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Chapter Ten - Dumbledore's Plans

"Tonks! Where have you been? You had me worried!" Remus ran through the hallway and wrapped his arms tightly around his pregnant wife as soon as she walked in the door. "Where did you go?"

"Oh sweetheart! I'm so happy. Don't worry." Tonks tried hard but couldn't contain her excitement. "You won't believe this. I have great news! And you should go and spread the words through Potter Watch, right this minute!"

"What? What is it? Did you go to the doctor's? Are we having twins?" Remus couldn't help but smiling at his happy wife, not having a clue what made her so cheerful.

"No!" Tonks laughed, "I prefer one at a time. And no, I didn't go to the doctor's. And I think this is even a better news than twins. And...wait a minute..." She paused and frowned at her husband, "are you seriously thinking about making an announcement on the radio if we were having twins?"

"Why not?" Remus smiled sweetly.

Tonks' eyes widened and she shook her head in disbelief.

"Oh forget it..." Remus turned pink as he murmured, "Just tell me what happened, please. This suspense is killing me."

"Let me just tell you this... you won't believe this." Tonks followed her husband into their living-room, trying to catch her breath as Remus handed her a glass of water. "Right after you left for the full moon three days ago, I got a note from someone. In the note the person talked about how the Ministry is getting ready to pass the law next week on muggle-born registration requirements."

"But that's nothing new my love." Remus frowned, "Our source in the Ministry had passed the message out a while ago. And how could that possibly be any good news?"

"Oh let me finish!" Tonks was slightly out of breath but seemed to be too happy to be mad at her husband's interruption. "The note went on and said that there is this American contact who had just set up a connection for all of the muggle-born wizards and witches to use, so that they can temporarily go and stay there."

"Stay where? How? Who?" Remus was slightly alarmed.

"Go to the States!" Tonks' smile broadened as she went on, "Through this company called Sky Research Institute."

"You can't trust some random notes like that Tonks!" Remus got up from the sofa and began pacing the room, "How do you know it wasn't a trap?"

"Do you honestly think I am that daft? I am an auror for Merlin's sake!" Tonks shot her husband a disapproving glance, but another bright smile quickly spread across her face. "I didn't believe it at first either. But I wanted to see who was behind the note. So I went to investigate, undercover of course. I first went to the muggle embassy for America and asked them about the company. It turned out to be a legitimate business, and the contact information matched exactly to what they have on their magic list, the thing that they called the Internet. And then I contacted the company office through the embassy, and was put in touch with this lady named Beth. Long story short, she gave me more information about the plan to evacuate the muggle-borns. She had a funny way to call them though. She called them project scientists." Tonks paused for a second and had a sip of her water.

"I was going to wait for you to come home before doing anything about the information. I went to visit my parents yesterday and told them about the note and the lead. My dad was just about to go on a run because of the registration requirements. After he heard about this, he said he would rather try his luck with this lead than being sent to Azkaban. So we went back to the embassy together and called Beth on the telephone, except that it was not just a telephone, but a video phone. It's got a picture frame through which we could see each other. Next thing you know, the embassy got him some paperwork and a plane ticket paid by the company, and he left an hour later to the States!"

"No!" Remus' eyes widened, "I don't believe this! How do you know all of these are not some kind of trap? Where is your dad now? Could that be the Death Eaters' new trick to capture all the muggle-borns?"

"Didn't I tell you you wouldn't believe it? Relax would you? Please!" Tonks got up to her husband and dragged him back to the sofa. "I just went back to the embassy this afternoon, and I talked to my dad on the video phone. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. He said everything was perfect. He now has his own apartment in a city called Austin, living under a cover identity as a project scientist for that Sky Research Institute. He told me he would get in touch with the wizardry community there and get ready to set up some procedures from the receiving end. He said with that lady Beth's help he would soon be ready to take in however many people we can send him. Just think how many innocent people we can save through this arrangement. How cool is that!"

Remus' brows stayed furrowed as he took in all the information. A moment later he asked, "who delivered the note?"

"Oh that's the interesting part." Tonks frowned slightly, "The note wasn't signed. Not that I expected it to be of course. It was delivered by a hawk. I can understand why no one wants to deliver this kind of message with an owl. But a hawk? I haven't heard of anyone using that as a..."

