Rating:
PG-13
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Severus Snape
Genres:
Action Drama
Era:
Multiple Eras
Stats:
Published: 07/10/2003
Updated: 09/22/2003
Words: 17,353
Chapters: 4
Hits: 3,149

Broken Wings

lacewing

Story Summary:
A Hufflepuff girl starts having visions of a horrifying future and Snape is involved. ````Mentally she screamed. She felt as if she was breaking into a thousand shattering pieces of a fragmented mirror, with each piece reflecting back distorted half images.

Chapter 04

Chapter Summary:
Its the final chapter, Heather Fletcher has been having disturbing dreams and visions, these visions involve Severus Snape, Death Eaters and Voldemort. Now what she has seen has come true. What can she do now to save the lives of not only herself but Snape and all of Hogwarts?
Posted:
09/22/2003
Hits:
640
Author's Note:
This is the final chapter of this story. Stay tuned for a follow up story, part 2 of 3 Cursed Vows.

            Heather shook with barely controlled rage standing in a dress a princess would be proud of. A whimsical bit of cloth clung to her arms, showing more of her shoulders and minimal cleavage than she would wish. Heather only prayed that someone transfigured her old outfits into this. The idea of someone, dressing her like a doll made her more than slightly ill. Across the way, the house burned. Fire turning the snow to blood. Heather shivered under the December cold. Just like my dreams, she thought, blood on snow and lifeless bodies. Though one thing was very different. Below on a blood stained hieratic altar was Professor Severus Snape. Lashed down and stretched to a point, her joints winced sympathetically, but his face was controlled, not showing the pain he must be going through. She could see from her vantage the twitch of his cheek where he gnashed his teeth, surrounded by his former comrades, Death Eaters.

            A shadow came up behind her. Cold, chilling, malicious and this one she feared. She had to keep telling herself not to jump, not to show fear. To stay strong, stay calm. Or neither her nor her teacher would make it out of this alive.

            Why do you want to save him? part of her asked. Memories of the state the school was left in. Snape's horrible betrayal. Dumbledore badly injured, she didn't even know if he still lived at all. Students dead. Blindly, Heather had followed the crazed Professor out into the storm. Something in her screaming that it couldn't have been right. Snape would never betray Dumbledore. Not willingly. Would he?

            Now, both captured, Heather knew she would be next on that altar. Things in her dreams were all too clear. What would most likely happen to her. If she didn't escape, it wasn't going to be a very pleasant death.

            Skeletal fingers brushed her skin. Gentle in mockery of a lover's touch. Heather closed her eyes and gripped her teeth to keep from shivering in distaste, as she so badly wanted. She felt warm breath brush her neck and shoulders like carefully placed kisses.

            Heather did shiver - in total disgust.

            A cruel chuckle, as if the owner of the touch was pleased at getting a reaction out of her. Those hands moving up into her hair, curling among the mousy curls and then pulling her head back forcefully so that she looked up at the face of the enemy, shadowed by the hood pulled low over his face.

            "You clean up decently girl," Voldemort hissed cruelly. Heather winced as he pulled her hair savagely.

            "Can't say the same for you" when all fails, she thought, resort to childish behavior. She stared boldly back at slitted eyes, though just looking at his face made her want to scream and crumble into acting like the fifteen year old she was.

            He said nothing, not dignifying that particular response with a comment, but after a moment -a very long moment for Heather since her back was starting to complain very much at the angle she was held at - he finally did speak "I must ask, why did you followed Severus into the storm child?"

            At least he wasn't calling her Mudblood or some such thing yet. He did seem honestly curious in his sick demented way.

            "Because it wasn't him in the school." She remembered mostly Snape's eyes. He could have killed her, but for a moment his eyes went from cold to horrified. A brief moment burned into her memory. Like fire and blood.

            "But it was," Voldemort smiled, showing far too many teeth. "Your Professor fulfilled my orders turning the school to chaos, distracting everyone and killing that Albus Dumbledore."

            But the Headmaster lives, her mind screamed. She did not repeat that thought, choosing to say, "Then why is he strapped to that altar instead of me?"

            A chuckle.

            "Because he must learn a lesson." He seemed distracted for the moment, watching the house burn. Not even glancing down below to Snape's body. Then he continued back looking down to her, "You though, have gifts that would be very useful to me. Yes, very useful. Severus told me all about your gifts."

            When we were captured, she thought, he must have told them about my foresight to keep me alive, at least a bit longer. Long enough maybe for rescue?

            "Whoopie-do," she replied really wishing he would at least find a NEW position to hold her in. Amongst the pain was the nagging feeling he was looking down her cleavage. Pervert, she thought. She was really starting to get uncomfortable.

