“beyond wandpoint” 021 by gingerbred
Mar. 20th, 2019 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beyondwandpoint“11 09b Sunday - The Dark Roster”
Severus, Albus
Severus briefs Albus on the Death Eaters...
Originally Published: 2017-11-25 on AO3
Chapter: 021
Pairing: Hermione Granger / Severus Snape
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
The boys' memories, related through the filter of Severus' experience, create a surprisingly detailed insight into the characters involved. People almost always underestimate children, what they observe and understand. These memories provide insights that Albus hopes to exploit in the months to come. At the least, they serve up a more comprehensive view of their enemies, as the individuals involved were far more likely to let their masks, proverbial and literal, fall in the presence of their children than with Severus.
As previously suspected, Crabbe's father is utterly evil, he's devoid of any and all redeeming qualities; the scion's somewhat surprisingly not very much better by this point. Any hopes they had for him are pointless. Vincent believes the party doctrine completely and is willing to take it to almost any extreme. He's a lost cause.
The memories bear out, Macnair is every bit as dangerous as Severus had believed, possibly more so for not having many of the more common vices. He lives to cause pain; he revels in it. As long as he draws breath and is free to act, people will suffer. It's a certainty.
Mulciber is only slightly better, although his tastes are largely more... prosaic. For the most part, anyway. There was his strange obsession with feet... At least he tended to leave them... attached. Merlin's hairy ballsack.
The Lestranges are corrosive influences to the extreme, their continued presence at the Manor bodes ill for Draco and the other Malfoys. And that's not even considering the maddest Lestrange of all, Bellatrix. That... woman, and the term is used in place of pejoratives Severus eschews, may be the worst of the lot, saving the Dark Lord himself.
Greyback is a close third. There seems to be a good deal of interest in how to make better use of his abilities beyond strong-arming, enforcing and instilling fear. That promises to be a very lethal threat should they ever find mutually agreeable terms. Thus far only the dissentious natures had kept him from being utilised effectively. Although those are unlikely to improve, at some point, someone is sure to realise the opportunity they're wasting and insist on changes.
Rookwood is extremely dangerous for his cunning and the levelheaded threat he represents. He's easily worth any three of the others. But as he lacks the insanity, degeneracy and depravation of Bellatrix, Fenrir or Macnair, his threat is predominantly tactical. Fewer people will die at present for his influence, but the success or failure of the war effort is a whole different matter.
Dolohov, the Carrows, Travers and Selwyn are more than fond of a spot of torture. People will undoubtedly die at the ends of their wands, but they'll be made to suffer first. Dolohov was the most competent and deadly of the lot. His arrogance might be a weakness, but it's not entirely unjustified; he'd beaten Moody in one-on-one combat in the past. With the Carrows there is the question if the abuse will remain at 'just' torture.
Avery, Rowle, Scabior... Foot soldiers. Easily ignored or sorted when the time comes. Rowle has been on the outs since he accidentally killed Gibbon in the skirmish that injured Tonks last summer. It shouldn't be overlooked, however, that he had cast an Avada with the intent to kill a member of the Order. Scabior has sexually deviant tendencies for which he had already served time in Azkaban in the past.
Yaxley has kept his nose mostly clean. He's a diehard pure-blood supremacist, and capable of great cruelty, but it pails in comparison to his associates. The boys hadn't much to add on his account except for witnessing complaints from the others about how Corban had escaped persecution last summer. Oh, and that he apparently deeply resented Snape's 'success' in acquiring information on Potter's relocation from Little Whinging last July. He had so far managed to hide that in Severus' presence. Albus smiles at that; Severus just scoffs.
Yaxley was present when Tonks was injured, but as he had been Stupefied early in the exchange and hadn't done anything one way or another, he hadn't been punished and still has a fair amount of influence at the Ministry. The boys' thoughts reveal that is a source of... irritation to some of his colleagues. He retains control via Imperius over Thicknesse, which will most likely be a problem in the future, but if it isn't Yaxley, it will simply be someone else. Nevertheless, Severus is certain, for the Death Eaters, Yaxley's function currently is much the same as Severus' for the Order.
For all the bad news, there are some rays of light. Some shake ups to the order of things.
