The funny thing about Silhouettes, given the fact that they prefer telepathic communication, are their names. Or rather, the names they choose for themselves to make interacting with non-telepathic folk much easier. Among Snape's favorites are Bell, Book and Candle, two females and a male, who form a Union of three and were the first Silhouettes he met. That their chosen names are often light-hearted, even whimsical, makes it even easier for Muggles to interact with them. The two facing Snape now are quite popular with the non-telepathic residents of the White City.
Dance and Sing.
A mated pair, they are two of the finest assassins their race has ever produced. They bow to him in greeting and he returns the bow, then they sit down beside the fountain in a little corner garden. It is a common misconception of those who never venture in that everything here is black. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It appears that way outside the gates, but inside...while the Silhouettes themselves are varying shades of black and dark grey, the environment around them is truly like midnight. An assortment of shaded blues, deep purples, deepest greens and in places ghostly grey, with tiny sparkling insects throughout the gardens of white flowers giving the impression of a blanket of stars.
It is a place of peace; Snape is usually at ease here. But this is very grave business; the taking of a life is a serious matter governed by strict laws and customs that must be observed. One of the ladies brings them tea, Egyptian Mint, in a single cup. The one seeking the contract drinks first, then places the cup back in the center of the table. If the contract is accepted, the primary assassin drinks next, then passes the cup to any other assassin accepting the contract. Once the cup is drained it is placed upside down in the center of the table; the deal is sealed when new Asphodel blossoms are picked and consumed by those involved in the contract.
In this case, Snape does not have a chance to place the cup in the center; barely has he swallowed his drink of tea has Dance taken the cup from him. Dance drinks his portion then hands the cup to his lovely mate, who finishes the tea and turns the empty cup upside down in its place. It is not solely because they feel Snape belongs among them that they are eager to do this. Sing does not need to speak, but she does, saying, "this is a contract long overdue." Snape nods and Chime, who served the tea, now brings them not Asphodel blossoms, but buds.
It is said that when a flower has blossomed "she has opened her eyes". The Asphodel is a member of the lily family...and Snape can not bear to eat them once they've blossomed. So they bring him only the buds.
Once the buds are eaten the meeting is concluded, and normally those involved would go on about their business, but this is quite different. The three rise and swiftly exit the district, and once in the city center, they transform into their prefered mode of travel. It is not quite one in the morning; while several hours have passed since Greyback made the threat, Snape is certain he is still in the area. He knows Greyback is waiting for Elsbet to return to her home. The freak bastard is going to be in for a very big surprise.
Now out of the city they travel toward the little house at great speed. It takes only moments. Snape lands nearby while Dance and Sing fan out to cover the area. No one has disturbed the slain doe, not even other animals, though Greyback has returned recently. He releases his raven form and straightens, moving carefully toward the carcass. He is a storm of emotion inside and would likely be reduced to tears at the horrific sight and its multi-layered meaning were his self-control not in overdrive. Of all the deer in the area, this doe was Elsbet's favorite; she would eat cubed carrots and pea pods right out of Elsbet's hands.
He knows the doe suffered terribly.
He knows what he's going to do to Greyback when they find him.
And that only takes moments as well. Snape feels their call and he goes to them; they have the filthy freak bastard down on the ground, clearly enjoying the struggle he's putting up. Snape can see five other Silhouettes, and knows there's possibly seven more he can't, and he's grateful for the extra coverage. Greyback's not likely here alone...unless...Something twinges in the back of Snape's mind...unless he was planning something special... He steps forward and Dance looks up at him. Whatever you're going to do, Friend, do it now, he thinks, and Sing forces Greyback to meet Snape's eyes.
Anything Greyback wants to say never makes it passed his lips. Snape employs Legilimency and forces his way into the werewolf's mind; he will know what he knows before the Silhouettes claim him. It isn't pretty, such an invasion, but Greyback deserves so much worse. Snape finds that Greyback never believed Rastaban's story about witnessing Malfoy's murder; he went to the given location and could find no hint of a buried body, transfigured or otherwise. Instead of returning to the Manor and telling anyone of his discovery, he decided to have a bit of fun for himself.
