Disclaimer in Chapter 1

Author's note: We had an incredible response to chapter 20. You see, you do get your way if you're a bit evil. Point taken. Apparently, Serpent, our readers think us quite cruel. Among our readers, we seem to have made two people cry. We've driven three into shameless begging for an update. Eight of you resorted to capital letters to yell at us, perhaps in an attempt to employ intimidation tactics. Three monitors were demolished, and an additional two threats were made. We will not, by the way, take financial responsibility. Two people have been sent into convulsions. On top of all that, Heart and mind has been doing drive bys every half hour, throwing bricks through our window. You'll pay for those. Al has threatened to stick a Quaffle in an extremely uncomfortable place. We've had two additional threats of violence on our person and a threat of suicide; Chantelli has gone on a hunger strike, and Mystical036 is on her deathbed. Finally, to add insult to injury, Miss V has taken us out of her will! Well, we are not entirely heartless. We recognise the intrinsic evil in leaving you guys with such a terrible cliffhanger. So here ya go! Ask and thou shalt receive! And we only left you for three days. That wasn't so bad, was it? It was. You're evil. :::smirks::: I know.

Chapter 20: Double Agent

Ron grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and forced her to look at him in the face, "Hermione, what's wrong; are you all right? He asked her sternly; he was extremely anxious.

Hermione pulled away from Ron and ran over to Harry putting her hands to his face, "Oh Harry, how are you? Do you feel alright? Maybe you should sit down, you look awfully cold! I wish I had my cloak with me…"

"Hermione!" Ron yelled, now sounding slightly panicked, Harry remained silent and still and Lubode suddenly looked nervous. "What's wrong?"

Hermione slowly turned back to her boyfriend, "I-I don't know how to say this…"

"What Hermione? Just say it," pleaded a frantic Ron.

"Harry…Harry's…dying" Hermione whispered the word through her tears, but there was no question that they had all heard it; there was deafening silence.

Ron had gone deathly pale, his eyes wide and staring at his best friend, who for the first time in weeks had a genuine emotion on his usually expressionless mask. Shock covered his features. However, it was Lubode's reaction that surprised them all.

"Oh Merlin! Oh my god! How could I do this? I swear I had no idea it would kill him! I'm so sorry, Harry, I'm so sorry! It was only supposed to change your attitude, but that was before I realized how much I really liked being your friend. Malfoy was so wrong about you!"

Harry seemed unable to process so much information and stood completely still, reeling from all that he had just discovered. Hermione's eyes showed deep betrayal. She grabbed Harry into a hug, more for own comfort than for his.

Ron's eyes flash murderously, the Weasley temper was infamous at Hogwarts, but all other displays suddenly seemed tame compared to the wrath Ron was about to unleash on the traitor.

"You KILLED HIM!" he screamed so loudly that he now had the attention of the entire class. "What the bloody hell did you do to him!" Ron continued to rant, pointing heatedly at Harry, who was absently rubbing Hermione's back as she continued to sob into Harry's shoulder.

"Answer me you git! I warned Harry not to trust scum like you- I knew you would stab him in the back! Tell me, tell him what you DID!"

The rest of the class was watching the scene in a shocked silence, their gazes shifting frantically from Ron to Lubode to Harry and back again, Hagrid, who didn't know what was going on, but had obviously picked up on the fact that Harry was in trouble, tried to get close enough to talk to Harry and learn the truth. When he was standing next to Harry, though, he became silent and still, nobody would be able to silence Ron, not even a half-giant.

"I- I didn't know it was poison-" the class collectively gasped at the word. The students were spilt between glaring daggers at Lubode and looking at Harry with pity in their eyes "-it was only supposed to make him depressed!" Lubode said desperately, trying in vain to justify himself.

"Oh! It was 'only supposed to make him depressed! Why should that make any difference? What has Harry ever done to you? He treated you with respect he gave you his friendship. Let me tell you, it's an honor to be Harry's friend- do you feel honored when you're being insulted Malfoy? Or maybe if you killed Harry, you could have the honor of kissing Voldemort's robes!??!"

Lubode flinched at the name, apparently forgetting their lesson at the DA. "Look, I- I never knew Harry, once I got to know him I wanted out of the plan. I even told Malfoy I wanted out on the last Hogsmeade Trip!"

Ron's jaw was clenched so tensely it looked as though his teeth would shatter, his fists gripped so tightly that his knuckles were white, "Hogsmeade! You waited until the last Hogsmeade trip to bail on the plan you've been in on since the beginning of the school year? So, how did you do it, come on explain to everyone how you poisoned him," Ron said in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. His screaming was bad, but expected, the lethal tone he now carried sent shivers down the spines of even the bravest Gryffindors. Lubode had gone pale, he glanced at Hagrid, who had heard most of the conversation and looked as though under the circumstances he would let Ron do anything he wanted to the Slytherin, tears were dripping from his eyes into his beard.

Lubode knew he had to confess everything.

"It's a potion. I got it from Malfoy, he knew Harry didn't have anything against me. As long as I claimed to be against You-Know-Who, Harry would consider us on the side. I put the potion in sweets and other stuff I could offer to Harry."

"So, when you offered us 'homemade' cookies and gave us candy for Christmas you were trying to kill him all along!"

"I never wanted him to die!" Lubode yelled, he then turned to face Harry. "I swear Harry, I never meant for any of this to happen!"

