Darkly Bound

Darkly Bound

chapter 3

It was a long walk back to Ravenclaw tower from the Professor Moody's Defense against the Dark Arts office and I was exhausted. I had just spent a grueling two hours with him reviewing the finer points of some of the darker episodes at Hogwarts over the last few years. He had also made it perfectly clear that he, and others, were not at all pleased with what had gone on yesterday in the Potions classroom.

"What Professor Snape did, was reckless and he should have known better, but what you did was dangerous!"

"I know that. I shouldn't have done it."

"That's not enough! You haven't been here long enough to know what you're up against. Things are not always what they seem here. You can not let yourself get tricked into exposing yourself like that again."

I had nothing to say in my defense.

"You're very lucky, Miss. You don't know who you're dealing with."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you listen to anything I told you just now? Did you hear me when I told you what happened to me? And I'm no slouch, my dear. None of us are so powerful that we can consider ourselves safe at any time!"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm sorry to keep you so late, but Dumbledore insisted you know all this and I only arrived today. I don't like to have extra time on my hands, no point in coming before I'm needed, you know."

I felt like the sagging group of first years the prefects had lead out of the hall after the banquet. Once the thrill of the trip on the Hogwarts Express, and the excitement of the Sorting and banquet had worn off, the poor things looked like they could have fallen asleep right at their tables. As I walked thought the silent corridors I began pulling at a loose thread on the sleeve of my robe. 'Good.' I thought, 'It's falling apart.' Suddenly all I could think of was changing out of this hideous robe. Why on earth had I chosen it? It was positively awful. Well, it was now, anyway, forever spoiled by an innocent comment by Hagrid over dinner. "That there's a luvly frock you've got, Miss. Reminds me of the color of...." His mind was so open I got an immediate picture of exactly what it reminded him of. Some half formed larval creature. It was indeed the exact color of my now ill-fated robe. "Well thank you Hagrid!" I cut him off he before could get too descriptive while vowing to burn the thing as soon as I got back to my rooms. All this was passing through my mind when I became aware of an obstruction in the hallway just in front of me.

"Good evening, Professor, or should I say, Doctor?" It was Professor Snape. The very last person I wanted to see at that moment.

"Oh, Good evening, Professor. Still up and about? But then I suppose it's important for you to get as much done as possible before sunrise, isn't it?"

He looked baffled for a moment then actually grinned. "You've been listening in on the conversations of some of our more imaginative students. Quite amusing, I agree."

"Nothing they've said would surprise me." I answered flatly and stepped forward to pass. He didn't move. "Excuse me, I'm tired. Some of us sleep at night and Moody's already had more than his share of my evening."

"Moody? What did he want ?"

"Oh you know," I was getting annoyed at his questioning but sensed no malice in it, "all sorts of doom and gloom, the usual advice about Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Really?"

"Yes. Does that surprise you? Didn't you know that I was offered that post?" I hadn't been but was interested in his response.

"Oh?" His eyes narrowed and I knew he was trying to read my thoughts to see if I was lying. I also knew he would be unable to do so.

"Mmm hmm," I began toying with a small metal rainbow hued orb that I wore around my neck on a cord. It had a chime inside it that rang softly when moved. I found it calming.

"Now that's a pretty thing," Snape said and reached for it. "Very nice." It chimed quietly as he turned it over in his hand.

"Yes, and believe it or not it's of Muggle manufacture. Not a single spell involved in its creation. I see you find it quite bewitching." He dropped it immediately and it made a dull thunk as it fell. "If you don't mind me asking, Professor, what are you doing here so late? I've given you my excuse, please return the favor, especially since you don't seem to want to let me pass."

"I have my reasons. They are of no interest to you. Of that you can be sure."

I was far too tired to carry on with this. "Professor Snape, you're correct. I have no interest in your nocturnal carryings on, but unless you let me pass right now I'm gong to scream and that will really give your 'imaginative students' something to talk about this year."

