Darkened Lust

Darkened Lust
Part Thirty-One

By Ami E. Bowen and Rebecca (Becca) Middleton

Severus helped the two women to their feet, brushing the dirt from their clothes in an absent gesture of affection. He alone had managed to land on his feet. The younger trio were a bit shaken, but not as much as Ami & Becca since they had all done this before. When they had composed themselves, they saw that they were now standing outside the fence of a small cemetary, and that it was nighttime. There was a full moon, which gave them enough light to see by, though the wizards in the group lit thier wands as a precaution.

Becca felt a chill as she looked at the graveyard. Why, whenever someone has to go to a cemetary to do something dangerous, does it have to be at night? she thought. Severus, catching the thought, snorted and drew Becca and Ami to his sides. “Because Potter here did not want to wait for daylight,” he answered her unspoken thought. Harry, not able to read her like Snape, scowled at him in confusion. Snape ignored his look and released his ladies to open the gate. “Follow me,” he ordered, and swept into the graveyard, followed very closely by Ami and Becca, then by the Golden Trio.

Snape led them to a corner of the lot. Here were two tombstones each bearing the names of Harry’s parents, the dates of their births and deaths, and the inscription Beloved Friend, Loyal Member of The Order Of the Pheonix, and Loving Parent.

Harry stood stock still, gazing sadly at the markers. He started to move forward, but stopped as he saw Professor Snape kneel in front of his mother’s marker and lay a hand on the front of the stone, bowing his head. “What are you doing?” Harry demanded.

With none of his usual snarkiness towards the boy, Snape replied, “Lily was my friend, the only person I could ever call a friend…until meeting my ladies. I miss her, Potter. No, my pets,” he said to the ladies, sensing their curiosity, “I was never in love with her, nor she with me, but she was a dear friend. I never…,” he faltered for a moment, then went on in a thick voice, “I never meant to cause her any harm.”

He dropped his hand and rose to his feet, turning to the two women he now called friends and lovers. They saw his eyes were shining with tears before he quickly blinked them away. Slipping to his side, they drew him into their embrace for a moment, which he gratefully accepted. Glancing at Harry and seeing the expression on his face, he said, “I think we should give Potter a few moments alone before retrieving the horcrux.” All of them except Harry followed him a short distance away, leaving the young man to say the goodbyes to his parents that he had never been able to before now.

The night was cold and silent as they stood huddled in a little group, no one knowing what to say as they waited for Harry to call them back. Severus seemed lost in his own thoughts, and the rest of them were unwilling to break the stillness of the night by speaking.

Finally, they heard Harry call, “I’m ready,” and walked back to the gravesite to rejoin him. Harry looked at Snape, who nodded, then lifted his wand and closed his eyes to concentrate on the spell.

“Not so fast, young Mr. Potter,” came a grating, high pitched voice. Everyone looked up, startled, as a short, unkept man stepped out from behind a tree, pointing a wand at them and grinning. The grin revealed twisted, blackened teeth, several of them coming to points.

“Who is that?” Ami breathed.

“Peter Pettigrew!” Harry snarled.

Becca and Ami’s jaws dropped. Unlike Severus and the Trio, Peter Pettigrew looked nothing whatsoever like the actor who portrayed him. The actor, in his makeup and costume, had merely been unpleasant looking, even a bit silly. The man who faced them was revolting and frightening. Though he had clearly human features, they were twisted in such a way that made Becca think of the Low Men from the Dark Tower stories, creatures with the bodies of men and the head of animals, which they barely disgused by wearing living masks of humanity. His stench was sickening; his hatred was almost palpable. All of them drew a bit closer to Professor Snape, except Harry, who had pointed his own wand at the vile creature.

“Severus,” Pettigrew said, “The Dark Lord will be disappointed to learn of your betrayal. Your punishment, when I bring you to him, will be…unpleasant.” He tittered, a sound that sent a wave of nausea through everyone. “Severus Snape, one of my master’s most trusted followers, at the side of none other than Harry Potter!”

