Author's Note

To the members of my original fiction critique group (to whom I've just come out of the closet and shared my fanfic alter ego) I've referred to writing stories here as "heroin for the depressed writer." Yesterday, it was all that and more. The comments (AO3) and reviews (FF dot net) were more gratifying than I can begin to tell you. It was a really busy work day, so I didn't get to reply to most of them, but I really cannot express sufficiently how wonderful it feels to know that readers are getting as much enjoyment out of my writing as a lot of you did yesterday from the harrowing and frustrating Chapter 43. Thank you, dear readers, SO much for giving me my fix.

Chapter 44

Hermione opens her eyes and is momentarily confused. She dreamed that Severus was dead but when she turns her head, she sees him and smiles because he's very much alive. Then she remembers—she went to sleep in her own bed, not here, didn't she? It takes only a moment for the fog to clear, and she remembers their argument, and how he was Summoned to the Dark Lord and didn't want her to take the potion so she wouldn't remember. He finally gave in and gave her back the vial he'd taken from her, but it was an ugly row, and she cried herself to sleep.

Now, because of the potion, she's naked in his bed instead of tear-stained in hers. She Summons her dressing gown, puts it on, and walks out of his bedroom without looking at him. As she's passing through the sitting room on the way to her room, she feels the wards shimmer, and then there's a pounding at the door that leads to the corridor. As she's crossing the room to answer it, Severus comes striding out of his room, tying his dressing gown around him, and gets there first. Obviously recognizing the person's magical signature, he opens the door and steps back so Draco Malfoy can enter.

"It went tits up, and I was the only one able to take the potion," Malfoy says.

Severus sits on the sofa. "What happened?"

Malfoy sits in one of the armchairs. "His spies at Gringott's told him that Bella and Rodolphus were dead, and that my parents had been to the vault. When Potter and Granger showed up Polyjuiced as the Lestranges, he knew right off they were impostors."

Hermione sits in the other armchair. "What did he do?"

Before Malfoy can answer, Severus interrupts, "I'm not sure we need to know the details, do we?"

Malfoy looks back and forth between Severus and Hermione. "No, I don't suppose you do."

"You mean I don't need to know them," she says to Severus.

"Fine," he snaps. "You want the gory details? Go on, Draco. Tell her."

Malfoy shifts uncomfortably in his chair. "Look, I don't really want to be in the middle of this. It was bad, okay? Really, really, really bad. He killed my parents. You sure you want to know what happened to you?"

Hermione feels queasy. "Oh, God, Malfoy."

Severus puts his hand on Malfoy's but doesn't say anything.

"But it didn't happen. My parents are alive. Or at least I hope they are. I mean, I woke up here instead of in my room at the Manor, so I assume the potion worked the way Granger said it would, but I'd like to use your Floo to make sure."

"Of course." Severus throws Floo powder into the hearth and calls, "Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."

"Severus, if you've woken me at this unholy hour for anything other than a life-threatening emergency, I shall be very cross," Lucius says from the grate.

"Your son wanted to make sure you were alive," Severus says, "since the Dark Lord killed you last night. But since he took the potion, apparently you're none the worse for wear."

"Draco?" Lucius says.

Malfoy steps closer to the hearth. "I'm here, Father."

"You were the only one who took the potion?"

"As far as I know. The Dark Lord's spies at Gringott's told him Bella was dead, and that you and Mother had been to her vault."

"Well, back to the drawing board, then," Lucius says.

"What about Imperius?" Hermione says. When they all look at her, she continues. "What if you Imperiused Bellatrix to get the cup from her vault, then Obliviated her?"

"What if the Dark Lord's spies at Gringott's told him I had accompanied her to her vault?"

"Could you Polyjuice yourself as her husband? They'd need her wand to access the vault, not both of yours, right?"

Lucius thinks about this. "Yes, when Cissy and I go together, only one of us needs to present a wand. Severus, what do you think?"

"It could work," Severus says. "Though if the Lestranges are there, how do we get Potter in?"

"You can't let the Lestranges go," Hermione says. "What if the Dark Lord asks why they visited their vault?"

"So, we kill them after going to Gringott's?" Lucius says.

"For fuck's sake, Lucius, we don't kill them at all. Have you never heard of Incarcerus?" Hermione snaps.

Severus and Lucius smile, but Malfoy stares at her. "No one talks to my father that way, Granger."

Lucius chuckles. "Draco, I'm afraid Hermione almost never speaks to me any other way. I've grown accustomed to it."

"And you call her Hermione?"

"What else would I call her?"

Malfoy looks at Hermione, who shrugs.

"We've got a lot of work to do today," Severus says. "We need to get Potter on board and get Hermione ready to impersonate Bella, and Lucius, you need to Imperius Bella, destroy the cup, and then incapacitate and restrain both Lestranges until after tonight's meeting."

"What about me?" Malfoy asks.

"You be ready to take the potion again tonight in case we need you to."

