Trust, Betrayal, and Destruction

Trust, Betrayal, and Destruction

Chapter Two: A murder of Crows


Changed title of chapter and edits only. I will update after a couple more reviews.

AN: I hope you like this story...my other one (Trial and Error) is going to be taken apart and rebuilt soon for those of you who were reading it. I was unhappy with the way it was going.

This story may or may not have a happy ending, so I\'m just giving you all a little heads up. It was brought to my attention that Knockturn Alley is in Diagon Alley, not Hogsmeade (which I knew, but didn\'t think of when I wrote the first chapter). The street is now called Devils\' Lane and is a sister street to the infamous Knockturn Alley. Enjoy! Also... \"~~~~~\" means memories or previous activities. You\'ll see what I mean.
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Severus Snape clutched tightly to a book he had just purchased at Flourishes, an extension of the well-known book seller in Diagon Alley. He didn\'t expect them to have what he was looking for, so when he came across the small, unmarked book of potions, he had been quite thrilled and bought the book as quickly as he could without raising suspicion. Most wizards and witches in Hogsmeade that day paid him no mind, other than the students running like scared chickens from his path. He was glad for it but also felt slightly uncomfortable at the actions of the \"Golden Trio\" while he was at the book store. Albus had forbidden him to leave the castle grounds withouth strict supervision, but Severus had slipped out when the Headmaster\'s back was turned, so to speak. He couldn\'t believe that anyone had been told about what had happened, but the way Potter dragged that Granger girl out of the store concerned him. The \'Boy Who Lived\' had given Severus a rather...untrustful...glare before shepherding his friend out onto the street. Severus snorted. \'Then again, what didn\'t the old Wizard keep from his precious Gryffindor hero?\' His lips curled unattractively at the thought that anyone besides himself and Dumbledore knowing what had happened that night...

The crowds grew quieter as Severus walked further away from the bright, cheery streets and closer to his destination. What with a new potions book in hand, he was going to be needing some new ingredients. There was only one place to get these, too. Devils\' Lane had been all but taken off the map of Hogsmeade (or maybe it had, he couldn\'t remember) because of its bad reputation. Only the foulest and most disturbing items were sold there; powdered bones of still-born children, dried hearts of sacraficed virgins, and freshly crushed livers that were almost always taken without consent or anesethia from the victim were among the potion ingredients. The street also had stores where you could buy, trade, and \'borrow\' abducted Muggles for personal use, sell parts of your soul for various talents/gifts, and even places where you could request, at a price, for a disliked person to be dealt with.

Severus looked behind him carefully and then walked into one of the stores. Several yards away, Hermione, with her hood over her head, made her way to where her Professor had disapeared.


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Hermione walked slowly up to the door Snape had entered. A sign above it, in dripping, blood red lettering, said \'Black Brews\' and directly underneath, in much smaller writing: \'Illegal products sold with no questions asked\'. She laughed harshly at the sign and, with some trepidation, walked inside.

She noticed Snape immediately. He was in one corner sifting through something that looked horribly like freshly pulled human teeth. She watched as the store keeper went and provided Snape with several bags in which to put his choosings into. He walked around the store filling each bag with unkown and unspeakable items until his right arm was full. Hermione had a feeling he was a regular here considering his knowledge of his surroundings and the fact that the keep trusted him enough to leave him to his shopping. She hadn\'t realised how long she had been standing completely still until a spindly hand on her shoulder startled her to attention.She gasped and whirled around to face the one-eyed shop keeper who had a nasty smile on his yellow face.

\"Ssearching for some potion ingredientsss, are we?\" he sounded like a snake to Hermione and his breath was putrid. She searched desperately in her mind for something to say, but it seemed to going on strike at the moment.

\"Er, no...uh, I was just, uh.... looking for...um, sorry. I\'m in the wrong place!\" Hermione panicked and dashed out the door and down the lane as fast as she could go. Not until she reached the sunny streets of \'normal\' Hogsmeade did she stop to catch her breath.

\'Shit. Oh shit. That was close!\' Hermione thought, clutching her chest. \'Thankfully my hood was up and I disguised my voice.\' she mentally cursed at her brain for letting her down, but was grateful it let her at least go undiscovered by...\'Snape! Oh fuck. I have to stay close to him. Damn it all...\' Hermione grabbed at her hair on both sides of her head and pulled, ignoring the curious stares from passersby. She eventually (and quite reluctantly) made her way to the edge of the dreaded street. Since there was only one way out and disaparating would alert Dumbledore to his whereabouts, Hermione felt it would be best until Snape had finished his shopping. She would have to find out some way to see what he had bought, though... She shivered at the memory of some of the things he had been bagging.

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Harry and Ron had been waiting to hear from the Headmaster about any news from Hermione but had heard nothing yet. \"Why does SHE have to be Snapes\' keeper, anyway? Why couldn\'t one of the aurors do it?\" Ron was clearly agitated. His face matched his hair and he was pacing about in front of the fireplace of his room. Harry sat on the ground leaning against the hearth following Ron\'s pacing with his eyes, but said nothing.

\"I mean, really. There have got to be more witches or wizards who can watch the greasy git. Better yet, they can throw him in Azkaban! No, they can feed him to the Giant Squid! Or better yet....\"

Harry tuned out his friends\' ranting. His thoughts were on Hermione and the circumstances that had brought her into this to begin with....


