Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Unintentional Inveiglement	By : onecelestialbeing Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 129867 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 29
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and it's characters and making no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 40
- 41
- 42
A/N: Hello, lovely folks! I'm still here, although my wrist is refusing to heal properly. Don't ever break your wrist, trust me on this one. Thank you for the reviews, and I hope you enjoy!

Hermione swallowed hard as she cautiously edged against the length of the dimly lit corridor. Her mouth had gone completely dry, and her heart felt like it was beating in her throat. The dungeons were completely silent, and she had no idea what made Snape suddenly become so agitated, but she had no plans on sticking around to find out. Just as she'd made it upstairs and into the corridor before the Entrance Hall, she ran into a sombre-faced Luna, who was hurriedly making her way to the spiral staircase leading down to the dungeons.
"Hello, Hermione," she greeted in a voice that was too calm in comparison to the hurrying stride of her walk.
"Lu—wait a minute, you can see me?" Hermione asked in shock when she remembered the charm Snape cast on her.
"Of course I can see you, well, I can see the Nargles in your head. You and Harry always have them a head full of them for some reason."
Muttering Finite Incantatem under her breathto lift the charm, Hermione fell into step alongside Luna as she began descending the stone staircase.
"Luna, what's going on?"
"I'm not sure, but Ron and Ginny said that I should come down and watch Professor Snape's office."
Luna's long, pale blonde hair bobbed behind her with each step, and Hermione found herself staring at it as she followed behind. They were nearly all the way into the dungeons, and still there was no sign of things being out of order. Hermione vaguely toyed with the idea of her friends knowing about her and Snape... Was that why they sent Luna down to watch his office? Oh no...
"And?" Hermione asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.
"That's all I know so far," Luna replied evenly, not appearing apprehensive in the least as she made her way to the side of the castle where Snape's office was. "I have one of our old coins from the DA to let the others know if something is wrong."
"So do I," Hermione told her, sticking one hand in her jeans pocket to make sure the coin hadn't fallen out. Before Harry left that evening, he suggested that they all carry the enchanted coins, just in case. At first, Hermione didn't think that they would need them, but judging by the way things were going...
"I think we should just wait out here," Luna contemplated when they arrived at Snape's office. "If we knock on the door and something isn't amiss, all we'll get is sent back upstairs."
"Yeah, I think you're right," Hermione told her, glancing at the shut door and wondering if the professor was inside. She didn't know what happened once she'd left his private laboratory, but the knot of tension in her stomach told her that it was nothing good.
Another twenty minutes passed, and still nothing happened. Hermione remembered that she was carrying the Marauder's Map and pulled it out her back pocket so she and Luna could see if Ginny, Ron, and Neville were still at the Room of Requirement. Their three dots were still in place, and Hermione was in the middle of looking for Snape's dot on the map, relieved to see that it was non-moving and in the centre of the area labeled 'Severus Snape's office', when Professor Flitwick came sprinting in their direction.
"Death Eaters! Death Eaters in the castle!" he shrilled, brushing past both girls without a second glance and rapping his knuckle's against Snape's door. "Severus! Severus, are you in there? We have Death Eaters in the castle! Severus!"
Flitwick began banging his fist against the wood, apparently refusing to move until the professor showed face. Yelling out for Snape once more and using a rarely-heard word that sounded odd in his squeaky voice, Flitwick aimed his wand at the door and sent it crashing open with a loud crack. He then barged in the office, panting while simultaneously trying to catch his breath and repeat the entire spiel about the Death Eaters.
Hermione and Luna hovered at the door, wands now drawn and fearfully looking at one another. A loud bang suddenly rang out and made them both jump, and Snape came rushing out of his office, wand in hand and black robes flying behind him.
"Professor Flitwick's collapsed," he announced, appearing nonplussed that Hermione and Luna were posted outside his office as if they belonged there. Hermione, however, noticed that his black eyes lingered on hers for a second longer than usual. "You two remain in my office and take care of him whilst I help the others."
There was subtle stress on the words in my office but it was enough for Hermione to notice. Perhaps that was his way of keeping her safe and away from whatever danger he knew was taking place, but it still didn't stop her from uttering a shocked, "Professor!" when she and Luna ran into his office and found an unconscious Flitwick lying on his back, the handle of his wand slightly sticking out his front pocket.