After all the drama with Potter, Severus needed a headache potion and a few minutes away from the Boy Who Lived to Annoy Him. Once he's feeling better, he returns to the sitting room, where he finds Hermione with her head on Potter's shoulder. Severus has spent enough time in Hermione's mind to know that her feelings for Potter are like those for a sibling, but he still can't help the momentary flash of annoyance at seeing his wife in another man's arms.

"As much as I hate to disrupt such a touching tableau, I'm afraid we have more preparation to do for this evening," he says.

"Right." Potter stands and extends his hand to Severus. "Treat her right, sir. I'll come back as a ghost and haunt you if you don't."

Treat her right? What is the idiot boy talking about? "This law will not long outlive the Dark Lord. You'll have to ask Miss Granger which wizard to threaten before shuffling off this mortal coil," he sneers.

Hermione glares at him. Potter's reaction is puzzlement. He looks from Severus to Hermione. "I don't think he knows."

"What do I not know, Mr. Potter?"

"That's for your wife to tell you, not me. Bye, Hermione," Potter says, hugging her again before he leaves.

Can the infernal boy not keep his hands off Severus's wife? Not that she'll be his wife much longer, but for now, she is. "What is for you to tell me?" he asks.

"I really couldn't say," Hermione replies.

Severus studies her. When he gives an answer like that, it's generally one of those hide a lie behind the truth kind of things, but Hermione isn't as sneaky as he is, so he lets it go. "Are you ready to prepare for tonight's performance?"

"Yes."

"What will you be watching for?"

"Her speech patterns, inflections, mannerisms, the way she walks, that sort of thing."

"Right. When you're ready."

She picks up her wand. "Legilimens."

Potter swallows the Polyjuice first, transforming before their eyes into Rodolphus Lestrange. Severus showed him memories of Lestrange to prepare him, but mainly Potter's job is to keep his mouth shut, since Bella's husband never says much at these meetings. Bella is another story, of course, so Hermione's preparation took several hours. By the end of it, she was so convincing as to be, quite frankly, rather unnerving. She was positively vicious in the insulting things she said to him, and he suspects that she's still brassed off after their argument last night, and channeling Bellatrix gave her an excuse to tell him off while pretending she wasn't.

Hermione waits until they're outside the gates and ready to Apparate before taking her Polyjuice, Transfiguring her robes, and Charming her makeup and fingernails.

Potter removes the Invisibility Cloak he used to avoid walking through the castle as a Death Eater and stares at Hermione. "Blimey."

"None of that once we arrive, Potter," Severus says. "I am positive that I have never heard Rodolphus Lestrange say 'blimey'."

Potter makes the tick-a-lock sign that Muggle children use to indicate mum's the word.

Severus offers each of them an arm and then touches his wand to the Dark Mark. He steps away from the ersatz Lestranges immediately upon arriving, lest anyone wonder at their arriving together. Severus stays close enough to them to make sure they are playing their parts correctly. Hermione is perfect as Bellatrix, just mad enough to be in character, without veering into camp. Potter mercifully keeps his mouth shut.

Severus looks around the room until he finds Lucius, who nods to indicate all is well. He watches as Lucius moves through the crowd until he reaches Goyle, with whom he stops to talk. The Dark Lord enters, and Lucius remains near Goyle, while Severus stays close but not too close to Hermione and Potter. He doesn't know the precise details of what happened on the previous version of tonight, but he does remember the first iteration of it, a boring and unremarkable meeting after which he went home and got into the unfortunate row with Hermione over whether she should take the potion.

Now, the meeting proceeds as it did the first time. When only three minutes remain before Potter returns to himself, Severus looks at Lucius and nods almost imperceptibly. A moment later, Gregory Goyle, Sr. starts moving toward the front of the room. Lucius moves a little closer, but not too much. When Goyle is in front of the Dark Lord and his familiar, he pulls from his robe pocket the basilisk fang Lucius slipped into it a moment ago. Before anyone realizes what he is doing, Goyle has plunged the fang into Nagini, who hisses and whips her head around. Before the Dark Lord can command her to stop, she sinks her fangs deep into Goyle's throat.

Severus avoids looking at Lucius, and hides the thrill of triumph he feels. They were prepared for the Dark Lord to perform Legilimency on Goyle and learn he'd been Imperiused, but the snake has made that impossible. As Goyle bleeds out, Nagini succumbs to the poison in the fang, and the Dark Lord emits a shriek the likes of which Severus has never heard.

Then come the gasps of "Potter!" which begin in the boy's vicinity and spread as more Death Eaters turn from the keening Dark Lord to the Boy Who Lived. Eventually, the commotion penetrates the Dark Lord's fog of grief and fury, and he turns his red eyes in Potter's direction.

"That's right, you snake-faced arsehole. It's me," Potter shouts.

"Mr. Potter," the Dark Lord hisses, walking through the crowd that parts before him. "You have saved me the trouble of hunting you down." Then he lifts his wand. "Avada Kedavra."

A hush falls over the crowd as Harry Potter falls in a flash of green. As he does, Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and the witch who appears to be Bellatrix Lestrange move toward Severus, surrounding him and standing with their backs to him, ready to cast a shield charm. Once they are in place, Severus casts the killing curse at the Dark Lord, and is then engulfed in the shield that surrounds the four of them.