Destiny of Souls

Chapter 12: The Bond

She jumped and sat up.

Snape's eyes popped open and when he saw her, and saw her arm in his left hand he relaxed.

"Oh," he said in a sleepy voice as he released her arm.

"I'm sorry for waking you," she said as she lay back down. They looked at each other from opposite sides of the bed. "How did I get here?"

"You fell asleep and I could not wake you. I figured it would be unwise to carry you back to your room. In case anyone saw," he replied in a very soft voice.

They were still holding hands. He hadn't let go when she startled him. He pushed himself up on an elbow and looked at a large clock on the wall over the fireplace. She followed his eyes. It was 4am. Beneath the clock on the mantle was the lilac rose he had given her at the Yule Ball. He had performed a preserving charm on it and placed it into a silver vase.

She moved her eyes towards him and he looked down at her. When he was alone with her he always looked so different, so relaxed. He was an entirely different person than when he was with his students, or with Dumbledore. The edge, the ferocity and the ego went away. Yet there was a pain in his eyes that was always there. It was as if he was hiding something, or had buried something deep a long time ago that scarred him forever.

She reached her right hand up and moved another stray lock of hair behind his ears. His head shivered a little at her touched. She placed her palm flat against his cheek and gave him a look of sympathy. He just closed his eyes.

"I know you would regret anything that happened here Kara," he said.

Kara massaged his cheek with her thumb. She moved her hand behind his neck and up his nape where her fingers settled in his hair. She pulled him close. He leaned over her and their lips met. They were so soft and warm. A rush of warmth ran through her body. She heard his gasp as their tongues danced lightly with each other. He was clearly feeling the same thing she was. When they pulled apart their eyes met and a smile came across her face. And then it hit her full force.

She wretched. A terrible pain was in her stomach and she could hardly breathe. The room began to spin and she cried out. She curled up in the bed into a fetal position as she tried to calm herself down. It wasn't helping. Her body went into convulsions.

Snape on the other hand was panicking. His first thought was that he'd accidentally poisoned her. Was something on his skin, his mouth, or his hands? He couldn't feed her an antidote if he didn't know which poison he'd used.

"Kara? Kara?! What is wrong?" he asked frantically.

She couldn't speak. All of a sudden she stopped moving. He checked her pulse. She was still alive. He could feel her breathing. He slapped her, and did several Enervate spells but nothing worked. He ran for Dumbledore.

When he got there, the Headmaster was waiting for him in his usual manner.

"What is it Severus?" Dumbledore always asked what was wrong, but he always seemed to know the answer.

"Professor Lynch, Headmaster. She went into convulsions then passed out. I cannot revive her," Snape replied in a forced calm manner.

"Take me to her Severus."

The Headmaster did not seem surprised when they reached Snape's quarters and was led into the bedroom. Kara was still curled up and unresponsive. Dumbledore checked her life signs.

"Should we call the school nurse Headmaster?" Snape asked, desperately searching for answers.

Dumbledore stood in silence for a moment. He held up his hand several times to silence Snape who constantly interjected solutions and potential theories about poisons.

Finally Dumbledore just looked at him. There was a twinkle in his eye that was so bright it shone in the dimly lit room.

"You kissed her." It was not a question or an accusation. It was simply a statement.

"What?" Severus replied. "Sir, I certainly did n..." He didn't get to finish.

"Severus. She will wake in twelve hours time. When she does the both of you need to come to my office immediately. I will explain then," Dumbledore said as he headed for the door.

"Headmaster, tell me now. I need to know," Snape pleaded.

Dumbledore ignored him and closed the door. Snape turned around and stared at her. What was going on? Dumbledore was never this secretive, nor reluctant to give him answers.

He laid back down onto the bed and crawled under the covers with her. He hoped she wouldn't mind, but he was now the one who was cold and shaking. He moved the stray hairs away from her face and put his arm around her body. He took one of her hands and just laid there until she woke.

