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UnBroken	By : OddDoll Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 6172 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 35
- 36
- 37
Unbroken
By Odd Doll
Chapter 36
Severus needed reassurance -- they both did -- but Phoebe almost didn't have the strength, the forgiveness, to give it to him.
"You allowed me to think you were a hero, Severus, but I can understand that. What's harder is the fact that you kept this revelation to yourself. You would have let the wizarding world go to hell."
"I'd been through hell, Phoebe. I cared little about the world around me."
The sat in their chairs by the fire. They day had been warm, but now a fire burned low against the evening chill, the only light in the room. It reminded her of Tahoe, and the nights they sat in similar chairs, discussing problems more pressing, but no more dire. When would this end? she wondered. How would it end? For the first time since they left California, she considered her mortality.
"We'll have to surface," she said, relenting on the subject of his lack of commitment to his own cause. He had a valid point. "I assume Malfoy is still out there."
"We'll have to be very careful. The Dark Lord suspected something. That's why he tried so hard to break me."
"What is the story with Harry Potter?" She curled up in her chair, expecting it to take a while.
"Harry and the Dark Lord had some sort of mental connection. I can't explain it, but Dumbledore had ideas he wouldn't share. At first Harry had dreams where he saw what the Dark Lord was doing, but it grew worse and worse until he had fugue states during which he had no control of himself. After he attempted to kill Dumbledore, we knew something had to be done."
"So you faked his death?"
"No, we cursed him with a sleeping curse."
"But..."
"We thought the curse hadn't worked, but it only delayed. Unfortunately it took effect very publicly during a Quidditch game. We decided to declare him dead. It made moving him much simpler."
"Does McGonagall know?"
"No. Only Dumbledore and I. He needed me for the curse and to help move his body, or I don't know if he would have involved me at all. He was secretive that way."
She rose as she said, "Where are they now?" She headed for the corner of the room that served as the kitchen. "Coffee?"
"Not this late. Chocolate?"
"Sure."
Severus continued his story as she moved around the kitchen. "They're with the Sidhe, in Avalon. At least Harry is. Dumbledore was going to retrieve him. I don't know why he hasn't returned."
"Avalon? Isn't that where King Arthur was supposed to have gone?"
"Indeed."
"So the Sidhe are the Fae? The Shining Ones?"
"You know the lore?"
"That's about the limit. I wasn't into that kind of stuff when I was young."
"They only shine when they're using magic. If you see that, you'd better run."
She had heated the cocoa with a charm, and it was soon ready. He took the cup with a nod.
"Where is Avalon?" she asked as she sank back into her chair, cocoa in hand.
"West of Cornwall. An island in the sea."
"That's why you were in Plymouth."
"Yes. Dumbledore entrusted to me his notes about both the curse and the location of Avalon. It took me almost three months to retrieve them from where I had hidden them at Hogwarts."
"You didn't take them with you when you left?"
"The statue I put them in had been broken by a student without my knowledge, and moved to the room of requirements."
"What's that?"
"It's a room that is whatever you need when you walk into it. Very useful, if you can find it. One of its incarnations is an enormous storeroom full of all of Hogwarts' rubbish, like unwanted statuary that is too valuable to completely discard."
"It took you that long to find it?"
"At first I had to find someone to tell me what had happened to it. Our curator had vanished. Then I had to sneak back into Hogwarts. And then I had to search the room. That was the easy part. The room is like that."
"So where is it now?"
"At Filla's, did you see a long black leather tube?"
"Yes, I did. By the time I got that dratted safe open, I was in no mood to explore. I'm sorry. I'll go back. It should be easy."
"Do you think anyone has discovered your robbery?"
"Doubtful. I was tidy about it and the safe is in a closet that a cleaner might not see. No one is using the house right now."
He stared down at his cocoa, swirling it in the cup a little. "Do you mind if I don't accompany you?"
"No, Severus. Not at all."
"Phoebe, you have to decide now. What your role will be. I need to know if I can count on you or if I have to go on alone."
