#agent snape

[smilingformoney]

Armed with six Outstanding NEWTs and an appetite for knowledge in a world without Voldemort, Severus Snape must look elsewhere to satisfy his curiosity about the Dark Arts.

AN: You may or may not remember, at the end of Soul of Ice, I promised a No Voldemort AU, and here it is. This isn't going to be a long-winded saga like I usually do - I have a 10-chapter plan, and the chapters will be shorter. And the chapters are all named after Taylor Swift songs because I want to.

Read Chapter 1 on Ao3 or below the cut:

In the gloomy walls of Number 1, Spinner’s End, Severus Snape had been pacing for approximately twenty minutes.

He looked down at the parchment in his hand again, as if he didn’t already have it memorised.

Dear Mr Snape, Thank you for your application to join the Ministry of Magic in our Department of Mysteries. I am pleased to inform you that you have successfully passed the first round of applications. After careful consideration of your academic results, your personal essay and your applicant test results, you are invited to interview for our Dark and Ancient Magicks Division. Please attend for your interview with Emmett Bitterwood at 12.30pm on Monday, 7th August.

There followed directions to the Department and the letter was signed off by the Principal Director.

Severus couldn’t believe his good fortune. The Department of Mysteries was notoriously picky for its recruits; hardly anyone who applied made it past the first round of testing, even if they managed to achieve the minimum five Outstanding NEWTs required. They would rather go years without recruiting than hire someone less than exactly what they were looking for.

With all the secrecy of the Department, Severus couldn’t even apply for a specific Division as the public knew nothing about what they did - he therefore had to demonstrate his skills in a personal essay without knowing exactly what job he was applying for.

Dark and Ancient Magicks Division. What a name. What a subject. It was perfect for him; he had always wanted to study Dark Magic. He had met a few Durmstrang students through his friend Lucius, and he was always envious that they were able to study Dark Magic. But at Hogwarts, it still had a sore reputation and all that was offered was Defence Against the Dark Arts, which was all well and good, but how could one defend against something one hadn’t taken the time to understand?

He glanced at the calendar on the wall. His interview was five days away. Plenty of time to revisit his favourite books on Dark Magic, ready to impress Emmett Bitterwood on Monday.

Severus was so focused on absorbing as much information as he could from the books that lined his shelves that the next five days flew by. Before he knew it, it was Monday morning, and he was anxiously picking at his breakfast. He didn’t often eat breakfast, but he had an important day ahead, and so he allowed himself a slice of toast.

An owl flew in through the open back door. Severus didn’t often open his doors or windows, as the house was too old to know how to keep heat in in winter, and besides, the fumes from the mill across the river were sometimes too pungent to bear allowing in. That day, however, was a swelteringly hot summer’s day and Severus needed a breeze to cool himself off.

He recognised the owl immediately. It was larger than average, with elegantly fluffed feathers and a haughty expression on its face, clearly showing its distaste for its current surroundings. Severus plucked the letter from the owl’s foot, and it took off as soon as it was free of the letter without even waiting for a reply.

Lacking a letter opener, Severus instead pried open the envelope with his butter knife, slicing through the wax seal emblazoned with an elegant M . Even the parchment was expensive, much weightier than the paper-thin parchment Severus usually used. He carefully unfolded the parchment and read:

Severus - Good luck at your interview today. I’d offer advice but even I know nothing of what they do down there, so all I offer is my warmest regards and a promise of a bottle of Ogden’s finest when you inevitably get the job. Yours, L

Severus smiled. Why Lucius had so much faith in him, he had no idea, but he was glad to know his friend was wishing him luck.

Later that day, even following the directions from the letter, Severus still found the Department of Mysteries a confusing series of twisted corridors. He was just beginning to wonder if he hadn’t passed the first round at all and the letter was some sick joke from Potter, still taunting him even after school, designed to have him caught wandering the corridors of the Ministry’s top-secret research department, when he finally saw another human being.

Well, less saw and more walked into. He rounded a corner, having double-backed on himself for the third time, and had his nose so intently in the parchment as he attempted to discern where he had gone wrong that he didn’t notice her until he literally walked into her.

“Oof!” Severus grunted as they collided, and he had to grab the wall to stop himself falling. In doing so, he dropped the parchment, which the other person picked up for him.

“Lost, are you?” said a vaguely familiar voice as the figure straightened up. She handed him the parchment and their eyes met. Severus was almost lost for words when he realised he’d bumped into Persephone Payne.

“Snape!” she said in surprise, apparently just as shocked to see him there as he was to see her. “What - did you - what are you doing here?”

It took Severus a few moments to register what she’d said. “Interview,” he said quickly. “Except I… I can’t seem to find where to go.” He held up the parchment between his fingers. “These directions aren’t very clear.”

“Let me see?” Payne offered. Severus showed her the parchment, and her eyes lit up. “Oh, hey! That’s my division!”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and these directions are way outdated. Come on, I’ll take you to Emmett’s office.”

She beckoned him to follow, and began leading him back down the way she’d come. Severus was suddenly even more eager to ace the interview. If he didn’t get the job, she would know he’d failed the interview, and he’d be mortified.

Persephone Payne. He could be working with Persephone Payne.

Every year at Hogwarts, the school hosted a ball on the last day before Christmas break for the sixth and seventh years. Severus hadn’t gone in his seventh year - he had far too much studying to do for his NEWTs - but in his sixth year, his classmate had asked him who he wanted to ask as his date. It took him some convincing to admit it, but eventually Severus confided that he wanted to ask Persephone Payne.

“Who?” Mulciber had asked.

Severus had thought he must have been going insane when each one of his friends shared a look of confusion and said they had never heard that name before. He was relieved the next day when he saw her in her usual spot in the library; he’d almost started to wonder if he’d made her up.

The fact that hardly anyone knew who she was astounded him. Sure, she was quiet and kept to herself, but how could they not notice her? She was the most beautiful girl in school, after all.

“You just don’t want to admit it’s Lily Evans,” Avery had said when they had disagreed on who was the best-looking girl in the school. All of his friends agreed it was Lily, even though they’d never date a muggle-born. Severus couldn’t deny Lily was beautiful, but she was nothing compared to Payne.

Severus knew he paled in comparison to his peers. He worked harder than them; most of them were rich and were able to ride their rich fathers’ coattails into whatever job they wanted, so they didn’t care as much as Severus did about NEWT results. He got better results than them due to his own hard work, but they still managed to land cushy jobs straight out of school. They’d all had girlfriends at some point or another, but Severus hadn’t. He knew he was poor and ugly; there was no point even trying to ask a girl out.

Especially not when the only girl he fancied was her. In his sixth year and her seventh, he’d finally managed to actually have a conversation with her. Through serving detentions together and a shared academic interest in Dark Magic, they had become… not quite friends, but something of acquaintances. She knew he existed, at least. Enough to recognise him and remember his name when he bumped into her two years after they’d last seen each other.

Payne stopped suddenly outside a nondescript door. “Here he is,” she announced.

