Destiny of Souls

Chapter 14: Neutrality

The next few weeks were long and difficult. Kara had avoided Severus at mealtimes and had begun locking the door to her fifth year Slytherin class. She would occasionally hear the doorknob turn around the time he usually visited.

Dumbledore, sensing the tension between two of his most conspicuous Professors, eventually called her into his office.

"Kara, sit down," he said calmly.

She did. She could see a very serious look of concern on his face. His mind however seemed empty.

"Severus tells me that you two are not speaking," he began.

"He asked me to join Voldemort, as a spy," she replied quickly as she folded her arms in front of her in disgust.

"Ah. I see. Yes that would be problematic for you," he said.

"I have alternatives though. Alternatives that would protect both Severus and I permanently. I have been considering them for quite some time, however, I am not sure they are wise," she said in a calm manner.

"Oh?"

They went over her plan and with a few small changes Dumbledore agreed. They would not tell Snape for she knew he would certainly refuse to let her go through with it. She left the office with an ominous feeling of regret, pain and anxiety. She was not convinced this plan would be successful, and if it went wrong it could easily end in the death of both Snape and herself.

She knocked on Severus' door near midnight. He opened it and raised his eyebrows.

"I thought you didn't want to see me anymore Professor Lynch," he said sarcastically. There was no sadness in his voice at this declaration. He was almost mocking her lack of willpower as she now stood before his door.

"I merely needed time to clear my mind without your presence distracting me. May I come in?"

He opened the door and let her slide in. The room was very cold. There was no fire in the fireplace; she started one with a single thought and sat down.

"I have considered your offer and have discussed with Dumbledore. He thinks it is risky, but if I am willing to proceed he would support the move," she said.

"No. I will not let you. You were right. He had just remarked me and had told me he wanted you. I was thinking illogically," he replied in an apologetic tone.

"It's too late Severus, I have made up my mind. When is the meeting?"

He simply stared at her with a blank expression for several minutes. She could read his thoughts. "She cannot be serious. What is Dumbledore up to? He would never let her proceed unless there was a plan. She is a clever witch Severus, be careful."

"Are you sure about this?" he asked. "You understand what this means?"

"Yes. When is the meeting?"

"Tomorrow evening at 10pm. We will leave here at 9:30. We must be careful about leaving the castle," he said.

"Very well. I will be here at 9:30. Goodnight Professor Snape," she said as she strode towards the door. He did not open it for her.

"No longer opening doors for me?" she asked in a sarcastic tone as she turned to face him.

"Not when I don't want you to leave, no," he said. He was still facing the fire.

"Stay. He is going to Mark you tomorrow." He turned to face her. "Stay with me tonight."

She knew he was doing this solely for her benefit. He would pretend to love her as he had done a few weeks ago before Voldemort had re-Marked him so that she would have one last night knowing what it was like to have those feelings even if he didn't.

She played along. They lay in his bed talking and staring into the darkness for several hours until they fell asleep.

* * *

The next evening she arrived at his quarters at 9:30. He was dressed in his heavy black cloak. They walked to the platform at Hogsmeade where they would Apparate to the location of the meeting.

"Severus, before we go," she said as they reached the platform. "Do you remember when I said, that nothing I had done for you was because of love? That I had done it because I wanted to?"

He nodded.

"No matter what happens tonight remember that I'm doing this because of love. This is the only thing I've ever done because of love." He began to interrupt her and she simply put a finger over his lips to quiet him.

"Everything else in my life has been done out of fear or because of duty. I know you can relate to that, so should you ever question my motives, know that love is the only reason," she said.

He gave her a nonsensical look but nodded. Hours later, he would understand fully what she meant by these words.

They arrived at the Apparation spot at the edge of a forest. Snape had slipped a mask on over his face and drawn the hood of his cloak down so that he was indistinguishable from the other twenty Death Eaters that stood nearby in a circle. They approached them. Kara had drawn her own cloak hood over her head and stood behind him as he took his place amongst his fellow Death Eaters.

