The Potions Master and the Ravenclaw

Meeting the Dark Lord

Snape sat on the edge of the bed watching Madeline get dressed. They were to meet the Dark Lord at eight o'clock.

"What does one wear to meet the Dark Lord?" she asked, rifling through her wardrobe.

Snape couldn't help but smile. "Only you, my love. It doesn't matter. He won't care about your clothes."

She turned to face him. "That isn't helpful. Seriously, Severus. What should I wear?"

"Something traditional. Nothing that even remotely hints at Muggle."

She sighed and pulled out a black dress trimmed in a delicate and ornate lace. The full skirt ended just below her knees and the sheer lace sleeves were long. She cinched the dress with a thin leather belt. The buckle was a snake with emerald eyes. She put on low heeled black shoes with a Mary Jane strap. Her onyx heart necklace hung around her neck and she wore the small and tasteful diamond stud earrings Snape had given her for Christmas. Her lips were her signature blood red and her hair was down, tied away from her face with a black satin ribbon.

"Well?" she asked.

"You look like a gothic princess or a Victorian doll. Almost painfully beautiful, my dark angel."

"Is that good? Do I look creepy?" She furrowed her brow and turned to the mirror. "Oh, God..."

He chuckled. "Yes, love. It's good. You don't look creepy. You're perfect. You are so beautiful that I can't believe you're mine."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better. You're sure I don't look creepy?"

"No, Madeline. I assure you that you don't, though it wouldn't matter if you did. The Dark Lord is creepy. Death Eaters are creepy. Hell, I'm creepy. But you, my beauty, are not. And I'm not just saying it to make you feel better. You know I find you indescribably perfect. Now get your cloak. The one with the hood."

He stood and pulled his own traveling cloak from his wardrobe, then pulled his Death Eater mask from his bureau. Snape watched her as she struggled to fasten her cloak. He noticed her hands trembling and he went to her and clasped it for her, his fingers deftly working on the ornate closure.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He touched her face. "Alright?"

She nodded, smiling.

"That's my good girl. Come. We mustn't keep the Dark Lord waiting." He kissed her.

She picked up her wand from her dressing table and slid it inside her sleeve. He took her hand, lacing his long fingers with hers, and they set out for the castle gates.

...

Snape and Madeline stood in the darkness just outside the castle gates, the only light emanating from the tips of their wands.

"Pull up your hood, little one," he said, pulling his mask from his cloak and covering his face.

He heard her gasp and turned to look at her.

Her eyes were wide and he saw fear behind them. His heart broke and he ripped the mask from his face.

"Madeline. Please don't be frightened of me. I can't bear it. It's only a mask."

"I... I'm sorry. I'm alright. Really. It was just a bit of a shock."

"Gods, Madeline, if this is too much for you..."

"No, no! I'm fine. I'm fine. I swear it." She breathed in and out deeply and then smiled up at him.

"You're certain?"