“How can you tell?” Severus asked, looking around at the row of identical doors.

“You get used to it,” she replied vaguely, then checked her watch. “Right on time, you’ve got five minutes.” She faced him and then suddenly her hands were hovering over his clavicle. Severus winced, then realised she was adjusting his tie. “Good luck. He’s not an easy man to impress.”

“Any tips?” Severus asked hopefully.

Payne scrunched her nose as she thought. She released his tie, apparently happy with his presentation, then slipped her hands in her pockets. “He’s… well, he’s not nice . He’s not malicious, just… he doesn’t care for other people’s feelings. Don’t talk about how you feel about things, he doesn’t care about that. He was in Ravenclaw, so appeal to that. Facts, knowledge, information. You invented spells in school, right? Drop that in there. Oh, but don’t mention that you know me.”

“Why not?”

Payne grimaced. “He doesn’t like me much. Said I ask too many questions.”

“Surely that’s a good thing, if information is so important?”

She laughed then. “Yeah, questions are great. Just don’t question him.”

The door began to open behind them, and Payne’s expression suddenly turned cold. “Well, good luck,” she said with disinterest. “Try not to get lost again on your way out.”

She left quickly, and Severus was left alone with the man who had opened the door.

“Severus Snape? Come on in.”

One of the advantages of living alone was that Severus didn’t need to occlude or hide his emotions, because there was no one around to see them. So when he received a letter from the Ministry of Magic a few days after his interview, he allowed himself a celebratory punch in the air when he read the contents. He read the letter again, then practically ran to his study to write a letter of his own.

Lucius - When do you take lunch on work days? I’ll try to schedule mine with yours. - Severus

No, that wouldn’t do. He screwed the letter up and threw it in the fireplace, then tried again with a fresh piece of parchment.

Lucius - I hope you have that bottle of Ogden’s ready. - Severus

Yes, that was better. After sending the letter off with the owl that lived in his back garden, Severus let out a deep breath.

He, Severus Snape, had what it took to work in the most exclusive department of the Ministry. He was going to study Dark Magic. He was going to earn a generous wage, maybe enough to move out one day. And he was going to work with Persephone Payne.

On his first day, he presented himself at Emmett Bitterwood’s office as instructed in his offer letter. Director Bitterwood sat him down and explained exactly what he was going to be doing as an Unspeakable. Severus was disappointed but not surprised to learn he wouldn’t be doing a lot straight away. He was to shadow a current agent who would show him the ropes and train him up to eventually go out on his own. He was to do everything his trainer asked of him, no matter how menial the task may be. When his training was complete, he was told, he'd be given his own assignments.

Just as Director Bitterwood was explaining this, there came a knock on the door.

“Ah, there she is now,” said the older man. He waved his wand to open the door, and Severus stood to greet his assigned trainer.

It was her. Of course it was her.

“I believe you already know Agent Payne,” Emmett said with mild disinterest. “You are to shadow her, train with her, do everything she says. She’ll show you the ropes.”

“A pleasure to see you again, Snape,” Payne said, strangely formally. “Or I suppose I should say Agent Snape now.”

Agent Snape. How strange that sounded to him.

“Come on, then. Let me give you the tour.”

[pangaeaseas]

dumbledore revealing Snape as his spy after the end of the first war is so interesting and so reflective of his character: it's an act of mercy and also a saw trap. BC I doubt anyone else, or any other strategy, would have been able to get Snape out of Azkaban: the other death eaters would be focused on saving their own skins, and without the protection of being a Death Eater Snape becomes just another poor half-blood, probably the exact kind of person who would make an easy scapegoat for Death Eater activity (in scapegoat terms he's just like Sirius! For different reasons obviously. See my Sirius the perfect scapegoat meta). So Snape is spared the horrors of Azkaban. BUT: Dumbledore burning Snape as a spy--in full knowledge of two things, that Snape is more motivated now than ever to attack Voldemort after Lily is dead, and that Voldemort hasn't been fully defeated, means that Snape MUST become a double agent. Otherwise he will be useless in the next conflict --a spy in Voldemort's ranks is much more valuable than another fighter, even one as skilled as Snape, and I think at this point in his life he would have wanted to cause the most damage to Voldemort by any means necessary. And being a double agent is no perfect redemption: it means having to betray both sides of the war. Snape can never be fully welcomed into the Order's side because every Order member knows he might have to get them killed so Voldemort will trust him. So by being revealed as Dumbledore's spy, Dumbledore ensures Snape will never have a full place on either side of British society.

[danadiadea]

Armine Harutyunyan is literally so fem!Severus coded to me this is insane

[severussnapemylove]

(In a Severus lived universe) Imagine after the Second Wizarding War, the Ministery wants to arrest Severus and send him to Azkaban and you're standing in between them with ice and fire in your eyes like..."If you touch him, if you even try to take him away, you'll have a war on your hands that will make Voldemort look like a child with a slingshot."

[nevermindigotthis]

One of my favourite bits about HP Book/Movie 7 is whenever Lucius and Voldemort are in the same room and Lucius just looks like his entire life was a mistake. It brings me Schadenfreude and malicious glee whenever „I am better than you“ Lucius is insanely obviously just there because he‘s too scared to do anything else. That man has no Pokerface whatsoever and it‘s hilarious.

[padfootswhiskers]

i’m absolutely crying at Hagrid hosting a support harry potter party. you just know that man was making snape’s life hell

[starwrittenfates]

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐄𝐫𝐚 --

The Werewolf Incident - Sirius told Severus that Lily was in danger and went to the shack, hence why Severus risked himself to go in and save her, not knowing it was a set-up.

Tobias Snape broke Eileens’ wand out of rage and disgust for ‘her kind’, hence why she was later powerless against him and the abuse grew more severe.

Despite the fact Eileen could be neglectful at times due to Tobias abuse that was not only directed at Severus, but at her too, Severus had the strongest bond with his mother. He loved her and looked up to her. He couldn't give a shit about his father though.

The Sorting Hat told Severus that he’d be good in Gryffindor for his courage and bravery, but after his interaction with James and Sirius on the train ride there, it was an immediate "NOPE" to that. Slytherin was always his goal. However, he did hesitate, knowing Lily was part of that house too.

Severus was bullied by his own House in hopes of "toughening him up", hence why we don’t see any Slytherin jump to his defense when bullied by the Marauders. Slytherin had this rule of: "Only the strongest survive."

Over the years, the Slytherin's in his house would get on Severus for being friends with Lily ("Why are you friends with that Mudblood? You can make better friends with us instead.") At first, Severus was good at ignoring it, staying true to his word about blood status not mattering. However, over the years, some in his house (Mulciber and Avery in particular) had voiced threatening to go after Lily if Severus didn't join them, especially once they graduated and became Death Eaters. Besides the constant bullying he received from the Marauder's, this was just another thing to keep him on edge and guarded at Hogwarts. And something that caused Severus to start distancing himself from Lily, and in turn, their friendship start to crumbling.

