Shadow & Love

14* The Task

March 1997

A cloaked man walked briskly along a much-frequented street in London. He turned around some corners, checked that he wasn't trailed and vanished behind the windows of an obviously derelict department store. Severus Snape chose to avoid the official entrance and stood now in a brightly lit but deserted corridor. He knew from Leonor how to enter the building without drawing attention, turned left and found an exit to a narrow stairwell, painted white and without nosy portraits.

Two flasks waited in his pocket to be delivered to Leonor's former mentor, one with the poisoned mead received from Horace Slughorn and the other with the antidote; the real antidote and not the alternative with a Bezoar even though it saved Ron Weasley. The sluggish current potions master of the school appeared paralysed by surprise instead of heaving his potbelly into action to save the student. Harry Potter certainly had one of his brighter moments shoving the Bezoar in his friend's mouth without hesitation. The Weasleys burst now with admiration that great Harry saved two of their children. Acknowledging the circumstances, Severus Snape growled inwardly about the failures of his own house listening simultaneously to faint steps some levels above. He climbed silently the stairs to the floor hosting Richard Jennings' office and hoped that the wizard worked at the late hour tonight.

The heated argument with Albus Dumbledore on the walk round the Forbidden Forest just a day before the Weasley boy drank the poisoned mead rumbled still in Severus' stomach. The old wise man backed no step away from the requested mercy killing. He even scolded Severus for being unable to tell Draco's plans, nonetheless Albus gave some information to him, grudgingly. That unexpected truth made even the Head of the House Slytherin feel sick — a disloyalty to the childish naivety of the Potter boy who trusted the headmaster with his life; a betrayal of Severus' promise to save Lily's son. Severus had been used by the old man, a pawn of remorse, a soldier out of redemption. Dumbledore took even advantage of the boy; he didn't elaborate why the boy's death would be the death of Lord Voldemort too. Was there a possibility to survive? Anything that could be done to achieve both? Dumbledore's coolness left just shadows and a weak trust that the old man was once wiser. The revelation made his blood boil with anger and the first time Severus felt independent in all the long and secluded years. He owed Albus Dumbledore nothing — not anymore. His own free will brought him here to St. Mungo's; meeting Richard Jennings after so many years was a service for the hospital which could be a retreat for Leonor.

A group of healers and nurses stood talking in the long corridor where Jennings's office was supposed to be. Severus observed them but fell quickly back into his own thoughts. Draco struggled with killing — luckily Ron Weasley was still alive. The blond boy resembled very little the true character traits of a merciless Death Eater, only the family owned arrogance matched Lucius' behaviour beyond realisation that the Dark Lord killed Draco in case of failure at the end of term. Severus' admiration for Dumbledore's concern about Harry and Draco had vanished knowing now Harry's fate — the boy had to die at the right moment. And Draco? He had to die if Severus found no way executing the murder of Dumbledore. The boy was hardly able to be successful himself. Dumbledore manipulated Severus with his own failures, the promises he gave years ago, and with the inability to forgive himself. The headmaster knew Severus had a liking for Draco, a boy misguided by the belief of a pure blood family. Severus was the tool to care for both boys and in the medium term the students of Hogwarts — it fit to Dumbledores' plans. Severus was the one remaining person with a foot in the Dark Lord's door. Severus promised it all, because it was right, there was no better way. And Severus' private life? He had one recently, he kept it secret, avoiding that two masters took advantage of it.

The corridor lay now quiet after several more minutes of waiting. Severus walked straight to the described room. He pressed the handle and the door gave way. Jennings sat behind the desk, bespectacled and concentrated on some papers. The aged man startled and snorted in surprise when a foreign wizard stood in the room and a wand pointed directly to his chest from the distance.