* * * *
As spring approached rumours began to spread of Snape's involvement with The Five. Some students were determined to believe that he would betray them and turn them over to Voldemort and others thought that maybe he was just a little too involved with their lives. Whatever the rumours were, they weren't true. Snape was no more involved with them than Dumbledore was and he could never fathom betraying them.
The war began only two months before school would finish and The Five would graduate. They had tried to ignore the impending danger, tried to begin studying for their N.E.W.Ts but nothing had been able to stop them from seeing the destruction once it began. Nothing could hide the deaths from them, nothing.
The Ministry had fallen early, the leaders murdered or kidnapped, witches and wizards began to mysteriously disappear off the street and no one had ever been able to find them. Search parties were sent out but some hadn't even come back. The Ministry leaders who had been left had fled weeks ago, showing cowardice that no one had ever seen before. They left the wizarding world to fend for itself and no one was sure they would come out alive.
The start of the war swept over the wizarding world like a storm, savagely tearing apart families, whipping through cities and towns. Death Eaters roamed the streets, searching for mudbloods, hunting them down like they were nothing more than animals. Rumours of torture camps spread like fire, reaching the ears of everyone left alive. Witches and wizards were disappearing left and right, more bodies were being found every day and Dumbledore refused to let The Five get involved.
They were safe within the walls of Hogwarts, all the students were but on the outside their parents were being destroyed. Their homes were being burned to the ground, their lives taken from them with such brutality that most students were refusing to attend classes. They knew they had The Five in their school, they knew the protection of the world lay within them but they were doing nothing. It angered the other students, watching their world come tumbling around them as The Five did nothing.
* * * *
"We have to do something!" Hermione exclaimed in exasperation. "We can't just sit here and wait for more people to die."
They were seated in the Great Hall one afternoon, five students and two professors, calmly discussing their options. Or they had been calm until Hermione's outburst, after that all the students were talking loudly, arguing with each other and generally being unrealistic.
"We're meant to do something, aren't we?" Kendra asked. "So let's do it."
Harry nodded his agreement. "You've been telling us that we have to stop Voldemort, but now that the time has come we're just sitting here, doing nothing."
Dumbledore nodded his head slowly, wisely saying nothing. His silence only seemed to infuriate the teens further.
"Professor," Parvati began angrily, "how can you just sit there and expect us to figure this out for ourselves? You're supposed to be our guardian and now you're doing nothing."
Silence fell over the entire hall at her accusatory statement and Dumbledore regarded Parvati carefully.
"We are not here to tell you what to do Miss Patil," Dumbledore said slowly. "We are simply here to guide you in the right direction."
"So guide us!" she said loudly. "Guide is in the right direction Professor . . . do something will you? We're lost and confused and you aren't helping at all."
Ron stood from where he was sitting and walked over to Parvati. "I think she's right," he said quietly. "We need to do something. If you're going to give us this burden we might as well do something."
Harry's head fell and he sighed. "As much as I don't want to go out there, you know we have to. This . . . thing you put on us is weighing down more now than ever before. People are dying out there, don't you understand that?"
"We'll fight our way out of here if we have to," Hermione said quietly.
Kendra let out a shuddering sigh. "It would just be easier if you would come with us."
"I cannot leave the school," Dumbledore said. "Not at a time like this. Who would protect the students if Voldemort decided to attack? No, I have to be here."
The Five stared at him incredulously for a long moment. He was telling them to go out on their own, after he had done everything to stop them from doing anything at all.
"Then we'll go," Kendra said, gathering her robes and touching her wand to make sure it was still there. "We'll go and we'll fight." She shrugged. "Hell, we'll probably even die too."
Snape stood and glared at her. "Don't say that. Dumbledore may have to stay here but I don't. I'll take you."
Dumbledore stood as well and began to walk toward the door to the Great Hall. "Do what you must Severus," he murmured as he left. "But do not lose them in your journey for you will never forgive yourself." He disappeared into the hall a moment later as the students stared after him.
"So, what now?" Ron asked softly.
"We leave the school I guess," Harry said. "But where do we go?"
"The memories of one shall lead them all," Hermione breathed, remembering the last line that Dumbledore had quoted from the book. Her eyes went immediately to Snape. His memories were the ones that plagued Kendra's mind, his memories were the most painful and yet the most useful. He knew Voldemort, his memories would tell them where to go.
"Professor," Hermione said softly, "you're supposed to lead us."
Snape glanced at her sharply. "Lead you where?"
"You remember what the book said, don't you?" she asked. "The memories of one shall lead them all."
Snape shook his head. "Not my memories Miss Granger. My memories will do nothing but lead you into depression."
