The Plot

Both men nodded, Snape's was curt whilst Serius' a bit more eagerly.


"What is it?" The latter asked impatiently. Snape snorted.


Dumbledore raised a hand for silence and continued.
"A few months ago there were some minor thefts there. A coldren here, frogs' legs there, nothing big or unusual. Rumor has it that a house elf was seen wondering near a shop right before the roberry. Now we do not know WHY would a house elf commit such a crime, but we have enough evidence to consider the possibility. We believe that the house elves are working for someone. Who and why we do not know and you must find out. They might be under a spell or otherwise working forpay, we only know no good will come from this. That is why I asked Winky to participate in the investigation as well as Dobby. If you saw her in the forest that cannot be good. That is why you must leave now and go to Hogsmead."
"Both of us?" Snape asked contemptously. Serius glared at him.
"I am aware of your... Fondness for one another, yet I must insist that you both go." Dumbledore said gravely. Both men nodded and left the room.
"Where should we go first?" Serius asked him. "A person like YOU should know."
Snape ignored the coment and walked purposfully.
"I have an idea..." Snape muttered.

Snape swept out of the room,a deathly look on his face,clearly he understood the gravity of the situation; while Black looked back at Dumbledore with a more quizzical expression, as Fawkes fluttered to his usual perch.
Neither man spoke as they hurried down through the coridoors and stair-ways to exit the castle, their mission seemimg to relieve their wounds received in the forest.
"Wait!" Sirius called as they neared the village,
"Where are you going?"
But Severus continued,not even slowing his steady strides or turning to acknowledge his now, enforced partner. How had Black got back to the castle before him and in such apparent good health; and his hand began to twitch and throb again at the thought of that hideous spider.
As they went through the village,Sirius sped up to draw level with Snape,grabbed his arm and again spoke;
"Stop,What the hell are you doing, we've got to work together, the Headmaster was insistant I keep an eye on you"
and he appeared to take great pleasure in revealing this instruction.
"Get off me!" snarled Snape looking at Blacks hand still holding his left arm.
"I have no desire to work with you" the words almost spat from his mouth with a venom,Snape would rather not have used in front of his enemy,but then more calmly;
"I don't need you to watch me, I'd never disobey the Headmasters word, he knows that"
Sirius shrugged and let go,but he glanced at Snape with suspicion.
They continued to a dwelling set apart from the rest of Hogsmeade, where a faint light shone from within;
"Go round to the back and wait",
Snape ordered but his tone of authority annoyed Black;
"What, so you can do your dirty deeds out of my sight, No YOU wait there,I'll go in"
"But..."
Snape didn't finish as Sirius had already moved over to the front of the shelter,so he slinked to cover the other exit.
Black took out his wand,his breath faster now,and shoved the door open but remained outside, he couldn't see or hear a thing,so ventured inside with his wand lit and peered into the gloom.
The room smelt foul,worse than even he had know,with all his revolting experiences, a mixture of evil smelling potions and decaying flesh. But still, nothing,what was this place,was in a trap,but surely even Severus wouldn't try something,when Dumbledore knew they were together?
He felt the urge to transform,but before he had chance to,somthing moved,quickly from the corned of the dimly lit room, and slammed straight into him,knocking him to the ground. It had him pinned to the floor,the foul smell overwhelming now and it was slobbering over his face as he lay helpless under the enormous weight.....

