Destiny of Souls

Chapter 17: Planning for Betrayal

After that evening at Hogwarts with the parents, some of the students began to warm up to her again. No longer were her classes completely devoid of conversation, but she couldn't help notice that her gifts were no doubt a distraction. Kara did as many demonstrations as she was asked to perform and answered any questions her students had. However, she couldn't help but think that her students still feared her. Whether or not this was a bad thing, she couldn't decide.

Kara had taken to regularly visiting Snape's troublesome fifth year Gryffindor and Slytherin class. When she arrived in the classroom things always became very quiet and behaved. She noticed Snape's apparent amusement at the reaction from his students. Even Snape, who demanded and received unforced attention from his classes couldn't help but notice the increased awareness they seemed to pay to their Potions Master when she was present. She guessed this was because of the Pansy Parkinson incident. Apparently, Snape had been quite unkind to her after that.

They had been spending more time together overseeing the Slytherin Quidditch practices, making vaccines and antidotes for the Ministry and alone in either of their chambers. He had shown her more pictures of his family and was more frank about some of the horrors in his past. She had always felt somehow tortured by her Uncle and then by Nabokov, but she couldn't find it in herself to be able to relate the isolation he had gone through for so much of his life.

When he came to Hogwarts, after seven years with Nabokov, locked away in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, he was fully trained as a Dark Wizard. He had never interacted with children in play and he had never sought anything but pleasing his mentor. He was sorted into Slytherin because of his ambition to please, and to show honor in the things he had done. The few friends he had couldn't possibly imagine what was going on inside of him, but seemed to have their own internal struggles. Emily Dratch, Sean Lestrange, Evan Rosier and Patrick Wilkes had all come from Dark Arts backgrounds and seemed to enjoy the same mischief and chaos that Snape did. He never considered them close friends, but they were the only ones he had.

* * *

In late May during Saturday breakfast and owl came for him as he ate in the Great Hall. He read it quickly, handed it to her and left. It read:

"Azkaban will be opened tonight. You presence is requested."

This was a letter from Voldemort, indicating that he needed to be there during the fateful event. She stood up and followed him to his quarters. He grabbed his black cloak and the mask he was so used to wearing. Before he left he paused at the door and turned to look at her.

"I will send word if I am not back so that you know I am alright," he said.

She nodded and walked over to him. She put a hand on his arm and simply said, "Be careful."

He nodded, turned around and left. Not even a kiss goodbye.

Her long day turned into a long night, and at midnight the song of her Ring of Epa erupted in her head. She had somewhat expected this and hadn't bothered getting dressed for bed. She rushed up to Gryffindor Tower to find Harry slumped outside the portrait. She levitated him with her mind and brought him up to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore had been expecting them. Snape had no doubt alerted him to what would happen that evening. This meant the Ministry would be expecting Voldemort to call the Dementors to his side and for Azkaban to be opened up; the prisoners being released. They sat in anticipation of any word.

At 2am an owl flew in the window. It was for her.

"In my wardrobe there is a black bag with the initials "SPL" on it. Bring it along with your medic potions, 2 vials of P.V. and 1 vial of V.S. to the location below. Wear black. -S"

"I must go," she said to Dumbledore. He nodded in expectance of what might be happening.

Kara rounded up the things he requested and changed into her black work robes. She set out for Hogsmeade and was at the Apparation point by 2:30am. It was the porch of a very old house. She guessed she was still in England. She rapped on the door.

A tall thin man that she recognized from the as the groom in Lestranges wedding stood before her. He was emaciated and sickly looking. He had several cuts on his forehead and was limping slightly. Snape appeared out of nowhere beside him.

"Come in," Snape said to her.

The room she walked into was a wreck. There were a few wooden chairs scattered around. The hardwood floors had an inch of dust on them and she could see the dead bodies of several rats. The house had an odd smell to it.

Kara looked into Snape's eyes to determine the situation. There was fear and hatred there, but he was not letting her read his mind. No one said anything as she handed Snape the bag he had requested. He opened it and handed several things to the tall man who then disappeared into a bedroom nearby and closed the door. When he was gone Snape began to explain.

"Sean Lestrange. His wife is in the bedroom and not doing well. Their escape from Azkaban was unpleasant. Neither are in good health. She is barely able to walk," he said quietly to her with his face away from the direction Sean Lestrange had walked in..

"You brought the potions I asked for?" he asked.

