Chapter 11: Death Eater Plot

Chapter 11: Death Eater Plot

A month had gone by, and classes had gone well for Sybill. Her students were actually learning something. Minerva had worked out all of the kinks, and her little class of possible Seers was meeting every other day. Sybill worked hard with them on clearing their minds. Along with their regular class work, they spent a lot of time meditating. As the year progressed, she hoped to get to the point where at least some of them were able to see some type of vision.

She had spent a bit of time with Severus. They had sat together at meals, chatting about students, her home, and lots of other things. Severus had tried to contact Lucius Malfoy, but he had found the Manor deserted. A house-elf had told him the family was away on holiday.

He had snarked at Sybill to be careful constantly. She would walk home by herself at the end of each day, and when Severus had found out, she thought he would have a coronary. She had calmly explained that she was taking advantage of the good weather, as she would no doubt be Apparating as soon as the weather turned cold. She found that she had an escort home every night after that.

She smiled to herself. No wonder they were to fall in love, he was a perfect gentleman. Of course, you had to discount his surly attitude every time he was 'forced' to walk her home to agree with such a statement. His mood usually lifted within minutes, and they were talking amiably amongst themselves for the remainder of the journey. She found his concern incredibly endearing. The odd glances he would cast toward her now and again were endearing also. She caught him every so often looking at her strangely. She wouldn't label it possessively, but it was somewhere along those lines. Maybe he was beginning to like her too.

She enjoyed teaching and her new home. She marveled at her new life. She was actually content for the first time in almost twenty years. She only wished that contentment had come sooner. But there was no reason to wallow in sorrow. She was one who always looked to the future. She supposed the fact that the future often invaded her mind without asking was partly the reason for that. So, she went along day by day, loving life. She was pleased with her relationship with Severus. They were really becoming quite close. She wondered how long it would be before their relationship really took flight. She was enthusiastically awaiting the arrival of that day.

oooOOOooo

Malcolm Baddock looked over his shoulder and scribbled a note quickly. He ran to the Owlery and attached it to an owl, sending it on its way. Draco Malfoy had asked him to do him a favor. Malfoy wanted to know everything about Professor Trelawney. It had taken Malcolm several weeks, but he had finally found out where she lived in Hogsmeade. He had been unable to enter the yard, but he had found the house during the Hogsmeade weekend. Although he wasn't quite sure what Draco was up to, he knew Draco would be happy that he had found the home. Malcolm figured Draco probably wanted to play a prank on the batty Seer. Malcolm had explained that Trelawney was different this year, but Draco seemed not to care. He had shrugged and told him to get the information anyway. He hoped Draco would be pleased with what he had found.

oooOOOooo

Draco eyed the letter in front of him, reading it through. It detailed the goings on of Sybill Trelawney and where she now lived. He closed his eyes and rubbed them. For the hundredth time he questioned what he was doing. His father had quietly told him to find out all he could about Trelawney, explaining that she had been in hiding all of this time, and Draco was curious as to why. He had debated telling his father that he wouldn't do it right off, but he respected his father, or should he say he feared his father, too much to just blatantly refuse his request.

Still, he wondered what this information was for. Grimacing, he picked up the letter and twirled it in his hand. How he hated his father. The man never gave him a compliment. He expected Draco to follow in his Death Eater footsteps, and he constantly showed his displeasure in Draco's weaknesses. Well, the things that Lucius Malfoy saw as weaknesses, in any case. His inability to kill Dumbledore had been the biggest one of those. The disappointment in Lucius' eyes had cut Draco to the quick. Draco had strived to see pride in his father's eyes for as long as he could remember. He never had seen that emotion... not once. He had seen loathing, disappointment, rejection, and sometimes even revulsion. How he had disappointed his father time and time again. From little things like not doing what he was told as a youth, to things like embarrassing the Malfoy name by falling off his broom and losing a Quidditch match, to severe things, like not being able to carry out the Dark Lord's instructions. He had been an utter disappointment.

Well, he didn't care anymore. He had done all he could to gain the love of his father, and to what end? He had ostracized himself as a schoolboy, only having a few close friends, none being his equal. He had lived a life of fear, doing the bidding of a cruel taskmaster. He had hated his formative years, suffered through his school years, and now he was an adult who was a lonely castaway from a war that he shouldn't have been a part of. He had his father to thank for all of that.

Draco grimaced. He hated the man. Hated him! The only reason he even spoke to him was because of his sainted mother. She had been the one who had fought for his life, making a vow with Severus Snape to assure his safety. She had been the one who had saved Harry Potter so that Draco himself would live as well. She had been the one who had stayed with a power hungry fiend so the man wouldn't kill her son in a fit of 'disappointment.'

