Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror

Chapter 17 – Think Fast, Dr. Snape!

It all belongs to Rowling, except what you don’t recognize.


From Chapter 16:


“Silencio!”

“Ennervate!”

Doctor Snape quickly snapped out of the spell but, recognizing that he was in a full body bind, chose to pretend that he was groggy. He had to think fast.

“Welcome, Dr. Snape, to ‘This is Your Life,’” came an oily voice from beside him.

Snape lolled his head around on his neck, looking out from half closed eyes and seeing a very large scrying mirror on the wall in front of him. He looked into the mirror but only found an empty stone alter and a large chair.

Someone slapped him, none too gently.

“Stop malingering, it won’t do you any good. Open your eyes and watch the show, you piece of shite!”

Snape looked up, into a Death Eater’s mask and a pair of averted eyes. He was dressed in a dark blue robe. Snape could tell that he’d used a charm to alter his voice.

Ah, he either knows me or is afraid I might run into him at some future time. Prognosis: hopeful, he doesn’t plan to kill me, thought Snape. Also the Wizard didn’t want to meet my eyes, so he probably knows my skill as a Legilimens. In which case, if I do meet his eyes, even by accident, or attempt to read his mind I’ll probably be killed on the spot.

“Look into the mirror!” The Wizard in Blue grabbed a handful of Snape’s hair in his leather gloved hand and yanked his head back to watch as his wife Hermione was thrown into the view of the mirror. With a churning gut, he saw she was naked! A Wizard followed after her, entering into the mirror frame.

Oh, Gods be merciful, thought Snape. The man was naked except for wearing a yellow cloak and a Death Eater’s mask. He was very aroused and well endowed. Snape knew what would happen next and a chill went through him. Death Eaters were known for raping victims in front of their family.

What was not general knowledge though, was that Voldemort had not required such lascivious behavior during the raids. Snape had always worked with Lucius Malfoy who was married and respected those vows. Neither he nor Snape ever did anything more to their victims than the basic killing curse. His keeper wouldn’t know that, would he? A sob wrenched from his throat, before he realized that something was wrong. Why not perform the deed right in front of him? Why the scrying mirrors? And there was no sound, so a silencing spell had been used. His mind was working at double, even triple, its usual speed. It felt like the events were happening in slow motion. By the time the person Polyjuiced to look like his daughter showed up in the performance area, Snape was quite convinced that this was no more than a mind game being played out.

His breath was coming in rapid gasps and he watched the Death Eater in his absurd, yellow cloak, strike the woman who was refusing to cooperate in being degraded. Snape began to relax a little. He’d seen his wife in battle, and this woman was obviously no more than a Polyjuiced duplicate. She didn’t know the first thing about how Hermione behaved when in danger. For all her intelligence, his wife was a Gryffindor through and through. And Sarah, his daughter would never sit there meekly and watch her mother being brutalized. The small girl was a hellion, she would have been biting and spitting. He knew that as a certainty because the neighborhood bully had once tried to take her on and she had him crying for his mum in just minutes.

So, this was, as the Blue Wizard had said, nothing more than a show. He’d verbally given himself away.

But if Snape didn’t go along, if he wasn’t able to be convincing that the illusion was real to him-- He’d forfeit his life, of that he was quite confident.

“In the name of Merlin, don’t let my daughter watch. Stop this, I’ll do whatever you say. Money, I’ll give you money. Anything.” The words sounded artificial and contrived to Snape’s ears. It would have to do, but…

“That’s right. Beg, plead for mercy. But it’ll do you no good. Did it ever do any of your victims any good, eh?”

“They are innocent. Punish me, I was the Death Eater.” Snape’s tears were real. He was scared. He’d had a lifetime of being pushed around and bullied, first by his stepfather and then by various students at Hogwarts. He’d joined the Death Eaters to get some of his own back, to feel powerful for once, and that had only served to put him into the thrall of a homicidal megalomaniac. Snape was experienced at groveling, and he threw himself into it, knowing his life depended on it.

