Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Loyalty	By : Dazzlious Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 5492 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from J K Rowling's fantastic books or films, I'm just borrowing and playing with them for a little while and get no monetary reward for doing so.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
A/N: Many thanks to my beta, Mamacita for all her help. Dx

Ever since Snape had told Charlotte about the final challenge she had been mulling it around in her brain. She was now convinced that her family must have known about it and felt increasingly certain that they had entered her name on purpose.
What worried her most was the possibility that Severus might end up getting the blame for poisoning her and she was determined to make sure that didn’t happen. Strange, she thought, how I haven’t actually considered that I might survive this and be given the antidote.
Charlotte decided she needed to talk to the Headmaster again, so after lunch, she made her way to his office, hoping that he might have a few minutes to spare for her. It seemed as if he had known she would be coming to see him, for he appeared at the top of the stairs just as she arrived at the gargoyle and smiled at her, those blue eyes twinkling, and invited her upstairs.
Once ensconced in his office and having accepted his offer of pumpkin juice, she discussed her fears that her family had set her up and admitted that she was terrified about the final challenge and didn’t yet know what to do.
‘Severus has told you he’ll support whatever decision you make,’ Dumbledore said.
‘Yes, I know, but I’m worried that whatever I choose will be wrong.’
Dumbledore smiled. ‘None of us can know where our choices will lead us, Charlotte. Whatever you choose will be the right decision at the time.’
‘Gods, I wish I could be so sure of that,’ Charlotte said sadly. ‘Headmaster, I love Severus more than anything in the world and I can’t bear the idea of being away from him. If I do somehow get through this I’m certain my parents will try and take me away from him. They hate that I chose Severus and not Lucius. My one desire is to be married to him, but although I am of age, I’m sure I still need my parents’ permission to get married. Do you know of a way we can marry without it?’
Dumbledore smiled. ‘Normally I wouldn’t even consider it as you’re still at school, but under the circumstances, I think an exception can be made. What you seek is possible, although certain arrangements would have to be made. Have you discussed this with Severus?’
Charlotte flushed. ‘Oh, no. But it would just be nice to know. I don’t suppose Severus will want to marry me, but . . . .’
Dumbledore smiled but said nothing further.

Snape had been warned that there was going to be a meeting the following day and had immediately gone to see Dumbledore.
‘I know you won’t be very happy about this, Albus, but Charlotte will be spending the night in my quarters,’ he told the Headmaster. ‘Or, if you won’t agree to that, we’ll leave the school grounds and go elsewhere. This could be our last night together, and I don’t want to be away from her for one minute.’
And so it was that Charlotte finally spent a whole night with Severus at school. They talked and kissed and made love and held each other, both aware that this could be the last time they would do so. Even when morning finally came they were reluctant to part, and Dumbledore, realising this arranged cover for Snape’s classes and a pass for Charlotte so they could spend the day together, each trying to keep the other relaxed and not fretting over what the evening would bring. Eventually, however, the time came when they knew they had to get up, had to finally get ready to go to the meeting.
Snape held onto Charlotte, not wanting to let her out of his arms for a second. He felt her shift against him.
‘Charlotte, remember that whatever you choose tonight, I will back you one hundred percent. I love you so much — I wish I could just take you away so you wouldn’t have to take part in tonight’s challenge, but you know that isn’t possible.’ Snape’s voice was dark and warm as he kissed Charlotte’s hair.
‘What happens to you if I refuse to take the potion?’ Charlotte asked. This was something she had wondered about since the first time they had discussed it, but she hadn’t found the right moment to ask until now.
Snape faltered for a minute, what should he tell her? ‘I don’t know,’ he answered as truthfully as possible. ‘My life might be forfeit too, or the Dark Lord may decide to spare me as I’m one of his closest and most trusted allies.’
Charlotte thought about that. It was odd that Severus was such a trusted ally when he so obviously worked for Dumbledore. There was definitely something not quite right about that, but she didn’t have time to figure out what. Maybe, if she made it through tonight . . . .
‘So you could die, too?’ she asked, her voice quiet.