She nodded and reached into her robes to pull the three phials out. He tucked them away.

"When he is done, will you see what you can do for her? He wont let me near her and he is in no shape to care for her," he said.

"And he'll let me?" she asked skeptically.

He didn't get a chance to answer. Lestrange stepped out of the bedroom wearing the robes Snape had handed him. They were clean and crisp and somehow made the sick man look regal.

"Emily?" Snape asked.

"Emily would not approve of you seeing her like that Severus," he snapped back.

"Would you like me to look after her then?" Kara offered.

"Who is she?" Lestrange asked Snape.

"She is my fiancé Sean," Snape said casually.

Lestrange looked dumbfounded. If he had anything of importance to say he held onto it; he simply nodded and led her into the bedroom. Emily Lestrange was half dead when Kara first saw her. She was lying face down on the bed. Her robes looked like they had not been washed or repaired since she entered Azkaban; Kara figured that was probably the truth. Her hair was matted and dirty. Specs of lint and bug parts were stuck between the knots.

There were cuts and bruises everywhere on her body as if she was mutilating herself. She was more emaciated than her husband. Her skin was yellow, obviously from malnutrition, and her skin blotchy from a lack of proper washing. She realized it was Emily that was the source of the odd stench in the house.

Kara's first thought was where to start? She walked outside the room and looked at Snape.

"Have you fresh robes for her?" she asked. Snape handed her the bag. Kara looked inside and found a hairbrush, fresh robes and some other personal items that she concluded were Emily Lestrange's.

Kara nodded and re-entered the room, closed and locked the door.

She walked over to the woman on the bed and with her mind levitated her off the ground. Mrs. Lestrange groaned in pain. Kara quieted her immediately. She could scream all she wanted and no one would hear her. Kara sat her in an old wooden chair that was nearby and pinned her to it so she wouldn't fall over.

She then fed her a Pepperup solution, although she doubted it would do the woman much good. She needed a proper meal and no doubt some rest. She then set to work on her hair. Without magic, sorting out the mess would have been impossible. But after about thirty minutes of complicated detangling spells her hair was suitable for washing. She began to work on the woman's wounds. She cleansed each one, including those covering her Dark Mark. Voldemort already knew of her existence, it wouldn't matter much now if he knew she was with the Lestranges.

After cleansing the wounds, she poured Dresden lotion in each. The woman howled silently in pain. This seemed to have made her more aware of her surroundings. When it was time for bathing, she was able to stand freely and walk with assistance to the bathroom.

Kara turned on the water and floated the woman in the shower and closed the curtain. The woman undressed and washed herself while Kara waited for her to finish. She handed the woman the fresh robes that were in the bag. When the woman emerged from the shower, she looked like a completely different person.

"Who are you?" Emily asked. Her voice was fragile, yet defensive.

"Kara Lynch. I am Severus' fiancé," she replied

"Snape? Getting married? Hah!" Emily said with a weak and sly smile on her face.

"Let's fix your hair. Up or down."

"Up."

Kara whirled the woman's hair in her mind up into a tight bun. The woman stared at her in the bathroom mirror in awe of this feat. Kara became aware that this was the first time Emily Lestrange had noticed her not using a wand. It was a look she saw often these days.

"You're not using a wand..."

"I am an Oracle," she replied. "Inner Focus."

"Snape's marrying an Oracle? And you're bloody gorgeous too. How the hell did he manage that?" she remarked in obvious disbelief.

"How do those wounds feel?" Kara asked ignoring Emily's rudeness.

"Better. You're serious about marrying Snape?" she asked in awe.

"Yes," she replied as she inspected some of the healed wounds on Emily's face.

"Then you know about his past? The Dark Lord? Lily Potter? His affection for the Dark Arts?" Emily said in an obvious attempt to get a rise out of Kara.

Kara laughed. It came out as an evil cackle, which she hadn't intended.

"I know more about Severus than you can possibly imagine. Remember, one of my gifts is mind reading. There is nothing he can hide from me," she held a wicked smile on her face, which Emily Lestrange returned. She was obviously amused.

They headed back out to the main room of the house.

The look on Mr. Lestrange and Snape's faces when Emily walked out of the room indicated that Kara had done her job well. Mrs. Lestrange did not look at all like the person that had been carried in and thrown on the bed. She was still weak however and was not able to stand for very long.

"She needs to eat," Kara commanded.

