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Lost and Found	By : TheLibrarian Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 3257 -:- 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
- 8
- 9
- 10
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all his friends (and enemies) are the brain-child of J.K.
Rowling. I�m just borrowing them. Exclusive ownership belongs to JKR, Arthur A.
Levine Books and Scholastic Inc. Jane Sinclair and all additional characters
belong to me. You belong to yourself.

***

Down once more

to the dungeon

of my black despair!

Down we plunge

to the prison

of my mind!

Down Once
More�/Track Down This Murderer� (Act Two, Scene 8) from the musical The
Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Chapter
Nine � Dreams

***
Severus ***

Severus and Draco Malfoy were standing before the Dark Lord. The boy was
trembling fearfully, as Voldemort studied them
silently for an unbearably long time.

�So,
Dumbledore�s dead,� he finally addressed them.

Severus inclined his head. �Yes, my lord.�

�And,
yet, Harry Potter is still alive.�

�My lord,
you asked that the boy not be touched��

�I did,
yes.� Lord Voldemort nodded impatiently. �I must
know that prophesy� But never mind now. You,� he pointed at Draco.
�You have failed in your mission.�

The boy�s
eyes widened in horror, as the meaning of the Dark Lord�s words struck him.
Without warning, Voldemort pointed his wand at Draco who instantly fell to the ground, dead. Severus� mouth twitched slightly, his composure slipping momentarily.

In his cell,
deep in the bowels of Azkaban, Severus tossed and
turned fitfully on his hard narrow cot, unable to escape the images that
tormented his mind.

�Severus,� his master said, stepping over the dead boy
without sparing him a second glance, �have you been able to discover
Dumbledore�s secret weapon?�

Severus shook his head. �Unfortunately,
no, my lord. In fact, I believe there is no such weapon. I know,
however, that Dumbledore was looking for a person.�

�Not a
weapon, but a person? Not Harry Potter?� Voldemort
sounded both surprised and intrigued.

�Not
Harry Potter,� Severus confirmed.

Voldemort stroked his chin, deep in thought.
�What about the Order? Do those bumbling idiots know anything?�

�They were
charged with looking for a woman. A Jane Sinclair. I,
myself, have never heard of her.�

The Dark Lord closed his
eyes for a moment, thinking back. �Neither have I,� he eventually admitted.
�But if Dumbledore had the entire Order looking for this woman, she must be
important� Severus, you must bring her to me as soon
as she is found. You must bring me Jane Sinclair!�

Still fast asleep, Severus flopped onto his side, cursing under his breath.

***
Jane ***

Jane was
looking for Severus. She stood in front of a
forbidding ancient manor house in the middle of nowhere. The nearest village
was miles away, and apart from several baleful ravens cawing from the rooftop,
she could make out no other sign of life. She skimmed through the note he had
sent her, asking her to meet him. Yes, this definitely was the place. Unsure
what to do, Jane peeked through a window, but couldn�t make out anything
inside. She straightened her shoulders and raised her hand to the brass
doorknocker. However, before she could rap it against the weathered wood, the
door swung open with an eerie creak. She peered into the uninviting dark entry
hall.

�Severus?�

�In
here,� a muffled voice invited her inside.

She took
a hesitant step across the threshold and frowned as she took in the depressing
interior. Like Fenton Hall, this place had a positively uninhabited ambience.
The house was sparsely furnished and a thick layer of dust rested on the few
tables and armoires that weren�t covered with sheets. No knickknacks or
personal touches of any kind softened the Spartan d�cor.

�Severus,� she asked again, when the door slammed shut
behind her.

�Upstairs,�
the same muffled voice sounded from the upper landing.

An uneasy
feeling came over her. Jane could feel her insides twist into a knot. Her initial
thought that Severus might have invited her for a
secret tryst was rapidly dissipating. She placed her hand onto the hand-carved
wooden banister and took the first step. As she slowly ascended the staircase,
a movement in one of the portraits lining the mahogany wainscoting caught her
attention. She blinked twice, not trusting her eyes,
yet the image remained. Jane could see Chris Isaak
following her from painting to painting, all the while singing to her:

What a wicked game you play

To make me feel this way

What a wicked thing to do

To let me dream of you

What a wicked thing to say

You never felt this way

What a wicked thing to do

To make me dream of you�

Jane awoke,
the whiny song still ringing in her ears, and groaned. It had been two months
now since she�d visited Severus in Azkaban, and he
still haunted her dreams. Each time the dreams had been different, though. At
times, he would apologize for the way he had hurt her in Azkaban. Then there
were nights, when she dreamt of him rejecting her in every conceivable
humiliating way. Frequently, she also dreamt of their encounter on Christmas
Eve, and the memory of the kisses they�d shared always left her wanting for
more.

She pounded
her pillow into shape and tucked it under her head. Try as she might, she was
unable to expel him from her mind. Jane gave a frustrated sigh. She didn�t want
to go back to sleep, afraid of what would await her there. He would be
there, no doubt. Waiting for her. Teasing
her, taunting her. Damn him.

Gradually,
her breathing slowed and her eyes fluttered shut once more.

A tall
sinister-looking man surveyed her unabashedly. He was clothed in flowing black
robes, and an evil red glint sparkled in his dark eyes. He exuded power and an
aura of malevolence surrounded him like the garments he was wearing.

�This is
her?� His question was directed to someone standing behind her. He did not
sound very impressed.

Jane
turned around. Severus stood a few steps away from
her, looking as dispassionate and untouchable as ever. He nodded curtly.

�Yes, my
lord.�

My lord,
she wondered. The Dark Lord?
What the hell was going on? �Severus?�

He did
not meet her eyes.