"I think he's fainted," Hermione announced after carefully looking him over. "Should we sit him up?"
"I don't know how much good it'll do," Luna answered. "Maybe we should just levitate him to the hospital wing."
"Snape said we should stay here," Hermione reminded her, "And Flitwick said there are Death Eaters in the castle; remember what happened last time?"
Luna slowly nodded while pulling some small hairy-looking thing that resembled a crocheted bean from her pocket. "I still have bad dreams about that day," she murmured as she Transfigured the bean into a small pillow and slid it gently beneath Flitwick's head.
While Hermione and Luna locked themselves in the office and watched over the Head of Ravenclaw, Snape was hastily making his way to the Astronomy Tower.
Soon as Filius blurted out that the Dark Mark was shining directly above the Astronomy Tower, Snape utilised his only option available that would keep the Charms professor from following behind, which had been a Stunning Spell. He had a vague idea of why Hermione and the odd Ravenclaw girl were lingering outside, but he wasn't about to stun two students, especially not one that was his lover whom he'd kissed and held moments before his entire evening had gone to hell.
Flitwick's message had been unnecessary: Snape knew that Death Eaters had breached Hogwarts' defences from the moment they set foot on the premises. That night, Dumbledore had informed him that he would be leaving the school to go on some important errand, and Snape had personally helped cast extra shields around the castle. His wards were strong enough that he could nearly always sense the person that had been lucky enough to pass through; the Death Eaters always left traces of Dark magic, its traces putrid enough that even the most unobservant of individuals would have had trouble ignoring.
The last thing Snape had been expecting that night was for Death Eaters to storm the castle. However, now that they were there, it wasn't their presence that had him worried, so much as their reason for showing up in the first place. Typically they only gathered to commit murder and destroy everything within a fingertip's reach. Draco, thus far, had been the only one tasked with murdering someone, and he wasn't likely to ask for assistance, much less from any of the Death Eaters.
Gathering his thoughts and pressing on, Snape continued in a cover t manner. Years and years of prowling the castle after curfew came in quite handy, and he moved without being noticed. Only when he drew closer to reaching the Astronomy Tower did he begin to run into various anxious-looking students and staff dressed in nightclothes, who had come into the hallway to investigate the source of noise.
"Severus, what—?" a voice began, obviously belonging to another teacher or adult considering the usage of his first name. But Snape was too busy to stop and answer questions, and didn't turn around.
"Get the students back to their dormitories," he spat over his shoulder.
Muffled yelling echoed off the stone walls and soon became louder, until Snape was able to distinguish the panicked voices of Lupin, Tonks, and Bill Weasley. Lupin and Tonks sounded as if they were sniping at one another, and an exasperated Bill was telling them to shut the hell up.
Idiots, Snape inwardly griped as he moved closer.
"Pride of the Order you lot are; is this really the time for a domestic?"
"Severus! They've blocked the door!" Lupin yelled when he caught sight of Snape, ignoring his snide remark. The sandy-haired wizard looked more rumpled than usual, and had a red gash across his right cheek as if he'd gotten into fisticuffs with someone instead of a wand fight. He and Bill were continuously firing spells at the heavy door that led to the narrow spiral steps of the Tower, and each attempt was unsuccessful. "We can't get through!"
"Move out of the way," Snape impatiently told him, lifting his wand.
"We've already tried that," Tonks unhelpfully pointed out. "Whatever spell was placed upon that door, it's a damn good one."
"Thank you for that, Nymphadora," Snape drawled, placing emphasis on her name because he knew she loathed it. "Perhaps you like to impart the number of useless spells utilised thus far? If not, then let me repeat myself one last time: Move. Out. Of. The. Way."
When Tonks didn't shift fast enough, Snape drew back his lips and bared his crooked teeth. That was enough to make his former student's green hair turning a flaming shade of red, one that was so bright it put Bill Weasley's to shame. She did, however, shuffle to the side with her wand still drawn, stepping into Lupin's side and eyeing her former professor with distaste.
The moment Dumbledore left the castle that evening, the Aurors placed more wards upon each entrance in addition to the previous ones. Snape had gone behind a handful of them, reinforcing as many as possible. Knowing that the Astronomy Tower was one of Dumbledore's favourite places to pace about, Snape had made sure to visit there first. If needed, the headmaster could have broken his wards within the blink of an eye.