He followed his nose. He had caught Elsbet's sent before, just by chance once and had even seen her in passing, but it had been a long time ago. Catching her scent on Malfoy's clothes set things off. He planned to get the three of them together, Snape, Malfoy and their pretty little bitch and do it...kill Snape and Malfoy, as viciously as possible, get them to beg for mercy maybe, but not before forcing them to watch as he violated and infected Elsbet. Infuriated almost beyond his limits of self-control, he pushes himself further into Greyback's mind, all the way back to the last time he saw Harry. He searches Greyback's memories just to be sure...he has to be fucking sure...the werewolf has not seen Lily's son since the night on the lightning-struck tower.
He hasn't.
Once that need is satisfied, he begins to pull himself back, disgusted by the werewolf's thoughts and desires. He can't stand it. In an almost convulsive act of sheer rage, Snape shreds Greyback's mind as he leaves it, then steps back. Dance and Sing nod to him as the other visible Silhouettes move in closer; you don't have to witness, Sing thinks to him, but he tells her he does. He wants the satisfaction of seeing Fenrir Greyback getting what he so richly deserves.
He has never seen anything like it. It's an agonizing way to die, but at the same time, it's justice. More than that, it insures the safety of the White City and everyone dwelling therein, as well as an uncounted number of Innocents on this side of the Divide. Dance and Sing shift just slightly and force themselves into Greyback's body through his nose and mouth, and other Silhouettes penetrate through the ears. Rapidly, Greyback's form is covered with an oozing black mass that begins to writhe as he is consumed. It's over quickly, and not a single trace of the werewolf is left as they draw away from the spot.
Snape sighs and shuts his eyes for a minute or two, then goes back toward the little house. He changes direction at the last minute and goes toward the pond. The stench of the fouled water is enough to tell him there's nothing alive in it. Incendio, he thinks, and the grass surrounding the pond catches fire; the heat is so great that the water boils away, and the matter left behind is turned to ash. He approaches the once sacred place after the fire dies, his anguish great; they had cherished it so, Snape and Elsbet, they had made love beside it one beautiful night, not so long ago, and now...it's gone.
It would have been a perfect spot for Lucius' peacocks, he thinks sorely. Sighing, he causes the empty space to fill with dirt and rocks, and the grass to grow to cover it. This was also the place he and Lucius first kissed. He wanted to leave the stone bench in place, but it would be unwise now; there's no guarantee the Wolfpack won't come through here and he'd rather not leave any trace behind. He Vanishes the bench, then goes swiftly back to the house. He does the same with the carcass of the doe; he Vanishes it, then burns the grass where she'd been slaughtered, then makes the shoots grow to fill in the spot.
He whispers the words, exactly as Elsbet taught him, to make the spot 'good' for her bird friends. He doesn't know what the words mean, but it doesn't matter; it's enough that she makes it work, whatever it is, and speaking the words gives him a little bit of comfort. As he takes a deep breath he passes through the protective spells he and Malfoy had cast, then enters her home. It is decidedly unhappy now, as if it knows... so devoid of her warmth and light, he is uncomfortable here. He moves through her house quickly, stopping at the coat closet to take out a travel bag, casting an undetectible extension charm upon it. He heads first to her room, carefully placing items inside it as he goes.
He has no need of light; he has memorized every centimeter of Elsbet's home, just as he has every inch of her body. He doesn't let himself look at the Egyptian walls or the wall they painted together; he keeps his mind on gathering as many things he knows his secret heart will want to have as he can. He gathers a few articles of clothing and the pieces of jewelery he likes most, then moves to the bathroom to grab a few things, then to the kitchen. He takes the food she will likely eat in the next few days out of the fridge and Vanishes the rest, then grabs the bags of birdseed from the drawer. He's about to leave the kitchen when he remembers...
Hesitating, he looks up at the liquor cabinet. He can't leave just yet. He takes out his blood-orange wine, the pepermint schnapps Malfoy loves, and...Elsbet's Absinthe. He also removes the locking charm on the little side drawer next to the fridge and gets her Absinthe spoon and her sugar cubes. He won't deny her this little pleasure. He packs the bottles and spoon safely, then at last, reluctantly, heads out the door. He stands before the little house, the home he made for her, he steels himself for what he must do.