Hermione seemed to pull herself together. She had stopped crying and turned

to face Ron and Lubode. "That's enough for now, Ron. You can finish with Ganet later; right now we have to help Harry."

The class was now muttering in disbelief, the sixth years were unable to believe that Harry was actually dying.

Ron's eyes softened and he looked at his best friend with great concern. "Yeah you're right, Hermione. I can deal with the traitor later, but um… do you think there is… well, is there is anything we can do?" Ron asked, unsure if he should be saying anything in front of Harry, who had yet to even say a single word after hearing the news.

"Ron, bring Ganet with us, we're going to need all the information we can get on this potion." Ron whipped out his wand to bring Lubode, but the Slytherin was already close on Hermione's heels.

"So, you know a way to help Harry," asked Ron hopefully.

"I'm not sure, but if there is anything that can be done, I know would know," she said as she grabbed Harry's hand and started walking back to the castle, forgetting they were in the middle of class. Hagrid made no attempt to stop them.

"Who?" asked Ron as he followed behind.

"Snape."

Hermione broke into a dead run and the boys hurried to keep up with her. They had never willingly sought out their potion's professor, so when Hermione threw open the dungeon door with a bang and practically fell into the room with the three breathless boys in tow it was possibly the first time they had ever seen slight surprise register on the potion master's face.

The class gave a collective gasp and stared in silent shock at the four students. No one had ever dared to interrupt Snape while he teaching. Actually, no one ever interrupted him... period.

"Oh, I forgot he must be teaching," muttered Hermione, trying to catch her breath.

Everyone had heard the comment and was now thoroughly confused. These days every professor had a class during every available time period, how could Hermione Granger of all people forget that?

"May I ask what possesses you to interrupt my class? Am I too assume your problems could not possibly wait," Snape's tone held its usual scathing quality, but underneath the sarcasm there seemed to be an honest question.

The elder wizard new only the greatest necessity would cause those three Gryffindors to seek him out, and he knew all too well the trouble they could find.

"Please professor; this is an emergency, "said Hermione urgently.

"Class dismissed- you're essays are still due next class," Snape said. The class knew better than to try to stay and find out what was wrong. They all filed as quickly as they could out of the room, whispering at each other all the while.

The last of the students left the room as Hermione, Ron, Harry and Lubode ran to meet Snape at the front. The professor waved his wand and the large wooden door at the back of the room snapped shut with a loud bang.

"Now, you will explain this urgency," Snape hissed, glaring in turn between Harry and Hermione.

"You." Ron jabbed Lubode painfully in the back. "Tell him. Now." Ron's face was still while with rage.

"Lubode stepped forward, the creases in his forehead deepening. He was wringing his hands as he opened his mouth to speak. Snape turned his gaze on the Slytherin, Lubode flinched as though Snape's eyes bored holes through his own, burning fire into his head.

"It- it was me p-professor."

"Mr. Ganet, by the look of the situation we have little time for your pathetic equalizing. You will tell me what it is you have done," Snape growled.

"It's a potion, sir. Malfoy's been getting it by owl post every week or so this term. I've been feeding it to Harry in drinks and stuff…"

"Enough! I don't care about the execution of the crime. He wave his a hand in Lubode's face, effective silencing the student.

"Granger, his symptoms," Snape looked at Harry who had been silent throughout the exchange.

"He's been getting more depressed more... indifferent, all year. And he always looks like he's freezing. And- and now… h-he's dying! His Auralisens-," tears began streaming from her eyes, the involuntary sobs caught in her throat, making it difficult for her to form the words, "showed terminal illness."

"Why did you not notify someone immediately if you've been aware all year of Potter's depression?" Snape snarled.

"We thought it- it was b-because of S-Sirius… and now… and now he's dying!" she buried her face in her hands.

Snape scowled at Hermione, then turned again to Lubode. "Do you know the name of the potion?"

"No sir. Malfoy never told me. It was supposed to make Harry stop caring about everything."

Without a word, Snape turned on his heel and swept to his office. He returned in seconds with three phials, a small crystal bowl and a gleaming knife.

"Potter, your arm." He said with such force that Harry obliged without any regard for the razor sharp dagger Snape held. The potions master griped Harry's forearm and held it over the crystal bowl. With exact precision, he made an incision in Harry's arm. The only sound in the room came from the sharp intake of breath from both Ron and Hermione as the crimson blood dripped into the bowl. When he was satisfied with the amount that he had collected, Snape released Harry's arm. Careful not to spill a single drop of the shining scarlet substance, the potions master poured portions of it into the three phials, each of which already held a different color liquid. He corked each bottle and waited. The purple liquid in the second phial began to turn a sickly yellow. Snape closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Sir?" Hermione was beside herself, she looked as though she might die if she didn't get some answers soon.

"Potter is under the influence of the Potion of Fernifendice."

Author's note: Okay, so we are pretty heartless. :::Slyth smirk::: Perhaps if we magically grow hearts in the next few days, we'll post early again. Anyway, we just wanted to say a quick thanks to all of our readers. We heard from a lot of you who had been following us for a while now, so thanks for letting us know you enjoy the story. Indeed. We appreciate your patronage. Can't you talk like a normal person once? Just Once! If "talking like a normal person" entaisl speaking like a Gryffindor, I most adamantly and determinedly refuse. :::Sigh, grumble, sigh:::.