Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
January 7, 1997.
Narcissa and I were going back to Hogwarts. For Bella and Lucius it was easier to leave Hogwarts since they were in their final year; they could easily request to take their NEWTs through the Ministry. But for Narcissa and me, it was different.
Well, we could drop it. We were in our sixth year; we just needed our OWLs to take the NEWTs, but it would be much easier, and the procedures would be expedited if we finished our end-of-year exams.
It was the only reason we were returning to Hogwarts for a couple of weeks. Lord Black and Lucius had practically taken care of everything; the professors should already be aware of our situation. We'd just need to find the schedules for the exams, and once we'd completed them, we could leave Hogwarts without any problems.
So, here we were, inside the Hogwarts Express, heading back to Hogwarts.
"It's really strange being back at Hogwarts." Narcissa sighed beside me, leaning against my shoulder. The time Narcissa had spent away from the wizarding world had definitely changed her—nothing fundamentally different, but she was much more tactile than before.
The devils were much more tactile, especially the succubi she worked with in her boutique, and she wasn't ashamed of her relationship with Lucius either, so they were practically glued to each other. Not that I cared; I was the same or worse.
"Don't even mention it," I complained. "I practically run a city, I destroyed a global corporation, going back to school is something I really didn't think I'd do." I said dryly. Narcissa laughed.
"Lucius runs the city, and you used robots to destroy Arasaka; you were just the pretty face." Narcissa mocked, and I rolled my eyes.
"Shouldn't you be studying, instead of making fun of me?" I asked dryly. Narcissa snorted.
"If I need to know something, I'll just get it out of your head," Narcissa said casually. I snorted loudly.
"I'm glad my mind is being used for something as important as cheating on exams." I said with a smile, and Narcissa nodded.
"You should feel honored," Narcissa said almost haughtily. I chuckled. We continued chatting for the rest of our journey. Luckily, my charms to make them ignore our cabin were strong enough that no student could break them.
Unfortunately, as soon as we got off the train, we immediately became the center of attention. The news of my marriage to Bella with the Ancient Traditions Union Rite were practically a big deal, a very big deal.
This applied to both pure-bloods and Muggle-borns. The former looked at me with respect and admiration, while the latter looked at me with curiosity. The Daily Prophet and other newspapers had begun to explain many of the old traditions, especially the rites of union and handfasting, but even so, the Muggle-borns didn't seem to fully understand.
I ignored all the stares and simply walked arm in arm with Narcissa. The welcome-home banquet, marking the end of the winter holidays, was just as sumptuous as the other banquets, and even Dumbledore gave his usual short welcome speech, which I ignored except when his gaze fell upon me.
I couldn't help but prickle and glance back before stopping abruptly. My eyes immediately went to Dumbledore's hand; it was hidden, a powerful illusion, but I could see right through it as easily as if it weren't there.
Beneath the illusion was his hand, completely black and withered. I could see the dark magic emanating from his hand, the curse. Around it, ancient magic was trying to hold it back with some success, but the curse continued to spread very slowly.
That idiot.
He had gone for the stupid ring and had been cursed.
Part of me didn't really care if he died; in fact, a large part of me didn't care. It was almost what I expected to happen when I told him about the ring and the stone. But that would mean I'd have to deal with Voldemort myself. There was no doubt that sooner or later I'd clash with him. The big question was, which would require less effort on my part?
I hummed softly as I finished eating, ignoring my housemates.
"I have some things to do," I whispered to Narcissa. She simply nodded easily and began walking to the Slytherin common room with the rest of the house. I, on the other hand, separated from the group, went into a completely hidden corridor, and created a portal to the headmaster's office.
Cia immediately popped out of my clothes and began fluttering around before approaching Fawkes without hesitation. I snorted as I watched my wand try to command the phoenix to play with her.
"Miss Prince," Dumbledore said as he entered his office without missing a beat. He sighed wearily. The healthy appearance he had displayed in the Great Hall had practically vanished. He walked to his chair and slumped down. "Have you come to gloat?" Dumbledore asked matter-of-factly, placing his hand on the desk and shattering the illusion.
