Snape's Match

Snape almost ran to Dumbledore’s office after he left Lia standing bewildered in the corridor, a terrible certainty growing in his mind all the way. As Dumbledore listened to his tale and his fears, the old headmaster felt a great weight fall upon his soul. The situation was exactly as he feared. He could only hope it would not destroy Lia when she found out.


“For she will find out, Severus, I am sure of it, and it would be the best course of action to tell her ourselves, in order to ensure she hears the truth.”


Snape looked miserable.


“Can’t we even give her until tomorrow? Or even hold it off for a while longer? There is no indication the Dark Lord is continuing his interest in her.”


Dumbledore shook his head sadly.


“The longer we leave this alone the worse it will be for Lia when she discovers it. Besides, she has the right to know this - this information about her parents, even though it will probably cause her a great deal of pain. It is the entitlement of every human being to know where they have come from, and what they can expect from their family.”


“But –“


“There is nothing to be done, Severus. I will send for Lia now.”


“What?” Snape looked stunned. “Now?”


“Certainly,” replied Dumbledore heavily. “She must know, and there is never a better time than the present. Besides, I would like to look at these earrings you have described for myself. Perhaps I will be able to discover some more about them that way.”


Snape said nothing further as Dumbledore sent another of the flying envelopes out the window and watched it vanish out of sight down to the Herbology greenhouses.



It was barely ten minutes before Lia appeared at the doorway, curious as to why she had been sent for yet again. She sent Snape a less-than-friendly look, a silent reproach for his leaving her in the corridor earlier, and then looked expectantly at Dumbledore.


He seemed to have difficulty deciding where to start, something Snape had never seen before from him. But, he reminded himself; he’s never had to give news like this to anyone before. It is understandable.


“May I see the earrings, Lia?”


Dumbledore had gone straight to the point. Lia managed to look annoyed, confused and interested all in the space of a second.


“We’re not supposed to take them out before six weeks are up – the hole might close up…”


“Please. It is very important.”


Dumbledore was looking more serious than she had ever seen him before, so she nodded silently and removed the silver studs, placing them in Dumbledore’s outstretched hand. He bent his crooked nose close to them, peering intently.


After about a minute of complete silence in the circular office, Lia said tentatively: “Professor?”


Dumbledore looked up from his study.


“Can’t someone tell me what this is all about? They’re just earrings, I can’t imagine what you would want with them.”


Dumbledore sighed.


“Yes, I think we can begin to tell you what we have found out.”


“Does it concern my parents?” asked Lia excitedly; hardly daring to believe she would be finally finding out their names or background.


“I thought perhaps you could tell me more about who they are,” she continued, “my guardian always refused to say.”


“It is exactly for that purpose we have called you up here, but first could you tell me about this guardian. You have never met him, I understand?”


Lia nodded slowly.


“As far back as I can remember I always lived with some tutor or other, someone who would look after me. My guardian sent money for my upkeep, and sometimes a letter, but I never met him.”


“You are sure he is your uncle?” asked Dumbledore.


“Well, not exactly. He never told me what relation he bore to my parents, but I assumed he must have been close to them, in order to have agreed to look after me when they died.” Lia shook her head. “What has this got to do with those earrings?”


Dumbledore looked faintly apprehensive. “He sent you them, did he not?”


“Yes, he did.” answered Lia impatiently. “They were a Christmas present last year. He sent a note along with them telling me they had been my mother’s. There’s just one thing that puzzles me, Professor. Where could Severus have seen them if he didn’t know my mother?”


Snape, who had not moved during the entire conversation, now shifted unhappily in his chair at the side of the office.


“I did know your mother – oh not very well,” he quickly corrected, stopping Lia’s attempt to say something. “The whole circle of Death Eaters knew who she was, unfortunately. We were always on guard duty around her, you see.”


Snape’s voice had acquired a great bitterness.


“You were a Death Eater?” asked Lia, voice barely above a whisper.


“You didn’t know?” he countered, looking surprised. “I assumed that Potter, at the very least, would have told you all about my sordid past.”


Lia shook her head, stunned. “He didn’t.”


Dumbledore intervened. “Whilst Severus was acting as a spy for us against Voldemort about thirteen years ago, he observed that there was one room in the Death Eaters’ headquarters kept locked always, and guarded by only the most faithful of the Dark Lord’s servants. He assumed it was some kind of study or library containing Dark Magic, and we did not trouble ourselves about it. Until, one day, Severus overheard a conversation in which one of the Death Eaters mentioned somebody called ‘Lady Voldemort.’”


Lia sat mute, not knowing what to make of this information.


“Precious few people outside the Order of the Phoenix – the secret society I created in order to fight Voldemort –“ explained Dumbledore as he caught sight of the blank look on Lia’s face, “knew that Voldemort had a wife, of sorts. I suppose they must have married before his emergence as the greatest threat our world has faced for centuries, in his early days…”


Dumbledore sighed and continued. “I have no idea if they loved each other, if the woman had been forced into it – nobody has any knowledge of the details of the relationship.”


At this point Snape took over. “The only two things I ever learnt about this wife of the Dark Lord were that she died about twelve years ago…and, well, that the Dark Lord made her a pair of earrings as a gift.”


Lia looked up, eyes betraying the horror she was feeling inside. Snape’s moved to the jewelry on Dumbledore’s desk.


“Those earrings.”


Lia went absolutely white, and for a moment the two teachers thought she would faint. The dead silence continued for a minute or two.


“We never knew they had a child,” Dumbledore said sadly.


Lia spoke at last, if it could be called that, wanting confirmation of what she had been told: “So I’m, I’m…”


“You are the only child and heir to the powers of Lord Voldemort, Lia. And I believe he is the mystery guardian who paid for and ensured your upkeep.”


Dumbledore’s words spelled out Lia’s disbelieving conclusions, and she felt a wave of the most potent nausea and fear sweep over her.
She stood, hardly aware of what she was doing, except that she wanted to get out of the office, away from Snape and Dumbledore’s pity and dejection.


They couldn’t understand what she was feeling, they couldn’t! Lia watched her entire world turn upside down, her vision blurring under countless tears. All her life she’d speculated on who her parents had been, and now to have her innocent wondering corrupted with the awful truth almost drove her mad.


Snape and Dumbledore exchanged despondent looks as Lia endured those thoughts flying through her stunned mind. She wasn’t reacting the way they thought she would. She hadn’t said a thing since asking the truth to be confirmed.


“Lia, are you –“


“I have to go, I’m sorry, I –“ Lia couldn’t take it anymore. She snatched at the door handle and disappeared into the passage beyond.


Snape sent a desperate glance towards Dumbledore, who nodded wearily. Robes billowing behind him, Snape left the office at a quick walk.


A/N: OK, I know this chapter is a bit...below par. I would\'ve rewritten it, but I promised myself that wouldn\'t screw around with this before I put it up here, or else I assure you, it would have been a lot better. I just wanted to preserve my first attempt at fanfiction as a sort of \'what not to do\' at some points. Anyway, as always, please leave a review if you have anything to comment on! Thanks!