Easily breaking through the spells that posed difficulties for the three members of the Order, Snape wrenched the door open and found that the narrow staircase was now empty. Just as the other three were about to follow behind, he waved his wand and re-secured the door, effectively locking the group out from the other side and causing them to issue threats and profanities not fit to be heard within the walls of a school.
Wand leading the way, Snape slowly walked up the winding iron staircase, wanting to assess the situation before jumping into it headfirst. He treaded lightly enough to keep his footsteps from being overheard, while listening to the din above him. More voices were over his head; the frightened stammering of Draco, the unmistakable screech of Bellatrix Lestrange; Fenrir Greyback's throaty growl, and the annoying, wheezy giggle of Amycus Carrow. His sister, Alecto, was surely nearby as the two were rarely parted when it came to an opportunity for trouble.
It sounded as if Draco was being berated for dawdling over his duty of killing Dumbledore. Lupin, Tonks and Bill could still be heard shouting outside the locked door, and it sounded as if more members of the Order had joined them.
"He's weak, just like his father," spat the Death Eater named Amycus, obviously talking about Draco.
Creeping along until he was at the top of the steps yet hidden in the shadows, Snape stayed behind and watched the scene unfolding before him. Draco's already pale face had been completely drained of blood, and he was holding out his wand in a shaky hand while standing across from a defenceless Dumbledore, who was slumped against a length of crumbling wall. Bellatrix was behind him, whispering something into his ear, while Greyback and the Carrows unpleasantly leered in their direction.
"He'll do it," Bellatrix purred in a voice that was an odd mixture of sinister and soothing. She slipped both arms around her nephew's shoulder in a parody of comfort, and stroked his cheek with one finger that had a long, curved clawlike nail. "Won't you, Draco?"
It was plain to Snape that Draco was hesitating; unfortunately, everyone else also noticed. Until recent, Draco rarely strayed from behaving as the pompous child that Snape had known since birth. But right now, instead of the mouthy young man that had the temerity to get snippy with the Head of Slytherin when he was trying to help, in its place stood a terrified boy who was clearly out of his depth.
"Now, Draco, quickly!" said Amycus angrily, clutching onto his wand as if he was itching to kill Dumbledore himself.
Barely able to keep his own wand straight because of his unsteady hand, Draco swallowed hard and desperately tried to keep aim at Dumbledore's chest. Bellatrix remained at his shoulder, although her presence seemed to be further unnerving the boy.
"I'll do it," snarled Greyback, moving towards Dumbledore with his hands outstretched and teeth bared.
Amycus said nothing, but turned his wand on the werewolf and blasted him out of the way, causing him to hit the ramparts. It wasn't enough to knock Greyback off his feet, but he did regain his footing whilst looking absolutely furious. The Death Eaters were starting to lose it amongst themselves, and Snape knew this was it—it was now or never. If he didn't interfere, as it was painfully obvious that Draco had no gumption or intention of killing Dumbledore, the task would be left to one of the Death Eaters, something the headmaster made Snape promise would not happen. They all took pride in prolonging the inevitable, Greyback being one of the most carnal, ripping a person's body into bloody shreds before actually gracing them with death.
The very thing Snape had been dreading was now staring him in the face, and there was no backing down. Not that he had ever forgotten about Dumbledore's request; one didn't promise to kill their confidante and forget about it. But Snape hadn't envisioned it happening tonight, and definitely not in a way that involved outright manslaughter with Voldemort's followers as onlookers.
"Draco, do it, or stand aside so one of us can—" screeched Alecto, keeping her beady eyes fixed on a snarling Greyback. But she was interrupted when Snape stepped forward and revealed himself.
"We've got a problem, Snape," Amycus began, briefly glancing at the professor while keeping his wand fixed on Dumbledore. "The boy doesn't seem able to do what he's told, and I'm not getting fucking killed because of him."
Walking further into the Astronomy Tower, Snape's black eyes coolly swept over Draco, whom appeared to be on the verge of collapse. He paid scarce attention to Bellatrix, and she scoffed in disgust, which he also ignored. Greyback and both Carrows fell back without another word when Snape shoved Draco out his way and advanced on the headmaster.
Dumbledore looked significantly weakened compared to when Snape saw him earlier that evening. He had apparently been disarmed, and was only holding onto his cursed, blackened arm.
