Destiny of Souls

Chapter 7: Death Eaters Cannot Love

The rest of the week came and went. Juggling classes was nearly impossible and she enlisted the help of Professor McGonagall to pull it off. McGonagall had given her a time turner. She had used these once in a Defense class, but never had put it to practical use. She was able to pull of two classes at once but was tired at the end of the day. Filch had kept constant vigil at the Slytherin door on her behalf. He seemed to enjoy using her Invisibility cloak for the task, but no Slytherins had dared venture outside that door after curfew since.

By Saturday she was looking forward to sleeping in. There was Slytherin Quidditch practice at 1pm and Snape wasn't back yet so she needed to make the Wolfsbane potion and meet Harry at 4pm.

Slytherin was shaping up nicely. She threw in a few "oohs" and "aahs" at Malfoy's daring catches to make him feel better about the events a few nights before. He was still cold with her, but she didn't really care.

Harry met her at 4pm carrying his potions supplies and they headed down to the dungeons. Everything she needed would be in Snape's laboratory, so she only brought along her singing hourglass.

She set Harry up on the same empty bench she had used previously with Snape. He seemed uncomfortable in the office and had no doubt only been here under bad circumstances.

"Be careful in here Mr. Potter. Don't destroy anything." She said as they started working. She got all setup for the Wolfsbane Potion and began stirring in ingredients. She set the first timer and began the lecture with Harry. He caught on quick and in no time was fiddling with putting ingredients together.

After 30 minutes the singing hourglass went off. Harry nearly jumped under the table, wand out.

"Don't worry, it's just a singing hourglass Mr. Potter."

"I've never seen one of those." He was smiling

"They're not very popular anymore. I have an entire collection. Keeps things interesting."

She worked on and soon realized she had been muttering to herself the ever so familiar ingredients and then "Red. Well would you look at that."

"Professor?" came an inquisitive voice

"Sorry. Just talking to myself," she muttered

"What are you making?"

"Wolfsbane Potion. It's a potion for ... " but she didn't get to finish.

"Oh! For Werewolves. Like Professor Lupin, " said Harry hastily

"Exactly. " She flipped the timer and came over to inspect his work.

His potion was slightly off. She could tell from the smell. It was clear what he had done wrong. He had mixed in the buttersalt and toad liver too soon.

"Not quite right. Do you know what you did wrong?"

"No. I think I did everything perfectly," he replied. Doubt in his voice.

"When did you add in the buttersalt?" she asked, looking in his eyes.

"I think about 10 minutes after the dragon scales."

"You think? Precision is the key to excellence in potions Mr. Potter. Were you're making this for actual use you would realize how perfect you have to be," she said. She had been anticipating this. It was the biggest problem she'd seen the students have. They refused to use the timers and even after constant reminders, they still relied on looking at the clock.

She pulled an hourglass out of a pocket.

"Put the ingredients in, flip once for 10 minutes, twice for 20 minutes and so on. It'll sing when it's don,." she instructed. "Clean out your cauldron, try it again. When it's right it'll smell like rain and not like dead slugs."

At 5:30, dinner showed up in the lab. They ate quickly and at 6:30pm Harry's third try was ready for testing.

"Yes. Exactly. Just like rain. Bottle that and bring it to class next week."

She wandered over to the cauldron she had been slaving over. He washed out his things and was ready to leave. She held him back. He might want to see Professor Lupin or would Snape be coming?

"Hang on a second Harry," she said as she attempted to protect herself from the snapping potion. She added in the final ingredient and it stopped trying to bite her.

"I've never seen a potion try to bite someone before." He said in awe.

"The Wolfsbane Potion is ferocious. The first time I made it I got a bloody nose. The recipe actually suggests you smell it. I leaned over to the cauldron and waved my hand over it to get a whiff and up it went; right into my nose," she said.

He was holding back laughter. There was a knock at the door. It must be Lupin. Snape would have sauntered in.

"You must be Professor Lynch," said the brown haired thin man as Kara opened the door. He certainly looked like the Werewolf type.

"Yes I am and I have two surprises for you," she said with a slight smile on her face.

"Don't tell me it was blue!" he said jokingly. Obviously he was very familiar with this process. "No, but I promise its not orange." She opened the door and let him in. She closed and locked it behind her.

"Hope you don't mind if I lock this, but Professor Snape seems to have a bit of a revolving door on Saturdays."

"Not at all." He turned and looked in the room. "Harry!" There was handshaking and Lupin pulled him into a big hug. Weird werewolf, she thought.

"Hi Professor Lupin."

"Call me Remus or Moony Harry. In fact call me Moony, your Father always did."