The spell is on his lips, and as he is about to dismantle the house, it occures to him that he should try something else. If he dismantles it, it can never be put back just so, it will never be 'right' again, so he decides to attempt diminufy. He's never actually done that spell, but now is the best time, so he focuses himself and thinks it. There are sounds of compression and he watches it shrink, down to about an inch in size. He encases it in a protective crystal-like cube, places it in the bag, and realizes he can't fly back like this.
He'll have to Apparate directly into the city. He feels suddenly Dance and Sing are still with him; they stayed to give him cover if he'd needed it. Here, Severus, Sing thinks as she and Dance take hold of him, let us help you travel, it will be less taxing passing through the shield. He nods once, and before he can thank her, they are right where they should be, safe inside the city. Remus and Therion rise from the benches in front of The Chocolate Cat, but don't approach until they know it's permissible. A private moment passes between Snape and the Silhouettes, and then the darker two are gone.
Snape turns slowly to his friends nearby, looking very tired. It's got to be at least two am, maybe even three, and he has to get back to Hogwarts. They meet and make their way back to the Temple as Snape tells them that Greyback is no longer a matter for concern. He tells Remus that Greyback had not found Harry, so at least they have that to be grateful for. Therion asks Snape if he plans to tell Malfoy any of this, and he says, "yes, but as Greyback had something particularily wretched planned for his son, I will have to decide what is safe to tell him, and when."
As they pass soundlessly into the Temple and down the hallway, Snape asks Therion if he will make sure that Elsbet's food and belongings make it to her new home, and they both look at him in askance. He takes out a few articles of clothing for her then gives the bag to Therion. He shows them the tiny cubed house and says, "I could not afford to take any chances." Therion nods and tells him it's no problem at all. "She is safe here, Severus, they both are, have no doubt." He carefully opens the door and places Elsbet's clothes and the cube on the chair just inside the room, sighs, then shuts the door.
He tells them he will return as soon as he is able, to keep him apprised of any developments, and that he will do the same for them. Snape lingers a moment longer, then very quickly heads out.
Dance and Sing.
A mated pair, they are two of the finest assassins their race has ever produced. They bow to him in greeting and he returns the bow, then they sit down beside the fountain in a little corner garden. It is a common misconception of those who never venture in that everything here is black. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It appears that way outside the gates, but inside...while the Silhouettes themselves are varying shades of black and dark grey, the environment around them is truly like midnight. An assortment of shaded blues, deep purples, deepest greens and in places ghostly grey, with tiny sparkling insects throughout the gardens of white flowers giving the impression of a blanket of stars.
It is a place of peace; Snape is usually at ease here. But this is very grave business; the taking of a life is a serious matter governed by strict laws and customs that must be observed. One of the ladies brings them tea, Egyptian Mint, in a single cup. The one seeking the contract drinks first, then places the cup back in the center of the table. If the contract is accepted, the primary assassin drinks next, then passes the cup to any other assassin accepting the contract. Once the cup is drained it is placed upside down in the center of the table; the deal is sealed when new Asphodel blossoms are picked and consumed by those involved in the contract.
In this case, Snape does not have a chance to place the cup in the center; barely has he swallowed his drink of tea has Dance taken the cup from him. Dance drinks his portion then hands the cup to his lovely mate, who finishes the tea and turns the empty cup upside down in its place. It is not solely because they feel Snape belongs among them that they are eager to do this. Sing does not need to speak, but she does, saying, "this is a contract long overdue." Snape nods and Chime, who served the tea, now brings them not Asphodel blossoms, but buds.
It is said that when a flower has blossomed "she has opened her eyes". The Asphodel is a member of the lily family...and Snape can not bear to eat them once they've blossomed. So they bring him only the buds.
