Chapter Twenty
9:00 PM
"My Lord," Harry whispered, bowing to kiss the hems of Voldemort's robes, trying not to hear his father's heart breaking at the sight. At his side, Harry wasn't surprised to see Draco Malfoy doing the same, except he wasn't supposed to look so revolted, was he? Maybe he's just used to having his nose up in the air, not down on the ground, Harry thought as he arose and presented Voldemort with the potion Snape had left for him.
"Are you well, Severus? Your face seems flushed," Voldemort asked, making it all too apparent that he did not really care about Snape's health, only that he did notice everything about his Death Eaters. Not everything, please not everything, Harry hoped.
"I've been doing work outside, since Potter died," Harry answered, finding it remarkably easy to speak of himself in the third person. He smiled grimly at the thought that he might be getting as arrogant as royalty with these new powers. Luckily, Voldemort interpreted that smirk as a reaction to Harry's "death" and put it aside for the moment.
"What on Earth does that man have you doing outside?" Voldemort asked, shocking Harry with a strange impression that he already knew the answer.
"I've been reinforcing the security around the perimeter of the grounds," Harry answered, mentally running through the list of incantations that Snape had had him memorize.
"Give the sequence to Wormtail before you leave. Right now, I want to hear your thoughts as to why Dumbledore would bother with the wards if Potter has already died."
This isn't any different from lying to the Dursleys about…everything. This isn't any different than lying to Dumbledore. Yes it is, you dolt! If Dumbledore caught you lying, he wouldn't kill you! Shut up, you're not helping. Getting weary of the two sides of his mind bickering, Harry opted for his best guess. "Well, Dumbledore does have other students to worry about, my lord. He can't appear to play favorites, let his guard down just because the boy is out of the way."
"Maybe he knows he's next on the list. It's unfortunate that the plan failed. But I'm sure we'll find a more amusing means to an end. Now tell me about Harry's death." All of the surrounding Death Eaters murmured in encouragement and even Draco Malfoy lost the look of boredom that he seemed to have adopted since arriving.
"He drowned. Ginny Weasley told Dumbledore that he was having some sort of seizure when she left for help. By the time we got out there, he was already in the lake. We tried to revive him but it was too late by then." It took all of Harry's restraint to keep himself from slapping that smug smile off Malfoy's face. But Voldemort wasn't through with him yet. "How did he end up in the lake? How did he drown? How did he know how to break the connection?"
What was Harry supposed to say? Snape hadn't prepped him on this, had he? Or maybe he just forgot…"I don't know the origins of this connection, but I suppose he noticed that knocking himself out stopped the seizures. Perhaps he thought that Dumbledore would come to his rescue in time to revive him if he drowned himself."
"Crucio!" The word had barely passed Voldemort's lips before Harry was doubled over, screaming in pain, feeling as if he was being skinned alive. Voldemort was saying something, but he couldn't hear above his own howling. Voldemort must have noticed and he lift the curse, allowing Harry to breathe again. "Don't lie to me, Severus," Voldemort hissed, his blood-red eyes narrowed into threatening slits, his hand beckoning one of the hooded death eaters forward. "I trust you remember your old friend?" Voldemort asked, as the Death Eater lowered his hood, and Harry's stomach fell as he realized what Voldemort knew, and what that meant for nearly everyone Harry cared about.
"You!" Harry shouted, before being bound by Wormtail and falling at the feet of Luca. How much has he heard? How am I going to get out of this? How could we have trusted him? These were just a few questions racing through Harry's mind as he stared at the vampire before him. Of course, he knew the answer to one of those. They had trusted him because Remus Lupin had brought him in. No, more than that. They had trusted him because Albus Dumbledore trusted him. How could he have been wrong?
"Now, Severus, I know that Harry Potter is alive. I've also been told that you are a spy for Albus Dumbledore, but we knew this already. Until now, I've thought you've been of more use to me than to him, but I did not expect you to hide Potter from me, given your history with the boy. So I'll give you the opportunity to tell me where he is. Depending on your answer, you may live a bit longer."
Wasn't Luca there when I decided? Harry wondered. Of course, the Whomping Willow could have been there that morning when Harry decided to become Severus Snape and he wouldn't have noticed, he was that nervous. So the Polyjuice must be working, if Voldemort had to ask him where he was. Would he believe that a freezing charm had worked? Where would they have hidden Harry? It would have to be outside Hogwarts for Luca not to find him, if he had even looked. Where had Luca been? Why hadn't he bothered to ask anyone? Something's not right, Harry thought, but he had to give an answer now, before Voldemort raised that wand one more time and there would be no pain, only green light. I could fight him. Don't I have all of these new powers? Why can't I apparate out? He probably has some wards up. And I wouldn't win. Wouldn't even come close.