He knew that in her way, his mother loved his father. She would not have stayed with him if she didn't. But it infuriated Draco to see her fall into submission to his father's every wish. She had never been as staunch a supporter of Voldemort as his father had been. Lucius had goaded her and prodded her into following the Dark Lord. Draco thought she would have been much happier organizing garden parties, but her lot in life had been a different one because of the man with whom she had fallen in love.

Draco knew that if he ever stood up to his father the way he wanted to, he would be banished from the Malfoy home. With banishment would come the estrangement of his mother. He couldn't do that to her or to himself. The thought of never seeing her again sent a shiver down his spine. He loved her dearly.

He also knew that his father could well make his life a living hell. The man had hexed him to within an inch of his life in the past for insubordination. Draco had no doubt that he could do it again. Nonetheless, Draco had grown weary of the hold his father had upon him. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure he had the strength to do anything about it. He was firmly stuck under his father's thumb, reticent to do all that he asked but fearing what would become of him if he didn't. He was a captive to Lucius Malfoy, the man who should be his ally and confidant, but was nothing more than a cold, malicious, heartless man who pulled at Draco's strings, making him do his bidding.

oooOOOooo

Draco entered the study where his father was reading. They were holed up in a home in Spain, avoiding detection from Severus Snape, specifically. Draco knew that his father had something up his sleeve, and it involved Professor Trelawney, but he didn't know what he was planning.

He approached Lucius and dropped the letter in front of him.

"My informant has responded," Draco told his father.

Lucius opened the letter and read it quickly. He folded it back up again and looked to Draco.

"Thank you, son, you have done well."

"Would you like to tell me what this is all about, then?"

"Sorry, Draco, it's private." Lucius turned back to his magazine that he was reading.

"Why did you ask me to get that information about Trelawney? She's a foolish, untalented witch."

Lucius ignored him.

Draco stared at his father for a few minutes, but realizing he would get no information from him, he turned and left the room. He wasn't sure what was going on. Malcolm had said that Trelawney had basically become someone else. He found it hard to believe that the wide-eyed owl-woman could be anything more than the gibberish-spouting charlatan that had taught when he was a student.

Maybe he should go and speak with Severus. He might know what was going on.

oooOOOooo

Lucius Malfoy and Rodolphus Lestrange sat in a smoky, Muggle bar in Barcelona. Their heads were close together, and they whispered furiously to one another.

"We know she lives in Hogsmeade; she'll be an easy target!" Lestrange said.

"You must not underestimate Severus. He will be watching her. We need to observe her habits and find a weak point where we will be able to abduct her."

"What do you suggest?" Lestrange asked.

"Polyjuice potion."

Rodolphus narrowed his eyes in question at Lucius.

"One of us can go in disguise and watch her. We will be able to tell where she goes and when she goes there. Then we can act."

Lestrange began to laugh nastily. "We will have her soon!"

"And our Master will be avenged!" Lucius agreed.

oooOOOooo

Draco knocked on Severus' classroom door. He had debated for days about what to do and had finally come to the decision to ask Severus what was going on with Trelawney.

"Enter!" he heard Snape call out.

He opened the door and smiled at his former Head of House.

"Professor, how are you doing?"

Severus looked up at Draco, not quite sure why he had garnered a visit from his former student.

"Where is your father, Draco? I have been trying to contact him for weeks now."

"He's on holiday," Draco said simply.

"Where?"

"He cherishes his privacy, Professor. I cannot say."

"Why are you here?"

"I just was visiting a friend in Hogsmeade, and I thought I'd stop by. Besides, I have heard some interesting rumors about Professor Trelawney. Is it true that she looks and acts differently?"

"Are you spying for your father?" Severus asked in anger.

"No," Draco replied.

"You can tell him to leave Sybill alone. She is not to blame for Voldemort's death!"

Draco narrowed his eyes at Severus. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I have no idea, Severus. What does she have to do with Voldemort's death?"

Severus rolled his eyes at Draco. "She is the one who uttered the prophecy."

Draco sat and thought for a little while. "So, you're implying that my father seeks revenge on her for the prophecy?"

"I'm implying nothing. That is exactly what he's doing. You must tell him to back off, or I can't guarantee his safety."

Draco stared at his ex-teacher and mentor for several minutes, debating whether he should be forthcoming about his father's activities. If he did, he would be betraying his father. If he didn't, a woman's life could well be at stake. Picturing his father, anger filled his mind, and he made his decision.

"Severus, I honestly don't know what my father is doing. He asked me for information on Trelawney, which I provided, but he hasn't said anything about his reasons for wanting it."

Severus felt a jolt throughout his body. "What kind of information?"

"Teaching habits, where she lives, what she does in her spare time."

A feeling of dread spread through Severus' frame. "How did you come across such information?"

Draco chose his next words carefully. "A friend did some investigating."

"A student?"

Draco nodded.

Severus was now angry. "You realize your father will try to kill her, don't you?"