‘Possibly,’ admitted Snape. ‘But Charlotte, I don’t want you to make your decision based on what might happen to me.’
‘I’ve already made my decision,’ Charlotte replied quietly and turned to face Snape a smile on her face. ‘I promised you I would always obey you in everything, and I won’t stop now just because it’s got difficult. I love you more than anything in the world, Severus. I so want to be your wife, to have your children, but I can’t just stop doing as I promised. I don’t know if I should be apologising for this or not — after all, if you tell me the antidote is fake then I’ll be killing myself — but I have to do this, love. Do you understand?’
Snape stared at the woman in his arms and nodded slowly, his dark voice thick with emotion. ‘Yes. I understand. Gods, Charlotte, I don’t want to let you go.’ He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately.
‘And yet you must,’ Charlotte replied, almost crying as they parted. ‘It’s time, isn’t it?’
Snape nodded once again.

Charlotte looked at herself in the mirror and wondered how she was managing to stop herself from shaking. She was completely terrified at what was to come, but she had made her decision. She would drink both potions regardless of their contents. Her only regret was that should she not get the antidote she would lose Severus, and he was the one thing that was worth living for.
She looked at the dress he had provided for her this evening; another new one. It was similar in style to the one from the previous meeting but in a completely different material. This was in a soft, elegant jersey of deep forest green which draped over her figure in a flattering style. It wasn’t sheer, for which she was grateful; she didn’t want everyone leering at her tonight. It didn’t seem right, somehow.
Underneath it, she wore her favourite of the underwear Severus had bought her, as it made her feel special. Once again she wore heels, but lower than the previous time; at least she could walk in these unaided. It was probably the classiest outfit she had yet owned and seeing it in the mirror took her breath away.
Charlotte sat on the bed to do her makeup, aware of Severus’ approach beside her.
‘You’ve really outdone yourself with this outfit, Severus. It’s gorgeous.’
Snape smiled. ‘You deserve it, love. I just hope you’ll get to wear it again.’
He sat beside her and began to brush her long, dark hair, careful not to tug on it as he twisted it into an elegant chignon. Once again, he entwined strands of gemstones, this time glittering emeralds and pearls, through her hair.
Once Severus had finished, Charlotte went to take a final look in the mirror. She could have cried at the vision before her, and almost did when Severus came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her gently as he kissed her neck.
‘Beautiful,’ he breathed, and Charlotte thought she was going to collapse. Luckily Severus seemed to realise this and held her tighter, stopping her from moving.
‘I’m scared,’ Charlotte admitted in a whisper.
‘Me too,’ Snape admitted. He kissed her again. ‘I’ll love you forever, Charlotte,’ he whispered.
Charlotte did cry then and Snape gently brushed away her tears, waiting for her to calm herself and fix her makeup.
‘We have to go,’ he said, and he picked up his robe and mask.
Charlotte put on her cloak and took Snape’s arm. He led her through the secret tunnel out of the school and they rapidly crossed the lawn toward the gates. While Severus busied himself with unlocking them, Charlotte looked back at the castle and wondered if this was the last time she would ever see Hogwarts. She was sure she could see the Headmaster looking at them from the door of the castle — but that wasn’t possible, was it?
‘Are you ready?’ Snape asked, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.
‘No,’ Charlotte admitted. ‘But we don’t have any choice, do we?’ She turned to kiss Severus and he Apparated them to the meeting point.
This time the meeting was held in what looked like a large abandoned warehouse, lit by low-level sodium lights. It was cold and Charlotte was glad she had her cloak. In the centre of the room was a large bonfire, and round it was the largest group of Death Eaters she had ever seen. It was clear that everyone had made the effort to attend for this last challenge.
Severus quickly donned his robes and mask, then he took Charlotte’s hand and gently led her toward the circle. She felt as if she were a prize horse or dog being shown, from the way everyone turned to look at the couple. They made their way through the crowd to stand on the right-hand side of Voldemort’s chair, neither of them looking at the Dark Lord until he requested them to. Lucius and Amber had not yet arrived.
