The fire crackled in the fireplace in Albus Dumbledore's office. Severus Snape was sitting in front of the oak desk with his eyes fixed on the blackened hand of the Headmaster, his ebony wand pointed directly at his hand,and projecting a whitish light. Dumbledore kept his eyes closed while he breathed slowly trying to control the stabbing pain that Snape's counter-curse produced in him. Next to him was a cup with a thick golden potion waiting to be drunk. He had to undergo this treatment regularly after being tempted to wear Marvolo Gaunt's ring. Such audacity would cost him dearly, as Snape had explained, but now his own suffering didn't matter. The news that Severus had taken the Unbreakable Vow with Narcissa Malfoy in the presence of Bellatrix Lestrange fit his plan perfectly. He smiled slightly despite the pain and took a gulp of the potion.
"You still won't tell me why you put the ring on when it clearly had a curse?" Snape asked wryly without looking up. - "Even though I have promised you that I would carry out your insane wish of being the one to end your life?"
Severus still didn't understand how he had ended up in that mess. It had been a few nights since Dumbledore had called him urgently to stop a very powerful dark curse. He thought it might be some enchanted object, but Severus could not believe his eyes when he saw the elderly headmaster twisting in pain on the floor of his office, holding his blackened and putrid hand. He did his best to stop the curse, but it was very ancient dark magic. He realized that it could only be something related to Lord Voldemort and despite his efforts it would not be possible to stop it. Dumbledore would die slowly and painfully after a year.
And then there was Draco Malfoy, his godson, who had been branded a Death Eater and tasked with assassinating the headmaster in retaliation against Lucius for the fiasco at the Ministry of Magic. A task that he clearly would be unable to complete as the Dark Lord well knew. The mission would of course fall to his right hand, Severus Snape.
Snape was hesitant to complete such a task. Dumbledore was the only person who knew of his secret adoration for Lily Evans and he held the headmaster in high regard. However, Dumbledore had asked him to be the one who cast the killing curse instead of Draco. Severus was trying to convince himself that being the executioner of his death was an act of benevolence and would spare Dumbledore enormous suffering. Even so, he did not feel capable of raising his wand against the headmaster. He couldn't even imagine Albus lying dead because of him.
Any doubts were dispelled the afternoon that Narcissa had gone to his home on Spinner's End to beg for help. Her crying and despair had touched him. He knew very well what would happen to Draco if he failed in his plan. Lord Voldemort severely tortured Death Eaters who failed their missions before killing them. Severus still had several scars from past mistakes. He agreed to help Draco and the Unbreakable Vow was the final signing of the contract. At the mercy of his two masters, Severus had no choice but to follow the plan. He blindly trusted Albus Dumbledore and had no choice but to follow Voldemort's instructions if he wanted to stay alive.
Dumbledore stood up and walked slowly to the perch where Fawkes was, patting his beautiful crimson feathered head he said:
"All in due time Severus. Now we must focus on more pressing matters. The attack on the bridge in London; the Ministry is doing its best to make it look like a random accident and the death toll continues to grow. We cannot allow something like this to happen again. What other attacks are the Death Eaters planning?"
"The next attack will happen very soon. In the next few days." -Said Snape- "Carrow is in the lead and he is very stealthy with his plans, but I know it involves his sister Alecto, Selwyn, Goyle, and Greyback. "
"You need to join them. Find out where and how the attack will be. Keep the Order posted and we'll take care to prevent more muggle deaths."
"It will take me a couple of days. I will send the information with my patronus as soon as possible "
Snape got up from the chair and with a slight bow of the head walked up to the marble steps to leave the office.
"One more thing, Severus."
Snape turned his head towards Dumbledore, waiting to hear more instructions.
"This year you will be in charge of giving the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. I name you its new Professor. I am sure that you will know how to be an excellent mentor for our students, especially during these difficult years ahead. I fully trust you, Severus. "
Snape was dumbfounded, in a dry voice he said:
"I thank you, Albus."
Dumbledore smiled at him - "I'm the one who has to thank you. Good night Severus. "
Severus walked through the long corridors of the castle completely lost in thought. Finally, his wish to obtain the position as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had been fulfilled. He was tempted to go straight to his office in the dungeons and start working on his class curriculum immediately, but the idea of leaving Peter Pettigrew alone at home for such a long time was deterring him. That little rat would begin to suspect something. Reluctantly he walked to the enormous gates of the castle and glimpsed the dim light of dawn on the horizon. Hogwarts gardens strangely quiet during the summer holidays made his thoughts fly back to Lily.
He remembered her at eleven years old, with her new uniform and her stunned look when she saw the castle for the first time. He also remembered her lying on the grass next to him writing essays or playing Gobstones. She was hysterical the first time she ended up covered in the stinky liquid after losing the first round to him. Severus wondered where the set of Gobstones he had inherited from his mother had gone. He supposed that it must still be in his house on Spinner's End along with so much other rubbish that his mother had hoarded during her last years.