Harry was beaming. He was ten times happier than he was a few nights before.

"I can't believe Snape let you in his office. I'd have thought I'd see Voldemort wearing lace before that happened." He laughed as he walked over to the cauldron.

"I was just catching up on some work Pro.. Moony," Harry replied innocently as he shot Kara a look.

Lupin smiled at him and turned his attention to the cauldron. "Red. Professor Lynch, its my favorite color on nights like this. Snape said I wouldn't be disappointed. I am glad he was right."

"It's very fresh. I just added the Corson Bubbles. It might be a bit tangy, but now is probably a great time to take it."

She put the dragon hide gloves on and scooped a bit of the potion into a goblet. "Drink."

He did and nearly wretched.

"Believe it or not, it's the best I've had."

"Will you be taking the rest with you? Should I bottle them up?"

"I'll be staying here at the school until the full moon is over. Madam Pomfrey has arranged a quiet place for me to stay." He winked at Harry, who obviously knew what he was talking about. "If you don't mind, I'll have her keep them warm in her infirmary."

"Very well. Let me put them in a warming phial for you. You'll want to take the second dose after supper," she said as she bottled three more doses. "I'll keep the rest here just in case."

"Speaking of dinner. I'm famished. Think the kitchens are still open?" He asked Harry. Lupin still had a wincing looking on his face from the taste of the potion.

"They're always open Moony." Harry was beaming again. Another inside joke no doubt. "True. Harry, can you wait outside. I need to talk to Professor Lynch for a moment." His tone turned somewhat serious.

Harry picked up his things and walked to the door.

"Professor? It's lock..."

Click.

She had done it absentmindedly without using her wand. Harry looked at her suspiciously and she winked at him. Hoping he would think it was a magical door. How could she have been so careless?

When the door was closed Lupin addressed her. "You should be more careful doing that around Harry. He's extremely suspicious of Dark Arts and he catches on quick. And if he doesn't catch on, Hermione will."

Her mouth was unflatteringly open. How did he know? Had Snape broken his promise? She didn't have time to ask.

"Snape wanted me to give you this." He handed her a note. "They'll probably be back tonight. Dumbledore and Snape. The note should explain everything. Thank you for making this for me."

"Anytime Lupin. Make sure Harry makes it back to Gryffindor Tower before curfew."

He left. The worst fears entered her mind.

She read the note:

"Kara, I will return this evening but my entrance into the castle will be of my own volition and I will not arrive with Dumbledore. I will come to your quarters. Be there, and keep this quiet. No one is to know when I've returned. -Severus"

She cleaned the lab and was back in her quarters by 8:30. She tried to keep busy. She arranged her singing hourglasses on the mantle, straightened her wardrobe and tried to read through student essays.

The knock on her door came almost at midnight, as she was deep in Hermione's essay on ten ways to use the Petrificus blocking charm.

She opened the door. It was Snape.

He looked like he had been through a war. His robes were ripped to shreds and his face had several severe cuts that were bleeding openly. She could see patches of skin that were never exposed including a large rip in the left arm of his robes. He could hardly stand and was leaning on the door jam. It was a wonder how he'd made it this far. Blood was seeping from his legs onto the floor. Filch is going to be unhappy, she thought as she looked down the hall and saw the stained marble trail leading to her door.

She caught him as he nearly collapsed on her. She used her Inner Focus to move him painlessly into the room. She closed the door, locked it, sealed it magically, cast both a sound repelling charm and a detection charm.

"Do I want to know?" she asked once he was sitting.

"No."

She lifted his wet bloody cloak out of the way and began looking at his wounds. He was squirming in pain.

"Sit still."

"Leave it alone!" he yelled. "Sit still or I will make you sit still," she said very seriously.

She went into the other room and returned with a silver box. She opened it up to reveal ten tiny glass phials.

"You are not fixing me up!" he yelled again.

She looked at him incredulously.

"You are in pain, you are in my quarters and you will sit there and let me look at these or I will make you. You are in no shape to fight me right now Professor Snape," she said, giving him no way to counteract her argument.

"Fine; my legs only. Leave my arms and face."

"What? Have you gone insane?" she asked

"I will explain once the pain is gone in my legs.," he growled.

She took a phial containing yellow liquid out of the box.

"Dresden lotion?" he asked.

"Yes. It's going to hurt."

"I know." he snapped.

She used a severing charm to rip the legs of his pants open up to the knee. The wounds were deep, nearly to the bone. The skin around the wounds was heavily bruised.

She dropped some of the lotion on his leg and into the wound then closed it up. He was on the verge of yelling. She put a silencing charm on him and saw him open his mouth as if to scream. The wound magically sealed up and left no scar. She moved to the other leg and did the same. When that was done she took the silencing charm off and repaired his pants.

