[Prof. Umbridge] Chapter 35

In her apartment, Marina Nikolaevna examined the locket closely: it was undoubtedly a piece of fine, ancient craftsmanship. The emerald snake on its lid seemed almost alive, winking and beckoning her—go ahead, touch it, don’t be afraid...

Once again, she tried to open the locket, but it resisted both brute physical force and spells. Perhaps… perhaps she should try the same approach she’d used with the doors in the Chamber of Secrets? If a Parseltongue word had opened those doors, wouldn’t it work on the locket too?

It lay heavy in her hand, feeling as if it wasn’t made of gold but of some kind of alien metal, and it remained cool to the touch. Although… maybe if she wore it around her neck, closer to her heart, then…

"Stop," Marina Nikolaevna told herself. "These thoughts aren’t coming from nowhere. Could I really be this lucky? Just like that, by chance… Why not? Fletcher had access to the Black house, hence the silverware with the family crest, so he could have snatched the locket too. How did it end up with the Blacks? Who knows! The family was known for dark magic, who knows what they’ve stashed away in their cupboards… Or maybe Fletcher didn’t get it from there at all… Either way, it’s a dangerous item!"

Yes, Snape had said that a Horcrux could affect the will of anyone near it, like it had with Ginny Weasley…

Marina Nikolaevna hesitated for a while longer, then decided there was no point in waiting and called out:

“Letty!”

“Yes, ma’am?” Letty appeared.

“Can you find Professor Snape?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Letty replied after a moment’s thought.

“Then find him, and if he’s alone, give him this note.” She quickly scribbled a few words. “Say nothing. If he responds, listen and relay it to me. Go!”

She had to wait a good half-hour, but finally Letty returned.

“Ma’am, there was another person there, so Letty waited until he left,” she reported quickly. “Professor Snape said he’s expecting you!”

“He could have come himself,” Marina Nikolaevna muttered, thought for a moment, then quickly changed into jeans and a sweater, threw on a jacket, and extended her hand to Letty. “Take me to him.”

The world folded into a point and then unfolded again, and Marina Nikolaevna found herself in the middle of a dark, neglected room. The walls were almost entirely hidden by books, mostly bound in black or brown leather. A worn sofa, an old armchair, and a rickety table were clustered together in a circle of dim candlelight from a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The room had an air of abandonment. It wasn’t exactly dirty, but it was clear no one lived there permanently, and that anyone who did visit didn’t care that the wallpaper (where visible) was peeling, the window frames were chipped, and the carpet was worn down along a path from the entrance to the door leading to the staircase.

“What’s this news, right on the eve of the new school year?” Snape asked from behind her, and she turned abruptly.

“Good evening, to begin with.”

“Fine. So, what is it, Dolores?”

Instead of answering, Marina Nikolaevna reached into her pocket and held out the golden locket on her palm.

“I think this is what we’re looking for,” she said softly, and he gingerly touched the emerald snake with the very tips of his fingers, then quickly withdrew his hand.

“Where did you get this?”

Marina Nikolaevna explained.

“You tried to open it?”

“No. I wanted to, very much, but… I’m afraid of it,” she admitted honestly. “And I didn’t dare try anything on my own. Besides, even if I’d managed to open it, then what? You’ve appropriated the basilisk fangs, after all!”

“Appropriated? More like…” he trailed off and sighed. “Well, yes, appropriated. But, Dolores, if we’re to attempt anything with this thing, it shouldn’t be here. I’m afraid the Dark Lord may sense if someone tries to destroy his Horcrux, and then…”

“And then we’re in serious trouble,” Marina Nikolaevna shuddered. “So where, then? Hogwarts?”

“At the very least…”

“Severus,” she said, studying the locket, “do you think this could be an item of Slytherin’s? The snake is identical to the one in the Chamber of Secrets.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Not everything bearing the Slytherin crest belonged to him specifically. Though… I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility.”