Snape removed his mask and talked quietly with Charlotte, still trying to reassure her. As he did, he scanned the circle for signs of her family. He was convinced that they had to have done this to her on purpose. Obviously, she was right — they knew about her desire not to be a Death Eater and thought her some sort of blood traitor. Soon enough, he spotted both her parents and grandparents standing together and talking. None of them looked particularly distressed to see Charlotte, even knowing what she was about to go through.
Suddenly the whispering grew louder and Lucius and Amber finally appeared. She was dressed in a considerably classier style than she had been at the last meeting, although she still wore too much makeup. Lucius led her through the circle and over to the Dark Lord, stopping to say hello to Severus and Charlotte en route. Charlotte gave Amber a small smile, but the girl didn’t return it. She looked scared and tearful, as if Lucius had just had a go at her, and Charlotte suspected he probably had. She gripped Severus’ hand tighter and felt him squeeze it reassuringly as the other couple moved on.
Voldemort cleared his throat and suddenly there was silence.
‘It is good to see so many of my faithful servants here tonight to witness the final challenge in the competition between Amber and Charlotte. For those of you who haven’t joined us before, Amber chose Lucius to be her mentor, Charlotte chose Severus to be hers. Both subjects have been through various challenges with a fair degree of success. However, tonight is the ultimate test of obedience and loyalty.’ He smiled around the room.
‘In a moment the final challenge will begin and we will see who is the most loyal.’ He looked toward a group of people standing a little outside the circle and nodded. ‘Bring me the bottles.’
The small group of four people walked towards Voldemort, each bearing a glass bottle. Two of the bottles were bright turquoise, the other two a deep violet colour. At Voldemort’s signal, the group divided into two pairs and each pair went to stand with one of the challenge couples.
‘Whenever you’re ready the challenge can begin!’ Voldemort announced, his cold voice ringing gleefully throughout the room.

Snape and Charlotte looked at each other.
‘This is it,’ Charlotte said, hearing the crack in her voice. She was determined not to cry.
Snape pulled her to him gently and planted a kiss on her lips. ‘I love you, Charlotte. Please, you can still change your mind.’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘No, I can’t. I told you, Severus, I have to obey you.’ She kissed Snape on the lips once more, expecting to receive the first potion from him at any second, when a noise distracted her.
She looked across the circle to where Amber seemed to be arguing with Lucius as he tried to get her to drink the first potion.
‘But what is it?’ she asked in a strained voice.
‘It doesn’t matter what it is, Amber, just drink it. You have to do as I tell you, remember!’ Lucius’ voice was close to a shout, his fury just barely held in check.
The quailing girl gave a sob.
‘Lucius, haven’t you told dear Amber what the potions contain? Really, you naughty man, I thought you realised that the girl having that knowledge was what would give the most enjoyment,’ Voldemort said, smiling evilly.
Lucius looked mutinous but didn’t dare say anything.
Voldemort continued, ‘It’s quite simple, Amber. The first bottle contains an antidote and the second is poison. Drink them both and you prove that you are completely loyal and obedient to Lucius.’ He paused. ‘Of course, it’s just possible that one of the antidotes has been switched for a placebo, and therefore drinking the poison would cause death.’ He laughed viciously. ‘Are you loyal enough to Lucius to take that chance?’
The look on Amber’s face at the news told Charlotte that the girl wasn’t. In fact, she didn’t look as if she intended to drink the antidote. Lucius obviously realised this and began talking earnestly to the girl, aware of what failure might entail, not just for her but for him as well.
Charlotte turned once again to Snape. ‘Severus, we might as well get started. We can’t put it off much longer, and waiting is making me feel sick.’
She gave him a small smile, trying to make herself seem less frightened than she was. She pulled off her cloak to reveal her beautiful outfit and took a step into the circle. Snape followed carrying the two bottles, a deep scowl etched on his face.
There was a murmur through the crowd as they realised something was happening. Charlotte stood still and tried not to shake with fear and the cold as she waited for Severus.
He took a step toward her and kissed her gently on the lips once more.
'Will you drink?’ he asked, his dark voice cracking with emotion, and he held out the supposed antidote.
