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
- 8
- 9
- 10
A/N: Thanks to my beta Mamacita for all her help.

Alabaster Princess – You’re right they do have each other, which is a great help somewhere as awful as Azkaban.

Cornelius Fudge shivered as he looked around him. Azkaban was a terrible place, to be sure; he hated coming here. The Dementors flew around overhead, draining all the warmth and happiness from the prison and leaving only despair and misery in their place. He looked at his companions. The Aurors looked as unhappy to be here as he was, but Albus Dumbledore seemed quite unconcerned by the place and by the Dementors. Merlin only knew how the hell he managed it.
Albus saw Cornelius looking and smiled at him. ‘Not the friendliest place in the world, is it, Cornelius? Perhaps you should remember that in future; before you send people here for no good reason.’
They made their way to the Warden’s office, trying to ignore the cries, screams and sometimes — more chillingly — hysterical laughter of the prisoners. The Warden welcomed them into his office. They all noticed how the sounds disappeared once he closed the door. He obviously had a charm on the room. After all, listening to those sounds all day would be enough to drive a person crazy.
Once they were all seated comfortably and a house-elf had brought tea for them, the Warden said, ‘You are here to collect Severus Snape and his wife?’
‘Yes,’ replied Fudge. ‘The investigation into the alleged attempted murder has been completed and they are free to leave. It appears the girl was telling the truth and Snape has no case to answer.’
The Warden nodded, looking thoughtful. ‘It’s a shame this couldn’t have been done without sending them here. After all, it’s not really a detention centre.’
Dumbledore looked concerned. ‘Are they well?’ he asked.
The Warden thought for a second. ‘Oh, yes. They’re fine. Their ability to retreat into each other has really helped them to ignore the Dementors. In fact, I’m not sure they even notice the Dementors are around, most of the time.’
‘And what have they been doing?’ Dumbledore asked.
The Warden laughed. ‘What any young couple would likely be doing when locked away in a room all day with only a bed for company. We’ve provided them with books and newspapers, but of course, Mrs. Snape was still recovering when she arrived, so the first week was spent with Professor Snape looking after his wife. Now she’s fully recovered — we got our Healer to check her out and give her a clean bill of health — and the two of them generally stay in bed reading to each other or . . . .’ He broke off, grinning.
‘We need to go and see them now,’ Fudge said urgently. ‘It’s important that we get them released immediately. They’ve been here too long already.’
The Warden nodded. ‘I’ll get one of the guards to warn them of your arrival. I’m sure they’ll be ready to receive you soon.’
Fudge looked outraged. ‘There’s no need for that,’ he blustered. ‘You can take us straight down there now and we’ll talk directly to the couple. This is important.’
‘Yes, I’m aware that you’re now eager to get them released,’ the Warden replied sardonically. ‘However, as I said, they will likely need some warning if you’re not to walk in on something you don’t want to see. Please, let me send the guard.’
Fudge still didn’t appear to understand and was insistent that they be taken at once to see the couple. He was feeling guilty for having locked them away in the first place and felt that the sooner he could get them free from this awful place and himself away from it, the sooner he could start to relax.
Shrugging with amusement and exchanging looks with Dumbledore and the Aurors, the Warden led the way down several dank corridors to the cell where Severus and Charlotte were being kept.
‘I did try to warn you,’ he muttered as they walked.
He banged loudly on the door before opening it, hoping that it would give the couple enough time to stop whatever they were doing before the group entered, although he was aware that was probably wishful thinking. Once they got going nothing could break into their world, not even the Dementors, which was surely the reason they did it. Wrongly imprisoned, they had no desire to be driven mad before their release, and each focussed all their energies on the other, leaving no chance for anything or anyone to break through.
The Warden pushed open the door, intending to peek first and try to get the attention of the couple, but Cornelius Fudge pushed past him and marched straight into the room. He stopped dead and looked in shock at the bed where Charlotte and Snape were busy making love, completely ignoring the intruders. The Aurors looked somewhat embarrassed and stopped at the doorway, not wanting to enter. Dumbledore, who had entered behind Fudge, looked amused. The Warden couldn’t help but grin — well, he had tried to warn the Minister.
‘Perhaps we should wait outside,’ he suggested, taking Fudge’s arm and leading him back towards the door with Dumbledore at their heels. The Warden closed the door, then looked at his watch.
‘They should be ready to talk in another fifteen minutes or so; perhaps we should wait in my office?’ he said as a scream ripped through the air, making Fudge turn paler than he already looked. ‘I’ll get the guard to bring them to the office.’ The Warden led them back down the corridor.
‘But what were they doing? ‘ Fudge asked, obviously still confused.
Dumbledore patted him on the back consolingly. ‘Nothing you need to think about, Cornelius,’ he said with a smile.

