Chapter Thirteen: Making Plans:
Severus looked up as Lucius Malfoy stopped pacing and took a seat before his desk. He looked better than he had when he was first brought here though he still was bored. He was completely Severus's prisoner and though treated well he did not like being confined where he was watched constantly, either it was his own wife, Severus or one of the heads of houses or Moody that guarded him. Still it was better than Azkaban and so he dared not complain. He watched with amusement as Oscurita scurried across the desk, grabbed the quill out of the ink stand and threw it onto the floor. Ink trailed across the desk and Severus had to summon the quill and clean his desk with a few waves of his wand. He turned to find Oscurita at his coffee mug lapping up as much as she could get away with.
"You little swine, coffee is the last thing you need." All the little rat did was sit on her little hind feet, grasp her tail and look up at him fairly grinning with her beady black eyes, looking as innocent and cute as she could "you are a menace."
"Who is uncle Severus?" Harry said walking into the office just as Severus let Oscurita scamper into his hands, "she at your coffee again?"
"Yes, what are you doing here Harry?"
"Nothing, just really like this office." Harry replied, "it's quiet."
He walked up to Severus's desk and, proving how much the relationship between the teen and headmaster had improved, he actually took his uncle's cup of coffee and drained it. Severus just stared at the teen who dared do this and the teen dared smirk back! Harry was getting too cheeky for his own good and Severus knew just how to fix that problem. Lucius smirked and Harry turned to him setting the mug down grinning at his brazen act not aware he was about to get in trouble for his actions and not aware his own mother had slipped into the room.
"You are an ill-mannered brat." Lucius said, "if you were mine I would beat you for that."
"I am not, thank you for the coffee uncle Severus." Harry said.
"You are most certainly not welcome." Severus retorted, "you are a brat!"
"An unmannered one, but you were raised by muggles." Lucius said.
"Most are fine, just a few that are not, like some wizards." Harry shot back.
"Watch your tongue boy, I or shall I tame it for you?" Lucius said.
"No, I am fine, just going to sh…"
"Finish that sentence and I will issue you detention." Lily said softly by his side.
"You should have one for taking my coffee." Severus said.
"Dobby!" Harry called and the little elf appeared.
"Yes master Harry sir?" Dobby said.
"Could you get a large pot of coffee for headmaster Snape please?" Harry asked.
"Of course master Harry!" Dobby said popping out and back with a large pot he put on Severus's desk, "anything else sir?"
"No, thank you." Harry said and Dobby bowed and popped out.
"You little elf thief." Lucius snarled.
"Hey I was not the one who gave him clothes as I recall." Harry said innocently.
Lucius opened then closed his mouth, it was only too true, he had given the sock to Dobby. Sure he had not meant to but the fact of the matter is that he had given it to his former house elf. He was not about to own up to the fact a then twelve year old muggle raised boy had bested him and now had said elf in his service! He was sure he still had the scars from the punishment dealt to him by Narcissa for losing her favorite elf. Then again if she had found out how he treated said elf she would have done worse, it was bad enough she had forced him to order the remaining elves to not punish themselves and he was not allowed to beat them, or she would have his bits in a jar on the shelf.
"Didn't a certain twelve year old boy give you a certain diary?" Lily said sipping a cup of good coffee, "you had to throw the sock away."
"It's not his fault Lily, like most purebloods he is an inbreed idiot." Severus said smirking at the outraged look on Lucius' face, "a far smarter and more magically powerful half-blood took down the noble and powerful head of house Malfoy."
"I am going to kill you Severus!" Lucius said getting up to go for his wand, only to realize he still did not have it.
"With what exactly?" Severus said and as Lucius was about to respond, "I could land you on your arse even as a first year and you know and that was without a wand!"
"I hate you Severus." Lucius said.
"I would say the same but you are useful I suppose." Severus said smiling cruelly, "as entertainment."
Lucius just glared at Severus, he was wondering why he put up with Severus but remembered all the good things Severus had done. He had helped raise Draco and had kept the boy as safe as he could even when the boy joined the dark lord in a foolish attempt to keep his family safe. Severus had saved Draco's soul and he had turned out to be a far better man than he had been. Still he wished that Severus would not be so cruel to him and speak to him in such a manner that he did!
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A few days later in a secret meeting of the order nearly everyone there was in an uproar. Harry was sure that they would be, after all none wanted him dead but there was no others who could finish off Voldemort like he could. He knew the longer they waited the more he would have a chance to regroup. Harry could not let that happen and he had a few ideas up his sleeves as it were to take the evil dark lord out permanently. Lily sat by Severus knowing what her son had to do and not liking it one bit.
"This is the only way." Harry said looking at the adults in the room, "I have to take him down, now we can no longer wait."
"You are not even a match in skills magically yet!" Charity said.
"I know that, but I am better in something else, I have mad sword skills." Harry replied.
"He does, I have sparred with him and never have I seen anyone progress as fast as him." Severus said, "it's as if he has prior experience."