“And you mentioned the Dark Lord chose significant, valuable, unique items for his Horcruxes…” she mused. “And if this is Slytherin’s locket, then maybe he used other Founders’ relics?”

“They’re all considered lost. All except Gryffindor’s sword, which is kept at the school. And I doubt the Dark Lord managed to get his hands on that.”

“But he could have found other items. What were they? Helga Hufflepuff’s cup and Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem? Or maybe not specifically relics, but just something connected to the Founders?”

“We could speculate endlessly, but it’s as good a theory as any,” Snape sighed. “The problem is, we have no idea where to look for the rest.”

“Two others,” Marina Nikolaevna reminded him. “The snake is still with its master, you said.”

She preferred not to mention Potter; problems were best addressed as they arose.

“And one of them might be hidden…”

Snape suddenly hushed her, pointed his wand at the wall behind her, and a hidden door swung open, revealing a narrow staircase where a small man stood frozen.

“As you’ve likely guessed, Wormtail, we have guests,” Snape said lazily.

Hunched over, Wormtail shuffled down the last step and entered the room. He had small, watery eyes, a pointed nose, and an unpleasant smile. His left hand stroked his right, as if it were encased in a shiny silver glove.

“Lately, he’s taken to eavesdropping at the door,” Snape explained. “No idea why… You were told to stay in your room, weren’t you?”

“I thought… I thought… perhaps the lady might like a drink?” Wormtail’s voice was squeaky.

“Be gone,” Snape ordered, and when Wormtail turned his back, Snape flicked his wand sharply, freezing him in an awkward pose. “Now, Dolores, I’ll send him upstairs and wipe his memory. Let him sleep it off. He really shouldn’t have seen you… or overheard our conversation.”

“And who is he?” Marina Nikolaevna asked when he returned and dusted his hands off with distaste.

“You heard—Wormtail.”

“Another Marauder?” she realized.

“Yes, Peter Pettigrew, supposedly dead. He helped the Dark Lord regain a physical form last year, and was… rewarded for it. Did you see his hand?”

“The servant’s flesh…” Marina Nikolaevna murmured. “But what is he doing here?”

“Spying on me, apparently, while avoiding more dangerous tasks,” Snape shrugged. “Officially, he’s here to assist me. He’s useless, to be honest.”

“How tangled everything has become,” she muttered involuntarily. “Two Marauders in the Order of the Phoenix, one with the Dark Lord, and you… a double agent. It’s utter madness!”

“Yes, sometimes I feel like I’m at the Mad Hatter’s tea party,” he smirked. “By the way, would you like some tea?”

“If your dishes are in the same condition as this room, then no,” she muttered. “And stay focused. What will we do with the locket?”

“I believe…” Snape began, but suddenly grew alert. “Quiet! Someone’s coming… Quickly, through that door, and stay silent! There’s an exit there if needed…”

“Letty’s with me,” Marina Nikolaevna reminded him as the hidden door closed. “Letty?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Disguise me well. Ordinary charms might be noticed by these visitors… Stay close, and shhh…”

"Done, madam," whispered the house-elf softly.

Marina Nikolaevna listened closely.

There was a knock on the front door, sharp and impatient. It sounded again. Then, apparently, 

Snape opened it and recognized his guests, as he exclaimed,

"Narcissa! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Severus," whispered a woman tensely. "Can we talk? It’s urgent."

"Of course. Come in."

"Snape," came a second woman's voice.

"Bellatrix," he replied. The door closed.

Marina Nikolaevna clamped a hand over her mouth. Bellatrix Lestrange? Here?!

From the rustling sounds, it was clear the guests were sitting down.

"So, how can I be of service?" Snape finally asked.

"We… We’re alone, aren’t we?" Narcissa asked quietly.

"Yes, of course. Well, Wormtail’s here too, but we don’t count vermin, do we?"

"Severus, forgive me for coming here like this, but I needed to see you," Narcissa began quickly and quietly. "I think only you can help me…"

"What is it?"