Sean Lestrange nodded and walked over to the cabinets and began making tea and opened several cans of tuna. Kara took the opportunity to pull Snape aside.

"Severus, I shouldn't be here. I touched her Mark, Voldemort will know I'm with her. And you."

"I will understand if you don't want to stay," he said. He had several cuts on his face that she just now noticed. She nearly reached up to touch them, but then realized it would be unwise to show affection in front of the Lestranges.

He was able to read the look on her face and know what she was thinking.

"Kara, they were my best friends at one time. I couldn't let her die."

"They should be in Azkaban, Severus."

"They are no harm to anyone in their state."

"Until they recover. Voldemort will no doubt seek them out. Then they'll continue on killing."

He had no reply to this. He knew she was right.

"I will see you back at Hogwarts." She made for the door. Before she could get there she heard a pop in the room. She turned around. It was Voldemort.

The Lestranges and Snape were on their hands and knees in a matter of seconds. She simply stood there and put a blocking charm around herself. She could Disapparate, and in fact she figured leaving immediately was a good idea, but her instincts told her to stay.

"Kara, what brings you to visit my Death Eaters on this glorious night?" Voldemort began in a mocking tone.

She couldn't find the words to respond appropriately so she said nothing. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Lestranges looking at her curiously from their positions on the floor. They had no doubt assumed she was a Death Eater and were wondering why she was not bowing to their Master.

"I hope you're not here to bring the Lestranges back to Azkaban," he said as he walked towards them.

"Quite the contrary," she replied calmly staring Voldemort in his ugly face. She felt her stomach wretch at the awful sight.

"Rise. Emily, Sean. Look upon your Master for the first time in fifteen years," Voldemort said as he directed his attention towards them. "You have been the most faithful, and for this I will reward you in ways you cannot imagine."

Kara considered leaving. Voldemort would never see her Disapparate with his back turned towards her. However, he continued talking, and addressed her.

"I would be careful about trusting Kara. You see she is an Oracle, and she will not bow before me. She has a bit of a soft spot for Severus though, and if I heard correctly, they are engaged," he said.

Kara's heart jumped into her throat. How did he know that? They had talked about it in this house. Perhaps he had been eavesdropping somehow. But that would mean he had heard her conversation with Snape. She kept a straight face and a cool demeanor regardless. Maybe he could hear certain things through the Lestranges Marks.

"Is this true Severus? You have asked this woman to marry you?" Voldemort asked. "Rise and face me. "

Snape stood up and looked his master in the eye. "Yes it is true Master. I have asked Kara to marry me."

"I suppose this is why she wanted your Dark Mark removed. She knew you could not resist her. You are more weak than I had imagined," he said as he laughed.

She wanted to leave, but would he torture Snape? She couldn't let that happen. Her instincts knew he could take care of himself, but the thought of spending another night cleaning him up brought great pains to her stomach. She looked at Snape who would not return her gaze until Voldemort had looked away.

"Go. I will be fine," his mind said.

She gave him a concerned look and Disapparated back to Hogsmeade. She walked up to the castle and then to her quarters. Snape did not return until the following evening. She was in her office.

He walked in silently and closed the door behind him. He looked exhausted and hungry. There were no apparent injuries, so perhaps Voldemort hadn't tortured him. She stood up and walked to him. She put her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. He returned the embrace and smelled her hair. She could smell the smoke of fire in his robes and a stench that must have been from where he had carried Emily Lestrange.

She pulled away after several minutes of their silent embrace.

"It was unfair of me to ask you to do that," he said. She had no intention of having this conversation now.

"Go wash up. I will bring dinner to your quarters."

He left and she set off to fetch dinner from the kitchens. She arrived at his quarters a half hour later with a plate of roast beef, onion soup and pumpkin pie. He ate quickly as if he had not eaten in weeks.

"He was pleased that you were there," Snape said.

"Voldemort? Why?"

"I would imagine because it shows you are loyal to me. If he cannot control you directly he can at least use our relationship to splinter your supposed neutrality."

She paced. It was a good point. He knew she would do anything for him.

"I will not call on you again," he said.

"Severus I don't mind. He can think he is controlling me all he wants, but in reality I make decisions for myself."

He stood up from the chair and stretched his hand towards her. She took it and stood up. They went to bed. As she laid in Snape's arms with her head on his chest, she couldn't help but think what would happen if Voldemort forced her to do something because of Snape. She knew if he made her kill people with the threat of murdering Snape, she would be unable to resist. Needless to say she didn't sleep much that evening but she had resolved just how to handle her problem.