A quick popping sound was heard and Voldemort suddenly appeared in the middle of the circle of Death Eaters. Quickly all of them fell to their knees and bowed. Kara did the same, as Snape had instructed her to.

"Ah, Severus you have finally brought me the girl?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes Master. I have. She says she wants to be yours," Snape said as he continued to bow before Voldemort.

"Rise then Kara Lynch. Look your future Master in the eye," she heard Voldemort say in his high-pitched voice.

Kara rose, her knees slightly shaking. She did not have any need to be afraid of Voldemort, but the thought of facing him was frightening to her. It made her performance that much more believable.

She looked him in the eye. They resembled red slits instead of eyes and his nose was like that of a snake. She was physically repulsed at the sight of Voldemort. This feeling of intense sickness was a new experience for her considering she had handled unknown amounts of disgusting things for Potions. Kara kept her face relaxed and did not blink or look away from him. If he wanted, she would gladly play the staring game. That was not his intention however.

"I have heard good things about you from the Malfoys. They say you are a very powerful witch. And they say that you have feelings for Severus. Is this true?" he asked.

"Yes. Malfoy is correct on all accounts," she replied.

"When you speak to me, you will address me as Master, or Lord. I will tell you only one time and then I will make you suffer for your insolence," he said.

"Yes, Master," Kara replied as she bowed her head. Her lips burned as the words crossed her lips.

"Good. Then I will Mark you so that you may have a constant reminder of who you have committed yourself to. But first you must bow before me."

"Yes, Master," she said as she lowered herself onto her knees. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She was feeling sick to her stomach.

"Now kneel before me and hold up the left sleeve of your robe," Voldemort said in a commanding voice.

"Take notice, Death Eaters, that this one joins the fold to walk amongst you as my servant," he said. He held out his wand.

Kara's mind flexed. Instantly, Voldemort was flying through the air and she had his wand in her hand. He ended up pinned against a tree and could not move. In an single moment all of the Death Eaters were disarmed and had been thrown into a pile. A transparent forcefield was constructed around them so they could not escape.

They were yelling for their Master.

Kara pulled off the black cloak she was wearing to reveal the special robes Nabokov had special made for her when she graduated from Durmstrang. They were deep violet and had a low scooping neck and bell shaped sleeves. They were similar to the robes the Oracle of Montare had worn.

She glanced back at the Death Eaters to see Snape, his mask off, clutching the side of the force field. He had no idea what was coming, and was no doubt pondering what to do next. She shot him a warning look and only hoped he would not reveal himself to Voldemort tonight. She had plans to carry out.

She glided over to Voldemort.

"Hello Tom," Kara said, mocking him slightly. She knew that using his Muggle name would infuriate him.

"I figured you and I needed some -- private time alone together. You see, I have been admiring your work over this past year and when Severus offered to bring me to you I could not resist," she continued on. She had cast a mouth-binding spell on him and he could not respond.

"By now you have no doubt concluded what I am, so I will not bother you with the boring details. I have come to offer you a deal you cannot refuse. Listen to those words carefully, for I mean them literally."

Kara spoke slowly and gave him a dangerous look. She noted to herself that he had no aura and she could not read his mind.

"You see Tom, I have no intention of killing you or anyone else here this evening. In fact I have no interest in you at all, as a friend or a foe. No, I have ambitions of my own which thankfully for you do not interfere with your own. In fact you are going to help me with them by doing me a small favor." She said as she lifted the mouth-binding spell.

"I should have known Severus betrayed me," Voldemort said with a small smile.

"On the contrary Tom. Severus was under the impression I was going to join you. Having you Mark me was a way to save me from my own sorrow of losing his love and to stand loyally by his side," she said smoothly.

"So then you deceived the man you love?" he said playfully.

"No, he deceived himself," she said. "And now you will listen to my offer Tom. "

Kara put the mouth-binding spell on him again.

"You will remove Severus' Dark Mark. He will, of course, remain your loyal servant - although I will never understand why he would do such a thing," she said in disgust.

