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Web of Redemption COMPLETE	By : FemmeBono Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 3455 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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
Chapter 4: The tapestry unfolds

Cassie tread slowly up the
stairs past the gargoyle, wondering what her meeting with Dumbledore might
bring and what he had managed to accomplish in barely
more than a week's time. She knocked softly, slightly dreading the fact that
Nurse Pomfrey may have mentioned her pregnancy. Was that even acceptable for a
single teacher to be pregnant in a magical society, or would there be letters?
Even now the repercussions of a pregnancy and the resulting child weighed on
her mind. Shaking her head and collecting her thoughts, Cassie stepped in when
Dumbledore's voice bade her enter. She was incredibly surprised to see in
addition to the headmaster, Severus Snape was in attendance, standing with his
back to the fire.

"Well, my dear, have you settled in
nicely?" was Dumbledore's welcome.

"Yes, very well thanks."

Good, good. Now as you can see I have asked
Severus to assist with this little endeavor between us. I have apprised him of
the situation and I can assure you he is every bit as grateful as I about your
information and advice thus far."

"Yes, quite," he spoke at last, dark
eyes glittering in the firelight. "I must admit I am also intrigued to
know that practically my entire life story has been read about and discussed
by an entire world of Muggles."

"Ah. Well. " What did she say that?
'Sorry for the intrusion'? 'It made for good material'? She felt distinctly wrong-footed
and couldn't quite discern whether he truly was thankful to avoid the demise
he certainly would have met. "Now you know."

"Not only do we know," said
Dumbledore waving them to a seat, "but we also know exactly which
measures to take now and can, with much luck and work, avoid what are now
completely unnecessary circumstances. As it happens, I was met just this
morning by none other than Narcissa Malfoy." Cassie
started at the mention of the woman's name, nearly shocked out of her seat,
but Dumbledore went on, "she brought herself and Draco to entreat me in
helping her hide from Voldemort and the other Death Eaters. Apparently this
was the last straw in Lucius' many recent failings and Voldemort had ordered
them killed. I have since met also with Harry Potter in bringing him to the
Burrow, where he will be safely ensconced for the time being. Whilst I was
with him, I made him understand the position the Malfoys are currently in and
he agreed to give them houseroom at Order Headquarters. It is still
sufficiently dark enough in decor, in addition to having a house elf in
residence who was overjoyed to meet two such persons as his old mistress would
have deemed satisfactory company in her home. In short, the pureblood loving
elf now has purebloods to care for once again."

"You don't worry that they may give up the
whereabouts to Voldemort in an attempt to save their own necks?" Cassie
could not help but ask.

"No. In the first place, they are not the
Secret Keeper and could not even divulge the whereabouts even if they did
desire to ingratiate themselves. In addition, they have no assurance that he
would not kill them outright regardless, as he has been wont to do. Besides, I
believe that Narcissa has tired of such a duplicitous life--I cannot claim
that she hasn't been irreparably damaged by not only her husband's infidelity
but his bringing such a appalling vice into their own home--but she will not
be sad to miss the constant threat of death at the slightest provocation by
her husband's old master. She has no small degree of shell-shock. Draco, on
the other hand is still wildly outraged at his father's death, heavily in
mourning, and raging against all Mugglekind, especially the one who killed
Lucius." At this Dumbledore tipped his gaze pointedly at Cassie while
Severus cleared his throat. "I doubt, however, he will recognize you and
once he has time to process his father's death, will most likely see you in
another light. He must eventually see the paradox of his father's blind
prejudice and the unspeakable diversion that took his time away from his
family. Knowing that he is hunted by the very men who were once his father's
friends has also affected him in no small way and he is still struggling with
the whiplash that their turnaround has undoubtedly caused."

"If I may, Headmaster," Severus
interjected, "Draco's entire paradigm has shifted. I feel, that before
much longer, he cannot continue to be conditioned as he was, knowing though
Lucius professed disdain for Muggles and abused them abominably, he no doubt
preferred them. On some level, despite what he said, he did find them
desirable enough."

