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
- 7
- 8
- 9
A/N: As always thank you to Mamacita for her hard work - hope you're enjoying your holiday!

Alabaster Princess - Thank you so much for your review. I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. Dx

Before they could leave, the door opened and Charlotte’s family were back. And they weren’t alone. They moved aside as they entered the room to reveal the lime-green bowler-hatted figure of the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who was followed by the Aurors John Dawlish and Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Charlotte gripped Severus’ hand tighter, feeling her heart beat double time in her chest. They really had come to take him to Azkaban. Could they really take do that? After all, he had given her the poison, but it was her own decision to drink it. She thought quickly, trying to work out how to stop her husband from being taken away from her.
‘Severus Snape, we are here to arrest you on suspicion of attempted murder. You will be taken to Azkaban prison where you will await trial for this crime.’ Fudge’s voice was serious as he spoke to Snape.
‘If I could just say something, Minister—’ Dumbledore started, his voice equally serious.
‘No Albus, I don’t need to hear your protestations about losing one of your members of staff,’ Fudge said shortly. ‘The girl’s family have all testified that they saw Snape try to kill the girl. I’m sorry, Albus, but we must take him.’
Charlotte clung to Snape’s arm, stubbornly refusing to let him go for one second. She was still desperately trying to think of how she could stop this, and so only vaguely heard the conversation going on around her.
‘Minister, whether or not Professor Snape poisoned Charlotte, he definitely saved her life. Without his quick thinking and the stasis spell he performed upon her, she would most certainly be dead. I do not know the circumstances surrounding her poisoning, but I find it hard to believe that he would purposely poison the girl, then go to all the trouble of rescuing her,’ Healer Derwent said fervently, appealing to the Minister.
Shacklebolt and Dawlish looked uncomfortable.
‘No matter,’ Fudge repeated, his voice cold and flat. ‘We have to take him. A complaint has been made.’
‘But the Healer is right,’ the older nurse chimed in. ‘And if you’d seen the way the two of them are together you’d realise there’s no way Professor Snape would kill his wife.’
‘His wife?’ Fudge looked flabbergasted. ‘That girl is his wife? Why did no one mention this?’ He turned and scowled at Charlotte’s family.
‘A Muggle wedding, Cornelius,’ Charlotte’s grandfather said dismissively, his voice a low drawl. ‘Not a proper wizarding ceremony. We do not recognise the union. Anyway, it makes no difference. Snape tried to kill our granddaughter and we demand that he be sent to Azkaban.’
Fudge looked unsure. ‘Married.’ He shook his head. ‘Muggle weddings are legal whether you choose to accept the union or not, Tarquin,’ he told the man.
‘It makes no difference, Cornelius,’ Charlotte’s grandmother cried. ‘Snape tried to kill Charlotte whether she was married to him or not. Take him away now!’
Charlotte had finally had enough. ‘Do I get to have my say?’ she asked coldly, looking at directly at the Minister for Magic.
Fudge began to smile patronisingly at Charlotte, but her cold gaze froze the smile on his lips. ‘Of course, dear girl,’ he said quietly.
Charlotte took a deep breath. She had to be careful what she said; after all, it wouldn’t do to mention Death Eaters or all of them would end up in Azkaban — and she really didn’t want to drop Severus in it if the Headmaster wasn’t aware of his affiliation — but she had to make Fudge realise that Severus was innocent and that her family had tried to have her killed.
‘My family, along with other old Pure-blood families, periodically hold a stupid competition during which they select girls to be challenged on their obedience and loyalty. This time, I was unlucky enough to be chosen. However, instead of choosing the family-approved Master, I chose Severus and unwittingly dragged him into something he had no desire to take part in.’
For a second Snape looked as if he was about to speak, but Charlotte flashed him a look, willing him to stay silent.
‘You don’t need to know what the other challenges were; however, after a while, it became clear to me that it was possible I would die, and it was also clear that my family had done this to me on purpose.’