"I don't know where he is," Harry whispered.
"Crucio!"
9:15
"I don't!" Harry pleaded, deciding that stalling wouldn't help him think of anything better. "Dumbledore had me make Polyjuice Potion, that's all I know. The next morning, he was gone. Or at least I think he was. And Dumbledore had let out the story of the death. He hasn't said anything to me, no one has."
Voldemort didn't seem appeased by this explanation, but Harry couldn't decide whether it was due to mistrust or the fact that it would be near impossible to find Harry Potter if he was anyone in the world. "Put him in the dungeon," Voldemort ordered the crowd. Someone grabbed Harry's elbow roughly and led him down the hall, into a cell oddly warmer than the previous room had been. Harry was relieved that they left him there alone. He had at least one good thing coming to him, he thought. Still, there was the matter of Voldemort knowing Snape was a traitor, Voldemort knowing that Harry was still alive, Voldemort knowing that Sirius was at Hogwarts, Voldemort knowing that Mr. And Mrs. Weasley and a dozen new members of the Resistance were at the Three Broomsticks, Voldemort possibly knowing the new address of the Dursleys, Harry knowing that the blood stone was still out there, Harry not knowing where exactly it was because he hadn't actually seen it during the attack, only heard about it, and Harry having only 45 minutes until he was really in the cell, not Severus Snape.
I could blast my way out of here, fly out past whatever wards there might be and apparate back to Hogwarts. But the Blood Stone would still be here. Maybe I could go out in a blaze of glory. Kill a couple of Death Eaters before they get me. All I have to do is say the words and really mean it, right? How much do I want this war to be over? Enough to kill someone? Could I kill Voldemort? No, he's not human anymore. He's something else. But vampires can die. Werewolves can die. All of those things we learned about in Defense Against Dark Arts had their weaknesses, so why not him? Harry was prepared to waste another five minutes thinking about his options, or lack thereof, when he noticed he was no longer alone.
"What are you doing down here?" Harry asked, momentarily forgetting that he was supposed to be Severus Snape and that he really didn't care what Luca was doing there, only that Harry wanted him in the cell with him so he could test his convictions.
"Shh, Harry, there isn't much time," Luca answered, leaning in closer to the bars and holding out what looked like a money pouch.
"I don't know what you're talking about, vampire," Harry growled, trying to hold in his shock and to remember what it sounds like to be indignant.
"What if I told you that I really don't see myself with a pair of woolen socks in the Mirror of Erised?" Luca asked, the twinkle in his draconian eyes looking so familiar.
"Dumbledore?" Harry gasped, hardly able to believe it. "That's impossible," Harry argued when Luca nodded. "Polyjuice can't turn you into a vampire, just like you can't become a magical creature if you're Animagous." With all that they had relied on the potion for, Harry had paid attention to Snape's lesson that night.
"Did you know that vampires become human again when killed?" Dumbledore asked. Harry was just about to ask what that had to do with anything when Dumbledore shoved the pouch into Harry's hand. "I'll see you again soon," was all Dumbledore said before retreating down the corridor. After trying to shake his head to clear out the confusion, Harry looked in the bag and pulled out the Time Turner.
9:20
He hadn't seen one since his third year, and even then never touched it. Only now did he notice that the sand moved as if something was alive just beneath the surface. How does this work again? One turn for one hour, but where will I end up? And what can I do to make this right? Harry didn't know, but the fact that Dumbledore did made him put the chain of the hourglass around his neck and give it a quick turn, everything rewinding past him in a myriad of blurred color, like he was flying his Firebolt backward through time.
8:20
And then he found himself in the entrance hall of Hogwarts, just as if the past hour, or year, hadn't even happened. When am I? He wondered, trying to remember what time he had left the Ron and Hermione in the common room, trying not to yell at himself for not even thinking about saying goodbye to Sirius and Remus and Dumbledore. Maybe then he would have been more prepared for what had just happened. But that's in the past…or it's right about now…or is it in the future? It was all giving him a massive headache, but since he knew that the other Harry was up in the Gryffindor common room until just before he left Hogwarts with Draco, Harry decided to head down to Snape's office and think.
