A Report and a Decision.
(A/N In my haste to send this piece of literary pretention out, I forgot the disclaimer- they belong to the ever-procrastinating Rowling, not to me. Except for Ms. Clearmoon. Seattle belongs to the world, but I want it. That's it. This one came out a tad long, so I'm splitting it into two parts, which you can read tonight, since I'm doing the nice thing and posting them together, rather than making you wait an extra week. Aren't I an angel?)
Coming back to Hogwarts, Snape's progress couldn't have been described as gliding or slinking- rather as stumbling. He climbed carefully up the stairs, drained almost completely after Apparating back to the school. His raven crowed questioningly, but he didn't have the energy to make out the words. He managed to drag himself into the room and collapsed on the bed, breathing hard. Exhaustion and nausea battled for control, with neither one winning until he regained control over himself. Snape stood up and forced himself to take the few steps to his desk, where he prepared the potion, leaving the tea out but adding as much sugar as he thought he could stand. The sweet warmth spread all the way down to his toes, and he relaxed as breathing became more comfortable. The Cruciatus curse left no mark, but it did leave the victim's muscles sore for days, and sometimes caused serious damage. Now that he could move without too much pain, Snape changed quickly and sank gratefully into bed. He could think about the horrible assignment Voldemort had dropped on him in the morning, which wasn't too far way- it was nearly three a.m. Yes, Snape thought as he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, he could deal with it in the morning.
It seemed like minutes later when he woke up. His clock said half past six, and he cursed his habits. Why couldn't he sleep in on Saturdays? Then he remembered the previous night. The memories were helped by a new burst of pain when he moved- the potion had definitely worn off. Snape made himself another doze, then changed into his robes and looked in the mirror. The nearly sleepless night had made him look even more drawn that usual, and someone was bound to notice. Smiling grimly, he cast a small glamour on himself. Outwardly, he looked exactly the same as he had the day before, and not even the teachers could pierce the illusion. He still radiated his bad mood, though, and the few students who came downstairs early avoided him.
The climb up to Dumbledore's private rooms seemed longer, and it was. Unlike the other teachers' rooms, Dumbledore's were a floor above his office rather than adjacent to it. The staircase that went up from the office had a tendency to disappear when he didn't want to be disturbed. This morning, though, it stood there looking as inviting as a staircase can look. Snape listened for voices, and when he was certain that Dumbledore was alone climbed up. He didn't bother knocking.
"Professor." Dumbledore's casual welcome wouldn't have roused suspicion in the heart of the most paranoid person, but Snape saw the worried look thrown his way. He nodded.
"Headmaster." This time, he sat down and agreed to a cup of tea.
"Now that we're done with the formalities, Severus, how was it?"
"Could've been better." Snape replied tiredly, "I've been outed, as it were, by some of my 'colleagues'. Even the Dark Lord couldn't quite retain the illusion of trusting me then." The fairly obvious question of 'why didn't he kill you, then?' was clear on the headmaster's face, but he didn't ask. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, giving him a searching look. "How many times?"
"I've had worse." Snape shrugged, then winced as the movement pulled on sore muscles. Dumbledore said nothing, waiting for him to elaborate. Well, two could play at that game. After nearly five minutes, Dumbledore surrendered and repeated the question, "How many time, professor?" There was a note of authority in his voice that Snape didn't have the energy to stand up to.
"Lost count after five. Happy now?"
"Take the glamour off, Severus." Dumbledore sighed. Snape tried the 'what glamour' routine, which worked about as well as it had when he'd been a student. The he scowled and snapped his fingers, ending the illusion. If Dumbledore was shocked by the way he looked, he didn't show it.
"Good." Dumbledore absently took a sip of his tea, then added, "You look like Hell."
"Thank you." There was no mirth in the thin smile. "Can we get back to my report? It really is rather important, and I want to have some of my weekend left."