"Your legs will hurt for a few days. Now why not your arms or your face?" she said.

"Well for one, if you repair the wound on my left arm He'll know."

She knew who He was.

"He'll be able to sense it. He wants me to suffer so I have to let him know I am. Secondly, there are people in this castle who need to see the scars."

His eyes were so red. Fatigue or tears? She couldn't tell.

She massaged his legs through his pants where the wounds had been. He winced in pain, but it was clearly getting better.

"You're going to let me clean those wounds and cover them at least."

He didn't protest. She got out a purple potion and dabbed it on the sores on his right arm. She covered them with bandages from the box. When she got to his left arm he stopped her.

"I will clean that," she said in a determined voice.

"I will clean it. If your skin touches the Mark he will know there is someone else with me," he replied.

So he was at the Ministry. He had returned to Voldemort and probably as a spy. How could Dumbledore let him do this?

When he was done with his left arm she moved to his face. She was close. She could feel his breath, the pain. His eyes were watering and tired.

"Have you eaten? she asked.

"Not in days," he replied.

"Any requests? I'll go downstairs and get you something."

He gave her his request and she left to go get it. She ran into Dumbledore on the way back. He looked at her wearily.

"You have company Professor Lynch?" He knew Snape was back.

"Yes. A rather hungry companion in fact," she replied.

She was carrying four cakes, two minced pies, a plate of roast beef stew and two pints of mulled wine.

"Everything go as planned?" she asked. She didn't know what the plan was, but at least if he said yes she'd know things were ok.

"Mostly. Lupin arrived safely?"

"Yes... "

"Blue?" His eyes twinkled a little.

"No, red again. But I'm a better cook than Professor Snape apparently." She smiled. "I must go before my company escapes."

When she got back he was nearly asleep. She slapped him lightly on the face a few times to wake him up.

"Eat before you sleep. And I refuse to let you sleep here."

"You don't trust me in your room?" he said wearily. "How would that look Professor Snape?" she said coldly

He ate and clearly felt better. She let him at it and didn't try to strike up conversation. But when he finished he tested out his legs.

"Did Lupin come?" he asked.

"Yes he did. And since you're the third person to ask, it was red." He looked up at her. It was a small thing to mutually understand, but it was important at this moment for some reason.

"How are my classes?" he asked suspiciously.

"Normal. Neville did not burn down your classroom you'll be happy to hear. I let Harry use a workbench in your office, but he did not destroy anything either."

"And Slytherin?"

"Their chances for the Quidditch cup are improving. The practices looked good. I caught Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle out of bed past curfew on the first night you were away. I followed them all the way from Slytherin to the Hospital wing where they wanted to visit Potter. I finally sprung on them when they'd discovered the Gryffindor entrance. I have no idea what they wanted," she said.

"They wanted Potter. " He said wearily. "They wanted him dead. They were going to poison him if he was in the Hospital wing and try to break into Gryffindor if they could."

She looked at him.

"How do you know that?"

"The Dark Lord told me. Said it was his grand scheme. To have Draco Malfoy kill Potter since he couldn't do it himself while Potter was here." He was pacing the room evidently testing his legs and his stealth out but had to use furniture to balance on.

"He would have failed even if he had made it into the Gryffindor Tower," she said in an alarmed voice.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because I caught Harry outside the Tower at the same time on his way to the Prefect's bathroom in his Invisibility cloak. He walked right into me. Draco would have gotten there and found Harry was gone." She said looking at him nervously.

"Why was Potter going to the Prefects bathroom? He's not a Prefect!"

"Said his scar woke him up. He couldn't sleep. Ms. Granger gave him the password."

"That scar will be the end of the Dark Lord I tell you. Potter is always having prescient dreams. He had one in Divination class. That's how we knew about the Ministry." His voice trailed off.

"That would explain why he wasn't in Potions."

"So Draco knows he was out that night?" Hh asked her.

"No. I caught him and made him put his Invisibility cloak back on before Draco saw him. I took the four of them back to my office and punished them separately. The Slytherins have no idea Harry was there that night."

"And Draco hasn't been out at night since?" he asked. Clearly pleased.

"No. Filch and I have been standing guard outside Slytherin after curfew under my Invisibility cloak," she replied.

He sat down and was quiet for a while. He drank more wine.

She handed him his lesson plan book back and a journal.

"I documented everything for you. You no doubt would want to know everything that happened while you were away."

"You didn't destroy my laboratory did you?" he asked, looking at her with a knowing expression on his face.

