disciple A/N: Good news and bad news. Bad news is, due to many personal issues, I will be stepping back as a writer on this story as I need to decrease the number of projects I am writer for. Son will be taking the helm solo until further notice. Good news is, I'm only stepping into the backseat and will still be driving Son insane with all the backseat driving I will be doing until I return the passenger seat.

SOTM- hope you Harmony fans are buckled in for some darker writing. Remember this story is part of an already existing massive WIP series. (Cuz my life isnt complicated enough) New story soon. This will be a solo project of mine and will be the final installment of the series. Which means two more stories coming soon aside from this and Aphelion. Why? Cuz all Dumbledore's are arseholes.

Cheers and reviews


Hagrid lead Harry and Hermione to the grave of Severus Snape. Carrying his lantern to provide them light. They didn't want to hurt his feelings by using magic. Even after all these years, he hadn't changed. The large wrought iron fence that separated the graveyard from the rest of the school. It was on a small hill at the edge of the forest that overlooked the lake. The heavy gate groaned loudly upon their entry, further proving their trespassing was unwelcomed. The air cold yet stagnant, and the ground wet from earlier rains.

"There are a lot more graves than I remember," He mentioned.

She hummed in agreement, "Sadly, we couldn't make them all."

Harry recognized a tombstone with the name 'CREEVEY', "I'm certain they understand we couldn't rest or grieve. There were still Death Eaters about."

Hermione paused in her steps briefly, his words catching her off guard. She knew there was a change in him since dying in the final battle. He seemed more thoughtful in the ways he spoke of death.

"Here we are," he stopped in front of the lone stone tucked away in the corner under a large shady tree at the very top of the hill.

They stood at either side of it, respecting the ground before it as if a body lay to rest below. Harry waved his hand and a ball of light appeared before them, hovering over the grave between them, "Look, it's been disturbed. The grass is dead all around."

Hermione tossed her notepad and quill carelessly in the air beside her and quickly threw her hair up in a messy ponytail. Instead of falling to the grass, it righted itself to business position. She pulled out her wand, muttering a spell as she followed the rectangle outline of dead grass.

"It's recent," She commented as she turned to look at their larger friend, "Hagrid, you're the keeper of the keys…"

"Yes I 'ave, many a year now." He stated proudly.

She paused before speaking, thinking of who she was speaking to before going off on her normal tangent of questions, "Now I know you've seen some wild things over the years, especially since the war. But have you seen anything odd recently? Since the castle has been rebuilt."

He hummed in thought, they could see his beard twitching in the shadows of the lantern at his side, "Now that I think of it, I've been catching a lot more students out 'ere past curfew."

Harry looked around the graveyard, "Out here… you mean on the grounds? Near the pitch? Here in the graveyard?" He knew he had to be specific in speaking with Hagrid.

"'Ere at this grave." He pointed to the stone that bore the name:

Potion Master
Severus Snape
Jan 9
th, 1960 – May 2nd, 1998

"Have you seen or caught anyone that didn't look like a student? Or acted out of the ordinary?" Hermione asked.

"No, just the Ravenclaws."

They nodded to each other and she waved her wand above the grave, muttering quietly as she moved the shifted dirt to a neat pile at the foot of the grave. Harry sent the ball of light into the grave, "Hold up. What's that?"

He jumped down, planting his feet firmly around something as the small light floated in front of him, "It's a scarf."

Hagrid huffed, "I didn't know Snape wore a scarf."

"It's not Snape's," Harry held it up to the light, showing a familiar purple scarf, "Hermione, this is yours."

"Well, shit." Her shoulders slumped in a very non-Hermione fashion. "That means he wasn't lying."

"Scabior took this from you the day we got caught. The day the snatchers-" he stopped immediately, not wanting to remember the day he was forced to watch her torture. "This means Snape's alive."

"What else is down there?" She asked, taking the scarf from him and running her wand over it.