The Wizard in Yellow had pried the woman’s legs apart with one of his massive thighs and was ruthlessly squeezing her nipple between his forefinger and thumb. Snape had noted that every once and a while one or the other performers had responded to someone out of his line of sight. They were receiving instructions from off-stage as it were. So there was a second person involved! He was feeling ill, watching this performance. He didn’t care for pornography and he was quite sure by now, mostly from the over acting of the woman, that he was watching prostitutes paid to give a show and not innocent victims being forced to perform.

Snape felt a sudden fear and a determination to use his Legilimency no matter what the risk. He needed to know exactly what they wanted and how far they would go in this insane quest for revengThisThis was a product of twisted psyches and he had to make sure that they would never go after his family. It would mean using a form of Legilimency called a ‘snapshot’. It was the only way he could read his tormentor’s mind without him becoming aware of it.

“I’m going to faint. I’m sick,” Snape whined. He put every ounce of his acting skill into the pronouncement. He closed his eyes and sunk his head on his chest as if he had given up. Strong fingers grabbed his chin and forced his face up. “Don’t make me watch,” he said in a wavering voice and opened his eyes for a split second before averting them. As he had thought, he’d eyes had met the Blue Wizard’s eyes and he had invaded the Wizard’s mind, but only for a split second.

Snape had never understood the concept of ‘snapshot’ until his wife had shown him a Muggle photograph. It was literally a moment frozen in time. Just so, Snape had taken a snapshot of his persecutor’s mind without him being aware of it.

Snape screamed, “Don’t hurt her, oh for pity’s sake,” as the male began to ram himself into the woman. He wasn’t sure what else he should do to cover as he scanned through the information he had picked up.

He quickly learned that he was confronted with the surviving two Delaney boys. But he had known them as his students, Titus and Flavius McGregor. Their aunt and uncle had changed their names and raised them in a remote area in hopes that they would be safe from further Death Eater attacks.

In Titus’ mind was an image of Snape in his Death Eater robes puking into the bushes where the two boys had been hiding. Their unfortunate brother had a severe chest cold and so was left behind while the boys had gone on a midnight exploration of the neighborhood. They had returned to see the green light flicker in their room and had hidden themselves. Further, there was the remembrance of the two boys’ horror as they went to their first Potions Class at Hogwarts only to find the man teaching the class was their brother’s murderer. Snape remembered the McGregor Twins as quiet Ravenclaw students who never made or got into trouble. Naturally, since they lived in fear of him!

He also found another particle of information, which made his blood run cold. If they were not satisfied with his reactions, if they didn’t feel they’d broken him for good, they would indeed go for his family and bring them here. Snape started to moan and cry in renewed efforts to be convincing, “Hurt me, kill me, Just... Please release them. Spare them. Oh, in the name of Merlin, spare them.”

The Wizard in the Yellow cloak was approaching his orgasm. Snape had gotten a vague inkling that this would not be the end of the pageant but just the sickening beginning. He knew now what he had to do to protect his family. He summoned all his will to perform the deed. Mentally, he said goodbye to his loved ones.

&&&

Harry arrived in his office and looked around. It was nothing like the one in his home realm and he felt his first nudge of apprehension that here he was in a world where he did not belong.

“Dolph?”

“Right here, Harry,” said Dolph walking into Harry’s office. Harry felt a bit better. His assistant had quite the sense of humor and was always a keen hand at breaking tension. Dolph had a shiny bald head and bushy black eyebrows over gentle brown eyes.

“What do we have on Snape?” he swallowed and wondered if he should announce that he was an ‘Uninvited’.

“Nothing since you asked me ten minutes ago, Mate.”

“Indulge me and summarize the case,” Harry gave a small smile.

The old Auror smiled back. “I’m sorry that this is happening to Lady Snape. You two have always been like two peas in the old pod. All right, what we have is that since the original event of the uninvited Prof. Snape taking over Dr. Snape’s body and the subsequent return of said personalities, Dr. and Lady Snape had broken up with the good doctor moving into rooms at The Leaky Cauldron.”