Draco nodded. He'd realized that the minute Severus had told him about Trelawney giving the prophecy.

"This didn't occur to you before?" Severus snarled.

"I didn't give his assignment much thought. I just thought he was interested in her transformation."

"You are a fool, Draco!" Severus seethed behind his desk. "How long has Lucius had this information?"

"About two weeks," Draco replied.

Severus rose abruptly. "I must go. Please speak with your father and dissuade him from whatever plan he has come up with."

With that, Severus flew out of the room, leaving a stunned Draco still sitting in front of his desk.

oooOOOooo

Over the previous two-week period, a young girl had been seen wandering the streets of Hogsmeade by herself. No one had given her a second glance, as many young children were sent on errands by their parents in the very safe, little town. The little girl was probably around seven. She had been a curious child, wandering and looking at everything.

She had seemed to hang around a specific neighborhood and had seemed to be waiting for someone. She had liked to spy on the black-haired witch that lived in the cottage down the lane from town. She hadn't liked her friend and had made herself scarce whenever he was near. But she'd had plenty of opportunities to watch the woman without the presence of the man. Finally, she had felt her task was done. As quickly as she had appeared, she had disappeared. No one had even noticed her absence.

oooOOOooo

Severus literally ran to Sybill's classroom. He breathed a sigh of relief to find her still at her desk, correcting essays. She looked up as he stormed into the room, giving him a smile.

"Sybill, I have news," he said hurriedly.

"What is it, Severus?" Sybill asked as she put her quill down.

"I have just been paid a visit by Draco Malfoy. He relates that his father asked him for information on you. He in turn asked one of the students to spy on you. Lucius knows where you live. He will form a plan to attack you. You must come back to the castle."

A vision flashed through Sybill's mind. She saw herself tied to a chair with Lucius Malfoy standing above her, his wand raised. Her heart filled with fear. There was nothing she could do; he would find her and take her. Sybill looked to Severus in concern as she quickly weighed her options. Shaking her head, she made her decision.

"I can't do that, Severus."

"Sybill, stop being so stubborn!"

"We knew he would find out where I lived. That's why the house is warded so heavily. I can't run and hide, Severus. I just can't."

Severus couldn't believe she was being so foolish.

"There is nothing wrong with hiding when you know your life is in danger. Even I have done it!"

Sybill looked down at her desk. "You had good reasons to hide."

Severus started to storm back and forth in front of her desk.

"You do too. Come on! You have to stop this now, before something terrible happens."

"What will happen, Severus? You escort me everywhere. I am perfectly safe with you around."

Severus stopped pacing and leaned over the desk to look Sybill in the eye.

"I know Lucius. He will stop at nothing. He will find a way to get to you, and then he will kill you."

"Do you really think that I am that bad with a wand?"

Severus banged the desk and straightened up. "This has nothing to do with your skill with a wand! If he chooses to abduct you, you won't even get a chance to grab your wand."

Sybill thought about that for a while. "I'll just be extra careful."

"You are being foolish!"

"That's my home, Severus. I just can't run away and leave it."

"Once we have Lestrange and Malfoy, you can return to your home."

Sybill was getting frustrated. She stood up and looked at Severus angrily.

"And how long will that take? Will we have him in a few days? A few weeks? Years? I have been hiding for far too long, and I enjoy my independence far too much for me to just run and hide. Besides, if he's going to get me, he will do it no matter what I do or where I hide. I can't stop the future any more than you can. I won't leave!" Sybill's shoulders sagged in defeat. "If my fate is to die, then I will do so. There's nothing I can do to stop it."

Severus looked as if he was about to shatter something. He took a step toward Sybill and then stopped himself.

"Fine," he spat. "Go ahead and get killed. Don't try to tell me I didn't warn you!"

He turned and stormed out of her classroom. Sybill sat down in defeat. Maybe he was right. Maybe she should move back to the castle, just temporarily. But then Lucius would have won, wouldn't he? In any case, the vision she had hadn't really told her much, just that she would be abducted. It could happen anywhere, and she could be living anywhere. The vision hadn't really helped anything, except to give her the certainty that no matter what she did, she would be captured anyway. She might as well live her life in a way that made her happy until the end.

She was so sick of being at the mercy of others. Voldemort and Dumbledore had driven her life for so long. She was just beginning to enjoy her freedom. Now Lucius Malfoy was threatening her life and security. Would her fate be to stay in hiding forever? She cherished her new life, she couldn't give it up. She wouldn't. So what if Severus was angry with her? He'd get over it.

A/N: Next up: Sybill's vision comes true. (No, not the one where Severus kisses her!)

These two are both a bit stubborn, aren't they? Hopefully, Sybill's decision won't get her killed. Her vision was a bit vague, so it's hard to tell. Well, at least with a story about a Seer, you know what's coming, right? Thanks, everyone, for reading and reviewing.