"You have two weeks, Severus, remember? Christmas vacation starts tomorrow." Dumbledore reminded him. Snape paused-had an entire term gone by already? Amazing. "And anyway, I want to make sure you don't pass out on me while we're talking, which you really look like you're about to do, so." Dumbledore reached behind the sofa he was sitting on and brought out a colorful box. He tossed Snape a wrapped object. "An early Christmas present from Poppy. Eat."
Snape looked at the chocolate frog in his hand, then glared at the headmaster. "No, thank you." He tried to give it back.
"That wasn't a request, Severus. Eat. You need the sugar, and in the absence of a proper breakfast, this will do." Again with the 'don't argue' look. Snape pursed his lips, but unwrapped the candy, which was still wriggling. He gave it a distasteful look. Unlike some of the female teachers, who abstained because of their diets, Snape really didn't like chocolate all that much. However, Dumbledore didn't look like he was going to give in on that point. Feeling suddenly vengeful, Snape bit off the frog's head, and felt it go limp. Neither one said anything until the last of it was gone.
"Satisfied?" Snape gave the headmaster a sullen glare, wiping his fingers on a napkin.
"Indeed. Now, your report?" Dumbledore's good spirits seemed to return, despite the fact that he knew there'd be only bad news.
"Yes. Well, the first thing you should know," Snape took a deep breath. As much as he knew he really shouldn't feel guilty, he still did. "is that after Voldemort officially acknowledged that I was a spy, he interrogated me and eventually I told him everything I knew about Hogwarts' defenses." He forced himself to look at the headmaster's eyes, and saw no condemnation there, so he continued, "I trust that you know what that means."
"Yes. I'll have to rearrange the defenses.Good thing that it's the holidays, then. I won't be bored, at least. Anything else?"
"There was one other thing." Snape forced himself to say it. He didn't want to, and knew that nothing good could come of it, but he said it anyway. "The only reason he didn't kill me is the he wants me to leave Hogwarts and come over to his side permanently, and he wants me to bring Potter with me. He said several things about my life expectancy if I don't, and implied that he had his own ways of getting at the boy, and it was just a test for me." He sat back and shook his head, "And I have no idea how to get out of it." He looked down, unable to look at the headmaster's face.
Dumbledore said nothing for a very long time, or so it seemed. The he cleared his throat. Snape looked at him. "That wasn't completely unexpected, Severus."
"I know. But I still have no idea what I'm going to do about it."
"I already know the answer, but I'm going to have to ask you anyway. Are you planning on giving Harry to him, or on joining him?"
"Of course not." Snape glared at him irritably. He understood the headmaster's need to ask, but resented it nevertheless. "He'd kill me anyway, you know. Even if I did join him. It'd take longer, of course, but he'll still kill me in the end."
"Probably, yes." Dumbledore nodded. "I'm going to send you both away."
"Home?" Snape was startled.
"No, no. I can't send Harry home, as you probably know, and I don't think you'll be any more protected at home than here, anyway, either of you. No, it'll have to be somewhere overseas." Dumbledore reached for a small golden bell on the desk, and rang it. Almost immediately a house elf appeared with a loud 'pop'.
"Headmaster Dumbledore wants anything?" He asked enthusiastically, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Yes Wooly. I'd like you to go find Harry Potter for me, and bring him up here. He's probably in the fifth year Griffindor dorm." The older wizard smiled at the elf, who nodded quickly and 'popped' out. Before Snape had time to question the headmaster's actions, the elf reappeared, looking slightly more subdued, with Harry in tow.
"Harry Potter was right outside your office, Mr. Dumbledore Sir." The elf reported. He looked disappointed that his duty had been cut short.
"Thank you Wooly. You may leave." Dumbledore said formally, and the elf disappeared. Harry looked slightly sheepish.
"Good morning Professor. I, um, had a nightmare, and Ron made me come see you now rather than after breakfast. I managed to convince him that three in the morning wouldn't be a good time to wake you up." Then he noticed Snape, and recoiled with surprise. A look of mixed horror and something that might have been pity flashed on his face, and Snape's scowl deepened. Whatever Harry had planned to say next, he decided not to speak, and simply waited for Dumbledore to react. The Headmaster looked at him, then at Snape, and made a small noise of understanding.