At that moment, Snape loathed Dumbledore for making him promise to kill him. He loathed Greyback, whom stood nearby with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth; he loathed Bellatrix for looking on the unfolding scene as if she were nothing more than a spectator at a Quidditch match, all the while badgering her nephew who should have never been involved in the first place. Snape had never been able to stomach the Carrow twins although that was easy enough; their sour, musty smelling robes and offensive body odour was cause enough. But most of all, Snape hated himself for overhearing that conversation between Dumbledore and Trelawney, repeating to the Dark Lord the prophecy, and beginning the vicious cycle of innocent lives being lost.
Staring into those pleading blue eyes, Snape felt like puppet, a mere pawn in a portentous game of chess. Blue eyes that often twinkled whenever he was taking the mickey at the Potions turned Defence professor, usually by offering him some ridiculously-named sweet, were now filled with fear. Many times Snape wondered if the headmaster coerced him to do things, purely to see how far he would go. It never seemed to make a difference to the old man that the professor was gambling with his life. Now Dumbledore was forcing Snape to take his.
There was no point in dragging things out any longer. He promised Dumbledore that he would carry out his wishes, and Severus Snape always stuck to his word. It didn't mean he had to like it. In fact, he hated what he was about to do, and was unable to contain his revulsion. But it was Dumbledore's final plea that made Snape completely tune out his inner turmoil and give short shrift to the situation.
"Severus...please..."
Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Everything seemed surreal at first, as if Snape was having an outer body experience and hadn't really uttered the Killing Curse. But when the jet of green light shot out from the tip of his wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest, blasting the white-haired wizard into the air, causing the life to rapidly seep out of him, Snape knew for sure what he had done when the headmaster's body fell slowly backwards and tipped over the battlements and out of sight.
Time seemed to endlessly stretch on once Dumbledore was dead, but it was only a split second that passed before reality rushed back in, forcing Snape to move his feet. Without displaying a flicker of emotion, he spun around to see a ghastly pale Draco who was affixed to the floor. Seizing the boy by the scruff of his neck, Snape forced him to walk.
"Out of here, quickly," Snape ordered, shoving once more when the blond stumbled over his own feet while trying to get through the rampart door.
Bellatrix led the way with an evil smile on her gaunt face, leaping gaily and cackling insanely with each step as if she were at some grisly carnival. The Dark Lord's other bloody-thirsty minions all wore twisted grins on their face, looking much too cheerful considering that they had just witnessed a murder. Down the spiral steps they went, and soon as they were back out in the corridor, a majority of the Order as well as teachers and students descended upon them. It was hard to make heads or tails of anything, as a large part of stone wall had been blasted away, causing thick clouds of dust to fill the area. The odour of fear permeated the air, its essence nearly pungent as the coppery scent of blood and sweat that filled Snape's nose and mouth: blood that most likely belonged to a few eerily still bodies that were strewn about on the floor, bodies of children that had been in his classroom just that morning. Yet he continued moving on autopilot, focused on nothing except getting out of Hogwarts.
"Keep walking, Draco!" Snape snapped, grabbing the boy again and literally dragging him when he froze at the sight of the violent brawl. He was almost tempted to yell at the other Death Eaters to hurry up, mostly because he knew they would begin shamelessly slaughtering students. Ronald Weasley, McGonagall, and Lupin were engaged with fending off Alecto, while Amycus sent a barrage of hexes at Ginny. Draco's hand was still clutched around his wand, and he began raising and pointing it as if in defence, but Snape was not about to let the boy engage in anything that might delay their exit, as well as inadvertently trigger the Unbreakable Vow.
The professor had just continued manually directing Malfoy down the corridor, away from the shouting and misfired spells ricocheting off various surfaces. He vaguely noticed that he'd nearly tripped over a student who had been slumped on the floor, even though the child's cry of pain had been rather shrill when Snape's boot caught some soft part of their body. The sound seemed to somewhat revive both Snape and Malfoy, and they made it down the steps quicker than normal, hurrying to the Entrance Hall and out onto the moonlit school grounds. A handful of students, teachers, and even some of the portraits that hadn't been frightened out of their frames, had yelled to Snape as he passed, but not once did he acknowledge their frantic questions and panicked cries.