            "I read tea leaves and tell Neville where he can find his toad. Not much of a gift if you ask me." She gave the most flippant tone she could, glad now for her time with Severus. Never show fear. Show little pain, and be as rude as you possibly can.

            She did gasp when he gripped her hair tighter, making her feel as if it would come out by the roots.

            "This is not a time to joke, child. I know you were the one tipping those fools off about my plans."

            "So?"

            "Join with me," he hissed quietly, seductively. "Everything you could ever want would be yours. Money, fame, just tell me what it is you see. Give your loyalties to me. Your body and soul. I will give you everything."

            It took some time before she really registered what he just said. He just offered for her to join forces with him? Join with the Darkside Luke, the memory came from watching the telly with her father, who was a Starwars nut. Something that amused her mother to no end. But it was her Mudblood Muggle father and her witch mother who never came from one of the old families.

            Then that whole body and soul line really set off the alarm bells in her head, but then again with how he looked at the moment it was not likely he got many dinner dates. Eat shit and die, she thought to herself rebelliously. Voldemort leaned closer to her. As if he planned on kissing her. If he does, I'm going to hurl.

             "Well interesting offer, but I really must refuse." I actually have something called morals.

            Voldemort let go and Heather wasn't able to catch herself before she landed flat on her back in the cold snow.

            "Stupid Mudblood bitch," he said.

            "I know you are, but what am I?"

            He paused a long moment, then laughed. Sending chills down her spine and before she could react, he reached out and snagged her arm. Pulling her up roughly with his other hand raking painfully across her shoulder, drawing blood. Then he drew a mark on her arm with her own blood. The Dark Mark. He held it up so she could see it.

            "This, child, could be yours. As one of mine, you would be safe when my forces move, destroying all those that stand in my way."

            Oh wow, she thought, he doesn't give up does he? Her eyes riveted on the image of her own blood in the Dark Mark. Like her dreams. Everything so like her dreams, yet her dreams never told her how this would all end.

            "I said no," and this time she managed to pull her arm away. Glancing around for an escape, she noticed something. Snape wasn't really tied down, more like someone had been holding him down. She spotted the wizard whose wand was out. Seeming to chant the spell that slowly stretched Snape farther along the altar. Before Voldemort could react, she grabbed a sharp looking flattish stone and, thanking her long practice skipping stones along the creek all summer, she flung it, striking the Death Eater hard enough to send him stumbling. Breaking the spell, or at least most of it, Snape was soon free. Below it broke into chaos as Death Eaters fought to regain control of the situation and Snape fought for his freedom.

            Voldemort hissed something Heather couldn't catch and struck her, sending her crashing into the snow, his own wand out pointed at her.

            "Foolish girl. I gave you a chance to live, and you choose death"

            "Better a clean death than an unclean life," she responded. Voldemort readied the Killing Curse. Before he struck, she rolled into him, knocking him back and his wand up. He reached out and grabbed her wounded shoulder, making her eyes inadvertently water with pain, but she ignored it. Her hand was holding another stone, which she was determined to beat him to death with. Kill this monster that had hurt her friends and killed innocent and good people. Her Hufflepuff heart was crying for those unfair deaths.

