The Dark Gryffindor

Sheherazade: Thanks. The final battle is not for awhile. If I were you, I would be getting nervous about the events beforehand.


Sjauthor: Thanks for your review. It is exciting below.


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Chapter Thirty-two: Speaking the Taboo


Soon after Ginny’s departure Neville picked himself a new sidekick to be a leader of the D.A. with him. Valerie was rather relieved when she saw that Neville had picked Seamus Finnegan over herself. It soon emerged as fact that the Carrows were hounding Seamus more than he was used to and he certainly made an issue of complaining about it to anyone that would listen. Over a week had went by and things were generally calm for Valerie and also for Professor Snape.

During one particular lesson Valerie finally breached a question to the Professor that had been on her mind ever since that night of Ginny’s escape. She thought he might know, as nobody else did.

“Professor, do you know where Ginny is living? I know you’re playing both sides…Could you please tell me if you have any news of the Weasleys whereabouts?”

Snape shook his head. “I certainly do not know, Valerie. And wherever they are, they think I’m a traitor. I wouldn’t dare show my face even if I did know….I would imagine it is some kind of familial connection…”

“I really wish I knew if she was alive…Could we not ask the Dark Lord if he or other Death Eaters have found their hiding place? Sir, I must know if Ginny is alive!”

“We cannot ask him this. Absolutely not. It will only draw in the Dark Lord’s suspicions!”

“But I think it’s inevitable they will find them. What will Voldemort do to my cousin! What if he kidnaps her?!”

Valerie watched as Snape jumped as though burned by fire in a microsecond. The next second Snape said with part cold derision and part denial, shaking his head grimly, “You foolish girl…” And then he was yelling, “You foolish, foolish girl!”

She watched as Snape’s forearm swung into her line of vision and he walloped her across the left cheek with a hard smack. Valerie only laughed recklessly and then spoke so fast Snape was caught off guard. “It’s only a name! Lord Voldemort!” screamed Valerie with humor. “There. I don’t see him. Do you?”

And she laughed a tinkling, delighted laugh at her apparent belief that this fear was hilarious and amusing. Snape grabbed her two facial cheeks, holding her mouth with one hand. “It’s been tabooed. My Mark burned. All of them burned. Every last Death Eater’s. Officials will be here within minutes with a warrant for an arrest.”

Valerie’s eyes widened with surprise and Snape decided it was safe to let her be free to speak again. “But we’re not in trouble…You’re his right-hand man sir! And I serve him too!”

“No. You stupid girl,” spat Snape, clearly still irate. “This is indication of great disrespect….”

Snape started to pace the circular office. Coming back to her, he grabbed her bodily and swung her frame easily against the wall. Valerie cowered in terror and Snape roared, “Never say the Dark Lord’s name! That is law!”

And Valerie was finally frightened. Her breath came out in gasps and she held herself against the floor, shaking and inside she felt like she could cry. Cry for fear and not sadness. She swallowed hard and finally managed an almost calm, dry voice. “So what be the consequences?”

Snape gave her a dark look, a look of foreboding.

“Headmaster, please tell me the truth!” She wailed.

“You want to know? Then I shall tell you. Fatal. Only deadly retribution has been bestowed upon those who’ve been saying his name. Perhaps death hangs in the balance for myself. No. Impossible. Given my pivotal role.…I worry for you.”

Tears filled Valerie’s deep blue eyes and she gulped in dreadful anticipation again. Time continued to pass and Snape swept around the room and Valerie remained in misery on the floor, feeling weakened like she could collapse.

Like the sentence of doom befalling them, there was a loud knock on the door. A sob escaped Valerie’s throat at the noise and then she managed to hush her cries. She croaked, “Oh. Who could it be?”

Snape slowly strode to the door, trying his best to remain calm under pressure. More knocks ensued, only getting louder into rude banging. Whoever was behind it was an impatient force to be contested with. Snape wrenched it open.

“Headmaster Snape. I received intelligence that the Taboo was spoken in this area of the castle at the precise time of four fifty-six today, twice!….Have you explanation?”

Snape did not answer. That was apparently answer enough for the Chief Snatcher. The Death Eater, Scabior nodded to his right, giving permission for his unit to enter, and he moved into the room as well. Immediately wizards and a few witches were marching into the study, garbed in the awful uniform with double ‘S’ serpents gleaming on their chests.

Scabior continued to talk robotically. For this was just standard procedure for him and yet it was a fellow Death Eater, whom he felt he must treat with respect. “Then clearance is granted for us to search your private premises, sir. An investigation will convene in future if we think necessary.”

