Slightly Off-Kilter 2 (or What's With the Rubber Duck?)

"Gayle, wake up!"

She swatted her hand out at the person making the annoying buzzing sounds and tried to go back to the nice, quiet darkness. Alas, that dratted voice wasn't going to let her.

"Gayle, will you wake up already?"

"Severus, go away," she mumbled slightly coherently. "I wanna go back to LaLa Land." There was an exasperated sigh that blocked out the irritating buzz for a moment, but the buzz came back. "Will you stop pretending to a bee, please?"

There was a confused silence. "A what?"

"That buzzing. Will you stop already?" Gayle waved her hand out again to ward off the noise and collided with something soft and warm. There was a low curse word spoken, not worth repeating, and the buzzing got closer.

"Is it louder?" asked Severus' voice.

Gayle sighed in irritation. "Yes," she snapped.

"Why would the duck be buzzing, Severus?"

Gayle's eyes snapped open. "The duck is buzzing?" Bright light shot pinpoints of pain into her head and she shut her eyes quickly. "Ow."

She listened as Severus and Dumbledore both muttered charms, incantations and hexes all over the duck. "A couple of curses," she heard Dumbledore say, "but nothing too dangerous. A recording charm -"

"That's mine, unless Malfoy put one on it as well." Severus spoke calmly.

"That reminds me," Gayle growled, sitting up with her eyes still closed. "That was a dirty trick you pulled, Severus Snape."

She could almost hear him grin an arrogant grin. "Yes, it was, wasn't it? That reminds me...Recolo!" In horror, Gayle listened to her whole day being repeated in a high squeaky voice that was eerily like the Muggle cartoon character Mickey Mouse. Where she went, what she and Draco said word for frickin' word, and the mumbled asides that Draco had made to her crazy rantings that she hadn't heard him make were dutifully recounted.

"That little PRICK!" she shouted, wincing again when her head protested vociferously the noise. Her eyes snapped open and both men took a couple steps back when her eyes sparked with their little electrical twinges. "The whole damned day I was feeling sorry for him because he's the poor little rich boy, misunderstood and maligned!"

"He's a Malfoy," Severus reminded her.

"HA!"

Albus looked at Severus in confusion, who merely shrugged in return. The younger man had long given up trying to translate what "HA!" meant. In fact, he'd been known to use it on occasion himself.

"Well, either way, it does seem as if Lucius is convinced enough to relay the information to Voldemort," Dumbledore finally said after Gayle's sparks receded. "The only problem I foresee is how you are going to convince Voldemort that you're going to be a worthwhile ally in the state of insanity you're supposed to be in."

Gayle gave a rueful shrug. "And pretending is getting harder and harder."

"Uh-huh." It was an "I told you so" tone. Severus crossed his arms and glared balefully at her. She ignored him.

"I'm confident I can do this though. I'm a better actress than I thought. I was pretty sure I was going to have a couple heart attacks with Malfoy sitting across the table from me but I survived." Gayle smiled arrogantly.

"Only to pass out cold in Albus' sitting room," Severus ungraciously reminded her.

"What I do after the event is irrelevant," Gayle shot back.

"Oh? And what if you can't hold back fainting in front of Voldemort?" Severus returned just as heatedly. "He'll laugh himself sick and cast the Killing Curse on you and go on his way."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!" They were nose to nose while Albus just sighed. It was shaping up to be a long afternoon.

They weren't speaking to each other by nightfall. Severus had used all his old arguments to talk her out of the crazy scheme and Gayle resorted to plugging her ears with her index fingers and singing "Which Way Should a Witch Go to Wizard World". She knew Severus hated that old magical children's song. In the end, they'd both thrown up their hands in defeat, bid Dumbledore good evening and stalked back to their shared rooms in tense silence. Gayle glared at him before she slammed her bedroom door and Severus only grunted as he shoved his nose in an interesting book on potions that had been delivered by owl earlier in the day.

Neither ate dinner that evening, though Gayle half-heartedly munched on some Honeyduke's chocolate at midnight.

The next morning wasn't any better, especially after Draco asked to speak with Gayle later in the day. Gayle had pretended inane bubbliness and Severus had only grunted his assent. Both were surprised at the quickness of the reply from Malfoy Manor. It seemed to make Gayle slightly uneasy but Severus was more so. The Death Eaters were just as much of a bureaucracy as anything else and the fact that a response had been gotten in less than twenty-four hours set his nerves jangling in warning. It irritated him no end that Gayle didn't find this alarming.

He was wrong. Gayle found this very alarming but she was on course now and it was going to difficult to vere off it. She knew Severus was starting to really question the plan more than ever before but she was committed. Besides, she had an ace up her sleeve that no one, not even Dumbledore knew about. Voldemort was the key and Gayle was determined to get him to show his hole card before she laid hers on the table, to use a gambling metaphor.

At three o'clock, Draco dutifully appeared at the Slytherin Head of House's chambers. Gayle was impatiently waiting, door flung wide open, huge brown eyes peering into the corridor expectantly. It was late spring, pleasantly warm and light outside so Gayle had every confidence that Draco was going to be dragging her out for a walk.

"Professor Snape?" Draco called from the doorway. Severus stalked from the kitchen area in response. "My father asked me to give you this."

Perplexed, Severus took the missive and read:

"Professor Snape,

Draco has been telling me about his friendship with Miss Hammersmith and has asked me to extend an invitation to the two of you for a brief weekend at Malfoy Manor. He thinks getting Miss Hammersmith out of Hogwarts every once in a while will do her mind good. We will, of course, understand if you cannot attend due to your duties as a Hogwarts professor, which no doubt keeps your weekends busy during the school year. I assure you, however, that Miss Hammersmith will be well-cared for and, indeed, I look forward to seeing her again, despite her current mental instability. She was always a bright young woman.

Tell Draco of your decision and I will be happy to pick both Draco and Miss Hammersmith up at The Three Broomsticks this coming Saturday morning.

Lucius Malfoy"

Draco nodded reluctantly and when the boy wasn't looking, Gayle shot Severus a mean look, which he ignored. Once the two of them were gone and Severus was certain he wouldn't stumbled across them if he left his quarters, Severus raced up to Dumbledore's office.

"Albus, there's an answer already."

Albus looked up in surprise. "That was quick!"

"Too quick for my peace of mind," Severus informed the older wizard nervously.

Albus read the letter and then leaned back in his chair. "Yes, I see what you mean, but we don't have a choice, Severus. We have to let her go."

"But -"

"I understand your reticence," Albus raised a hand to ward off the Potions Master's protest, "but we have to keep in mind that we're playing a very deadly chess game in which there are many pawns and not enough bishops, knights, kings and queens. Gayle has voluntarily allowed herself to be a pawn but even chess can be won with the clever use of a pawn."

"I -" Severus' whole body seemed to deflate. "I know."

The headmaster took pity on the younger wizard and got up to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You both once volunteered to be pawns. You have since become a knight or a bishop but the game is still the same, the stakes and the war very real. We don't have to like the roles we and our loved ones must play but we still have to live with it if we're going to win."

"Albus, in spite of my detestment of the intense mushiness that she subjects me to and that the idea of romance revolts me no end, I love Gayle. The game won't be worth winning if she isn't there to enjoy the spoils with me. I'll let her go, but I won't like it and I won't be able to live with myself if something happens to her when I'm not there to protect her."

Albus could find no response to that so he just said, "You must do what you feel is right, Severus. Just be prepared for the consequences."