            Voldemort was the stronger and faster of the two of them. He recovered quickly and like the striking snake he resembled, sent her flying back and rolling down the embankment. She felt a familiar shadow. Her shadow. Moments before something struck her. Pain like nothing she had ever felt before right in the middle of her back. She stared up into shocked black eyes. Her vision fading as she heard laughter all around her. So this is how it ends? Shucks. 

~~~~~~~~~

            Severus looked up at Voldemort with hatred. Used once, then discarded, then used again against his will. There was a lot that happened the last few days he could never forgive.

            "Accio!" He called his wand to him, hand held ready and staring at Voldemort. The Fletcher girl lain carefully to the side. He wasn't sure if she still breathed, but if he took the time to check, he wouldn't live long enough to do anything about it. Voldemort had not cast a killing curse in those few hasty moments. Instead it had been to disable. Perhaps he thought to try and 'persuade' her to join him again. Voldemort had few women in his numbers. The few that had existed had been driven mad or were dead.

            He wasn't going to let him take one of his students.

            "A duel?" Voldemort seemed so honestly amused, as Snape hoped he would be. Amused enough to actually battle him, rather than just kill him instantly. Snape wished to keep him here long as he could. Keep him from escaping before the always-late Aurors finally showed. Or Dumbledore recovered enough to get help after them.

            Better not to think of Dumbledore; he did not need distractions.

            Voldemort pulled his own wand lazily and held ready. Giving a mocking bow in play of an actual formal duel. Snape only nodded his head back and before Voldemort could bring up his wand, sent his first spell flying. He didn't bother with disarming or minor charms, going straight to the major hexes and deadly curses.

            Voldemort didn't hold back either. Only fast reflexes saved him from the Cruciatus Curse. He tossed off a couple more spells, not sure if either hit since he continued moving to make himself harder to hit. As another spell he knew he could not dodge came at him, Snape threw up his hands in a warding gesture making a hasty temporary shield to block most of the effect of the spell that still blasted him back four feet. Rolling to the side he barely missed the next spell flung after the first. Eyes narrowed in concentration, Snape rapidly flung up several spells, all meant to distract long enough to near closer to Voldemort.

            When he was close enough, he struck. Casting the spell into his wand he flung it point first into Voldemort's unprotected throat. The Dark Lord stumbled back, choking as he reached up to remove the wand, breaking it in his hands. Snape's breath was harsh and foggy on the chill air as the Dark Lord cast baleful eyes at Snape and disappeared. Snape cursed himself for having not seen the treacherous creature's escape coming.

            Having not been strong enough to kill him with the desperate gambit he pulled.

            Kneeling alone in the snow, Snape hung his head, suddenly tired. He glanced up at the sky and then back to the side where he had left the girl. At first he thought she was dead - yet another body count in his name - until he noticed the ever so slight fall and rise of her chest. Getting up, he went over and checked for her pulse, finding the strong flutter under his fingers. He noticed the slightly flaking mark Voldemort had drawn in her blood and made a face of distaste. Tactless really. As if that would impress her. Snape knew better of course.

            But the snow wasn't doing her any good. Nor did it do him any good as well, since the adrenaline was beginning to fade and the cold started to set into his joints.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

            When Heather woke, she was leaning against something. It took her a moment to realize the something breathed. The house had burned down to embers. She glanced over her shoulder, which had been bandaged with a bit of black material. Snape was staring at the sky at the moment but felt her movement and looked down over his shoulder at her. She was leaning against his back. Well, it was warmer that way. Her back against his and she faced the fading embers of the house. Surprised her a bit. Snape didn't like being touched. She hurt though, not just the shoulder, but all over.

            "What happened?" she asked.

            "He hit you with a spell. I'm not quite sure which one he used. As angry as you made him, I don't think he realized either. He escaped me before I could do more than scratch him." Blunt, precise, without emotion. Just as she liked her information. The facts. So she still breathed. Her eyes glanced down and she saw a stone mask. A Death Eater's mask. Perhaps it belonged to Snape or someone forgot it, but she found her fingers closing over a rod from something that had littered the yard and with a savage movement, she put the end right through the center of the mask shattering it.

            Snape had watched her silently then looked off to the distance. He touched her uninjured shoulder lightly and pointed at something. She followed his gaze, noting that half of his sleeve was missing, thus the answer to the black material bandaging her arm. She saw wizards coming. Some walked, some on brooms and some Apparating.

            "Oh, the cavalry is here," she commented dryly. Snape snorted. The Aurors were a bit late.

            "You two, what happened here?" asked a wizard, noticing them sitting together before the burning house. Bodies were scattered everywhere. Most were Death Eaters. Snape showing as much mercy to them as they would have showed to him.

            Heather spoke before Snape could. "We're from Hogwarts, sir. Voldemort kidnapped the Professor and left an impostor to kill Dumbledore. I thought something was wrong and followed. I was captured and Professor Snape saved me." Knowing her normal factual way of talking likely wouldn't convince this person as to her honesty, she put on a show of tears and near hysterics. Not all faked either. She figured after all this, she deserved a chance to be a touch hysterical.

            Snape was giving her a distinctly odd look, for that was not really the full and honest truth (either that or for her acting ability). Heather knew that, but she wasn't going to save Snape once to have to save him again from Azkaban. The Auror looked a little surprised, then got all mushy and fussed over her as someone brought a blanket. She trusted Snape to give a more detailed account to those closing in. At least she gave him a good alibi to use as to why it wasn't really him who tried to murder Dumbledore. Because it wasn't. That crazed hurting animal had not at all been the Professor, but something Voldemort created. At least that's how it was in her mind.