......as he struggled to free himself, the back door swung open and Snape stepped in;
"Melkor! Let him go,it's OK,he's here with me,Dumbledore sent us.."
The giant turned to see Snape and stood up,as if Sirius wasn't even there and said;
"Severus,my friend,what's wrong?"
Meanwhile Black scrambled to his feet and backed away towards the door and as Snape lit his wand, he could see his assailant, a gigantic,ugly beast,almost like a troll.
This thing and Snape appeared to be on speaking terms,Blacks fear subsided and now he was furious with Snape,once more;
"You, tried to get me killed", he gasped,
"Wanted your revenge, after all this time,did you, what do you think Dumbledore would have said about that, you idiot...this beast would have...."
"Shut up for a moment,I told you to wait outside remember. This 'beast' as you call him maybe able to help us"
Snape turned to the creature,
"Melkor,How are you?"
They both sat down, as Black looked on in disbelief, the creature was part troll,part man a most unusual combination, but Snape engaged him as a friend.
"Ah, Severus I wondered if someone from the castle would come down here soon, there have been some terrible goings on,there is a bad feeling around the place"
"What do you know?" Snape enquired, while Black stood and watched this strange meeting and had to say something;
"What is this,this thing?"
Snape shot him a piercing look,
"This thing as you put it, is a great savant,he has taught me many of the finer points of potion making. Yes he has a little troll blood, but he is a good friend" Snapes
face seem to lighten slightly, a smile, almost appeared, as Sirius looked dumbfounded.
Then he turned once more to Melkor;
And the creature told Snape what he had seen....

Melkor saw a tall hooded figure followed by many house elves roaming the streets at a late hour. Melkor, thinking it was suspicious, followed them until the Inn in one of the dark corners of Hogsmeade. He dared not go there and went back home.
Snape listened to Melkor tell the story and when he was done, he thanked him and he and Black left the place.
"What's so special about that Inn?" Serius asked confused. Snape rolled his eyes and snorted.
"It's is amiably named the 'Death Inn'. Many Death Eaters would stay there, waiting for orders, gathering....but mostly many unsolved murders happened there" Snape explained as they walked the deserted streets.
"I wonder how you'd know..." Serius began venomously, when Snape shooshed him. They stood in silence, hidden behind a wall and sawa hooded figure walking past them and headed to the Inn.
"What do we do now?" Serius asked, as the person passed.
"We follow him." Snape answered already walking quickly. Black caught up to him quickly and they walked in silence until they reached the doors of the Inn.
"This time LISTEN to what I say", Snape warned. "People know me here. We split up; I go inside and try to see if I find anyone that I know and you try and sniff around. Be CAREFUL, they're not fools, they can spot a spy easily."
"Then how didn't they spot you when you were 'working' for the headmaster?" Black asked coldly.
"Luck. They've wisened since. Don't ask too many questions. The last thing I need is to drag your body back to Hogwarts and tell the headmaster it was your stupidity thatcost us this mission." Snape said and walked in.
Serius grunted angrily and went around the back. He leaned against the wall, waiting a bit before he got in. He entered the Inn and suddenly was confonted with the sight of a group of people surrounding Snape with their wands pulled out. Snape had his wand pulled out and had a malicious look on his face.
Sirius stayed by the door, a smirk on his face, watching to see how Severus would get out of this situation.
"Listen, to me." said Snape. "There are things going on that are more important than anything that happened in the past. There is a plot to help out Voldemort and we need to know whats going on."
One of the group surrounding him spoke up.
"Well, Snape, you haven't given us much reason to trust from before. How can you prove to us that you're not going to go back on your word?" He spoke with a snarl.
Snape just looked at him. "Do you really think I would come back here to ask for help if I wasn't desperate? You know what I'm like."
A couple of the group went into a huddle and came back to him. "Very well, we will help you out this time. But it will come at a price. Are you prepared to pay it?"
"I am" Snape replied. "As I have before."
"Very well. We will tell you what we know."
The group dissappated and left Snape with just the two that had gone into a huddle.
"Let us go and sit down. This may take a while."
"Very well, but may I bring along my associate. He needs to know what is going on." indicating Sirius as he said this.
They eyed him and eventually one of them said it was alright. They went and sat down in the darkest corner.
"What I am about to tell you could cause many lives to be lost if it gets into the wrong hands. If we find out that this information has been abused, we will come after you and kill you. It concerns someone in the Ministry of Magic....."

"In the minsitry?" Srius interupted. "HoW"
Snape gave him a cold look and motioned the man to continue.
"There's a plot set out against that Weasley fellow, been causing too much trouble. Someone in the ministry is helping. We don't know how, but the house elves have something to do with it all. That's all I know"
"Who's the Death Eater?" Snape asked coldly.
All I know is the name. He's called....Black."