Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

The Prize	By : Kvarta Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 3468 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction. Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling. This story is purely for entertainment purposes, no money is being made from it.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
A/N: A friend of mine helped me with English in this chapter, so hopefully it is better than previous ones.
Your Reviews are appreciated :)
COME IN TO MY WEB…
Poppy was fuming, arguing, even threatening, but ten days later, dressed in his customary black, Snape stepped out through the floo into the Ministry hallway. Striding down the hall, surrounded by Aurors, he was sorry that his traveling cloak did not have same billowing effect as his teaching robes. Nonetheless, his appearance caused the Ministry to come to an unsuspected halt. Employees poured out of their offices, visitors stopped forming long lines, staring and whispering. The glares made Aurors twitchy, some of the glares were angry and some were full of admiration. Snape appeared unfazed; he walked seemingly oblivious to his surroundings with a scoff on his face.
Turning into a holding cells area, he left the crowd behind and the Aurors relaxed almost visibly. He smirked inwardly. Leading him down the hallway was a long line of doors on both sides. In front of one of the doors, a young Auror was waiting and he shifted, nervously opening the door. Snape passed him without a glance, stepping into the simply fitted room; the Auror followed him, clearing his throat.
- Welcome to the holding cell area, Sir. Madam Pomfrey sent your medications and we have placed them in your cabinet. The wooden box near the Pensieve contains all of the memories about the prisoner. Your wand is on the table, we have checked it for spells cast during the trials, other than that it is untampered and undamaged. –
- I will be the judge of that. – his voice was cold and stern, making the young Auror twitch a bit, but he held his attitude, almost grinning at the young man, just to see his reaction.
- She… The prisoner is two doors down from this room. I will be at your disposal for anything you might require. –
- You seem friendly towards the prisoner Mr. Polkins. –
- I… She is polite Sir, scary but polite. –
- Scary? – he turned and raised an eyebrow, making Polkins pull back a little. It appeared that he still could scare the hell out of people
- I was present when she…the prisoner…when she was apprehended. My memory is also in the box. –
- Along with other memories from all of the previous months she has spent here? –
- Yes. –
- How many people? –
- Only me, Sir. – Snape glared at him and the Auror stuttered - Others are…they don’t want to get near her. –
- Cowards and hypocrites. –Snape spat – Talk. –
- Whhh… I… -
- Mr. Polkins, I did not ask you about the use of moonstone in potions, I am fairly sure you still do not know that. Tell me about the woman, your opinion. –
Polkins shuffled uncomfortably, and he growled giving his best not to cough. His throat hurt, all he wanted was to be alone and take his medicine. The young Auror annoyed him.
“Save me from dunderheads and idiots. “ he thought with despair, suppressing the need to shake the answer from the young man
- It is all in the reports we sent you, Sir. –
- Even her politeness? -
- Yes, Sir. –
- What does she do when she does not baffle our Minister, the Wizengamot and the entire DMLE? –
- Nothing, Sir. She just stares into the water or out the window. She doesn’t talk unless it’s to say “Thank you” or ask for the toilet. She did ask about you this morning. –
- What did you tell her? –
- Nothing Sir, we are not at liberty to disclose any information to the prisoners, no matter how polite they are. –
- It appears that the Auror training is not entirely wasted on you Mr. Polkins. –
- Sir? –
- Did she trie to seduce you? –
- N…no, Sir. –
- Did she trie to seduce anyone else to your knowledge? –
- No Sir. –
- Thank you Mr. Polkins. You are free to relieve me of your company until I need you again. – turning his back to the confused Auror, he walked to the table to pick up his wand. The klick of the door told him that he was alone in the room. Letting his shoulders slack, he tossed off his cloak on the chair and turned to test his wand. After a thorough chec-up he nodded with satisfaction, the wand was in the same condition as before.
Picking up the file, he skimmed through it, knowing there was no line in it he hadn’t memorized. He tossed the file on the bed with resignation. He was… It was hard to determine how he felt. The near-death experience had influenced him; he had no desire to play this game again, not ever, much less this soon.
- The sooner I put this charade behind me the better. – he mumbled, pulling one memory vial out and pouring it into the Pensieve. He dived in.