Having come from a poverty stricken neighborhood and a broken home with an abusive father, Severus never liked it when someone took pity on him. Pride is his downfall and it is because of these reasons that when Lily ends up standing up for him during one of the Marauder's attacks that Severus snaps at her with embarrassment despite not meaning to call her a Mudblood. And of course this leads to becoming his Worst Memory, not only because he lost his friendship with Lily, but mostly because of the fact he hurt her.

From that moment on, Severus learns to never let his emotions get the best of him like that again. He tries to learn how to control them, or at least choose his words carefully, so he can never have a repeat of that moment ever again.

He takes on the title "The Half-Blood Prince" sometime in his Sixth Year. It's something to bring him comfort as he is still dealing with the loss of Lily's friendship and enduring bullying from the Maruaders. It is also him trying to give himself some power, purpose and shedding anything that makes him feel the opposite. Calling himself "The Half-Blood Prince" is Severus' way of saying: "No matter how many times you may try to kick me down, I'm still worthy as a person, even as a Half-Blood." It's a declaration during what he thinks to be the darkest time of his life.

His father died of Alcoholism after his 16th birthday. There was a small moment of bliss in the Snape Household because of it. Severus enjoyed these small moments with his mother. However, Eileen ended up passing away on his 17th birthday, but not before leaving Severus his childhood home to him in a will.

Despite not sharing any of their beliefs about Muggle-Borns, Severus ends up joining the group of future Death Eaters, becoming one after graduation because he feels he has no other purpose in life. He had already lost everything (and because Voldemort can actually be a very persuasive, manipulative person, he promises Severus that his greatness and talents will shine in his ranks and he will never be treated terribly ever again.)-- "You can have everything you want, just shake my hand and sign your life away."

At first, it all seemed promising. He could start to see himself having a future again and everything the Dark Lord had promised. However, after overhearing a prophecy about "the Dark Lord and the one to defeat him" being read and reporting it back to his master, the reality of the situation and just how much he had lost himself in the darkness came back to bite Severus when Voldemort set his targets on Lily (and her family.)

Severus used Felix Felicis to ask Voldemort to spare Lily (not because he needed the courage to do so. It was strictly for the luck of Voldemort agreeing to do so.)

[sn4pe]

I love fanon james i wish his fans didn’t hate my guts 😚

[smilingformoney]

Severus and Persephone attend the Potters' wedding, which proves to be much more difficult than Severus anticipated.

Read on Ao3 or below the cut:

It was the day of the wedding, and needless to say, Severus was a mess.

Almost every single person Severus didn’t want to see again was going to be there. Potter and his friends, Lily’s family… really, the only person he was going for was Lily.

And Persephone. She was expecting to go with him, having agreed to be his plus one, and so he couldn’t let her down.

He had finally found an outfit that he liked and Lucius called acceptable. It was a relatively simple outfit - a white shirt under a black waistcoat and black tailcoat with straight black trousers and simple black shoes - but the designer was some French wizard Severus had never heard of but who Lucius claimed was a top of the line designer, and anyone who was worth anything would recognise it immediately.

Severus was just happy that it wasn’t extravagant. It fit well to his body, he had to admit, and he almost looked like he wasn’t a rat from the streets of Cokeworth.

He spent far too long trying to decide what to do with his hair. Lucius tried to convince him to style it, but Severus refused point-blank to touch Sleakeazy’s - it was the brainchild of Potter’s father, and the revenue from the invention was the root of Potter’s wealth. If Snivellus showed up to his wedding wearing his father’s invention, Potter would see that as a win.

Instead, Severus tied it back. His hair was thin and had few layers to it, so it was easy to gather it at the back of his head in a half-bun. He felt he looked decently respectable, and hopefully he wouldn’t stand out too much from the wealthier Potter and Evans families.

He knocked on Persephone’s door and waited. It was the first time he’d been to her house, and although he was curious about the inside, he daren’t impose himself. She lived in an enclosed square in the middle of London, only a short walk from Diagon Alley. It was off a busy muggle road, but the square itself was quiet and the moment Severus turned into it, he seemed to pass some kind of invisible barrier that muffled the noise of the main road. It was, he deduced, a magical community enchanted to prevent muggles from accidentally wandering in.

The front door opened and Persephone stepped out. Severus had to stop himself from gasping. She looked stunning in a long black dress with an elegant silver trim around the neckline, which dipped just low enough to show a little cleavage, making him blush, but remaining appropriate. Her hair, which was rarely out of a ponytail, was down, one side tucked behind her shoulder and the ends slightly curled. She even wore make-up, something he’d never seen on her before. Her red lipstick made her lips look temptingly kissable; the only flaw in her entire look was the foundation she wore on her face. Not that it looked bad, but it covered her freckles, which he liked on her.

“Close your mouth, Severus, you’ll catch flies.”

Severus was snapped back to reality when she spoke, and he blushed, realising he’d done nothing but gawp at her.

“Sorry. I just - you look… different. Your hair is usually up.”

“And yours is usually down.” Persephone lifted her hand to gently push a stray hair from his face, and Severus blushed further to feel even the slightest brush of a touch from her. “I like it like this. I can see your cheekbones.”

She frowned slightly, then drew her hand back and rearranged her face into a polite smile.

“Well, Mr Snape - shall we?”

Severus nodded, offered his arm to her, and apparated them away.

They arrived in the alleyway behind Spinner’s End. Severus often used it as an apparition point, knowing it was never used, and it wasn’t too far a walk from the church. The ceremony was to be non-magical, as not all of Lily’s family knew she was a witch, and so arriving there directly by magical means was out of the question. Their story, they agreed, would be that they had come from Severus’ house.

“Is that a magical community you live in?” Severus asked as they made their way away from the river and towards the nicer part of town. “I noticed a magical barrier at the end of the road.”

“Yes, the whole square is Ministry workers,” Persephone replied. She went to lift her skirt as she stepped over a puddle, but Severus waved his wand to vanish it instead, leaving her path clear. “It’s all Ministry-issued housing.”

“They gave you a house? How did you convince them to do that?” Severus asked, only half-joking.

“I told them I’d be homeless otherwise.”

She said it so casually, as if the threat of homelessness was something that happened in everyday life. Growing up on a council estate in the Midlands, for Severus it had been such a thing - he had seen plenty of neighbours lose their houses shortly after losing their jobs. But Persephone didn’t seem to be of the same sort as he - she had a proper accent, as if she’d moved to London from somewhere nice like Winchester or Oxford, although her naturally rough voice countered it to prevent her sounding like she was as posh as the Malfoys.

He didn’t know much about her, really. He had no idea where she was from - maybe she had moved from Oxford. Maybe she was a born Londoner. Maybe, like him, she was from further north and hid her accent.

Persephone glanced at Severus. He was a strange man. Most people - including herself - would be fishing for more information about her brush with homelessness, but the information passed over him as if she’d told him her favourite colour. She knew the area they had apparated to was near his house, although she didn’t pry as to exactly where that was, and it was clearly run-down. They were walking now along a river, but it wasn’t a pleasant walk. The river was brown, surely devoid of aquatic life, and the occasional lump of rubbish floated by. At one point, a shopping trolley appeared to be wedged in the riverbank. Across the river was a factory of some sort, though it seemed to be closed and out of use.