* * *

Twelve painfully slow hours later Kara's mind awoke again. Habitually, her arm rushed under her pillow. The book was not there. Her mind clicked. "I'm still in Snape's bed." Then she remembered. "I kissed him... and I'm still here... oh no. What did we do?" She opened her eyes as she reached down with her hands to discover she wasn't naked.

But what she saw with her eyes startled her. The room was no longer dark. It was brightly lit. She vocalized something, although it was not human speech of any kind. It was more like a scream. She whipped around and Snape was asleep beside her. There was a red aura surrounding his head. Blankets covered the rest of his body.

She shook him. "Severus, wake up." He opened his eyes. "Something is wrong." He did and he gave her a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" He said.

"The room, the lights," she mumbled as she pointed to nowhere specific.

"What happened? I remember we... and then I don't remember anything at all." There was panic in her voice.

"You went into convulsions and then passed out. I was afraid I had accidentally poisoned you so I fetched the Headmaster. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong but he knows. He said we both need to see him as soon as you wake up," he replied, his voice giving away his own internal fears.

"He was here? He saw me here?" Horror ran through her mind. What would Dumbledore say about this? It was quite inappropriate.

"We need to go," he said as he got out of bed.

He had to drag her from the bed. There was something wrong with Kara's eyes. The red aura around Snape surrounded his entire body now. When she stood it felt like she was walking on pins. Everything she touched was hot or cold to the extreme. Nothing looked or felt the same.

"Severus. I don't think I can walk." She began to panic.

"Severus something is very wrong. Everything feels and looks different. Maybe you did poison me," she said. He looked at her and there was a great fear in his eyes.

He levitated her off the floor and put an arm behind her knees and her back as if he were really carrying her. They proceeded to Dumbledore's office ignoring the curious looks from the students in the hallways.

"Ah. You have awoken Professor Lynch. Excellent," Dumbledore said in a warm voice. He was covered in a blue aura that was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

Snape set her down in a chair and then began to pace the room.

"Headmaster, something isn't right. I think Severus accidentally poisoned me last night," she said in the calmest manner she could muster.

"Nonsense. He kissed you. That's all."

Kara looked at Snape with hatred. She looked in his eyes and heard "I didn't tell him anything." But his lips weren't moving.

"If you didn't tell him then how does he know?" she said out loud.

"What?" Snape answered but at the same time she heard him say "How did she know I was thinking that?" But his lips didn't move.

She had a look of horror and comprehension on her face all at once.

"Severus," she said as she looked at her feet "think to yourself what the contents of Veritaserum are. Don't say it out loud."

She then looked into his eyes and heard him repeat the sacred and rare formula.

She looked at Dumbledore.

"What on earth is going on?" she asked in a panicked voice. Snape was obviously confused and looked between her and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore opened a small book covered in blue silk that was lying on his desk. The page he opened to was marked. He handed it to them. They read it together.

"While an Oracle is born with the ability to focus magical power within the mind, a phenomenon known as Inner Focus, the other powers associated with this class of wizard are grant granted only through voluntary Prelation. Prelation, known throughout the centuries as the Breath of Life, occurs when a non-Oracle entity with Inner Focus "Breathes" air into the body of an Oracle.

The need for Prelation explains why so few Oracles with full powers exist. Modern wizarding societies look down upon the gift of Inner Focus, driving those with the talent into hiding. This unfortunately has resulted in very few cases of Prelation, in fact only forty cases have been documented in the last five-hundred years."

She read through this several times, as did Snape apparently.

"You were able to read my mind," he said in a small voice that trailed off. He looked at her.

"You knew about this?" he then directed at Dumbledore.

"I did. I assumed Kara knew as well. It would have surprised me to find out she did not," he replied.

"I had no idea," she whispered as she shook her head. She aimed her eyes at Dumbledore's desk. She didn't want to hear anyone's thoughts right now.

She glanced up at Snape, covered in his red aura and then Dumbledore, who was covered in blue.

"Nabokov should have known this? I asked him several times why I could never read minds. He should have told me," she said in an angry voice.

"I cannot explain why Nabokov would not have told you, assuming he knew. Kara I have invited the Oracle of Montare to the school. She is the only living Oracle to have undergone Prelation and will be able to answer more questions than I can. There are probably other things you should know as well that are not documented. She will be arriving and dining with us this evening."

