"I can't believe I'm doing this," Harry muttered irritably as the carriage drove on quickly. "Stop your whining," said Snape, "all you've done since I told you about this is whine." "Ohhhh, I'm sorry," said Harry sarcastically, "but my idea of a perfect evening does not typically involve going straight into the lion's den, and of all things, pretending to be a Death Eater!" Hermione shook her head as they argued, "Would both of you shut up?!" she said finally. Harry pulled back the sleeve of his left forearm, "And this!" he said angrily, "Wearing this foul thing makes me feel like complete slime! Even if it is a fake!" he said, staring down at his fake Dark Mark. "Harry!" said Hermione angrily, jerking her head slightly at Snape. Harry put his sleeve back, "I'm sorry. I forgot..." He often forgot that Snape had once been a Death Eater, much less the fact that he had the horrible Mark on his own arm, and that his was permanent.
Snape ignored both of them and simply stared out the carriage window; 'If only mine were temporary,' he thought wistfully, 'instead I'm stuck with this thing forever embedded in my skin.' Involuntarily, he grasped his forearm, 'If I could I'd rip it off.' "We're almost there," he said, after a few minutes, "time for your Charms." They pulled out their wands and placed Disguising Charms on themselves quickly.
The three dispersed from the carriage as soon as they arrived, but waited at the entrance to the Estate. "Where is he..." said Hermione. Just then, someone Apparated right in front of them; they didn't recognize him, but he said the right phrase, "Six of one, half dozen of the other." Hermione let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness it's you, Remus." 'Damn werewolf,' Snape thought involuntarily as they began trudging up the path to the Estate. "And thank goodness it's you, Hermione," said Lupin, "I thought I'd come upon a group of complete strangers. Would have been strange to say something like that to someone I don't know." "Quiet," hissed Snape, "we're almost to their door." A house elf was taking invitations as well as numbers for how many were entering with each invitation. "Invitation?" asked the small elf without looking up. Snape handed him the invitation, hoping he wouldn't ask too many questions. "How many?"
"Four."
"Why so many?"
"This is a friend of mine," he said, gesturing to Lupin, "and this is my younger brother and his wife," he said, nodding at Harry and Hermione. "You do, of course, have the Mark?" asked the elf. Snape pulled back his sleeve, "Good. Enjoy your evening." Mentally, all four of them sighed, although the real testing was about to begin.
A servant showed them the way to the large ballroom the Malfoys possessed, and Hermione felt her knees grow weak, "I don't know if I can do this," she muttered to Harry, grasping his arm slightly. "Of course you can," he said, then leaned in close to her, "you're a Gryffindor." Snape overheard his remark, "But you're a Slytherin for the night; remember that."
The four of them happened to enter just in time, as Lucius Malfoy was making a speech to his fellow Death Eaters. Snape and Lupin hung at the back of the room while Harry and Hermione went forward into the bustle as planned.
"I am quite pleased to see so many faithful followers of our Lord Voldemort here tonight," said Lucius, "I only wish the Dark Lord himself could be here to see such a wondrous gathering. Alas, he is busy at the moment and cannot be trifled, even if it is amongst his loyal followers." Lucius gave the crowd a smile that Harry and Hermione found sickening. "And so, before we begin the ball after a tremendous day's work of killing Muggles," said Lucius, raising a wine glass, "let us toast to our lord and master, Voldemort." Everyone raised their glasses while Harry looked back at Snape with a look on his face that said, 'Please don't ask me to do this.' Snape returned his look with his own unique expression modeling the words, 'Tough. Endure it.' Luckily no one noticed Harry and Hermione lacking in their toast, and in the meantime Harry took the moment to glance around at the attending people. He recognized only a few, such as Crabbe and Goyle, but then he spotted someone quite familiar.
Draco Malfoy.
He was standing off to his father's side, more toward the crowd, with a very intense, proud look on his face. "And of course, there is one special announcement I'd like to make," said Lucius after sipping from his glass; he turned to Draco. "As most of you know, I am retiring from the position of assistant and Head Death Eater. Therefore, I'd like to announce my successor. My son, Draco, will officially be taking over as Head Death Eater." Draco stepped up to the podium next to Lucius and they hugged briefly, and Harry heard Lucius say, "This is the proudest day of my life." Harry's stomach churned with fear, and Hermione was practically shaking at his side. "And now," said Lucius, an almost teary look in his eye, "let the festivities begin!"
Instantly a waltz struck up from the orchestra seated to the far right; Harry and Hermione both noticed that it was a Muggle orchestra. "Probably abducted while they were practicing," muttered Harry. Hermione nodded and swallowed, then looked back at the door where Snape and Lupin had been, "They're gone," she whispered. "Good," said Harry, "hopefully no one noticed."
* * *
Snape and Lupin slipped away quietly and went unnoticed by anyone else. "You do know your way around here, right?" said Lupin as he followed Snape. "Of course I do," said Snape, "I've had the misfortune of having to make several visits to this mansion years ago." Lupin nodded and said nothing more; after a few minutes of wandering through long passages and halls in the gigantic mansion, Snape suddenly came to a halt. "Here we are," he said, opening the door quietly.