"No, she's right," Kendra said suddenly. "All of your memories are connected to Voldemort in some way. You remember things and they're transferred to my memory as well and I relive them as if I had been there." She paused, looking thoughtful. "If we leave maybe you'll start remembering things . . . places Voldemort used to hide while the Death Eaters did his work."
Snape shook his head. "I'm not part of the prophecy," he said, his voice sharp and cold. "Every single one of you knows that. I am not part of this battle."
"You're our guardian," Hermione said softly. "Doesn't that make you part of the battle?"
Snape was silent for a long moment, glowering angrily at what these children were trying to tell him. He wasn't part of the prophecy, it was as simple as that. His memories were not the ones that would lead them to Voldemort, they couldn't be because he had never known where Voldemort was.
"Let's go," Harry said softly. "We can start moving and if you decide that we're right Professor, you can finally help us."
"Do you think we need to pack anything?" Hermione asked. "Food? Clothing?"
Kendra shrugged. "I think all we need is right here," she said, gesturing to themselves and their wands.
"What'll we eat?" Ron asked, suddenly more worried than he had been before. "We have to eat, right?"
Harry smiled. "I have money Ron, lots of it. We'll be fine."
Parvati swallowed hard. "Are we doing it then? Are we leaving the school?"
Hermione nodded. "I think so."
The Five stood and slowly began to leave the Great Hall, murmuring nervously to each other, wondering what they'd see when they opened the doors. Snape stood slowly and followed behind them, still confused about his part in the entire battle. Would he be the one to lead them to Voldemort? Did his betrayal of the Dark Lord really run that deep?
Students in the hall stared at them, whispering between themselves about The Five. They watched as the group walked to the front door, looking uncertain and frightened. Snape waited for them to move, watched as they nervously glanced at each other.
Hermione finally stepped forward and pulled the front door open, revealing the school grounds to them. They looked exactly the same as they always had and without another word, Hermione walked out the doors and down the front steps.
After a moment's hesitation Kendra followed her, pulling Harry along with her. Ron shrugged in Parvati's direction and they followed the others, stepping into the sunlight of the spring day. They stopped and stared back at Snape expentantly.
He heaved a sigh, then followed them out of the school, closing the doors behind them. This was the beginning of their war and whether he wanted to or not, Snape was part of it. He was as deeply involved at the rest of them, his life was on the line as well and he would not take his responsibilities lightly.
Snape sighed again, trying to keep up with his students.
*And the memories of one shall lead them all.*
* * * *
As spring approached rumours began to spread of Snape's involvement with The Five. Some students were determined to believe that he would betray them and turn them over to Voldemort and others thought that maybe he was just a little too involved with their lives. Whatever the rumours were, they weren't true. Snape was no more involved with them than Dumbledore was and he could never fathom betraying them.
The war began only two months before school would finish and The Five would graduate. They had tried to ignore the impending danger, tried to begin studying for their N.E.W.Ts but nothing had been able to stop them from seeing the destruction once it began. Nothing could hide the deaths from them, nothing.
The Ministry had fallen early, the leaders murdered or kidnapped, witches and wizards began to mysteriously disappear off the street and no one had ever been able to find them. Search parties were sent out but some hadn't even come back. The Ministry leaders who had been left had fled weeks ago, showing cowardice that no one had ever seen before. They left the wizarding world to fend for itself and no one was sure they would come out alive.
The start of the war swept over the wizarding world like a storm, savagely tearing apart families, whipping through cities and towns. Death Eaters roamed the streets, searching for mudbloods, hunting them down like they were nothing more than animals. Rumours of torture camps spread like fire, reaching the ears of everyone left alive. Witches and wizards were disappearing left and right, more bodies were being found every day and Dumbledore refused to let The Five get involved.
They were safe within the walls of Hogwarts, all the students were but on the outside their parents were being destroyed. Their homes were being burned to the ground, their lives taken from them with such brutality that most students were refusing to attend classes. They knew they had The Five in their school, they knew the protection of the world lay within them but they were doing nothing. It angered the other students, watching their world come tumbling around them as The Five did nothing.
* * * *
"We have to do something!" Hermione exclaimed in exasperation. "We can't just sit here and wait for more people to die."
They were seated in the Great Hall one afternoon, five students and two professors, calmly discussing their options. Or they had been calm until Hermione's outburst, after that all the students were talking loudly, arguing with each other and generally being unrealistic.
"We're meant to do something, aren't we?" Kendra asked. "So let's do it."
Harry nodded his agreement. "You've been telling us that we have to stop Voldemort, but now that the time has come we're just sitting here, doing nothing."
Dumbledore nodded his head slowly, wisely saying nothing. His silence only seemed to infuriate the teens further.
"Professor," Parvati began angrily, "how can you just sit there and expect us to figure this out for ourselves? You're supposed to be our guardian and now you're doing nothing."