She had been interested to learn from Severus that Cokeworth was where he’d grown up, on the other side of town from Lily Evans, because she herself had grown up only an hour’s drive away. She’d never been, but she knew of the town by reputation, and it wasn’t a good one. A former industrial town, once flocked to by the working class, it was now deprived and forgotten, houses either torn down or abandoned. What on earth Severus was doing living here when he could easily move into a wing of Malfoy Manor was incomprehensible.

Past the boundary of the old factory, the scenery began to change. The river narrowed, veering off to the west, and Persephone followed Severus up a set of stairs to emerge onto a cobbled high street. The spire of the church they were headed to was visible in the distance, and Persephone followed in Severus’ footsteps as he led her through the streets he clearly knew very well.

“Do you know this area well?” Persephone asked.

Severus grunted in reply. Persephone sensed that he didn’t want to talk, so they remained silent as he led her through the cobbled back streets until they emerged across the road from a church.

It wasn’t dissimilar to the church Persephone had grown up diligently attending every Sunday - not out of any faith, but out of obligation. As the Reverend’s daughter, she had no choice but to attend her father’s sermons and sit in still silence as he droned on about God and the Bible. It was there that she had learnt to blend into the background, being present but unnoticed while adults gossiped around her, not realising she was listening and taking mental notes of the latest dramas in the village.

Severus hesitated when they emerged onto the street, eyeing the milling crowds warily.

“Not a setup, then,” Persephone commented.

“No,” Severus replied. His eyes darted around the crowd as if looking for someone in particular. “I don’t see Potter’s friends at all.”

“They’re probably inside with him. I expect they’ll be groomsmen.”

“I suppose.” Severus tilted his head slightly to peer at a couple climbing out of the back of a taxi. The woman was tall and thin with a long neck and an expression that suggested she’d just swallowed a lemon. The man, meanwhile, was short and fat with the ghost of a moustache growing on his lip. He offered a hand to the woman to assist her out of the taxi, and as it drove off, they both straightened themselves, looking around haughtily at the gathering crowd. The woman muttered something to the man, who seemed distinctly unimpressed with what she’d said.

Severus knew them, that much was clear. He took a small step back, as if their presence caused him to want to retreat.

“Who are stringy and dumpy?” Persephone asked.

Severus frowned, then the corner of his mouth twitched as he tried to suppress a smile.

“Petunia Evans,” he replied in a low voice. “Lily’s sister.”

“Not a fan?”

“You could say that. She’s a muggle; she always envied Lily her magic. She was jealous that we were both magic, and she wasn’t. And when Lily and I became closer…” He trailed off, thinking.

“That’s her husband, I assume?”

“He must be. Though who would want to marry a nasty girl like her, I don’t know.”

“Maybe he’s nasty too. They certainly both seem to think they’re better than everyone else.”

Petunia and her dumpy husband were now conversing with another couple, and they both wore expressions that suggested they were talking to a piece of shit on their shoes.

An idea came into Persephone’s mind and she suddenly looped her arm through Severus’. He twitched as if to pull his arm away, but he stopped himself. Instead he looked at her questioningly.

“Let’s pretend we’re dating,” she said conspiratorially.

“I - what?!” Severus spluttered.

“Yeah! Come on, it’ll be fun. I’ve always wanted to try the fake dating bit. It’ll be good practise for you too.”

“Is this a suggestion from a friend or an order from a superior?”

Persephone blinked in surprise.

“We’re friends?”

“Oh - sorry, I -“ Severus glanced away, embarrassed. Of course they weren’t friends - never mind that at some point in the past few weeks, they’d started using each other’s first names. Never mind that her cold shoulder had warmed slightly or that she allowed herself more smiles around him. He was still just a colleague, a trainee, someone she was saddled with…

“Don’t be,” she said. “I just… I wasn’t sure if we were friends or just colleagues.”

“Well, I - I’d hope we were friends by now.”

Persephone smiled. “I’ve never had a friend before.”

“Never?” Severus repeated with a frown. That couldn’t be right. Even he’d had friends.

“Classmates, sure. Kids I was forced to hang out with. But no one I’d consider a friend. I don’t really like people.”

“Nor do I.”

“I like you, though.”

“I… like you, too. Very much.”

Persephone smiled and stood up straighter, not even realising she’d shrunk into herself slightly in her uncertainty. “Good. So we’re friends. And for the next few hours, we’re dating.”

“Right. How long have we been dating?”

“Let’s say a month. That’s about as long as we’ve been working together, and the best lies are based in the truth.” She nodded her head towards the crowd, who were beginning to make their way into the church. “Shall we?”

Severus nodded, and together they made their way towards the church. By silent agreement, they stayed near the back of the crowd, being careful not to draw attention to themselves. They slid into a pew at the very rear corner of the church, giving themselves a good view of the crowd without giving the crowd a good view of them.

“Tell me what you see,” Persephone murmured.

As the guests shuffled around and the church workers got themselves into position, Severus whispered his observations to Persephone. He had a natural talent for it; it was easy to see why he’d been hired after her. He also, she suspected, employed a bit of legilimency; either that, or he was very good at guessing what people were thinking.

He stopped talking suddenly when James entered and made his way to the front of the congregation, ready to take his position for the ceremony. As predicted, his gang were there with him. Sirius Black appeared to be the best man, with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew backing him up as groomsmen.

They were all dressed smartly, although Black stood out like a sore thumb - perhaps because he was tall enough to be head and shoulders above the rest of them, being a good foot taller than Potter, or perhaps because he appeared not to have even brushed his wild hair, giving him the impression of a lion’s mane around his head. Even Potter had tamed his famously messy hair, but Black had decided he was above such petty things as hairbrushes. If he had turned up to church like that in Persephone’s village, he wouldn’t have been kicked out - that would have caused far too much of a ruckus - but he would have experienced a lot of tuts, disappointed head shakes and mutters about “the youth of today.” Although, from what she knew of him, Persephone supposed he was counting on exactly that today.

Pettigrew, meanwhile, seemed to have had trouble finding a suit that fit him, and so he looked rather odd so short and round next to much taller and skinnier men.

Lupin certainly looked the best of them. He almost looked like an ordinary man, with the exception of the scar across his face. Persephone wondered what story he told muggles about the origin of the scar.

A hush came over the crowd as the organ began to play, and those who were still milling about quickly sat down. The air was buzzing with anticipation for Lily’s entrance, and Persephone could feel Severus stiffening beside her. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed. For a moment, he didn’t respond, and then his hand relaxed into hers. His shoulders dropped slightly, and his tightened jaw relaxed.

He glanced at her, looking at her curiously, as if wondering what she’d just done to him. She gave him a small smile, hoping to comfort him, but he just looked sad. Then, the doors at the rear of the church opened, the entire congregation turned their heads back, and Lily Evans stepped through the archway.