Perhaps it's not too surprising when one considers their home is effectively occupied, and to what purpose, but the Malfoys may not be as loyal anymore. Surely their blood prejudice had been a real thing, but the depravity regularly occurring within their walls... It hardly suits such... genteel natures. Severus struggles to suppress a moment of Schadenfreude when he thinks it serves Lucius right for sucking him into this mire. But at this point the aristocratic trio is mostly just struggling to survive. The fact of the matter is that might represent a possible 'in' at some point in the future. Potential assets.
Goyle's family are also not true believers. Goyle Sr. is an unmitigated idiot to have said some of the things he has in the presence of the boy. If the Dark Lord ever gets his hands on him and takes the most cursory look into his thoughts, the entire family is as good as dead. The blighter can't Occlude to literally save their lives.
Albus senses that Severus would like to take some, any action there. To somehow protect these Slytherins who aren't loyal Death Eaters, as though they were somehow worthy of the effort for that fact alone. He might even be right, considering the circumstances and the opposition they faced, not that it will change anything.
"We can't, Severus. You can't save them all."
"Goyle Sr. is almost certainly not clever enough to have said those things to lay a trap or plant an alibi, Albus. He actually believes what he said, I'd guarantee it. He doesn't deserve to hang with the rest."
"But still, Severus. Even still. We can't risk it and teach the boy to Occlude; there's no good reason to do so. How would you explain it? It would just make him, and you, bigger targets. And I know Gregory's work, my dear boy. There's virtually no chance you could teach him to Occlude at all, and definitely not well enough to make a difference."
Unsatisfied, Severus nevertheless desists and continues his report. Zabini's mother is opportunistic. Not a believer, as such, but a predator of the first water. And Nott needs to be kept away from his family's, his father's, influence. At all costs.
"Here again, Severus, what would you have us do? And is it even warranted? I know Mr. Nott tried to discourage the other boys from taking things further, but it isn't as though he ran for help."
"For help, Albus? To whom?? I wasn't there! And they knew it. I was serving your purposes and being Crucioed and cut to shreds at the feet of my other 'master'.
"Should he have come to you?" Severus finds the whole idea infuriating. "The Headmaster who arbitrarily awards points to his own House to guarantee their win? That's how he knows you, Albus. Not one of them has ever seen you as fair. Time and again you've snatched victory from their hands. You've singlehandedly taught them that consistent hard work and adherence to the rules is ultimately not rewarded. And he would have told you, what, that the Muggle-born princess of Gryffindor was in danger? That would have gone well.
"He had no one to turn to and he assessed the situation accurately. He never would have made it out of that room had he tried. Zabini had already considered the possibility Nott might bolt and was ready and waiting with a Confundus; Crabbe had planned to use a Stupefy if it came to that, and Obliviate him later. Nott would have been of no use in either instance. His best bet for helping was doing precisely what he did. Staying there and trying to talk sense into the others."
"Still, that hardly seems all that praiseworthy," Albus objects.
Severus can't help thinking were his name 'Weasley' or 'Potter', instead of 'Nott', that action would have won them the bleeding House Cup. He immediately feels guilty for it, because the actions of all the others of course justify any and all punishments for quite some time to come. The last thing they deserve is the Cup, and yet he can't help feeling Theo is getting short shrift.
"Albus, if all he did was delay them just a little so that things had progressed no further before I arrived, that in itself is worthy of praise and more. When Longbottom stood up to his friends you praised him in front of the entire school."
"Neville needs a bit of bolstering."
"More than a bit, I'd say, and it's still unlikely to do any good," Severus gives him a pointed look. "But if you think he has it bad, just what do you think Theo is facing at home? Or Draco..."
"What of Mr. Malfoy? What was your read on him? He did give her that potion."
"Merlin. Draco's a mess," Severus sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, considering how to explain him. "The potion says a lot about him, though. It wasn't his, wasn't planned, and wouldn't have been his choice to use, except that it was to hand."
"And yet he administered it..."
"It's stupid, utterly stupid, but his driving motivation for that was to stop her cries. In that much, it was a success. He couldn't listen to the sound of her screams. That inability, Albus, will probably be the death of him the next time he's told to use the Cruciatus at the Manor. Possibly mine as well, if we aren't careful. But it's one thing for him to turn his wand on Rowle, another completely on a classmate. He's too soft to survive."
"His intentions?"