Snape reached over and took her hand. She was shaking visibly now. She looked up at him and quickly looked away. She didn't want to know his thoughts.

"Kara?" he said "look at me."

"Severus, I have no intention of probing your mind. "

"I refuse to never let you look at me again as if I'm a monster. Now look at me," he demanded. His voice was as firm with her as if she were a student attempting to lie to him.

She did. She could hear everything in his mind. "Did Dumbledore plan this when he brought you here? Is this why he allow allowed us to discover one another? Is she here to help Potter defeat Riddle? I don't know what I would do if I lost her. How am I going to tell her about what really happened between Riddle and I? Lily Evans. Black. Potter. Lestrange." It was all being said so fast. It was so much faster than she could comprehend. She looked away.

"Headmaster, did you know this was going to happen when you hired me?" she asked him pointedly.

"I was aware of the possibilities Kara. I would have never suggested it be done, but I believe in the right situation, Fate can bring about many wonderful things," Dumbledore replied in his usual calm voice.

"I fully expect you to be at dinner in an hour Professor Lynch. You will no doubt want to change into suitable attire," he said as he rose from his desk.

She didn't think she would be able to walk, but as soon as she stood things began to feel relatively normal. The castle and its usual dark hallways were lightened and she could see spiders and bugs crawling in the corners. Snape walked gingerly beside her as if expecting to have to catch her as she collapsed. They arrived at her quarters a short time later.

"Do you want me to stay?" he asked.

"No. I will see you at dinner," Kara replied.

He nodded and walked off.

* * *

She bathed and dressed; again in all black. As she stood before her mirror she could see the bright red aura around her. She postulated in her mind that red auras must be for those who had Inner Focus since Snape had one. The pain in her feet from walking had gone away completely. The room was still abnormally bright, a feature she knew she would grow to hate. She had spent her entire life covering the windows, and now rooms were bright of their own accord.

Kara sat down to dinner at the Staff table. The students began to pour into the hall. She could see them all clearly with white auras around them except for Harry Potter, who had no aura at all. She stared at him for quite some time. He seemed to feel her stare and looked up at her. She looked directly into his eyes and could not read any of his thoughts. His two friends looked at her. She could read theirs. "What is wrong with Professor Lynch? Did Snape do something to her?"

She looked away as put a hand on her shoulder and directed her into a small room off the side of the Great Hall.

Snape was here, dressed in clean black robes. There were two Veelas with silver auras and a short round woman dressed in yellow encircled by a red aura. This woman approached her.

"You must be Kara. I am Sydney, the Oracle from Montare. It is a pleasure to meet you," the woman said as she smiled.

Kara held out her hand, as if to greet her properly but the Oracle simply looked down at it and smiled.

"The first thing you will learn from me tonight, is that you are to never touch another Oracle. It would mean instant death for you both," she said gingerly.

Kara's eyebrows raised and she nodded her head.

"You no doubt have many questions, and I will provide as many answers as possible. But right now you should eat. You look like you haven't done so for days," she remarked as she walked into the Great Hall.

Kara found that her legs had stopped working. Dumbledore and the Veelas followed Sydney into the Great Hall. Snape approached her from behind and put his hand on the small of her back. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Walk."

She looked into his eyes and heard "She's not going to make it through dinner."

Kara somehow found the power to move her legs and walked into the Hall.

The food at Hogwarts had never tasted so good. She had three helpings of apple pie and when they were done she and Sydney settled down in Dumbledore's office. Snape sat beside her and Dumbledore behind his desk as usual.

Before Sydney could get a word in edgewise Kara blurted out "The auras..."

"Red is Inner Focus," she answered immediately. She no doubt knew exactly what Kara's question was.

"And white?" Kara asked.

"White is what you will see around most young witches and wizards. When they get older, their auras turn various shades of gray. There are other colors of course. Green for werewolves, black for vampires, blue for elves, and I've seen purple auras but was unable to figure out what it meant," she replied.

