The outcome of the war is in our hands; the outcome of words is in the council.
Homer–'The Iliad'
Early July, 2001The tall, elegant man entered the room tentatively, unsure of what his reception would be. He knew the news he brought would not be well received, and dreaded the upcoming interview with his Master. He paused for a moment, took a deep breath and approached the throne sitting in the center of the damp area, kneeling before the Dark Lord.
"Luciusss, my faithful ssservant, is everything sset for tonight?" Voldemort hissed at the blond man before him.
"Yes, my Lord, the plan will be carried out just as you ordered. Your followers are amassed just outside the village, and will attack at midnight."
"Ex-sssellent. Any word on the other isssssue yet?"
Lucius Malfoy cringed inwardly as he replied, "No, my Lord. We have agents placed throughout the world, however we have not had any success in picking up a trail." He knew that the Dark Lord did not tolerate failure and mentally prepared himself for what would happen next.
"Crucio."
"…of whom only three survived." Minerva finished reading the Auror's report about the latest Death Eater attack, and then set it aside. "Albus, we must find a way to stop these attacks. Things are getting worse as each day goes by."
Albus Dumbledore paused for a moment before saying, "Severus, have you anything to report?" The Headmaster glanced at his Potions Master, who was presently gazing out of the dark window in the kitchen of No. 12 Grimmauld Place.
"No. The Dark Lord has not seen fit to call me for several weeks now. I've heard nothing about these newest assaults." Snape answered flatly, as his continued to stare into the night, absently fingering a gold ring on his hand.
Tired blue eyes examined the dark-haired wizard, dimming with sadness. The war had taken its toll on so many people; however some were dealing with more pain than others. During the past couple of years, Severus had thrown himself into his work for the Order, volunteering for more and more dangerous missions as time progressed. Albus was worried that his friend was about to break.
Kingsley Shacklebolt cleared his throat then stated, "At this point in time, we should probably suspect that Severus' cover is blown. There have been too many attacks that he was not aware of not to believe that." Kingsley looked over at Snape and smiled gloomily. "You should lay low for a while. You are too valuable to the Order to keep risking you life right now."
Snape looked over at Kingsley with scorn, then slowly gazed at each member of the Order seated around the table. "My life is mine to do with as I will. My value as a spy is not limited to the information I gather at the Death Eater meetings. I will continue to do my job as I feel necessary."
"You cannot win this war by yourself, Severus." Arthur Weasley reached over and grasped the dark-haired man on the shoulder. "The truth is, right now the war is impossible to win without…" His words dwindled away at the look in Snape's eyes.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the gathered compatriots as each thought of what was missing. The silence was finally broken when Molly Weasley sighed, as she looked around the room, asking the question on everyone's mind, "Albus has there been any news yet? Any sightings? Anything?"
No one questioned her meaning as Albus shifted in his seat. "Unfortunately not, my dear. Every lead has fizzled out; every owl has returned unanswered. I'm very much afraid that we must simply continue on our present course."
"Bloody hell, Albus. The war is escalating–The Dark Lord and his cohorts rampage seemingly unchecked, yet here we sit, drinking tea and chatting." Severus jumped up from his chair and began pacing. As he passed the kitchen table, he glanced down, then stilled. After a brief moment, he swirled and slammed out of the door.
Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin looked at the closed door, then at each other. "Bugger it anyhow. I thought things were better now. What set him off this time?" Lupin growled at Tonks, who smiled sadly and gestured at the table.
Remus looked over and saw a copy of the Daily Prophet lying open, headline screaming Death Eater Attacks Escalate! Where is the Wizarding World's Hope–Where is Harry Potter?
Bugger indeed.
Harry Potter was missing, and no one, not even Albus Dumbledore, knew where he was.