She took a deep, shaky breath and began from the start,

"Severus, I know I shouldn’t be here; I was told not to tell anyone anything, but…"

"Then hold your tongue!" snapped Bellatrix. "Especially in such company!"

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Snape asked with a touch of sarcasm. "How should I interpret that, Bellatrix?"

"It means I don’t trust you, Snape, and you know that very well!"

A muffled sob could be heard.

"Narcissa, I think we should let Bellatrix say what’s on her mind, or she’ll just keep interrupting," he said calmly. "Go on, Bellatrix. Why is it you don’t trust me all of a sudden?"

"A hundred reasons!" she exclaimed, making a loud clatter. "Where do I begin? Where were you when the Dark Lord fell? Why didn’t you even try to find him when he disappeared? What have you been doing all these years, cozily sheltered under Dumbledore’s wing? Why did you prevent the Dark Lord from obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone? Why didn’t you return immediately when the Dark Lord was reborn? Where were you several weeks ago, when we were fighting to retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord? And why, Snape, why is Harry Potter still alive, after five years in your custody?"

"Well..." Snape said after a pause. "Before I answer you — oh yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer! You can pass my words along to all those whispering behind my back and spreading tales of my supposed betrayal of the Dark Lord! But before I answer, let me ask you this: do you really think the Dark Lord didn’t ask me every one of those questions himself? Do you really think if I hadn’t given him thorough answers, I’d be sitting here talking to you?"

"I know he trusts you, but…"

"Do you think he’s mistaken? Or that I’ve deceived him? That I’ve somehow outwitted the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the world’s most skilled Legilimens?"

‘Now or never,’ Marina Nikolaevna told herself firmly.

She was intensely curious to hear how Snape would convince Bellatrix, but...

"You ask where I was when the Dark Lord fell?" Snape continued. "I was exactly where he ordered me to be — at Hogwarts, because he wanted me to spy on Albus Dumbledore. You know that I took that position on his orders, don’t you? You ask why I didn’t try to find him when he disappeared? For the same reason many others didn’t try to find him. I thought he was finished. Not something to be proud of, I was wrong, but there it is… If he hadn’t forgiven those who lost faith at that moment, he would have had very few followers left."

"He would have had me!" Bellatrix exclaimed passionately. "I, who spent many years in Azkaban for him!"

"Yes, of course, marvelous," he replied in a bored voice. "Not much use from you in prison, though what a noble gesture…"

"Gesture?!" Bellatrix shrieked. "While I suffered with Dementors, you made yourself comfortable at Hogwarts, Dumbledore’s little pet, you…"

"Letty, open the secret door, quietly, and when I attack that woman, help immobilize her; she’s very strong!" Marina Nikolaevna whispered, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head.

"But you didn’t come when he returned, you didn’t rush back to him the instant you felt the Dark Mark burn…" Bellatrix was saying passionately, unaware of her sister’s startled expression as a section of the wall lined with books silently rotated. "You…"

She froze, eyes wide with shock.

To his credit, Snape didn’t hesitate, and Narcissa slumped into the chair.

"Have you lost your mind?!" he roared as Marina Nikolaevna threw off her cloak and, with Letty’s help, secured Bellatrix to the chair. She struggled so fiercely that she nearly broke free of the spells, and if not for the house-elf’s magic, she might have fought them off. They had to stun her to keep her still.

"Severus, this is our only chance!" she insisted. "When else will we get one like this? Where else could we catch Bellatrix, practically alone?"

"A chance for what?!" he hissed. "To get Avada-ed in the face?"

"No, to get into Gringotts! Remember, we talked about this!"

"You actually intend to transform into her and take the risk?"

"No, I want to put her under the Imperius Curse and make her fetch what we need herself."

"We don’t even know what it is!"

"It’s what the Dark Lord entrusted her with," she replied firmly. "Now hurry, they’ll notice their absence soon enough…"

"And what do you want from me?" Snape asked, exasperated.

"As I mentioned — some kind of fast-acting tranquilizer. Do you have anything? Without it, we might not be able to control her even under Imperius!"

