Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Shadows of the Past	By : VCLM Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 1631 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
�Lunch time!�
Ron said, piling chips onto his plate. �I�m starving! I thought Divination
would never end!�

Hermione
rolled her eyes, taking a sip of pumpkin juice from her goblet.

Harry
laughed at the pair of them and looked up at the Head Table. He had been
thinking of Dumbledore and his mysterious package all morning. Dumbledore was
missing, as well as Snape.

Reaching
across the table to push down the book covering her face, Harry drew Hermione�s
attention to the head table. �Dumbledore isn�t here,� he said with some
consternation. Hermione raised her eyes from her book to scan the Head Table.
She frowned and nodded her head in silent affirmation. It was unusual for the
Headmaster to be missing at a meal without explanation.

Harry spent
the rest of his lunch plagued by the ominous thoughts that had followed him all
morning. He knew something was amiss with Dumbledore�.but what.

�Let�s get
going,� Hermione said, putting her book into her bag. �It�s Double-Potions next
and I heard Snape was in a mood.�

Ron grabbed
a roll from the basket on the table, and shoved it into his mouth. �Calm down,
Hermione, we have loads of time!�

�Hurry up,
Ron,� she said bossily. �And don�t talk with your mouth full!�

Harry had
grown accustomed to tuning out Ron and Hermione�s bickering and simply gave one
last glance at the Head Table before picking up his book bag.

The trio
left the Great Hall, which was emptying rapidly as the students headed off to
their afternoon lessons. When they arrived in the dungeon Potions room, Snape
was unusually quiet. He ordered them to read the instructions from the black
board and try not to blow up the castle, melt a cauldron or set anyone on fire.
Harry looked up at him while cutting his ginger root, but Snape had his head
down, focusing on whatever was in front of him.

As class
was coming to an end, Snape ordered them to bottle their potions and leave them
on his desk for marking. Neville Longbottom was last to come forward with his
phial. In his rush to escape from his professors� presence he didn�t notice
Draco Malfoy�s foot sneak out to trip him. Neville toppled forward dropping his
potion sample in the process and watched his days work splatter on the floor.

Malfoy,
seeing Snapes head turn to the disturbance, promptly pulled his wand and
pointed at the mess calling �It�s alright professor, I�ve got it. Reparo,
Scourgify.� Draco looked at Neville and sneered �And you�re a pure blood?
You�re pathetic.�

Snape
approached the sprawled body of Neville and a mocking Malfoy. He looked down at
the visibly quaking boy and snarled �Longbottom your ineptitude never ceases to
amaze me. There�s no point in giving you detention, you�re not capable of
learning anything from it and Mr Filch already has his hands full this
evening.� Snape turned and swept away
calling over his shoulder �Fifty points from Gryffindor because you exist
Longbottom and thirty points to Slytherin for your prompt action Malfoy. Now
get out!� Neville grabbed his bag and books while running full tilt out of the
classroom. Malfoy took his time, packing his bag before strolling to the
hallway wearing a smug look to meet his sidekicks, Crabbe and Goyle.

Hermione
had stood at the back of the class silently witnessing the debacle that had
just happened. She would have normally defended Neville and Gryffindor to Snape
but when she turned to look at her professor, he seemed to be in deep thought.
Her anger faded while she watched the normally sarcastic man frown in obvious
consternation. Keeping silent, Hermione quietly left the dungeons wondering
what was causing this uncharacteristic behaviour.

Snape
promptly forgot about the accident and sat staring into space, lost in thought.
He knew there was something that should have caught his attention about the
parcel�s delivery and he had used the class time to think about where he had
seen that owl before. Suddenly, it came to him and his normal scowl deepened.
He looked up to see the last student, Hermione Granger, leave the classroom.

�Of course,� he thought to himself. �Damn it, that owl is Goyle�s pet. He was so proud of it when he first
got it.� Snape could remember, quite clearly two summers ago. He had been
to Goyle Sr.'s summer holiday party. Goyle had come out with the black bird,
showing it off.