He smiled again and moved aside. "Good night, Doctor Claros"

"Thank you, Potions Master, don't stay out too late, um, early. It's nearly dawn."

4.

Someone, far away, was screaming. A high-pitched keening wail was permeating the walls. Stop it! Stop that screaming! It got louder and more insistent. Who was it? A woman? A child maybe? Who is screaming? I sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in sweat. I looked quickly around the room, feeling sick and dizzy. "A dream?" But not a dream. I could hear the shrieking still. As I tried to recover my senses I realized that what I had heard as screaming was really more of a shrill whine that was coming from inside a cupboard. It was a sound I had never wanted to hear again. "Damn!" I said aloud and started out of bed. I didn't get far before I noticed the cold. The room was absolutely bone-chillingly cold. I could see my breath in the dim light. I grabbed a thick blanket off the bed and wrapped myself in it tightly as I approached the cupboard. I knelt as I opened it and dragged a heavy locked chest out from the bottom drawer. The shrieking noise was louder than ever. I murmured the spell to unlock the case and slowly lifted the lid. "Damn it's cold in here," my wand was on the desk by the window. I retrieved it and used it at once to kindle a roaring fire in the fireplace. I pulled the blanket closer around me. My fingers were getting numb. Finally, rummaging through the items in the trunk I removed the item that was making the noise and silenced it. Why was it so cold? I blew on my fingers to try to warm them. The fire seemed to be giving off no heat at all, but I dragged the trunk closer to it. I picked up the heavy object that I had just quieted and studied it.

"Dammit, damn!" I whispered. My breath fogged its glass surface. It was a clear glass ball filled with clockwork that at the moment was spinning wildly and giving off an eerie green glow. I dropped it and dug deeper into the trunk. At the very bottom I found what I was looking for. I lifted the heavy parcel bound in thick wrappings and laid it on the floor in front of the fire. I sat back on my heels and pulled more of the blanket around me. The temperature seemed to be dropping still. I took a deep breath and began to untie the bindings around the bundle. As they fell away, my worst fears were realized.

I stood up, grabbed a small jar of powder off the mantle and threw it into the blazing, but cold, fire.

"Moody! You've got to come up here, this can't wait!"

I grabbed the thick quilt off the bed and wrapped myself in that before kneeling back down in front of the fire. I pushed away the last of the wrappings. In front of me was a thick slab of obsidian glass, chiseled into an oval shape and framed in gold. Usually its polished surface was smooth and black, as dark and unfathomable as the ocean depths. But now, its face was nothing of the sort. An angry red glare rose from the center of the glass and shadows began to form in that glow. I sat back, rocking and trying to warm my hands when I heard a sudden rapping on the door.

"Claros!"

"It's open, come in!" I had tried to speak normally, but my voice had come out weak and rasping. My teeth had begun to chatter.

"Bloody Hell!" said Moody as he stepped into the room. "It's colder than a...what're you up to in here?"

"I...I'm not sure. I don't know about the cold. I lit a fire."

"I can see that."

"This is what woke me," I looked around the floor, found the glass ball and handed it over to him.

He sat down on a side chair and examined it. "You brought this with you?" he asked.

"I hadn't planned on using it. I'd forgotten I had it until it started shrieking. I've never seen readings like that before.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't have." He didn't look pleased.

"That's not all though, there's more."

"Yes, I see you've been doing some unpacking. Look you've got to get out of this room you know, this cold....it means..."

"Look at this!" I pointed at the obsidian mirror on the floor.

"Well now that's a beauty, in't it?" He said as he came closer but he stopped short when he caught a glimpse of the figures on the surface. A low whistle escaped his lips. "I don't like this," he said.

"What is it? What sort of place is that?" The pictures had become much clearer. The place in the mirror was a place without light, without hope and the figures within it appeared to be the most desperate souls I'd ever seen. The coldness of the room seemed to match the coldness of their hearts.

"That, Professor, is Azkaban."

"Azkaban! The prison? This doesn't look like a prison."

