Chapters 111-120

Promises and Politics

‘Miss Petrel?’

Alina closed her book and peered up at her Head of House. Professor Snape was still very thin and pale. Sometimes he flinched at odd moments, a muscle in his jaw ticking. But he was back. Alive. And she’d watched him at dinner with his wife. The deep looks, fleeting smiles and surreptitious touches. They were so cute together.

Alina beamed up at him. ‘Yes, sir?’

Snape scowled at her. ‘I need to talk to you. As I can see from your reading material, you are finished with your homework. If you will accompany me?’

Her smile wilted under his withering stare. Alina swallowed drily. She’d known that he would want to talk to her eventually about…about things. But somehow, as the last three weeks had gone by, she’d begun to hope that maybe, just maybe he’d forgotten about it. Of course she was smart enough to know that Professor Snape was not likely to forget either that she’d helped save his life or that she’d broken several promises she’d given to him in a row. And put his wife in danger.

Alina steeled herself. I’m a knight, she thought. I did what I had to do. The results justify the means. She straightened up and put her shoulder back. Head held high, she marched out of the Slytherin common room in the wake of her professor’s swirling black robes.

oooOooo

‘By now,’ Professor Snape said, ‘we can safely assume that your father hid all of his bells here at Hogwarts.’

‘But he also hid one with my mother,’ Alina piped up, then gulped as her Head of House fixed his glittering black stare on her.

‘Indeed. Nevertheless,’ he went on, ‘I suspect that the remaining bells are here at Hogwarts. You will find them and bring them to me. Additionally you will hand over the bells already in your possession.’

‘But sir, I promised—’

‘Your promises, Miss Petrel, seem to mean only that you will do what you see fit no matter what you promised or to whom.’

Alina stared at her professor in shocked silence. But, she wanted to say, but I had to, I couldn’t just…A raised black eyebrow seemed to challenge her to continue that thought.

Snape went on smoothly, ‘While I am not in a position to argue the results of your behaviour, since I may very well owe my life to you, I’d rather not risk dangerous magical implements within your reach just now. You will bring your bells to me tonight. I expect you to discover the other bells before Easter. After the holidays you will commence studying the art of Necromancy with me.
‘Until then I suggest you consider how to ascertain that your promise means more than the letters the word is made up of.
—You may leave now.’

He didn’t seem to see the tears that were rushing down her cheeks as Alina bolted from his office.

oooOooo

‘You really don’t see it, do you, Harry?’ Draco asked.

It was Sunday morning in Muggle London, and they’d met with Ginny and Hannah for brunch at a fancy restaurant.

Harry frowned testily at his confidante at the Ministry. Tomorrow he’d be tattooed—and interviewed by Rita Skeeter for the Daily Prophet. Apart from the smoked salmon on his plate and waking up next to Ginny this morning, there was not much he liked about the day.

‘What? Draco, if you’re so smart and I’m so dumb, just spill it and let’s get it over with,’ Harry snapped.

Draco remained unfazed by Harry’s temper. ‘You’re still no politician, Harry. And sometimes I doubt you’ll ever be. You’ve got to understand how Shacklebolt thinks. As my dear father always used to say “I’m a politician—that means I’m a cheat and a liar and if I’m not kissing little witches, I’m stealing their broomsticks”.’

‘What has that cliché to do with anything?’

‘I think all of us agree that we have a bad feeling about the tattoos. No matter that they may do exactly what the Office of Magical Law Enforcement and the Auror Office wants them to do. The Voldemort experience has made most of us grow up to be paranoiacs.’

Ginny snorted and neatly speared a piece of quiche. Hannah did not participate in the conversation. She was too entranced by the array of foods on the buffet. By now she was probably making mental calculations about how to re-create a brunch like that at the Leaky Cauldron. To everyone’s surprise she was really enjoying her Apprenticeship with old Tom.

Harry eyed Draco over the rim of the sleek black rectangles of his glasses and raised his eyebrows. ‘We all know I’m the next Moody. Get on with it.’

Draco raised his glass to Harry. ‘Here’s to constant vigilance,’ he said. ‘And may it serve you well. But honest, don’t you see what the Minister is doing?
‘Shacklebolt is using the law to flush all the purebloods out of the woodwork. Or haven’t you noticed that everyone has to hand in documentation about their parents and their grandparents? He’s forcing every single witch and wizard in Britain to drop their pants and reveal just how “pure” their precious blood is. The clout of the pureblood faction will be diminished considerably once the press gets hold of the new statistics of wizarding Britain. Because contrary to what my father and his friends would like to think, the magical community of Britain is rather more “muddied” than say, for example, wizarding France or Spain.’

oooOooo

When Hermione found Severus in the study that night, he was gazing at three silver bells with polished mahogany handles arrayed on his desk. His expression was gloomy.

‘Do you think she’ll find the other bells?’

He nodded. ‘I’m certain of it. They call to her, Hermione. She can’t not find them. And I’d rather she finds them for me than break another promise to me.’

‘You’re worried about her.’

‘Of course I am.’