The cold night air did little to alleviate the tightness in Snape's chest, which he just now took notice of. Draco continued stumbling alongside him, pausing midway to hunch over and press both hands to his knees, inhaling deeply as if someone had been suffocating him for the past fifteen minutes.
"What about Potter?" a voice wheezed next to Snape's head. Amycus had taken a shortcut and somehow caught up; his face bore the brunt of a few well-aimed spells, but being attacked apparently hadn't taken the wind out his sails.
"Not my orders," Snape answered curtly, tugging Malfoy's arm to continue on. "Now unless you plan on visiting Azkaban tonight, keep walking!"
Amycus ambled along, still giggling to himself in a way that was making Malfoy become further unhinged. Draco had never outright mentioned it, but Snape knew that he hated being near the other Death Eaters, even the female one he was related to. They were halfway across the school grounds, the entrance gates only a few metres away when a piercing voice rent the air, causing Snape's blood to boil.
Potter.
That fucking boy; the brash, quintessential Gryffindor who was meant to save the world, or at that moment, Hogwarts, was right behind them.
Draco turned his head and looked frantically up at Snape, as if waiting for instruction.
"Continue walking; do not stop under any circumstances. Even if I have stop, you don't," Snape barked, giving Draco a shove in the direction of the exit.
Behind them, Potter yelled out the Impediment Jinx, sending a red flash whizzing past their heads. Any other time, Snape would have been insulted, purely because the boy was throwing a hex at someone who had their back turned. Now it just irritated him. But when Potter attempted to Stupefy him, Snape seriously considering committing a second murder that night.
"Run, Draco!" he yelled, giving the blond a hard shove that effectively sent him legging it away from the melee.
Alecto and Bellatrix were now a few steps away. For reasons only known to Bellatrix, she decided to meander down to where the gamekeeper lived and waste precious time by setting fire to his hut. The burly half-giant quickly blundered outside and was trying to physically restrain the Carrows, while Bellatrix went on cackling and sending more flames to the area surrounding Hagrid's hut.
Snape's exterior remained cold as ice, but on the inside he was fuming and mentally picking off every one of the imbeciles that were about to get them arrested. While Hagrid held his own, Snape watched Draco run across the remaining length of the school grounds, tearing out of the entrance gates and Apparating out of sight. Just as he was about to do the same, Potter tried to jinx him again, yet missed.
"Cruc—"
In disbelief that the arrogant boy attempted to use an Unforgivable on him, Snape parried the curse so suddenly that Potter was knocked flat on his back. Over the ruckus, Hagrid was howling about his dog, Fang, being trapped inside the burning house.
"Fang's in there, yeh evil—!" the half-giant bellowed in a cackling Bellatrix's direction.
Across from the hut, Potter had the nerve to try and use the Cruciatus again, which only inflamed Snape further.
"No Unforgivables Curses from you, Potter!" Snape shouted over the mingled bellowing from Hagrid and Fang, as well as the jeering from the other Death Eaters. "You haven't got the nerve or ability—"
Potter kept his wand raised in Snape's direction, looking absolutely mutinous. It seemed that all of Potter's loathing of the professor had finally come to a head, and right now was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Snape didn't give a damn if the boy hated him; he could hold a grudge from now until the end of the earth if he saw fit. But the last thing Snape intended was being carted off by the Ministry for killing Dumbledore, as there was no way in Hades he could justify murder. Right now the green-eyed Gryffindor was standing between him and his only way out, and Snape aimed his wand, ready to bind and gag the boy, purely to keep him from running behind.
"Incarc—" Potter began, which again, was easily deflected with a flick of the professor's wand. Just as Snape was about to cast a spell, merely to disarm the boy, he began screaming and writhing grotesquely in pain as if he were being tortured. The telling, sinister chortling that could be heard over the continuous bellowing of Hagrid, Fang, and the other Death Eaters, told Snape that Bellatrix had come in their direction and was using the Cruciatus against Potter.
"No! Snape roared, whirling around in a fit of rage to see the demented witch in all black with her tangled hair whipping about, making her look like some demonic hag. "Have you forgotten our orders? Potter belongs to the Dark Lord—we are to leave him! Go! Go!"
Bellatrix looked affronted at Snape ordering her about, but she did heed his instruction. Mention of her beloved's name was enough to make her obey. She did, however, lock eyes with Snape to sneer at him before stalking across the grounds.