"This will allow him to pursue me freely if he wishes. In exchange you and I will make a neutrality pact. I will neither join nor openly oppose you, although you should know that I find your little rabble quite amusing and pathetic. I will give you two minutes to decide," she snapped in a condescending tone.

She continued to stare him in the face without looking away. He did the same, but she could see the twitching in his face indicating he was thinking.

When the two minutes were up she lifted the mouth-binding spell.

"If I refuse?" he asked.

"Then I will kill all of your Death Eaters right now. You and I both know, Tom, that I cannot kill you. However, you would be nothing without your loyal followers," she said slyly.

He seemed to consider this quickly and cackled.

"You realize, that if you killed my Death Eaters, that the Ministry would have you imprisoned for the rest of your pathetic life."

"Yes. That is something I pondered. However, if I brought your reign of terror to a stop by murdering these men and women, do you think the Ministry would mind? Your absence from the wizarding world in the past fifteen years has been quite enjoyable," she said laughing the most evil laugh she could muster. "And if they did, Tom, tell me what prison would hold me?"

He was silent.

"I am asking for very little Tom. Simply remove the Mark from Severus and declare that I do not have to follow you. It is a simple decision to make. In return I will not openly attempt to destroy your laughable attempts at taking over the wizarding world," she said.

"You are a clever witch, Kara Lynch. Very well. Now let me down," he said after a few more moments of contemplation.

"I will bring Severus over here after I let you down. Remember I can kill in a single thought, and I have defenses against your attacks that you cannot even imagine. And if you're thinking of killing him, you can be sure that will put in place resolve of the greatest kind to ensure Harry Potter sees to your demise," she said.

She set Voldemort back down on solid ground but did not remove the mouth binding spell nor the spell that was holding his limbs in place. She levitated Severus from the enclosed force field and brought him over to where Voldemort was pinned against the tree. Severus' left arm rose up and the sleeve of his robe split open to reveal the Mark.

"Tell him of our deal Lord Voldemort," she said as she released the mouth-binding spell.

"I am going to remove your Mark. However, you are still my servant just as you were the day you swore your loyalty to me," Voldemort said. There was a severe hesitation in his voice.

"Yes Master," Snape said as he bowed on his hands and knees before Voldemort.

"Rise. Hold out your arm," Voldemort snapped.

Kara handed him the wand back and put up a thick force field around her. It wouldn't reflect Avada Kedavra but it would give her time to Apparate.

Voldemort, surprisingly, simply removed the Mark, told Snape to rise and then let them leave. She released the Death Eaters who all scrambled to Voldemort on their hands and knees for explanations. Kara Apparated immediately to the Hogsmeade platform and ran for Hogwarts. Snape popped in moments later and she could hear his footsteps running after her.

"Kara," he yelled several times.

She ignored him and kept running. He finally pinned her to the ground with his thoughts. She was unable to move. Snape ran to her and yanked her up by the wrist. He wouldn't let go and there was a look on his face she had never seen before. Pure anger and hate.

"What were you thinking? That is the stupidest thing you could have done. Do you realize who those Death Eaters were? Polishnikov, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle. Everyone at this school and the Ministry will know about you now. What could possibly have possessed you?" he yelled. She hoped no one could hear him.

She simply smiled at him. He was in the mood to make her pay emotionally for what she had done, but she was prepared.

"Dumbledore will be furious. You have ruined any chance you have to stay at this school. If this was some deranged attempt to stay with me, you have ruined that as well!" he continued yelling.

"I am aware of the sacrifices I have made Severus. And if you have questions, remember that I have already provided you with answers. Now I am freezing and I have no intention of standing here debating with you," she snapped as she pulled away and headed for the Hogwarts gates.

When she entered the castle he took hold of her arm once again.

"We're going to see Dumbledore this instant. I cannot believe you would betray his trust like this," he said.

Before she could get a word in edge wise he shut her up using the same mouth-binding spell she had used on Voldemort. She didn't fight him.

They reached the top of the staircase to Dumbledore's office and Snape burst into the room.

"Headmaster..."