Snape got
up from his seat and hurried out closing and warding the door to his classroom
on his way to see Dumbledore.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Claire was
sitting dejectedly on the floor of her cell. She had used her time alone to
become intimately acquainted with her prison. Close inspection of every bar,
brick, nook and cranny had shown there was no way out. She was left to her
thoughts in the gloomy darkness.

Her pensive
moments were interrupted when the door to her cell finally swung open again. The
same two men who had assaulted her entered the cell. Claire backed away
thinking of how best to defend herself. Thoughts of crushed testicles and
bruised scrotums figured brightly at the forefront of her mind.

She heard one word and any thought of escaping
was impossible. �Imperio. Yes, your thoughts are far too evident on your face
my dear.� smirked Malfoy senior. �We wouldn�t want anyone to be damaged
now would we?� As much as she wanted to, Claire couldn�t move a muscle. Her
body wasn�t hers to control.

Earlier

Lucius
Malfoy had just come from the Dark Lord�s call. Voldemort had told Lucius he
wanted the girl brought to him immediately. He said he wanted to speak to her.

�Damn it!�
Lucius swore to himself in the empty Malfoy Manor. �It�s too soon! I wasn�t
given time to tame her!� he paced his large sitting room. �Perhaps later�.� His
debauched thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his front door opening. He
looked up at the enormous figure that had lumbered inside his house.

�Finally,
Goyle,� Malfoy glared at him. �What took so long? Did you take Muggle transportation?�

�Hello,
Lucius,� said the well built man, ignoring his comment.

�The Dark
Lord is waiting,� said Lucius to the stocky Death Eater, who was neither
extraordinary bright nor courteous. �Let�s get the girl.�

Now

Getting
Claire was an easy task, as far as Death Eater orders went. She was put under
the Imperious curse by Malfoy when she still appeared to have some fight left.
Upon seeing this, Goyle had wanted to �Claim his just rewards� as he put it.
Only the reminder of the Dark Lords displeasure at being made to wait and the
probable reward for disobedience restrained his lecherous advances but not
before pawing Claire�s body.

As the men led
her from her cell, Claire only got a small glimpse of the house she was being
held in. She was dragged up the stone steps of a long damp stairway. Everything
was dark, dank and smelled mouldy. She went through a wooden door and into a
hall.

The hall
was not at all what she was expecting. It was breathtaking, high ceilings and
rich, stately furniture. The led her outside through strange and beautiful
gardens, where tiny shimmers of light twinkled around the flowers. She could
hear dogs barking not very far away.

A disturbing
thought crossed her mind that maybe they would feed her to the dogs? As they
rounded a bend in the garden path and she could see two enormous Dobermans sitting
near the house who growled at her as she passed. She was so focused on her surroundings;
she wasn�t paying attention to what then men were doing. The shorter man yanked
her hand and laid it on top of something. She suddenly felt a pull behind her
navel and everything began to spin.

When she
felt the spinning stop, she opened her eyes and fell to her knees. Her
surroundings had changed drastically. Her stomach rebelled against the rapid
changes her body was subjected to but she held it in check. The smells of this
place were absolutely horrible. It was the stench of rotting flesh, a charnel
house. Ahead of her, a figure sat in a chair made of black stone. The two men
kneeled before the figure in the throne and she felt herself being forced down
onto her knees.

�Kneel
before the Dark Lord, you foolish girl,� one of the men barked.

�Now,
Lucius, that�s no way to treat a lady,� said the figure before them. Claire
finally got a good look at it and she was horrified. It was a man with pale
skin and red eyes. His face was snake-like and his voice was cold and high
pitched.

�I�m sorry,
my dear,� he said. �They may be rude, but they are faithful servants.�

Claire
could feel his red eyes burning into her own.

�There�s no
doubt she is Dumbledore�s daughter,� the man said. �Come to me, Claire. Do not
be afraid.�

Claire was
paralyzed. She was terrified and couldn�t move if her life depended on it.

She was shoved
forward and fell to her knees again, right in front of snake-like man.
Strangely, she no longer felt overwhelming fear now. She knew she should be,
but seeing the two men who had beaten her on their knees as slaves to this
creature gave her satisfaction and smile crept across her face.