It wasn't enough that he'd had to keep Potter from throwing another spanner in the works; now Snape was charged with the task of keeping the group in order as if they were a group of firsties visiting Hogsmeade for the first time. He and everyone else should have been gone already, but no deed ordered by the Dark Lord could have gone without extra destruction, not with Bellatrix's and the Carrows' insatiable taste for blood.
Potter looked as if he was still trying to catch his breath, and Snape took that opportunity to press on. Unfortunately, the young man was hell-bent on not letting him get away. His glasses had been lost in the kerfuffle, and he staggered to his feet, white-hot rage twisting his boyish features as he blindly aimed his wand at Snape. It was his next attempted curse that sent nearly Snape into paroxysms of rage.
"Sectum—"
Before Potter was able to get out the last half of the familiar word, Snape blocked the hex so fiercely that it knocked the younger wizard back onto the ground. He then reflexively sent a hex that caused Potter's wand to fly away and land somewhere in the darkness. Without thinking, Snape swooped over and bent down until their nose were nearly touching.
"You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them—I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, would you? I don't think so...no!"
"Kill me, then," Potter managed through a few pants, staring hard up at the professor, looking as if he wished him a horrible death. "Kill me like you killed him, you coward—"
All it took was Potter to refer to him as a coward, and Snape's eyes filled with red. It wasn't enough that he'd had to kill Dumbledore, something he'd been staunchly against in the first place. Potter using his own spells against him had been merely adding insult to injury. But to have this child that was a younger version of another wizard that was long gone, one whom used to join with three of his friends and taunt and tease him mercilessly, only to call him coward afterwards, was too much.
For a split second, Snape forgot that he was supposed to be making his way to the Entrance Gates to Apparate to Malfoy Manor. Thoughts of the Ministry, who were surely on their way, were forgotten. The only thing he could focus on the was pool of black that had taken over his mind, and he got into a furious yelling match with Potter, who remain sprawled on his back on the ground.
"DON'T CALL ME COWARD!" was the last thing Snape registered, screaming into the boy's face and inadvertently spraying him with spittle. He then rose to his full height and angrily slashed his wand in Potter's direction, when a sudden horrible screech filled the air and brought him back to his senses.
One of Hagrid's hippogriff's had gotten loose and was charging in their direction, its wings spread and claws bared. Snape immediately turned to run in the other direction, but the animal's sharp talons slashed at his wand arm, cutting through his frock coat and slicing neatly into his skin like a warm knife through butter.
To hell with the others!
Leaving the remaining Death Eaters to fend for themselves, and ignoring the searing pain in his bicep, Snape hightailed it across the grass and out of the Entrance Gates.

"Why are you out here, Draco?" Snape asked after he'd passed through the tall, ornate iron gates of Malfoy Manor. "And where is everyone else?"
The youngest Malfoy, whose face was white as a sheet, was standing idly in the middle of the pathway, staring into space and appearing lost. He didn't answer immediately, as it took some time for his lifeless grey eyes to focus on a disheveled Severus Snape, who now stood before him with his wand still in hand.
"Inside..." Malfoy trailed off, gazing past the professor and sounding completely detached from everything. His wand hung limply between his thumb and forefinger, its tip pointed towards the ground. Only when Snape began walking closer did Malfoy flinch as if he was about to be struck. He seemed numb considering that he'd just witnessed the murder of Hogwarts' headmaster. A second later, the combined stressors of the night abruptly crashed down on him, because his knees buckled and down went his wand as he clamped one hand to his mouth.
Swearing under his breath as Draco darted to the side and became violently ill next to the yew hedges, Snape bent down to retrieve his fallen wand. Tuning out the boy's retching was impossible, as well as the unanticipated sobs that he had never heard the likes of from the young Malfoy. Snape's arm still throbbed as if someone had lit a fire beneath it, and now that he was no longer working off adrenalin, he felt like collapsing.
It was one thing to hear a student crying because of some imagined slight or another non-serious matter. But Draco's tears were a different matter altogether, and Snape allowed him privacy to sob. He understood why the boy was falling to pieces; a part of him fully empathised and wanted to do the same. But where would it get him? Tears wouldn't bring Dumbledore back, nor would they solve the ensuing shitstorm that was sure to come as a result of that night.