" If you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago, I would have said yes," I said honestly. I walked over to the desk and sat on it, then carelessly took Dumbledore's hand. "A truly powerful curse, and you were only able to contain it in a rather clumsy way," I said dryly as I looked at Dumbledore's work.
"And isn't this what you wanted? Wasn't this what I expected when you told me about the ring? About the Resurrection Stone? " Dumbledore asked bitterly. I snorted.
"Don't play innocent with me, Dumbledore. I told you where it was, not that you should look for it. The ring should have been dripping with dark magic; it was impossible that you didn't sense it, and yet you put it on." I said coldly. Dumbledore shuddered.
"You're right." Dumbledore sighed. "I was foolish... I was so tempted..." Dumbledore said dreamily. I snorted, started fiddling with the curse, and heard a snarl from Dumbledore, but I ignored it.
I wove the magic around the curse, easily concentrating it all into a small mark on Dumbledore's forearm, then used the ancient magic that Dumbledore used to contain it, and improved the containment.
"There you have it, the curse is still active. You will die within a year, but in the meantime, you will not suffer, and you will not wither away." I said simply as I let go of Dumbledore's hand and stood up from my seat.
"Thank you for the mercy shown to an old man." Dumbledore sighed in relief as he began to move his hands vigorously. I snorted, walked around the desk, and slumped into the chair opposite Dumbledore.
"So, what do you plan to do? Voldemort is still at large, he still has the repository of ancient magic, and his Horcruxes are scattered everywhere. You only have a year to live. What will you do?" I asked curiously. Dumbledore just stared at me.
"Why don't you tell me directly what offer you have in mind, Miss Prince?" Dumbledore sighed, and I smiled lazily.
"And where's the fun in that?" I asked Dumbledore playfully. Dumbledore just stared at me wearily, without blinking. I chuckled. "I'll solve all your problems in exchange for the Elder Wand," I said bluntly. I could see Dumbledore's fur bristle and his gaze harden.
"You... said you had no use for the wand." Dumbledore said tensely, and I shrugged.
"And I don't have it." I lied outright, pointing at Cia. "She likes to eat wands," I said casually. Cia smiled broadly as she flew closer.
"You want to... feed your fairy a wand?" Dumbledore asked, completely baffled. I shrugged. I took out a wand I'd bought in Knockturn Alley and gave it to Cia. She smiled broadly, opened her mouth, and began to chew on the wand.
Dumbledore watched with horrible fascination as Cia tore the wand apart with her teeth and ate it piece by piece.
"Is she... a fairy?" Dumbledore asked, fascinated. I shrugged.
"Who knows? All I know is that she's mine now." I said to Cia affectionately as I stroked her small head. "She likes wands and magical things. I can go out of my way enough to get both for her." I said with a shrug. Dumbledore looked at Cia before raising his wand.
"Finite Incantatem." Dumbledore murmured, pointing at Cia. Cia simply stared at Dumbledore, confused. Dumbledore seemed even more surprised and fascinated than before.
"Putting aside how... impressive this little creature is. Do you really think you can solve... my problems? " Dumbledore asked, raising his arm slightly. I raised an eyebrow.
"I just manipulated the curse with extreme ease; I could undo it just as easily," I said, shrugging. Dumbledore stopped and looked at his arm, where the curse was contained, in more detail, as if seeing it for the first time, or understanding the implications of what she had done. Then he sighed.
" And I suppose I have no other way of convincing you to break the curse, do I? My life or my wand? " Dumbledore asked dryly. I snorted.
"As I said, this is all your fault. I have no reason to help you with your own stupidity," I said curtly. Dumbledore just looked at me, almost reproachfully.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Miss Snape, especially after what you're about to do," said Dumbledore, almost bitterly. I looked at her curiously.
"Do what?" I said, confused.
"The rite of union, your marriage to young Bellatrix—too much of a coincidence that you chose a rite of union right after young Bellatrix convinced you to take the Unbreakable Vow." Dumbledore said, almost with disgust. I looked at him, even more confused.
"Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about," I said honestly. Dumbledore finally seemed to tire of my ignorance and glared at me.
"To circumvent the Unbreakable Vow! You will give a part of your soul to Miss Black! " Dumbledore spat.
"Wait, wait, wait. You think... I'm getting married, performing some kind of union ritual, with Bella, just to screw you over somehow?" I asked Dumbledore incredulously. Dumbledore returned my gaze impassively.
"Oh yes, and what are you trying to achieve with this ritual? What's the point of carrying it out?" Dumbledore sneered. I looked at him incredulously.
"The point?! There is no point, Dumbledore! I love her! I love Bellatrix! Enough to want to share everything with her! And Bellatrix too! She loves me enough to give me everything she has!" I said incredulously. Dumbledore stopped and looked at me, almost in shock. "You're a damned hypocrite! You make excuses for any of your damned Gryffindors since they can't do anything wrong, but you suspect me at every turn!"
"Every move I make has to be something bad, even my own wedding! You know what, fuck you! Dumbledore, fuck you, and I hope you die! Go to hell!" I growled furiously at Dumbledore. I stood up, turned around, and started walking toward the exit.
Honestly, I don't know why I thought a chat with Dumbledore would be any better. I would have let the damn curse kill him before picking up that stupid wand and stone. I'd dealt with corporate idiots in Cyberpunk and overly arrogant devils in DxD, but only Dumbledore could get under my skin so quickly.
"Miss Snape! Serena! Wait!" Dumbledore exclaimed. I stopped, my hand on the door. I could feel Cia land on my hair and hiss furiously at Dumbledore. "Sorry," Dumbledore said. "Sorry," he repeated. I closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath.
"No," I said simply as I turned away. "I don't forgive you, not for, not even suggesting, not even directly accusing me of using the most important day of my life, one of the happiest days of my life, as some kind of weapon against you."
"So no, I don't forgive you, Dumbledore. You can shove your apology up your damn ass." I hissed furiously. Dumbledore shrank into himself and seemed to wither away, this time from old age and not from the curse on his hand.
"Even so... I'm sorry," Dumbledore sighed hurtly. "You're right not to accept it. You have every right, and more than enough justification, to hate me, especially for... accusing you like that. You're right about everything," Dumbledore said with a sigh. I wrinkled my nose, took out a cigarette, and lit it immediately.
"Can I leave now?" I asked curtly.
"Would you just... listen to me?" he asked, no, Dumbledore begged wearily. I grunted.
"Make it quick." I grumbled reluctantly. Dumbledore took a deep breath.
" Do you know... what happens in the rite of union?" Dumbledore asked gently. I frowned.
"Know what?" I blurted out. Dumbledore looked at me for a few moments before sighing.
"What the rite of union will do to your soul, to their souls," Dumbledore finally said. I raised an eyebrow.
"I know what it will do. I know the ritual in its entirety. I am preparing it. Our souls will touch, connect, and unite." I said easily, Dumbledore.
"Then you don't understand what this entails," said Dumbledore. "Your soul will be influenced by theirs, and vice versa, in a very intimate way. Any gift or talent you possess, whether good or bad, will be shared with your counterpart."
"That means your ability to control ancient magic will be shared with young Bellatrix, while she, in turn, will give you the Madness of the Blacks." Dumbledore said seriously. I paused momentarily and blinked.
"Oh... that makes sense." I said distractedly.
"Is that... all you're going to say?" Dumbledore asked incredulously. I shrugged.
"Yes? I mean, while studying horcruxes, I came to the same conclusion: if a person could use another as a living container for their horcrux, it was very possible that the container would inherit or have innate abilities from the creator of the horcrux." I said casually.
And that's what had happened with Harry Potter. The fragment of Voldemort's soul had given him the ability to speak Parseltongue. And that's what I could do with Hemalurgy: extract parts of souls where certain abilities resided and implant them into another person.
If the rite of union truly united our souls, then it would be quite normal for certain inherent abilities to merge. I really had no concerns about that.