She stared at the fire for a few moments. "I'm in, and if I'm in at all, I'm in all the way. My skills, my resources, the resources of the resort, you can have all of it until I die or this is done."
She rose from her chair and headed toward her room. Severus stood and held out a hand. "Phoebe...?"
She paused. "No, Severus. You're not the man I thought you were."
"Is the man that I really am so bad?"
But she quietly shut her door and he heard the lock click.
Severus sat back in his chair and stared unseeing into the fire. It suddenly occurred to him that before Phoebe had made all the peace overtures. If he lost his temper, or she did, if they said something thoughtless, she would be the one to come in with an apologetic smile and a cup of cocoa, or approach him gently, coaxing him into the apology that he knew she deserved.
But not this time. It would be up to him to fix this. He had no idea where to begin, but he knew he had to try.
*****
Finding the papers was easy. Phoebe Apparated to Filla's home and returned ten minutes later to hand Severus a scuffed leather tube. He quickly surveyed the documents, and although they were not in the order he had put them in the tube, they were all there. Filla had asked him many questions about the Sidhe. The idea of real live "faeries" fascinated him.
Finding a secluded place was easy. Phoebe rented a flat outside of London that would become headquarters for a revived Order of the Phoenix. Unbeknownst to all but Severus, she had also rented another to flee to if they were discovered.
Finding the scattered remnants of the Order was also easy, if a bit time consuming. They had hidden well, but remained in contact with each other. The relentless surveillance by Voldemort's army had paralyzed the Order, making it difficult to move freely about Britain. The Muggle-born in particular took their safety precautions to extreme. More Muggle-born disappeared or died every day.
What proved to be difficult was holding an Order meeting amidst the jubilant reunion of the entire Weasley clan. Shouts of joy erupted every time a new person walked through the door. Rounds of hugs with every person in the room followed, along with a detailed catching up on news. A young woman named Hermione arrived and after the group greeted her, Ron Weasley swept her off into a corner where they held hands and kissed until business began.
Bettina turned out to be the Hogwarts librarian, a woman named Irma Pince. A scarred man in threadbare clothes was introduced as Remus Lupin. With him was his wife, a pretty young woman simply called Tonks. A tall, distinguished man arrived, Kingsley Shacklebolt, moments before the largest human being Phoebe had every seen. Rubeus Hagrid bent down and twisted his shoulders to fit through the door, and after shaking Phoebe's hand and crushing half the assembly in his enormous embrace, settled down on three of the folding chairs. Phoebe thanked her foresight in acquiring more than she had thought she needed.
The crowd welcomed Severus back with as much enthusiasm but perhaps less warmth. Phoebe watched sadly as the little bit of openness he had gained with her retreated behind a cold shell. Every time someone warily shook his hand, more and more of the aloof man she had been warned of emerged. Many asked about Phoebe. All he would say was, "She saved my life."
When all had arrived, but still stood in small groups, chatting and gobbling up the snacks she had provided as if they didn't see regular meals, Severus drew her aside.
"We should get started."
"No, Severus."
"They'll want to hear our story. It will give them hope, energize the Order to know we have a clear objective."
"No. They need this. It's giving them hope just to be together again. Let them have more time. They'll be curious about what you have to say, anyway. They'll begin it themselves. You'll see."
True to her word, Arthur Weasley came forward twenty minutes later and suggested they start. He placed thumb and forefinger in his mouth and whistled. Quiet fell. "We want to hear what Severus Snape has to say. Sit everyone."
"There are two people watching outside?" Severus asked.
"Doge and Podmore," McGonagall said.
"Thank you, Minerva. We all Apparated here, but we must be cautious." He turned to the assembled crowd. "Many of you are curious about where I've been, and Ms. Baher's role in my return. I will not discuss that now. It is irrelevant and we have much more important things to hear." He paused to make sure he had their full attention, turned to where Ginny Weasley sat between two of her brothers, and laid the same bomb on the crowd that he had on Phoebe.