"Wipe your face, Draco," Snape ordered once the boy's weeping had tapered off into a quiet snuffling. "Don't let your parents see you like this."
Draco shuffled over and reluctantly accepted the pristine handkerchief that Snape offered. After roughly mopping his face and taking back his wand, Draco crumpled the damp handkerchief in his fist and dutifully followed behind the professor, gravel crunching loudly beneath their feet as they walked up the pathway leading to the manor house.
"Draco!"
A usually stony-faced yet currently frantic Narcissa cried when her son stepped out from behind Snape as they crossed the threshold and moved into the entranceway. Lucius was standing next to her, bleary-eyed and looking rather unkempt, even as he tried to maintain a cool facade. "Severus, I—"
"It's alright, Narcissa," Snape interrupted, knowing that the Malfoy matriarch had been pacing in a fit of nerves while waiting for her child. "Later. Tend to your son."
"Thank you," she told him breathlessly. "Thank you."
Apparently Narcissa already knew that he had been the one to kill Dumbledore instead of Draco, most likely from her ill-willed sister. Lucius looked shame-faced, but he awkwardly touched a hand to his son's shoulder, a touch that might have been meant to console. Draco didn't pull away, nor did he blatantly accept the gesture. But he did silently follow his father into some other part of the house, leaving his mum and professor behind.
"You're hurt," Narcissa stated as her blue eyes fell upon Snape's hand that favoured his bleeding arm. "It's just us here right now. Go to my sitting room and I'll be in to tend to you."
Narcissa Malfoy was fastidious to the nines, rather, she forced her house-elves to keep the manor in a state of cleanliness that would put any hospital to shame. Right now she didn't care one whit about Snape leaking blood all over the plush furniture and expensive tapestries that covered every inch of her private sitting room. A sitting room in which his entire house would most likely fit inside. Though his house was nowhere near as comfortable or plush as Malfoy Manor, his tiny book-encrusted sitting room held more warmth and charm than his current cold surroundings.
"Has the Dark Lord been informed?" Snape asked, remaining in place.
"Lucius wanted to wait until you and Draco had arrived," Narcissa explaining, gingerly curling one delicate hand around Snape's good arm and steering him carefully down a dimly lit hallway.
Deeming it useless to leave at this point, as the Dark Lord would most likely show face, Snape gritted his teeth and allowed Narcissa to lightly fuss over him. For whatever reason, Lucius had decided to bring Draco to Narcissa's sitting room, and father and son both sat across from one another in silence, morosely staring into a burning hearth while clutching onto glasses of blood-red liquid.
"The lad can use it, Cissy," Lucius explained in a rough voice when a look of motherly protest crossed her features. "I think we could all use a drop of something to take the edge off."
With that, Lucius drained his glass and forced Draco to drink more of his. Typically he would have summoned a servant to bring him the carafe, even though it was little more than an arm's length away, but Lucius was so distracted that he walked over to the table holding the glass bottle of elf-made wine, and refilled his and his son's goblet.
"Severus?" he asked, holding up the crystal carafe.
"No, thank you," Snape declined, opting to keep a clear head. For now, at least. There was no telling how his night would end, but the answer would surely not be found in tea leaves.
Snape reluctantly removed his frock coat, but flat out refused to take off his white linen shirt to allow Narcissa to assess the damage done to his arm. Instead, he used a Severing Charm on the shoulder seams to cut off the ruined sleeve. Snape would have applied the Essence of Dittany to the wounds himself, but as he moved to take the tiny glass bottle from Narcissa, she smoothly pulled it out of his reach. Knowing that he wouldn't have any peace until she was finished, Snape occupied himself with staring at a section of the ornate moulding surrounding the hearth across from him.
The lacerations in his arm were little more than flesh wounds, and the Dittany sent a flaming throb all the way to his fingertips. Outside of that, Snape still felt completely disengaged from everything. Looking out the corner of his eye, he saw that Lucius was paying close attention to Narcissa mending his arm. Draco had finished his second glass of wine and was gripping the empty goblet. The colour still hadn't returned to his face, and even though he was dressed in a black suit identical to his father's, he managed the look of a frightened little boy playing dress up.
