Perhaps Another Time, Severus [A Severus Snape Fanfiction]

2000

2000
Another uncomfortable meeting had proven fruitful. Though Shaylah still had to compress the fury she carried with her toward Voldemort and his inner circle. She had attended multiple meetings since the first and Voldemort himself had given her orders to continue Severus' work on tracking the Order while Severus was sent on a new set of orders.

Severus didn't always tell her what it was he was sent to do, not for privacy but because he was sure Shaylah didn't want to know. She no longer pried but waited for him to divulge the information he deemed relevant. He still met with Voldemort outside of the meetings she was expected to attend.

Vex had already moved the Headquarters when it was raided, nothing left behind but broken potion bottles and pieces of parchment with no helpful information as to where they had gone. As if they had left in a hurry. Shaylah flinched as Voldemort let out a deep shout when she told him they had been too late, but no one but Severus noticed.

The Headquarters had been moved to a completely Muggle suburb, a neat brick house that looked the same as its neighbors. They could apparate from within its walls, and only Vex and Prix were ever seen leaving. They put on the front of a lovely couple who had just moved in.

When Christmas brought the heavy snow and warm feeling of goodwill towards men, they decorated the outside of the house to bring luck and remind them that there was still hope. Vex even put a tree in the window. The soft glow of the Christmas lights brought a homey feeling to their new Headquarters.

"Seventeen more this month." Vex said as he pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. "That's not bad."

Shaylah nodded. "And none of us have been hurt. We've been very lucky."

Prix entered the room with a tray of tea and three cups floating in front of her. "Brawn is still planning to go after Snape." She said as the tray sat gently on the table in front of them and she picked up a cup, taking a sip.

"He can't think that's a good idea." Said Shaylah. "We can't lose him too."

Vex nodded his head. "I'll talk to him. Besides, we know it was Lucius who killed Cross and not Snape. I don't know why he won't accept that. I know Snape's wretched, but he didn't kill Cross." He stared down at the hot tea steaming in his cup.

Shaylah picked up her own cup and cradled it in her palms. The warmth burnt the tips of her fingers which were frigid, even though the house was quite warm. Vex had figured it out on his own with hints that Shaylah dropped along the way, as she pretended to try to help him piece together what happened to Cross. She couldn't help but feel vindicated when it was Lucius who they sought to destroy and not Severus.

If they only knew how much he had helped them, they would undoubtedly feel different but they would most likely never know. Just like the narrow line that Shaylah now walked, they would never know exactly what laid on the other side.

Five more people had joined them in recent weeks. Another healer by the name of Fritz, who knew Prix from his time at St. Mungos. Two brothers named George and Thomas Grimes and two women in their late thirties. Shaylah had long given up remembering the names of the newcomers. She did her best to remember their faces.

Each of them had proven useful, the brothers were proficient duelers and one of the two women, a small framed woman with long dark hair and striking green eyes was an animagus. When she was in her raven form, she could easily spy on Voldermort's followers. Shaylah made sure that the woman only watched Malfoy Manor when she would not be attending the meeting at hand.

Severus had been invaluable in helping her arrange the pieces that were now so carefully working together. However, if a single cog flinched, the delicate operation could fall apart. "Shay, are you alright?" She heard Vex ask. He had been concerned about her lately and her excuses for not being able to make the raids were becoming harder to find.