You Were too Young to Die

Chapter 9

FIFTY-FIFTY, CINQUANTE-CINQUANTE

Severus Snape blended in with the circle of Death Eaters which surrounded Voldemort. He scrutinized one by one, all the silhouettes. He couldn´t guess their identity because of the cowls which concealed the faces. However, he recognized some voices. There were Malfoy and the Lestrange couple. But it was neither Malefoy, nor Lestrange he looked for.

He approached the Death Eaters who were near the Dark Lord. They were two.

He had found her.

It was her, on the left, he was sure of it.

The rangy silhouette, the long white hands and the locks of black hair escaped from the cowl confirmed him that he hadn´t made any mistake.

It was indeed her.

But he couldn´t speak to her now. She was standing too close to Voldemort.

He waited the end of the meeting.

***

Slowly, all the Death Eaters went away in the mist.

All except her.

But why did she stay ?

Soon, in this glade plunged into the fog, two people stayed.

She and Voldemort.

Snape couldn´t approach her. He hid himself in the bushes, waiting for something.

What ?

He didn´t really know.

That he, Voldemort, went awa, maybe.

But in the depths of him, he knew the Dark Lord wasn´t going to leave...

She tore away her mask, releasing her long hair which fell cascaded over her shoulders.

Snape expected to see her frightened, panicked.

Not at all.

She had taken Voldemort´s arm, putting her fond hand on his neck.

Nous sommes des leaders, vous et moi

Des soeurs jumelles, des frères siamois

On a chacun eu nos fardeaux

Vous ces crétins, moi mon idiot

Snape had a disgusted expression.

How Rachel, so beautiful, heir of Gryffindor, could kiss Voldemort, so old, so ugly and disgusting, heir of Slytherin, murderer of so many innocents ?

Snape moved back, upset.

What will he do, now ? Will he say to Dumbledore what he had seen ?

***

Rachel caressed his arm, then his neck, then his hair.

She smiled. When she touched his lips, he murmured :

" You are so different from the little girl I twisted the arm, some times ago... "

Quel hasard de se rencontrer

D´unir nos vies et nos pensées

Mais qu´avons-nous fait de nos vies

Deux vraies faillites, un pur gâchis

" Only idiots don´t change their mind, do they ? "

She had a terrible grimace.

" I didn´t know my power of corruption was so fast, Rachel. You have changed... More dangerous... "

She laughed mischievously.

" But I kept my gaze of frightened girl and I am going to bed more of one man like that... "

Fifty-fifty, cinquante-cinquante

Main dans la main si ça nous chante

Fifty-fifty, partageons tout

Qu´un jour ou l´autre se lève enfin pour nous

***

Voldemort looked at hern, going away, laughing.

He intended her clear and terrible laughter resound, when she disappeared.

He felt sick this evening.

He should have been happy.

Rachel was in his hands. Rachel, the most beautiful conceivable asset to trap the Potters.

But he didn´t manage to moved away the image of the girl of his thoughts.

He felt different.

Something was changed in him.

For the first time, for a long time, he felt dominated.

But by whom ?

He looked desperately for another answer but the solution came very clearly to him.

By her, obviously.

Je vois dans vos yeux bleu azur

Une tentation, une aventure

Refaire nos vies sans penser

Loin de ces gens intéressés

***

Rachel opened the door of her flat. She came in, whistling while she entered in her bedroom. She felt satisfied. So satisfied. She had discovered what she looked for. It was great to love.

Vous êtes la belle au bois dormant

Vous serez mon Prince charmant

Dans notre palais sans compter

Nous ne laisserons rien aux héritiers

She sliped between the sheets. Automatically, she turned on the switch of her bedside lamp. The light enlightened three photos put on the bedside table. On the first, James and Lily was smiling to her, shaking their hands. The others represented a nine years old James and a sixteen years old James.

She sighed, then took the three snaps which she threw in a drawer :

" Sorry, my dear brother. I had promised mom I would care of you if it happened something to her... I failed. I broke my promise and will never keep it. Sorry, my dear brother. "

She closed violently the drawer then went back to bed. Lazily, she didn´t get up when the drawer opened again.

***

She slept badly that night.

Her sleep was filled with nightmares.

A black eagle... Always that black eagle. That black eagle which reminded her somebody.

She saw a spider too, a black widow, who bothered her, followed her, didn´t stop telling her :

" My dear brother, darling brother. "

And Rachel woke up with a sweaty forehead.

That black eagle ...

Qu´importe, moi c´est voyager

Dans vos bras qui me font rêver

Ne perdons pas un seul instant

Pour nous le temps, c´est de l´argent

***

Snape opened his notebook he used for his missions to the sixth page and observed the photograph which was stuck on it, sighing.

He turned over. There were a snap and a text on all the pages, crossed off by the registration " Mission accomplished ".

But this time, it was different.

Rachel was smiling at the sixth page.

He put his chin on his right fist with a pensive expression.

And what if it was only a bluff ? And whet if she did that to escape from Voldemort's sharp claws ?

No, it was impossible.

Rachel was always smiling at the sixth page.

He took a quill, dipped it into a flask of purple ink and with an unsteady hand, covered the photograph by the words " Mission interrupted ".

Rachel was always smiling at the sixth page.

Fifty-fifty, cinquante-cinquante

Cette nouvelle vie est tentante

Fifty-fifty, partageons tout

Qu´un jour nouveau se lève enfin pour nous.