There was an uproar from Charlotte’s family at this. Her mother was sobbing again, her father and grandparents all denying their involvement. Charlotte stared coldly at them.
‘Whether you believe that or not, I tell you I could not have been entered into the competition without their express consent, and that consent was tantamount to signing my death warrant.’
Snape had now moved to stand behind Charlotte, putting his arms around her waist and supporting her while she spoke.
‘I fell in love with Severus and he with me, and knowing that time was running out, we got married. Not a wizarding ceremony — I knew that my parents would never have agreed to that; after all, they were trying to get rid of me — so we had a Muggle ceremony as that way I could marry without their consent.’
There was more muttering from the family and more sobs from her mother, but Charlotte ignored them.
‘Last night, the final challenge was issued. It was a stupid and dangerous one, but if we failed it was really a no-win situation for us. Severus had to offer me to two bottles of potion to drink. One contained poison, the other was supposedly the antidote. If I drank them both I proved my obedience and loyalty; if I refused, we would have failed and would be punished. The last time this happened the couple were both killed.’
Shacklebolt and Dawlish were both furiously whispering to each other now, and Fudge and the family looked extremely uncomfortable.
‘Obviously, Severus had no choice but to offer me both potions; however, it was up to me to make the decision to drink them, Severus had no say in that. After all, I could quite easily have refused. But my love for Severus meant I had no choice. To make sure that he didn’t die, I had to drink. The antidote turned out to be fake, so when I drank the poison it almost killed me. I was fortunate that Severus had the presence of mind to place the stasis spell on me before I could die.’ Her voice was quieter now, just above a whisper. ‘Without him, my family would have got their wish.’
‘So Snape wasn’t aware the antidote was fake?’ Fudge asked.
‘That’s not true,’ Charlotte’s mother suddenly shouted. ‘He knew! He told her. Before he gave her the poison, he told her it was fake.’
Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat. Oh gods, what would that mean?
‘Is this true?’ Fudge asked frowning.
‘Yes,’ replied Snape, his dark rich voice sounding confident. ‘I knew because Charlotte asked me to taste it to see if it was the real antidote. She had already decided that she would take the potions whatever the outcome, regardless of what I said, but she wanted to know before she took the poison and I couldn’t deny her that right.’
‘So you gave her the poison knowing the antidote was fake?’ Fudge looked horrified, as did the nurses.
‘Yes. I had no choice. However, Charlotte was free to say no to drinking it. I told her that several times over the course of the evening.’
Charlotte nodded to confirm his story. ‘Severus did indeed ask me to reconsider, but I couldn’t. I had promised to obey him at all times, no matter what; and if I failed him on that, we both would have died. My family wanted me dead, so it wasn’t really all that hard a choice. Apart from having to leave Severus.’ She smiled up at him.
‘So Severus didn’t try to kill me — I chose to take the poison knowing that I hadn’t taken the antidote, therefore, in real terms, I tried to commit suicide. You have no reason to arrest Severus.’
Fudge shook his head.
‘It’s not that easy, I’m afraid, young lady. After all, Snape did give you the poison and told you to drink it. You could have been under the Imperius Curse and forced to do it against your will. Snape will still be taken to Azkaban until this is sorted out.’ His tone indicated that he expected no further argument on the subject.
‘But I wasn’t under the Imperius Curse,’ Charlotte cried. ‘It was my decision.’
Shacklebolt and Dawlish reluctantly came forward to stand on either side of Snape.
‘Can’t you consider this now, Cornelius?’ Dumbledore asked. ‘I see no reason for you to take Severus to Azkaban for this. Surely it can be sorted out without the need for that?’
Fudge looked around him and seemed to wilt under the stern gazes of Charlotte’s family. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.
‘No, my decision is final,’ he stated. ‘Snape will be taken to Azkaban.’
Shacklebolt looked apologetically at Snape. ‘I’m sorry, Severus,’ he said gently, ‘but we need you to come with us.’