Kara looked at Dumbledore with a puzzled expression. Why was he blue? He simply smiled at her and winked.

"Why are all the rooms so bright?" Kara asked, putting thoughts of the Headmaster away for a later time.

"That is your Inner Eye adjusting itself," Sydney replied.

"My what?" Kara said in disgust. She knew Inner Eye was a term used in Divination to refer to the entity that brought forth predictions but what it had to do with the rooms being bright Kara couldn't figure out.

"Your Inner Eye is the term that refers to your Divination gift. It's used to examine the world and its intricacies. The world appears very bright because you're seeing it in a new way. It will take some time to adjust. A week or two," she replied.

"Oh, so the light will go away?" Kara asked.

"Yes. Not fond of windows are you?" Sydney asked with a playful smile.

"How did you know?" Kara asked.

"I wasn't either. It's fairly common," she said.

"And what does it mean if a person does not have an aura?" Kara asked remembering how she had seen Harry in the Great Hall.

The Oracle paused for a few moments and thought carefully how to answer the question.

"The lack of an aura means a person has put themselves through a very difficult process known as Contrification. It means you will not be able to read their mind. It is a way of sealing yourself off from the prying eyes of the world," she replied. There was a sad tone in her voice.

Kara was confused. How was it that Harry had performed this procedure on himself? Snape was visibly thinking to himself. She looked in his eyes and he didn't look away. She heard "Riddle performed Contrification on himself when he was still at Hogwarts. It can't be that difficult. I wonder if he passed that to Potter." Kara nodded. He seemed to understand what she had just heard him thinking.

Kara and the Oracle spoke at great lengths about things she would need to know and how her life would change because of the Prelation. Apparently, other than seeing auras around people the only thing that would change over time was her ability to predict the future at will. However, Divination, it seemed was not a matter of spontaneously learning about the future, nor was it done through Tarot cards or crystal balls as was taught in school. It was systematically studying individuals and situations. Her Divination powers gave her a heightened sense of awareness that meant she could study a person and see their future based on how they would react. It sounded complicated, and in reality Kara had no interest in it.

Snape walked her back to her quarters. She had so many questions for him. He had heard him talk about Harry defeating Voldemort. And something about his parents. She invited him in and made him tea and asked him directly about these things.

"Severus, I heard you mention something about Potter defeating Voldemort. What did you mean by that?"

He seemed startled by the question. It was some time before he answered.

"By telling you this I put myself and you in danger," he said.

"Go on."

"When Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were alive, they were bitter enemies. Slytherin was very powerful and after the school was founded he became very angry with the other founders. He hated Muggle-born children and was outvoted when it became time to decide whether they would be allowed in the school. After that, he became the sworn enemy of the other three founders and swore that even after his death his philosophies would live on. One way he did that was through a complicated set of spells that would forever affect his descendants. As a result, male children would forever posses certain gifts he had, Parseltongue, a love for the Dark Arts, and others." He paused and looked at her.

She nodded.

"Kara you have to promise me this does not leave this room and you never discuss it with anyone," he said in a very serious tone.

"I understand. Go on."

"Gryffindor was the person that actually killed Slytherin. Turns out that he was the only one that figured out how to penetrate through his protective defenses. However, Salazar's children were already extremely powerful and Godric realized that as long as his bloodline lived on, certain wizards and witches would never be safe. So Gryffindor, too, performed the spells to forever affect his bloodline. Only the Gryffindor family possessed different attributes, one of which is mysteriously the ability to be the only person who can kill a Slytherin."

He stopped and looked at her.

For a moment she thought he was kidding, but when she looked into his eyes and read his thoughts she knew he was serious.

"Severus, that is ridiculous. No one bloodline can control who can kill them. Honestly you don't believe that," she said.

"No, I don't. However, it seems for the past thousand years or so whenever someone of the Slytherin line has risen up to become a powerful Dark Lord, it has always been a Gryffindor who brought death to them," he said.

She rolled this over in her mind. It clearly made no sense. She couldn't see how this related to Voldemort at all.

"And what does this have to do with Voldemort and Harry Potter?" she asked.

