Ginny had taken off at a full run toward the Burrow as soon as they had arrived. Harry had not seen the problem with this, but Snape, eyes widening as she grew closer and closer to the front door had feared the worst. He called to her to stop, picking up his own step as he followed behind her, but she did not hear. She was calling for her mother, stifling his warnings, and only ran faster the closer she got. He was actually quite amazed at the speed she was running; someone so frail otherwise would surely lose balance and topple over. Pulling his wand, he sent a spell just before her, just before the door, that she bounced into and fell to the ground as she hit it. Harry glared, and Snape ignored it as they ran to catch up with her.

"I have reason to believe that doorway is cursed. Walk through it and you'd find yourself back to how you were an hour ago." Snape explained as they reached her. Harry helped her stand, wrapping an arm around her waist, but the glare didn't disappear. Ginny wasn't listening, looking to the door and trying to break free from Harry's arm, she continued screaming for her mum.

"Maybe she's still affected?" Harry asked, turning his own attention to the door. Snape could only shrug.

They could hear things happening, stuff toppling, items breaking, and muffled words being said on the other side of the door. It swung open, Molly appearing worn and looking unkept. Her hair was frizzy and oily, her skin looked grimy, and behind her, from floor to ceiling, stood wavering piles of pie, one of them managing to fall over with the breeze caused by the opening door. Molly let out a scream as it fell in a clatter before she shut the door forcefully, a hand patting through her hair as she collected herself. Harry finally released Ginny and they embraced each other.

"Bloody hell." Harry exclaimed as he peered through the windows, seeing the evidence of the past few weeks. Snape only had to use his imagination, but could see quite a few Chicken Pot Pies sitting along the window sill. He leaned close to Harry and smirked.

"Do you believe me now?" He asked, and Harry could only blink in reply.

"One minute I'm making tea and the next I'm surrounded with more food than I could see in a lifetime!" Molly was staring at the house in shock, her arms still wrapped tightly around Ginny. Snape nodded as he stood by her.

"I'm afraid there isn't much time to explain. All you need to know right now is that an army is being built and we're all in danger. We need to contact the Order, at least everyone who has been through your doorway in the past month, and tell them to meet at Hogwarts as soon as possible." Snape turned to Harry, an arm outstretched. "You come with me. Minerva needs to be notified and I might need your help." He looked back to Molly. "Don't go into the house. It may reactivate the curse."

...

Hogwarts for the most part appeared untouched. Snape had half expected it to be run amok with unsupervised students, but upon arrival, had seemed in order. They made their way in through the large doors, and down the hallway to the gargoyle statue, only when they arrived, the statue was blocked from view. No students were lined up, and it seemed that the half-giant that stood guard at the staircase was the reason why.

"Hagrid!" Harry had stepped forward. Anticipating it, Snape had latched onto Harry's shoulders and held him back as he tried to run for him, drawing his wand and pointing it straight at Hagrid. Harry gave a yell, pointing his own wand at Snape.

"Lower your wand." Harry warned. Snape kept his attention on Hagrid who had stood there, unmoving.

"He went through the doorway, Potter. Hagrid may usually be a gentle giant, but if my theory stands correct, he's quite the opposite now."

"But Ginny...Mrs. Weasley have changed-"

"-I don't believe he has." Snape directed his chin at Hagrid. "Your wand would do better pointed in his direction, at least until he returns to normal."

Harry's wand remained pointed at Snape. Snape turned his eyes first to Harry, followed by his head. Harry was staring at him with conviction.

"If he attacks I can guarantee my magic won't be enough. Quit pointing that stick at me and realize the problem at hand."

Whether Hagrid had sensed Snape's need for a reason, or if he had just noticed their presence, he had stepped forward, the single footstep causing a slight tremor through the ground.

"I've told yer once n'I'll tell yeh again. Minerva ain't seein' nobody righ'now." He released a hearty moan as he lifted his hand from his side, a stone leg that once belonged to the gargoyle looked minuscule compared to his hand that was clasped tightly around it, and swung it at them. Snape and Harry jumped back just in time before it could reach either of them. Harry's glasses had rattled to the tip of his nose, and he pushed them back into place, his wand snapping to Hagrid after the failed attack. Hagrid brought the stone back again over his opposite shoulder, and swung down. They jumped out of the way once more, the stone reaching the ground hard enough to split the solid ground. Snape placed a calm hand on Harry's shoulder, tugging him to walk backwards. Only when they were at the end of the hallway did Hagrid seem to stop and walk back to the stairway. In that brief moment, Snape was able to see the gargoyle had been destroyed, the stairway was unblocked.

"I can get him away from the stairwell long enough for you to sneak by." Harry suggested. Snape shook his head.