Once the buds are eaten the meeting is concluded, and normally those involved would go on about their business, but this is quite different. The three rise and swiftly exit the district, and once in the city center, they transform into their prefered mode of travel. It is not quite one in the morning; while several hours have passed since Greyback made the threat, Snape is certain he is still in the area. He knows Greyback is waiting for Elsbet to return to her home. The freak bastard is going to be in for a very big surprise.
Now out of the city they travel toward the little house at great speed. It takes only moments. Snape lands nearby while Dance and Sing fan out to cover the area. No one has disturbed the slain doe, not even other animals, though Greyback has returned recently. He releases his raven form and straightens, moving carefully toward the carcass. He is a storm of emotion inside and would likely be reduced to tears at the horrific sight and its multi-layered meaning were his self-control not in overdrive. Of all the deer in the area, this doe was Elsbet's favorite; she would eat cubed carrots and pea pods right out of Elsbet's hands.
He knows the doe suffered terribly.
He knows what he's going to do to Greyback when they find him.
And that only takes moments as well. Snape feels their call and he goes to them; they have the filthy freak bastard down on the ground, clearly enjoying the struggle he's putting up. Snape can see five other Silhouettes, and knows there's possibly seven more he can't, and he's grateful for the extra coverage. Greyback's not likely here alone...unless...Something twinges in the back of Snape's mind...unless he was planning something special... He steps forward and Dance looks up at him. Whatever you're going to do, Friend, do it now, he thinks, and Sing forces Greyback to meet Snape's eyes.
Anything Greyback wants to say never makes it passed his lips. Snape employs Legilimency and forces his way into the werewolf's mind; he will know what he knows before the Silhouettes claim him. It isn't pretty, such an invasion, but Greyback deserves so much worse. Snape finds that Greyback never believed Rastaban's story about witnessing Malfoy's murder; he went to the given location and could find no hint of a buried body, transfigured or otherwise. Instead of returning to the Manor and telling anyone of his discovery, he decided to have a bit of fun for himself.
He followed his nose. He had caught Elsbet's sent before, just by chance once and had even seen her in passing, but it had been a long time ago. Catching her scent on Malfoy's clothes set things off. He planned to get the three of them together, Snape, Malfoy and their pretty little bitch and do it...kill Snape and Malfoy, as viciously as possible, get them to beg for mercy maybe, but not before forcing them to watch as he violated and infected Elsbet. Infuriated almost beyond his limits of self-control, he pushes himself further into Greyback's mind, all the way back to the last time he saw Harry. He searches Greyback's memories just to be sure...he has to be fucking sure...the werewolf has not seen Lily's son since the night on the lightning-struck tower.
He hasn't.
Once that need is satisfied, he begins to pull himself back, disgusted by the werewolf's thoughts and desires. He can't stand it. In an almost convulsive act of sheer rage, Snape shreds Greyback's mind as he leaves it, then steps back. Dance and Sing nod to him as the other visible Silhouettes move in closer; you don't have to witness, Sing thinks to him, but he tells her he does. He wants the satisfaction of seeing Fenrir Greyback getting what he so richly deserves.
He has never seen anything like it. It's an agonizing way to die, but at the same time, it's justice. More than that, it insures the safety of the White City and everyone dwelling therein, as well as an uncounted number of Innocents on this side of the Divide. Dance and Sing shift just slightly and force themselves into Greyback's body through his nose and mouth, and other Silhouettes penetrate through the ears. Rapidly, Greyback's form is covered with an oozing black mass that begins to writhe as he is consumed. It's over quickly, and not a single trace of the werewolf is left as they draw away from the spot.
Snape sighs and shuts his eyes for a minute or two, then goes back toward the little house. He changes direction at the last minute and goes toward the pond. The stench of the fouled water is enough to tell him there's nothing alive in it. Incendio, he thinks, and the grass surrounding the pond catches fire; the heat is so great that the water boils away, and the matter left behind is turned to ash. He approaches the once sacred place after the fire dies, his anguish great; they had cherished it so, Snape and Elsbet, they had made love beside it one beautiful night, not so long ago, and now...it's gone.