"Please have a seat, Harry. You could have come at three a.m., by the way, but now is certainly much better. I take it that you saw yesterday's meeting?" Harry nodded and, still mostly ignoring Snape, sat down.
"Yeah. I haven't told Ron anything, but, um," He stopped, slightly embarrassed, but plowed on, "I woke him up by mistake, and he made me come see you. I mean, the last few times were followed by trouble. He said that the fact that I refused to tell him anything meant that it was bad, and I should at least tell you." Harry realized that he was babbling and turned on the other wizard. "Is he gonna do it?"
"What do you think, Harry?" Dumbledore's tone was gentle, but still reproaching, and Harry had the grace to look ashamed and mutter a quick apology in Snape's direction. The teacher ignored it.
"Still, Voldemort said he could do it anyway. What do we do?" The boy asked. Both older wizards noticed that he was also affected by a sleepless night, but didn't have the aid of glamours to hide it.
"I was just discussing this with professor Snape. I think it would be best for both of you to leave the country for a while, until we can come up with a better plan."
"Couldn't we stay here? It is the most protected place in England." Harry suggested hopefully, even though he knew that if it'd been a possibility Dumbledore would have brought it up first. The headmaster shook his head.
"No. Hogwarts is the most protected place, it's true, but it is only protected as long as Voldemort doesn't take the fight here. If he attacks the school en masse, we will be able to stop him, maybe, but with great losses. I'm not willing to risk the other students and the people at Hogsmeade. Not when there are other options."
"So you're sending me home?" Harry asked with a sinking heart. The thought of being sent home in the middle of the year, and the Dursleys' expected reaction to that dragged his hopes down.
"No, not home." Dumbledore replied. "As you know, there are wards that protect you at your uncle's house, but unfortunately, they are designed only for minor wizards. And as they are rather difficult to maintain, I only keep them active for the summer holidays."
Harry nodded. He didn't want to go back to the Dursleys' anyway. That bit of information, however, made him think. "Wait. So someone could attack them now and kill them, just like that? That's not fair."
"It isn't, indeed, but they have been safe enough so far. I don't think the Death Eaters even know where they live. In any case, sending you to your uncle's house is impossible. You cannot stay in England. Voldemort's reach extends as far as the continent, but he has no followers further than that. If your parents had only agreed to leave for a few months." Dumbledore closed his eyes. Harry looked at him and replied in a hard voice.
"Then he'd never have tried to curse me, and everything would've been different. We can't change that now. Where should we go?" He seemed to transmute fatigue and worry into anger and determination. A good thing, perhaps, Snape thought, but it would all come crashing down on him later. As it would on you, Severus He thought to himself. It was bad enough that Potter had witnessed the Death Eater meeting, but it was very clear that Dumbledore was planning on sending them away together; Potter would probably be there when the aftermath hit him, and that was simply unthinkable. If he could only delay the trip a few days.
"Leave as soon as possible, and as far away as I can send you." Snape was hard pressed to keep his face composed as his hopes went down the drain. He watched as Harry finally understood what Dumbledore meant.
"But sir, my O.W.L's, and what do I tell the others, and you're sending me with him?" His voice turned rather squeaky at the end of the sentence, and Snape smirked. He suspected that they both disliked the arrangement, but at least he wasn't so obvious about it.
"I think, Harry, that your survival is a bit more important than schoolwork right now. Beside, I'm sure professor Snape would agree to continue teaching you. As long as you don't use your wand, Severus." The headmaster's sharp eyes focused on him, and he nodded tiredly. At Harry's questioning look, Dumbledore explained, "As long as Severus doesn't use his wand, it'll be more difficult for Voldemort to detect him through the Dark Mark. I don't think you should use yours, either, since I'm also sending you to a place where the wizarding community is rather small, and Muggles would notice you."
"Where would that be, Headmaster, if I may inquire?" Snape asked, speaking for the first time since Harry entered.
"The United States, Severus. Seattle, to be exact. I'm sending you to an old Muggle friend of mine, a wizard sympathizer. I believe you know her- Ms. Clearmoon?"