"Sure, he liked the power of ruling
them," Cassie spoke up, shaking her head. "Rape is more to do with
power. The things he made us do...you couldn't understand unless you had been
there. It was using us that got him off. That was the attraction."

"Certainly it was, to a degree,"
Severus inclined his head to her. "However, you forget how long I knew
him. I witnessed some of his... tomfoolery in earlier years, before he felt
the need to hide it. What I saw then was that he preferred variety more than
anything. The rest was not much more than a vicious lord of the manor attitude
that was so deeply ingrained in him. I also have reason to believe that he
treated Narcissa in much the same way, though I cannot quite be sure. That
treatment of you was not so much because of your blood status, so much as
because of your gender. It was women he loved to rule, period. Muggle or
otherwise."

"Be that as it may," Dumbledore said
as Cassie struggled for calm, "and Narcissa did admit as much to me, the
fact is that both she and Draco are safe and coping as best they can. What we
are truly here for this evening is to set a plan for the remaining horcruxes.
As it stands, Severus and myself have dispensed with both the ring and the
diadem. While I dealt with the task of securing Harry and persuading Horace
Slughorn to take over Potions this year, I also took the liberty of returning
to the Gaunt home and destroyed the ring. Severus, meanwhile, returned early
here and found the diadem as you described in the Room of Requirement. It was
dispatched in short order as well, and has been returned to its rightful place
in Ravenclaw Tower."

"So with the diary destroyed, plus now the
snake, ring and diadem," Cassie listed aloud, ticking each item off on
her fingers, "we still have the cup, the locket, and...Harry."

Dumbledore hung his head. "Yes, naturally
that thought does cause no small amount of concern. He will have to be told.
In fact, I intend to tutor him in Voldemort's past this year, despite the fact
that efforts to secure and destroy the horcruxes are already well underway.
Knowing how they came into being, seeing it for himself, may help to assuage
any feelings he has on what must eventually be done."

"That said, I hate to be the voice of
cynicism here...but what are we going to do to get the other two? It's going
to be a trick or two just to get the locket from Umbridge, never mind the fact
that the cup is sitting in a goblin-guarded vault owned by Voldemort's
notoriously psychotic right-hand witch. That's going to pose a serious
problem," Cassie said, looking from one man to the other for suggestions.

"A problem I may have to brooch with both
Arthur and Bill Weasley," Dumbledore sighed. "Fortunately, each of
them works much closer to those two items than we do, for the life of me
though I have yet to figure out how we might best utilize that fact. We'll
come to it. For the time being, we can be contented with the fact that we have
found the others and are making progress."

"Meanwhile, Headmaster, I too may be able
to assist in some way. I will see what I can find out from Bella herself. It
may be that the item has not yet been moved there or perhaps he has not even
entrusted her with it at this point."

"As to the last battle though,"
Cassie suggested, "at some point Harry's going to have to face down
Voldemort, not only so the horcrux can be destroyed, but also because he has
to take out Voldemort in the end. Somehow we have to maneuver him into place
when it's in our best interest and preferably on our turf. Would the castle
still be best for that?"

"In all likelihood, given that it is a
fortress as well, yes, here may well be the best place," said Dumbledore,
rising. "Alas, that is a bridge we must cross when we come to it. For now
I bid you both goodnight. We will consider all the possibilities we have
before us, see what we can find out, and continue from there."

Nodding in agreement, Cassie allowed herself to
be ushered out the door and reaching the bottom of the stairs, found herself
alone with Severus. Before she could say goodnight, he spoke.

"I did not mean to disparage your own
ordeal, but knowing Lucius as I did, I felt it necessary to point out how
detrimental it is that he was not merely acting on some twisted power play.
Undoubtedly he was, but not only just. It may seem a minor point to you at
this point, but it may turn out to be Draco's saving grace realizing that his
father was, inherently, a liar and that pureblood nonsense was to a degree, a
facade."

