Chapter Eight: Trapped
The Death Eater meeting at Malfoy Manor turned out to be an induction ceremony. Six more wizards had made the choice to join the Dark Lord. One of the inductees, Igor Karkaroff, was someone that Snape knew from his childhood.
At the close of the ceremony, Snape approached Karkaroff to offer his congratulations.
“Ah, the new Potions Master,” Karkaroff said jovially.
Snape shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Your name has been getting around,” Karkaroff told him. “Must be all that research. How is life with the enemy?”
Snape sneered. “I keep to myself.”
“What?!” Karkaroff exclaimed. “With all those lovely young girls?”
The image of Violet clinging tightly to him rose in his mind before he could stop it. Snape scowled and stalked away from Karkaroff. He scooped a drink off a tray carried by a house elf and downed it in one gulp. He had not been able to see Dumbledore before coming. Agitation blossomed in his chest as he looked around the room. Violet’s safety depended on a large part on him and he needed to keep his cool.
The door to the ballroom opened slowly. Lucius returned with a smiling Narcissa on his arm.
“Everyone, please,” Lucius said loudly, commanding attention from everyone in the room. He reached for a drink, motioning for the others to do so as well.
Snape exchanged his empty glass for a full one and held it in front of him, waiting for Lucius to continue.
“An announcement,” Lucius said, looking to Narcissa smiling.
“I am going to have a baby,” she told the waiting crowd, beaming.
A smattering of applause broke out around the room amid calls of “Bravo!” and “Well done!”
Snape drained his glass after joining in the customary toast. He retired to the balcony then, looking out over the silent landscape. His hands clenched the top of the stone wall as envy coursed through his veins. He listened to the sounds of the party continuing in the room behind him. How did this all happen, he wondered. He shook himself.
Here he stood pining away like a foolish school boy. He had always planned things out so methodically that this situation with Violet was completely foreign to him. He had no real concept of love existing in his life before the sudden advent of Violet and her professed feelings for him. He was overwhelmed and was trying to maintain his balance. Everything about this situation however was completely wrong.
Snape slammed his hand down on the stone. The situation was wrong because Snape, out of his hatred for the Marauders, had allied himself with everything they had despised. In his search for knowledge, he accepted the only thing that would set him apart from them forever.
His thoughts were such a jumble inside his head that he had not even realized he was no longer alone until Bellatrix spoke.
“Having second thoughts?”
Snape jumped at the sound of her silky voice as the doors snapped shut in his mind, but not before he knew Bellatrix had a sense of Violet’s presence in his life.
“Shouldn’t you be in at the party?” Snape asked dismissively.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Bellatrix purred. “Having girlfriend troubles?”
Snape looked at her coldly. “As if my personal life is your concern.”
Bellatrix stepped closer to him, wrinkling her nose before replying, “Anything you do is my concern, Half-Blood.”
They pulled their wands at the same time, Bellatrix easily deflecting the hex Snape sent her way. They volleyed curses and hexes at one another for a few moments until Malfoy’s shout of “Enough!” caused them both to stop.
“This is my party,” Malfoy announced, striding over to stand between them. He looked from Bellatrix to Snape and back again. Both of them stood, breathing rapidly.
“As much as I appreciate that you chose to take your little argument outdoors, I will not tolerate this between you any longer,” Malfoy told them.
“He’s a half-blood spy!” Bellatrix spat.
Snape advanced on her, seemingly oblivious to Malfoy’s presence between them.
“Severus,” Malfoy said, sharply. “Stand down.”
Snape stopped his advance but did not lower his wand.
“I said stand down,” Malfoy ordered.
Snape lowered his wand slowly so Malfoy turned his attention back to Bellatrix.
“Go back to the party, Bella,” he told her. “We have had this discussion.”
She scowled at Malfoy and slowly turned to leave. She looked back and her eyes met Snape’s. He read very clearly from her look that she was not finished with this yet.
Malfoy looked Snape over appraisingly.
“Do we have anything to discuss?” Malfoy asked as Snape spun back around to look at the empty landscape and put his wand into his robe.
Snape remained silent a moment, closing his eyes and trying to get control of his emotions.
“A woman,” Snape replied thorough gritted teeth. “Bellatrix has entirely the wrong idea.”
Malfoy laughed aloud. “I didn’t imagine you to be involved in melodrama of that sort.”
Snape remained silent, clenching and unclenching his fists on the cold, stone wall.
“And what fair beauty has caught your tongue, Severus?” Malfoy asked in a mock whisper.
Snape closed his eyes and opened them slowly. He saw only one way out from here.
“Violet Evans,” he replied. “But it is not what you think!”
Malfoy laughed again, coming to stand directly next to Snape. Malfoy leaned over the wall peering directly into Snape’s face.
“Surely you jest,” Malfoy drawled.
Snape spun around quickly and replied hastily, “What better way to get close to Lily? I have been helping Violet with her Potions.”
Slowly Malfoy nodded his head. “I see… using Violet as bait… interesting idea.”
He remained silent for a few moments.
“It just might work.”