I was with Voldemort for 20 minutes, so now I'm 40 minutes before I get there, if that makes any sense. I'm surprised even Hermione could keep this straight. Wait! Why don't I just go find her and ask her? Because I'm there with her and if I see me I might kill myself. What about Lupin or Sirius? They wouldn't know I'm in both places. Nobody is supposed to know, it's against the law. No one can see me like this. Well I don't know what to do! That was Harry's conclusion as he reached his, no, Snape's office. He was just about to stick his head in a cauldron and be done with it when a small note on the desk caught his attention. "Just in case," read the loopy script, and next to the parchment was a small flask. One whiff of it told him it was more Polyjuice potion, and Harry had the strong urge to throw the bottle at the nearest wall for all that potion had done in the past week. Who does he want me to turn into? Maybe it would just buy him more time? But that didn't make any sense. If Dumbledore had wanted him to stay as Snape for longer he could have just brought him more Polyjuice potion instead of the Time Turner. No, the only thing that was good for was rectifying one mistake.
8:30
This whole idea has been one big mistake, Harry thought bitterly as he palmed the potion and headed back down the Slytherin hallways, pausing once to hide in a corner when he heard approaching footsteps. Peeking past the silver-lined curtains he was behind, he saw that it was only Draco Malfoy, going to his room to get his Nimbus 2001, and suddenly Harry knew why Dumbledore had sent him back.
"Stupefy!" Harry wasn't seen. First time, and last time, he'd ever curse someone from behind, but the effect was the same: Draco Malfoy was lying motionless on the floor. Harry was tempted to burn off a lock of the boy's hair but instead simply yanked very hard, coming away with a handful of silvery strands to be added to the potion in the pocket of his robes. With time to spare, Harry dragged Malfoy back into Snape's office and bound him, knowing that the spell would wear off before he returned.
8:50
Harry hadn't the chance to say goodbye to Hedwig his first time out. Now, watching her soar out of the owlery, letter in claw, he wished he hadn't this time either. Goodbyes really are awful things. Looking at his watch, relieved that Snape's actually worked, he began his trek up to the astronomy tower, stopping quickly for the brooms and a new set of robes in the Slytherin dorm. Then he drank the potion, wondering if there would be any side effects for already being someone else and changing into another. Wouldn't it be awful to be stuck as some type of Snape-Malfoy hybrid?
Fortunately, he soon found himself the spitting image of Draco Malfoy, though he was regretting his decision to give Malfoy something resembling the plague. It was a lot less funny when his own face was covered in pimples. Slinging the brooms over his shoulder, he raced up the stairs to the tower in order to meet himself on time. "Malfoy, what has happened to your face?" his other self asked. Seeing Severus Snape, sneering as always, made Harry hiss at the man and shove the broom into his hand before he even remembered that it was his hand. And then, it was time again and he was staring into those crimson eyes once more, only a little less afraid now that he had himself beside him.
9:00
"Ah, Severus, Draco, I'm glad you've finally graced us with your presence," Voldemort greeted. Harry concentrated on his surroundings in an attempt to avoid the scene of himself kissing Voldemort's robes. In fact, he tried to ignore the whole conversation, instead wondering which one of those masked Death Eaters was Dumbledore and how he had come to be there in the first place. And then a murmur ran through the crowd, startling Harry out of his musings and reminding him how little time he had left. Casting his eyes about the chamber, he finally noticed the glow radiating from the back of Voldemort's throne. Something so close to fire that it nearly made Harry panic, before he realized what he was looking at. The Blood Stone. It was embedded in the throne. Harry had just begun to think of ways to get the stone out of there when an awful, heart-piercing cry shattered his thoughts. He turned, his stomach nearly dropping as he saw Severus Snape, no, that was him there, clawing at the ground, then his own flesh, trying to escape the Cruciatus Curse.
9:20
Harry had only watched as the Death Eaters dispersed into smaller groups, some laughing at the memory of Snape being dragged away into the dungeons, others whispering frantically as if they were scared they might share the same fate. But this period of slight disorganization only descended into total chaos when a man Harry had never seen before burst into the room, announcing the news of Snape's escape. Almost immediately, Voldemort was shouting orders and Death Eaters were running left and right, only a few young ones like Harry straggling behind, not knowing what to do or even how to do it. The last thing Harry wanted to do was take his eyes off that stone, but he ran with the rest of them, trying to remember every turn so he could sneak back in a few minutes, when it wouldn't look so obvious that he was trying to stay behind. As he followed a flock of black cloaks towards the courtyard at the back of the compound, a hand shot out and pulled him roughly into an abandoned storage closet. Harry nearly lost control of his powers here, fully prepared to burn whoever it was into a crisp, until he heard a thick accent whisper "Lumos" and was met with Luca.
"Mr. Malfoy, do you know who I am?" Dumbledore asked.