When the ceremony was finally over, the crowd gathered outside to throw confetti on the couple as they emerged from the church. Severus and Persephone kept out of the way, both having agreed to stay out of sight until after the ceremony. Neither of them were fans of the union, but they weren’t so bitter as to interfere.

The reception was only a few doors down at the village hall, so while the couple and their attendants and family posed for photos, the rest of the crowd began meandering down the road to the hall.

“Are you alright?” Persephone asked gently. She had taken his hand again, conscious that even out of sight of those they intended to fool, they still had to maintain their facade.

Severus nodded his head, looking pointedly ahead as they made their way down the street. Persephone had intended to ask him to observe some more as they walked, but she decided he deserved a break after watching his first ever friend marry his bully.

“She deserves better,” he said at last once they were sat at a table. The assigned seating had them with some Potters neither of them knew and who hadn’t arrived yet, no doubt still at the church participating in the photo shoot.

“The heart wants what it wants,” Persephone replied. She knew it was useless advice, but it was all she had. She didn’t want to admit that she didn’t really like Lily either, so to her they were perfect for each other. 

“Hmph.” Severus folded his arms and stared off into the distance.

“Sorry, that wasn’t helpful, was it?”

Severus looked at her, eyebrow raised. “Do you think so?” he snapped. Then, his face relaxed into a sad look, and he shook his head. “Sorry. You’ve been good enough to accompany me. It’s not your fault I’m miserable. I knew this would be difficult. I shouldn’t have come - shouldn’t have dragged you here -“

“Hey.” Persephone placed her hand on his arm, and he again twitched at the sudden contact, although he still didn’t pull away. “I encouraged you to come and I asked to come with you. In fact, I didn’t ask, I pretty much told you I was coming. But this really is good practice for you, you know. There’ll come a day you’ll be emotionally compromised on a mission, and you need to be able to look past your emotions and focus on your task. If you can do that now, you can do it when the real thing comes.”

“And what is my task, Agent Payne?”

Persephone gestured at the empty seats around their table. “We’ve got three Potters due to join us. Find out who they are, what they do, and get something useful. Information, perhaps, or just a connection you can use at a later date. Charm them - with your wit, not your wand.”

“I’m not charming.”

“When you’re an Unspeakable, you’re whatever you need to be. If you need to be charming, you be charming. If you need to be a dickhead, you be a dickhead. If you need to suck up to Potters, you suck up to Potters. Who you are - who you have been - he disappears at the door. You’re malleable. You’re an actor. You’re smiles and laughs at one table, then you move onto the next and you adapt. You are no one. You are everyone. There is no self; only the mission.”

Severus looked at her for a long moment, considering. “How do you stop yourself from forgetting who you really are? Does there not come a time when you lose track of which face is real and which is a mask?”

Persephone shrugged. “If you figure that one out, let me know. Do you want a drink?” She nodded to the bar, where glasses of Buck’s Fizz were being prepared.

“Please. Is it too early for whisky?”

“No, but we’ll have to stay sober. I’ll teach you to keep your wits about you while drunk another time. Orange?”

“Very well.”

Persephone made her way to the bar and asked the server to pour two oranges without the champagne.

“You break my heart, Payne!” said a voice Persephone had the misfortune to recognise as Sirius Black. “It’s a wedding, after all, and the parents are paying. Let loose a little, huh? You look like you’re wound tighter than a watch.”

Black leant casually against the bar and flicked his untidy hair back, not noticing Persephone roll her eyes at his terrible attempt at metaphor.

“Saw you at the ceremony, sat with Snape,” Black continued. “Suppose sitting next to Sniv for long enough would make anyone tense. Don’t worry about the seating plan - soon as all the toasts are over, you can leave Sniv behind and dance with me.” He shot her his best charming grin, the same one she’d seen him flash at pretty much every girl in Hogwarts.

“I literally cannot imagine anything worse than dancing with you, Black,” Persephone replied shortly. “I’d sooner dance with a werewolf. How is Lupin these days?”

Black’s eyes widened momentarily, then he quickly rearranged his face into his attempt at a charming smile.

“No werewolves here, love. And I don’t think Remus’d be able to keep up with you, do you?” He looked her up and down. “Nah, I love the guy, but he’s all brain and no brawn. You need a man who can carry you over his shoulder and whisk you away. Bet you’d like that, eh?”

“I can whisk myself away, thank you very much. Want to see me do it?”

She turned on her heel and carried her two glasses back to the table as if nothing had happened.

Severus just grunted when Persephone handed him the drink. He really wished he could have a drop of alcohol in there.

“Get over it, Severus,” Persephone hissed at him as she sat down.

“Excuse me?!”

“I told you to be charming. Sit up and stop slouching. You look like a grumpy teenager who’s been dragged here against his will.”

“I am a grumpy teenager!” Severus replied, although he did as she said. “And I’m certainly here against my will. Do you think I wanted to sit in that church and watch my best friend marry my worst enemy? Do you think I want to sit here and watch you flirt with Black?!”

“Flirt with Black?!” Persephone repeated, flabbergasted. “You clearly didn’t hear a word of what I said to him.”

“No, but I saw enough, saw the way he looked at you -“

“He was flirting with me! It’s not my fault he’s never been able to take a hint. I could snog you in front of him and he’d still find a way to make it about him. Anyway, even if I had been flirting with him, what’s it matter to you? We’re here to make connections, aren’t we? If I have to flirt, I flirt, and you’ll know it when I do. But our story tonight is we’re dating, so I wouldn’t be very good at my job if I started flirting with the best man, would I?”

Severus’ jaw twitched, but he said nothing more. They sat there in silence until the room began to fill up with the Potter and Evans families, having now finished their photos.

“Follow my lead,” Persephone whispered to Severus as their dinner companions for the evening approached.

She was like an entirely different person. Severus dutifully played the role of shy boyfriend as Persephone transformed in front of him from the “ice queen” Lucius had warned him about to a warm, open, and engaging extravert. She laughed at the right times, responded with witty and thoughtful comments, and threw probing questions into her conversations with such charm that it was difficult to discern them from casual conversation.

The Potters they’d been sat with, it turned out, were extraordinarily boring. But that didn’t stop Persephone from throwing herself into the role, if only to show Severus how it was done. Severus almost believed it himself when she feigned interest in the oscillating conversion values of muggle and wizarding currency.

After the dinner came the speeches, and it took all the will Severus could muster to sit there and listen, trying not to let his anger show lest it upset Persephone’s plans, as Black gave his best man speech - somehow making it more about himself than about the groom - and Lily’s father, Timothy Evans, gave his speech. The way they talked about Potter, it was as if he had never done wrong. Black alluded to their joint “mischief” as if it were just that, simply a bit of fun, boys being boys. In retelling some of their exploits, he conveniently missed out the part where the two of them had almost killed him.