‘I will.’ Charlotte smiled at him and then downed almost all the turquoise potion in one go. She handed the bottle back to Snape, who swallowed the rest. He closed his eyes.
In the background, Charlotte could hear Lucius urging Amber to drink the first potion, but she was too busy watching Charlotte and Snape to take any notice of him.
Snape opened his eyes. ‘No. It’s not,’ he told her, his voice darker and bleaker than Charlotte had ever heard it.
Amber was almost hysterical. ‘It’s not what?’ she cried. ‘It’s not the antidote?’ She moved toward the couple.
Lucius followed, still haranguing her to take her potion.
Charlotte smiled at Snape and gave a small laugh. ‘We knew it wouldn’t be, really, didn’t we?’ she said. There were tears in her eyes. ‘Hold me for a minute, please, Severus,’ she pleaded.
Snape pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head as he tried to brace himself for what would follow.
Once again the room was silent as everyone waited to see what would happen. Surely, as a great Potions Master, Severus would know if the potion was an antidote or not; and if not, surely he wouldn’t make Charlotte drink — or she would refuse — wouldn’t she?
After a few moments, Snape released Charlotte. ‘I’ll love you for eternity, Charlotte,’ he whispered quietly in her ear as he let her go. Then he handed her the second bottle.
‘Will . . . you . . . drink?’ he asked her unhappily, his voice cracking as he did so.
Charlotte looked quickly around at the faces watching her, amazed at the mix of reactions. Most were surprised or horrified at the thought that the first potion hadn’t been an antidote, but there were a few who seemed eager, even happy, and the thought disgusted her. She tried to find her family but she couldn’t see them. Perhaps that was just as well.
Clearly, she announced, ‘Yes, I’ll drink. I love you, Severus. Forever!’
And with that Charlotte drank the bottle of poison.

So many things happened next that to a casual observer it would have been almost impossible to work out what was going on.
Amber ran towards Charlotte, screaming at her not to drink. She almost got to Charlotte but didn’t quite make it; Charlotte had already drunk and dropped the empty bottle just before Amber got to her.
From somewhere else in the room came more screaming, a keening wail which turned out to be Charlotte’s mother, also begging her not to drink.
Lucius was in shock at Charlotte’s actually drinking the potion, as were a majority of the crowd. Even Voldemort seemed taken aback.
As the poison entered Charlotte’s system she felt coldness spread through her and a need to close her eyes. She tried to stay standing to look at Severus one last time, but she couldn’t. All around her there was screaming, but it gradually faded away into blessed silence as she slowly tumbled to the floor.
Suddenly a bright flash of light hit her as Snape cast a stasis spell on her, freezing her in that moment just before death. He rushed to grab her before she collapsed, arriving at the same time as Amber.
‘Why did she do it?’ Amber screamed. ‘How could she do it?’
‘Because she had to,’ Snape replied softly, his hand stroking Charlotte’s face as he held her gently.
By now Charlotte’s mother had also arrived at her daughter’s side. Still screaming and crying, she tried to pull Charlotte from Snape’s grasp. Her husband, alarmed, pulled her back away from whatever was going on, aware all the while of Voldemort’s growing wrath.
The Dark Lord had recovered his equilibrium and roared at Snape. But the Potions Master no longer cared. He stood, holding Charlotte limp in his arms, with tears streaming down his face.
‘What do you think you are doing, Severus?’ Voldemort asked coldly.
Snape stared back at Voldemort with the deepest scowl he had ever worn. ‘Lord, the challenge was to see if Charlotte was loyal enough to take both potions, regardless of what they contained. This she did. I see no reason why she should die for successfully completing her challenge. I have a chance to save her and I think she should be given that chance.’ His voice was a husky rasp. ‘Surely the whole point was to prove her loyalty and obedience, and that she did completely.’
Voldemort looked at the couple for a second, then laughed.
‘Severus, you are right. Charlotte did indeed complete her challenge successfully. Your quick thinking may have saved her from death. I will give you permission to seek help for her. This shall be your reward for her obedience and loyalty.’ He gestured for Snape to leave.
Without further comment, Snape Disapparated immediately.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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

Loyalty