you are Lily’s friend. You are my friend! I know you from…”
“You don’t know me at all,” Snape spat, closing the distance between them and grabbing Violet’s wrist hard with his wounded hand. He winced.
Violet yelped and squeezed her eyes shut as Snape wrapped his left arm around her back. He let go of Violet’s wrist and used his hurt hand to turn up the cuff of his white linen shirt.
“Look,” he commanded.
She shook her head, keeping her eyes tightly shut.
Snape leaned in very close to her ear.
“Look,” he hissed again.
Violet opened her eyes, damp with new tears.
“You are our friend,” she whispered softly looking not at his arm but at his face. “You studied Potions with my sister at our house all the time. I sat with you at the kitchen table when you and Lily were studying.”
Snape lifted his forearm slowly and Violet, crying freely now, turned to see the Dark Mark emblazoned on his sallow skin. She spit at his Mark viciously. The touch of her spittle on his skin was like a hot iron. Snape pushed her roughly away from him and she spun crashing into the table sending china and crystal flying once more.
“Do not push me, little girl,” he snarled angrily.
Violet would not look at him.
“You…” Violet’s voice caught. She took a deep breath. “You are not that man,” she whispered again. “You are Lily’s friend. I know you. I liked you and I looked up to you…Please, Severus…”
Something about the way Violet had just spoken to him sent Snape reeling. He backed away from her, stumbling.
Violet looked up to face him.
“I will not believe it,” she told him simply.
Snape glared at her, but kept his distance. His heart began to pound again. He could hear it in his ears.
“I will not believe it,” she said again. “You were always nice to me Severus…even at school, where you hated everyone. The year I came you always shared a kind word. You may have only done that because I was Lily’s little sister, but I liked you for it. You made me feel more comfortable there. I liked being around you. You are not that man.”
“Stop!” Snape yelled savagely, holding up his wand and pointing it directly at her heart.
Violet held her breath. The tears still clung to her lashes. She forced herself to look straight into his eyes.
Snape took a deep breath and one step closer to Violet. When he spoke his words were without emotion.
“Get. Out. Now. Before. Lucius. Returns.”
You are not that man…
Snape’s eyes snapped open and his hand reflexively reached for the wand resting on his bedside table. The palm of his hand still twinged from the cut. For some reason he could not quite explain, Snape had not magically healed his palm. He opened and shut the hand slowly, looking down at it. Looking at it reminded him of her.
It had been a month already since their run-in. Snape had heard the rumblings that despite the initial incident of a dead Muggle, the Evans/Potter wedding went off without a hitch.
Snape took a deep breath, replacing the wand on the table and sliding up to a sitting position on the bed in the cold, dank room at Spinner’s End. With his mind’s eye he saw the face of Violet Evans, eyes locked on his own, a look of total determination on her face. She was haunting his dreams and he didn’t like it. He shook his head slowly to clear it. He could have just cast a quick Memory modification charm and that would have been the end of it. He could have but he did not.
The owl rapped on the glass of the kitchen window loudly. After a few moments, Snape crossed the kitchen and threw the window open, letting in the owl along with the crisp early morning air.
Snape took the letter from the owl and rummaged in a cupboard, looking for a treat. The owl took it gratefully but did not move to leave so Snape leaned over to pull the window shut. His reply must be expected. He opened the letter, quickly scanning down the lines:
Breakfast at Malfoy Manor “ what a pleasant way to begin the day!
Snape smirked and penned a response on the backside of the parchment. He returned the letter to the owl that now looked eager to leave. Snape reopened the window and watched the bird gracefully take to the air.
After quickly conjuring a cup of tea, Snape grabbed a handful of walnuts to munch on and took the steps two at a time. It would not do to keep Lucius Malfoy waiting long.
As he dressed methodically, Snape concentrated very intensely on the image of Violet seen in his mind’s eye. After a few moments, the image began to blur around the edges, closing in on itself until finally there was nothing left. It was as if a door had been opened and shut. What was previously there had disappeared completely.
Breakfast at Malfoy Manor was a quiet, working affair.
“You must wonder, Severus, why I have invited you here,” Malfoy suggested when they were seated at a small table in Malfoy’s private study.
Snape nodded his head, appraising Lucius Malfoy with a questioning expression and spreading a napkin onto his lap smoothly. He waited in silence until Malfoy had begun to eat.
“The Dark Lord has asked me to convey to you that he was very interested to learn you had a good working relationship with Lily Evans,” Malfoy explained.
“She is Lily Potter now,” Snape interjected with disgust.
“Yes, yes,” Lucius agreed, “I had quite forgotten she married that twit, Potter.”
The two ate in silence for a few moments until Malfoy continued.
“The Dark Lord wants to know if your ‘friend’ is aware of your new allegiance.”
“Not that I know of,” Snape responded.
“I would suggest you find out for sure,” Malfoy told him.
“Why does it matter?” Snape asked.
“My dear boy,” Malfoy chided, “for someone so well versed in Potions and the Dark Arts, it does take you some time to put things together.”
Snape scowled. Only Lucius Malfoy could insult someone with such decorum.