"Well I found a Kendo book at elementary school and as I did not have friends I would practice by myself when I was not reading or doing chores." Harry replied.
"I don't really want Harry to fight." Lily said, "but I know he will, and if this gives him a chance against the dark lord then all the better."
"When will you call him forward to a duel?" Pomona asked.
"Next week, it's nearer Christmas and I intend on giving the magical world a Christmas gift."
"I have the basilisk under armor ready for you." Lily said, "the goblins agreed to allow you to wear a suit of their own making of mithryl."
Lily remembered going down to the chamber with Harry, due to the magic in the great beast it had yet to start decaying. Severus had paled and looked from the basilisk to Harry, conjured a chair and actually had to sit for a few moments. Lily had held Harry close and called him a brave boy which did embarrass him. Goblins were brought in to harvest the great snake, they got the meat for their labors, Harry told them it was in payment for what they lost in the last three wars with dark lords in this century and they had been delighted to receive compensation. For a wizard to treat them like equals was all they ever really wanted and that is what Harry did, his actions starting to heal a rift that went back for over a thousand years.
Harry had learned from the goblins their side to the whole goblin/human wars. Goblins it seemed had invented futhark runes and had willingly shared this with humans and other races as an act of good faith after the Orc wars and the end of the dark times in the north of the world. Somehow pride and power won out and humans started to use runes for enslaving others and binding followers with a dark mark, such as what Severus had had. The last goblin war was won by the goblins as they wrested control of their runes back from the humans. The treaties made after that last war made it so that humans could use runes but not for enslavement or evil and the goblins would in return not use wands for magic.
It was future proof of the goblin race that during the last "rebellion" they had not shut down the banks or even confiscated what was in the vaults of the high honor they held. Even as they cut down their enemies they kept their word on keeping the vaults of the slain untouched. When they said they would keep the gold and other things safe in Gringotts they meant it, and humans tended to think them weak and inferior for this kind of thinking in a time of war. Harry knew better now as he had spent time with the goblins learning their customs and language and even laughing over a few of the pranks and trails they put on him. They did consider him a goblin warrior and Bill Weasley who worked with the goblins was humbled at how he had misjudged the race and vowed to do as Harry did and treat them with greater respect.
"Well I am borrowing it, it is still theirs." Harry replied, "it bares the rune of the goblin nation."
"So what of them claiming ownership of things made for one person after they die?" Bill asked.
"Oh that, they were being partly truthful, they can claim something they made if the transfer of the item made was not stamped with a rune of the person the item is being transferred to." Harry replied, "much armor for the Wizarding world as always been rented out, in fact the goblins though the sword of Gryffindor was a rented piece, until they saw the runes."
"Why did they not tell me any of this?" Bill grumbled.
"Perhaps because you did not ask?" Severus replied.
"You know I hate you." Bill growled though he did not mean it.
"You know I am right." Severus replied.
Flitwick was sipping a soda looking very thoughtful, he of course knew much of the goblin people. He was half goblin, no not by blood, he was fully human and a human dwarf but he was considered half goblin as he had saved a family of goblins and was adopted by them. If he had any goblin blood in him he would have never been allowed a wand per the treaties. He was thinking maybe it was time to update the history classes and now he had more free time he was going to devote some of that putting together his notes and such into several history and custom books on the different species in the magical world. He looked over at Sirius who did not look happy and watched as Rita put a hand on his arm to reassure him. Harry looked over at him and Sirius looked up at Harry gray eyes meeting green.
"I know you do not want met to fight Sirius, but I must, sooner or later I must." Harry said.
"I know, I know but I don't want to lose you, I know I am being selfish but Harry I let you down once I cannot do so again and let you get hurt or killed!" Sirius replied.
"I don't want to die right now either." Harry replied, "but if I do think of all the lives spared, besides though most prophecies are never fulfilled this one will be because Riddle came after me. I will not die at this time, later yes, we all do but now no."
"I admire your faith but I am scared." Sirius said.
"You think I am not?" Harry replied, "but hey I am a Gryffindor and I laugh in the face of danger."
"Until your mother grounds you." Severus said.
"Don't give me any ideas." Lily replied. "Send the request Harry, he has to come here, you are not going to him."
"Of course mum." Harry replied.
Lily did not want to lose her son, she had lost her husband and could not bare to lose another loved one. Yet she knew Harry had a destiny and had to fight Voldemort as Voldemort would not rest until he was dead. Harry spent a few hours going over the letter and finally, he showed it to his mother for approval. She read it over and once done let Harry seal the letter and send it off with Hedwig to deliver to the evil dark lord. For better or worse this was going to determine the outcome of the war for good or ill.
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So a bit of humor, I have seen one of my dear friends rats do nearly the same thing that was done to Severus. They are smart little creatures for sure! As for Harry challenging Voldemort to a duel, he is right to want to end the war and though no-one wants him to have to do this he has to, the prophecy does not leave him much of a choice.
Anyway, please do review and thanks to all who have so far!