But the sight of who was in the room shut him up instantly. When the door had opened Harry Potter and Sirius Black had turned around. Sirius pulled Harry out of the chair and pushed him behind Dumbledore's desk and stood in front of him. Dumbledore, as usual, was seated calmly in his chair.

There was a moment of silence before Sirius started yelling.

"Stay away. I swear I will kill you both," he shouted.

"Headmaster what is going on?" Severus asked. Kara's mouth was still bound.

"Don't play innocent Snape. Harry saw everything in a dream. She is an Oracle!" he yelled. He was now clearly afraid of her.

She tugged on the back of Snape's robes in a hope he would remember he had bound her mouth. He did, and he removed the spell.

"The Headmaster has been aware from the very beginning that I am an Oracle," she said calmly.

Everyone looked at Dumbledore who nodded.

"What? Professor, she is trained in the Dark Arts, has more Death Eater friends than I can count, is a trained Oracle and you let her near Harry?" Sirius yelled.

"Harry is in no danger from Professor Lynch, nor from Professor Snape. Please sit down and lets discuss this calmly," Dumbledore replied.

She walked towards Sirius.

"You are afraid of me?" she asked. He had his wand pointed at her.

"You have no reason to be. If I wanted Harry dead I could have done it a hundred different ways throughout the year. I could even do it now without you knowing. It should be clear even to your irrational mind that I have no intention of harming your Godson."

There was silence.

"I don't understand, Headmaster. What is an Oracle?" Harry asked.

"Everyone please sit," Dumbledore insisted. Kara made the first move towards a chair and pulled Snape down beside her. Somewhat timidly, Sirius did the same. Harry however remained standing next to Dumbledore.

"Harry," Dumbledore began. "An Oracle is a very powerful wizard or witch that possesses very unique gifts. One of those gifts is known as Inner Focus. Properly trained wizards and witches can use their Inner Focus to do magic without a wand. They can also read minds and foretell the future. There are only two fully trained Oracle's alive and your Dark Arts Professor is one of them."

Harry was staring at her in awe.

"I cant believe you let her teach here knowing what she is!" Sirius shouted at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore remained calm and replied "I let Professor Lupin teach here knowing what he was Sirius."

"Yes but Remus doesn't attend Death Eater meetings!" he said.

"Harry, how much did you see in your dream?" Kara asked trying to change the subject slightly.

"I saw you disarm everyone and pin Voldemort against a tree and then I heard something about Voldemort removing Professor Snape's Dark Mark," he said.

Kara nodded.

"Dumbledore, as Harry's Godfather I refuse to let him stay here as long as she is teaching!" Sirius said.

"Are you insane? Do you realize what you're saying?" she snapped. "This is the safest place for him."

"Safe? With an Oracle running around watching his every move and a Death Eater by your side? You say you're not working for Voldemort, but what if he does get to you? There is no way to keep Harry safe then!" he was shouting at the top of his lungs.

Kara took a deep breath and looked at Snape. His mind was completely blank. He was still in too much shock from the incident with Voldemort to be thinking about Sirius Black or Harry Potter.

"Do you remember your Defense classes well Mr. Black? What do you remember about restraining an Oracle's power?" Kara asked.

"There is a ring, I think. Everyone Oracle has one," he said.

"Yes. It allows the bearer to restrict my powers or even kill me. Please ask your Godson what he has hanging around his neck at this very moment," she said.

Sirius looked at Harry. Harry didn't move. He was in shock.

"What do you have around your neck, Harry?" Sirius asked finally.

Harry, without saying anything, pulled the long silver chain and her Ring of Epa out and showed it to Sirius.

"The very boy you say I'm out to kill has my Ring of Epa, Black. If that is not proof of my true intentions, then no amount of words could provide enough evidence for you," she spat.

Sirius considered this carefully as they sat in silence.

"Sirius, I have no reservations about Kara teaching here. She had originally approached the Ministry for a position as an Auror and I offered her the opportunity here instead. One of the reasons was that she would be able to teach the students things that no one else could. Now she has the ability to teach Harry things about Voldemort that no one else knows,"

Dumbledore said.

