A/N: Hello, everyone! Just a quick update on the stats for this story, it is now, by a margin of two, my most reviewed story ever written! *breaks out party hats* Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, but beyond that, thank you to those 149 people who have followed the story, the 66 who have favourited it, and the 3'417 people who have read it in the first place. 3 chapters, 7k+ words, and all this praise for it. I guess I have to keep going now, don't I? Questions will be answered, new questions will be raised. But how many of each? Read on, and find out...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CIRCLE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Gryffindors had taken their promise to heart. By the next morning, ten of the best upper year students had arranged a timetable for each of them to keep an eye on the third floor corridor, and a further seven had formed a guard of honour to surround Harry when he was near Snape. Unfortunately, they couldn't come to class with him, but the other first years had promised to help in class. Harry was a little shocked by the fact that so many people were giving up their time to help out, but another first year, Fay Dunbar, said it best.

"In the animal kingdom, when you attack one lion, the whole pride fights back. We're the lions of Hogwarts, and one of our pride has been threatened."

Fred and George burst into a round of applause, causing the girl to blush and duck her head, but Harry thought she completely deserved the applause. The entire house was indeed acting like a pride of lions - preparing to fight back against anyone who dared hurt a member of the pride. The honour guard assembled, and the whole house walked down to breakfast. Percy was walking on one side of Harry, with Ron and Hermione on the other side.

"The most important thing, Harry, is that the school sees us united. If they think there's a weakness, then they'll attack. It's the same with whoever is trying to kill you, and steal the Stone. They think they're just dealing with the teachers. They won't expect us to defend you and the Stone ourselves. And that element of surprise will help us."

"Wow, Percy. I didn't know you were this good with tactics."

"Ron had to learn how to play chess from someone, Harry."

The Gryffindors entered the Great Hall, and silence fell. The other three houses were busy trying to figure out why the Gryffindors looked ready for war, and the teachers weren't far behind. The guard started to head for the teachers' table, which prompted Harry to ask Percy what was going on.

"We decided we would give the Headmaster one last chance to do the right thing and investigate our claims properly, Harry. If he doesn't, we'll go up a level."

Dumbledore was already standing to meet them when they arrived. "What, may I ask, is happening here, Mr Weasley?"

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I would like to report an attempted murder against a student of Hogwarts." Percy had spoken loudly deliberately, and it had worked - every student and member of staff, and even the House ghosts, were now hanging on his every word.

Dumbledore was now looking rather grave. "I see. If I may ask, who is it that has perpetrated this attack, and who was the intended victim?"

"I'm sure the teachers who were present can all remember the rather spectacular first Quidditch game of the season, sir. The attack was against Harry James Potter, and the perpetrator of said crime was none other than Severus Snape!"

Gasps echoed round the hall, and Dumbledore was not looking grave anymore - in fact, he looked rather like he had swallowed a lemon. "Mr Weasley, Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher. He would not attempt to attack a student."

"I'm afraid your logic is flawed, sir." The female prefect, a girl named Olivia Carrudas, stepped forward, taking over. "The attack was perpetrated during the match. Hence, the wards on the stadium were active. Thus, the students could not have cast the spell. The players surrender their wands before each match unless there is a very good reason not to do so. Thus, it could not have been another player. That leaves three options. One, someone walked onto the pitch and cast the spell. They would have been noticed quickly, so that can be ruled out."

Percy stepped forward, taking over again. "The referee could have been the one to cast the spell, but again, Madam Hooch would have been noticed easily, considering all eyes were on the field at the time. That leaves only one option. Someone in the staff box cast the spell. Since all eyes were on the field at the time, they would not have been spotted before some damage was done. Of the people in that box during the incident, only one has a noted history of antagonism towards the target of the attack. Thus, the most logical explanation we can come to with the evidence currently available, is that Severus Snape attempted to murder Harry Potter. Even if he did not, the fact remains that a member of staff was the one to attack Harry. We would like an investigation to be started, and all contact between Harry and Mr Snape to cease until the conclusion of said investigation."