"Harry Potter is alive, and I know where he is."
First came the gasps, and then murmurs. Ginny Weasley stared, open-mouthed, at Severus and burst into tears. Hagrid cried. Severus started to speak again, but Phoebe placed a hand on his arm. "Not yet," she whispered.
"We have much to discuss."
"Give them a moment." A minute later, when the room quieted and faces turned once again to Severus, she said, "Now."
Severus told his story, concluding by saying, "I don't know why Dumbledore hasn't returned with Harry, but Professor McGonagall confirmed yesterday that his portion of the wards are intact. Dumbledore is alive, as well." This time the crowd cheered. Three loud thumps sounded from the wall adjoining the neighboring flat, and Phoebe hushed them.
"What we'll need most is a curse breaker," Phoebe said, "in case Dumbledore was unable to break it before his disappearance. We also need a boat. I can provide for it, but we need a captain."
"I'm your wizard for curses," said Bill Weasley, raising his hand.
Everyone else looked around at their neighbors, but no one volunteered to captain the boat.
"What about the pall bearers," Phoebe suggested.
"We can't get Muggles involved," Severus said.
"They are the perfect resource."
"What are the pall bearers?" Molly Weasley asked.
"They are a group of Muggles who have lost Muggle-born relatives to the Dark Lord. They are committed to doing something about the situation."
"They're useless," Severus said.
"A Muggle can captain a boat as well as a witch or wizard," Arthur Weasley said. "If it's a Muggle boat. Would the Sidhe let a Muggle boat into their territory?"
"They let King Arthur in, didn't they, Severus?" Phoebe said.
He shrugged and grimaced. "Yes, from everything I've read, they welcomed Arthur. But he was special."
"Whoever we rely on, they'll be with you, Severus. The pall bearers already know about the wizarding world. We wouldn't be revealing anything."
"They'll be worse than useless. They'll be no help in a fight."
"We're not expecting any trouble with the Sidhe. They're our allies."
Ginny Weasley, who had been sitting with her arms folded, wearing a cross expression, suddenly stood. "I'm going."
"Ginny--" Molly began.
"You can't stop me. If Harry's there, I'm going."
"I'm going," Hermione Granger said, also standing.
Ron Weasley stood beside her. "I'm in."
"This is not a mission for children," Severus said with a sneer worthy of his teaching days.
"Snape, you're a bastard, but this deception was cruel even for you," Ginny said.
"Ginny!" Molly hissed and reached forward from the seat behind her to pull at her sleeve. Ginny jerked her arm away.
"You let me believe he was dead for over two years," Ginny said, unapologetic. "I'm going to be the first to see him. I AM GOING!"
"He's my best friend," Ron said. "You can't keep me away."
"Well, that's three of our party," Phoebe said, deciding to take charge. "I'll contact Sylvester Waterman in the morning and see if he can get us a Muggle captain."
"Phoebe--"
"We'll discuss this later," she said quietly. She squeezed his hand and his whole demeanor changed for the briefest moments before returning to the disdainful expression he wore for the crowd.
"I wish I could go," Remus Lupin said, "but the timing..."
Phoebe looked to Severus, but he shook his head. "Werewolf," he whispered in her ear.
She nodded slightly, and gave Lupin a friendly look, but watched him for the remainder of the meeting.
"I'd go," Hagrid said, "but...seasick, you know."
Phoebe was privately glad. She couldn't imagine being in a small boat with a man that size.
"How many are you planning on taking?" This question was undeniably directed at Phoebe, the crowd already reacting to her aura of authority. She had run out of her anti-anxiety medication a week before, but so far she held firm.
"It depends upon how big the boat is, but I'm thinking the six we have should be the limit." She turned to Severus. "How many can we bring without upsetting the Sidhe?"
"I have no idea, but I wouldn't risk any more than we already have."
They discussed practical issues, where and when to embark, what to bring, how long the trip might last, but Phoebe had already taken most of these in consideration, filling a yellow lined pad. All that remained was to find a captain.
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