Finally, the long-winded speeches ended, and the tables were moved aside (seemingly by hand, although Severus suspected magic made the tables lighter) and the floor was cleared for dancing. Lily and James took to the centre of the room, the lights were dimmed, and romantic music began to play.

Severus didn’t even realise his hands were curled into fists until he saw Persephone reappear at his side, having disappeared when the tables were moved, and handed him a drink. In the dim light, it was hard to tell, but it looked suspiciously like whisky.

He looked at her questioningly.

“You’ve earned it,” she whispered.

He smiled his thanks and took a swig of the much-needed drink. It was a muggle whisky, so it didn’t quite have the kick that firewhisky had, but it would do.

Undeniably, Lily looked beautiful. She had changed out of her white wedding dress before dinner and was now wearing an evening gown more appropriately designed for movement, and she glided with a natural elegance across the dance floor, her eyes never leaving Potter’s, wearing a grin that lit up her entire face and radiated a joy throughout the room.

It may be cliche to call a redhead fiery , but with Lily it was true. When she was angry, she burned fiercely, like a raging wildfire. In a good mood, she was like a crackling campfire, promising mischief and joy in the darkness of the night. And now… now she wasn’t burning but glowing, like a hearth on Christmas Morning. She was radiant and beautiful and her energy spread throughout the room, engulfing all around her in her comfort and joy. And that, more than anything, was the energy she radiated. She was happy . Somehow, James Potter made her happy. And Severus knew he would endure an eternity of torment at Potter’s hands if that meant the other man could give Lily even a moment of happiness.

The song ended and Severus joined the round of polite applause. With a wave of his hand, James hushed the crowd, then said, “For the next song, we’d like to invite all the unmarried couples to dance. Have yourselves a taste of what tonight is for us!”

There was some polite chortling throughout the room, then a handful of couples made their way to the dance floor - some confidently, others shyly. Severus didn’t even think of moving until he felt Persephone take his now-empty glass from his hand and place it on the table behind them.

“What are you -“

“Unmarried couples. That’s us,” she reminded him.

“Oh. Right.” Severus had almost forgotten about their scheme.

He reluctantly led Persephone into the open space. He wanted to dance with her, but not like this - not with all these people watching - not with Potter watching —

“Do you know how to dance?” Persephone asked as she took his hand in hers and placed the other on his shoulder.

“Yes.”

“Good. Then lead me.”

The music began, and Severus just placed his hand on her waist in time to begin the dance.

“I’m beginning to think tonight wasn’t one of my better ideas,” Persephone said as they moved.

“Why’s that?”

“I wanted to teach you about emotional compromise. I seem to have thrown you in at the deep end.”

“How else does one learn to swim?”

“Usually in the shallow end.”

“Well, that’s no fun.”

Persephone laughed, and for a few moments they were quiet, simply enjoying the dance together. Severus had forgotten already about Lily and James, about their jobs or their purpose for the night; he was too enthralled in the fact that he was dancing with a beautiful woman.

Because she was beautiful. She was the opposite to Lily in so many ways — like ice to fire, each powerful and deadly in their own right and yet both necessary for survival. Lily’s hair was a deep auburn red, while Persephone’s was a golden blonde. Lily had warm, inviting green eyes that radiated tranquillity and kindness; Persephone’s were in one moment a cold and distant grey, another a shining silver. 

Even their freckles were different. Lily’s were dark and prominent, starkly contrasted to her pale skin. On the other hand, one could be forgiven for believing Persephone had no freckles at all. They blended into her skin as if camouflaged, and Severus had noticed over the past few weeks that during the summer, they came out in full force; it was only in winter, or nights like tonight where she wore foundation, that their presence was hidden. It was a shame, because her freckles were beautiful, and Severus had on more than one occasion caught himself fantasising about kissing each and every one of them.

“I have one last challenge for you, then you’ve got the rest of the night off,” Persephone was saying, and Severus tried to pull his attention away from staring at her to actually listen to her. He nodded to show he was listening, then she continued, “I want you to keep dancing with me. Keep looking at me like you’re in love with me. Look into my eyes and nowhere else… and tell me what James Potter is thinking.”

Severus was happy to do the first part. He found it very easy to dance with her, to look at her and only her. But to look into Potter’s mind — that was a less appealing prospect.

It was just as easy, though, because Potter’s mind was an open book. Severus hardly had to push into his mind at all to see and hear everything that was going on.

“He’s watching us,” Severus said quietly. He resisted the urge to look up at Potter himself. “He’s feeling… annoyed that I came. He wishes Lily hadn’t invited me. He’s not sure who you are, but he thinks you’re hot and doesn’t understand why you’re here with me.”

“Good. Now do Black. And remember, eyes on me.”

It took Severus a few moments to find Black’s mind, especially as he was doing all this without eye contact, but there he was, the loudest mind in the room.

“He’s also wondering why you’re with me. Merlin, is it so inconceivable to them that I could be with you?” He said bitterly, although he agreed with them - Persephone was much too good for him.

Persephone smirked with satisfaction, her curiosity sated.

“Very good. One more thing, then you’re free for the night.”

“What is it?”

The music began to reach a crescendo.

“Dip me.”

His hand on her back to support her, Severus dropped Persephone into a sweeping dip just as the music ended. The couples around them may have ended their dances too; Severus wouldn’t know. All he could focus on was her, her head thrown back, a laugh on her lips, her hair dangling down behind her. Severus laughed too at the absurdity of it all, then he pulled her back up again.

As Persephone rose from the dip, she let the movement carry her forward until their faces were level, and their lips connected.

The world stopped spinning for a moment. Birds’ wings stopped flapping, and the tides froze in mid-splash. Her lips were on his, she was kissing him, and when his lips parted to free a gasp, she took that as an invitation to deepen the kiss. Her hands were in his hair now, holding him tightly as her tongue began to inch its way past his lips…

He pulled away suddenly. For a moment, they stared at one another, then Severus turned on his heel and left.

[pastaplatypus]

picture to burn songfics and headcanons are so funny because you're giving one of your characters a stupid old pickup truck (and not letting the other one drive it) relatedly, mama mega has a rainbow pickup truck and curt completed his drivers' ed with it

[t1tlessm4yhem]

Ig this is obligatory?

I have many MANY ask blogs!

-

@askagentabanston3

-

@askthe2partypooperocs

-

@overseerscunt

-

@severus-survives-au

-

@askarksonic

[louierecs]

— ୨୧₊˚ Misc part one

— back to main masterlist?

Javier Pena;

- learning to live (full fanfic)

- you make loving fun

- birthday present

- let me

- whatever my wife wants

- accident

- routine

- neighbour next door

Steve Murphy;

- baby, that's the thrill

- file room boss

Joel Miller;

- first rays of dawn

- is it that sweet?

- honey-do

- have a good night

- always and forever

- who's your daddy?

- controversially young girlfriend

- what's a fanfiction?