~ S ~ S ~ S ~
Katya starred in the washing bowl, and then lifted her gaze to the window. A line wedged between her brows. She knew that he was here, she could sense him. At least her magic worked properly.
“What would your first move be? “ she thought with a frown.
Polkins entered to bring her a meal. Not turning to look at the boy, she nodded.
-Thank you. – she said absentmindedly. She had no appetite. Now that he was awake and near, her courage wavered. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she continued staring out the window.
“There is no point in questioning my decision now. I’m here, and I’m here to stay as long as it is needed. I might as well make the best of it.” she sighed and continued to stare.
~ S ~ S ~ S ~
Three days later, upon his arrival at the Ministry, Snape was standing in front of the woman’s door, patiently waiting for Polkins to open them. He frowned upon seeing the wards, after all he has seen about her, they seemed weak. The door finally swung open and he stepped into the humble room.
The woman was sitting in the widow nook, on the pillows and staring out the window. She did not move or raise her eyes. Severus appraised her from a distance. She was dressed in muggle clothes, old and oversized for her. He cleared his throat.
- Nice of you to finally meet me. – the woman’s voice was soft and melodic, but devoid of all emotion.
- I was not aware that meeting you was a requirement. – he drawled, causing her to turn to look at him.
- They should’ve let you heal properly before forcing you to…are you here to spy on me, break me or something else? – hearing the annoyance with a touch of anger in her voice, he raised an eyebrow.
- Maybe I wanted to meet my savior and thank her properly. –
- Bullshit. – she barked and stood up, closing the gap between them in two steps. She circled around him, watching him carefully. He was still, observing her movements, silently sliding his wand into his hand. She seemed physically fit and light on her feet, even in heavy boots.
She stopped in front of him, invading his personal space and Snape forced himself to stay in the same spot, motionless and with an impassive look on his face. The woman raised her hand to his throat and he felt a tingle of magic causing him to flinch backwards. With a speed, he had to acknowledge was impressive, she grabbed his wand hand in a vice-like grip, effectively pinning him on the spot.
- I’m not gonna harm you, stand still. –
He pierced her with a gaze that would send most of the Death Eaters and all the rest to scramble away from him, but she didn’t even flinch. He sent a mild stinging hex at the leg pressed against his wand. She frowned at the pain but continued to hold her hand above his throat. He could understand why Aurors were so baffled by her. The woman was not too tall, the top of her head reaching his chin, but she was strong and as far as he could judge, her magic was strong and wandless. He nearly shivered at the thought of what she could do with a wand in her hand. After a while, she released him, a little bit paler in the face than she was moments ago, and stepped away
- That was not nice. Try to speak now. –
- What was not nice? – he asked, fighting to hide his surprise at the change in his own voice and the feeling in his throat. His voice was still a bit husky but it was his own and speech did not cause him any pain nor the scratching feeling that made him cough. She grinned at him, but her eyes remained unchanged, two solid and emotionless stones.
“She is a skillful Occulumens.” Snape made a mental note.
- Trying to hurt me while I was trying to help you, and you are welcome by the way. – she walked back to the nook.
- You told Madam Pomfrey that you are not a healer. –
- Nope, I’m not. –
- Yet, you saved me, healed my throat just now. –
- Yup, I did. –
- Interesting. – he drawled, her attitude tested his patience in the worst possible way, but intimidating her would not be the right course of action. For now, he decided to talk to her and observe, to try finding cracks in her mental shields.
- Nope, not really. – she shrugged – I can cure YOU, and only YOU. –
- Only me? – letting irony lace his words, he raised his eyebrow.
- Something like that. – the tone of her voice was light as she taunted him, acting like an insolent brat
- Can you enlighten me as to why my person holds so much interest for you? –Snape hissed, narrowing his eyes
- That is a complicated answer. – she pouted – Suffice to say my only reason to be here in the first place is you. – sitting in the nook, she motioned for him to sit as well – This will take some time, please sit, make yourself comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can be on that chair. I’m sorry, I can’t offer you anything more than water, and the tea arrives at five. –
She wedged one foot under the pillows, bending it at the knee and leaning her head on it. Her other leg dangled towards the ground. She held the posture of a brat which had him stifling a groan. Positioning the chair so he could observe her, he sat on it, holding his back rod straight and his shoulders squared. Ignoring her polite chitchat, he motioned for her to continue talking, wondering how much time it will take to break her.