Harry picked up the small dark wooden box, "Order of Merlin…" He handed it up to Hermione as he continued to look around. Harry turned to look, covering his eyes from the orb of light, "Can you imagine the chaos a bunch of loose nifflers would do in a graveyard?" he joked badly.

"Tha's a really good point, Harry. Really good…" Hagrid trailed off in thought of something he hadn't considered.

He climbed out with Hagrid's help, using his wand to banish the dirt and grass from his clothes. Hermione set the box on the gravestone and looked at it oddly, "It won't open."

They all stood baffled and annoyed, "Leave it to Snape to have a sticking charm on his box."

Hermione shook her head, "You mean Scabior. Remember Harry, he broke into it already."

"Right," Harry replied and felt slightly sheepish, "So what do we do now?"

"There has to be some way to get this opened. If Scabior could do it, no reason we can't," Hermione mused.

"Could he though? What if he couldn't get it open?" he looked at her and shrugged when he saw her questioning look, "Can't assume he was the one that did it, is all. Keep all options open- "

Hermione cut him off and pointed to Hagrid, "What did you mean when you said Ravenclaws? You don't catch any other house out here?"

Hagrid jumped a bit at her sudden outburst, "I catch a few of them a week coming out here. Always Ravenclaw."

"Why is that?"

"Prolly cuz of the riddle."

"Riddle? What riddle?" Harry said suspiciously. He hated that last name.

Hagrid walked around the headstone, lifting his lantern to show them the other side, "That riddle."

Prisoned am I to this shell of the dust
It speaks of only fiction that I could never trust
Captured alive in this sinful estate
Vexed am I to see I do the things that I hate

Hermione read it a few times until she memorized it, the notepad taking it down verbatim, "Are you certain it's a riddle? It could be a poem, or a quote."

"Either way, I think we're done here." Harry shrugged and moved the dirt back in the grave.

Hermione bit her lip and looked over the notes taken, "I don't know, Harry but it confirms he is in fact alive."

"Is he the Son of the Morning you think?"

"Ya shou'nt know 'bout such things," Hagrid chimed in, shaking his head in disapproval. He remembered that name and what it meant.

Hermione sighed again. "I'm sorry but there is one more thing that Professor McGonagall told me to do. Hagrid, I'm sorry," she said and pointed her wand at him. "Obliviate."


Upon their return to the castle, they entered the Headmistress' office to see solemn faces. Both were standing over the objects with their wands out and various books opened across the desk.

Hermione walked up to the desk, standing between him and Flitwick, "What did you find, Professors?"

"Quite a bit, actually." Flitwick started, "The mask is required to read the letter."

"Great work! Now we have a lead," Harry smiled at the smaller man until he saw the grave look on his face.

"I'm afraid it isn't that simple, Mr. Potter." He further explained, "The mask is cursed. All Death Eater masks are in their own way, but this one is much different."

"You're talking about McNair's mask." Harry mentioned, "When it got stuck on that kid's head and suffocated him."

He hummed softly in agreement, "Yes, I'm sure as Aurors you know of the masks turning to ash upon their owner's death. This one seems to be under multiple enchantments…. and curses."

"Curses, Professor?" Hermione already had her notepad and quill at the ready. "As in multiple?"

"Yes, Miss Granger, as in more than one. It's hard to say which ones, though I can confirm it is required to wear if one wanted to read this letter." He pointed from the mask to the letter with his wand, making both float and glow the same red color briefly.

Harry leaned against the desk with both palms flat, staring at the mask intently, "Do we know if the curses are deadly? It sounds like a foolish question, but do we at least know what wheelhouse we are dealing with? I trust we can only expect the worst from a Death Eater mask, let alone one considered a traitor at the end of the war?"

Hermione turned to give him a concerned look, "You better not be thinking… Harry, we have to get this to the curse breakers at the Ministry."