* * *
Hermione and Harry were seated on the side of the large ballroom floor, nursing two separate glasses of funny tasting punch. "I think it's spiked," said Hermione, refusing to take another swallow of the foul-tasting stuff. Harry nodded, "Yeah, not the time to be drinking." A few waltzes played through, and Harry and Hermione went by unnoticed. "Do you think they're almost finished by now?" asked Hermione. Harry shrugged, "Can't be sure." They were about to get up and go investigate when Draco appeared out of nowhere and smiled a greasy smile at both of them. "I don't believe we've met," said Draco, "you two are?" Harry hastily tried to conjure up a name, but luckily he was interrupted by another Death Eater who came running up to Draco and whispered something in his ear. "Ah, I see," said Draco, a slightly elated look on his face; he turned back to Harry and Hermione, "it appears that there's been another attack on some Muggles. Part of our Death Eater movement in America." Harry tried to look interested without being sick, "Really? Where at?" "New York," said Draco casually.
"So," he said, clearing his throat and changing the subject, "what schools did you two attend?" "I went to Durmstrang," said Harry, turning to look at Hermione. "I went to Hogwarts for the first few years, then to Beauxbatons as an exchange student. I was a Slytherin, of course," said Hermione. "A Slytherin? Really?" said Draco, "I can't remember ever seeing you there before, and I was in Slytherin all seven years of my education. My father wanted me to go to Durmstrang, of course, as I'm sure you know why." Hermione gave him a fake smile, "Well, I was very quiet when I was there. You probably saw me all the time but never really knew me." 'Saw me in Gryffindor all the time is more like it,' thought Hermione nastily, 'and always picked on me because I was a "Mudblood."' Draco smiled at her in a sickening way, "Who was your favorite teacher at Hogwarts?" At this Hermione gave a true smile, "Professor Snape."
Draco's smile immediately dropped, "That traitor...dishonored the lot of us by turning to Dumbledore. If only we'd known it sooner, we might have tortured him with Cruciatus and then killed him." Now he looked at Hermione in a different light, but she responded quickly. "Of course, would have had it that way as well, but I didn't know about him back then. I left at the beginning of my fourth year so I hardly had time enough to know him that well." "Indeed," said Draco, "well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to my father's office to attend to some business." Harry and Hermione were glad to see him ago until they realized where he was going, "He can't go in there!" hissed Harry, "He'll find Snape and Remus in there, going through his stuff!"
Immediately Hermione ran after Draco, desperate to stall for time, "Can we at least have a dance together?" she said. Draco smiled greasily once again, "Of course."
Harry headed toward the door, waiting for the first sign of Snape or Lupin. He hated having to watch Hermione dance with such a malodorous git, but they had no choice; they needed time. Hermione, however, put on a good show of pretending to enjoy the entire waltz, which was, of all things, Strauss's Blue Danube. Harry was growing worried as time grew short, however, and glanced down the hall often. Still, no one came. Finally, the waltz ended, and Draco smiled at her curtly then left, passing Harry right by, who could do nothing but hope and wait.
* * *
"There's got to be something..." said Snape, rifling through some of Lucius's papers. "Still no one coming," said Lupin, who was the lookout there at the door. "Aha!" said Snape suddenly, "A list of names," he said with a triumphant grin. Suddenly Lupin's face paled, "We've got to Apparate out of here, Snape. Draco is coming down the hall." Snape grinned as he Replicated the paper using a spell, then replaced it. "No problem. Aparecium!" he said, but nothing happened. His blood froze, "Uh-oh." "What do you mean uh-oh?!" said Lupin, "Aparecium!" But he didn't Apparate; "Oh God, they have an Apparating spell on the house," said Lupin frantically.
They both looked around for somewhere to hide, and saw only a closet that would fit but one person in it. "Get in there Lupin," said Snape, shoving him into it, "I'll handle this." "You'll just botch everything up," said Lupin angrily as he tried to shove him into the closet. "I used to be a Death Eater, Lupin, now get in there! I can handle this!" "Please, Snape, you always go about this the wrong way!" said Lupin. Suddenly his face drained of all color, and Snape looked over his shoulder to see Draco standing in the room.
"Well, well, well," said Draco with a pleased expression on his face, "this is a surprise."
* * *
Harry and Hermione stood by the door, edgy expressions on their faces. The evening was growing late, and still there was no sign from either Lupin or Snape. Harry tapped his foot nervously but tried to appear happy so no one would ask them questions; luckily only Lucius had said hello to them on his way to his office; suddenly Hermione grabbed his arm, "Look." Lupin and Snape were coming down the hall, and they were giving both of them looks that said, 'Go to the carriage. We don't have any more time.' The four of them hightailed it out of the ball without a second glance from anyone else; within minutes, they were safely on their way to the old inn. Harry let out a sigh of relief, "We'd been wondering what happened to you." "You'd never believe it," said Remus, "Draco is one of us." Harry's jaw dropped, "What?!" Snape nodded, "It's true. Malfoy said he was really on our side this whole time." Hermione smiled, "Well he certainly put on a good show! This whole time I thought he really did hate Muggles!"
