The Potion Princess

Dumbledore's Directions

When she was dragged into Dumbledore's office that first night so long ago, it had been intimidating. Now, over the course of many months and many meetings, she'd got familiar enough with the office and with the Headmaster himself not to be on edge the entire time, instead wandering through the office and experimenting with one of the rarer instruments or sinking into an arm chair he had had conjured up just for her. Normally, she stays in the shadows and lets Snape and Dumbledore talk in circles about strategy and sacrifice and duty. Today she lurks in the back of the room with Fawkes. It's one of his good days, so she runs her hands through his feathers and tries not to think of the birds she left at home. Audra had wondered once if Dumbledore's patronus was a phoenix, and had promised herself that one of these days she would ask him. Judging by the look on his face, today was not the day.

"There will be a .. ceremony of sorts. Christmas Day. At midnight." The words sounded heavy in Snape's mouth, and they lay between the three of them. Audra wasn't quite sure what it meant, but it sounded like it cost him something to say it. "An induction of sorts."

"For the young ones to take the mark?" Dumbledore asks, standing up to walk around the desk, robes trailing after him. He strides over to the pensive and yanks a silver strand away from his temple with the tip of his wand- Audra sees the image of a long hallway revolve around before disappearing into the basin. "At the Malfoy Manor, I assume?"

"As of now, yes." Snape's mouth curls into a snarl. He and Lucius had gotten in an argument the last time they were together, and now any mention of his old friend made Snape ten times nastier than normal. "They'll take the mark, and then be officially entered in the ranks."

"And Audra?" Audra tore her gaze away from Fawkes and turned back to the conversation. "Will she be asked to take the mark?"

"I believe so." Snape doesn't look at her when she says it. "and I believe that it will be within her best interest to say yes."

Audra didn't like being spoken about as if she wasn't in the room, like she was a child who couldn't make decisions for herself. the idea of officially taking the mark, while unpleasant, wasn't something unexpected. She had known this day was coming. "Obviously." She leans away from the wall and moves to stand behind the chair that had been offered to her. "And I'll be doing this when?"

"You'll gather at Malfoy Manor at 11 on Christmas Eve. He'll start the proceedings at one." Audra closes her eyes, and when she opens them, Snape bows his head just enough for her to notice, like he was conceding something to her that she doesn't remember asking about. Dumbledore just stares at her over his half moon spectacles, giving her that searching glance that she still hasn't managed to have grown accustomed too. It always makes her feel like he's seeing more of her than she meant to give. "Emmeline will be expected to do the same."

Dimly, she knew that this was supposed to be a comfort, that Snape was telling her that at the very least, she would not be facing this alone. If anything, it just opened up a new bundle of questions- Did Emmeline know? Would she be ready? How would Audra be able to protect her then?

"You don't have to do this, Audra." Dumbledore says, leaning forward, and she feels his eyes on her again, searching, looking for a crack to show him what she's really feeling. "You've said that everyone has choices, and that remains true. If you want to back out, we can protect you."

She knew what his protection meant, of course. It meant leaving her mother and father and brother to face the consequences of her abandonment. It meant having Clary relocate her to some remote country land where she would pose as a rich recluse, or let herself being swallowed up in the middle of a loud, hungry city, where no one would notice one more lonely girl. It meant not seeing Fred for a long, long time. "No. I'll do it." She reaches out to pet Fawkes again with shaking fingers. Snape is looking at her with something like respect in his face, but she knows that he thinks she's stupid for doing this. "I've made it this far, right? Can't stop now."