"Lucius, call him," Narcissa told her husband once she was finished helping Snape. "You know he doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Narcissa's comment was made in a rather offhand manner, but Snape did not miss the slight tremor to her voice. Ever since she had visited him at Spinner's End, when she begged him to help protect her son, Snape knew that she was scared of Voldemort, and rightfully so. Now she was speaking glibly, most likely to not upset her husband and child, but the trepidation in her tone did not go unmissed.
After reconvening with Bellatrix, Greyback and the Carrows in the drawing room, all of whom were sitting at the long table across from the hearth, Snape volunteered to send word about Dumbledore's death to the Dark Lord. Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco were huddle at one end of the table, and Snape noticed that Narcissa was holding onto her son's hand in a way that went unnoticed by everyone else. It was bad enough for Draco's fear to be put on display before the others when he was at a showdown with Dumbledore, but for anyone to see him clinging to his mother's hand would merely aggravate the already tenuous situation.
Bellatrix did not notice, because she was too busy with staring down Snape, blatant mistrust etched in her harsh features.
"Is there a problem, Bellatrix?" he asked smoothly.
"You tell me, Severus Snape," she spat, her heavily lidded eyes shining nastily at him through long curtains of tangled dark hair.
Smirking because he knew that Bellatrix was trying to bait him into arguing with her, Snape purposely kept his mouth shut. The witch was rankled by Snape's indifference and hissed something in his direction, but she did stop staring at him. He continued maintaining an unperturbed facade, but his innermost thoughts, which were well-concealed, had focused on the mental image of a bound and gagged Bellatrix Lestrange. The deranged bint had been trying to use Legilimency on him, and it took every bit of self control for Snape to not point out that her skills were nowhere near his.
Bellatrix was the least of his worries. Snape was eager to get away from Malfoy Manor and its inhabitants; not that he was ready to return to his own dismal little house. But the sooner Voldemort showed up, the sooner they could get the pandering and stroking of his ego over with.
When the Dark Lord finally arrived, Bellatrix was practically vibrating with excitement, and Snape wanted to ask if she was going to piss on his leg to mark her territory. For once, Voldemort was not in the mood for Bellatrix's scraping and bowing, and sent her to her seat with a dismissive flick of his deathly pale hand.
"You have news for me, Severus?"
"Yes, my Lord," Snape began. "Dumbledore is dead. There were complications and I was the one to kill him."
"I remember giving orders for Draco to kill the headmaster," Voldemort stated, briefly focusing his gleaming red eyes upon the young wizard, who swallowed nervously from the attention being directed at him. "However, at this point, the issue of who killed him is incontrovertible. Dumbledore is dead, which was my primary objective. With him out the way, we can focus on more admirable pursuits: Potter."
Because the other members were not present, Voldemort refused to discuss further his future plans. When he rose from the table without another word, Bellatrix jumped up, nearly knocking over her own chair in the process, with intent to trail behind the Dark Lord. When she was snapped at, the witch slunk back like a puppy that had been kicked by its owner. Snape took some perverse enjoyment of watching Bellatrix being scolded by Voldemort, purely because he was the only one that could bring her to heel.
The moment the Dark Lord left the manor, Narcissa sent Draco to his room with the promise to see him before turning in for the night. Greyback and the Carrows had also left, leaving Bellatrix behind. Lucius was suggesting to his sister-in-law that she was also more than welcome to take her leave, but the repugnant witch claimed that she would go when she was ready to.
"Lucius, go on," Narcissa told her husband, trying to avoid an altercation. "Five minutes, and I'll be upstairs."
After giving a small nod, Lucius walked over to Snape and gave his longtime friend a handshake. He then turned around and wordlessly walked away with a stressed look on his face.
"I'll walk you out," Narcissa told Snape, curving her slim fingers around his good arm. Bellatrix appeared disgusted by her sister touching him, but that had nothing to do with his blood status: Bellatrix could not abide Snape and thought that her sister should do the same. Therefore, touching him or any gesture was unheard of.
"I wanted to thank you again," Narcissa stated once she and Snape had left her scowling sister behind. "I know you will most likely ignore this, but please, please, Severus, if there is anything I can ever do for you, let me know."
By now, they were on the narrow moonlit lane that led to the high wrought-iron gates.
"I shall bear it in mind," Snape replied, raising his left arm and forming the gesture that would allow him to pass.
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Unintentional Inveiglement