If Dumbledore had looked like he had swallowed a lemon before, he now looked as though a crate of them had been shoved down his throat. "Mr Weasley, I would like to remind you that as Headmaster of this school, I am in charge, not you, and I do not appreciate students dictating terms to me. I have already looked into the incident in question, and Severus is innocent of what you have accused him of."

"Beg your pardon, sir, but I have two points to bring up. Firstly, I did not dictate terms to you, I merely asked for an investigation into the incident. My second request was nothing more than what the DMLE would have insisted upon, in the interest of safety. Secondly, I would appreciate it if Harry at least could see some solid evidence of Mr Snape's innocence in this matter, since it is, in fact, his life at stake."

The entire hall could see Dumbledore's left eyebrow twitch, which set off a round of muttered comments. "Mr Weasley, as I just said, I am the Headmaster of this school, and I do not see any reason to pander to your demands. I have already informed you of Professor Snape's innocence, and I do not appreciate you questioning my honesty."

Olivia stepped forward again. "Sir, we are not questioning your honesty. We merely feel that Harry at least has the right to see the evidence of Snape's innocence. And even if Snape is innocent, that still means that another member of Hogwarts staff is attempting to kill at least one of the students. Would it not be more sensible to call in the DMLE, and request a full investigation? It is technically your obligation to the students of Hogwarts, sir."

"Enough! I am already conducting an internal investigation, the results of which are not available to any member of the public, Miss Carrudas. Now, take your seats, and eat your breakfasts, or I will take house points for this insolence."

The Gryffindors stared for a moment, before turning and taking their seats - though none of them turned their backs on the staff, which was not lost on the rest of the school. A couple of older students from Ravenclaw came over, and after a whispered conversation with a couple of third years, returned to their table, nodding to their friends, which sparked a rash of whispering throughout the hall. Even the Slytherins were curious, though for some, the curiosity was directed differently.

"Hannah, do you think it's true? That Snape tried to kill Harry?"

"Don't know, Sue. But if I was them, I'd definitely get the Aurors involved. This isn't some silly schoolboy hex, this was attempted murder! The whole school saw it, too!"

"Yeah, you're right. I wrote home to Auntie, but two weeks later she wrote back asking why I hadn't written recently. I think someone is trying to keep things quiet, and from what we just saw, my money's on the Headmaster."

Cedric Diggory leaned over at this point. "You're right, I found out the same thing. I wrote home after Halloween about the troll getting in, but from what I could gather from my mum's next letter, she never got that one. Someone in Hogwarts must have put up a mail redirect keyed to certain words. The problem there is, only a member of Hogwarts staff can alter the wards. Cuts down the suspects quite a bit, huh?"

A quiet first year Hufflepuff named Sally-Anne Perks piped up. "I'm muggleborn, so I admit I don't really know much about the magical world, but I know about education in the muggle world, and if the Headmaster of a school there tried to pull that with me, mum and dad would have me in a different school so fast my head would spin!"

"Yeah, only problem is, there aren't many schools of magic in Europe. The three big ones are Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, and out of them, only Hogwarts has an English-speaking population. That doesn't stop the purebloods from enrolling their children in multiple schools, of course."

"What? Why would they do that, Ernie?"

"Well, it's in case their child gets expelled. Normally, if you're expelled from school, your wand is snapped, your memory erased, and your magic bound. Protects the knowledge of our world's existence. That can be avoided though. If you're enrolled in more than one school, if you're expelled from one, you continue your education at another one. Purebloods use it as a safety net, Justin. The other schools don't charge tuition unless the child starts attending their school."

Justin and Sally-Anne exchanged horrified glances. "But what about muggleborn? What about people who don't know about that little tradition?"

Ernie MacMillan looked confused. "But everyone knows it. Why would people not know about it?"

