Smart-Choices (VI) [Chapter 273]

Andi and Sirius were left completely speechless after Narcissa finally finished explaining what the Ritual truly entailed… Sirius simply opened and closed his mouth, unable to form any words. He knew that his cousins were batshit insane, but he always believed Bellatrix to be the most insane among the three of them, but now he probably needed to reevaluate his beliefs.

‘She was always the prim and proper one… Maybe, that was why she was able to hide her insanity for so long’ Sirius wondered with a frown on his face. While he had no love for Snivellus and wanted to see the man suffer and die, especially after learning that the man was responsible for setting the Dark Lord after the Potters, he didn’t know how to feel about sacrificing the man for a Ritual.

Sirius wasn’t going to lie… He loathed his Family and everything they ever stood for, but there were some perks of being a member of such a Dark and messed-up Family… He knew exactly what it meant to Sacrifice a human for a Ritual… Snivellus wasn’t going to die. There wasn’t going to be any afterlife for him. He would simply cease to be… His Soul would be sent into oblivion.

And that was not a fate he wanted for someone, even for a man as nasty as Snape…

“...What the hell, Cissy?” Andi finally managed to voice something while looking completely stumped.

“Yeah, Cissy? What the hell?” Sirius repeated drily while giving her youngest cousin a bland look. He was somewhat relieved to find that Andi didn’t seem to be quite on board with the Ritual plan. ‘Maybe, I would be able to dissuade them’ Sirius mused, feeling hopeful.

“Don’t look at me like that” Narcissa huffed, looking slightly offended at the looks Sirius and Andi were giving her. “To be honest, his skills are way too valuable to lose and since Harry was going to kill him either way, I don’t see a problem” Narcissa casually explained.

“Cissy, killing someone and sacrificing someone are completely different things” Sirius said in a grave tone. “You have also read the books on Sacrifices and Rituals. You know what is going to happen to Snape if we Sacrifice Snape. His Soul would be plunged into oblivion!” Sirius finished with a growl.

Narcissa gave him a cold as she started to speak. “You hate the man. You hate his guts. You tried to get him killed at Hogwarts, and now, all of a sudden, you care for him?” Narcissa asked with a scoff. “You call him Snivellus for Merlin’s sake… You have called him that for years and now he is Snape to you?” Narcissa finished with a scowl.

“No! I don’t care for that little piss stain! He can go and jump off a cliff and I will be there to cheer him on, but that doesn’t mean that I am okay with Sacrificing him!” Sirius finished heatedly.

Narcissa seemed to fume, but she didn’t snap at Sirius, instead, she simply stared at him with a cold glint in her eyes. “Why do you care? Even if his Soul is plunged into oblivion, so what?” Narcissa asked. “He is no longer useful to any of us… At least, this way, his skills are going to be put to good use” Narcissa explained haughtily and Sirius felt his eyebrows twitch at her words.

“Your use, you mean?” Sirius asked while scowling.

“Of course, my use means good use” Narcissa nodded her head in agreement without any ounce of shame on her face.

Sirius didn’t have any retort to that, so he simply decided to look for Andi’s help… He failed to convince Narcissa to drop the idea, but maybe Andi would be able to dissuade her sister. After all, if Andi refused to participate then there wasn’t much Narcissa could do. “Come on, Andi… Help me here!” Sirius whispered furiously while giving Andi a meaningful look.

Andi who was busy glaring at her younger sister finally snapped out of her thoughts when Sirius finally spoke to her. Andi regarded her younger sister coldly… “Do you really have so little faith in my skills?” Andi asked in a cold tone, making Sirius smack his own face in frustration. He had been wrong!! So wrong!

Andi wasn’t angry because Narcissa suggested Sacrificing Snape for a Ritual, she was angry because her sister suggested that her existing skills may not be enough…

“I never said that” Narcissa pointed out. “I simply said that Harry was going to kill Snape either way, so I asked if there was a way to pass on his skills and talent to someone else” Narcissa explained calmly and even though Andi was still regarding her sister with a cold look on her face, she was starting to calm down. “You are the only one I could trust with his talent and skills” Narcissa finished with a sigh.

Andi tapped her finger on the armrest with a contemplative look on her face… Andi knew that she wasn’t as skilled or talented as Severus when it came to Potions, but she hated being compared to him straight up… It was the pride of being a Black rearing up its ugly head, she knew that, but that never made it easy for her to accept her inferiority.

“Andi! You can’t be thinking about this!!” Sirius protested loudly looking aghast, however, all of his protests went unheeded.

“Cissy isn’t wrong, you know? Harry is going to kill Severus either way, the loss of his skills and talent is going to be huge for the world. At least this way, we would be able to preserve his talent and skills and put it to good use” Andi said while nodding her head, earning a weird look from Sirius.

“You are not saying all the rubbish to convince yourself, are you?” Sirius asked suspiciously. From the look on her face, Sirius was certain that he had been spot on, however, Andi promptly decided to ignore his words, making him throw up his hands in the air in frustration and exasperation.

“I am glad that you see it that way” Narcissa beamed at her sister, looking extremely pleased with herself. “I will talk with Harry and set up a date” Narcissa added.

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet” Andi raised her hand to stop her sister from making any further plans.

“You are not?” Narcissa asked as she inclined her head with a confused look on her face.

“No, I am not” Andi confirmed, however, it was clear that she was simply stalling for whatever asinine reason. The excited glint in her eyes was a dead giveaway. Meanwhile, Sirius was wondering about his next course of action. Talking with Harry wasn’t going to help. Talking with any of his friends wasn’t going to help, but talking with Nymphadora might help. “I just need some time to think this over” Andi added.

Yes, Sirius decided that he needed to have a chat with Nymphadora as soon as he could…