“He would like me to encourage you to continue your relationship with Lily Potter.”
“I have not seen her for some time,” Snape told him.
“Perhaps now would be a good time to offer your belated congratulations on her wedding,” Malfoy suggested smiling.
Snape scowled darkly.
“You are a great asset to the cause, Severus,” Malfoy reminded him, feeding his ego just a bit, “This is why the Dark Lord has seen to influence your alliances.”
“Well,” Snape remarked as his eyes flashed brightly, “Lily always did visit the Apothecary on the same day every week.”
Malfoy nodded and placed his napkin gently upon his cleaned plate. He pushed back the chair and regarded Snape with interest.
“The Dark Lord is also requesting you pursue some higher education,” he stated.
Snape almost choked on his tea. “What does that mean?”
Malfoy raised his eyebrows in amusement. “Is this a problem?”
“What does my Lord want me to do?” Snape asked, taking a deep breath.
Lucius smiled and answered, “He wants you to devote a good portion of your time to studying Potions.”
Snape thought this over for a few minutes, continuing to eat silently. “And my mentor?” he asked finally.
“The Dark Lord has arranged a meeting for you tomorrow with Professor Slughorn at Hogwarts for one o’clock.”
“At Hogwarts?” Snape asked darkly.
“One o’clock,” Malfoy reminded him, rising to stand. “I will wait to hear the outcome of your meeting, but remember, Severus, the Dark Lord does not like to wait long.”
Snape pushed back his chair, aware that although he had not finished eating, his presence at Malfoy Manor was no longer desired.
Snape pulled up the neck on his travel cloak and entered the small, wooden building. His keen sense of smell was overwhelmed by the intense aroma of many clashing scents in the dimly lit Apothecary.
The woman directly in front of him started at his sudden presence. She turned to look at him and a slow smile spread across her face.
“Hello, Severus,” she said.
“Lily,” he responded coolly, inclining his head fractionally.
“It has been so long,” she said touching his elbow gently, her eyes smiling. “How are you?”
“Forgive me, but my congratulations seems to have been delayed,” he told her unsmiling.
Lily raised her eyebrows.
“The owl must have been blown off course,” he finished, sneering.
“As abrasive as ever,” Lily remarked with a wide smile. “I am glad that you are well then.”
Snape watched Lily silently as she turned back to her shopping, breaking eye contact with him. As an accomplished Legilimens however, even eye contact that brief allowed Snape to confirm that Lily Potter was completely unaware of his recent decision to serve the Dark Lord. It appeared that Violet had chosen to stay quiet about their friendly little chat as well.
Lily turned back to Snape, a look of concern etched in her features.
“Violet mentioned she saw you just before the wedding…strange thing, that death of her Muggle friend. Would you know anything about that?”
The words hung in the air between them.
Snape let the words wash over him a moment before he replied, giving himself time to clear his mind.
“Is Violet still distressed?” he inquired with just the merest hint of concern.
Lily nodded.
“Yes, but she refuses to speak of the events of that day. What do you know of what went on?”
“Mere blood-sport,” he replied tersely, not attempting to hide the disgust in his voice.
Just then the breeze from the opening door rustled Snape’s hair as Lily broke into a wide smile looking at someone just over his shoulder.
“Violet!” she exclaimed, pushing past to hug her sister.
Snape kept his back to the two women as they exchanged pleasantries.
“Severus,” Lily began, “Violet and I were planning to head to the Leaky Cauldron for a bite. Would you like to join us?”
Snape turned around slowly. His gaze met Violet’s, who was looking at him expectantly. He silently dared her to speak; to blow his cover but her eyes betrayed nothing of their previous meeting.
“I really must restock my supplies,” he responded dismissively.
Lily opened her mouth to speak, but Violet cut her off.
“That‘s fine. We will wait,” Violet told them both.
Snape arched an eyebrow in surprise. Her response caught him completely off guard.
“I have no other plans,” she explained quickly. “Lily, is that all right with you?”
Lily nodded. “It would be nice to catch up some,” she agreed.
Snape looked from one woman to the other, silently comparing the pros and cons of this sudden dinner invitation. He had gotten his answer for the Dark Lord, but was sure anything more would be welcome. Violet’s presence however, certainly complicated things.
He looked at Violet again coolly and responded, “I will be just a moment then.”
Violet smiled and Snape turned away from her feeling unsettled. He strode over to the counter to order his items, hearing the women’s voices murmuring softly in the background. He took a deep breath to tame his sudden surge of temper thinking “
Who does this girl think she is? What game is she playing at?
He glanced quickly over his shoulder scowling. Best to have this dinner engagement and set Violet straight once more if the opportunity presented itself.
Settling themselves at a small corner table in the crowded Leaky Cauldron, Snape caught the eye of Tom, the bartender.
Tom approached the table quickly giving his full attention to Severus Snape. Snape opened his mouth to speak and cringed as Violet gushed, “Oh hi, Tom! How are you? I think tonight I would like ““
“Violet,” Lily said gently, laying her hand on Violet’s.
Violet turned to her.
“Dinner with Severus is always a most delightful experience. Why don’t you just sit quietly and watch how a proper young man treats women,” she suggested.