�This,�
the evil-looking man asked again, �is Dumbledore�s secret weapon? Her?�

Severus nodded again.

�How��
the man deliberated for a moment, ��interesting.�

She swirled around to face him. �Who are you?�

Her
question obviously amused him. He indicated a bow and introduced himself. �I,
my dear, am Lord Voldemort.�

Deeply
asleep in her bed at Hogwarts, Jane whimpered, unable to escape her nightmare.
A few hundred miles away, another dreamer joined her.

***
Severus ***

�This is
her?� The Dark Lord sounded somewhat disappointed.

Jane was
standing between the two of them. Voldemort looked
over her shoulder straight at Severus, who stood a
few steps away from her. She turned around, and her eyes widened in
recognition. He nodded curtly at the Dark Lord, ignoring her inquiring gaze.

�Yes, my
lord.�

Confusion
registered on her face. �Severus?�

He did
not acknowledge her. It was imperative that he ignored her. Voldemort
could never know of their� liaison. However, it was more difficult to ignore
her than he�d imagined. Her mere presence was extremely distracting, and he had
to muster all of his self-control to cloud his mind against Voldemort�s
inquisitive stare.

�This,�
the Dark Lord inquired once more, �is Dumbledore�s secret weapon? Her?�

Severus nodded again.

�How�� Voldemort
deliberated for a moment, ��interesting.�

Jane swirled around to face the Dark Lord.
�Who are you?�

Her
question obviously amused him. He indicated a bow and introduced himself. �I,
my dear, am Lord Voldemort.�

For a
moment, Severus thought she would faint. He watched
her eyes grow wide and the blood drain from her face. She took an involuntary
step towards Severus. He wanted desperately to reach
out and pull her behind him, to shield her against all evil � personified, in
this case, by the Dark Lord. He knew Voldemort had
plans for her, although he didn�t know what they entailed. From previous
experience, though, he knew they would be very unpleasant. He feverishly
thought of a way out.

A sound
caught his attention, distracting him.

What a wicked game you play

To make me feel this way

What a wicked thing to do

To let me dream of you

What a wicked thing to say

You never felt this way

What a wicked thing to do

To make me dream of you�

Severus couldn�t make out the origin of the
annoying song. He could have sworn, though, that it came from one of the
paintings in the hallway. The whiny voice drilled painfully into his brain
until he thought he could bear it no longer.

Hundreds of
miles apart, the two dreamers tossed uneasily in their sleep, and the dream
sequence shifted.

***
Jane and Severus ***

Voldemort stood over Jane, his wand pointing at
her face. She was lying at his feet, unarmed. The Dark Lord was gloating.

�I admire
your determination, Miss Sinclair,� he grinned maliciously, �and your
fearlessness. Not many have dared to face me as you did. Unfortunately for you,
none survived��

Jane met
his gaze mutinously.

�Such
spirit,� he chuckled. �Are you sure you don�t want to join me and my Death
Eaters?�

�Quite
sure,� she answered dryly.

�Pity,�
he shrugged indifferently. �Ah well��

He lazily
pointed his wand at her.

�NO!�
Severus rushed towards them, stepping between Jane
and the Dark Lord, shielding her with his body.

�Severus,� Voldemort greeted him
calmly.

�Let her
go. You no longer need her. I know why Dumbledore chose her. I know her secret.
It is me you want.�

The Dark
Lord�s lips pulled into an amused smile. �There are much worthier causes to die
for, Severus. But, honestly � a woman?�

Severus merely shrugged. �We cannot choose our
destiny.�

�Destiny��
Voldemort slowly shook his head, something akin to
regret in his face. �You have served me well, Severus,
even if you did play both sides. I never would have thought that, in the
end, you would be brought down by a woman� You always were too smooth, too
composed. You never let your emotions determine your actions� Ah well, no
matter now.�

He
quickly waved his wand at Severus, who was unable to
counter the spell. He fell to the ground and moved no more.

�SEVERUS!�

Jane jolted
upright, his name on her lips. She could still feel Voldemort�s
malevolent eyes raking over her, seizing her up, trying to glean her most
hidden thoughts, her darkest secrets. A shudder went through her and her
stomach revolted. She stumbled out of bed and made a mad dash for the bathroom,
where she collapsed over the toilet.

Long after
the retching had ceased and her breathing returned to normal, Jane remained
slumped on the cold floor tiles, her forehead resting against the cool marble
wall. She did not go back to sleep that night.

***

Miles away in
Azkaban, Severus� eyes flew open, her anguished cry
still ringing in his ears. A nightmare, he told himself, ignoring his pounding
heart. Just a nightmare. Nothing
more. And yet�

He rolled
onto his back and stared blindly at the ceiling. He had dreamt of Jane every
night since that fateful Christmas Eve. Her kisses had been a revelation to
him, and he�d called himself every kind of fool for sending her away when he
did. His newly found sense of chivalry had prevented him from taking what she
had offered him freely. He had wished to confide in her, to make her
understand. Severus wiped a hand over his tired face.
He had never expected her to visit him in Azkaban. He recalled the pain in her
eyes when he�d cruelly rejected her. He knew the pain had been his doing, his
alone. He also knew that he�d had no choice.

In the bleak darkness surrounding him, the thought of Jane�s
sweet face was like a beacon of hope. The memories of holding her in his arms �
the taste and feel of her � would keep him sane in the years to come, would
make this nightmare bearable. As long as he was locked away, she was safe. The
thought was comforting. It was a small price to pay.

===

Lost and
Found � 2005 by MMHG

===
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