"We don't have time and if Professor Flitwick can't break it or at least identify them, I hardly think the department will either. I won't let this get swept away in evidence to sit on a shelf." Harry scowled.

Minerva finally spoke, "I assume you found something at the grave?"

Harry gave Hermione a raised brow, "Go on, tell her."

Huffing and turning the pages in her notepad, she began, "Dead grass around the grave indicates that it's been tampered with recently. We also found the Order of Merlin placed at the time of the funeral…"

"But we can't open the box." Harry added as he placed it on the desk.

Hermione continued, "The grave has obviously been tampered with-"

"Tampered how? Are you speaking of the riddle?" She stood up straight.

"She meant the order of merlin, but you know about that? Why didn't you tell us?" Harry asked with a scowl.

"Honestly, I was too shocked with this letter. Also, we had figured it was done by an angry student. We tried to remove it, didn't work and our budget doesn't necessarily cover tombstone replacements." She explained. "Are you certain it was Scabior?"

"This was in there as well," Harry tugged at the scarf hanging out of her bag, "Scabior took this from Hermione when the snatchers got us. He was wearing it during the final battle."

Both Professor's gasped.

"I believe Scabior is telling the truth in that aspect," Harry said solemnly, "Do I believe he got the mask and wand from there? No, but it doesn't mean he wasn't looking for something else."

Flitwick finally spoke up, "That's impossible, we worked on the wards ourselves. No one barring the mark or dark magic can cross the wards."

Harry gave him a very "Hermione-esque" look over the rim of his glasses, "Seriously? Because that always worked in the past right? No offence Professor, but the wards couldn't even keep me out."

Hermione put a hand on his arm, "No, he's right. There's no way that Scabior or even Snape would get past the wards. Not unless someone let them in." she looked at Minerva.

"I assure you, Miss Granger. I have not let any dark wizards into the school grounds." Minerva said sternly.

"That's not what I meant, Professor." She put her hands up, "What if Scabior never left? After the final battle, I mean. He was last seen at the collapse of the bridge, what if he somehow survived the fall? There are so many caves in the cliffs. We know this because Sirius hid in them from time to time. What if you put the wards around him and he was already here?"

"Survive the fall how?" Harry asked skeptically.

"A shrunken broom in his pocket? Felix Felicis? I don't know!" she said defensively. "I'm just trying to make sense of things."

"If that's the case, does the same go for Snape? If he lived, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't come crawling back to his dungeons. Would the castle even let him after he left his post?" Harry argued, "Who's being ridiculous now?" he added, referring to their initial research conversations.

Flitwick held his hand up, "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger is bringing up good points. There are flaws in our defenses that must be re-evaluated."

Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I- you're right, Professor. Sorry."

"Well, what now?" Hermione looked at him.

"I put the mask on and you standby." He stood up straight and took a deep breath. "Unless you prefer, we do this back at the Ministry, Professor?" He looked at Minerva cautiously.

"I prefer you not to do it at all, but like your younger years, you won't listen. I'd much rather you do it under my supervision." She huffed, "Let me call Poppy for assistance."


He stood in the center of the now empty office. The furniture had been vanished to another part of the castle with the wave of Minerva's hand. Harry planted his feet wide and looked down at one of the many masks that haunted his dreams in his youth.

"Are you sure about this, Harry?" Hermione asked from a safe distance.

"Of course, it's how it's supposed to go innit?" he smiled at her, "I do something foolish and you document it for scientific purposes. We grab a bite to eat and you give me the 'in conclusion: I told you so.'"

"He's got a point." Minerva offered and placed her hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

"Yes, instead this time it's not on a quidditch pitch and I'm here for the firsthand foolishness." Poppy chirped.

Flitwick cleared his throat and held his wand up, motioning for everyone else to follow. Hermione had her wand out and her quill set to self-dictation, a fancy spell of her own making after the Rita Skeeter incidents.