            But Voldemort had unfortunately escaped. Would he try to use the Professor again? She didn't know. No sudden visions of the future told her anything either. She glanced down and still saw on her arm part of the mark Voldemort had drawn in her blood. Turned black from age. She made a face of disgust and wiped it off on the inside of the blanket, flaking the crusty blood off her arm. Then seated and being fussed over and given hot drinks and overall ignored as everyone preferred to talk to the 'adult' of the two of them, Heather smiled slightly and curled up, letting herself sleep

            Surprisingly peacefully or maybe it was just exhaustion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Heather sucked on a lemon drop, a habit she found she picked up from the Headmaster over the rest of the school year, contemplated her next move on the chess board. Professor Snape sat across from her, waiting. It had been like this for a while.

            Right after the night she faced Voldemort, her parents had both come to Hogwarts to ensure themselves that she was fine. She spent a couple days in the hospital wing talking a lot with Dumbledore, who was fine, and while he took longer to recover from Snape's attack, he did and by the end of the winter holidays, he had been back on his feet and doing well. Even if he did walk a little slower and tended to act a touch more senile than before. Heather found herself in an interesting position as errand runner for the Headmaster since she had stayed on during the vacation after it had been deemed 'safer' for her till the magistrate was sure of what all did happen.

            Till that time Heather had found she had gotten use to spending her evenings with Snape. During that time, he helped her sort through the confusing images of possibilities. She was used to his acidic tongue and losing house points nearly every time she turned around. Even the fifty points Dumbledore gave her for her heart, logic, and bravery hardly put a dent in what she lost to Snape. However, Heather had a sneaking suspicion that not all of the 'lost points' Snape kept taking were actually lost because she spent some time staring at the House record and kept finding that it didn't all add up. They still made second that year, putting Slytherin in third, much to everyone's thrill. It had been a long time since Hufflepuff made anything but fourth and periodically third.

            Heather had also been surprised and relieved when the dreams all but stopped. She seldom woke with thoughts of doom and death on her mind. Though she did often end up telling the Gryffindor Neville where to find his toad. Helped Sprout figure out the best time to plant temperamental herbs. Usually made herself very popular as the locator of lost things and foreteller of happy occasions.

            Sometime in February, Heather found herself peeking into the dungeon classroom to find Professor Snape correcting papers. He had given her a sour look and she asked if she could help. To her surprise, he had let her. Even though they never talked much about what happened, they did talk about all manners of subjects from Arts to Potions. Then one evening, he decided to teach her chess when he discovered she never really played before but in passing.

            It was the end of the year and the last night she would spend at Hogwarts before summer started. The students would all be going back to their homes on the 'morrow. She was determined to try and win this game. Beat Professor Snape at least once, which since they started playing, she never managed to do. Sending a bishop across the board, Snape hardly waited before sending his knight moving and she lost her bishop, who she had to hastily save from the over-enthusiastic knight who sent the peace flying off the playing field.

            "Hey now, you guys play nice!" The pieces all started booing and cat calling her and each other. Heather rolled her eyes. "You know there are days Muggle playing pieces have their advantages"

            Snape snorted, looking amused.

            "Going to write?" Heather asked and moved a pawn who took out Snape's pawn. She watched her piece do a jaunty jig, as the others cheered it on.

            "What ever for, Ms. Fletcher?"

            "I don't know," she responded. "Dumbledore promised to write if he ever thinks about it." She was trying to think of her next move.

            "Then I will as well," he responded, adding dryly, "if I think about it."

            Heather grinned evilly and waited for Snape to take a sip of his tea before saying, the other watching her growing expression of mischief with suspicion, "Then I'll write every week telling you about what teen-age girls do all summer!"

            He choked on his tea to her pleasure. "That is not necessary, Ms. Fletcher," Severus Snape stuttered as he caught his breath again. Heather only giggled coldly, thinking already of a particular teen magazine with the cover story 'Ten easy steps so that you too can have movie star hair!'

            Professor Snape gave her an equally cold look with a single raised brow as if he could see exactly what was going on in her head. She only smiled back sticky sweet batting her lashes innocently. He snorted.

            "I've a mind to take ten points from your house Ms. Fletcher"

            "Can't, they already gave out the House Cup!" she grinned triumphantly.

            "Does not mean it can not come off of next years' score!" Snape shot back.

            She stuck out her tongue and made a rude sound.

            "Oh, how childish," he drawled.

            "I know you are, but what am I?"

            Snape only shrugged, shaking his head in a manner that clearly said he had given up on her sanity and intelligence, then made his next move on the chessboard. The rest of the evening went on in comfortable, playful banter and flying chessmen. 


A/N: A special thanks to my betas, extra extra special thanks to you reviewers who loved the story. While I know there may be some questions left, just stay tuned for the next 'Hogwarts' Chapter and the return of Heather in "Cursed Vows" which will be a longer story than this one was. I believe this is the final adjustments. There may be a few errors left still. I don't know, anyway this story been done awhile, but just took time for the betas to finish the corrections. Well thanks for sticking around and stay tuned for a couple new stories I'll be posting, aside from the sequel to this one there will be a new story or two. Got a couple ideas and one that's been writing itself out well.

            As a side note, I write these as practice in story telling and grammer. Work on them when I'm totally frustrated with my novels. (Yes I do happen to write for a living. Its something to do LOL) So these are meant to be only for fun for me to write, if you happen to enjoy reading them then that's a bonus :)

            For more art, harry potter, and whatever else strikes my fancy check out my web page:

            http://lacewing.arkham-networks.com/phoenix