The Potions Master and the Ravenclaw

Return to the Dark Lord

Author's Note: OK. Back to all original material.

I really wanted to write the conversation between the Dark Lord and Snape. Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think.

....

Madeline stood alone for a moment after she had watched Snape go. What if this was the last time she would ever see him? Touch him? Kiss him? Feel his arms around her?

She wanted to cry. Scream. Wail and keen.  Grieve.  Unravel. Break down completely. But she knew that would do no good at all.

No. It would not do.

She took a deep breath, straightened her hair and her skirts, and walked purposefully back onto the hospital ward. Mrs. Weasley, Ron, and Hermione were keeping watch over Harry. Moody was still sleeping. Dumbledore was standing where she had left him.

Madeline went to Moody and waved her wand over him to monitor his vital signs. Dumbledore came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his wise blue eyes.

"You're being very brave, Madeline,"
said Dumbledore, noting her dry eyes and steady hands.

"You don't think he'll come back, do you, Headmaster? I saw your face as you watched him leave. You don't expect to see Severus again." Her voice was quiet, but even. Unwavering.

"Madeline, your Severus is clever, cunning, and courageous. Have faith in him, as I do."

She nodded gravely and turned back to Moody.

She had a job to do, after all.

...

Snape walked determinedly out of the castle toward the apparation point. His face was set, hard as a stone, brow furrowed in concentration. His black eyes were bottomless pools, endless tunnels, unreadable.

He was allowing himself a very short time - the length of his trip the the castle gates -  to think about Madeline. His wife. 

He couldn't believe how brave she was being. He always knew she was strong, but she had far exceeded his expectations. She hadn't even shed a tear and he was grateful for it. He knew her well enough to understand that she was being courageous for HIM. He knew she would never want to cause him stress or discomfort or pain. She would never make him feel guilty. Even if she was ripped apart inside, she wouldn't want him to be distracted. Of course she would protect him.  Of course she would. If he was worried about her, his mind would not be focused on the task at hand. On survival. And she knew that.

Oh, God. His beautiful wife. His beautiful, clever, sweet girl. He could not leave her. Would not leave her. He had to live. For her. And he had to protect her. Keep her safe. He had failed Lily, but but he would not fail Madeline.

He knew what he must do.

He and Dumbledore had been planning this moment for years. Granted, at the time he had agreed to take on the role of triple agent, Snape had no regard for his own life. Didn't care if he lived or died. But the plan would still work now that he had something to live for. Now that he had Madeline.

He had drawn up a will months ago when his mark had darkened (naming her as his sole beneficiary) and he had written her a goodbye letter just in case he was murdered by the Dark Lord. He gave one copy to Dumbledore and another to Lucius. It would be easier coming from one of them if the worst case scenario played out. It nearly broke him as he wrote the words. He couldn't stand the thought of being without her. Of being separated. He knew he would feel it, even in death. His soul would never rest knowing he'd been ripped away from her. He hated the thought of her grieving. Sleeping in their bed alone. Without him. Mourning for him.