"He actually thought they'd give her the potion, dump the blood and leave her for Minerva and her Gryffindors to find. He's an idiot. A fool. And a danger. Given that he doesn't seem sure if he wanted to Obliviate her after the fact, it's unclear he even wanted her discomfort, as bizarre as it seems.
"It was meant to be humiliating, which it no doubt was, and to enrage Potter and Weasley, which it certainly would have." With a sinking feeling, he thinks to ask, "Or has it done? She did speak to you first, didn't she?" The concern is clear in his tone.
It hadn't occurred to him until now. But somehow the Infirmary seems too quiet and Albus too calm for her to have revealed the facts of Friday to her friends. If she had, he'd bargain on all hell to have broken loose while he was... incapacitated. There should be all out warfare between the Houses in that case. He'd have expected escalation by now, evidenced by several more people, seriously injured, in the main room and their visitors, but he can't hear a thing from it. And he can't imagine Albus would be sat here leisurely chatting with him about Death Eaters and bonds were that the case.
"She did, yes. Thank you for that. You were right that I would wish to contain this. She hasn't even spoken to Minerva."
Seeking to confirm his fears, he asks, "You don't mean to punish them for this?"
"How could I now that most of them don't even remember it?" Albus can't help tormenting him a little. But as Malfoy both remembers and initiated the attack, it isn't particularly believable, and he quickly drops the ruse. "No, you were absolutely correct in your assessment. It would not be in our interests to do so."
Severus greets that reply with all the anger and frustration he anticipated he'd feel. He hates that this is considered a suitable plan of action. He's the Slytherin after all, the pragmatist, the spy and the man for the long game, and even he doesn't think allowing such behavior in the school is a defensible manoeuvre.
Albus recognises the signs of conflict in the man and having seen his promise to the young witch in her memories decides to make a concession. "But you have my blessings to deal with them, unofficially, as you see fit. Have at it."
The answering curl to Severus' lip could best be described as malicious. Albus doesn't envy the boys. Still, it's no worse than they deserve. If maintaining Severus' cover permitted it, and skirting those damn Vows safely allowed for it, he'd have them expelled and not be sanctioning whatever the Potions Master has in mind. Although... there's a good chance this may become a much harsher punishment yet, knowing the man. It should prove decidedly interesting to watch.
He recalls Severus to their previous topic, "The verdict on Mr. Malfoy?"
"As the potion seems to have been entirely Crabbe's idea, it's conceivable there's still hope for Draco."
Albus arches his brow now, in challenging mimicry of one of Severus' favourite gestures, and Severus reluctantly admits, "But he didn't have Nott's fortitude to object, and I wouldn't hold out much hope that things weren't about to end very badly had I not intervened in a timely manner.
"Draco may have had no further intent at that time, but I wouldn't swear that wouldn't have changed once the potion took effect and Crabbe began to... act. More importantly, Draco couldn't swear to it either. It's an unknown. He hadn't considered it yet, let alone decided. But the pack dynamic is a most unfortunate one. Each abdicates responsibility for their actions in the mob."
Albus nods in complete agreement. "I don't believe we can afford to worry about saving Mr. Malfoy. And as with the others, there's the question of how that could even be managed." There's a certain irony in that. Severus chooses not to point it out in light of the boy's actions the other night; he's still that affected by them. He's also not altogether certain Albus even noticed the inconsistency in his position.
Severus finds the final bit of news the most terrifying, not that it should come as any surprise. Several of the boys will be expected... forced to take the Mark over the Christmas holidays, the rest after graduation. There will be no reprieve.
The thought makes him nauseous. It's a good thing he hasn't eaten in days.
For Merlin's sake, three out of five of the boys' fathers had spent the last year in Azkaban. A fourth father was still nevertheless a Death Eater, and the fifth boy escaped a similar burden probably only because he was essentially fatherless. Anyone who thinks that doesn't leave its mark on the children is sadly mistaken. He certainly doesn't want them to end in Azkaban, too.
Albus seems to take it all in his stride. That just makes Severus' stomach turn more. Things haven't changed a whit in twenty years. Albus is still not helping the young snakes. And Severus... Well, he can't. His role is to stand idly by, watching them get turned into Death Eaters and if the Order wins, the lot of his students will land in Azkaban. They'll have no lives worth the mention either way. Doomed, no matter what happens.
Just thinking about it makes him feel as helpless as he ever has.