"Yes, and she’ll break free of it the moment she’s alone and gathers herself."

"She won’t be alone," Marina Nikolaevna said. "You’ll go with her."

"Me?! No way, I want to keep living..." Snape muttered, visibly recoiling. "Do you have any idea what they’d do to me after that?"

"There won’t be any ‘after,’" she replied firmly. "Don’t stall — give me the potion, and I’ll explain the plan…"

"All right…"

"You’ll go with her," Marina Nikolaevna said as Snape measured out drops of various potions into a glass and poured them down the unconscious Bellatrix’s throat with practiced precision, "but not as Severus Snape. Peter Pettigrew will be escorting her. He’s also the Dark Lord’s servant; no one will suspect a thing if they see the two of them together."

"You’re suggesting I Imperius him too?"

"No! You’ll transform into him!"

Snape paused, added another tranquilizing drop to the glass, and took a swig himself.

"That’s the most disgusting part of your scheme," he said after a moment. "But I admit, it’s clever. If I go with Bellatrix, I can keep her under control…"

"Exactly. Letty and I will be nearby to back you up if needed."

"And then what? Bellatrix wakes up, and…"

"And disappears," Marina Nikolaevna replied seriously, "as will Pettigrew. If anyone asks, the goblins will say that Bellatrix Lestrange came to the bank with Pettigrew and retrieved something from her vault. They’ll Disapparate from the Gringotts steps and vanish. Let them wonder where they went! Let them wonder if Pettigrew was a double agent like you, and if he worked for Dumbledore…"

"You’re insane," Snape said honestly, pulling another bottle from the cupboard. Judging by its consistency, it was Polyjuice Potion. "But the Dark Lord will be furious."

"And what do you have to do with this? You were at home. Narcissa isn’t likely to mention that she just dropped by for tea… Am I right in understanding she came to ask you for something that the Dark Lord wouldn’t approve of?"

"Yes, but that’s for later. I’ve put her into a deep sleep for now, and we’ll see after that…" Snape poured a potion into a glass, shuddered slightly, and added, “I’ll go upstairs. Pettigrew is a head shorter than me and twice as wide, so I need to change into his rags… Keep an eye on things here.”

Marina Nikolayevna nodded, and he left. About ten minutes later, muttering a few curses under his breath, he returned, already transformed into Peter Pettigrew.

"Is that really you and not him?" Marina Nikolayevna asked.

"Go to hell, Dolores!" came the reply.

"I'm serious. What color was my underwear that night I fell down the stairs?"

"Dark blue," he grumbled. "And which one of us is stalling now?"

"Just making sure," she sighed. "The real Pettigrew won’t wake up?"

"No, I gave him a Dreamless Sleep potion and knocked him out with a spell too. Same for Narcissa." He glanced over at the woman and added a little more potion, just to be safe.

"Your wand!" Marina Nikolayevna exclaimed.

"What?"

"You’re carrying your wand, not Pettigrew’s! Goblins verify identity by it—did you forget?"

"Damn, it’s those little details that get you…" Snape hissed angrily and summoned Wormtail’s wand. "Alright, it’s even better with two. His—just for the check, mine—for casting spells… Well then, let’s get to it."

It took three tries and a lot of effort to place Bellatrix under the Imperius Curse. Even then, if it weren’t for Letty’s help, it might not have worked.

"A suicidal plan," muttered Snape when they Apparated to Gringotts.

The hour wasn’t late yet, and Diagon Alley was crowded, but no one paid any attention to the cloaked figures entering the bank.

"Good luck," Marina Nikolayevna shook hands with the shrunken form of Snape, now fully resembling Pettigrew. "And don’t forget to act like Pettigrew!"

"Yes, grovel before the madam," he snorted. "Alright, time’s short."

"I’ll be waiting outside."

She watched the odd pair—a tall, stately woman moving somewhat stiffly and a bustling, short man (Snape was overacting a bit)—as they disappeared through the grand doors of the goblin bank…

"Letty," she called, "can you follow them?"