Snape looked to Lily and nodded gratefully. He turned back to Tom and ordered, including appetizers and a fine bottle of elf-made wine for the three of them.
“Severus is a gentleman who appreciates how things were done in the old days,“ Lily explained to Violet as Tom went to fetch their wine. “There are not many proper gentlemen left these days.”
Snape grimaced inwardly. This was not going along as well as he had hoped.
Violet bestowed another wide smile and replied softly, “I always thought that about you.”
“The real problem is cheeky, young women who don’t know their place,” Snape replied quickly, hiding the blush creeping into his cheeks by coughing heavily into his napkin.
Tom brought the wine and shortly after, the food. The three sat eating. Violet remained fairly silent as Snape and Lily discussed many things potion related. Violet’s strong point was Transfiguration and as such, she was amazed to watch the transformation of the man she knew now to be a Death Eater. She studied him closely as he spoke guardedly with Lily. This was the man she knew “ the one who had been in their kitchen so often. It was the man that she had come to care a great deal for, but that secret was sealed in her soul. She had never breathed a word of it to anyone. How long had it been really, now that she thought of it, since she had seen him? He had not been on the guest list for the wedding, but then again, she knew that was because of James and not Lily.
After a few moments she realized she had been staring. She dropped her gaze to her plate, remembering the shred of concern in his voice when Snape commanded her to leave the reception hall.
“What is going on here?”
A man’s voice sliced through the conversation.
Three sets of eyes turned to find James Potter glaring down at them. Remus Lupin held up a warning hand and shrugged.
Lily stood up with ease and walked to her husband, kissing his cheek.
“James, I know you remember Severus. We ran into him at the Apothecary and invited him to join us,” Lily explained putting her hand on his chest warningly.
“How nice,” James responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Snape bristled. He hated James Potter with every fiber of his being, but Lily had just categorized him as the perfect gentleman to Violet. He sighed resignedly and pushed back his chair to stand politely, but did not address James directly. He cast a look of great disdain however, in the direction of Remus Lupin.
“James knew you would be here with Violet,” Remus said by way of apology. “He thought we might join you.”
No one spoke for a moment until Violet remarked quietly, “You know, I really need to be getting home. If it isn’t too much trouble, perhaps you could escort me, Severus, and then Lily can stay here with James and Remus.”
“Remus will take you home!” James commanded.
Lily rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, James, you both just got here. I’m sure Remus wants dinner. Violet will be in good hands with Severus.”
“Severus?” Violet asked again quickly before James could respond.
Snape was already leaning down to gather their things. He offered her his hand.
“Lily,” Snape said, helping Violet into her cloak.
“Severus, thank you. It was so nice to catch up,” Lily replied.
“Potter, Lupin…” Snape hissed barely audibly before turning on his heel and offering Violet his arm.
Violet thought Snape was going to bang the door off its hinges as they left the Leaky Cauldron. They walked a few blocks in stalking silence, Violet snatching glimpses of the hatred etched in Snape’s face.
“Thank you for dinner,” Violet said softly when Snape slowed his pace slightly.
A hiss whistled low through his teeth before he rounded on her, grasping her arm tightly and unleashing some of his fury on her.
“What game are you playing at?” Snape demanded, looking down his nose at her.
She met his gaze fully and let the question hang in the air for a moment before replying.
“That man at the table dining with Lily and I…that is the man that you are. That is the man I remember.”
Snape shook his head slowly and defiantly, letting go of her arm.
“I am a Death Eater,” he said proudly. “I serve the greatest wizard the world has ever known.”
Violet listened to these words roll reverently off his tongue and felt a sudden chill grip her heart. She thought Snape might just bow down to the very thought of him. She shivered and took a deep breath.
“Why have you done this?” she asked him regretfully.
Snape looked at her with scorn.
“Put away your romantic notions of saving my soul,” he told her with disgust. “I know who I am.”
“I will not believe it,” she told him again.
He lifted his hand as if to strike her, but did not. He waited instead until the sleeve of his cloak had slid back along his arm to reveal the Dark Mark. She flinched as if he had struck her anyway and turned away.
“My patience toward you is waning,” Snape said in a low tone. “Only because you are Lily’s little sister will I say this to you: do not play this game, Violet. This game is for keeps and you will not win. You are young “ do not be foolish. Listen to what I am telling you.”
Violet walked away from him silently. Snape came up alongside her. Her face was set in a rigid expression. They walked together in silence until they reached her home.
“Lily expected I escort you,” Snape said simply. “Do not let it go to your head.”
Violet laughed bitterly. “Lily knows you, and I know you. Believe what you want, Severus, but you are not that man.”
She turned then and let herself into her sister’s house without another word.
Snape watched the door snap shut behind her. There were not many things in the world that gave Severus Snape pause, but Violet Evans was definitely one of them.
Never Again by HandPFeather
Chapter Notes: Nothing here is owned by Me. All kudos go to JK and I thank her for letting us play in her world!
Special thanks to the Beta Gang: Sandy, Allie and Frank. Love you guys! ~~~~~~~