She and Harry both spoke their counter spells, "Finite Incantatem!" and their Disguising Charms disappeared. "Hey, aren't you guys going to take off your Charms?" asked Harry when neither Lupin nor Snape moved. They both looked at each other and grinned, then spoke, "Finite Incantatem!" Harry and Hermione were shocked beyond belief when their Disguises disappeared to reveal neither the real Snape or Lupin.
It was Draco and Lucius Malfoy.
* * *
The four of them were lying on the floor, bound up at the wrists and ankles. They were seated in the order of Remus, Hermione, Snape, and Harry, and at the moment, the four were alone in the room. "I can't believe this," said Hermione, squirming in her bonds. "Don't bother, they'll tighten if you pull on them," said Snape in a drawling tone. "What's going to happen to us?" said Harry, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Lucius said he was going to get Voldemort," said Remus blandly. "He's been wanting to see me for a very long time," said Snape quietly. Harry shot a look at Snape, "You don't mean...?" Snape nodded, "I'll probably be dead within the next hour. After he's finished torturing me, at least." Harry swallowed hard, "Remus..." "There's nothing we can do to help him," said Lupin, leaning his head back against the cold stone wall. "We're in enough trouble on our terms as it is," he added.
He craned his head at Snape slightly, "Just because I'd like to set the record straight, I'm sorry about all the stuff we put you through in school. We just wanted to have fun; you know how it is." Snape turned his head to look at him slightly, and let out a long sigh, "It's all right. Now that I'm about ready to die, I guess it's time to forgive and forget." Hermione, who was seated in between them both, put her head down in her hands, wishing to be somewhere, anywhere else. The three of them could hear her weeping, and Harry wished he could do something to make her feel better. Snape nudged her slightly, "Don't worry Granger. It'll be quick." That just made her weep even more, and Snape regretted his words. "You won't feel much, I promise," he said, hoping to make it better. "Forget it Professor, you're just making it worse," said Harry.
"It's not me that I'm worried about," said Hermione suddenly, her voice strained and tight, "I'm worried about you three, and especially you," she said, nodding at Snape. "Me? Why me?" he said. "Because..." she sniffed, "...because you've been so much of a help. And you've looked after Harry and I, and you taught us at school, and we owe you so much but now there's nothing that we can do. Instead, we're all lying here on a dungeon floor, about ready to be tortured and killed by the evilest person on the planet. This is no way to die..." she sobbed. For a moment, none of them spoke, thinking about their own fates. Then, Lupin looked over at Snape to see a smile on his face. Not a sarcastic smile, nor a mean smile either. It looked like a true smile.
"What're you so happy about?" said Lupin. Harry looked over at Snape to see the same bizarre smile, 'There isn't much to smile about when you're going to die,' thought Harry. Snape nudged Hermione slightly with his knee, and she looked up at him, her face quite red and teary. "That's the first time I've ever been appreciated for something," said Snape. Lupin's jaw dropped slightly, "My God. The last few minutes of life and somehow, of all people, he learns gratitude." Snape ignored Lupin and stared down at Hermione, who could only look back at him in amazement. "Ever?" she said quietly. He nodded, "Ever, much less by an ex-student." Hermione sat up and leaned against the wall, "We never know what we have until it's gone."
Suddenly they heard footsteps from the hall outside, and two people were talking outside the door. Hermione turned to each of the three men and gave them kisses on their cheeks, "I'm sorry," she said to each of them. She sat back and waited for whatever was to come. Harry gave Snape a look that said, 'Sorry for all the guff in the classroom.' He figured that Snape would say something like 'Sorry' or 'It's all right,' and waited expectantly. Instead, he got a rather odd remark, "If you think I'm gonna kiss you like Hermione did, you've got another thing coming."
Maybe it was the seriousness of the situation, or that it was the moment before their deaths, but the four of them suddenly burst out laughing. The remark wasn't entirely that funny, but they were practically in tears. It was almost strange to see Snape laugh, and the other three were glad he did. Just then, however, the door swung open, and there he stood.
Voldemort.
* * *
Harry's scar surged with pain as Voldemort spoke, "What could be so funny right before four people are about to die?" said the monstrosity. None of them spoke, and Voldemort turned to Snape, "As for you, my traitorous little Death Eater," he said with an evil grin, "I've been waiting for this for a long time." Hermione let out a choked cry and began to sob again, and even Lupin himself had a watery look on his face. Harry tried to keep his breathing even as Voldemort's wand swung in Snape's direction. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Voldemort snarled nastily. 'Why isn't he using the Unforgivable Curses?' thought all three at once. Their answer came seconds later; Voldemort hurled him into the opposing stone wall without mercy, and Snape fell to the ground in a heap. Voldemort snapped his fingers and his bonds disappeared, although that didn't seem to be much of a help for Snape as he was still groaning in pain on the floor.