- one of your girls

Marcus Acacius;

- columba

Dave York;

- take the heat away, make the girl stay

Benny Cross;

- please. please. please

- dangerously yours

Johnny Davis;

- property of johnny

- my girl

- five minutes

Agent Whiskey;

- savor

- cowboy hate rule with whiskey

- in our ivory tower

Eggsy Unwin;

- eggsy who is a freak

- let's pretend it's sunday

- a little dream come true

Jim Hopper;

- stay

Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw;

- personal space

- wrong number

Severus Snape;

- secret lovers

- severus and his sunshine

- firsts

Lucius Malfoy;

- spanking with lucius

Arthur Morgan;

- our dear, green little friend

- sex and praise with arthur

- ride a cowboy

- the forbidden fruit

- arthur who has an impressive cock

- fakin' it

- kiss me

- candy forest

- being mesmerised by arthur's muscles

- backshots with arthur

- arthur teaching you how to ride him

Joel Miller (game version);

- ride a cowboy

⋆˚࿔ reblog your creators 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

[severussnapemylove]

Y/N; (having just watched Severus completely fool Voldemort) "Boy, you're good. You are mind-blowingly duplicitous. How do you do it? You just tear things...You're a triple impostor. I've never seen anything like you. Is there anything real about you?"

[justrandomfanfictionskh]

Have fun!!

[writers-potion]

The classic betrayer

This is where everyone subtly knows that this guy's going to turn the other way.

The betrayer puts on a show for our heroes - kind, compassionate and supporting at first.

it just so happens that the villainthinks the heros are the bad guys.

make them actually likable.emotionally ruin the hero upon betrayal.

The remorseful traitor

whether he had bad intentions from the start or was deceived by others, the betrayer regrets his choices.

when he realizes his mistakes, it's too late to stop the evil, which introduces guilt.

throw the guilt and shame on the character.

even the protagonist can be a traitor! will others forgive him?

The Double Agent

this type of traitor will keep the readers wondering whether this guy is truly on your side.

keep your readers guessing. is that an evil smirk or a genuine smile? does he really love drinking, or is he just trying to get the hero drugged?

Snape in Harry Potter is a great example.

The guy can be good or bad - just keep balancing the two

Unrealiable narrators

these characters are not entirely betrayers, but horribly misinformed. they can make others appear like traitors - when in truth, they just have it wrong.

pit your narrow-minded narrator against his allies.

these characters are great for misunderstanding plots.

have your narrator do irreversible damage to the hero. would they forgive him?

Tragic betrayers

these are characters, due to their past wounds and trauma, cannot help but betray the group.

they confess the hero's secrets under physical/mental torment and doesn't have the backbone to do otherwise.

these characters can either be pitiful or frustrating would the hero still fight for the betrayer?

Play around with pov

you can have the readers know about the upcomong betrayal by switching points of view, building up anticipation to the moment of realization.

on the flip side, you can change povs in a way that the reader doens't see what's happening at the hero's back.

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[smilingformoney]

It's Severus' first day as an Unspeakable, and he discovers there's more to the job than he realised.

Read on Ao3 or below the cut:

The tour, it turned out, took most of the day.

The Department was huge - and this was only one sector. The whole place must have been bigger than the entire rest of the Ministry, maybe even bigger than Hogwarts. Severus’ eyes widened when Payne led him into the Artefacts Room, which stretched far into the distance, containing stacks upon stacks of objects imbued with dark and unknown magic. He could probably spend years examining the shelves and barely make a dent in the treasure trove that sat within that room.

And yet, when Payne showed it to him, she passed over it like it was nothing more than a junk room. She continued the tour, and by the time they returned to the top floor, it was lunchtime.

“I usually eat in my office,” she said. “There’s a canteen upstairs, but I try to avoid it. I just bring food from home.”

Severus paused. Was she inviting him to join her in her office, or telling him to use the canteen?

She looked him up and down. “Guessing you didn’t bring lunch from home?”

“No…”

“Canteen it is, then. Wait here.”

She disappeared into a nearby door, which Severus realised was marked with her name. She emerged moments later holding a paper bag, which presumably held her lunch.

“You have your own office?” Severus said in amazement as he followed her down the hall. “Does everyone have one?”

Payne chuckled. “Nah, some people share. I was lucky - that room came spare just as I joined. Guess my luck had to run out some day.”

“What do you mean?”

“Emmett didn’t tell you? You’ll be sharing with me while you train up.”

Severus smiled. “It’ll be like school,” he said, “when we used to study in the library.”

Payne glanced at him, but quickly looked away. “Yeah, I loved not talking to you for hours,” she said. “Best part of my week. Come on, I’m starving.”

She led him out of the Department door and down the corridor to the lift. The Department had been quiet, silent even, with hardly a soul passing them. Out here, Severus heard voices coming from a side corridor, and he glanced down curiously as they passed.

“Wizengamot,” Payne explained shortly.

“So close to us? Is that safe?”

“Believe me, the safety measures are there. If you had any ill intent, you’d not be able to get in.”

The door to the lift opened and they stepped through. Being on the bottom floor, the lift was empty, though it slowly filled up as they ascended the floors. Severus noticed the others giving them a wide berth, and he wondered if Payne had a reputation, or they were just uneasy around Unspeakables.

The canteen was bustling with activity. Severus saw Payne wince at the sudden noise when the doors opened, and he had to hurry to follow her as she made a beeline to find a table.

“Food’s over there,” she said shortly, pointing to the buffet, which was nearly as grand as a Hogwarts feast.

She sat down and began opening her bag of lunch, then glanced up when she saw Severus hesitating.

“It’s free,” she said in a soft voice. “Just like Hogwarts, except you gotta bring it to your table.”

Severus breathed a sigh of relief. He had indeed been worrying about payment, and he was glad she’d answered his silent question; he didn’t fancy telling her he was too poor to afford lunch.

As Snape hurried away to help himself to some food, Persephone pulled her lunch from her bag. She hadn’t known until she came in that morning that she’d have Snape trailing her; otherwise she wouldn’t have bothered packing a lunch. But she had, and she didn’t fancy letting it go to waste, so she sat there with her ham sandwich, a packet of crisps and an apple, and decided to use the time while she was waiting for Snape to come back to have a look around.

Augustus Rookwood was getting a little too cosy with a female Wizangamot lawyer who was definitely not his wife. Arthur Weasley had his nose in a book; a muggle book, by the look of the unmoving picture on the cover. Alastor Moody was also eating lunch from home, his magical eye darting around, no doubt waiting for attacks.

And approaching her table with all the fluid swagger he could muster was Lucius Malfoy.

“Well, well,” Malfoy said in his silky smooth voice. “It seems the vixen has emerged from her den.”

“Malfoy,” Persephone replied shortly.

He glanced down at her plain little lunch. “Is the food here not to your liking?” he asked with a hint of disdain.

“What do you want, Malfoy?” Persephone asked, uninterested in whatever game he was trying to play.

“I simply thought I’d say hello. It’s so rare you grace us with your presence. What would one call one who is not an Unspeakable? A Speakable?” Malfoy chuckled at his own joke. “Tell me, what occasion merits such a visit?”

“None of your business.”

Malfoy winced. “Now, now. Is that any way to speak to your betters?”