"Are you sure that was a hawk?" Remus suddenly cut her off, "What did she look like?"

"She?" Tonks' eyes widened. "How do you tell if a bird is a girl or a boy? Is this some special abilities you have for being a werewolf?" Shaking her head slightly, Tonks went on, "Oh well, it's a pretty big bird, not terribly stocky though. It was really nimble when it flew through the kitchen window and landed on the table. It had long dark brown feathers, very wide wing span, and a very impressive beak. It's a beautiful bird I must say. Why? Is there a problem?"

"Oh no, not a problem, not a problem at all!" Remus let out a relieved sigh. For the first time that day, he was not worried any more; and for the first time in months, he was hopeful again. "By the way, that was not a hawk." He smiled at his slightly confused wife, "she's a falcon."

The silvery moonlight gently illuminated Hogwarts' lonely astronomy tower. The castle stood quietly in its shadow, like a sleeping giant, hiding his sorrow in the darkness of the night.

Atop the tower stood a tall and lean wizard, with his long cloak billowing in the early spring wind. All was quiet around him. Students, teachers, and magical creatures, had all submitted to their deep slumbers under the starless sky; except for him, the young headmaster of Hogwarts, the loyal guardian of the school, and the lonely warrior fighting a war of his own.

Just like many other nights in the past few weeks, Severus Snape stood quietly in the moonlight, waiting for a sign in the sky. A small smile came to the corners of his eyes as he watched the shadow of a pair of impressive wings sailed pass the pale moon. Slowly he raised his arms towards the sky. A few seconds later, a beautiful falcon landed gracefully on his forearm. Taking the bird with him, Severus quickly turned and left the tower. With his black cloak billowing behind him, he soon walked out of the silvery glow of the moonlight, and became a part of the darkness of the castle.

As soon as he climbed up the steps guarded by the stone gargoyles, the falcon flew off of his arm and turned into a black hair witch.

"Why are we in your office?" Olivia asked curiously. "It's getting quite late already."

"It wouldn't be this late if you came back sooner." Severus answered coolly. "I need to show you a list of new Death Eater recruits that I received this afternoon. My understanding is that some of them will try to get into the Order under cover. I want you to know who they are so you can warn the Order. Speaking of which, why did it take you so long to come back tonight?"

"I need to see if my tax dollars are working for me." The witch answered casually as she walked over the cupboard and poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice.

"And?" Severus watched her curiously.

"All is good." She sent him a quick smile. "The embassy is working hard. If anyone there is using their brain they might start considering investing in this little company in Austin Texas. Typically a sudden surge in hiring so many scientists can only indicate a new profitable product in the near future. But too bad," she let out a small chuckle, "the company is not public, and its owner is not interested in selling, either."

"Are you sure your can take in that many people?" This was a question that Severus had been wondering about since the day when he shared with Olivia his concerns for the safety of the muggle-born wizard and witches. He always thought she had offered her help a little too soon, and worried that she did not consider the consequences carefully.

"Positively." She answered casually as she sat down in the sofa. "My father gave me quite a bit of 'seed money' when he finally wanted me out of his life, out of guilt I'm sure. I often wonder if he would still be so generous if he knew how much I know about investing. I learned it from an ex..." She gave a slightly uncomfortable smile, "a venture capitalist. The money grew fast. And I have never been a big spender. So I started this company as a vehicle to control all the assets. The business is just a shell, doesn't do anything. It has quite a bit of capacity to absorb some people on the payroll."

"Big enough to absorb a few villages?" Severus narrow his eyes upon her.

"You have no idea." She smiled at him mischievously.

"You and your secrets!" He sighed as he turned his attention to the list on his desk, "Here is what I just learned today..."

She followed him to his desk. Just as he was about to go through the names however, he frowned suddenly as a sharp pain ran through his left arm.

"What is it?" She noticed the change in him.

"The Dark Lord is calling."

"At this hour? What could it be?" She was concerned.

"Not sure," he answered quietly, "but probably nothing alarming. He just returned from a trip abroad. Maybe he wants to talk about things."