"To think, all the times you managed to trick me into believing I could trust you," said Voldemort, making a tsk-tsk noise slightly. "Well, I guess you'll just have to pay for it. Crucio!" Harry shut his eyes and looked away, but he was unable to keep the screaming out. His blood roiled in his veins, and his hatred for Voldemort surged while his scar stung violently with pain. He could feel his face getting hotter and hotter, and Harry found himself on the breaking point. Suddenly his bonds snapped off, and Harry opened his eyes to see that he was completely free. Hermione gasped, "Harry...how did you do that?" He quickly pulled out his wand, "I must have gotten so angry I busted them." Voldemort had his back to the three of them, torturing Snape without mercy, and it gave Harry the cover he needed. "Gimme your hands, quick, let's go," said Harry. He cut off Lupin's and Hermione's rope bonds with a simple Cutting Spell, and they each pulled out their wands.
Voldemort suddenly released Snape from the Cruciatus Curse and began to talk again, but Snape's attention wasn't on Voldemort. He was staring as Harry, Lupin, and Hermione got to their feet and each aimed their wands at Voldemort's back. "Look at me when I talk to you, you fool!" shouted Voldemort angrily. Snape gave him a weak smile, then pointed behind him. Voldemort spun around, "How did you...?" he cried. Harry grinned as he, Hermione, and Lupin uttered the same two words.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Voldemort let out one final scream and his red eyes glowed madly as the curse hit him, green light flooding the room. His body fell to the floor, and silence reigned. "We did it," said Hermione slowly, "we...we....we...killed him." Harry and Lupin, however, were already running to Snape, helping him to his feet. He winced in pain as he stood, "Nice job," he said finally. "A rare thing," said Lupin, as the four of them began to walk out of the room. "What's that?" asked Snape with a grunt. "A complement from you," said Lupin. Harry and Hermione both suppressed smiles, then Harry came to a halt in the middle of the passageway up from the Malfoy dungeon. "Wait a minute," said Harry, "how are we supposed to get out of here alive with a hundred Death Eaters up there in the ballroom?"
For a moment, they stood in complete silence. "Why can't we just Apparate out of here?" said Hermione. "Because they have an Apparating Spell on the house," said Snape. "Well we can't exactly go waltzing through there without expecting to be caught," said Harry. They stood in the cold stone passageway for another minute, trying to think of what to do. Just then, a mysterious smile appeared on Snape's face. "Why is it that I don't like that look on your face?" said Harry, his eyes becoming slits of wonder. "What do you have in mind, Severus?" said Lupin. "I need a container with a lid on it," he said simply. Hermione and Harry gave him a strange look, "Why?" asked Hermione. "Ask questions later," said Snape as Lupin began to pull something out of the pockets of his robes.
"I can transfigure a sheet of parchment into a container," said Lupin with a shrug. "Do it then, and hurry it up," said Snape. Lupin quickly transfigured the parchment into a small plastic container with a lid, "Here." Snape grinned, "Thanks," and pulled out his wand. "What're you doing?" asked Hermione. "Succio Vacumria!" Snape said, casting the spell on the container. Suddenly Lupin began laughing hysterically, "That's a great idea." "What's a great idea? Tell us!" said Harry. He laughed a bit more, than turned to Harry and Hermione, "He's putting a Suction Spell on the container." Harry shrugged, "I don't get it. Wait a minute. You don't mean that's he's actually going to..."
But Snape was already heading up the stairs, a look of almost glee on his face. The three immediately ran after him, following him through the twisting passageways until they reached the ground floor where the ball was being held. Lucius and Draco Malfoy were both standing by the door, chatting with a few of their friends, when they spotted the four. Lucius and Draco immediately whipped out their wands, but they were too late. Snape ripped the lid off the container.
It was as if a hurricane had erupted inside the room, and a whirlwind was spinning everyone about. Everyone but Snape, Lupin, Harry, and Hermione, that was. One by one, all the Death Eaters were sucked into the container, screaming in protest as they were each pulled inside. The curtains lining the inside of the room fluttered angrily in the storm of wind while tables and chairs fell over from the power surging from the spell. Finally, the last Death Eater soared into the container, and the lid flew shut, snapped on quite tightly. The room was eerily silent after the absence of wind and storm, but the remaining four were too ingratiated to notice. "Good work, Severus," said Lupin.
The four of them were leaving the building when Harry suddenly stopped and stood still in the chilly night air. It was actually cooler than expected, and their breaths shown in the night air. "What're you doing?" asked Hermione when stopped. He looked up at the night sky, a velvety blackness dotted with stars, "I was just enjoying the view," he said calmly. Hermione gave him a strange look, then smiled, "Well, it is Voldemort-free."
Six months later...