"Oh, no." Snape sank back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting off another migraine. Anyone but Monique Clearmoon. Harry watched with undisguised fascination as Dumbledore smiled at Snape.
"I'll make her promise to be good this time, Severus. I'm sure she'll understand that you have a student with you this time, and can't." He noticed Harry's eyes fixed on him and stopped rather abruptly. "Anyway, she's the best person for this job. I'd like you leave on the first flight out."
"We're going by plane?" Harry was surprised, to say the least. All the magical modes of transportation, and they'll be using a regular Muggle airplane? "Wouldn't Floo powder or a Portkey be faster?"
"They would, indeed," agreed Dumbledore, "But both are untrustworthy over very long distances, and Monique's house isn't connected to the Floo network for the simple reason that it doesn't have a fireplace. Riding your brooms that far would also be impossible, so a Muggle plane it shall be." He checked his pocket watch. "I'd like you both to be packed and back here in half an hour. Take only Muggle clothes, and whatever other things you think necessary for a trip. Whatever you forget can be replaced once you reach Seattle. Oh, and Severus," They were both already on their way out, "You can take any ingredients that can pass through customs with a simple illusion-nothing too large, please. You need to be traveling light."
"Professor," Harry turned back, "What about Hedwig?"
"Tell her to wait here for a few days, then join you. Magical birds can make the trip in easy stages if they use ships as rest stops. Nocturne can do the same." Snape nodded. He was glad he wouldn't have to leave his raven behind. The bird was more than a messenger and a familiar- he was a friend. "Harry, if your friends ask you what you're doing, tell them you'll explain later."
"Will I?" Harry asked suspiciously, as the truth of the situation sank in. He was starting to feel hunted.
"No. I will explain to them if they return from the holiday and you are still gone. Hopefully, though, two weeks should be enough to contact our people and come up with a better plan." Dumbledore smiled, but all three of them knew the situation wasn't at all something to smile at. Before any of his other doubts insisted on being voiced, Harry turned and ran up to Gryffindor tower.
(A/N In my haste to send this piece of literary pretention out, I forgot the disclaimer- they belong to the ever-procrastinating Rowling, not to me. Except for Ms. Clearmoon. Seattle belongs to the world, but I want it. That's it. This one came out a tad long, so I'm splitting it into two parts, which you can read tonight, since I'm doing the nice thing and posting them together, rather than making you wait an extra week. Aren't I an angel?)
Coming back to Hogwarts, Snape's progress couldn't have been described as gliding or slinking- rather as stumbling. He climbed carefully up the stairs, drained almost completely after Apparating back to the school. His raven crowed questioningly, but he didn't have the energy to make out the words. He managed to drag himself into the room and collapsed on the bed, breathing hard. Exhaustion and nausea battled for control, with neither one winning until he regained control over himself. Snape stood up and forced himself to take the few steps to his desk, where he prepared the potion, leaving the tea out but adding as much sugar as he thought he could stand. The sweet warmth spread all the way down to his toes, and he relaxed as breathing became more comfortable. The Cruciatus curse left no mark, but it did leave the victim's muscles sore for days, and sometimes caused serious damage. Now that he could move without too much pain, Snape changed quickly and sank gratefully into bed. He could think about the horrible assignment Voldemort had dropped on him in the morning, which wasn't too far way- it was nearly three a.m. Yes, Snape thought as he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, he could deal with it in the morning.
It seemed like minutes later when he woke up. His clock said half past six, and he cursed his habits. Why couldn't he sleep in on Saturdays? Then he remembered the previous night. The memories were helped by a new burst of pain when he moved- the potion had definitely worn off. Snape made himself another doze, then changed into his robes and looked in the mirror. The nearly sleepless night had made him look even more drawn that usual, and someone was bound to notice. Smiling grimly, he cast a small glamour on himself. Outwardly, he looked exactly the same as he had the day before, and not even the teachers could pierce the illusion. He still radiated his bad mood, though, and the few students who came downstairs early avoided him.