"If we knew that Minerva wasn't under the curse, that idea would be brilliant. However, given our circumstances..." Snape waved his wand, conjuring a patronus. He sent it forward, only to watch as Hagrid slammed the stone leg into it as it reached the stairs. The patronus swirled around the stone, turning into a fine mist, before fading away.

"Damnit." Snape mumbled, his teeth baring as if the patronus had been ripped painfully from his soul. Too caught up in analyzing the giant, he failed to see the figure sneaking up behind him, and the spell that flew toward him that disarmed him.

...

Minerva's hand ached. She did not realize this until she blindly reached for the thick book that sat piled high to her left. As her fingers straightened out over the hard cover, a pain shot through them and she pulled her hand back, dropping the quill from her other hand to massage her fingers. Sucking air through her teeth, she began to notice the ugly black ink stains that covered her fingers, collected in the aging wrinkles. She licked the tip of her thumb, rubbing at the ink, but finding that it had dried for far too long to easily come off.

The state of her desk caught her attention next. She was surrounded by a blockade of parchment that was stacked taller than her if she was standing. Her eyes traced the unstable columns, her jaw dropping slightly in astonishment. She removed her glasses, wiping them with her robes, before replacing them to look again. It was not a trick of her eyes, in fact, clearing the smudges that had collected in the time she had been sitting there only showed more untidy stacks that surrounded her.

Slowly rising to her feet, her joints cracked and her muscles screamed in pain for having been kept in the same position for too long, but none of it was noticed. Minerva was too distracted as the words on the papers around her became clear enough to read. Names, dates, blood types, lists of witches and wizards and their respective families had all been written out in her noticeable scrawl. The thing that bothered her the most about it was the fact that she didn't remember writing any of it.

Glancing around at the rest of the room, she sought out the large painting of Albus Dumbledore. A small pitiful squeak working out of her as she saw him, but he did not seem to care. He was frozen, like a Muggle painting, caught in a perpetual stance of halfway standing from the large armchair he was usually sitting in. The table beside him which usually held a teapot and some candy was caught just as it was knocked over, the contents of the table teasingly swaying to one side, but not falling over as it should have. Dumbledore, his eyes glossed solid with fear, made contact with Minerva as if the painting had still been alive, but there was nothing else to suggest it. She pressed a finger against it as if checking for a pulse, it still didn't move, or change.

Voices echoed from the stairwell, the bulk of the words losing their characteristics as they traveled up the spiral shaped staircase, and Minerva could still tell there was a struggle just outside her office. Instinctively, she grabbed for her wand which she usually kept tucked away in her sleeve. It wasn't there. A moment of panic swept over her as she felt and felt again, raking her hands over her robes, making sure she hadn't placed it in a different pocket. Rushing to the desk, she pushed papers this way and that until she recognized the end of her wand, buried under a pile of crumpled papers. She grabbed it, her attention catching on one of the papers.

She had noticed this time on the last line of words that followed the names and descriptions, two words: 'Save' and 'kill.' She crumpled the paper, grabbing it so fast without caring, and shoved it into a robe pocket before taking off to the stairwell. She made her way down, taking precautions to make her steps as soundless as possible, and poked her head around the corner when she had reached the bottom.

Hagrid's back had moved away from her, she recognized the gargoyle's broken leg in his hand that was held out to his side immediately. Just beyond him she saw Severus standing there, his chin raised, his arms out in front of him with his palms facing Neville who had his wand raised at him. Though she didn't see him as Hagrid was blocking him from view, she recognized the voice as Harry ordered Neville to lower his wand.

"I'm not planning on hurting him any." Was Neville's answer. His lips formed into a tight grin, something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "But there is some retaliation I've been wanting to get off my shoulders. Call it karma for bullying me all those years."

"I saw it more as building character." Snape answered. "You were nothing but a weak, self-loathing little Gryffindor that needed a good insult every now and again."

"Snape." Harry barked, sounding offended. Even Minerva was beside herself.

"Here's your chance, Longbottom. Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to take it?"

Neville, cheeks growing red, shifted his stance. He jutted his right foot forward, his right hand which held his wand curled palm up, his teeth ground together, beginning to form a word, but before he could say it, his wand flew from his hand. Harry's spell hit it before any damage could be done.

"Stop it. Just stop it." Harry said, flicking the tip of his wand between the two. Snape was still turned to Neville. Neville had turned toward Harry, his forehead lowered and looked as if he was ready to charge. They had not been aware that Hagrid had been advancing on them, and if Minerva hadn't been watching, the stone would have smashed through all three of them with the veracity he had brought it back with. Minerva pushed her wand forward, petrifying Hagrid in that position. She let her wand linger in the air, before shoving it into her sleeve, stepping off of the last stair and briskly walked toward Severus who had turned to her, watching her carefully, judging her as if she had a deadly motive.

"Would someone please explain to me what is going on?" She asked, collapsing her hands and giving a shifty look to the three men before her.