"...And so, I hereby reopen this school as it once was. Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry!" said the Minister of Magic. The crowd cheered as their children dashed up to the school, eager to start. Harry, who had been watching from inside Hogwarts, turned to the almost empty classroom. He, Lupin, and Hermione had been watching from his new Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Lupin would teach Potions, and Hermione was teaching Charms. Sirius Black had also been asked to teach at Hogwarts as the Transfiguration professor, which Harry was glad about. As for Severus Snape, however, he was currently outside, taking his proper place in the reopening ceremony.
As the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
~Finis~
Snape ignored both of them and simply stared out the carriage window; 'If only mine were temporary,' he thought wistfully, 'instead I'm stuck with this thing forever embedded in my skin.' Involuntarily, he grasped his forearm, 'If I could I'd rip it off.' "We're almost there," he said, after a few minutes, "time for your Charms." They pulled out their wands and placed Disguising Charms on themselves quickly.
The three dispersed from the carriage as soon as they arrived, but waited at the entrance to the Estate. "Where is he..." said Hermione. Just then, someone Apparated right in front of them; they didn't recognize him, but he said the right phrase, "Six of one, half dozen of the other." Hermione let out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness it's you, Remus." 'Damn werewolf,' Snape thought involuntarily as they began trudging up the path to the Estate. "And thank goodness it's you, Hermione," said Lupin, "I thought I'd come upon a group of complete strangers. Would have been strange to say something like that to someone I don't know." "Quiet," hissed Snape, "we're almost to their door." A house elf was taking invitations as well as numbers for how many were entering with each invitation. "Invitation?" asked the small elf without looking up. Snape handed him the invitation, hoping he wouldn't ask too many questions. "How many?"
"Four."
"Why so many?"
"This is a friend of mine," he said, gesturing to Lupin, "and this is my younger brother and his wife," he said, nodding at Harry and Hermione. "You do, of course, have the Mark?" asked the elf. Snape pulled back his sleeve, "Good. Enjoy your evening." Mentally, all four of them sighed, although the real testing was about to begin.
A servant showed them the way to the large ballroom the Malfoys possessed, and Hermione felt her knees grow weak, "I don't know if I can do this," she muttered to Harry, grasping his arm slightly. "Of course you can," he said, then leaned in close to her, "you're a Gryffindor." Snape overheard his remark, "But you're a Slytherin for the night; remember that."
The four of them happened to enter just in time, as Lucius Malfoy was making a speech to his fellow Death Eaters. Snape and Lupin hung at the back of the room while Harry and Hermione went forward into the bustle as planned.
"I am quite pleased to see so many faithful followers of our Lord Voldemort here tonight," said Lucius, "I only wish the Dark Lord himself could be here to see such a wondrous gathering. Alas, he is busy at the moment and cannot be trifled, even if it is amongst his loyal followers." Lucius gave the crowd a smile that Harry and Hermione found sickening. "And so, before we begin the ball after a tremendous day's work of killing Muggles," said Lucius, raising a wine glass, "let us toast to our lord and master, Voldemort." Everyone raised their glasses while Harry looked back at Snape with a look on his face that said, 'Please don't ask me to do this.' Snape returned his look with his own unique expression modeling the words, 'Tough. Endure it.' Luckily no one noticed Harry and Hermione lacking in their toast, and in the meantime Harry took the moment to glance around at the attending people. He recognized only a few, such as Crabbe and Goyle, but then he spotted someone quite familiar.
Draco Malfoy.
He was standing off to his father's side, more toward the crowd, with a very intense, proud look on his face. "And of course, there is one special announcement I'd like to make," said Lucius after sipping from his glass; he turned to Draco. "As most of you know, I am retiring from the position of assistant and Head Death Eater. Therefore, I'd like to announce my successor. My son, Draco, will officially be taking over as Head Death Eater." Draco stepped up to the podium next to Lucius and they hugged briefly, and Harry heard Lucius say, "This is the proudest day of my life." Harry's stomach churned with fear, and Hermione was practically shaking at his side. "And now," said Lucius, an almost teary look in his eye, "let the festivities begin!"
Instantly a waltz struck up from the orchestra seated to the far right; Harry and Hermione both noticed that it was a Muggle orchestra. "Probably abducted while they were practicing," muttered Harry. Hermione nodded and swallowed, then looked back at the door where Snape and Lupin had been, "They're gone," she whispered. "Good," said Harry, "hopefully no one noticed."
* * *
Snape and Lupin slipped away quietly and went unnoticed by anyone else. "You do know your way around here, right?" said Lupin as he followed Snape. "Of course I do," said Snape, "I've had the misfortune of having to make several visits to this mansion years ago." Lupin nodded and said nothing more; after a few minutes of wandering through long passages and halls in the gigantic mansion, Snape suddenly came to a halt. "Here we are," he said, opening the door quietly.