Snape nodded to Scabior and turned around to watch the men. Valerie had hidden behind a bookshelf. If she had went anywhere else, such as to Snape’s bedroom upstairs, she would have been seen. No matter what she knew deep down they were going to find her no matter where she hid. She had her wand out, struggling to learn the full way to make herself invisible. Yet she knew she was incapable of that advanced magic, having never practiced.

She heard one man comment with irritation, as he went marching through to the back of the room, “I’ll tell ya’ whoever did say it has got nerve. The bastard!”

The Snatchers upended tables around the room, tossed papers on the floors, and many of Dumbledore’s old silver instruments broke. The lulling noise in the room stopped abruptly. Valerie squeezed her eyes, tightly shut in suppressed horror.

But all too soon she was discovered. A Snatcher lurked by the very bookcase she was at, turned the corner and spied her. “Ah! I found someone! Could this be the one?” The man bent down and looked at Valerie curiously. “Did you say the Dark Lord’s name?…” He waited for her answer. Valerie hesitated and about to tell the truth was interrupted by the man’s triumphant gleeful announcement, “Aha! It was!”

Scabior, meanwhile had reacted immediately and scowled mightily in Valerie’s direction. He strode swiftly across the large room. In his gloved hand, he held a long roll of parchment. “Let’s see if you’re on the list of Undesirables.”

Valerie shook her head ardently, staring into the man’s commanding, wild eyes. He scanned the long list of nearly a hundred and saw she wasn’t on it. “Your blood status?”

“Of course, I’m not Muggleborn. I’m a student! Halfblood!” she managed bravely.

Scabior lurched and hissed. “Don’t think we cannot prosecute you! As it stands it can be done and certainly will. Charges for arrest include insubordination against the Dark Lord’s rightful authority….”

Somebody interrupted Scabior. Another Snatcher nudged Valerie’s arm and whispered, “Do you know what this means?”

“No. I don’t,” Valerie squeaked.

The Snatchers laughed at the girl’s naiveté. Scabior seemed to be making up his mind fast. “Take this one to the holding place. The death chambers at the ministry.”

Other Snatchers grunted their approval.

“You’re going to labor and die with all the mudbloods, little girl! No hearing at all. Why not have your rotten cunt do me a service first?”

Valerie gasped as she heard this and felt hands grabbing her limbs to take her away. Somehow she broke free. She practically sprung forward.

Like a beggar, she parted her hands, looking beseechingly up at Snape, “Help me, sir! Please!” And she clung to his shins, hugging his legs as tightly as she could. Again, she felt hands grabbing her waist, trying to pry her off him. “No! No! Don’t leave me!”

Snape thought he must save Valerie. He had already failed to save Lily. He did not hesitate despite the serious repercussion of the one option that presented itself. Valerie watched as Snape pulled up his left sleeve, to the burning red tattoo of the Dark Mark.

“I must summon the Dark Lord!”

Scabior protested at once, screaming selfishly, “NO!” But Snape didn’t listen. His right forefinger went to touch his mark.

Scabior glared at Snape as the minutes ticked by as they waited. “Of course, he’ll want the girl dead. Maybe kill her himself.”

“I beg to differ. My influence with him extends much further than yours does, Scabior.”

Scabior didn’t answer, but seemed to agree on that point. Valerie finally stood and waited, knees wobbling. She was in the most trouble of them all, and yet what would this mean for Snape? Had she destroyed his cover?

She felt a tall and thick framed Snatcher creep up behind her and grab her mouth from behind, pressing her head against his chest.

Snape saw this at once and pleaded calmly, “Let go of her. Please.”

“No,” the man who was holding her answered firmly. “She already disrespected our master. Not gonna let it happen again. We’ll all be punished if her dirty mouth slips again!”

Snape did not argue. Valerie continued to be restrained by the man. He muttered spitefully, “Stupid bitch needs to be held down. After we take her away, I’m gonna show her whose boss.”

The Snatcher smiled beatifically and his hand not holding Valerie’s mouth crept down to her ample chest. Valerie shuddered and moans of muffled misery emanated from her. With a rough, callused hand the man squeezed her breasts, twirling a finger idly around her areolas through the crisp linen shirt. He then proceeded down to stroke her sex through the pleated skirt. Tears streamed down Valerie’s face. The man’s mannerisms reminded her of how her father used to stroke her. It filled her with terrible sadness to relive the molestation with someone else.

It took nearly ten minutes. But nobody dared think for a second that they could leave now. Snape knew the Snatchers were involved and the Snatchers knew he would give away their names and so everybody knew Voldemort would show up on his own time, not to be early or late, but whenever he appeared, it would be strictly on his time.