"Azkaban's no ordinary prison." He was looking intently at the mirror with his good eye, but I couldn't help but notice that his wild eye was taking in, with great interest, and some suspicion the items I had removed from my trunk. "Azkaban is for the worst of the worst. There's plenty of Death Eaters in there now. Guarded by Dementors," he pointed at the horrific scene, "there. But I don't like the looks of this, something's changed. Looks to me like the lunatics are in charge of the asylum." He got up quickly and pulled me with him. "Come on, we're going to see Dumbledore. Now."

"Wait! Can I at least get my--"

He snatched a robe off the foot of the bed and tossed it in my direction. And so I followed him, barefoot, wrapped in my quilt, dragging my robe behind me to the Headmaster's office.

Somewhere between my rooms and Dumbledore's office I had managed to struggle in to the robe, but I was still bitterly cold and shivering as I sat in the office waiting for the Headmaster's arrival. Moody paced nervously mumbling to himself, throwing concerned glances my way with his good eye, alternating with suspicious ones from his wild one. I was extremely uncomfortable but too tired and cold to care. Finally Dumbledore swept in; he too was in his dressing gown.

"What is this all about Alastor?" he asked in his usual gentle voice "Was it so important that it couldn't wait until dawn?"

"It is important! Something's gone terribly wrong at Azkaban. We can not proceed with our current plan."

"And you know this...." he looked over at me, "how?"

"Just look at her! She called me up to look at a skrying mirror. The temperature in her chamber was absolutely freezing and she had a fire blazing."

Dumbledore gazed at me for a moment, then slowly walked over to me and placed his hand over mine. I had to concentrate completely on not shivering or allowing my teeth to chatter. "Dear, dear! You are chilled. Well first things first! Tea!" The tea tray that had welcomed me on my first day appeared fully laden with hot tea. I leaned forward and picked up a steaming cup. "This might help as well." he winked and pulled a small bottle out of a pocket and poured a few drops of a deep violet liquid into my cup.

"Now, Moody, you were telling me about Azkaban."

"Er, yes. Professor Claros has a--"

"I know what Professor Claros has, please go on."

"There is something happening at Azkaban. The Dementors have been turned somehow. It looks like the Death Eaters are gaining power there."

Dumbledore's face betrayed no emotion, "We must continue."

"It'll be suicide if he walks in there. We'll lose him for good and he knows too much about us." Moody was furious and I was able to pick up his thoughts as they formed in his mind. Dumbledore was planning on sending someone into Azkaban to get information from the Death Eaters incarcerated there. He was going to attempt to gauge Voldemort's power by sending someone in to assess the condition of his loyal followers. And there was only one person at Hogwarts who would be able to do that.

"Excuse me Headmaster, am I getting this right? Are you planning to send Professor Snape into Azkaban?"

"He has served in this capacity before and knows what to expect."

"No, sir. If I may speak freely," I was feeling a bit steadier and stood.

"Please do."

"Forgive me if my history is shaky, but from what I understand, thanks to Professor Moody here, is that when Professor Snape served in this capacity before, Voldemort was struggling to retain the control he had left. Well that's not what's happening now. His power is growing. The Death Eaters know it and they are willing to take risks they might not have dared take before. I agree with Moody. If you send him in there now, it's very likely he won't come back."

"You make a very powerful argument," came a silky voice behind me. I jumped involuntarily. It was Snape. "May I contribute to this debate?"

"Severus. Good, you're here."

"I thank you for inviting me, as you all seem to be deciding my future" he said as he sat in a chair beside Dumbledore's desk. "Well, please, Doctor Claros, continue."

"Severus, please." said Dumbldore quietly, " It appears there has been a development that has thrown our course of action into some doubt"

Snape placed the tips of his fingers together and leaned back, "I see."

Moody could no longer restrain himself. "The Death Eaters have somehow managed to gain some level of control over the Dementors at Azkaban. You know what that means to us. You also know you can't just go walking in there."

"And you have this on," he slid his glance over to me "good authority?" he asked.