* * *
Hermione and Harry were seated on the side of the large ballroom floor, nursing two separate glasses of funny tasting punch. "I think it's spiked," said Hermione, refusing to take another swallow of the foul-tasting stuff. Harry nodded, "Yeah, not the time to be drinking." A few waltzes played through, and Harry and Hermione went by unnoticed. "Do you think they're almost finished by now?" asked Hermione. Harry shrugged, "Can't be sure." They were about to get up and go investigate when Draco appeared out of nowhere and smiled a greasy smile at both of them. "I don't believe we've met," said Draco, "you two are?" Harry hastily tried to conjure up a name, but luckily he was interrupted by another Death Eater who came running up to Draco and whispered something in his ear. "Ah, I see," said Draco, a slightly elated look on his face; he turned back to Harry and Hermione, "it appears that there's been another attack on some Muggles. Part of our Death Eater movement in America." Harry tried to look interested without being sick, "Really? Where at?" "New York," said Draco casually.
"So," he said, clearing his throat and changing the subject, "what schools did you two attend?" "I went to Durmstrang," said Harry, turning to look at Hermione. "I went to Hogwarts for the first few years, then to Beauxbatons as an exchange student. I was a Slytherin, of course," said Hermione. "A Slytherin? Really?" said Draco, "I can't remember ever seeing you there before, and I was in Slytherin all seven years of my education. My father wanted me to go to Durmstrang, of course, as I'm sure you know why." Hermione gave him a fake smile, "Well, I was very quiet when I was there. You probably saw me all the time but never really knew me." 'Saw me in Gryffindor all the time is more like it,' thought Hermione nastily, 'and always picked on me because I was a "Mudblood."' Draco smiled at her in a sickening way, "Who was your favorite teacher at Hogwarts?" At this Hermione gave a true smile, "Professor Snape."
Draco's smile immediately dropped, "That traitor...dishonored the lot of us by turning to Dumbledore. If only we'd known it sooner, we might have tortured him with Cruciatus and then killed him." Now he looked at Hermione in a different light, but she responded quickly. "Of course, would have had it that way as well, but I didn't know about him back then. I left at the beginning of my fourth year so I hardly had time enough to know him that well." "Indeed," said Draco, "well, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to my father's office to attend to some business." Harry and Hermione were glad to see him ago until they realized where he was going, "He can't go in there!" hissed Harry, "He'll find Snape and Remus in there, going through his stuff!"
Immediately Hermione ran after Draco, desperate to stall for time, "Can we at least have a dance together?" she said. Draco smiled greasily once again, "Of course."
Harry headed toward the door, waiting for the first sign of Snape or Lupin. He hated having to watch Hermione dance with such a malodorous git, but they had no choice; they needed time. Hermione, however, put on a good show of pretending to enjoy the entire waltz, which was, of all things, Strauss's Blue Danube. Harry was growing worried as time grew short, however, and glanced down the hall often. Still, no one came. Finally, the waltz ended, and Draco smiled at her curtly then left, passing Harry right by, who could do nothing but hope and wait.
* * *
"There's got to be something..." said Snape, rifling through some of Lucius's papers. "Still no one coming," said Lupin, who was the lookout there at the door. "Aha!" said Snape suddenly, "A list of names," he said with a triumphant grin. Suddenly Lupin's face paled, "We've got to Apparate out of here, Snape. Draco is coming down the hall." Snape grinned as he Replicated the paper using a spell, then replaced it. "No problem. Aparecium!" he said, but nothing happened. His blood froze, "Uh-oh." "What do you mean uh-oh?!" said Lupin, "Aparecium!" But he didn't Apparate; "Oh God, they have an Apparating spell on the house," said Lupin frantically.
They both looked around for somewhere to hide, and saw only a closet that would fit but one person in it. "Get in there Lupin," said Snape, shoving him into it, "I'll handle this." "You'll just botch everything up," said Lupin angrily as he tried to shove him into the closet. "I used to be a Death Eater, Lupin, now get in there! I can handle this!" "Please, Snape, you always go about this the wrong way!" said Lupin. Suddenly his face drained of all color, and Snape looked over his shoulder to see Draco standing in the room.
"Well, well, well," said Draco with a pleased expression on his face, "this is a surprise."
* * *
Harry and Hermione stood by the door, edgy expressions on their faces. The evening was growing late, and still there was no sign from either Lupin or Snape. Harry tapped his foot nervously but tried to appear happy so no one would ask them questions; luckily only Lucius had said hello to them on his way to his office; suddenly Hermione grabbed his arm, "Look." Lupin and Snape were coming down the hall, and they were giving both of them looks that said, 'Go to the carriage. We don't have any more time.' The four of them hightailed it out of the ball without a second glance from anyone else; within minutes, they were safely on their way to the old inn. Harry let out a sigh of relief, "We'd been wondering what happened to you." "You'd never believe it," said Remus, "Draco is one of us." Harry's jaw dropped, "What?!" Snape nodded, "It's true. Malfoy said he was really on our side this whole time." Hermione smiled, "Well he certainly put on a good show! This whole time I thought he really did hate Muggles!"