"Yes, madam."

"Then go. If anything goes wrong, help the professor, got it? Can you Apparate from there?"

"Letty is not sure," replied the house-elf seriously.

"Well then, just help however you can. I’m counting on you!"

Letty disappeared with a quiet pop, and Marina Nikolayevna stepped back against a column so no one would bump into her. An invisibility cloak is good, but it doesn’t make you intangible…

There’s nothing worse than waiting when you have no idea what’s happening! All she could do was watch passersby… And among them, a familiar face suddenly flashed by!

"Just the one I needed!" thought Marina Nikolayevna and, aiming carefully, directed her wand at Fletcher, who was pestering passersby, trying to sell his latest haul. He froze for a moment, then moved over and stood near the bank entrance as if waiting for someone…

An hour hadn’t yet passed, but Marina Nikolayevna was getting anxious—there hadn’t been any commotion, but… And the Polyjuice Potion was about to wear off!

Just as she was about to summon Letty and ask what was happening, a goblin guard politely opened the door, and Bellatrix emerged. "Pettigrew" scurried alongside her, struggling with a large bag.

Marina Nikolayevna canceled the Imperius Curse just in time. Fletcher blinked, clearly confused as to why he was standing near Gringotts, then looked up and saw Bellatrix…

"E…" he managed, staring and pointing at her in shock. "E…!"

"Pettigrew" grabbed Bellatrix’s arm, and with a loud pop, they disappeared. Marina Nikolayevna, after waiting a moment, followed and arrived just in time: judging by the scattered furniture, a fight had broken out in the living room.

Bellatrix was already lying near the fireplace, wrapped in a curtain like a sausage, while Letty stood over her with a heavy candelabra.

"She’s strong, that one…" muttered Snape, sitting on the floor and holding his bleeding nose. "Had to recast the spell three times, and she almost broke free… Thank your Letty, she showed up just in time, or I wouldn’t have gotten off so easily!"

"What took you so long in the bank?" Marina Nikolayevna offered him a handkerchief, but he simply waved his wand, and the bleeding stopped. "And… did you find what you were looking for?"

"I hope so," he said, standing up. He rummaged in his pocket and handed her a small golden cup. A badger was engraved on its side. "At least, that’s what Bellatrix took under the command…"

"Good, and what’s this?" She nudged the hefty bag with her foot. "Doesn’t clink, not gold…"

"There’s plenty of loot in her vault besides gold," Snape smirked and got to his feet. "Careful, don’t touch it with bare hands—some of those things are dangerous."

"Got it, compensation for moral damages," sighed Marina Nikolayevna, tidying up the living room. Thankfully, Narcissa remained untouched, still asleep in the armchair.

Behind her, there was a loud crack and some colorful cursing.

"The Polyjuice wore off," explained Snape, now sounding almost like himself.

It turned out he’d managed to remove the cloak, but his shirt had split across his shoulders, and he barely grabbed his overly large trousers before they fell down—Pettigrew’s pants, designed for his ample belly and short legs, only reached Snape’s knees.

"Ugh, what a vile feeling," he muttered. "I’m going to change. Be on guard. And why are you staring at me like that? Aside from the Dark Mark, I don’t have any tattoos!"

"Where did you get such awful scars?" Marina Nikolayevna asked, ignoring his last comment.

"These?" Snape glanced at his right shoulder. "Those are Lupin’s handiwork. I… hm… had the foolishness to walk into a werewolf’s lair on a full moon. Courtesy of that prankster Black, yes, but it doesn’t cancel out my own idiocy. Luckily, Lupin didn’t bite me, just clawed me a bit. Very sobering, I must say."

"No doubt… And was it a crocodile that got your leg?"

"No, a cerberus," Snape snorted. "I’ll tell you some other time, if I’m in the mood."

"And why don’t you just get rid of those marks?"

"They remind me," he said, tugging his trousers up, "that even the cleverest arse can still get—"

"Don’t finish that sentence!"