Harry looked at Hermione one last time, "Here we go…" taking off his glasses and sipping them into his robes, he slowly lifted the mask to his face.

At first nothing happened, a moment went by and Harry suddenly gripped his head and fell to his knees. He clawed at the mask and knocked it off his head. Hermione rushed forward and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Cruciatus- should have known." He grunted and got back to his feet, "Now I know what I'm up against." He was panting, trying to catch his breath but he remained calm.

"Harry, you don't have to do this!" she fussed.

He wiped his brow with the back of his sleeve, "Yeah, I do."

Waving her away once again, he put the mask on and grit his teeth. The pain came harder than before, on a higher level of intensity. Now he truly knew what he was up against.

"THE LETTER!" He called out in pain as he tried to remain standing. He buckled to a knee and gripped the edge of the mask with one hand.

Flitwick rushed forward and held it up to him to read, but Harry couldn't open his eyes. They were clenched shut in pain.

"Open your eyes, Harry!" the smaller man called him by his first name, "Harry, you need to open your eyes and tell us what to do!"

With struggle he peeked a watery eye at through the mask, the letter opened on its own. Flitwick pulled out a slip of parchment and Harry knocked the mask off again.

"It's blank…" he said as he flipped it over and over.

As soon as the mask was removed, the parchment flew back into the letter and it sealed itself. Harry hung his head in defeat with both hands braced on the floor, "Can't be easy, can it?" Taking a few more deep breaths, "The pain… it get's worse each time."

"I think you should take a break, Harry. Ma'am tell him." Hermione was worried for him, she always was.

"At least a chocolate break and a breather, Potter." Poppy tusked.

He put a hand up, "I got it. Let's get it over with." He was sweating profusely now, shrugging off his robes and throwing them aside. "Professor, I need you to work quickly and put the parchment right here." He put his palm to the tip of his nose. "Make me read it. Got it?"

Flitwick nodded and rolled up the sleeve of his robes slightly, "When you're ready."

Harry screamed in pain this time, the white-hot pain starting at his temples. Flitwick quickly opened the letter and shoved it under his nose.

"I can't…. I can't…" Harry clawed at his face; the mask would not come off. He forced himself to open his eyes, teeth clenched shut and muscles spasming, "Rip… argh… left…."

"You can do this!" Flitwick hissed. Harry had never heard the gentleman speak like that before.

"Rip... it says Rip up the... leaves…" he struggled and carried on. Once he completed the letter the mask fell off and the letter sealed itself again.

Poppy rushed forward with a few vials and her wand at the ready, "Cruciatus curse is nothing to be fooled with, Potter. Take these," she pressed one to his lips and tilted his head back, forcing it down his throat, "Severus crawled back to the castle many times in worse condition. Learned to keep the muscled relaxers on hand quickly after that."

"Now we know how Scabior lost his mind…" Harry joked badly as she and Hermione helped him up and into an armchair.

She clicked her tongue, "That's not funny, Harry."

He ignored her, "What did we get?"

"Let's take a rest first-" she tried to say but Flitwick interrupted her.

He had her notepad and was reading it aloud,

Rip out the framework leave no stone unturned
Until my heart forgets all that my flesh ever learned
Tear down the structure till nothing is left
God deliver me from this body of death

12.22.98 Prince 3:02 3.7 57

"Is that correct?" he handed him the notepad.

"Yeah, that's it. What do you reckon it means?" he handed it to Hermione, the expert in such things. "Think it's part of the one we found on the gravestone?"

She held it in front of her while still standing at his side, idle stroking his back in comfort still, "Seems like it… it's a riddle for sure, I just don't know where to start."

Minerva spoke up, "This one riddle, I cannot help you. The one on the grave however, I've known the man longer than anyone else. I know what it's referring to, yet I don't know how one would obtain it."

"Obtain what?" Harry asked suspiciously, thinking he had to do another painful exercise.

"The Bible."