Silvanna Snape {Marauders}

Chapter One-Hundred-and-Forty-Six

The House of Black New Year's Eve ball was the most exciting one yet - in Evelyn's eyes anyway. She had to have another new dress - even though she had plenty of perfectly good ones that had never been worn, all boxed up in her wardrobe.

"You're going to look perfect," Evelyn promised, "You won't be able to dance with Mr Black as much as before because he'll be very busy, but I'm sure he'll squeeze one in for you. And if you can't dance with him then we'll make sure he won't stop looking at you." Oh, whoopee.

As always, Evelyn's impeccable taste shone through in the dress choice. The bodice was a midnight blue velvet with matching gloves (Silvanna had decided she loved gloves because she didn't have to touch the racist terrorists) and the skirt was a heavy satin of large dark flowers. And it was huge.

The ball itself was quite boring. No one wanted to dance - save Regulus, who did dance once with her, and the conversation was light - so she was left to mingle with Colette. It wasn't too bad but she did have to actually speak to people.

From the scale of things, even with the fact the Blacks had organised it, she gathered that New Year's Eve was a much larger event than Christmas. Which was why she had a horrid feeling in her gut when she noted down the absences.

No Bellatrix, Rodolphus, or Rabastan Lestrange, no Carrow siblings, Dolohov, Yaxley, Crabbe, Goyle, Rosier... the list stretched on. The Lestrange's absences were most notable of all, especially given that they were family.

She had to tell Dumbledore. Right now.

But she needed a way out without drawing attention to herself. And with Colette right next to her, there was no way she could just disappear like last time.

Or maybe she could. Maybe she could disappear in plain sight like Regulus did. Or maybe...maybe she could leave in plain sight.

What she needed was the perfect reason to leave.

"Excuse me a moment," she said to Colette, lowering her voice. "Just popping to the loo." She nodded her understanding, and Silvanna turned to leave.

Bingo.

She strode across the ballroom, no one paying her any notice, thinking of the best way to contact him. Something had been written to her when she'd cast her patronus hadn't it? Saying a message could be sent that way? It was worth a try. She just had to make sure no one saw her or heard her doing it.

She left the room via the open doors, and had her hand on the doorknob to the loo when someone grabbed her arm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," they warned.

Even though she'd heard Regulus's voice and knew it was him, her heart pounded as she turned to face him. "I'm going to the loo," she drawled, raising her eyebrows.

"You're going to tell someone that there are a lot of people that aren't here," he said, "Don't."

"And why would I do that?"

"Merlin knows Silvanna but everyone will know it was you if the Aurors are alerted." He was starting to get exasperated.

She pulled her arm from his grip. "Because you'll tell them?"

"Because it'll be painfully obvious."

She swallowed forcefully down her constricted throat. "Hypothetically," she began, "You expect me to just do nothing?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment there was a disturbance downstairs, by the front door. A lot of raised voices, but not shouting. He gave her a warning glance. "Please, don't."

He disappeared down the stairs, moving past people effortlessly as they threw themselves out the way. She didn't have a chance to do anything after that though, because Floyd appeared by her side, Edith clutching his arm. "Come on," he said, urgency apparent in his voice, "We're leaving."

"What's happening?" she asked, rushing alongside them to where she knew the gardens were. There was a thick stream of people heading outside to find somewhere they could disapparate too, but most were still hovering with uncertainty in the ballroom.

"Aurors," hissed Edith, but Floyd shushed her.

"Straight back to Whitechapel," he said to Silvanna, before they both disapparated.

She stared back up at the house, the freezing December night air prickling at her skin. There were no dramatic flashes of light, no screams as a battle began.

Maybe it had all ended. Maybe she could finish off her seventh year arm-in-arm with her friends, and they'd never have to worry about anything again. Maybe this was how the New Year started. Was it nineteen-seventy-eight yet? She had no idea what time it was.

She took one last breath, filling her lungs with the freezing air. She'd left her cloak inside, and while she wished she had it now she was certain she'd get it back another day. She disapparated back to Whitechapel, hope for the future swelling up inside her.

When her feet met paved stone, she saw Edith and Floyd waiting for her, and followed them inside without a word. Everyone else was already back, and Evelyn and Quintin were waiting for them in the Entrance Hall.

"Oh good you found her," said Evelyn to Floyd. She turned to Silvanna. "Up to bed you, quickly, we've got things to be doing tomorrow and I want you t have plenty of sleep."

Obligingly and secretly grateful, Silvanna headed up to her room, where a seamstress was waiting outside to help her out of her dress.

She pulled on her nightie, brushed her teeth, scrubbed the makeup from her face and climbed into bed.

There was a crinkle under her pillow. She reached underneath, and found a small envelope. She opened it and tapped her wand onto the bedside lamp, unsurprised that she didn't recognise the writing.

Dumbledore had one well-trained owl to get it under her pillow without anyone noticing.

Mr Goyle was spotted in central London earlier this evening, and upon following him we found several others grouping together that were expected at the Black Family New Year's Eve Ball, some in Death Eater masks.

There have been no arrests but we did stop a planned attack on a large group of muggles, and Mr Goyle and several others are now under Ministry watch as well.

I'm sorry to have spoiled your efforts for tonight. Do not worry about your safety, I have made sure there is no suspicion of your position.

Well that certainly explained things. There was a 'we' so he was working with people aside from herself. Also that Dumbledore wasn't working closely with the Ministry. So if not Aurors, then who was following all the people she was naming?