* * *

The next morning was a school day. In the breakfast hall she could hear the uproar of students as they found out from the morning mail that Azkaban had been liberated. She looked at Harry. He looked as pale and thin as ever. It was as if he had stopped eating. She went to Dumbledore before her first class.

He was sitting in his office with his Pensieve out. He invited her in and she sat down.

"We have a few problems," she said calmly.

"Yes?"

"Voldemort is now aware that Severus and I are engaged. He knows I will do nearly anything to protect him and will no doubt use this against me."

"Engaged?" Dumbledore asked raising his eyebrows. Despite his obvious fatigue, his eyes twinkled.

"Yes. Engaged."

He simply nodded and smiled at her. She found his feigned ignorance very annoying.

"There is a solution to this, however it requires your permission," she continued.

"What did you have in mind Professor Lynch?"

"I would like to teach Harry how to use - my Ring of Epa."

He stared at her in surprise. He had not been expecting her to say this.

"You realize the consequences of this?"

"I do. But of all the people who have possessed it, he is the one I am least concerned about," she said as she stared at the floor. She was not really prepared to say what needed to be said.

"If there should come a time when I can no longer be loyal to you. Someone we both trust will need to control my actions."

He gave her a grave look. She was not one for melodrama, and Dumbledore knew this. As much as it visibly pained him, he knew she was right.

"Very well. I give my permission."

"Harry is not looking well either. I am concerned about his health and whether or not he can deal with this situation Headmaster."

"I share your concerns. However, I have full faith in Harry, and his friends."

"As do I. I just don't sense he has the same faith in himself," she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.

* * *

She held Harry back after class that week and waited for all the students to leave before telling him she wanted to see him in her office that evening after dinner.

At 6pm, he walked in timidly and knocked on the door to get her attention.

"Professor Lynch?"

"Come in," she said without looking up from her papers.

She closed the door, locked it, and put a detection charm on it. Harry was startled by this and stared between her and the door uncomfortably. She could see this out of the corner of her eye.

"Sit down."

He did. She looked up.

"I trust you still have my Ring? "

He pulled it out of his robes and went to take it off. He thought she was asking for it back.

"Leave it on."

He gave her a puzzled look and tucked it back into his robes.

"You look like you haven't eaten in days," she said as she rose to pace the room.

"I haven't really been hungry. "

"You need to eat. If you have no appetite I will give you a potion to cure that. I know that what you're going through isn't easy, but making yourself suffer isn't going to help."

"You sound like Hermione," he said quietly. She resisted the urge to comment on the comparison.

Kara pointed towards a plate of food she had brought up from the kitchens. Next to the plate was a bottle of yellow potion - an appetite potion.

He looked at it and looked back up at her.

"Drink the potion, then eat."

He obeyed and she paced the room for several minutes.

"What I am going to tell you, Harry, is to be kept between you and I. Dumbledore has given us permission to do this, but I would advise against telling him any details regarding our work," she began.

Harry had a suspicious look on his face.

"The Ring, Harry, as you know is more than just a means to summon me. If used properly it can control what powers I use and it can be used to kill me." She paused to examine his face. There was a calm, yet curious look there.

"I need to teach you how to use it," she finished.

"What? Why?" His eyes were big and his mouth was full of mashed potatoes.

"Everything will become clear in due time. We will begin when you finish unless you have other things to attend to," she said.

"No," he said quickly, but then added, "I mean not really. Just an essay for Snape." He seemed somewhat embarrassed.

She raised her eyebrows in amusement and gave him a small smile.

When he finished eating they walked down to the Defense classroom. He stood nervously by her desk as the student's desks moved to the side of the room on their own and the door to the classroom closed and locked itself. She only hoped Snape would not stop by.

"I'm going to stand in the middle of the room. Take the ring off from around your neck and remove the chain," she instructed.

He tentatively pulled it out from around his neck and placed the naked chain on her desk. He held the Ring in his hand as if it would break if it moved.

"There are several modes to the ring. There is the normal mode, which it is in now. There is the summon mode, which causes me to come to you whether or not I want to. There is the inhibitor mode which will inhibit my powers, and the terminus mode which will kill me," she said.

He nodded with a very worried look on his face.