"No but I introduced Potter to singing hourglasses. You might be in trouble." She replied with a smile on her face. She didn't think it possible but this actually made him smile.

"Help me get back to my quarters."

It was nearly 2am when they reached Snape's quarters. He opened the door using a special charm and she helped him in. The room was amazing. It had wood paneled walls and the smell of cedar. Deep red oriental rugs were sprawled across the stone floor. It was very dark with no windows and surprisingly warm for a man who preferred the dark cold dungeons.

"I'll trade you quarters. No windows." They struggled towards the bedroom. Him leaning on her shoulder.

"Why do you think I asked for this room?" he said as he winced in pain.

"I got a tour of Slytherin. I was thinking of bunking up with them. They don't have windows either," she said sarcastically.

She helped him into the bedroom and he sat on the bed. He was exhausted from their walk. They just stayed there for a bit catching their breath. It was quite a sight; him with his legs dangling from the high bed and her standing directly in front of him.

She was looking around the room for something to wipe his face off with when he took her hand in his.

"I should have told you what was coming when I left rather than just show up half dead. I wasn't sure how He was going to react to my return. Thank you." His voice was soft.

She didn't look at him, but could tell he was looking at her. What was wrong with him? She felt inclined to pull her hand away, but it was somehow comforting to hear his gratitude after what she had done for him.

"Professor Snape...this is... not..." she trailed off, looking for the right words

"Don't' worry. I can't fall in love with you," he said quickly. This was the last thing she was expecting.

"What? " She was teetering between fury that he'd think she wanted that and dejection at the fact that he couldn't.

"It's nothing personal Kara. " He used her first name. The first time he'd said it.

"The Dark Mark prevents me from loving anyone that way. As long as its here, you could die and I wouldn't shed a tear. Logically, you are everything I would want, everything I should want. I can't think of a better person to fill that role."

She just stared. This was extremely unlike Snape. Was this a joke? Was this a Weasley twin in Polyjuice?

She stepped back from him.

"Prove to me you are Severus Snape. I don't believe you."

She magically lifted off the ground and settled down gently. Inner Focus. Polyjuice Potion didn't cover that.

She took a deep breath.

"I hadn't expected this Severus. Not in one hundred years would I have expected this." She sat down on the bed next to him

"I want you to know I did everything because I respect what you're trying to do. I enjoy covering for you, working with you, attacking you in front of your students and letting you win." At this he opened his mouth to protest, but she went on. "All of that had absolutely nothing to do with any feelings I may or may not have for you. If some day, at some point magically that Mark goes away. Know that it all started that way and not because I was out to change you."

He looked at her. He looked down at her lips. A pain came across his face. She put a hand on his cheek and they moved closer. Inches apart he pulled away.

"I can't. It would be unfair," he said. He didn't look away. Even in times like this he was good at playing the game.

"I know." she said. There was disappointment in her voice.

"No you don't. I could. I could kiss you right now and do it because ideally it is the right thing to do. I could start a relationship, marry you, and maybe have children. I could pretend, just like the others do. But if I kissed you now you would feel something I cant, and I don't want to deny you anything, including my reciprocal feelings."

She looked at him, in shock. She never knew this was in him. They hadn't known each other that long, and they had barely ever spoken. But she knew as well as he did that they shared something that they would never find in anyone else. All she could do was nod. She stood up to leave.

"There is a chance I will not survive."

She stopped walking and turned around.

"Yes. I believe I'm aware of that."

She didn't move.

She had so many questions about his past and hers, but it just wasn't the right time. He was so apparently weakened. In a right state, he would regret this. It would be a weak spot Voldemort could exploit. There was an undeniable look of want in his eyes. He wanted comfort; he wanted a way out of whatever it was he had gotten himself into. But she knew better than to offer something she couldn't give him or worse, something he couldn't take.

"Severus, I have every intention of walking out that door and resuming life as normal. I will call you Professor Snape, I will still torture your students, and my door will always be open for you at whatever hour. If you are serious about what you say, then we will not dwell on this moment. You are tired, injured and have no doubt had a difficult few days. When you are rested, you will be the same Professor Snape that stalks my classes and silently opens doors for me while I pretend I don't notice."

He seemed to realize she was right.

"Goodnight Professor Lynch."

"Goodnight Professor Snape."

She made for the door. It opened for her.

* * *

Moments later she arrived at the Hospital wing in search of the Headmaster. She entered to find Sirius Black, badly injured lying in a bed surrounded by Harry Potter and Dumbledore. Black was conscious but had numerous wounds to the face and one arm was in a sling, no doubt broken. His feet were both wrapped in bandages as if he had severe burns or cuts.