Snape nodded and let go of Charlotte, pulling her round to kiss him passionately. ‘I’ll see you soon,’ he whispered as his hand gently brushed her face, pushing back a lock of hair.
‘No!’ Charlotte cried, her voice once again ringing throughout the room. She turned to face Fudge. ‘You have no good reason to arrest my husband apart from the fact that you’re scared of my family.’ She looked disdainfully at the man. ‘If you take Severus, you can take me too. I refuse to be parted from him again. If he goes to Azkaban, then I’m going with him!’
Charlotte’s mother wailed with terror and begged her husband to do something, but he looked coldly at Charlotte. ‘Gods, child, this . . . man . . . means so much to you, does he? Fine! Then rot in Azkaban with him.’ He turned and, pulling his wife with him, left the room.
Charlotte’s grandparents didn’t say anything, but the looks of loathing that they bestowed upon the couple said it all. They, too, turned and left.
‘Surely now they’ve gone this can be sorted out sensibly, can’t it?’ asked Barney. ‘Obviously, there was no intent by the Professor to poison Charlotte.’
Fudge looked pale. ‘I gave my word to the Devereaux’s that this would be sorted. And it will. They are a very old Pure-blood family and they have made allegations that need to be investigated fully. I’m sorry, but Snape will go to Azkaban — and if Charlotte really insists on staying with her husband, then she should go too.’
‘You are being foolish with this, Cornelius,’ Dumbledore warned.
Fudge scowled. ‘I don’t need your opinions, Albus,’ he said darkly. ‘Shacklebolt, Dawlish, escort Professor Snape to Azkaban now.’
‘But Charlotte is still recovering. Azkaban won’t be any good for her,’ Barney said desperately. ‘At least wait until she’s recovered further.’
‘If she’s not fit to go, then keep her here,’ Fudge replied shortly. ‘Although you were prepared to let her leave only minutes ago.’
‘Only because she was going to the hospital wing at Hogwarts,’ Barney replied. ‘Otherwise, we would have been keeping her here for observation for a few days yet.’
‘So keep her here,’ Fudge replied. ‘It doesn’t stop Snape from being placed in Azkaban.’
Charlotte turned to Barney. ‘I’m sorry, Barney,’ she said apologetically. ‘I can’t stay here. If Severus is going to Azkaban I have to go with him.’
‘Not if you’re not well enough to leave,’ Snape told her, his voice dark and rich.
‘I am well enough,’ Charlotte said. ‘Apart from this headache, which I’m sure Barney can give me something for.’
The Healer nodded and instructed the younger nurse, who headed out of the door quickly. ‘It will just be a few more minutes,’ he told the waiting men. Shacklebolt nodded sympathetically.
Barney went over to Charlotte. ‘Take care of yourself,’ he told her. ‘You need lots of rest and I’m not sure Azkaban is the place for that, especially with the Dementors about.’
Charlotte smiled. ‘I’ll be fine, Barney, I’ll be with Severus. And really you don’t have to worry about the Dementors. They can do nothing to us if we don’t let them.’
The nurse had returned with a bag containing various potions and Barney spent a couple more minutes talking to Snape before finally handing him the bag.
‘Good luck,’ he told the man and clapped him on the back. ‘I hope you get out soon. For both your sakes.’
Snape smiled. ‘I’m sure we won’t be there long. After all, this is just Charlotte’s family calling in an old favour with Fudge. Once they’ve thought it through they’ll have to release us.’ He put his arms around Charlotte’s waist once more.
‘We’ll see you soon, Albus,’ he said to the Headmaster, who smiled, his eyes twinkling. ‘Are you ready, love?’ he asked Charlotte.
Charlotte looked up at him and smiled. ‘Yes. I’m ready for anything with you, Severus.’
Dawlish and Shacklebolt held onto the couple and the four of them Disapparated.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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Loyalty