I mean, I already am, in part. Bella's Evil Piece has a part of me in it, so there wouldn't be any problem. I didn't really know how it would affect Bella's soul form, since she was a vampire with tens of thousands of souls inside her, but I doubted it would be negative.
The Company's defenses would prevent corruption from causing any negative effects, although it might put in place some small safeguards to avoid negative reactions.
Having said all that, I could see how Dumbledore would reach the wrong conclusion. The oath I had made with Dumbledore prevented me from using ancient magic to harm people, but that only affected me. If Bella were able to use ancient magic thanks to the rite of union, then she wouldn't be limited by the oaths.
Even so, that didn't lessen the annoyance and anger I felt towards Dumbledore. He didn't suggest it as a concern or a doubt; he had practically accused me of doing it. So yes, I hated Dumbledore more than before, but I understood where it came from.
"That... makes sense," Dumbledore murmured, repeating my statement. I snorted. "Do you think... Tom knows?" Dumbledore asked. I shrugged.
"I doubt it, or even if he knew, it's impossible he would have used it," I said, almost dismissively. "Voldemort would never place a piece of himself in another person; it would require a level of trust he isn't capable of, and he would also hate the bond it creates between them."
"The only other scenario would be if Voldemort forced his servants to create Horcruxes so he could absorb the fragments himself and gain more power, but it would be the same, or worse. He would have to teach them how to create Horcruxes, and Voldemort benefits from the secrecy surrounding their existence to keep his own safe."
"If no one knows what they are, no one can search for the anchors that keep him from dying," I said mockingly. Dumbledore nodded.
"Yes... I can see it... unless..." Dumbledore murmured and looked at me intently. "It's you," Dumbledore said, almost in a horrified whisper. "Voldemort experimented on your mother. I thought the rituals he performed on her were to enhance your dark magic, but... what if he was somehow able to give you the gift of manipulating ancient magic..."
"Voldemort has had the repository for years... but he hasn't been able to manipulate it, not really, not in the way someone with the gift could, but... if he had access to another person who COULD do it, and then... he would force that person to fragment their soul and absorb it for himself, then..." Dumbledore said, almost horrified.
My eyes widened slightly. That… was a huge leap in mental logic, truly impressive! And I couldn't even tell it was completely fake. I still remember my backstory, about my powers and everything.
Voldemort had experimented on and forced my mother to undergo rituals while she was pregnant with me. Voldemort knew this; he had shown an abnormal interest in me during the New Year's Eve party where we met.
Lucius himself had said it: Voldemort looked at me as if I belonged to him.' If it weren't just the gaze of an artist looking at his creation, but more as if he were looking at a part of himself, then everything would change radically. I sighed in annoyance.
"This is getting annoying." I grumbled irritably before shrugging. "But Voldemort is still your problem; you deal with it," I said casually, turning to leave again.
"You don't understand," Dumbledore said. I stopped without looking at him. " Yes, we're right. What do you think Riddle would do? The news about your marriage and the ceremony is already public knowledge. Riddle won't just sit idly by and watch his job, and his ticket to ancient magic simply vanish."
"He will attack you, or Bellatrix, or your friends, or anyone in the Black family, to prevent the ritual." Dumbledore said solemnly, and I stopped stiffly.
"Then I would kill him," I said coldly. "And not only that, if he dares to even think of touching a hair on Bellatrix's head, on my friends' heads, on MY family's heads, then killing him would be a mercy. In fact, I would be grateful that he made Horcruxes."
"After all... I like my play things, extra durable." I hissed furiously, unconsciously letting a fraction of my demonic power out for a few moments before immediately shutting it down, but not quickly enough to prevent Dumbledore from paling considerably. Then I calmed my emotions and looked at Dumbledore without any feeling. "But I suppose you'll take care of him, won't you? " I said casually. "Now, I have to go."
"And remember, I can take care of the curse and Voldemort if you want, but you know my price: the wand and the stone. And yes, the cost has gone up because I hate you." I said casually as I left the room. This time, Dumbledore didn't stop me.