The Burning Pen

A Looping of the Scales by Ruth Solomon

The story content is adult in nature and can contain graphic sex and violence.  Those under the age of 18 are asked to leave this site immediately.  You are not welcome here.  The author is not responsible for those under-aged who view these works.

CHAPTER 24

All recognizable characters belong to JKR. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
**************************************

Chapter 24 ~ Discovery (Short Chapter)

At exactly a quarter to twelve, Snape heard a familiar pounding on his office door. He opened it and Hermione rushed by him, pressing a stack of parchments into his hand as she passed.

”That’s an outline for my Transfiguration NEWTS,” she called back as she zoomed through the open wall, pulling off her knapsack. Snape looked after her, then down at the parchments. He glanced over the first page, both brows risings, then he thumbed through the rest, counting them. There were fifteen pages of notes, outlines and drawings of him as a gryffin. He walked into his quarters to find Hermione seated at the desk, parchments all around her and writing so fast it seemed the tip of the quill she was using was smoking.

”When did you do this?” he asked her in amazement.

”Last night. Now, please don’t bother me. I need to catch up on what I didn’t do last night,” Hermione said, leafing through a book, running her finger down the page and finding what she wanted. She had pushed Snape’s books out of the way unceremoniously. He had plenty of time to study. She didn’t.

Snape occupied his time by reading her both her theories. First the one about Animagi taking on the attributes of the animals they changed into, then the one about how a person’s personality or character can determine the type of animal they become. He found it interesting and looked at her examples of Potter, Black, Pettigrew and himself.

Yes, James a stag strutting about and showing off for the ladies fit. Black as the loyal tag-along dog, and Peter as a dirty rat. But it was her rather in-depth outline of his attributes that made him take notice, simply because she used what she knew of him as an adult to justify his transformation. She compared his service as a guardian to Harry Potter, who was a treasure to the wizarding world to the gryffin’s duty of guarding treasures. Then compared his continued love of Lily Potter to the gryffin’s monogamous, loyal nature, and how it wouldn’t seek out another mate if one died. It would live out its life alone.

He looked over at the bushy-haired witch, who closed one book and quickly opened another, then returned to notes. How had she done so much in so little time? He looked over at her again. Taking her with him last night had turned out well, but he hadn’t expected this frenzied response to it. But of course she had to make up for the lost study time.

”I’m doing Arithmancy now,” Hermione called over to him.

Snape quickly joined her, observing her working the equations and following along, catching on quickly. It was a good thing too, because Hermione wasn’t slowing down a bit. Then she used the solved equation to determine ratios of ingredients to add to a potion to make it viable, based on the nature of the ingredients and their known interactions with each other as well as the catalysts used. Severus began to see how Arithmancy would improve brewing accuracy for someone well-versed in potions. It would be gobbledygook to a layperson.

After a very productive hour, Hermione looked at her watch and started gathering her work together. After putting it into an empty cubbyhole, she quickly slung her knapsack over her shoulder and looked at her host.

”Thanks,” she said, heading for the exit and her next class.

Once again Snape opened the wall for her and the door leading out.

”I’ll see you this evening,” Hermione said, quickly heading up the hall. A few Slytherins walked behind her and looked at Snape curiously. He closed the door without greeting them.

Wow. That had been one whirlwind visit. Hermione certainly was focused. And fast.

It was as if he hadn’t even been there.

Snape returned to his quarters and curiously pulled Hermione’s work out of the cubby hole. Her handwriting was neat and precise, despite how fast she’d been writing. She’d written an essay and a half, completed a Muggles Studies question and answer sheet, diagramed several spells and did two pages work of Arithmancy and then the potions equations. Snape slowly shook his head and put the parchments back.

What was she compensating for? It just wasn’t normal to be so driven. What was she hiding from? Snape idly walked over to one of his bookshelves and tilted his head slightly, reading the titles on the spines. Some books had no title. These, he tested with his wand for traces of Dark Magic. They could contain demons or something worse. If they were clean, he’d pull them out to see the names.