"Talk about things?" she looked at him curiously, "with you?"

"He happens to value my opinions." Severus smiled bitterly. "Don't wait for me. You had a long day. I will see you in the morning at breakfast." He said as he walked towards the window, with her trailing behind. "And," he turned and raised a finger at her, "Do not follow me."

"But..." she began to protest.

"No." he answered sternly, looking straight into her clear blue eyes. Before she could say another word, he kissed her quickly on her lips, and left in a swirl of black smoke.

She let out a frustrated grunt and returned to his desk. The list he was going to show her was quite long. She recognized a couple of names as she recalled hearing them being mentioned as she perched on a tree branch outside Kingsley Shacklebolt's kitchen window. She quickly decided that the falcon would be delivering a note to the auror first thing in the morning.

Absentmindedly Olivia wandered in the headmaster's office. She flipped through a few books, and ran her fingers carefully through some of the silver instruments on the table. The office was quiet, even the portraits were asleep. She knew she should go back to her own room, but a part of her was worried about Severus. She had grown so attached to him that she wasn't sure if she could fall asleep without him by her side.

Letting out a sigh she sat down in his chair by the window. Gazing at the gibbous moon in the sky she thought about all the information that Severus' had shared with her. Severus had told her he was relieved to know that even the Dark Lord would not be able to penetrate her mind to discover her secrets. Apparently he was thrilled to have someone who he could share discussions with when staging his steps in the war. Being on his own had been a challenging task, because very often, even Dumbledore's portrait was not able to provide him with practical answers.

Dumbledore's portrait... Olivia frowned as she thought about the old wizard. Slowly she got up from the chair and walked to the portrait on the wall. "Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore? Professor?" She looked up at the old headmaster and called politely.

"Oh... hi there Miss Hamilton." The old wizard sounded surprised as if he was just woken from a doze.

"Hi Professor Dumbledore, sorry to wake you up." For some reason talking to the old wizard made Olivia feel as if she was a student at Hogwarts again. "But I was wondering... May I ask you a question?"

"You can certainly ask your question Olivia," the old wizard smiled warmly at the witch, "But I am not sure if I can provide you with any answers. My counsel here is provided only for Hogwarts' headmasters. And last time I checked, it was Severus Snape who currently held the honorable title. Has anything changed since my nap?"

"Um... no." Olivia frowned slightly. "But my question is about him, about Severus. Could you at least consider helping me?"

"Perhaps. I will try." Dumbledore answered, looked at the young witch curiously through his half-moon spectacles.

Olivia looked down at the floor briefly and considered her words. When she looked back up at the old headmaster there was strange coldness in her eyes, "Professor, why didn't you tell Severus anything about the horcruxes?"

The old headmaster's eyes widened, "I must say, Olivia, I am surprised by your question. Why did you ask?"

"I followed Severus when he went to leave Harry with Gryffindor's sword. After Severus left I stayed behind. I watched the boy and his friend destroyed a locket that they called a horcrux. I also followed them for a while afterwards and heard them talking about looking for the other horcruxes. I have been thinking about this since. It almost sounds like hunting and destroying the horcruxes is the most important part of the war. Why didn't you explain everything about that to Severus?" Her voice was stern as she asked her last question, sounded almost like she was not questioning, but accusing the old wizard of hiding the information.

"I cannot risk putting all my eggs in one basket." Dumbledore answered calmly, the friendly smile never left his face. "This particular information is not important for Severus. Why should I bother him with all the details? All he needs to know is in my plans that I have shared with him." The old wizard concluded his explanations with a small nod.

"The plans that you gave him, he told me about them." Olivia looked up at the wizard, "I have to say there are many big holes. For example, your plans didn't mention anything about how Severus should disclose his secret identity to the Order, and what kind of protection he would receive against the Dark Lord. Did you forget to give him the instructions."

"My dear child," Dumbledore sat back in his chair in the portrait and began to stroke his long beard with his long fingers. "I was only an ordinary wizard, not a seer. I do not know what will happen in the future."

"Are you telling me you don't have an exit strategy for your most loyal spy?" Feeling anger slowly rising in her chest, Olivia narrowed her eyes upon the old wizard's portrait.