The climb up to Dumbledore's private rooms seemed longer, and it was. Unlike the other teachers' rooms, Dumbledore's were a floor above his office rather than adjacent to it. The staircase that went up from the office had a tendency to disappear when he didn't want to be disturbed. This morning, though, it stood there looking as inviting as a staircase can look. Snape listened for voices, and when he was certain that Dumbledore was alone climbed up. He didn't bother knocking.
"Professor." Dumbledore's casual welcome wouldn't have roused suspicion in the heart of the most paranoid person, but Snape saw the worried look thrown his way. He nodded.
"Headmaster." This time, he sat down and agreed to a cup of tea.
"Now that we're done with the formalities, Severus, how was it?"
"Could've been better." Snape replied tiredly, "I've been outed, as it were, by some of my 'colleagues'. Even the Dark Lord couldn't quite retain the illusion of trusting me then." The fairly obvious question of 'why didn't he kill you, then?' was clear on the headmaster's face, but he didn't ask. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, giving him a searching look. "How many times?"
"I've had worse." Snape shrugged, then winced as the movement pulled on sore muscles. Dumbledore said nothing, waiting for him to elaborate. Well, two could play at that game. After nearly five minutes, Dumbledore surrendered and repeated the question, "How many time, professor?" There was a note of authority in his voice that Snape didn't have the energy to stand up to.
"Lost count after five. Happy now?"
"Take the glamour off, Severus." Dumbledore sighed. Snape tried the 'what glamour' routine, which worked about as well as it had when he'd been a student. The he scowled and snapped his fingers, ending the illusion. If Dumbledore was shocked by the way he looked, he didn't show it.
"Good." Dumbledore absently took a sip of his tea, then added, "You look like Hell."
"Thank you." There was no mirth in the thin smile. "Can we get back to my report? It really is rather important, and I want to have some of my weekend left."
"You have two weeks, Severus, remember? Christmas vacation starts tomorrow." Dumbledore reminded him. Snape paused-had an entire term gone by already? Amazing. "And anyway, I want to make sure you don't pass out on me while we're talking, which you really look like you're about to do, so." Dumbledore reached behind the sofa he was sitting on and brought out a colorful box. He tossed Snape a wrapped object. "An early Christmas present from Poppy. Eat."
Snape looked at the chocolate frog in his hand, then glared at the headmaster. "No, thank you." He tried to give it back.
"That wasn't a request, Severus. Eat. You need the sugar, and in the absence of a proper breakfast, this will do." Again with the 'don't argue' look. Snape pursed his lips, but unwrapped the candy, which was still wriggling. He gave it a distasteful look. Unlike some of the female teachers, who abstained because of their diets, Snape really didn't like chocolate all that much. However, Dumbledore didn't look like he was going to give in on that point. Feeling suddenly vengeful, Snape bit off the frog's head, and felt it go limp. Neither one said anything until the last of it was gone.
"Satisfied?" Snape gave the headmaster a sullen glare, wiping his fingers on a napkin.
"Indeed. Now, your report?" Dumbledore's good spirits seemed to return, despite the fact that he knew there'd be only bad news.
"Yes. Well, the first thing you should know," Snape took a deep breath. As much as he knew he really shouldn't feel guilty, he still did. "is that after Voldemort officially acknowledged that I was a spy, he interrogated me and eventually I told him everything I knew about Hogwarts' defenses." He forced himself to look at the headmaster's eyes, and saw no condemnation there, so he continued, "I trust that you know what that means."
"Yes. I'll have to rearrange the defenses.Good thing that it's the holidays, then. I won't be bored, at least. Anything else?"
"There was one other thing." Snape forced himself to say it. He didn't want to, and knew that nothing good could come of it, but he said it anyway. "The only reason he didn't kill me is the he wants me to leave Hogwarts and come over to his side permanently, and he wants me to bring Potter with me. He said several things about my life expectancy if I don't, and implied that he had his own ways of getting at the boy, and it was just a test for me." He sat back and shook his head, "And I have no idea how to get out of it." He looked down, unable to look at the headmaster's face.