"Understood. But of course, ultimately the
choice is entirely up to Draco. Despite any guidance you may have given him,
up to this point he is for all intents and purposes a coward who only follows
the easy path and does not question things for himself," she said, with a
little heated tone.

"Agreed," he clipped. "I do see
the potential in him for more. He is an intelligent boy after all. However, I
would ask if you might accompany to my office. I had it from Dumbledore that
you may need my assistance in certain...sensitive matters."

Cassie tilted her head, intrigued. She could
not imagine what he could mean and why Dumbledore would think she would need
any sort of help from him. "Okay," she answered, merely nodding and
following a step behind as he stalked downstairs toward the dungeons. Even ten
steps down she felt the drop in temperature, adjusting her eyes to the
accompanying darkness. Despite being lined with torches, the hall was
distinctly dank and shadowy. A few twists and turns later, Severus stopped
abruptly in front of a patch of wall between two columns with torches on
either side of those. "Mugwort," he muttered. At that, a hole
in the wall opened and expanded to an arched doorway. They stepped through
into a circular room that appeared to be the base of one of the towers.
Alcoves with jars and shelves of books lined the walls. Near the center of the
room a worktable stood with bottles of varying sizes and shapes and a rather
large pewter cauldron. A larger cauldron sat aside a half-moon shaped
fireplace ablaze with light that washed the darkness and chill out of the
room. Behind the work table sat a desk covered in books and papers and
beyond, giving the appearance of a built-in aquarium, was a thick-glassed
window overlooking the depths of the lake. It suited him to a T, Cassie
decided.

Severus, meanwhile, had selected a small goblet
and larger stoppered bottle containing some sort of herbal infusion.
"Dumbledore made me to understand that you may need this. It is a
mixture of raspberry leaves, vervain, and a touch of evening primrose.
Typically I have a mixture I make on a monthly basis for Madame Pomfrey; it is
administered to the girls who have difficulties with their courses... Yet for
someone in your condition" his gaze flicked briefly to her abdomen
and up again "it can stimulate the release of a fetus."

"An abortifacient, in other words."

Severus nodded at her surmise. Her eyes
brimming with tears, she turned toward the fire, scarcely able to breathe.
"I know this is awkward," he continued as she turned back, still
blinking away tears. "Dumbledore seemed to think you might not want to
keep it, and he told me this in the strictest confidence." Lowering the
bottle and chalice, he stepped forward and placed them on the work table
before taking her by the shoulders. He looked every bit as awkward as he
intimated that she was.

"I'm sorry," she said shaking her
head. "I'm still trying to come to terms with...everything in the world
that has happened and to top it off I now have this to deal with. I had no
idea how I'd even begin to cope, what I was going to do, and now between the
two of you I'm being shown a way out. I just... " Completely speechless
for the constriction of her throat, Cassie swallowed back tears again and
whispered, "thank you."

Clearing her throat, she asked, "what do I
do?"

"You are to take three goblets full a day,
preferably not with your meals. It will also help to take hotter baths than
usual. Between the infusion and the warmth of the water it should both
stimulate your muscles and make them release the embryo."

It was almost midwifery she thought, nearly
shocked into a laugh. "Thanks again, Severus. And if it's not too past
the point, I am really glad to have met you."

"And I you," he replied, passing her
the items. "If I may, you remind me of another very brave woman I used to
know."

"If it's who I'm thinking of, that's very
high praise coming from you."

Severus simply nodded once in answer.

"Well I'd better get going. Thanks
again."

"Can you find your way back to your
quarters?"

"Yes, from here I can. I went wandering
after I first got here. You know, get lost on purpose so you can discover your
way? Anyway... I'll see you, if nothing else at breakfast anyway."

"Certainly."

"Good night, Severus."

"Good night."
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Web of Redemption *COMPLETE*

Web of Redemption COMPLETE