He looked at her in a surprising manner.

"Tom Riddle's mother descended from Salazar Slytherin, although he is half Muggle. Harry Potter is a pure-blood descendent of Godric Gryffindor."

She slowly raised her eyebrows and looked back into his eyes. He clearly was not kidding.

"So now it's Harry's responsibility..," she said in a mocking and demeaning tone that indicated her clear disapproval of this turn of events.

"It would seem so. The irony here is that the very features that Slytherin instilled into his descendants. has been given to the Gryffindor bloodline by Riddle himself," Snape said as he sighed.

"I assume Potter knows this?" she asked.

"He knows nothing. He does not know he's a descendant and I doubt he knows of the legend either."

They sat in silence for a while and she wondered if she should bring up any of the other things she heard. She decided she might as well, while he was talking.

"I heard you mention Lily Evans. What about her? She is Harry's mother?" he said.

Snape shot a nasty look at her, but she did not back down. She stared right into his eyes and just heard fits of rage. He looked away when he realized what she was doing and it was several moments before he spoke again.

"I..." He seemed to be looking for the right way to phrase this.

"She was a lot like you Kara. Extremely talented, intelligent beyond her years, dedicated and while she was never attracted to the Dark Arts she did not fear them either," he finally said in a hushed voice. His face had become blank and he just stared into the fire.

She knew what this meant. Snape had wanted Lily. Lily had clearly not wanted him however, and had married James. This was obviously painful for him.

"I was the one who told Dumbledore that the Dark Lord was going to kill them," he finally said.

She looked at him with a whole new perspective. He had done this for love, but he couldn't have. He had been marked.

"I didn't love her if that is what you're thinking," he said, anticipating her question.

"It's precisely what I was thinking, but it didn't make sense. You were already marked," she replied.

"Yes. I did it because I had a life debt with James after he saved me from Lupin and not because of Lily," he said with venom in his voice.

New thoughts raced through her mind. This was a tangled mess. James, Lupin and Black hated Severus. James saved Severus from Lupin. Severus had wanted Lily at some point and Lily married James. Then when Severus' Master wanted to kill Lily and James, he saved them because of his life debt. Then there was Harry, whose Godfather was Black. Harry was Severus' student, Severus hated him, and yet he was destined to ensure Harry would carry out his mission and kill his Master.

"I could have never imagined it was this complicated," she said as she rose and paced the room. "I would have slept better not knowing. How can you live like this?"

"I have had to live like this because if I left here, His followers would seek me out and have me killed. I have no intention of staying here forever. I have ambitions of my own," he said.

"Then how is it that you were able to go back to him?" she asked.

"The night the Death Eaters attacked the Ministry I Apparated in as a loyal Death Eater. None of them knew what I had done. The Dark Lord had not told them, I knew he would not as he is extremely secretive. I nearly killed Black, I saved three other Death Eaters and helped them escape back to their Master. It was proof I wanted to be loyal. I then explained that I had betrayed him because of a life debt and not because I was unfaithful. He tortured me, as you saw, but welcomed me back into the fold."

She thought about this response. Nowhere, had he given an explanation as to why he was still here standing by Dumbledore's side.

"Now that He's returned and you are with Him, why are you still here?" she asked, half expecting him to explain that he was betraying Dumbledore and had misjudged himself.

"Once I came to teach here, I realized that I did not want to be His slave. My own ambitions are nothing like His, and they can be achieved without Him. I would prefer that," he said. She remembered back to their first conversation in the laboratory when she said she had not wanted to be Voldemort's slave. It made perfect sense to her now.

"You are the only person I have ever told that to. Even Dumbledore has never heard me say it, although he knows. He can read me in ways I never expected," he said.

"Speaking of Dumbledore..," she began, intending to mention the blue aura. But she wasn't able to finish. Suddenly Yankee Doodle Dandy erupted in her mind.

"Severus, Harry put the Ring on," she managed to get out as she leapt up. He followed her as they ran for Gryffindor Tower. It was nearly midnight.

