Chapter Ten

Severus Snape looked down for a long moment at the bodies of the three students. Longbottom and Weasley lay in the center of the room, crumpled exactly where they had been standing when his Stunning spell had hit them. The Lovegood girl, with more presence of mind than he would have given her credit for, had dodged his original spell when she saw her friends fall, but he had hit her with another an instant later. She lay sprawled on her face, her blond hair fanned out over the dark floor, her robes flown up to reveal her pale legs up to the knee. As he looked at her still figure, he knew a moment of self-loathing; this was what he had become. Slowly, awkwardly, unsure of why he did it, he stooped over to tug her robes back down. An odd, detached part of his mind noticed that she was only wearing one shoe, and wondered why. Then he turned away and opened the office door.

Dumbledore was back in his portrait, alert and wary. The moment the door opened, he sprang from his seat.

"Did you get it, Severus?"

Snape held up the bundle he had taken from Longbottom. For a moment neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore looked him sharply.

"What did you do with them?"

Snape jerked his head towards the next room. "Stunned. They'll be fine."

"And the Carrows know nothing?"

"Did you suppose I would tell them?"

Dumbledore sighed. "No, of course not. But you never know . . ." he shook his head and sat back down. Snape looked at his office, at the shattered glass of the case; at the cheery green and yellow shoe, the brightest thing in the room, sitting on the edge of his desk. His mouth twisted bitterly. He walked over and set the sword down.

"The fools." Resisting the urge to swear, he seized the shoe from his desk and dashed it to the floor. "The . . . fools! What did they hope to gain?" He strode up and down the room. He was full of rage at their stupidity, and yet . . . the Longbottom boy's last thought, before thought had been snatched from him, had been so pure . . . so courageous. Snape's sense of self-hatred increased with every step. Why was he as he was? Was Dumbledore right, had he been Sorted too soon? If he had not been placed in Slytherin would his life have been different? Would he be more like those foolish, brave, honest children there outside the door? He turned to Dumbledore, who was watching him sadly, as if he knew the thoughts passing though Snape's head.

"Tell me, Dumbledore!" he said, his voice torn between contempt and pleading. "What were they trying to accomplish?"

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head again. "Severus . . . you know as well as I the pain of doing nothing while our world falls to pieces around us. I am only surprised that the students did not attempt something like this sooner. And there is more reason in it than you might think; look at it from their perspective, Severus. They know nothing of the false sword; all they know is whatever Ginny Weasley heard at her home over the summer - that I left Harry the sword of Gryffindor in my will and the Ministry refused it to him. They are desperate to do something to help him; this was irrational, as you say, but surely understandable."

Snape sat down on a chair against the wall and covered his face with one hand. "Before I Stunned him, the last thing Longbottom thought was to wonder whether the two girls would be able to escape if he attacked me. Me, with four wands, while he had none! I was seeing his emotions the entire time; he is an idiot, he always has been . . . but there was not one moment of-" his voice broke. "Why are others allowed to make a stand? Why have I been forced to sneak and spy my whole life?". . . He broke off. He could feel Dumbledore's eyes upon him.

"What you do, Severus, takes a different kind of bravery." Dumbledore said finally. "Some would say a greater kind. We can only hope that an opportunity will come for you to make a stand, in the open, without concealment. But now, you still have a long task ahead of you."

Snape sat there for a long time, while the night wore on. Dumbledore was silent. At last Snape got up. His face was quite impassive.

"I will go wake them," he said. His voice had it's usual sardonic edge. "What punishment should I hand out, Dumbledore? I must seem realistic."

'I'm sure you'll think of something." said Dumbledore gently. "Oh, and Severus -" Snape turned. "If they have not realized it already, please do not reveal to them that it was I who warned you what they were about. Of course, I could not have done anything else, but," he sighed wearily "I should not like them to feel betrayed."