- The answer to your question will have to wait until we know each other better. I can tell you that I hold no interest to your wizarding community or your Ministry. I have no desire to be the new Dark Lord. Nothing they can offer holds my interest. –
- And what does? – he smirked
- Oh give me a break; you are much smarter than that. – she rolled her eyes – I’m tired of repeating it, and If you haven’t caught on by now, no amount of repetition will improve the situation. –
- Indeed. Me. I am certain that we did not meet before. – he drawled.
- Nope, we did not. The prospects of us meeting before were none existent. –
- Why is that? –
- Are you sure you want to phrase that question in that manner? – she raised her eyebrows looking rather amused. He glared, mirroring her expression – You are here to extract as much information as you can. We both know that, you might as well ask question openly. –
- And you will answer it just like that. – he mocked
- If I see it as important, yes. – she glared back.
- Where are you from? – he leaned forward, positioning elbows on his knees and waving his fingers together
- Tsk, tsk I believed that you had a more pressing question to ask, but suit yourself. That is one, by the way. –
- One? –
- Mhm, the first question. You’ll understand soon enough. –
- What would be number two? – he leaned back, crossing his legs, looking far more relaxed than he was. She was observing him with amusement. He noticed that her expressive face was a superficial mask; beneath it, she was calm and unfazed, devoid of all emotion.
“What are you hiding?” he wondered, focused on the tiniest twitches of her muscles.
- Two will come when you ask the right question. –
- Like your name, perhaps? –
- Seeeeeeeeeee how easy it is! – she almost sounded giddy – Katya. –
- Katya…what? –
- Just Katya. No last name. –
- Really? – smirked
- Mhm, really – really. Katya, register number 07104456. – a sweet and at same time empty smile lingered on her lips. By all the signs he could read, she was telling the truth, not a single thing she told him was a lie. His lips twitched, telling the truth was a good way to withhold crucial information and lie; he was more than intimately familiar with that particular tactic. She will be hard to crack, that much he gathered.
- So, Miss. Katya… - drawled
- Yup. And no, not Slavic by descent. You may check it, of course. –
- And those numbers? 07104456 was it? –
- Good memory. My register number, received on my birth akin to your last name. – she was looking him straight in the eye, taunting him.
- Interesting. –
- Aha. –
- Are you a spy? – he leaned forward folding his hands over his knees.
- Blunt and to the point. Where is that subtlety you are so famous for? To answer your question, no, I’m not a spy. –
- You, Miss. Katya, seem to know a lot about me, that certainly gives you an advantage. I, on the other hand, do not know anything about you Miss “just” Katya number 07104456. –
- Oh I’m sure that is not true. You know plenty by now, just not what you really want to know. -
- And what might that be? –
- Let’s make it fun. Try to guess where I come from. – her grin was odd and he could not shake the feeling that she was barring her teeth in a sneer rather than attempting to smile
- All right, let us play the game…for now. – he unwillingly had to admit to himself that she was a worthy opponent so far, he was genuinely intrigued – a Slavic name but not of Slavic decent. Strong magic, allegedly… -
- Allegedly! - she interrupted and he narrowed his eyes, suppressing anger – That wounds my heart Mr. Snape. Don’t judge my magic before you know it. –
- Your shield is famous among the Aurors, and yet I did not notice it today. –
- Healing you demanded proximity, one that would be impossible to maintain with a barrier raised. Consider that you have squandered your only chance to damage me with magic. We are digressing so do carry on. –
- You talk like an American, no wand either, at least not one found on your person. Your ascent, however, is British. –
- Astute observation. –
- You are dressed as a muggle and you did appear in a place where aparating is impossible, from a stream of light… - the notion was insane, but at the risk of sounding insane he had to ask – When are you from Miss. Katya? –
- Wooooooho! – she laughed – This is going to be fun! You are fast and shrewd. You are also not correct, but only by a tiny bit. What do you know about planes and dimensions? –
- Depends, are we talking about physics, Magic or the universe? –
- Magical cord trough time-space. – she looked serious now
- It is just a theory, in both the muggle and magical science domain. –
- Not where I’m coming from, which is from when as much as from where. We know how to find them and use them to travel. Not that we used it often or at all until now. Mind you, it is too expensive and hard. Not as hard as time travel, but equally dangerous at best. –
- From where are you, Miss. Katya? –
- I’m from the 17^th parallel plane to this one. And that’s the third one. –
- Third one? –
- I promised your Minister to answer those three questions when you wake up and when you are capable of asking them yourself. –
- You still lack any sort of an explanation for the things you said to me. I would not call this an answer. –
- Then it is a good thing I’m not your student, nor am I your prisoner. – she purred – Let me sum it up. The name is Katya. I’m not from this plane of existence. Where I come from, we are far too advanced to have any interest in your plane or your community, muggle and magical alike. Our magic is also different from yours and stronger than yours. Your plane holds no interest for anyone in my plane. Then again here I am. You are what personally interests me. I’m here to save you, your life. When I’m done with you, I’ll go home. –
He watched her carefully, she was telling the truth as far as he could tell.