"Professor Lynch" Harry interrupted. "I saw you attack Voldemort. He was under your control. Why didn't you kill him?" he asked.

Kara had not been expecting this question. She simply looked at Dumbledore who gave her a very tired look and said in his mind "I will tell him. I suppose I have to." Dumbledore looked at Sirius who nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore proceeded to tell Harry about how his father's family descended from Gryffindor and that because of the magical powers passed down to him, he had been destined to bring an end to Voldemort.

Harry did not take this news well. He was as white as a ghost.

"That's why he wanted my father and I dead. But not my mother," he said in a small voice to himself.

"How do you know that?" Severus asked in a shocked tone. Everyone, including Kara gave Snape a very puzzled look. Why did Snape care? Because of Lily?

"The Dementors. When they are near me and I don't fight them off, I can hear Voldemort, my mum and my dad. I can hear Voldemort telling her to step aside and let him kill me, and I can see the green flashing lights as they died," he said in a determined voice as he looked Snape straight in the eye.

Kara noticed Snape was taken aback by Harry's forthcoming on this issue.

"Sirius, Harry will be remaining at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said in a finalized tone that indicated he would not let Sirius take him from the school. "If you have concerns, we will discuss them in private at a later time. Please escort Harry back to Gryffindor. And I assume you can find your way out of the castle."

Sirius gave Dumbledore a serious look but nodded and rose. Harry and Sirius left.

"Headmaster, you were aware Kara was going to reveal herself?" Snape asked as soon as the door was closed.

"I did," he said.

Snape merely looked at the floor apparently contemplating how all of this made sense.

"How did you get Voldemort to agree to this Kara? " Snape asked her.

"Voldemort is not stupid," she began as she rose to pace the room.

"He understands that I could destroy everything he has in a single moment, as could you, in case you have forgotten," she said pointedly. "I told him to remove the Dark Mark from you in exchange for my neutrality."

He stood so that he could stare her down. He came close to her and his face was inches from hers.

"You realize what will happen when the entire wizarding world realizes you are teaching here," he said, clearly not happy about the idea.

"Severus that has already been taken care of. I doubt the Death Eaters will be so eager to admit how they found out Professor Lynch is an Oracle. And if they are, the appropriate officials at the Ministry are aware and they know why I hired her. My justification is simple. She has no intention of joining Voldemort and she has no intention of harming the students. Most of her students in fact would say she is the most capable Defense teacher I have ever hired. I have made controversial appointments before Severus. This one is no different," Dumbledore said.

After several minutes of losing arguments with Dumbledore, Snape and Kara were dismissed. They walked along the halls of the castle in silence, no doubt contemplating what to say to one another. He stopped walking as they stood in front of the portrait that covered the entrance to the kitchens.

"You gave me answers, but I do not understand them. What could have possibly possessed you to do this? Love does not explain the irrational and dangerous sacrifices you made," He said.

"It does actually. Perhaps I am the only person that can understand it. You have lived a cursed life, just as I have. You know there was nothing there that was ever pure or honest. You are the first thing I have that comes close. Even if you never reciprocate Severus, I will always know that you had the chance and that what I wanted was denied by you and not by Voldemort."

"You gave up your privacy, your safety. The world will hate you now Kara and you will live a cursed life anyway. With or without me," he spat.

"At least it wouldn't be lonely," she said in a soft voice that made his brow furrow.

They both jumped as the portrait in front of them creaked. They pulled it open to find Hermione and Ron standing there, horrified looks on their faces.

Snape was furious. "Both of you, my office, NOW. I WILL have you expelled. Go wake McGonagall!" he snapped to Kara in a rage as he grabbed hold of Hermione and shoved her down the hall.

She simply nodded and gave them a sad look.

McGonagall didn't expel them however. Ron and Hermione had told them that Harry was starving. He was so upset over recent events that he hadn't ate in over three days. They had snuck into the kitchens to get food for him. They had just been leaving the kitchens when Snape and Kara had walked up. They received detention and two hundred points taken from Gryffindor.