Persephone put her sandwich down and sighed. Not this stupid blood status stuff again. For some reason, Malfoy thought that because his family were all magical, that somehow made him better than her, despite the fact that she was a considerably better sorcerer than him. She could beat him in a duel, and he knew it.

“You’ve said hello, Malfoy. Now, please leave.”

Lucius was about to respond, when he spotted something over her shoulder and his expression changed completely. His eyes lit up - subtly, but the spark was there - and he smiled.

“Look who it is!” he said warmly. “I do believe I owe someone a bottle of Ogden’s best.”

Persephone glanced over her shoulder to see Severus approaching with a plate of food. He smiled too when he saw Malfoy; not a wide, toothy grin like Malfoy wore, but a more bashful, closed smile.

“Hello, Lucius,” he said as he reached the table.

“Agent Payne and I were just catching up!” Malfoy exclaimed, flicking his cloak behind him as he sat down opposite Persephone. “It’s so rare to see her out of her natural habitat. She’s not training you, is she?”

Snape hesitated at the head of the table, as if uncertain where to sit, then decided to sit next to Lucius.

“Actually, she is,” he said in reply. “She gave me the tour this morning.”

“That’s enough, Snape,” Persephone said sharply. “You don’t want to break your Vow before you’ve even taken it.”

Malfoy threw up his hands in innocence. “I ask nothing!” he insisted. “Wouldn’t want you dropping dead on my behalf, Payne. Well, if you can’t tell me about your morning, I’ll tell you about mine. I was awoken rather rudely by Narcissa, who insisted I give her my opinion on her gown for the day. Then the Daily Prophet came…”

As Malfoy droned on, Persephone resumed people watching as she had been before the interruption. She pretended to listen to Malfoy as she ate, but her eyes focused over his shoulder, watching her colleagues go about their days. A lot could be learned from the simplest of observations; one just needed to know how to read body language, to read lips, and to notice small details, like the way someone wore their hair, or the state of their dress.

Still Malfoy was talking, and Persephone was sick of it. She wanted some time to herself, and so she stood, picking up her remaining apple.

“I’m going to finish my lunch in my office,” she announced. “Snape, you remember your way there?”

Snape nodded, and she left without a second glance.

“Thank Merlin she’s gone,” Lucius said once she was out of earshot. “I feared she’d never leave. Tell me, how are you finding the ice queen?”

Severus frowned. “Ice queen?” he questioned.

“Oh, yes, she’s probably the most aloof, disinterested person here. Quite distasteful - and awful fashion sense. She needs a splash of colour, an embellishment or two - but she wears nothing but those ridiculous plain outfits.” Lucius scoffed. “All the better to sneak around in, I suppose.”

There was some truth to what Lucius was saying - Payne had been distant that morning, nothing like he remembered. She had always been quiet and kept to herself at school, but when they had spoken, she had always been nice. She would smile when she saw him approach the corner in the library they both liked, and even when they didn’t speak, Severus felt comfortable in her presence - or as comfortable as he could while also sporting a raging crush on her.

“So it’s true you’re to take an Unbreakable Vow,” Lucius commented. “It’s well-known in the Ministry, of course - that’s why we call them Unspeakables, because they cannot speak of it without dropping dead. But that’s about the only thing we do know. Oh, that and the obliviations, of course.”

“Obliviations?”

“Yes, when someone is fired from the Department of Mysteries, they get obliviated. It’s always quite the gossip when it happens, because of course the obliviators immediately start telling everyone they see that so-and-so was fired from the Department of Mysteries for one reason or another. Misuse of knowledge, dating co-workers, that sort of thing.”

Severus frowned. “Dating co-workers? Do they really fire and obliviate people for that?”

“Oh, yes, they have a very strict rule down there. We found that out when two Unspeakables were fired and obliviated for dating. It’s tragic, really - they fell in love, and their punishment was to forget one another on top of most everything else about their lives. Merlin only knows what happened to them. The romantic in me hopes they found their way back to one another, but I guess we’ll never know.” Lucius suddenly spotted someone in the distance. “Ah, the Minister’s here! I’d better go speak to him. Why not come for dinner Saturday, Severus? We can celebrate your new position.”

“Yes, I’d like that,” Severus replied as Lucius stood.

“Mmm, but don’t bring your new friend. We don’t want the dinner table freezing over. Cornelius! Just the man I wanted to see…”

After finishing his lunch, Severus made his way back downstairs and managed to find Payne’s office without getting lost. He noticed that over lunch, the nameplate had changed to include his.

Office 394 Persephone Payne, Unspeakable and Severus Snape, Trainee Unspeakable

He knocked, then pushed the door open when he heard Payne grant him entry.

“You don’t need to knock,” she said, glancing up from the book she was reading. “Didn’t you see the sign?”

“I didn’t want to disturb you -”

“You’re my trainee. Your job is to disturb me. Here - this came for you.” She pushed a folded letter across the desk to him. “Dunno if Emmett told you, but all your post gets redirected here now and checked before you get it. Security and all that.”

No, he hadn’t been told. Nor had he been told he’d have to take an Unbreakable Vow. He knew the Department was high-security, but he was a little bitter that this was all being imposed on him without his consent.

Severus picked up the letter curiously; no one ever wrote to him, only Lucius, who he’d just spoken to. He wondered if it was a letter from the muggle prison that held his father, as they occasionally sent him updates about his father’s deteriorating health.

His heart did a somersault when he recognised the handwriting across the front. Feminine, but not cursive - Lily had never quite mastered that skill.

Severus sat down in the seat across the desk, staring at the envelope. What could Lily possibly be writing to him about?

“You’ll have your own desk tomorrow,” he heard Payne saying, but the blood was pounding in his ears and he hardly heard her. Lily had hardly spoken to him since the day she broke their friendship off, a little over two years ago. She’d certainly never written.

He gulped, swallowed his fear, and opened the letter, fearing a tirade from her for all the ways he was terrible.

But what he read was even worse.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Margaret Evans

on 31st August 1978 at St Nicholas’ Church, Cokeworth

Please RSVP ASAP with dietary requirements and name of plus one.

It was true. Severus knew Lily had started dating Potter in seventh year - it was impossible not to know, as they were all over each other, snogging at every possible opportunity. And when graduation came, everyone was abuzz with the news that Potter and Evans were going to move in together during the summer. And now they were getting married. It was rather fast, but Severus supposed Potter wanted to commit Lily to a vow before the rose-tinted glasses lifted and she remembered who he really was.

Speaking of vows… he had one of his own to make, Severus remembered, just as the door opened and his new boss stepped through.

“Good, you’re both here,” said Director Bitterwood. “Are you both ready?”

Payne nodded as she stood, withdrawing her wand from her pocket.

“Ready for what?” Severus asked, slipping the invitation into his pocket, copying Payne’s movements and standing up.

Director Bitterwood looked at Severus seriously over his glasses. “Ready to commit to the role,” he explained. “It’s time for your Unbreakable Vow.”