He felt great melancholy when he remembered his mother Eileen, stumbling among the mounds of junk in her room, sick and hunched over, and flatly refusing to perform any kind of magic. She blamed herself for the abandonment of her husband and hoped to see him again one day. A pang of guilt pierced his chest as he had never been able to confess that it was himself, at the age of 15, who had put a memory charm on his father and sent him to live for the rest of his days as a vagabond.
A light drizzle began to fall, soaking his black robes, but Severus kept walking without hurrying his pace, letting himself be carried away by that rare moment when he let his thoughts and emotions flow. His mind wandered between the tender childhood memories, the day he first saw Lily, the screams of his father blaming him for putting hellish visions and voices in his mind, his mother crying bitterly in the kitchen, the eagle-owl in his window bringing the letter from Hogwarts, the constant insults of James Potter every time they crossed, the day he pulled his father away from his mother by hitting him in the face, and the terrible day that Lily was murdered...
Suddenly he found himself in front of the gates that separated the Hogwarts grounds from Hogsmeade. His black eyes stopped for several seconds on the huge chains that secured the entrance and as if it were an allegory, he used his wand to remove them while he used his occlumency to chain his mind once more. Now only one thought filled his head, that of meeting with Amycus Carrow as soon as possible.
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Raindrops clattered against the windowpane. Laurel got up, took a shower, and dressed in her blue scrubs while she had her coffee. In just half an hour she was ready to leave the apartment. Before walking through the door, she realized that Rebecca's room was open and her bed was perfectly made. She clearly hadn't returned from the nursing home yet. Laurel worried, her friend should have been back a couple of hours ago. She cursed under her breath and hurried out of the apartment ready to find out why Rebecca hadn't come home and to call the police from the nursing home if necessary. She ran as fast as she could the six streets that separated her apartment from the care home and when she finally reached the hall her face was red and sweaty.
"Edward!" - She said almost shouting - "Rebecca has not come home! Can you see from the log what time she left from here?
Edward looked at her from behind the reception desk surprised.
"Laurel, calm down. Rebecca is here. "
"Here? Still? Why would she be ... "
But unable to complete the sentence, a tall figure suddenly appeared from the staff room and hugged Laurel tightly. It was Rebecca, her dark face wore a contrite grimace.
"You are still here! What a fright you've given me! I thought something had happened to you!"
"Laurel, listen. There is something you should know. Mr. Snape, Tobias ... "
Her voice trailed off as she looked Laurel directly into her eyes. Edward walked over to them and took Laurel by the hand. Speaking in a low voice he said:
"Tobias Snape has passed away Laurel. Last night, he had a stroke while he was sleeping. It was not possible to revive him. I am sorry."
"What?"
Edward and Rebecca looked at each other not knowing what to say. Edward cleared his throat.
"I know you were very close, and it is the first time that a patient under your care has died. I understand that perfectly, the first time it happened to me it was pretty hard. Rebecca will take you home, take a couple of days off, I'll arrange it with the management".
Laurel could not believe what she was hearing. The night before, she had said goodbye to Tobias like so many times. She had tucked him in and left the light on the way he liked it. There was no way he had died. There was no sign... It was not possible... Her mind was blank. She could not understand how something like this could happen so suddenly. So many afternoons of reading, so many fantastic stories,and Tobias Snape's amber eyes would never shine again... Even before she could begin to feel the grief left by the death of a loved one, Laurel had to allude to an extremely important matter.
"Where is he?" - She asked Edward curtly and he did not seem to understand.
"Who?"
"Tobias!"
"Oh, they took him down to the morgue. They will put an ad in the newspaper and wait for someone to show up. "
"No one will show up, Edward. Can I sign? "
That signature was essential for Laurel, it established who would take care of the funeral arrangements of the deceased and in case no one came for him, the government would be in charge. A sad and anonymous ending for the homeless and the outcasts.
"What? You? Well, I don't see why not." - Edward said as he walked behind the counter and grabbed a cardboard box from the floor. - "But give it a couple of days just in case, the relatives should know. Go with Rebecca. She has collected all of Mr. Snape's belongings. He had made it clear that he wanted you to have them. "
Rebecca took the box and grabbed Laurel's arm with her free hand.
"Come on love, I'll make you some tea."
Laurel didn't realize what Rebecca was saying as they descended the stone steps. Her sweet words of reassurance became an unintelligible murmur when they reached her ears, the cars passing by on the street were just fast blurs in her eyes. When they arrived at their apartment, the tiny sitting room seemed to collapse on itself and Laurel felt a strange weight imprisoning her chest. Only by letting out her crying did she feel a certain relief. She spent the entire day with Rebecca and her magical rhubarb tea.