Charlotte and Snape had vaguely noticed when the men had entered their room but were far too busy to worry about them. However, once they had finished and lay in bed holding each other, they considered who the visitors might have been.
‘I’m sure I saw Fudge’s bowler hat,’ Charlotte said. ‘But what would he be doing here?’
‘Perhaps he’s come to release us, finally,’ Snape replied. ‘After all, they must have completed the investigation by now, surely.’
‘Maybe,’ Charlotte conceded. ‘It would be good to get back to school.’ She laughed. ‘Gods, I never thought the day would come when I said that!’
Snape kissed her on her cheek. ‘Missing your lessons, are you?’ His voice was smoothly seductive.
‘Oh yes, especially History of Magic,’ Charlotte said, giggling. ‘I haven’t had such a good sleep for ages.’
Snape raised his eyebrows and scowled at her in his most teacherly fashion. ‘You are aware that you are criticising a fellow teacher,’ he said.
‘Yes, but Binns is dead. Gods, you must remember how dreadfully boring his lessons are, Severus. I bet you fell asleep in class, too.’ She poked her tongue out at her husband.
Snape laughed. ‘Frequently — although most of the time I was devising new potions or working on spells.’
There was a knock on the door and the sound of a key being turned in the lock. The guard stuck his head cautiously round the door.
‘Are you two decent?’ he asked.
Snape laughed. ‘Yes, Reg, come in.’
The man entered the room, smiling at the couple who had pulled the bedclothes up to cover themselves.
‘Yer gave the Minister for Magic quite a shock, so I ’ear,’ Reg said, laughing. ‘Don’t fink ’e’d seen anyfink like that before.’
‘I guess Cornelius Fudge isn’t very experimental in his lovemaking, then,’ Charlotte said wickedly. ‘Perhaps he’s learnt something.’ She grinned at Snape, who shook his head, laughing.
‘Yeah, ’e’s learnt not to go barging in on people after being warned not to,’ Reg replied dryly. ‘Anyway, ’e wants to see you as soon as. ’E’s come to take yer back to the mainland. You’ve finally been released.’
At this comment Charlotte burst into tears; she couldn’t help herself. The confirmation that they would finally be away from this awful place was almost too much to contemplate.
‘That’s fantastic news, Reg,’ Snape said, gently rubbing Charlotte’s back and trying to calm the sobbing woman. ‘We’ll just get dressed and be with you shortly.’
Reg nodded his understanding but looked in concern at Charlotte. ‘Is Charlotte okay?’ he asked.
Snape nodded. ‘She’s fine, just a bit overwhelmed by the fact we’re finally free.’ He smiled.
Reg headed towards the door, leaving the couple to get dressed and ready to go. He was pleased they were leaving. They were a nice couple and hadn’t deserved to be shut up in here, even though they had managed to survive it well enough. The place would be a lot less interesting without them, though, that was for sure.

It was about thirty minutes later when the couple finally entered the Warden’s office accompanied by Reg. The guard took a moment to hug both Charlotte and Snape and wish them the best of luck for the future before returning off to continue his rounds. The Warden invited them to sit and asked if they wanted tea. Both refused. Now that they were dressed they were ready to leave and just wanted to get on with it.
So Fudge, who it appeared couldn’t look either of them in the eye, gave the pronouncement that Snape had been cleared of all charges and was, therefore, free to leave Azkaban. Everyone in the room smiled at this statement and Dumbledore even clapped. The warden then thanked Snape and Charlotte for being model prisoners and wished them well. Finally, it was time to leave.
Charlotte looked around the place one last time, a shiver of dread running down her spine as she saw the Dementors circling the fortress, and wrapped her arms around Snape.
‘It’s over,’ he whispered, and he kissed the top of her head as the Aurors Apparated them back to Hogwarts.