There was a loud materializing of air as a face morphed into shape and then a whole body followed it. Lord Voldemort had apparated. A summoning such as this gave him the power to transcend the anti-apparition wards on the grounds.

Without prelude, Snape mindlessly fell to his knees. “Master,” he intoned humbly, bowing his head. He did this apologetic gesture, knowing he was in grave trouble. Valerie followed, and dropped to her knees beside him.

The Snatcher had let go of Valerie, too frightened at the appearance of Voldemort to hold her anymore. All the Snatchers stood together in a group and knelt as one.

“Hail the Dark Lord,” said Scabior reverently as he signaled with his left forearm at a ninety-degree angle, exposing his own burning Dark Mark. He was the only one still on his feet.

But Voldemort wasn’t looking at Scabior. He was watching Snape, cocking his head slightly. Snape did not look up but kept his face to the floor. He kneeled further, so that his nose grazed the marble triangular tiles.

Voldemort looked back towards Scabior, slit-pupil red eyes flashing. He mind was filled with a hundred questions over this perplexing situation and was hoping not to hear the worst.

“What news? You’ve assembled a unit of my Snatchers in the headmaster’s office Scabior?” It wasn’t a question. It was a demand. And yet, of course Voldemort already knew this couldn’t be the reason.

“Master, I did no such thing. A –a girl…that girl there…said the Taboo. I am most aggrieved-“

“Silence, Scabior. Forget why you came here today! Turn and depart through the Floo network with your scouting unit at once.”

“Yes, My lord,” said Scabior. Frightened, his men followed him to the fireplace. Scabior took a handful of the opal green glittering powder. “Hogsmeade village!”

His men followed in groups of three to go where they would meet up with additional Snatchers. Voldemort waited patiently. Finally, the last group of them scuttled out of the place like terrified ants.

“Severus!” called Voldemort. Snape finally looked at Voldemort through slanted eyes. Valerie sneaked intermittent glances.

“Is it true? It was you who called me back because this silly girl uttered the Taboo? My name: Lord Voldemort!” Voldemort laughed harshly for a second, but it did not sound the least bit amused.

“Yes, master,” breathed Snape guiltily.

Voldemort in a wretched soliloquy spewed out, “I was in Germany looking for someone with vital information and you call me back to prevent this woman’s death…What would it matter? I have always told you there are other women. And I heard from the Carrows how students attempted to steal the sword and not long after you lost the cooperative obedient spirit of this school during that disaster Quidditch match….There will be no more Quidditch at Hogwarts ever again…and Severus! You will send the sword to Gringotts after I finish your punishment!”

“Yes, master,” said Snape obsequiously, suddenly steeling himself and his back much straighter.

Before Valerie knew it, her ears were impounded by noise exploding after Voldemort issued, “Crucio!” It was Snape yelling and screaming, and his frame careened, tipping over until he was retching on the ground.

Valerie could hardly bare to watch and she didn’t have to much longer. “Crucio!” said Voldemort again. Her screams joined Snape’s and she almost forgot he was suffering with her. Valerie felt alone in the pain and her body shook erratically.

Snape’s face was literally swelling with agony as Voldemort maneuvered himself to tower directly over him, wand pointing at his head. Voldemort was isolating the curse, causing mangled injuries to appear all over Snape’s head. Bruises concealed within his scalp that nobody would actually see.

After minutes that felt like eternity, Voldemort relinquished his curses. He gave Severus and Valerie a moment to gather themselves.

“Rise, Severus. It is over and done with.”

Snape rose and uttered, actually sounding meek, “Thank-you master.”

Voldemort smiled indulgently. “There is more I must tell you. Next Saturday at the Malfoy’s, I will be having my Walpurgis Night. It shall be earlier than the usual date that such things are held. Be sure to be present…and this one. Valerie. She is desired by me…I want my Death Eaters to have her for a treat.”

Snape clearly objected. “My Lord, you can’t expect-“

But Voldemort interrupted. “You need to share the fruits of your pet. Severus, you are very lucky I don’t wish to confine you or prolong your punishment. For your duty as headmaster is too important for me…But the girl…”

Snape spoke quickly, terrified of what Voldemort would think of doing next. “My Lord, I plan on punishing her myself. I can imprison her in isolation for the disrespect she has shown today. After I visit Gringotts…”

“Yes. You will go to Gringotts and get the sword concealed in the Lestranges high-security vault. I shall know whether it has been done.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Yes. And this one is out of my hands and you are both out of my sight!”

And Voldemort went into the fireplace, holding a fistful of floo powder he screamed, “Malfoy manor!” And he was gone.


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