"Sir, they know I've escaped!" Harry answered, finding it hard to curb the panic in his voice.
"That's the best thing that's happened all night," Dumbledore answered, taking a seat on the floor so slowly that Harry wondered if he knew he was no longer an old man. But the Headmaster merely continued. "There are so many things on the books tonight that they might not even notice a silly little stone."
"How is this possible?" Harry continued, not caring that he only had a half-hour before this new batch of Polyjuice wore off. He was tired of it all, and a little more than peeved that he hadn't been let in on the secret. And was Dumbledore the one that told Voldemort of Harry's survival, or was that the real Luca, and what did he mean by saying vampires became human when killed? Harry actually shouted these questions before a warning hand shot up and he shut up as they heard a trail of footfalls pass their door.
"Last night, I was fortunate enough to catch Luca having a candid discussion with a very understanding rat," Dumbledore answered once they were alone again. "It was only after a discussion with Sirius and Remus this evening that I decided on this plan. That is all you need to know about the how, at least at the moment. Now, we need to hurry. Luca told Voldemort about the location of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and our new friends and he is sending a party out tonight to eliminate them. Do you know where the stone is?"
"It's embedded in his throne," Harry breathed, the thought of "Weasley" and "eliminate" being in the same sentence together making him nauseous. "But I don't know how I can get it out, with him in there. Or what good it would do without a vampire willing to destroy it."
"Maybe that won't matter. Luca gave us that information and it's possible he was lying. But I'll deal with that. I want you to find Lucius Malfoy. He's leading a team to the Three Broomsticks. Make sure you're on it."
9:30
After a mutual "good luck", Harry raced down the corridor and out the main doors, knowing nowhere else to look for Malfoy. Luckily, his guess was the right one. A group of twenty Death Eaters was slowly making its way up the tunnel that led to the surface. "Father!" Harry shouted, running to catch up. Just say you want to do it for the family name, to make your mark, give a good impression, kill filthy Muggles…kill the Weasleys.
"What are you doing here, Draco?" Lucius scolded as he fell behind in the pack to talk to his son.
"All of the other new recruits are just hanging about," Harry whined, experienced at the sound after years of Dudley Dursley.
"That's because our Lord doesn't trust you yet," Lucius answered, his voice so oily that Harry found it a marvel he didn't choke on it.
"Then can't I come with you and prove he can trust me?" Harry asked. He could see moonlight up ahead. Why can't I just apparate there on my own, or stop these people from going at all? Harry wondered, though he knew that he should be cautious and follow Dumbledore's orders.
"Your mother would kill me if she found out," Lucius answered, though he was so clearly considering. He only needed one more incentive.
"I want to make my mark as a Malfoy, father," Harry said. That did it. Once they reached the surface, they all apparated into Hogsmeade.
9:40
Harry found himself huddled in a dark ally between Dervish and Banges and Gladrags Wizardwear on High Street, just across from the 3 Broomsticks. Harry could see Madam Rosmerta, pouring someone a drink. Were all of these people supposed to die? But Harry only had ten minutes to get away from the group of mortal enemies he was surrounded by before they realized that fact. "We'll wait until Wimple leaves," someone was whispering ahead of him. "He'd get in touch with the ministry before we even make it upstairs." Harry couldn't remember where he heard that name before, but he assumed it was the small wizard with horns that was currently settling his tab with Rosmerta. "Draco, stay in the back," Lucius was instructing him. "Only hit someone if you know they won't get up."
9:45
"Yes Father," Harry answered, moving to the back of the group and further, inching slowly against the wall so no one would notice him retreating. Glancing skyward, he saw that the rooftop wasn't too far ahead. Wimple was about to reach the door when Harry levitated himself onto the roof of the Gladrags Boutique. Moving closer to the edge, he peered over onto the group of Death Eaters, who were busy watching Wimple stroll down the street with his lady friend. Taking this chance, Harry again concentrated on the spell that would later spawn Wingardium Leviosa and the Mobility charms. He began to feel the change once he had moved to the back of the pub. He knew that Malfoy had to have started across the street, or at least noticed that Draco was gone. Wasting no time, Harry cursed his way through an upstairs window, blushing scarlet as he ran through the ladies room and down the hall to room 3, where the Weasleys were waiting for him, wands raised.
"Harry?!" screeched Mrs. Weasley. She was preparing to envelope the boy in a bone crushing hug and Harry was prepared to burst out laughing at the sight of Aunt Marge, sitting on the bed and twiddling a wand in her fat hand, when screams were heard from downstairs, the words "Avada Kedavra" ringing through the air.