Severus\' face did not betray a hint of his emotion. He was a master at the hidden expression. One of his dark brows quirked as he looked at the smaller, rodent-like man. He folded his arms across his chest and said, in a tone that told Pettigrew exactly what he thought of him; \"Perhaps the Dark Lord should have given you a brain to go with that shiney new arm. Because, clearly, the one you have is as rotten as your breath.\"

\"Wha-what are you talking about?\" Pettigrew snarled, spittal erupting from between yellowish-brown teeth, \"Do not try to confuse me, Snape! You traitor! I\'ll be rewarded nicely for bringing both you and Mr. Potter in!\"

\"Has it ever occurred to you, you mishapen lump of offal,\" Snape snarled, wrapping a fist around Pettigrew\'s ragged shirt and drawing him near enough to see the hatred in Snape\'s eyes, \"That I was bringing Potter to Him myself? That this...\" Snape waved his free arm around the graveyard, \"...was a trap? No, of course it would have never occurred to you. It never occurs to you to brush your teeth and change your soiled clothing so obviously any higher form of deduction would be beyond your abilities.\"

\"You...you...\" Ami and Becca turned at the same moment to see Harry, being held back by both Ron and Hermione, an expression of hurt betrayal on his face as he glared at Snape; \"...Bastard! I can\'t believe I trusted you!\"

Snape merely returned his glare before turning back to Pettigrew; \"I suggest you get back to Him and inform him of our \'meeting\'... I\'m certain that He\'ll have more work for you to complete before the night is out.\"

\"But...you...and...\" Peter sputtered, unsure now, as his mind was not able to withstand the power of Snape\'s. With a final, barked word from Snape; \"Go!\" Pettigrew half ran, half scuttled off into the darkness, changing into his animagus as he went.

\"Now, Potter...\" Snape said, once he was sure the rodent had vanished... However he hadn\'t finished his sentence before Harry had jerked out of his friend\'s grip, yelling at Snape, pointing the wand that had been pointed, previously, at Pettigrew, at Snape; \"I\'ll kill you right here, Snape! I swear I will!\"

\"Harry!\" Hermione cried, and it was clear to anyone that she\'d caught on to what Snape was doing, she was a clever girl, after all, \"Harry, don\'t! He didn\'t betray us!\"

\"You heard him, Hermione!\" Harry cried, his wand hand trembling with his rage, \"You heard what he said! He means to bring us to...to...\"

\"As usual, Mr. Potter,\" Snape said, his voice hardly a whisper, \"You only see the surface. Venture past what your eyes tell you once in a while. Now. We don\'t have much time. I suggest you get on with it.\"

\"On with it?\" Harry looked cofused, as Ami and Becca stood near Snape, silently watching, both of them feeling the after effects of disgust and fear that came with Peter Pettigrew and clung to him like the stench that hadn\'t quite left the area.

\"Harry! It was a trick!\" Hermione said, rolling her eyes, \"You really are thick sometimes!\"
\"Quickly now, Potter!\" Severus urged. Harry merely stared blankly at Snape, unsure now what he should do. The professor strode towards him and grabbed the young man by the shoulders. \"Do you want to stay and meet the Dark Lord again?\" Snape inquired. \"Make no mistake, he will be here shortly after Wormtail tells him what went on here!\"

Harry seemed to shake himself out of his fog. He shrugged away from Snape\'s hands and whirled towards the grave, wand once again out. He closed his eyes with a look of deep concentration, his lips open and barely moving.

Hermione and Ron drew closer to Becca and Ami, they heard Hermione whisper \"Come on, Harry\" in a worried voice. Ami reached out and took Hermione\'s hand in hers, and the bushy haired young witch gave her a grateful smile before taking Ron\'s hand in her other one, as Rebecca took Ami\'s other hand. Severus was standing a bit in front of and to the side of the group, his gaze never leaving Potter\'s back.

Becca saw Severus lift his chin slightly as he sometimes did when he was pleased; an instant later Ron gasped. \"He\'s done it!\" the redhead cried softly. Indeed, a small golden band lay on the ground atop the grave.