Malfoy turned around. Now both men were leaning back against the wall, watching the party through the windows into the ballroom. Snape frowned deeply when Bellatrix walked into view.
Malfoy clapped him on the shoulder.
“Let’s get back,” he said heartily. “Don’t worry about Bella. I will handle her. You have my complete confidence, Severus.”
Still frowning, Snape followed Malfoy back into the party. After finding Narcissa to offer his personal congratulations, Snape begged off.
Rather than returning to Spinner’s End, Snape apparated back to the edge of the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts.
He hastily strode across the lawn and made his way into the castle. The sounds of his footfalls echoed loudly down the empty corridor. Standing in front of the stone gargoyle, Snape was getting more and more agitated. None of the passwords he had tried would admit him to the Headmaster’s quarters.
Snape looked up at the sound of soft footsteps approaching from the hallway.
“Severus?” Professor McGonagall asked. “It is late.”
“I must see the Headmaster,” he replied desperately.
“Yes, I realize. Fawkes is dispatched after the third wrong password,” she explained.
“I must see the Headmaster,” he repeated.
“He is in a meeting,” Professor McGonagall replied.
“At this hour?” Snape barked.
“It is obviously important,” she responded coolly.
Snape eyed her furiously. “What I have to say can’t wait!”
“There is no choice for it,” she replied, folding her arms over her chest.
“Who is he with?” Snape demanded, beginning to pace back and forth before the stone gargoyle, willing it to let him in.
“That is not your concern,” McGonagall snapped harshly.
Snape stopped in mid-stride and turned to face her full-on. He opened his mouth to speak, desperation and concern for Violet’s safety almost getting the best of him, but then he snapped his mouth shut. He wheeled around and marched back down the corridor, leaving a stunned Professor McGonagall behind him.
“It seems that Violet is making some headway with Severus,” Dumbledore said happily, leaning back in his chair.
James and Sirius gasped. Remus threw them a half-smile.
“Did you just say Violet?” James asked through clenched teeth.
Dumbledore nodded.
“Surely, James, it is not lost on you, how much she cares for him,” Dumbledore replied meeting James’ eyes.
James did not respond.
“She is still young yet,” Sirius announced, as though this cleared things up.
Dumbledore turned wise eyes to Sirius.
“She is an excellent judge of character, however,” Dumbledore remarked. “I assure you both, her trust is not misplaced.”
James and Sirius scoffed. Remus remained silent.
“You will hold your tongue about this, do you understand?” Dumbledore demanded. “The Order needs Severus and Violet will bring him to see the truth.”
“And what truth is that?” James asked.
“Everyone is worthy of love, James,” Dumbledore told him quietly.
James scowled.
“Tell me, sir, that you are not actively encouraging this arrangement,” James implored.
Dumbledore did not respond immediately and Sirius whistled softly between his teeth.
“If we turn Severus,” Remus began nodding, “we will have an inside track…”
“Use Violet, you mean?!” James demanded, wheeling on his friend.
Dumbledore stood up abruptly. “You will keep silent about this, James, do you understand? There is more going on here than you realize.”
James watched with wide eyes as the Headmaster strode across the room. He exchanged looks with Sirius and Remus.
“Does Lily know about this?” James asked quietly.
Dumbledore turned to face the three young men. His features softened noticeably.
“I imagine she suspects all this and more,” Dumbledore replied softly. “You could never pull much over on Lily.”
The three nodded appreciatively.
“Does Violet know what you expect of her?” James asked.
Dumbledore smiled. “Violet has spoken to Professor McGonagall, James. Minerva has encouraged her to trust her own judgment. There is nothing that we ‘expect’ from her other than leading Severus to believe in the power of love. Life is short, gentlemen, in any event. Now especially, with Lord Voldemort gaining power daily, life is too unpredictable to not squeeze out every ounce of happiness there is. Do you believe you have the right to determine what is appropriate for another person’s happiness?”
James, Sirius and Remus were visibly cowed by these words.
“You do realize,” Dumbledore reminded them evenly, “the reason we lost Severus in the first place?”
None of the three spoke.
“You have my word, Headmaster,” James said in a low tone.
Sirius and Remus nodded in agreement.
Snape stood in the shadows at the entrance to Hogwarts for almost another hour before Dumbledore appeared, walking his visitors to the apparation point.
Snape spat on the hard ground, hatred causing his breath to come in short gasps. His ability to meet with Dumbledore had been hindered because Dumbledore had been visiting with old friends. Violet’s life hung in the balance and he could not meet with Dumbledore because of James Potter and his cronies. Snape hissed angrily and strode around to the opposite side of the castle. He looked up into the inky blackness at the small points of light to where he knew was Ravenclaw tower.
“You will be safe,” he pledged solemnly. “I will find a way to keep you safe.”
By the time Snape returned to the entrance door, Potter and his entourage had left and Dumbledore was nowhere to be found. He cursed again in a low voice and strode across the lawn. With a soft pop, he disappeared as well.
Never Again by HandPFeather
Chapter Notes: It's been a long time; I hope to get the whole thing up one of these days!