A Faithful Servant (S. Snape)

Chapter Three: Frustration

Severus Snape strode out of the room, slamming the door shut angrily and pounding his fist against the brick wall. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the cold stone as he glared at it angrily.

"How could she - I can't believe - she didn't even -" he spluttered, turning around angrily as he faced Dumbledore. The old man smiled knowingly, eyes twinkling with a mysterious glint.

"What did you expect, Severus?" Dumbledore questioned, softly.

"I thought I could convince her," he said, seriously. "The one person I should've been able to convince… and I couldn't."

"Give it time, Severus," Dumbledore smiled.

"It's too late," Snape admitted, weakly. "I tried… and I thought I had her convinced…"

"Again, give it time," Dumbledore repeated.

Snape sighed, running his weary fingers through his hair, and pulling the black locks back. Dumbledore continued smiling at the frustrated man before him.

"May I ask why you are so concerned over her? Why you show such interest for her?" Dumbledore asked curiously, clearly making sure not to push it.

Snape glared at him menacingly, wondering why on Earth he would bring up such a subject.

"I remember her from Hogwarts, since she's a couple years younger than me. I remember watching her change, and I remember Lucius reinforcing the change," Snape began, sounding reluctant as he did so. "She was purely remorseless by the time he was done with her, and when she was with us Death Eaters, she was no different. She evolved - yes, with a far more menacing demeanour, but she also kept the same impassivity as she did for so many years. Her parents' death destroyed her, moulding her into what she is now. I can't help but pity her, knowing what got her there, and that anyone could've changed the outcome."

"Including you?" Dumbledore questioned, knowingly.

"Including me," Snape nodded. "However, I was the same. Caught up in the Dark Arts, encouraged by the power I felt behind it all… behind actually being something… but in the end, it wasn't worth the outcome."

"She still has time to turn it around, you know," Dumbledore murmured, changing the subject.

"But… I don't know if she'll be able to change…"

"She still has a week," Dumbledore said.

"You expect her to change in a single week?"

"Stranger things have happened," Dumbledore nodded. "Do you believe she can change?"

"Yes," Snape whispered, looking beseechingly into the old man's eyes.

"Then, she will," Dumbledore smiled, and before Snape could say anything more, Dumbledore was already walking towards the interrogation room door. He opened it smoothly, striding in with little effort as he approached Ava. Snape didn't bother go in, but was more intent on listening. "Ms. Parker, thank you, we're all done."

"That's it?" she asked, tone cold. Snape could sense her distance from Dumbledore, but that didn't surprise him; Voldemort had trained each of his Death Eaters to hate the man's blood, bones, and soul. Of course, it wasn't hard for him to convince them after telling them over and over that Dumbledore would destroy them, not to mention make sure Pure Bloods never ruled. Snape remembered all of this with a grimace, and focused once more on the conversation, listening closely.

"That's it," Dumbledore answered, and Snape could sense the lingering smile on Dumbledore's face.

"Time's up," the guard said, rounding the corner and stepping into the room, grabbing her wrists as the cuffs unlocked. She didn't fight him, but walked with him, knowing very well fighting would get her nowhere. Walking by Dumbledore, she hardly acknowledged him, only looking at him briefly before averting her attention to the doorway before her.