"Unfortunately, there are always other priorities." Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, the smile in his face seemed to have vanished. "And there will always be collateral damage."

"Collateral damage? How can you be so irresponsible!" Tears began to well up in Olivia's eyes. She raised her voice but never moved her eyes from the old wizard.

"Irresponsible? Why Olivia? This is a war! It is a war that we are all responsible for. Alas, forgive the old man's memory. I was mistaken. This is our war, not yours."

Olivia took a deep breath and tried to hold back her tears. "He..." she murmured, "Did he tell you what I said?"

"Yes," a small smile returned to Dumbledore's face, "He hasn't been sharing much of your discussions with me for quite a while now. But I do remember him telling me what you said to him when he first recognized you. He was confused. And I was merely here to listen." the old man said with a slightly apologetic tone. "And I must say, Olivia, from what Severus told me, you are a very smart young lady. You are absolutely right. This is not your war, and therefore should not become your burden. Do not let other people's fate bother you."

"But..." Olivia could almost feel her heart broken into pieces, "I don't understand! How can you not worry about him, not care for him? I thought you two were friends?"

"Yes indeed, we were friends, and still are! But why should I worry Olivia? I'll be perfectly happy on the day when Severus can join me in a portrait in this office. I will still be able to talk to him whenever I feel like chatting. In fact, it is even better that way, because I can offer him a lemon drop whenever I want."

"No!" Olivia almost screamed at the headmaster, "No! Severus will not become a portrait on the wall. Not for a very long time!"

"Why do you care so much my child?" Dumbledore was still smiling at Olivia, however there was a cold sparkle twinkling in his eyes, "If you are seeking my advice, may I suggest that you do not get too attached to the young headmaster? You have assessed the situation very well. You know he is fighting an uphill battle. You and I both know the end of his road will not be blue birds singing over the rainbow. You have your plans, don't you? If I were you," Dumbledore leaned back into his chair, "I would leave this place as soon as I accomplish my goal. You have a comfortable life waiting for you back home, Olivia. Have you forgotten?"

"How could you be so cold?" Tears ran down Olivia's cheeks as she stared at the old wizard's portrait.

"I am a portrait Olivia. It is that simple." The old man smiled kindly as the young witch stormed out of the headmaster's office.

"My my my..." Phineas Nigellus Black sniggered as soon as Olivia slammed the office door behind her. "I thought cunning is a quality belongs to the Slytherines. I have to say, Dumbledore, I never would have guessed you could pull something like that with a straight face."

"You are too kind Phineas," Dumbledore chuckled, "Cunning is not a property belongs exclusively to the Slytherines."

"You think she fell for it?" Phineas Black glanced at his neighbor curiously.

"I think I set her straight." Dumbledore smiled as he stroke his long beard in his chair. "By the time she sees through my old tricks, she should have already made the right decisions."

Later that night, Olivia found herself wide awake staring at the top of her four-poster. Every time when she closed her eyes she saw the twinkles behind Dumbledore's half-moon spectacles. Many years ago she loved those twinkles, and adored the old wizard's humor and quick wits. After their conversion in that evening however, she shivered as she thought of those twinkles.

Tears drops soaked her pillow as she replayed Dumbledore's words again and again in her head. He was merely repeating her own words, wasn't he? Should she listen to the old man and leave after her revenge? No! If there was anything she should learn from having to go through the revenge, it was knowing that she made a terrible mistake a very long time ago. For that kind of mistake, once a life time was more than enough.

When she finally closed her eyes and gave in to the night she made up her mind. She would not make the same mistake again. There had to be another way for him to be safe. And she would be there to make sure of that.

In a different corner of the castle, the old wizard welcomed the young headmaster arriving through the window in a swirl of black smoke. "How are you Severus?"

"Still alive. I don't have much to complain, Dumbledore." After a quick glance at the documents on his desk one last time, Severus turned to leave his office. Right before he stepped out of the door he turned and asked, "How was everything here? Is there anything we need to talk about before I leave?"

"No." Dumbledore smiled kindly at his young friend, "There was nothing out of the ordinary when you were gone. Good night Severus."

I always thought Dumbledore was manipulative, and expect his portrait to have the same quality. Review please?