"You put the ring in inhibitor mode by placing it on your left ring finger and saying 'Abstenus'. After you say Abstenus, follow it with the incantation to the spell you want to block me from performing. We will start with something simple. It will take us several weeks of practicing to get this right."

She levitated a book off of her desk and moved it towards her. It floated in the air.

"The charm I'm using now is Wingardium Leviosa. Put the ring on and say 'Abstenus Wingardium Leviosa'. Go on."

Harry put the ring on and said the words. The book fell with a loud thump. Harry jumped a bit. Kara froze. How was this possible? No one was ever able to do that the first time. She tried to keep her face as calm as possible. Harry's eyes searched her curiously. He had not expected that to work the first time either. She pulled her thoughts together.

"Good. You got it on the first try. Now, I will not be able to perform this spell again until you say 'Performus Wingardium Leviosa'. Go on."

He said the words and the book flew into the air again. She took a deep breath. This was surely unreal. There is no way a young wizard should be able to perform these spells so easily. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for what was coming next.

"Good. Now you can suspend all of my powers by saying Abtsentus Optimal." She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact of the change in her mind. It didn't come. Harry was just staring at her with an uncertain look on his face.

"Go on," she snapped.

Harry timidly said, "Abtsentus Optimal". The impact of his words hit her and she took a deep breath.

Kara took out her wand and yelled "Wingardium Leviosa" at the book. It didn't move. She looked at Harry and tried to smile. It came out as a wince.

"Now I am completely powerless. It's as if I was never a witch at all." Just then she heard the door behind her unlock and open. Harry jammed his hands in his pockets to hide the ring. She was pleasantly surprised at his desire for secrecy.

She knew the only person that could unlock the door was Snape. He no doubt assumed she was alone.

Both she and Harry looked at the door as Snape glided through it. He shot them both a suspicious glance but didn't say anything. He looked at her as if to allow her to read his mind, but she couldn't.

"Close the door Professor Snape," she said shortly.

He did and she turned back to Harry.

"Now to restore my powers, say Performus Optimal." Snape shot her a nasty look with wide eyes as he suddenly realized what she was doing.

Harry stared at Snape and back at Kara who nodded. "Performus Optimal." A blast of warmth shot through her body.

Kara lifted the book in the air and simultaneously locked the door with her mind. Harry jumped at the sound of the door clicking.

She looked into Snape's eyes and read his thoughts. "Why are you doing this? What is going on?" She looked away. She was not about to let him question her in front of Harry.

"Very good. We will practice more at a later time. Unfortunately, we will not be able to practice the terminus mode. You only get one chance for that. We will cover it another day. Any questions?" She asked.

Harry looked between Snape and her with a look of anticipation on his face.

"No Professor. I don't think so," he replied.

"Good. Then I will see you tomorrow. Don't forget to put that back on its chain please."

Harry gathered the chain and left the room looking back at her and Snape briefly as if to overhear something important.

She closed the door behind Harry and locked it. She turned to look at Snape.

"I cant pretend I didn't see that Kara. What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Voldemort knows I will go to the ends of the Earth for you Severus," she said sadly as she walked towards him and stared up into his dark eyes. "I foresee a time when I will not be able to resist the urge to betray Dumbledore because of it. This - is - well this is what needs to be done to protect - to ensure what needs to happen, happens." She looked down at the floor. She couldn't face the stare he was giving her.

"I shouldn't have asked you to help me with the Lestranges," he said in a defeated tone.

"On the contrary. I was careless. I knowingly touched her Dark Mark," she said.

The desks in the room began to rearrange themselves quietly.

"You know Harry is not what you think Severus," she said as she sat down at one of the student desks. She folded her arms in front of her.

He didn't respond.

"I am constantly surprised at his abilities. He is not what I would call studious, but he is certainly powerful."

He gave her an angry look. He wasn't sure where she was going with her statements.

"He was able to disable me on the first try," she said.

His angry look turned to comprehension. He knew as well as she did that disabling an Oracle was a difficult task and one that normally took several weeks of practice.

"You're not suggesting that he ..." Snape said as he turned away from her and walked towards the front of the room.

"I'm not suggesting anything at all, but whatever you're thinking I have considered already," she said.

"You see nothing in him? He was passed the Contrification restrictions?" Snape asked her as he sat at her desk.

"I see nothing at all."

"Dumbledore would want to do it," he said after a few moments of silence, understanding what she was implying.

She nodded. "Of course."