She approached the bed slowly making as much noise as she could, hoping Dumbledore would notice her and she could beckon him out of the room for a private chat. When she was a few feet inside the room he turned around.

"Hello Professor Lynch," he said as he rose and approached her.

"Headmaster, may I have a few words in private? I would have waited, but there are some serious issues you should be aware of," she replied.

"Of course. Harry I will be back." Harry nodded in approval.

They closed the door to the Hospital wing.

"How is Severus?" he asked, his face became rigid and she could tell he was extremely tired.

"He is in his quarters and will be fine after some rest. He has no doubt had a terrible ordeal and his... nerves are a bit addled. However, he is not what I came to discuss," she replied in a serious but calm tone.

"Yes?" Dumbledore said

"I caught Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Greg Goyle out of bed the evening you left. I followed them to the Hospital wing and then to Gryffindor tower. Professor Snape has informed me this was to be an attempt on Harry's life."

"I see." His face became very concerned

"We stepped up security in the evenings. Mr. Filch has been keeping constant vigil outside the Slytherin common room after curfew. However, this is clearly not going to protect the students during the daytime."

There was a drawn out pause. He was no doubt planning how to deal with this problem.

"This is something we will deal with when Professor Snape has recovered. For now keep the security as it is and do not speak about this with anyone except myself," he said

"Yes Headmaster. You should also know that I caught Harry out of bed that evening. He was in his Invisibility cloak and saw the three Slytherins at the Fat Lady's portrait. They did not see him," she said in a stern voice

"Did he say where he was going?" He asked. She thought he saw a twinkle in his eye.

"The Prefects bathroom. I have no reason to believe he was lying. However, as it has been made clear to me by many this is an unfortunate habit of his that could have gotten him killed had he shown himself to Malfoy." She looked at him waiting for a response but none came. He was once again thinking hard.

She continued when he didn't say anything.

"I don't suppose any amount of punishment is going to keep him from venturing out of the Gryffindor tower in the evenings when nightmares or his scar hurt him. Especially if he is seeking you out. So, I hope you don't mind, but I gave him my Ring of Epa in hopes that he will at least allow me to accompany him if the need arises," she said with some trepidation. Rings of Epa were not exactly on the approved list of items students could possess. But then again, neither were Invisibility cloaks.

Dumbledore gave her a look of surprise. He was not angry at all.

"Excellent solution Kara. I will speak to Harry about it and make sure he uses it... wisely of course. You should know he has a habit of visiting Hagrid in the evenings as well as myself. I will alert Hagrid to the situation."

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

She considered the incident with Remus Lupin earlier. Would Dumbledore have told him she had Inner Focus? Did Lupin know about Snape too?

"Yes, one small thing. I accidentally unlocked a door... in a... creative manner in front of Harry and Remus Lupin this evening," she paused. He nodded to indicate he understood what she meant by creative.

"When Lupin and I were alone he said something that indicated he knew how I did it and warned me to be careful doing such things in front of Harry. I was curious Headmaster if you or Professor Snape had told him about my gift."

Dumbledore's eyebrows lifted and his forehead became very wrinkled.

"No Professor Lynch, neither Severus nor I have mentioned anything to Remus. I have no idea how he would know. Unfortunately he will not be in a state to tell us anything for a day or two. He is on the grounds however, and I will make sure we discuss it before he leaves," he replied.

"Thank you Headmaster. Dare I ask what happened this evening?"

"All I can tell you Professor is what you will hear publicly. We encountered several Death Eaters at the Ministry. They held up inside for several days until we were able to capture them. Four got away, although badly hurt and the others were caught. In total we have sent seven to Azkaban. One of the Death Eaters that got away was Peter Pettigrew."

"I thought Peter Pettigrew was dead. Killed by Sirius Black because Pettigrew sought out revenge for the betrayals of the Potters!" She said in amazement as she pointed at the Hospital door. "Sirius is innocent. It was in fact Pettigrew that betrayed the Potters. Sirius was cleared officially by Fudge tonight. That is why he is here."

"And Harry? He knows Harry?"

"He is Harry's godfather."

She had one of those unattractive looks of shock on her face. It took her a moment to comprehend all of this and she finally nodded.

"Now if that is all, I should go back inside," he said "Yes. Good evening Headmaster."

"And thank you Kara for taking care of things while we were away."

"Anytime."

Kara's mind was racing. Harry's godfather was the infamous prisoner of Azkaban that had led to the death of his parents? But in reality it was Peter Pettigrew that had betrayed the Potters and four Death Eaters got away. All badly injured. Was one of them Snape? How did he get the message to Lupin then?