Dumbledore said nothing for a very long time, or so it seemed. The he cleared his throat. Snape looked at him. "That wasn't completely unexpected, Severus."
"I know. But I still have no idea what I'm going to do about it."
"I already know the answer, but I'm going to have to ask you anyway. Are you planning on giving Harry to him, or on joining him?"
"Of course not." Snape glared at him irritably. He understood the headmaster's need to ask, but resented it nevertheless. "He'd kill me anyway, you know. Even if I did join him. It'd take longer, of course, but he'll still kill me in the end."
"Probably, yes." Dumbledore nodded. "I'm going to send you both away."
"Home?" Snape was startled.
"No, no. I can't send Harry home, as you probably know, and I don't think you'll be any more protected at home than here, anyway, either of you. No, it'll have to be somewhere overseas." Dumbledore reached for a small golden bell on the desk, and rang it. Almost immediately a house elf appeared with a loud 'pop'.
"Headmaster Dumbledore wants anything?" He asked enthusiastically, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Yes Wooly. I'd like you to go find Harry Potter for me, and bring him up here. He's probably in the fifth year Griffindor dorm." The older wizard smiled at the elf, who nodded quickly and 'popped' out. Before Snape had time to question the headmaster's actions, the elf reappeared, looking slightly more subdued, with Harry in tow.
"Harry Potter was right outside your office, Mr. Dumbledore Sir." The elf reported. He looked disappointed that his duty had been cut short.
"Thank you Wooly. You may leave." Dumbledore said formally, and the elf disappeared. Harry looked slightly sheepish.
"Good morning Professor. I, um, had a nightmare, and Ron made me come see you now rather than after breakfast. I managed to convince him that three in the morning wouldn't be a good time to wake you up." Then he noticed Snape, and recoiled with surprise. A look of mixed horror and something that might have been pity flashed on his face, and Snape's scowl deepened. Whatever Harry had planned to say next, he decided not to speak, and simply waited for Dumbledore to react. The Headmaster looked at him, then at Snape, and made a small noise of understanding.
"Please have a seat, Harry. You could have come at three a.m., by the way, but now is certainly much better. I take it that you saw yesterday's meeting?" Harry nodded and, still mostly ignoring Snape, sat down.
"Yeah. I haven't told Ron anything, but, um," He stopped, slightly embarrassed, but plowed on, "I woke him up by mistake, and he made me come see you. I mean, the last few times were followed by trouble. He said that the fact that I refused to tell him anything meant that it was bad, and I should at least tell you." Harry realized that he was babbling and turned on the other wizard. "Is he gonna do it?"
"What do you think, Harry?" Dumbledore's tone was gentle, but still reproaching, and Harry had the grace to look ashamed and mutter a quick apology in Snape's direction. The teacher ignored it.
"Still, Voldemort said he could do it anyway. What do we do?" The boy asked. Both older wizards noticed that he was also affected by a sleepless night, but didn't have the aid of glamours to hide it.
"I was just discussing this with professor Snape. I think it would be best for both of you to leave the country for a while, until we can come up with a better plan."
"Couldn't we stay here? It is the most protected place in England." Harry suggested hopefully, even though he knew that if it'd been a possibility Dumbledore would have brought it up first. The headmaster shook his head.
"No. Hogwarts is the most protected place, it's true, but it is only protected as long as Voldemort doesn't take the fight here. If he attacks the school en masse, we will be able to stop him, maybe, but with great losses. I'm not willing to risk the other students and the people at Hogsmeade. Not when there are other options."
"So you're sending me home?" Harry asked with a sinking heart. The thought of being sent home in the middle of the year, and the Dursleys' expected reaction to that dragged his hopes down.
"No, not home." Dumbledore replied. "As you know, there are wards that protect you at your uncle's house, but unfortunately, they are designed only for minor wizards. And as they are rather difficult to maintain, I only keep them active for the summer holidays."
Harry nodded. He didn't want to go back to the Dursleys' anyway. That bit of information, however, made him think. "Wait. So someone could attack them now and kill them, just like that? That's not fair."