Silence fell over the entire hall at her accusatory statement and Dumbledore regarded Parvati carefully.
"We are not here to tell you what to do Miss Patil," Dumbledore said slowly. "We are simply here to guide you in the right direction."
"So guide us!" she said loudly. "Guide is in the right direction Professor . . . do something will you? We're lost and confused and you aren't helping at all."
Ron stood from where he was sitting and walked over to Parvati. "I think she's right," he said quietly. "We need to do something. If you're going to give us this burden we might as well do something."
Harry's head fell and he sighed. "As much as I don't want to go out there, you know we have to. This . . . thing you put on us is weighing down more now than ever before. People are dying out there, don't you understand that?"
"We'll fight our way out of here if we have to," Hermione said quietly.
Kendra let out a shuddering sigh. "It would just be easier if you would come with us."
"I cannot leave the school," Dumbledore said. "Not at a time like this. Who would protect the students if Voldemort decided to attack? No, I have to be here."
The Five stared at him incredulously for a long moment. He was telling them to go out on their own, after he had done everything to stop them from doing anything at all.
"Then we'll go," Kendra said, gathering her robes and touching her wand to make sure it was still there. "We'll go and we'll fight." She shrugged. "Hell, we'll probably even die too."
Snape stood and glared at her. "Don't say that. Dumbledore may have to stay here but I don't. I'll take you."
Dumbledore stood as well and began to walk toward the door to the Great Hall. "Do what you must Severus," he murmured as he left. "But do not lose them in your journey for you will never forgive yourself." He disappeared into the hall a moment later as the students stared after him.
"So, what now?" Ron asked softly.
"We leave the school I guess," Harry said. "But where do we go?"
"The memories of one shall lead them all," Hermione breathed, remembering the last line that Dumbledore had quoted from the book. Her eyes went immediately to Snape. His memories were the ones that plagued Kendra's mind, his memories were the most painful and yet the most useful. He knew Voldemort, his memories would tell them where to go.
"Professor," Hermione said softly, "you're supposed to lead us."
Snape glanced at her sharply. "Lead you where?"
"You remember what the book said, don't you?" she asked. "The memories of one shall lead them all."
Snape shook his head. "Not my memories Miss Granger. My memories will do nothing but lead you into depression."
"No, she's right," Kendra said suddenly. "All of your memories are connected to Voldemort in some way. You remember things and they're transferred to my memory as well and I relive them as if I had been there." She paused, looking thoughtful. "If we leave maybe you'll start remembering things . . . places Voldemort used to hide while the Death Eaters did his work."
Snape shook his head. "I'm not part of the prophecy," he said, his voice sharp and cold. "Every single one of you knows that. I am not part of this battle."
"You're our guardian," Hermione said softly. "Doesn't that make you part of the battle?"
Snape was silent for a long moment, glowering angrily at what these children were trying to tell him. He wasn't part of the prophecy, it was as simple as that. His memories were not the ones that would lead them to Voldemort, they couldn't be because he had never known where Voldemort was.
"Let's go," Harry said softly. "We can start moving and if you decide that we're right Professor, you can finally help us."
"Do you think we need to pack anything?" Hermione asked. "Food? Clothing?"
Kendra shrugged. "I think all we need is right here," she said, gesturing to themselves and their wands.
"What'll we eat?" Ron asked, suddenly more worried than he had been before. "We have to eat, right?"
Harry smiled. "I have money Ron, lots of it. We'll be fine."
Parvati swallowed hard. "Are we doing it then? Are we leaving the school?"
Hermione nodded. "I think so."
The Five stood and slowly began to leave the Great Hall, murmuring nervously to each other, wondering what they'd see when they opened the doors. Snape stood slowly and followed behind them, still confused about his part in the entire battle. Would he be the one to lead them to Voldemort? Did his betrayal of the Dark Lord really run that deep?
Students in the hall stared at them, whispering between themselves about The Five. They watched as the group walked to the front door, looking uncertain and frightened. Snape waited for them to move, watched as they nervously glanced at each other.
Hermione finally stepped forward and pulled the front door open, revealing the school grounds to them. They looked exactly the same as they always had and without another word, Hermione walked out the doors and down the front steps.
After a moment's hesitation Kendra followed her, pulling Harry along with her. Ron shrugged in Parvati's direction and they followed the others, stepping into the sunlight of the spring day. They stopped and stared back at Snape expentantly.
He heaved a sigh, then followed them out of the school, closing the doors behind them. This was the beginning of their war and whether he wanted to or not, Snape was part of it. He was as deeply involved at the rest of them, his life was on the line as well and he would not take his responsibilities lightly.
Snape sighed again, trying to keep up with his students.
*And the memories of one shall lead them all.*
* * * *