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\"Mr. Potter, I called you in here because something...unpleasant...has happened.\"

Harry sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs in Albus Dumbledores\' office and waited for him to continue. Albus, sensing no reaction, went on.

\"There has been a murder, Harry, during a raid by Voldemort and his follwers,\" Albus took a deep breath. Several raids had taken place and several people, both Muggle and Magical alike, had been affected, but this time Albus feared two things might upset the young Wizard: the person who was killed and the one who killed him.

Harry started at the mention of a murder, but nothing more. He had been growing used to this sort of news.

Albus started again. \"Harry, I\'m afraid your....your Uncle Vernon was killed.\" He looked at the younger man, waiting for the emotions to come up.

Harry did look slightly shocked to hear this, but no tears came. \"Oh....oh. I....see. What about Petunia and...and Dudley?\" Harry asked, not sure if he was really worried.

Albus looked both relieved and disapointed. He was glad Harry didn\'t take the news hard on one hand, but he had also hoped that his relationship with his only living relatives had been at least a little pleasant. Apparently not.

\"They are fine, but shocked. Aurors came on the scene just in time to get them out. They are now at a Muggle hospital being watched over for emotional distress and shock.\"

Harry nodded, then asked; \"Do you know who it was who...who killed him?\"

Dumbledore sighed. He wasn\'t sure he should tell the boy or not. He hoped himself there was a more logical explanation. Closing his eyes, he whispered; \"It was Severus Snape.\"

~~~~

Harry and Dumbledore had both agreed that it was better if the other two didn\'t know who was murdered, only that there had been one. Also, Albus told Harry what had happened that night when Severus come to him after his meeting with the Dark Lord..

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Severus walked calmly into the Headmasters\' office and took a seat across from the old man.

\"Ah, Severus, you have returned in one piece! Good to see.\" Albus beamed at the stony faced, dark man before him. \"I take it things did not go well?\" he asked, his smile quickly fading and being replaced by a look of utmost concern.

\"We were sent on a raid, Albus. I\'m sure you know what that means.\" The younger man scowled deeply and stared at a point just above the Headmaster\'s right shoulder.

\"Yes, yes. I understand,\" Albus said sadly. \"Whose, family...anyone from here?\" He hated asking these questions, but he had to know. If a student was orphaned, it would need to be taken care of as quickly as possible.

Severus snorted. \"I\'m sure it will be forgotten before too long, Albus. It was that arrogant Muggle Uncle of Potter. Dursley. He had it coming to him, I suppose\"

Albus blanched at the light mannered way in which Severus was talking about Harry\'s Uncle\'s death.

Severus continued; \"The woman and their pig of a son are fine, last I heard. Some aurors came and we left before anything could be done to them, but the kid was shaking like a kicked puppy.\" Severus laughed...not a cordial laugh, but a rather nasty, chill-your-bones type of laugh. Albus realised then that Severus was intoxocated.

\"Severus, I think you should go rest and get sobered up and then speak with me in the morning, okay? You don\'t seem to be yourself tonight.\" Albus had concern in his eyes for his trusted spy. He hated having to send him on such hideous errands, but without him, their knowledge of Voldemort\'s plans would be very limited indeed. The only thing that helped him deal with this was the fact that Severus had promised to do all in his power never to kill any of the victims unless for mercy. Since that promise, only three Muggles had met their ends by his hands....all three were nearly dead and had been tortured cruelly by the other Death Eaters by the time Severus was able to put them out of their misery. Albus knew Severus hated taking human life. He had told him so on many occasions and Albus had been able to look into his mind and know he was telling the truth.

But tonight....Albus was worried about Severus\' attitude about the whole thing. He wondered....

\"Severus, let me help you to your rooms.\" Albus made to steady the slightly stumbling man, but Severus shoved him away with a growl.

\"I\'m fine! I can very well find my chambers on my own!\"

\"I insist, Severus. I will not have you tripping down the dungeon stairs and getting yourself hurt.\"

Severus knew there would be no winning this argument...not after all he had had to drink that night, anyway. He grudgingly agreed to let Albus support him...if only just a little...and found himself spun around and his face inches from Dumbledores\'. Instantly, Severus felt his mind being intruded by the older wizards Legilimency skills. He had no time to react...the alcohol he had had slowed everything down and before he could do so much as try and back away, Albus had seen all he needed (and didn\'t want) to see. With a heavy sigh, Albus let the cursing man go and walked back to his desk, utterly defeated. Severus glared hard at him before storming out of the door, perfectly capable of leaving without any help. Albus silently called for the rest of the teachers and staff to make sure he didn\'t get too far and knew he would have to have a long talk with his spy in the morning.

He had seen it all. The Death Eaters gathered at the Dark Lord\'s side. Severus giving the information on where to find Harry\'s relatives and the spells to knock down the barriers protecting the home. Harry\'s Aunt and Uncle desperately trying to hide their more than plump child behind them. The Death Eaters laughing, throwing minor hexes at the terrified Muggles. Severus\' voice using the Cruciatus curse on first Vernon, then Petunia while the others had their fun with the kid. Then, as aurors came to the scene, Severus cast his final curse at the man of the house with laughter in his voice before joining the others outside to disapear into the darkness.

Albus buried his head in his hands and wept.

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Next chapter coming this weekend or early next week if enough of you like it.