An older girl interjected. "People who grew up around magic know about it, Ernie. Muggleborns don't get that lot explained to them, because 'everyone knows it'. Problem is, these days only the purebloods know it, because they don't bother letting the rest of us know. If my mum weren't pureblood, I wouldn't know it. Word of advice, kids? Write to Beauxbatons. Ask to enroll, but as a safety option. They offer an amulet that translates French to English and vice versa, until you're comfortable speaking the langauge. They get tons of requests, yours'll just be one more on the pile. Oh, I'm Valena, by the way. Valena Owens."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~MATRIX~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By dinner that day, not one student in Hogwarts would turn their back on the staff table, and the seventh years in each house had their wands out, a shield charm on their lips. The staff were more divided than they had ever been before. Behind a powerful silencing ward, Filius Flitwick and Minerva McGonagall were almost coming to blows with one another.

"If a member of staff is trying to kill a student, then I demand that we get the Aurors in here immediately Minerva!"

"Filius, you heard what Albus said, he is conducting an internal investigation!"

"To hell with his internal investigations, Minerva! I want to know who did this, and what they want!" The rest of the staff stopped arguing and looked on in shock, though whether it was because Pomona Sprout - the most mild-mannered woman any of them knew - had yelled, or because she had sworn, no one knew. McGonagall herself flinched back as through the Herbology teacher had struck her, before rallying.

"Enough, Pomona! The Headmaster's word has always been good enough for you before now, what is different this time?"

"Perhaps, Minerva, it is the fact that all those times were merely complaints about overly harsh disciplinary methods. Something which, while clearly unscrupulous, is not actually illegal. This, however, is a capital crime that we are talking about. Attempted murder against a student we promised to protect and nurture when we became teachers at this school. Who's to say that whoever it was won't try again? And how many innocent students will be in harms way, simply because one psychopath wants to murder a child? I used to respect you, Minerva, but it is becoming very clear to me that you are not the person I thought you were. If you won't do something about this, then I will refuse to allow my Hufflepuffs to go anywhere near the dungeons. If that means footing the bill for a private Potions tutor for them, so be it."

"An excellent idea, Pomona, and if I may be so bold, I have a few contacts within the guild. I believe I could quite easily contact several of them to see if they would be interested. My Ravenclaws would of course be doing the same. Let it never be said that Filius Flitwick stood back and let innocent children be endangered."

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his usual seat, listening to the conversations - alright, arguments was more appropriate - going on around him, desperately trying to figure out how to regain some measure of control over the situation. He hadn't been this out of control since his mother's death, and it was not a sensation he enjoyed. Somehow, the Gryffindors had convinced Harry to talk to them about the Quidditch match, but how? From all his observations thus far, Harry was a quiet, shy young boy who preferred to stay out of the spotlight when possible. So why was he now opening up about so much to people he barely knew?

And as for Percy Weasley, that boy was an enigma wrapped in a puzzle this year, too. He had been a model student for the four years prior to this one, so why was he now becoming so...rebellious? His threat about getting the DMLE involved in the situation was an empty threat, he was sure, and even if it wasn't, the post wards around the school would redirect any letters to his office for review before being sent on. Or not, if the information was too damaging - the troll incident at Halloween sprang to mind. His plan was finally beginning, and he needed a free hand to move the pieces with. If the Aurors got involved, that free hand would be tied behind his back. Most likely with handcuffs.

Albus was many things, but he was not an idiot. He knew he was doing illegal things, just as knew he would continue to do illegal things. He didn't enjoy that fact, but he simply had no choice. The law wouldn't understand the situation, especially not when it came to destroying the Horcrux he was almost certain was in Harry's scar. He had read more books on soul magic than Voldemort, he was certain, and still, the only way he could find to destroy a Horcrux was to destroy its container. And so he needed to get the eyes of the students - and staff - somewhere else, just long enough to gather his wits.

But how to do so? He could throw the students a bone, and ask Severus to take a public oath stating that he hadn't attempted to kill Harry. But that had its own set of problems. Specifically, Severus' pride would never allow him to take such an oath. What to do, what to do? An idea suddenly struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he turned to Severus, throwing up an extremely powerful silencing ward around them.

"Severus, we both know that this incident won't blow over so easily. Clearly, the Gryffindors aren't going to stop asking questions unless they get some answers. So, I believe there is a way to give them what they want, without humiliating you in the process by asking for a magical oath."