"It isn't, indeed, but they have been safe enough so far. I don't think the Death Eaters even know where they live. In any case, sending you to your uncle's house is impossible. You cannot stay in England. Voldemort's reach extends as far as the continent, but he has no followers further than that. If your parents had only agreed to leave for a few months." Dumbledore closed his eyes. Harry looked at him and replied in a hard voice.
"Then he'd never have tried to curse me, and everything would've been different. We can't change that now. Where should we go?" He seemed to transmute fatigue and worry into anger and determination. A good thing, perhaps, Snape thought, but it would all come crashing down on him later. As it would on you, Severus He thought to himself. It was bad enough that Potter had witnessed the Death Eater meeting, but it was very clear that Dumbledore was planning on sending them away together; Potter would probably be there when the aftermath hit him, and that was simply unthinkable. If he could only delay the trip a few days.
"Leave as soon as possible, and as far away as I can send you." Snape was hard pressed to keep his face composed as his hopes went down the drain. He watched as Harry finally understood what Dumbledore meant.
"But sir, my O.W.L's, and what do I tell the others, and you're sending me with him?" His voice turned rather squeaky at the end of the sentence, and Snape smirked. He suspected that they both disliked the arrangement, but at least he wasn't so obvious about it.
"I think, Harry, that your survival is a bit more important than schoolwork right now. Beside, I'm sure professor Snape would agree to continue teaching you. As long as you don't use your wand, Severus." The headmaster's sharp eyes focused on him, and he nodded tiredly. At Harry's questioning look, Dumbledore explained, "As long as Severus doesn't use his wand, it'll be more difficult for Voldemort to detect him through the Dark Mark. I don't think you should use yours, either, since I'm also sending you to a place where the wizarding community is rather small, and Muggles would notice you."
"Where would that be, Headmaster, if I may inquire?" Snape asked, speaking for the first time since Harry entered.
"The United States, Severus. Seattle, to be exact. I'm sending you to an old Muggle friend of mine, a wizard sympathizer. I believe you know her- Ms. Clearmoon?"
"Oh, no." Snape sank back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose, fighting off another migraine. Anyone but Monique Clearmoon. Harry watched with undisguised fascination as Dumbledore smiled at Snape.
"I'll make her promise to be good this time, Severus. I'm sure she'll understand that you have a student with you this time, and can't." He noticed Harry's eyes fixed on him and stopped rather abruptly. "Anyway, she's the best person for this job. I'd like you leave on the first flight out."
"We're going by plane?" Harry was surprised, to say the least. All the magical modes of transportation, and they'll be using a regular Muggle airplane? "Wouldn't Floo powder or a Portkey be faster?"
"They would, indeed," agreed Dumbledore, "But both are untrustworthy over very long distances, and Monique's house isn't connected to the Floo network for the simple reason that it doesn't have a fireplace. Riding your brooms that far would also be impossible, so a Muggle plane it shall be." He checked his pocket watch. "I'd like you both to be packed and back here in half an hour. Take only Muggle clothes, and whatever other things you think necessary for a trip. Whatever you forget can be replaced once you reach Seattle. Oh, and Severus," They were both already on their way out, "You can take any ingredients that can pass through customs with a simple illusion-nothing too large, please. You need to be traveling light."
"Professor," Harry turned back, "What about Hedwig?"
"Tell her to wait here for a few days, then join you. Magical birds can make the trip in easy stages if they use ships as rest stops. Nocturne can do the same." Snape nodded. He was glad he wouldn't have to leave his raven behind. The bird was more than a messenger and a familiar- he was a friend. "Harry, if your friends ask you what you're doing, tell them you'll explain later."
"Will I?" Harry asked suspiciously, as the truth of the situation sank in. He was starting to feel hunted.
"No. I will explain to them if they return from the holiday and you are still gone. Hopefully, though, two weeks should be enough to contact our people and come up with a better plan." Dumbledore smiled, but all three of them knew the situation wasn't at all something to smile at. Before any of his other doubts insisted on being voiced, Harry turned and ran up to Gryffindor tower.