When they arrived, the portrait was flung wide open. They both entered cautiously with their wands out. She supposed the common room was dark, but everything was light to her. There were students standing around frightened and it looked as if there had been a duel. One of the girls simply pointed up the stairs that lead to the boy's dorms. They could hear shouting.

"Dean, go get McGonagall and the Headmaster. NOW!" Snape shouted as they rushed up the stairs.

They reached an open door and heard shouting.

"Put it down Malfoy. I swear I will kill you," Kara heard Ron Weasley say.

She looked at Snape. They nodded in agreement and rushed in the room. Within seconds everyone was disarmed. Had the situation not been so tense, it would have been a comical scene. In an attempt to protect Harry, his four roommates, Fred, George, Ginny and Hermione had shoved him onto a bed. The boys were standing on top of the mattress facing Malfoy with Hermione and Ginny pinning Harry to the bed, using themselves as his human shields.

"I don't know what you're thinking Malfoy! " yelled Neville Longbottom. "If you think we're ever going to let you near Harry you're insane!"

Everyone in the room, aware of this unusual display of rage, looked at Neville in awe. Even Snape, who was on the verge of taking control of the situation, was speechless momentarily.

"No one move and everyone shut up," Snape barked. Malfoy made for the door but it closed before he got there. Kara hadn't done it, which meant Snape had. She didn't look at him in case her own surprise would give away what had happened.

Snape walked over and over and restrained Draco against the wall. Dumbledore and McGonagall rushed in the room. Everyone was still piled on top of Harry who was struggling to get up, but couldn't.

"Harry sit still!" Kara heard Hermione say.

Dumbledore simply looked at the army of teenage wizards surrounding Harry and then at Draco. He knew instantly what had happened.

"Mr. Malfoy, come with me. The rest of you down to the common room. Hermione, send the rest of the students back to bed. Severus, Kara you will stay and wait for me to return," He instructed as he led Draco out of the room.

"Can you let me up now?" she heard Harry say in protest.

Hermione and Ginny jumped off of Harry and the boys hopped off the bed.

"He's nuts. What is he thinking? Storming into our dorm like that. How did he expect to get away with anything with all that noise he made?" Ron commented.

"I want to know how he actually got into the common room. We just changed the password!" Neville shouted. "I know because I forgot it this morning!"

"Silence!" Kara yelled as the students became stiff and afraid. They had apparently forgotten she and Snape were still in the room.

"Why are Hermione and Ginny in here?" Kara asked suddenly, realizing that they were girls and should not be in the boy's dormitory. She looked Hermione in the eyes so she could make sure no one was lying.

"Ginny and I were up late studying in the common room when Malfoy came in. He had the password and didn't close the portrait behind him. We couldn't hold him off. We started shouting and he made for the boy's dorms. He chased us in here. We tackled Harry and shouted. Everyone else woke up and caught on..." Hermione said.

In Hermione's mind Kara could hear things like "Don't mention that Ginny is having trouble in Potions in front of Snape. Don't mention we had a plan for when Malfoy stormed the dorms."

"Fred and I heard the noise and rushed towards the common room to see if there was a party starting up. We saw Malfoy rushing up the stairs and we rushed into Harry's room after him," George Weasley spoke up.

Snape was giving her a sidelong glance, asking for verification this was the truth. She looked at him and nodded.

"Everyone into the common room. Hermione, ensure the rest of the students get back to bed and then join us. Tell them that if they're caught out of their dormitories or eavesdropping they will be serving a traditional detention with Filch," Kara said in a harsh tone that made the blood in Hermione's face drain.

They all settled in the Gryffindor common room. Snape and Kara paced with each other and told the students they were to remain silent until Dumbledore returned.

Kara kept asking herself how Malfoy got the Gryffindor password and what was he thinking. How could he possibly think he could intrude into Gryffindor and kill Harry undetected.

When Dumbledore returned he walked over and sat beside them next to the fire. Kara and Snape continued to pace the room a bit.

"First off, you are all to be commended for protecting Harry," he began.

The students all looked at each other and smiled.