It was then that Harry noticed the photographs. They were covering a wall of his office that usually had a Quidditch poster. Harry and Sirius. Harry, Remus and Sirius. Harry, Sirius, Lavender and some girl he’d never seen before. They were all looking so happy! For a moment, Harry felt like he was losing his bearings. He wasn’t listening to the report. Focus! He commanded himself. You are here to help Snape and Hermione.

He got up and looked Dolph deeply in the eyes. “Do you see anything different about me?” Dolph was someone he’d trust with his life, had done so many times, in fact. Would it be the same here?

Dolph stared and then nodded. “I know, but I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” he said quietly.

“I’m over from the Stone Lotus realm. It’s too new to have a Dept. of Transconveyance, but I had to come over uninvited because I know who is threatening Snape.”

Dolph slowly smiled. “Well, whether you’re from here or there, if you got information to help this case, then spill it.”

Harry sat down, reassured, and gave Dolph the details. Dolph whistled a long low note. “Titus McGregor, is really Titus Delaney? I knew he had a brother who works as a landscaper, but triplets. Well, Snape’s past finally caught up with him. You’ve been waiting a while for it to happen.”

Harry reddened. He didn’t realize that his other self would feel the same way about Snape, even with Sirius alive.

“So we need a warrant for both of their arrests.”

“But if it’s a kidnapping situation—“

“Yes, Dolph?” Harry tried not to look too annoyed.

“Then we have to tread carefully, even if it is Snape, right?”

Harry was about to make a judgment call. Should they keep things quiet in hopes that the two Wizards would not harm their hostage, or should they put out a general alert?

According to Dolph, Snape had been captured that morning just before 4 AM. Tom had floo’ed over to the Aurors on Graveyard shift to say that two Wizards had stormed Snape’s room at The Leaky Cauldron and taken him. Harry had been called in immediately. Harry noticed that his body was tired and smelled a bit rank. Also, he felt as if he hadn’t eaten in a while and his stomach was churning. He was pleased to realize that he wasn’t all that different from his counterpart after all.

Just then Tonks ran in. She was easily eight months pregnant or more and Harry did a double take. “Harry, bad news, they’ve found Dr. Snape!”

Dolph sighed, “So Tonks, you planning on giving birth in the loo? Go on your damned maternity leave all ready!”

Harry didn’t wait to hear her reply.

&&&

Harry used the floo to reach Hermione, or rather Lady Snape. As he walked into the room, he was shocked at how plump this woman was compared to the Hermione he knew.

She stood up and he noted how bloodshot her eyes were and her nose was all red from crying.

“Harry, have you found him?”

Harry truly hated this part of his job. “We didn’t get to him in time.”

“No!” Harry grabbed her arms in time to stop her from sinking to the ground. He held her close to him. “I just saw him for a moment. The perpetrators had left him in the alley outside St. Mungo’s.”

“He’s dead?”

“No, no. The doctors are still evaluating him.”

“But you said.”

“His mind seems a bit damaged. Don’t worry—we know who did this and we’ll find them.”

“Harry!” Harry turned at toundound of a voice of a person he hadn’t heard in many years. Harry gently placed Hermione down on the couch and almost ran over to her. “I thought I heard your voice. I was just changing— Harry?”

Harry stopped himself from grabbing her. She was carrying something in a pouch of material on her front.

“I’m sorry. I should introduce myself,” Harry felt stupid but Snape had said that there was a protocol to be followed. “I’m Harry Potter from the Stone Lotus realm. I apologize for being uninvited but I had important information on this case.”

“Oh, dear. Hermione told me all about what had happened in your realm. My counterpart and Sirius…” There was a movement from the fabric and Lavender protectively put her arms around it.

Harry got a glimpse of little red cheeks and a topknot of black hair, “Oh, Merlin, is that my, my…”

Lavender panicked at the sight of the tears running down Harry’s face but said sternly, “your counterpart’s child, not yours. This isn’t your realm. I’m sorry to be so blunt.” She looked at Hermione sadly, “Hermione, bad news?”