She and Harry both spoke their counter spells, "Finite Incantatem!" and their Disguising Charms disappeared. "Hey, aren't you guys going to take off your Charms?" asked Harry when neither Lupin nor Snape moved. They both looked at each other and grinned, then spoke, "Finite Incantatem!" Harry and Hermione were shocked beyond belief when their Disguises disappeared to reveal neither the real Snape or Lupin.
It was Draco and Lucius Malfoy.
* * *
The four of them were lying on the floor, bound up at the wrists and ankles. They were seated in the order of Remus, Hermione, Snape, and Harry, and at the moment, the four were alone in the room. "I can't believe this," said Hermione, squirming in her bonds. "Don't bother, they'll tighten if you pull on them," said Snape in a drawling tone. "What's going to happen to us?" said Harry, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Lucius said he was going to get Voldemort," said Remus blandly. "He's been wanting to see me for a very long time," said Snape quietly. Harry shot a look at Snape, "You don't mean...?" Snape nodded, "I'll probably be dead within the next hour. After he's finished torturing me, at least." Harry swallowed hard, "Remus..." "There's nothing we can do to help him," said Lupin, leaning his head back against the cold stone wall. "We're in enough trouble on our terms as it is," he added.
He craned his head at Snape slightly, "Just because I'd like to set the record straight, I'm sorry about all the stuff we put you through in school. We just wanted to have fun; you know how it is." Snape turned his head to look at him slightly, and let out a long sigh, "It's all right. Now that I'm about ready to die, I guess it's time to forgive and forget." Hermione, who was seated in between them both, put her head down in her hands, wishing to be somewhere, anywhere else. The three of them could hear her weeping, and Harry wished he could do something to make her feel better. Snape nudged her slightly, "Don't worry Granger. It'll be quick." That just made her weep even more, and Snape regretted his words. "You won't feel much, I promise," he said, hoping to make it better. "Forget it Professor, you're just making it worse," said Harry.
"It's not me that I'm worried about," said Hermione suddenly, her voice strained and tight, "I'm worried about you three, and especially you," she said, nodding at Snape. "Me? Why me?" he said. "Because..." she sniffed, "...because you've been so much of a help. And you've looked after Harry and I, and you taught us at school, and we owe you so much but now there's nothing that we can do. Instead, we're all lying here on a dungeon floor, about ready to be tortured and killed by the evilest person on the planet. This is no way to die..." she sobbed. For a moment, none of them spoke, thinking about their own fates. Then, Lupin looked over at Snape to see a smile on his face. Not a sarcastic smile, nor a mean smile either. It looked like a true smile.
"What're you so happy about?" said Lupin. Harry looked over at Snape to see the same bizarre smile, 'There isn't much to smile about when you're going to die,' thought Harry. Snape nudged Hermione slightly with his knee, and she looked up at him, her face quite red and teary. "That's the first time I've ever been appreciated for something," said Snape. Lupin's jaw dropped slightly, "My God. The last few minutes of life and somehow, of all people, he learns gratitude." Snape ignored Lupin and stared down at Hermione, who could only look back at him in amazement. "Ever?" she said quietly. He nodded, "Ever, much less by an ex-student." Hermione sat up and leaned against the wall, "We never know what we have until it's gone."
Suddenly they heard footsteps from the hall outside, and two people were talking outside the door. Hermione turned to each of the three men and gave them kisses on their cheeks, "I'm sorry," she said to each of them. She sat back and waited for whatever was to come. Harry gave Snape a look that said, 'Sorry for all the guff in the classroom.' He figured that Snape would say something like 'Sorry' or 'It's all right,' and waited expectantly. Instead, he got a rather odd remark, "If you think I'm gonna kiss you like Hermione did, you've got another thing coming."
Maybe it was the seriousness of the situation, or that it was the moment before their deaths, but the four of them suddenly burst out laughing. The remark wasn't entirely that funny, but they were practically in tears. It was almost strange to see Snape laugh, and the other three were glad he did. Just then, however, the door swung open, and there he stood.
Voldemort.
* * *
Harry's scar surged with pain as Voldemort spoke, "What could be so funny right before four people are about to die?" said the monstrosity. None of them spoke, and Voldemort turned to Snape, "As for you, my traitorous little Death Eater," he said with an evil grin, "I've been waiting for this for a long time." Hermione let out a choked cry and began to sob again, and even Lupin himself had a watery look on his face. Harry tried to keep his breathing even as Voldemort's wand swung in Snape's direction. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Voldemort snarled nastily. 'Why isn't he using the Unforgivable Curses?' thought all three at once. Their answer came seconds later; Voldemort hurled him into the opposing stone wall without mercy, and Snape fell to the ground in a heap. Voldemort snapped his fingers and his bonds disappeared, although that didn't seem to be much of a help for Snape as he was still groaning in pain on the floor.