He methodically made his way down the shelves until he came to a thin black book. It had no title on the spine. He tested it for evil signatures, but there was no reaction. He tried to pull it out, but it wouldn’t budge. He pulled out the books on either side and it stood rigid in the middle. He pulled on it again, wrenching his hand, thinking it was stuck. Still the book stubbornly stayed in place. Finally, he pushed it.

The entire bookshelf from floor to ceiling shuddered, the books rattling in place. Snape leapt back, afraid he’d be buried in tomes. A grating noise sounded of stone dragging over stone and the entire bookshelf slid back and to the side, revealing a room behind it. Torches flared up and Snape looked inside cautiously. It was a long room, the sides of it lined with shelves which were covered in translucent curtains. A writing desk and chair rested against the back wall. On the desk was a large book, a quill and an ink bottle.

Snape cautiously peered inside, then stepped in. Behind the gauzy curtains were bowls. There had to be at least four hundred of them. He pulled one of the curtains aside and saw that each bowl was carefully dated. He recognized his own writing. Each bowl was covered with a lid. His wand drawn, he carefully lifted one of the lids and discovered these weren’t bowls, but Pensieves.

He stared down into the swirling silver liquid, then slowly returned the cover. He jumped as the wall behind him shuddered and closed, but the torches remained lit. The room must have been charmed to recognize when it was occupied.

”What is this?” he said softly, walking down to the desk at the end and around it, eyeing the huge book. He sat down in the chair and slowly opened it. It was blank.

Snape frowned at this. There was a quill and ink and only this book. He picked up the ink bottle and opened it, looking inside. It was half full. It had been used. He then plucked the quill out of its holder, noting the dried ink on the tip. It had also been used. He frowned at the book, then pointed his wand at it on a whim.

”Reveal your secret!” Snape hissed, touching the parchment with the tip of his wand.

Slowly, writing faded in, again in his handwriting. Snape blinked at it.

It was a list consisting of titles and dates next to them. He read a few.
.

Voldemort’s Targeting of the Potters

Dumbledore’s Instructions

My First Day

Gaining Control

My Vow to Protect

Death Eater Meeting

Revel

Death Eater Meeting

Torture

Dumbledore’s Instructions


Snape ran his finger down the list and turned the page. Most of the headings were Death Eater Meetings, Dumbledore’s Instructions, Voldemort’s Instructions, Revel and Torture, followed by dates. Snape looked at the rows of Pensieves and realized what the book was. A record. A record of his spying. He must have kept these secret records for proof or maybe even blackmail purposes

What was a Revel?

Snape looked at the date next to the word, then stood up and started looking at the Pensieves. The oldest ones were closest to the desk on the right side. He found a bowl with the same date, picked it up and blew the dust off it. He carried it back to the desk and set it down, removing the cover. He stared down into the swirling mass for about five seconds before he withdrew with a cry of horror.

”What was that?” he gasped, his eyes wet. “Oh, bloody hell. What—what was that! What were they doing?”

The question was rhetorical. He’d seen what was happening. Women were being brutally raped and beaten by a group of Death Eaters while a disfigured Tom Riddle presided over them. He was seated on a throne that looked as if it were constructed of human bones, a thin smile on his face as screams, cries and grunts filled the room.

Shivering, Snape covered the Pensieve back and sat there, stunned.

Was that what it was like to serve Voldemort? Slaughter? Mayhem? Gods, had he participated in that? If he did, he deserved Azkaban or worse. He hadn’t stayed in the Pensieve long enough to see himself. He needed to go back and see, but didn’t want to do it. He was afraid of what he might find.

No. Not now. Maybe later, after a Firewhiskey. Maybe two of them.

He blinked. Here were more memories than he ever dreamed of—and judging by the first one he viewed, probably more memories than he’d ever want.

*******************************************
A/N: I was thinking about spies, and how in some cases, they kept their own records for their own protection. I thought it would be cool if Snape did this without Albus knowing it, so I wrote it in. Thanks for reading.

PLEASE REVIEW A Looping of the Scales"." >>> NEXT CHAPTER

Story Index