“I have to head to St. Mungo’s—they found him, but he’s in bad shape.”

“Go then, I’ll take care of Sarah when she returns with Remus and the house elf.”

“Or maybe you could send a note to my parents to take her for a couple of days?” Hermione was picking up the floo powder and was ready to throw it in the fireplace.

“Don’t worry, just go!” Harry, just standing there staring at her, was beginning to get on Lavender’s nerves. But she knew she could handle him no matter what realm he was from.

“Lavender, could I, could I hold him?” Tears were still running down his face, “I understand he’s not mine.”

“Well,” she was embarrassed to find that she was starting to cry, too, “as long as you understand.” She took the fabric pouch off and put it over his head.

“What’s this thing called?” Harry pointed to the fabric holder. Although he was scared to touch the baby, he was happier than he’d been in years.

“A baby sling, it’s a Muggle fad. Keeps your hands free to do things while the baby sleeps on you.”

“La kaa kangaroo pouch.”

“That’s exactly what Harry-- Oh, dear, you are so like him.” Lavender took a fresh flannel from the nappy bag and started wiping her face. She then started wiping Harry’s. “Look at that, the man who brought down Voldemort crying like a baby over a baby!”

“What am I going to do without you?” he voice choked.

“Harry?”

“Remus? Remus! You look so healthy!” He gingerly returned the sleeping infant to his mother and stood up to hug his friend. He saw from the corner of his eye a laughing little girl, holding hands with a house elf wearing a matching outfit, go running up the stairs.

Remus gave a nervous laugh. “Lavender, another Harry?” asked Remus while looking over Harry’s shoulder at her.

“He had important information on the case from the Stone Lotus realm.”

“Oh, I see. So how is my counterpart doing, Harry?”

“He’s barely holding on. Oh, yes, of course! I almost forgot.” He quickly went over to one of the bookcases lining the room, searching through the books.

“Something I can help with?” asked Remus.

“Yes, I need to memorize the last page and a half of the werewolf cure.”

“Um, yes, they usually have it out—Snape’s colossal ego, you know-- yes, here it is.” Remus found a copy on the desk in the corner of the room and handed it to Harry.

“Blast! I only have 45 minutes left.” He sat down, quickly heading to the last pages of the journal. “Lavender?”

“Yes, Harry?” said Lavender.

“Do you think I could arrange to come back for an official visit with you and Sirius? Would that be all right?” his voice was uncertain.

“Yes,” Lavender smiled.

Remus sat down and Lavender went upstairs to Sarah. Harry bent over the book frantically studying.

Just then a head appeared in the fireplace.

“Harry?”

“Yes, Dolph?”

“We nabbed Titus,” Dolph was looking pleased. “Headed back to his office this afternoon as if nothing had happened. Talk about arrogance!”

“That’s wonderful. Look, the original Harry will be back in less than an hour. I have something to attend to here.”

“That’s well and good, but I’ll tell you the Minister of Magic himself is heading over to Stone Lotus realm right now to set up formal relations. He says inter-realm crime cannot be tolerated,” Dolph sniggered.

“That pratt!” sneered Remus.

“Yes, I quite agree,” said Harry. “It’s amazing he’s lasted in office for so long.”

“Yes, just amazing,” Remus shook his head and sighed.

“Well,” said Dolph, “I’ll just tell Minister Lockhart it’s fine with Auror Potter of the Stone Lotus to head over and jumpstart things.” And Dolph’s head disappeared.

“Oh, no! It’s not Minister Fudge?” said Harry with some surprise.

“No, it’s Minister Gilderoy Lockhart. Why?”

“Nothing.” Harry went back to his memorization, while thinking to himself how Lockhart was in for a bit of a surprise.

A/N: Big, happy hugs to my reviewers: Deb, Karen, LittleBird, Jen, Snapeaholic and Jrkrazed. There should be about three chapters left.