Hermione slipped away, followed by Ron, to their friend\'s side. She put an arm about his shoulders, whispered something, and Harry nodded. Hermione stooped and picked up the wedding band and put it in her front pocket, as Ron awkwardly clapped Harry on the back. \"We\'ve got it, Professor,\" Hermione said.

Severus retrieved the dirty sock from the ground, pointed his wand at it and murmured and incantation. The item glowed briefly and faded. He held it out in front of him. \"Then come on!\" he snapped. \"We must get away from here before the Dark Lord arrives.\"

\"Do you really think he\'ll come after you?\" Ami asked. Her stomach was churning at the memory of Wormtail, and the fear of seeing Voldemort.

\"He will,\" Severus answered as they grouped loosely around him. \"Thanks to that vermin, my role as a spy has now become useless. If he finds me, he will kill me for my \'betrayal\', but first he will punish me through you and Becca...and also through the three of you.\" He glanced at the trio. \"His downfall is now truly in your hands, Harry.\"

Even in his distress, Harry noticed that Snape had used his first name. He\'d never done that before, and he looked vaguely surprised at his former professor. Snape\'s expression, however, was as inscrutable as ever. The tall wizard held out the absurd ragged sock. \"Shall we go?\" he asked.
Grabbing onto the sock, the port key was once again activated. The ride wasn\'t as unsettling, Ami thought, as it had been before. Probably because it was the second time. A glance at Becca told her, though the other woman\'s face was a bit peaked, that she seemed to feel the same. The first thing Becca noticed upon stopping was;

\"Where\'s not at my parent\'s place...\" Becca spoke, dropping her fingers from the sock to grasp onto Snape\'s sleeve, \"Severus, where...\"

Ami\'s eyes blinked from behind her glasses and she recognized the numbers upon the door of the house that, although standing a bit within the shadows between the other houses, (almost as though it didn\'t really belong there), had she not read any of the books she\'d have never recognized. \"12 Grimmauld Place,\" she said, \"This is...was... Sirius Black\'s house, right?\"

\"Yeah,\" Harry said, and there was a tinge of pain in his tone. Becca looked at him and her eyes grew soft with sympathy. The poor kid shouldn\'t have to be reminded of everyone he\'d lost all in the same hour. It wasn\'t fair! \"Sna... Um, Severus, The Order\'s still here...?\"

\"Quickly!\" Snape said, not pausing to discuss things outside, and the door swung ajar at a flick of his wand, \"Inside. All of you.\"

Once they were in the corridor, Snape relocked the door and preformed a few complicated-seeming charms upon the door, which caused the air around to tingle a bit, before turning back to them. \"As you well know,\" he said, eyeing the trio with dark eyes, brows drawn close, \"This is still the headquarters of The Order of The Phoenix.\"

\"But...I thought that... \" Ami began and Hermione finished; \"Everyone in the Order thinks you\'ve betrayed them! They think...they think you killed Dumbledore!\"

\"Silly girl,\" Snape said, a slight smile upon his features, \"Do you honestly think I\'d still know the passkey to the house if everyone in The Order truly believe that?\"

\"There\'s only one person who would...\" Ami began, sharing a look with Hermione across Ron and Harry\'s heads.

\"Dumbledore made sure that you could still get in,\" Becca breathed, as though the peices of a jigsaw puzzle were suddenly snapping into place in her mind, \"He kept them from changing the passcode...\"

\"How could he do that?!\" Harry asked, his own emerald eyes wide behind his glasses, \"Ghosts can do a lot, I know... but they can\'t change a door\'s lock!\"

\"Harry\'s right,\" came a voice from the corridor that made most of them jump, \"Ghosts can\'t change a door\'s lock. However. A trusted ally of that...ghost...can.\"