"To think, all the times you managed to trick me into believing I could trust you," said Voldemort, making a tsk-tsk noise slightly. "Well, I guess you'll just have to pay for it. Crucio!" Harry shut his eyes and looked away, but he was unable to keep the screaming out. His blood roiled in his veins, and his hatred for Voldemort surged while his scar stung violently with pain. He could feel his face getting hotter and hotter, and Harry found himself on the breaking point. Suddenly his bonds snapped off, and Harry opened his eyes to see that he was completely free. Hermione gasped, "Harry...how did you do that?" He quickly pulled out his wand, "I must have gotten so angry I busted them." Voldemort had his back to the three of them, torturing Snape without mercy, and it gave Harry the cover he needed. "Gimme your hands, quick, let's go," said Harry. He cut off Lupin's and Hermione's rope bonds with a simple Cutting Spell, and they each pulled out their wands.
Voldemort suddenly released Snape from the Cruciatus Curse and began to talk again, but Snape's attention wasn't on Voldemort. He was staring as Harry, Lupin, and Hermione got to their feet and each aimed their wands at Voldemort's back. "Look at me when I talk to you, you fool!" shouted Voldemort angrily. Snape gave him a weak smile, then pointed behind him. Voldemort spun around, "How did you...?" he cried. Harry grinned as he, Hermione, and Lupin uttered the same two words.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Voldemort let out one final scream and his red eyes glowed madly as the curse hit him, green light flooding the room. His body fell to the floor, and silence reigned. "We did it," said Hermione slowly, "we...we....we...killed him." Harry and Lupin, however, were already running to Snape, helping him to his feet. He winced in pain as he stood, "Nice job," he said finally. "A rare thing," said Lupin, as the four of them began to walk out of the room. "What's that?" asked Snape with a grunt. "A complement from you," said Lupin. Harry and Hermione both suppressed smiles, then Harry came to a halt in the middle of the passageway up from the Malfoy dungeon. "Wait a minute," said Harry, "how are we supposed to get out of here alive with a hundred Death Eaters up there in the ballroom?"
For a moment, they stood in complete silence. "Why can't we just Apparate out of here?" said Hermione. "Because they have an Apparating Spell on the house," said Snape. "Well we can't exactly go waltzing through there without expecting to be caught," said Harry. They stood in the cold stone passageway for another minute, trying to think of what to do. Just then, a mysterious smile appeared on Snape's face. "Why is it that I don't like that look on your face?" said Harry, his eyes becoming slits of wonder. "What do you have in mind, Severus?" said Lupin. "I need a container with a lid on it," he said simply. Hermione and Harry gave him a strange look, "Why?" asked Hermione. "Ask questions later," said Snape as Lupin began to pull something out of the pockets of his robes.
"I can transfigure a sheet of parchment into a container," said Lupin with a shrug. "Do it then, and hurry it up," said Snape. Lupin quickly transfigured the parchment into a small plastic container with a lid, "Here." Snape grinned, "Thanks," and pulled out his wand. "What're you doing?" asked Hermione. "Succio Vacumria!" Snape said, casting the spell on the container. Suddenly Lupin began laughing hysterically, "That's a great idea." "What's a great idea? Tell us!" said Harry. He laughed a bit more, than turned to Harry and Hermione, "He's putting a Suction Spell on the container." Harry shrugged, "I don't get it. Wait a minute. You don't mean that's he's actually going to..."
But Snape was already heading up the stairs, a look of almost glee on his face. The three immediately ran after him, following him through the twisting passageways until they reached the ground floor where the ball was being held. Lucius and Draco Malfoy were both standing by the door, chatting with a few of their friends, when they spotted the four. Lucius and Draco immediately whipped out their wands, but they were too late. Snape ripped the lid off the container.
It was as if a hurricane had erupted inside the room, and a whirlwind was spinning everyone about. Everyone but Snape, Lupin, Harry, and Hermione, that was. One by one, all the Death Eaters were sucked into the container, screaming in protest as they were each pulled inside. The curtains lining the inside of the room fluttered angrily in the storm of wind while tables and chairs fell over from the power surging from the spell. Finally, the last Death Eater soared into the container, and the lid flew shut, snapped on quite tightly. The room was eerily silent after the absence of wind and storm, but the remaining four were too ingratiated to notice. "Good work, Severus," said Lupin.
The four of them were leaving the building when Harry suddenly stopped and stood still in the chilly night air. It was actually cooler than expected, and their breaths shown in the night air. "What're you doing?" asked Hermione when stopped. He looked up at the night sky, a velvety blackness dotted with stars, "I was just enjoying the view," he said calmly. Hermione gave him a strange look, then smiled, "Well, it is Voldemort-free."
Six months later...
"...And so, I hereby reopen this school as it once was. Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry!" said the Minister of Magic. The crowd cheered as their children dashed up to the school, eager to start. Harry, who had been watching from inside Hogwarts, turned to the almost empty classroom. He, Lupin, and Hermione had been watching from his new Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Lupin would teach Potions, and Hermione was teaching Charms. Sirius Black had also been asked to teach at Hogwarts as the Transfiguration professor, which Harry was glad about. As for Severus Snape, however, he was currently outside, taking his proper place in the reopening ceremony.
As the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
~Finis~