- If I am to presume you are telling the truth, what proof can you offer? –
- Proof? – she frowned – I guess there is none. –
- You can see how this is not nearly satisfactory. Am I to believe just on your word? –
- Why not? Are you that mistrustful? –
- You seem to know me well, what do you think Miss. Katya? – his voice was now low and clipped.
- I think you want to send me back to wherever I came from this very instant, just so I could stop bugging you. I think that you don’t give a damn about the Minister, the Ministry itself or anything else. You are just annoyed that you have to be here with me. –
- Very astute. How long do you plan to stay here and … bug me? –
- As long as I’m needed. –
- In that case…. –
- Oooooooooooooo no, no, no! You won’t get rid of me that easy. My magic won’t allow it. –
- Your magic? –
- Mhm. However, this last answer was a freebie. Getting answers from me, from now on, will be much harder. You, my dear, will have to bargain for them. –
- I see, you have end goal and demands. – he said, standing up.
- From you – yes. But, rest assured, only from you. – she hopped from the nook and approached him, invading his space again. Circling around him like an animal circling it’s pray, scanning him with her open stare. Her voice was a soft purr as she continued – From now on Mr. Snape… Severus. May I call you Severus? –
- Mr. Snape. – he squeezed out through clenched teeth.
- As you wish. From now on, Mr. Snape, we will play the game of tit-for-tat, every information you want from me, you will earn by sharing what I want to know about you. That is my…demand. And I’m afraid it is nonnegotiable. –
- Why? – his voice was clam, but this whole conversation was a test to his self-control, not to mention the feeling that he was losing this battle fast. Katya walked away, seating herself in the nook again. She had that infuriating bratty look again.
- Maybe I like you. – she grinned, batting her eyelashes in a mocking way and sending him a kiss.
- And If I refuse to play your little game? –
- You won’t. – with that, she curled in the nook and turned away from him into the same position she was in when he walked in.
He walked to the door; he had gathered as much information about her as he could for a day’s work. Suddenly, he hurled another stinging hex at her. She did not move a muscle, but only a breath away from her, the hex bounced back; he barely managed to raise a shield.
- Nice one. – she crooned – The shield, not the hex. See you soon. –
Leaving her room, he nearly ran to his. Extracting the memory, he dived into Pensieve. Hours later, he emerged, his head buzzing with observations and questions. She was right, he would come back, and not because of the Ministry, he still needed answers, now even more than before. Scribbling the note, he called Polkins
- Wait for the reply. –
Waiting for the Auror to return, he gazed blankly into nothing, mulling over the conversation from the day in his head, analyzing every bit of information he had gathered, adding them to what he already knew. He devised a plan on how to continue. After a short knock, the door swung open and, instead of Polkins, Kingsley walked in.
- Minister. –
- This is an unusual request Severus. –Kingsley said instead of a greeting.
- Will you grant it? –
- We have agreed that you will be at full liberty to proceed as you see necessary. –
- Ah, but you are the one to approve my request … officially. –
- Whatever you need Severus. I understand that you have information about the woman. –
- Come and take a look. – he motioned toward the pensieve – Afterwards, we will have much to discuss. –
- 8
- 9
- 10
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The Prize