As the figure stepped fully into the dim hallway light, a smile spread across the trio\'s face. \"Professor Lupin!\" Hermione cried, rushing to him. The thin man wrapped the young woman in his arms for a breif moment before setting her aside. \"Please. I haven\'t taught since that year at Hogwarts. It\'s Remus. Snape,\" Lupin nodded towards Severus, \"We meet again.\"

\"So it would seem,\" Severus said, his voice cold, \"I believe we\'ve things to discuss.\"

\"That we do,\" Lupin said, and turned towards Ami and Becca, \"I don\'t believe we\'ve been properly introduced. Remus Lupin...\"

** Hmmm ** Ami thought towards Becca, who picked up the sending as thought it were own, ** He doesn\'t look like the actor in the movie...**

** But he looks exactly the way I pictured him while reading the books ** Becca answered, as Ami nodded and smiled, agreeing, before saying, aloud, \"Oh, I\'m Ami Bowen and this is my friend, well, more than my friend, Rebecca Middleton...we...\"

Snape interrupted them, adding; \"They\'re with me.\" ignoring Remus\' raised brow at that, and continued, \"I\'ll show them where they can freshen up... Harry, you three know the layout of the house, if I remember correctly,\" Harry nodded, \"Find something to eat and meet us in fifteen minutes in the dining area. Remus,\" Snape turned back to the werewolf, \"Send the signal. Have the others meet us here as soon as possible.\"

\"Severus...\" Remus said, his voice low, \"I don\'t think that\'s a good ide...\"

\"Remus, send the call,\" Snape said, something unspoken seemed to pass between them. They were silent for several mintues. Finally, Snape spoke, \"He appointed us his secret keepers, Remus. We agreed to work together for the greater good.\"

\"Most of them want your head, Severus,\" Lupin said, \"I don\'t think they would have believe me if I\'d told them the truth...I don\'t think they\'ll believe me now...\"

\"They don\'t have to believe you,\" Snape said, \"Dumbledore can tell them himself.\" As he said this, he tapped the side of his head with a knowing look towards Lupin as Harry\'s expression altered and he realized what Snape was referring to.

\"The Pensieve?\" he asked, \"But, isn\'t it still inside Dumbledore\'s office at Hog...\"

\"No!\" Hermione cried, \"It isn\'t! It was removed a week after Dumbledore...a week after! I wondered where it had been taken!\"

\"Of course!\" Lupin cried, \"We\'ll show them the memory! Severus, have you still got your half?\"

Ami and Becca exchanged looks as Snape replied, \"Yes. But, it\'s not with me.\"

\"What in the name of Merlin\'s Beard is going on...\" At the sound of the new voice, they turned as a youngish woman with bubble-gum pink hair stepped towards Remus and wrapped her arm around his waist, \"Snape?! What are you doing here! Come to finish the rest of us off, have you?\"

Ami and Becca, as well as the trio, recogized Nymphadora Tonks at once. The former from the books. The latter from their interactions with the woman.

She\'d drawn her wand as she\'d approached and now held it level with Snape\'s head, \"We\'ll you\'ll have to go through me to do it!\"

\"Calm down, love,\" Remus said to her, and tipped her wand down with his index finger, \"You don\'t understand...\"

\"I understand enough!\" she cried, and her features altered with her emotions, causeing her face to seem as though it were constantly melting and reforming, \"He killed Dumbledore, Remus! And he\'s working for...you-know-who...how in the name of Atlantis did he get in?\"

\"I made sure he could still get in,\" Remus said, overriding her sudden, surprised look at him with; \"Let\'s continue this a few moments later after we\'ve all had time to freshen up...\"

\"I have something...\" Harry spoke up, and Hermione began to reach into her bouse pocket. But, Snape stopped her with a shake of his head, saying; \"Later.\" Tonks finally noticed Ami and Becca but before she could venture to ask about them, Snape was leading them down the corridor and up a flight of twisty, sqeaking stairs. \"I don\'t have to tell you...\" he began in a whispered tone, at which Becca finished, just as quietly, \"...to keep quiet...\"

Becca added, \"...We don\'t want to wake anything up...\"

\"Exactly...\"

to be continued