"Excellent authority Severus!" snapped Dumbledore." There has been a shift in power at Azkaban. It may be minor, it may be temporary, but we do need to reconsider our plan."

"On the contrary," Snape countered. "If what Doctor Claros says is true, then it is even more important that we find out exactly what is happening in Azkaban. Peering at them through crystals is all very well and good, but if we want real answers we've got to get right to them."

"You'll never get out of there." I said, flatly wondering if I particularly cared whether he got out or not.

"I've done it before."

"Have you done this before?" With that I projected directly into his mind the very pictures I had seen in the obsidian mirror. The images that seemed incomprehensible to me were quite understandable to him however and he blanched visibly. I stopped the images and looked away from him. He was visibly shaken and I did not feel the need to embarrass him further.

"Severus," said Dumbledore quietly, "I can't let you do this unless I know we can get you out of there. You know it's too dangerous. Not only for you. For all of us."

Snape sagged in his chair as Dumbledore continued, "We all know that there is always the risk that Voldemort's power will get so strong that you will no longer be able to resist his pull. Understand this: unless I knew we could be sure of your return, I could never let you walk into Azkaban with what's happened."

Snape looked defeated, Dumbledore looked at him with great concern, not unlike a worried father. Then he looked up at me.

"There is a way," I heard myself say.

"What?" Moody practically jumped out of his seat."I can do that," I said.

Snape snapped to attention, his black eyes fixed on me with a mixture of interest and deep suspicion. Dumbledore looked at me steadily. "You can do what?" he asked quietly.

"There's a spell...I'd have to..."

"NO!" Shouted Moody, "Dumbledore you can't be considering this!"

"Quiet!" Dumbledore told him sharply.

Now it was Snape's turn. "Sir, did you know about this?"

"Severus, I told you that Miss Claros has a history not unlike your own. Why should her knowledge in this area surprise you?"

"A bloody dark witch! At Hogwarts!"

"Alastor Moody!" Dumbledore was on his feet now "Melpomene Claros is no more a dark witch than Severus Snape is a Death Eater. It just so happens they both have certain...histories. We have a choice. We can forbid any mention of this or, " his voice became quieter now, "we can use them to our advantage. So, Severus," he turned to Snape, "what's it going to be? I'll leave it up to you. Let me know in the morning. But know this Professors, I'll have no Dark Magic practiced on school grounds."

"I need no time to consider this, sir. It is vital I go to Azkaban. If the only way you will allow it is for me to submit to the ministrations of Dr. Claros, then so be it."

He looked at me through the curtain of his greasy black hair. Could he not rid himself of the sludgy residue from the potions lab or did he not bother to try? I felt my lip curl up in a sneer in response to the mocking tone in his voice. The prospect of going through what I had heard myself suggest with the likes of Severus Snape did not appeal to me either.

"This is insanity!" snapped Moody." Go ahead, send him to Azkaban and have him take her with him. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say."

"That's quite enough of that," said Dumbledore. "I don't like it either. But you of all people know what we are up against here. You also know there is no dark magic where there are no dark intentions. This isn't like you, Moody. I've never known you to be so puritanical. You've taken more risks than anyone I know. I recall pleading your case to the ministry on more than one occasion."

Moody said nothing but sat in his chair and fixed me with a baleful stare from his magical eye. I felt vaguely sick and mildly dizzy and swayed where I stood.

Snape looked over at me and cleared his throat, "When can this be done?"

I pulled my attention away from Moody's stare and faced him. "It's best done at the new moon"

"That's three nights hence," said Dumbledore. "Do you have what you need?"

"Yes, sir. I'm sure I do. You said not on school grounds though, where?"

"I know the place," said Snape, "gather what you need and I'll arrange a portkey. Meet me in the library at new moon rise." He turned abruptly and swept out of the office.

I noticed through the window that the sun had begun to rise. "I think I'll go back to my room now," I said. "The sun's coming up, it should break through the cold" Neither Dumbledore nor Moody said a word as I left.