The younger man raised one eyebrow, in a way that Albus had long since learned meant 'go on'. "You are well aware that if one witch or wizard owes another a life debt, they cannot attempt to kill the person the debt is owed to? Since James died without the debt between you fulfilled, that debt has transferred to young Harry. If we tell this to the students, then there is no possible way they can believe you guilty. What do you think, Severus?"

Like Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape was no idiot. He knew that Amelia Bones hated any Death Eater who had escaped justice, especially after two of them had murdered her brother and sister four years after the Dark Lord's downfall. He also knew that if she got the chance, she would put him on a diet of flushing potions, before dosing him to the gills with Veritaserum. This seemed an easy alternative to the situation, and so he readily agreed. His life here was relatively cushy, and he even got to terrorise the snot nosed little brats whose parents once tormented him!

Upon receiving Severus' agreement, Albus stood up, and began to address the hall. "Everyone, your attention, please. I understand that many of you have been rather...curious, about Professor Snape's possible involvement in a certain incident. He has asked me to inform you all as to the reason he could not be responsible for this. It is, of course, a matter that normally he would have preferred remain private, but given the circumstances, he has decided that I should inform you. Professor Snape owed Mr. Potter's father a life debt, one which was unfulfilled at the time of James Potter's death. As many of you sitting here today know, if one witch or wizard owes another a life debt, they cannot even attempt to take action which would result in that person's death. I do hope that now that this business is sorted, that we can move past it, and return to the normal day to day schoolwork."

Hermione stood up, shocking Albus to his core. "I'm normally the last person who would think like this, sir, but even if Professor Snape is innocent - and from what you've just told us, I see no reason, at the moment, to believe him guilty - then there is still a member of Hogwarts staff sitting at the table with you, who attempted to murder one of my best friends. My parents did not send me to this school so that my life could be threatened on a daily basis, Headmaster. Once, myself and my two best friends nearly died. Another time, one of the two has nearly died. Both of those incidents could only have been caused by a member of staff at Hogwarts, sir. I may just be one student, but personally, I don't think I want any part of Magical Britain if this is typical of what your attitudes towards children are. I can't help but notice that you didn't mention anything about investigating further, to find the true culprit behind these attacks, sir."

A rash of whispering broke out amongst the students once again at her pronouncement, but Albus wasn't even paying attention. Collapsing into his chair with shock, his brain started trying to reconcile all the information it was being bombarded with.

'How on earth did that happen? I thought that proving to them that Severus was innocent would throw them for a loop, I wasn't ready for that Granger chit to start asking questions like that. Why did she even ask that, anyway? The compulsion charm I put on her when she got here should have made it impossible for her to question me. Hell, none of them should have been able to get around the charms! What in Hecate's name is going on here?!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BODY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deep beneath the ground, the ancient crystal that held the center of Hogwarts' intelligence flared briefly, before its luminance faded to a dull, weak light. The last thought that passed through her extensive mind before she fell into deep slumber was, 'I've done all I can. It's up to you now, children.' In the faint light, an enormous body coiled itself around the pillar that supported the crystal, the dull light glinting slightly off scales, and a large, poisonous-yellow eye blinked once, sleepily, before joining its ward in unconsciousness once again.

~Come quick, child of Salazar. Our lady has not much strength within her.~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SOUL~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Ha! A few more hints at what is happening in Hogwarts in this chapter, and finally, the first hint as to where exactly the ward crystal of Hogwarts is. A few responses to reviews here. Firstly, no, Harry is not the reincarnation of Salazar Slytherin. That was just the way Hogwarts thought of him. Secondly, yes, I've read a lot of stories where Hogwarts does everything, and Harry basically stands back and watches someone else kick ass for him. Not going to happen in this story. Hogwarts is powerful, yes, but only when she has people she can act through. She drained herself of almost every drop of power she had to break Dumbledore's spells, and even then she only managed one house, and one spell at that. We won't see much of her from now on, since she has no power left until her wards recharge. Or Harry finds the crystal and recharges them for her, either or. Longest chapter yet, so yay for me. No question this chapter, but feel free to review anyway. It's free, and it's polite. So do it, or I'll send Augusta Longbottom to give you a lesson in manners. Muahahahaha!