Damaged Goods by slytherin_after_dark

Chapter 26

- NOT MY STORY!! ALL CREDITS TO @slytherin_after_dark ON A03!!

Draco let go of her and they both awkwardly turned to their professor.

Snape didn't move from the doorway. "A word. When you're both decent." Like a dark cloud, Snape walked away.

It was funny how, even in her mid-20s, she still felt like a teenager caught doing something when Snape scolded her.

The professor's face was stoic when they met him in the hallway of the Manor.

"Is it taken care of?"

Draco nodded. "It's safe. Tanaka has it."

The fact that he had sold a dangerous relic seemed to not surprise nor bother Snape.

"Scrimgeour is furious the relic was lost in Italy," he explained in his usual monotone voice. "Without it, he won't be able to install permanent imperius curses in Death Eaters. It appears he is rather paranoid."

"About what?" Hermione asked.

"None of my contacts in the Ministry know exactly but it seems that he wants to build an army of former Death Eaters."

"What for? Voldemort is dead," she said, needing to hear it ever so often.

"There are other evils in this world, Miss Granger."

Scrimgeour wanted to use former Death Eaters as mindless soldiers so they could die on the frontlines of the next war, instead of wizards who hadn't taken the Mark. He wouldn't hesitate to use Draco as cannon fodder the first chance he got.

"How do we stop him?" She asked.

Snape's black eyes landed on her with quiet determination. "At this point, there is nothing to do, Miss Granger."

The way he said her name was always laced with a certain level of contempt. She wished she could give him Veritaserum and ask him why he disliked her so much. Especially since she was no longer a Gryffindor. No longer part of the golden trio.

"Without the relic, Scrimgeour doesn't have the means to create his Death Eater army. We will continue to monitor the situation and if there is a need for action, you will be informed."

He turned to Draco. "I'm also here on behalf of the Ministry and to let you know your next assignment."

Draco stiffened next to her. They both knew what that meant. More killings. "Where?"

Snape pulled a scroll from his robes and handed it to him.

"Brazil," Draco read out loud when he had unfurled the scroll.

"Why Brazil?" She asked.

Draco sighed. "Many high-ranking Death Eaters fled there after the war."

He looked broken and her heart sank. Even after all these years, he was still in shackles and she couldn't do anything to free him.

"May I advise you, Miss Granger, to use this time to concentrate on your studies? You are, after all, still a student at Hogwarts, if I must remind you."

It took all her self-control not to snap at him. He was the one who had sent her on a secret mission with Draco and now he wanted to scold her for not studying enough.

When she looked up, she saw the professor fix Draco with a dark stare she couldn't quite interpret. Perhaps it was something of a warning? Silver and black eyes were locked in a silent battle and neither one of them seemed willing to admit defeat.

"I do need your assistance," Snape suddenly said as he turned to her.

"Now?"

He nodded and Draco gave him a cool smile that chilled her to the bone. Snape hurried to the fireplace and waited for her impatiently.