Like Moths To A Flame

Ten: In Recovery Pt. 2

I sat down on the couch next to Severus, and took off my heels. I set them aside, and for a long time, he said nothing.

I reached over, and took his hand in mine. "Hey, it's okay. Whatever you have to say to me I can take it, believe me," I reassured him.

Severus kissed my hand, and made meaningless circles on the back of my hand that soothed me, or him, I couldn't be sure. "I am spying on the New Salem Liberation Front for the Minister of Magic," Severus began. "But let me back up: A year after the Battle of Hogwarts, when your friend Potter defeated the Dark Lord, I barely was living. Certainly, I had made a contingency plan before the Dark Lord put into place his plans, and certainly, if Lucius Malfoy did, indeed, die as a result of serving under the Dark Lord's regime, we made plans for me to continue his line.

"Fortunately, he lived, and I no longer had to put into action those plans. But after I barely was able to escape with my life well away from Hogwarts, I decided that I wanted peace and serenity. I soon decided that I needed to atone for my dark past, and I began to believe in God again after I hit rock bottom when I was beaten within an inch of my life in the alleyway of a muggle dive bar in Liverpool. Constables picked me up, and I was thrown into the drunk tank.

"A Priest came the night I was held in custody, and I made my confession. I did not disclose that I was a wizard, of course, or about the Dark Lord's regime, but I told the Father enough for him to insist that I give my heart to God again. I did, strangely enough, and he gave me the business card for the Seminary school I later graduated from. I chose the Jesuit Order, because I couldn't handle the restrictions of the others when it came time to declare my vocation. I won't bore you with the school process, but I found it all quite intriguing.

"The aurors figured out that I was still alive, and on the assumption that I was up to my 'old tricks,' I was arrested and brought before the Minister of Magic. Shacklebolt and I spoke at length, and I told him about my new profession. He was impressed, but not entirely surprised, joking that I had secret Ravenclaw tendencies." Severus scowled at that, and continued, "He said that he suspected that the Church was trying to get its claws into the wizarding world by reforming the New Salem Liberation Front. I assume that you do not need to be told of the impact this has on the American wizarding world?"

"No, they murdered so many innocent witches and wizards," I said, my voice colder than my emotions. In truth, I was almost incandescent with rage at this cult's audacity to try to resurrect this destructive cult once again. "If anyone deserves to be eradicated it is these psychotic murderers who would harm any of us for their twisted idealogical beliefs."

Severus nodded, understanding. "Yes, I quite agree. Now you know the reason why I agreed to become a spy once again. I only tell you these things, because you are deeply involved in the administrative end of things. Your job is recording minutes for the deatheater trials, correct?"

"Yes, among the other things Shacklebolt wishes for me to do on a day to day basis," I admitted. "Most of it them are tiresome tasks like making sure his robes are dry cleaned, and that his house elves are fairly treated. He's a smart wizard, but he's an idiot when it comes to his servants. But go on, I have a feeling you are going to talk about why you ended up apparating here bleeding out for all of the muggle authorities to see."

Severus looked uncomfortable then, but he nodded, as if confirming something to himself. "Yes, I was on a mission to scout out where the New Salemers were meeting next. I used Polyjuice potion to glamor myself to be one of their cultists for a night. Unfortunately, the potion wore off over the course of the night, and I got caught. The leader turned out to be a crazed witch that was posing as a nun, and was the granddaughter of the founder Mary Lou Barebones. I snapped her neck to make sure she didn't recover from my impromptu visit. The rest you know, and I fear placing you at further risk because you know everything."