"I know that those in this House are brave, but you've shown courage and loyalty beyond anything that I would have imagined. However, I am somewhat concerned that you behaved almost instinctively, it means you don't feel safe here." There was a look of sadness in his eyes.

"Sir," Harry began "when Professor Lynch caught me out of bed, I saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle heading for the Gryffindor Tower. I could think of no other reason he would be there except to try to break in. It's probably wrong of me to presume that he's working for Voldemort, but that is what I assumed."

Hermione didn't let him finish.

"So we came up with a plan. One of us would always stay up late to study. We've been taking turns. Whoever was in the common room was to start shouting and hold Malfoy off and then we would head for Harry's room."

"The plan was to get Harry out of the window on his Firebolt, but Malfoy got there too soon," Neville interjected.

"So we just shielded Harry and were going to take Malfoy out when Professor Lynch and Snape arrived," Ginny chimed in.

"How did you know Professor?" Hermione asked her point blank.

"You were making a lot of noise," Kara replied. Apparently Harry had kept his word and not told anyone about her Ring of Epa.

Kara couldn't contain herself. She turned away from the group and towards Snape, pretending to be thinking. A huge smile broke out over her face. She was extremely proud of them. They had planned and executed a way to keep Harry safe. Snape just gave her a reproachful look.

"Sir, what is going to happen to Malfoy?" Harry asked, no doubt wondering if he would spend the rest of his time at Hogwarts hiding behind his eight bodyguards.

"I'm afraid I have no choice but to expel Mr. Malfoy. He poses too great a threat to other students at this time," Dumbledore replied.

Snape nearly jumped out of his skin. He became pale and white. Malfoy was the key to several plans that were in the works. He remained as calm as he could but Dumbledore noticed him twitching.

"Now as excited as all of you are, it is time to go to bed. Kara, Severus, Minerva we should speak in private. Goodnight," Dumbledore said as he led the Professors back through the portrait hole.

"Minerva, will you stay here and ensure that the students remain in bed and then keep Mr. Malfoy company? He is in my office. Kara can we use yours to speak privately?"

"Absolutely," she replied.

* * *

"Headmaster, this is not wise," Snape protested as soon as the door was closed. "Malfoy being here is key to several important plans."

"Severus, I understand that but I cannot have attempts made directly on Harry's life. It is unfair to the students to have to walk around in fear they will be killed at a moments notice.

"We will just have to find another way. Crabbe and Goyle are still here, as are several other Death Eater children. All is not lost. Lucius Malfoy will be arriving within the hour. All four of us need to be there. Kara I would like you to watch him closely.

"Severus, then you can meet with him in private before he leaves outside the castle walls," Dumbledore added.

There was a look of defeat on Snape's face.

"Headmaster, if this is our last chance to interact with Malfoy then perhaps we should use the time to our advantage," Kara suggested.

Snape gave her a quizzical look.

"What did you have in mind Kara?" Dumbledore asked.

"Severus and I will be sharing a private moment in his office. You will enter with Lucius Malfoy and interrupt us. Have Minerva bring Draco a few minutes later. That way Severus and I can stage something for Lucius. It will give us more time to plan long term," she replied.

Dumbledore looked at Snape, who nodded in agreement.

"Very well then. I must return to ensure Draco has not destroyed my office. I will see you soon," Dumbledore said as he left.

"After this little meeting, you need to accompany me to meet with Lucius in private. Wearing your Invisibility cloak of course. I need to know exactly what he is thinking," Snape said after Dumbledore had closed the door.

"Ok," she said. "We'll need to retrieve the cloak from Filch on our way to your office."

"What did you have in mind for our private moment?" he asked her.

There was a small gleam in his eye.

"Lucius will expect you to be moved by this event. I will attempt to console you. A hand on the arm like this," she said as she moved towards him and touched his arm.

"Maybe an arm on the shoulder."

She put a hand up on his shoulder.

"Look into your eyes like this," Kara whispered as she looked up at him.

She could hear the thoughts running through his mind. "She is so beautiful and conniving."

Snape bent down and kissed her. It was a long kiss, and the first they'd shared since the Prelation. When they were finished they just looked at each other and smiled.