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Laurel was sitting on the kitchen counter, the open window letting out the smoke from the cigarette she held between her fingers. Beside her the cardboard box contained the newspapers, photographs, and newspaper clippings that Tobias had accumulated over the years. Laurel rummaged and reread everything trying to find clues to the whereabouts of anyone who could know about him.
Sadly, the diaries were full of unimportant notes, delusional thoughts, and descriptions of other homeless people Tobias had encountered throughout his life. She took another drag on her cigarette and put the diary back into its box. It had been five days since his death and Edward had phoned the day before to confirm that no family had shown up. That same day, Laurel was in charge of receiving Tobias's ashes and taking them inside a beautiful urn to the cemetery. There she paid with almost her entire salary and with donations from Rebecca, Edward and other staff members for the place where he would be buried with a simple granite headstone.
"Honey, I've brought dinner!" - Rebecca exclaimed as she opened the front door. Laurel quickly stubbed out her cigarette in the sink and feigned innocence when her friend walked into the kitchen.
"I caught you, I thought you quit." - She said with an accomplice's smile. - "Annika better not find out about it, she says that the smoke misaligns her chakras or something like that."
"What Annika needs is to have a good prick between her sacral chakra, she will surely align herself with that." - Laurel answered as she took one of the kebab rolls that Rebecca offered her.
Rebecca giggled and glancing at the cardboard box asked:
"Are you feeling better Lau?"
"Yes, I'm better now. I cannot thank you enough dear. I'm ready to start work on Monday."
Rebecca's face lit up and Laurel knowing her very well knew immediately what she would ask of her.
"Great! Then you must come with me tonight to the Velvet Underground. Today they will open their third dance floor! "
"I'm not in the mood to go to a club, Rebecca."
"Please!" - She begged pouting. "You must get out of this house; you have to move your body! It will be full, and I am sure you could even find your prince charming there".
"I will only find frogs, Rebecca and of those, I have already kissed enough."
"So what? Just keep kissing until you find the one! Besides, I need you. Edward has invited me, and you must make sure you don't let me go with him at the end of the night. You will be my chaperone so to speak. "
"Are you really going to take me as a third wheel? I don't think Edward will like it."
"Come on, he's our friend, he'll be delighted if you go. You need to have a little fun, Laurel."
Laurel looked out the window, the dusk slowly giving way to night and tinting the street in shadows. Her friend was right, she had spent the last week locked up at home, she needed her support, and she would not mind going out for a drink.
"Okay. I will go with you."
Rebecca let out an excited squeal.
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The taxi stopped and its three occupants got out and joined the long line of people waiting to enter the nightclub. That Friday the Velvet Underground expected to receive more than a thousand people. It took them about half an hour until Laurel, Rebecca and Edward were finally able to access the old two-story building. Where it was illuminated with futuristic neon lights and where electronic music blared at full volume.
After ordering their drinks, Rebecca and Edward immediately decided to go dancing. Laurel wanted to wait a while longer sitting at the bar. She still did not feel completely comfortable in that environment and she hoped that the gin and tonic cocktail would begin to take effect.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Rebecca asked uneasily.
"Sure." - Laurel answered, smiling.
"If I had known you would come with us, I would have called a friend, Laurel." - Edward apologized. - "Get anything you want and put it on my tab."
And so, Laurel sat at the bar while her companions danced. Her gaze was lost among the people around her, men and women dressed in the latest fashion went from here to there following the rhythm of the music. She was already halfway through her gin glass when she saw him. She didn't understand how she hadn't recognized him sooner since he was sitting almost in front of her. Perhaps because he was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater and his long black hair made his presence blend into the darkness of the club. A cold sweat soaked her back, she couldn't believe her eyes. Severus Snape? Was it possible?
The man in question was whispering rapidly to a pudgy, pig-faced man who was sitting next to him, he was seemingly giving him instructions, and they didn't look friendly at all. Laurel got up and sneaked past them, hoping she could overhear part of the conversation.
"Greyback is ready to go. He's waiting in the alley with Goyle, I don't know why you want to delay the plan any longer. "
"It's still very early, Amycus. Muggles will start arriving in more numbers at midnight. I thought you at least knew that... "
Laurel was stunned. Had she heard what she had heard? Did he say muggles?
She pretended to want to catch the attention of the bartender as she stood next to them. She immediately felt the intense gaze of the sallow-skinned man, she couldn't help it as she glanced at him, and they both exchanged glances for just an instant. It was him; she was sure.
"Tell Greyback I'll send for him in due course..."
"Don't you dare give me orders, Severus! I came up with this plan, not you".
Laurel winced and her hand was shaking so badly that her glass slipped and shattered on the floor.
Both men turned to look at her.
"What the hell is wrong with that muggle?"- Said the pig-faced man with a hint of disgust in his voice.
Laurel did not pay him attention and with a trembling high-pitched voice asked directly to the black-haired man:
"Severus. Are you Severus Snape? "