She
gracefully stood up and looked into the blood red eyes. �Who are you and why am
I here?� her voice suddenly bold and confident.

�My dear
Claire, so many questions. They�ll be answered all in due time. Come with me,
you must be tired and so confused after the barbaric treatment you received at
the hands of my minions,� he glared angrily at the men who were kneeling. �I
apologize for their mistreatment of you. All will be explained. I�m certain
that you�ll understand soon enough my eagerness to have you here, safe with me.
These are dangerous times, especially for a young woman in your position,� he
said in voice that could have been described as friendly if it weren�t for his
horrible snake-like appearance.

Claire
could feel her heart beating a tattoo within her chest. Perhaps everything will
be all right�

�Who are
you?� she said after a few moments of silence.

With a
courtly bow the creature answered her �Forgive me, allow me to introduce
myself, I am Lord Voldemort. I have brought you here because I�m trying to
prevent your murder at the hands of some very dangerous people,� Voldemort
smiled thinly.

�Are you a police
officer?� she ventured.

Voldemort
gave a high pitched laugh. �No, my dear, I�m a wizard, one of the most powerful
wizards in the world. Now have some tea, you�re exhausted and you�ll need your
strength.

Lucius and
Goyle exchanged puzzled glances wondering at their lords� words and actions.
They had never witnessed such a display in his company before.

�You two,
leave, now! I am no longer in need of
your services� Voldemort said, his voice cold and dangerous once again.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Professor
Snape came before the statue that opened to the headmasters� office and called
out �Turkish Delight� gagging slightly at the current confection used as a
password. When the door opened, he quickly climbed up the spiral stair case to
Dumbledore�s office entering to find the Headmaster sitting at his desk with the
parcel open in front of him.

�Headmaster
I need to speak with you, it�s quite urgent,� Snape said quickly.

Dumbledore
looked up at him nodded, pointing to the empty chair in front of his desk.

�What is
it, Severus?� Dumbledore asked, his face heavy with sadness.

Snape
looked at the Headmaster, and could see all his years were showing themselves
in Dumbledore�s face. His eyes were not twinkling. Severus Snape could not
remember ever seeing Dumbledore in this state. �I recognized the owl that
delivered your post this morning,� he said quietly.

Dumbledore
looked at him over his half moon spectacles. �Please continue, Severus.�

�I recall
seeing that same owl two years ago. I was attending a small party at the
Goyle�s Summer Home. It�s his prized pet. Black owls, as you know, are extremely
rare. Highly faithful creatures and are often used in dark rituals,� Snape
said. �They are believed to call on the dark spirits that walk the Earth at night;
if you believe such rubbish.�

Dumbledore
said nothing and merely gazed down at his desk.

�Headmaster,
that necklace was sent by the Dark Lord,� Snape said shakily.

After what
felt like decades, Dumbledore finally spoke, �Severus I already suspected as
much. This morning I contacted the Portuguese Minister of Magic, he told me
they did register some magical use in a Muggle neighbourhood in Lisbon.� Dumbledore sat down in a chair
near his fireplace. �I tried to find Ricardo but he is nowhere to be found, and
still no one knows anything about Maria�s whereabouts. I�m assuming that
Voldemort does indeed have her,� Dumbledore took a deep breath and continued.
�Voldemort will try and blackmail me. I�m expecting to receive a message
sometime soon.�

�What do
you plan to do?� Snape asked his voice as silky as ever.

�I�m going
to have to break a promise I made twenty-four years ago. I can not and will not
risk everything for Maria. People in the Order have worked hard for us, and
died for us, for our cause. I cannot jeopardize our people for my personal
short coming. My debt is far greater to the Order, to you alone for that matter
than a summer tryst with a young woman from whom I have had no contact with
until now. There�s too much at stake to extend my protection to only one woman.
I can not protect her now.� Tears were streaming down Dumbledore�s face into
his long beard. .

A rustling
noise caught Snape�s attention and he watched Fawkes glide off his perch and
into Dumbledore�s lap. The great bird began to sing the Phoenix Song piercing
the silence with its rich soothing melody. The bird looked at Snape, its eyes
big and yellow.