It would have been a perfect spot for Lucius' peacocks, he thinks sorely. Sighing, he causes the empty space to fill with dirt and rocks, and the grass to grow to cover it. This was also the place he and Lucius first kissed. He wanted to leave the stone bench in place, but it would be unwise now; there's no guarantee the Wolfpack won't come through here and he'd rather not leave any trace behind. He Vanishes the bench, then goes swiftly back to the house. He does the same with the carcass of the doe; he Vanishes it, then burns the grass where she'd been slaughtered, then makes the shoots grow to fill in the spot.
He whispers the words, exactly as Elsbet taught him, to make the spot 'good' for her bird friends. He doesn't know what the words mean, but it doesn't matter; it's enough that she makes it work, whatever it is, and speaking the words gives him a little bit of comfort. As he takes a deep breath he passes through the protective spells he and Malfoy had cast, then enters her home. It is decidedly unhappy now, as if it knows... so devoid of her warmth and light, he is uncomfortable here. He moves through her house quickly, stopping at the coat closet to take out a travel bag, casting an undetectible extension charm upon it. He heads first to her room, carefully placing items inside it as he goes.
He has no need of light; he has memorized every centimeter of Elsbet's home, just as he has every inch of her body. He doesn't let himself look at the Egyptian walls or the wall they painted together; he keeps his mind on gathering as many things he knows his secret heart will want to have as he can. He gathers a few articles of clothing and the pieces of jewelery he likes most, then moves to the bathroom to grab a few things, then to the kitchen. He takes the food she will likely eat in the next few days out of the fridge and Vanishes the rest, then grabs the bags of birdseed from the drawer. He's about to leave the kitchen when he remembers...
Hesitating, he looks up at the liquor cabinet. He can't leave just yet. He takes out his blood-orange wine, the pepermint schnapps Malfoy loves, and...Elsbet's Absinthe. He also removes the locking charm on the little side drawer next to the fridge and gets her Absinthe spoon and her sugar cubes. He won't deny her this little pleasure. He packs the bottles and spoon safely, then at last, reluctantly, heads out the door. He stands before the little house, the home he made for her, he steels himself for what he must do.
The spell is on his lips, and as he is about to dismantle the house, it occures to him that he should try something else. If he dismantles it, it can never be put back just so, it will never be 'right' again, so he decides to attempt diminufy. He's never actually done that spell, but now is the best time, so he focuses himself and thinks it. There are sounds of compression and he watches it shrink, down to about an inch in size. He encases it in a protective crystal-like cube, places it in the bag, and realizes he can't fly back like this.
He'll have to Apparate directly into the city. He feels suddenly Dance and Sing are still with him; they stayed to give him cover if he'd needed it. Here, Severus, Sing thinks as she and Dance take hold of him, let us help you travel, it will be less taxing passing through the shield. He nods once, and before he can thank her, they are right where they should be, safe inside the city. Remus and Therion rise from the benches in front of The Chocolate Cat, but don't approach until they know it's permissible. A private moment passes between Snape and the Silhouettes, and then the darker two are gone.
Snape turns slowly to his friends nearby, looking very tired. It's got to be at least two am, maybe even three, and he has to get back to Hogwarts. They meet and make their way back to the Temple as Snape tells them that Greyback is no longer a matter for concern. He tells Remus that Greyback had not found Harry, so at least they have that to be grateful for. Therion asks Snape if he plans to tell Malfoy any of this, and he says, "yes, but as Greyback had something particularily wretched planned for his son, I will have to decide what is safe to tell him, and when."
As they pass soundlessly into the Temple and down the hallway, Snape asks Therion if he will make sure that Elsbet's food and belongings make it to her new home, and they both look at him in askance. He takes out a few articles of clothing for her then gives the bag to Therion. He shows them the tiny cubed house and says, "I could not afford to take any chances." Therion nods and tells him it's no problem at all. "She is safe here, Severus, they both are, have no doubt." He carefully opens the door and places Elsbet's clothes and the cube on the chair just inside the room, sighs, then shuts the door.
He tells them he will return as soon as he is able, to keep him apprised of any developments, and that he will do the same for them. Snape lingers a moment longer, then very quickly heads out.