Charlotte thought she would cry again when she saw the castle ahead of her through the gates and remembered the last time she had seen it, the night she had thought she was going to die — the night she would have died if it hadn’t been for Severus.
‘I thought I saw you watching us the night of the meeting,’ she told the Headmaster as they walked towards the school. ‘Although I know that wasn’t possible.’
‘You did see me,’ Dumbledore replied, smiling at her. ‘I wanted to get a final look at the pair of you in case you weren’t returned to me.’ He looked fondly at the couple as they walked hand in hand up the path.
‘I’m sure you are both eager to get back into the swing of things,’ Dumbledore said as they walked into the Entrance Hall, ‘but I’d like to have a few minutes with you in my office first if that’s all right?’
Both Snape and Charlotte nodded and followed the Headmaster to the stairs to his office. As they walked through the room people stopped to look at them, students and teachers alike, pleased to see them back. Someone started clapping and soon the whole Entrance Hall was thundering with applause as more and more people heard about their return and rushed to see them.
Charlotte could feel the tears surfacing once again. She wasn’t sure why they were clapping, but it felt good to be back. Snape pulled her to him as if worried she would fall, holding her up as they waited for the gargoyle to move. Looking around, Charlotte saw the Weasley twins cheering and catcalling and she smiled gratefully at them and waved before making her way upstairs with the two men.
‘What happened to the pair of you was a complete secret,’ Dumbledore said. ‘So naturally, the whole school knows about it. I’m afraid you’ve upset many a student, Severus. Finding out that their most hated teacher was really a hero was rather too much for some of them.’ His eyes twinkled as he spoke.
Soon the three of them were sitting round the fire, drinking tea and discussing what had happened since the incarceration. Although the competition couldn’t be traced back to the Death Eaters, Charlotte’s family had finally admitted that it had taken place and that what Charlotte had told the Minister for Magic was accurate. They had been careful to cover their tracks so they couldn’t be prosecuted; however, their admission, even such as it was, meant that they could take no further action against Charlotte without implicating themselves.
Charlotte was now the safest she had probably ever been in her life, as it was in the family’s best interest to make sure she and Snape led long and happy lives. Snape, of course, would be returning to the Death Eaters now that he was free, but Charlotte would never have to go again; he had promised her that.
While they were in prison Charlotte and Snape had discussed his association with the Death Eaters. Being a clever girl, she had finally worked out that he must be playing Dumbledore and Voldemort off, one against the other, but she needed to know which way his loyalties really lay. She was convinced she knew, but she wanted it confirmed.
Snape finally admitted to her that although he pretended to serve the Dark Lord, his true master was Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Charlotte was relieved to hear this and realised that she had always had an inkling this was the case. That was why she had chosen Severus rather than Lucius; his goodness had shone through to her.
Of course, they didn’t discuss this openly, Azkaban wasn’t the place for such talk. But as they retreated into each other they became able to communicate with a sort of telepathy, related to the Legilimency with which Snape was already gifted. They communicated in this way, not only about Snape’s affiliation but about everything important to them, everything they didn’t want to share with the Dementors. It wasn’t long before they learned how to keep the Dementors out of their minds permanently.
‘What happened to Amber?’ Charlotte asked. The question had been running through her mind since the night of the meeting. The girl had refused to drink the potions. Had she and Lucius forfeited their lives?
‘She’s fine,’ Dumbledore replied reassuringly. ‘She’s desperate to see you, of course. It was good of you not to drag her and Lucius into things. It could have got a lot more difficult if you had done.’
‘To be honest, I was only trying to think of a way to save Severus,’ Charlotte admitted. ‘I didn’t even think about Amber and Lucius at the time. It was only once we were in Azkaban that I remembered they were part of it too and I really hoped she hadn’t died.’
‘I’m sure she’ll find you and tell you what happened soon enough,’ Dumbledore replied. ‘Now I expect you both want to get settled back in.’
He looked intently at the couple. ‘It seems pointless to make the two of you sleep separately when the whole world knows you’re married, therefore I have arranged for Charlotte’s things to be relocated to your quarters, Severus. Obviously, I would prefer that you continue to be discreet until the end of the school year — and if it is too difficult, separate arrangements may need to be made regarding Potions tuition — but I can see no reason why this shouldn’t work well enough.’ Those bright blue eyes twinkled brightly.
‘Of course, at the end of the year we shall need to consider your future requirement for living quarters, Severus, but that can be sorted during the summer holidays.’
‘Thank you, Headmaster,’ Charlotte said happily. ‘I really didn’t want to be away from Severus again.’
‘Well, if that’s all . . . .’ Dumbledore replied. He rose to walk the couple to the door.
‘Yes . . . although at some point we do need to make arrangements for the binding ceremony,’ Charlotte reminded him.
Dumbledore smiled. ‘I’d forgotten all about that. Are you sure you’re happy to do this, Severus?’
‘Of course, Albus,’ Snape replied, his dark voice smooth and rich. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’
‘I think you should both read up on it so you’re sure you know what it entails,’ Dumbledore suggested. ‘It may be that the full binding ceremony isn’t what you’re looking for. Perhaps another ceremony would suit you better instead.’
‘We’ll look into it fully, I promise,’ Snape told him, and taking Charlotte’s hand he led her to the stairs.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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