�Headmaster,
let me try and find where they may be holding her. We can try to rescue her,�
Snape said, feeling wholly obligated to serve the man who save his life.

Dumbledore
stroked Fawkes affectionately. �Severus, I have failed many people many times.
To ask you to find Maria would be like sentencing you to death. If Maria is
still alive there is little we can do to save her. So please, do nothing. I
love you like a son and I do not want you in any more danger than necessary.
You hold a high position in the Inner Circle, if you should happen to hear something, you will do nothing but report it to me, as
quickly as possible. Nothing more.� Changing the subject Dumbledore looked at
his watch. �I believe it�s time for dinner, so please go� Dumbledore said
sadly.

Snape left the office, knowing that Albus Dumbledore was making the right
decision, but at what cost to his mentor he couldn�t fathom. Many times in his
life had killed for the Dark Lord, but his victims had always been random,
anonymous. He was never forced to kill someone important to him. �I must find a
way!� he said to himself, his voice echoing in the corridor. With that in mind,
Snape headed for the Great Hall.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Voldemort
was smiling gleefully. Everything was going so well.

�My dear,�
he said, �come sit with me. Let us have some tea and sandwiches while I answer
all your questions,� Voldemort led her to a table near the fire.

Claire felt
a chill, she could sense an evil presence, but she did as she was told.

�Wormtail,
tea, now!� Voldemort barked.

In seconds,
a steaming pot of tea and a plate of assorted sandwiches were on the small
table.

Claire
hungrily ate a tuna sandwich and helped herself to some black tea. �Please Lord
Voldemort, can I have some answers?�

�Of course,
my dear, Claire. Now is the time to talk,� Voldemort smiled.

�Where am
I? What am I doing here?� she asked in her shaky English.

Voldemort
rose from his chair and began pacing the room. �It�s a rather long story, I
shall tell you as much as I can. Twenty-four years ago your mother had an
affair with a very dangerous wizard by the name of Albus Dumbledore��

�A what!�
Claire interrupted, incredulously, �Wizards are in fairy tales, they don�t
exist!�

�Yes, they
do, my dear. Have a look at your cup of tea,� Voldemort said.

Claire
looked down at her teacup and watched in amazement as the cup transformed into
a black bird and few off.

�As you can
see, we do exist,� Voldemort said gently. �As I was saying, this evil wizard
Dumbledore took advantage of your mother. I believe she found out what he was
and ran away from him. At that time we were fighting a war; Dumbledore and his
Order against me and my loyal supporters. I was forced to go into hiding later
on, and it took me thirteen years to return to my corporeal self. It was very
an extremely difficult time for me. Dumbledore sought to stop me, but through
my powers I found a way to return to my body. A few weeks ago I discovered that
you existed and that some of Dumbledore�s followers were after you. Your mother
died last year, correct?

�Yes, I
lost her a year ago to cancer,� Claire said sadly.

�It was not
cancer that killed your mother, but a spell that was cast on her twenty-four
years ago to prevent her from conceiving Dumbledore�s child. However, the spell
was cast a week too late, and she was already pregnant at the time. The spell
had two side effects. The first was if you were born a witch, your magical
abilities would be sealed. The second effect was that after giving birth to
you, the remaining magic would stay in your mother, killing her after all this
time.�

�So you�re
saying that Dumbledore cursed my mother?� Claire asked, absorbing the
information. �She was cursed because of me?�

Voldemort
ignored her question. �Dumbledore is an extremely cunning wizard and only he
knows how to break the seal to your powers. It�s entirely possible, my dear
Claire, that you have magic abilities as well. I will try my best to help you.
I don�t believe Dumbledore knows you exist, but you are dangerous to those who
follow him. You are considered a dangerous liability due to the power that may
lie inside of you. As you see this is why I was so eager to rescue you, even if
you felt �kidnapped�.�

Claire
thought for a moment and realized pieces were coming into place. Her mother had
said on several occasions that she had a great fear of dark powers. �So,
Dumbledore is my father and he killed my mother?� she asked.

�Yes,�
Voldemort smiled.

Her voice
came out as cold as ice, �I will avenge my mother. Dumbledore must die.�
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Shadows of the Past