Disclaimers: Please refer to chapter one for full disclaimer write-up.
When Living is No Longer EnoughChapter Thirty-Three
The week-and-a-half prior to the battle proved to be exhausting for everyone involved. Snape and Harry had managed to forge a truce and work together to train the groups in advanced techniques for Defense Against the Dark Arts while Hermione's evenings were divided between marking papers for her regular classes and teaching her groups some of the more uncommon spells of protection should they come up against any Death Eaters. The tracking map continued to place the Dark Lord at Malfoy Manor and the intensity of the marker had continued to fade, indicating the potion was certainly doing something. They could only hope that 'something' would be enough of an advantage to win both the battle and the war.
Now, sitting in a room that had long since been forgotten by most of the inhabitants of the castle, the small band of freedom fighters awaited the arrival of Albus Dumbledore to deliver their final set of instructions.
A hush fell over the room as the headmaster calmly entered, his brocade robes trailing behind him in a picture of unrivaled majesty. The wizard remained silent as he took a moment to look over the faces of the men and women gathered together for the common purpose of defeating the Dark Lord. A look of pride crossed his face as he continued to observe the expectant crowd. So many of them had suffered as a result of Voldemort's reign and yet here they gathered, ready to do whatever it might take to defeat their common enemy. They shared a bond that united them in loss; losses they had suffered and attributed to the Dark Lord. For some, the loss manifested in the death of a loved one while for others it was the loss of freedom to choose their own path.
"My friends," the revered wizard began, "the time has come to bring the war to Voldemort himself."
A murmur ran through the room at the headmaster's casual use of the Dark Lord's name and several witches and wizards looked around nervously at one another as if they were expecting Hell itself to make an appearance.
"Tonight will be the night that we have both waited and trained for and in a few moments you will be divided into groups and assigned specific tasks. But first I would like to tell you a little story, one which could not be told prior to this evening for fear that Voldemort would learn of its details," he said and nearly laughed at the confused expressions on the faces that stared back expectantly.
"As many of you are aware, the Order of the Phoenix has been working diligently to thwart Voldemort's efforts and ensure freedom for the wizarding world. What many of you are not aware is that we were successful in planting several spies amongst his ranks. Two of which infiltrated Voldemort's Inner Circle, a grouping comprised of his most trusted servants. Both of these men have endured and sacrificed much over the years to bring us the information that we have so desperately needed and I believe that it is time their efforts are finally honored."
"Who are they?" a wizard from the Ministry of Magic shouted from the back of the assembly. Another round of murmuring could be heard amongst the gathering and Snape, who had been leaning against one of the walls in the back of the room, shuffled uncomfortably. His expression toward the headmaster was thunderous and it was obvious that, had he been able to disappear into the anonymity of the walls, he would have done so immediately.
Dumbledore raised his hands in an effort to quiet the curious audience. "Yes, I think that after all of their hard work they deserve to be recognized. Draco Malfoy began working for the Order whilst still in school and infiltrated Voldemort's ranks as a Death Eater to later become a member of the Inner Circle. Alas, as most of you are aware, young Malfoy was killed a short while ago. What most of you are not aware of is that his death was a direct result of his efforts to save both a muggle family and the Aurors that were called to the scene. His contributions to the cause were immeasurable and though we were unable to disclose his true loyalties prior to this night, I feel it fitting that he be remembered now."
Another hush fell over the room before the headmaster continued to speak. "The other member of the Order that was successful in infiltrating the Inner Circle is one of our own professors here at Hogwarts. Since Voldemort's reanimation, Severus Snape has been playing the role of double agent and has been responsible for the largest amount of information the Order has received. This information has come at great personal expense and had it had not been for Severus' tenacity and loyalty to the Cause, we would not have been able to divert so many Death Eater attacks or save so many innocent lives. Thanks to him, Voldemort has not been able to gain the stronghold over the wizarding world that he originally intended."
Silence blanketed the room as witches and wizards turned in their chairs to stare at the glowering man standing in back of the room. Suddenly, a sound was heard from the front of the assembly and Severus turned to see that several people had risen and were now clapping in his honor. Thinking quickly so that he might devise a suitable comment to dissuade their enthusiastic response, he was horrified to see the rest of the assembly rise and follow suit. Looking to Hermione for support, he relaxed slightly as she quietly smiled and squeezed his hand, letting him know in her own silent way that everything would be okay.
Once the applause had died down, the headmaster resumed his narrative. "Several months ago, Severus' true loyalties were discovered, effectively ending his spying activities and almost as effectively ending his life. Since that time he and Professor Granger have created a potion that, once introduced into Voldemort's body, will make him very ill. We have confirmation that the potion, which was delivered by Professor Granger under the guise of a Polyjuice potion, has been a success."
A murmur of approval passed through the audience before Dumbledore once again continued his story. "Further information provided to us as a result of the efforts of Professors Snape and Granger, have shown us that Voldemort is currently in residence at Malfoy Manor. Most of you will recognize that as the home of Lucius Malfoy who is Voldemort's second-in-command."
Surprised gasps were heard from several witches and wizards while the phrase 'I told you he was one of them' could be heard from others.
"Furthermore, we have learned that many of Voldemort's Death Eaters will be gathered at Malfoy Manor this evening," the bearded wizard continued. "It seems they are discussing their own battle strategies which include the taking of Hogwarts next week during the graduation ceremony."
The noise rose to an almost deafening level as the assembled members voiced shrieks of surprise and dismay and began wildly chattering amongst themselves.
"How did he find that out?" Hermione quietly asked, referring to the Death Eater meeting.
"I have no idea," the still embarrassed potions master replied with a small frown. Allowing his eyes to travel around the room, he wondered who would have given such information to the headmaster and if that information was real or a ploy of the Dark Lord's intent on leading them into a trap.
"Obviously, this must not be allowed to happen which is why we will proceed with our attack," the headmaster said and a wave of bobbing heads and murmurs of approval erupted from the guests. "You will now be divided into your groups before we began discussing the plan of attack which we will follow this very night."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thirty minutes later the assembly was seated quietly in eight distinct groupings. They were all awaiting their final instructions and the time to apparate to the perimeter of Malfoy Manor was drawing near at an alarming rate.
"As you can see we have divided you into groups," Dumbledore began. "There are eight groups in all. Four of the groups will be designated as primary strike teams and will enter the premises from the North, South, East and West. The main entrance to Malfoy Manor is located on the South side of the estate. All four of these groups will be responsible for breaking through the wards and entering their quadrant of the Manor. The remainder of the groups will patrol the perimeters. Mr. Weasley if you would be so kind as to explain the rest? "
"Um, yes sir," Ron said nervously, coming forth to stand by the headmaster. "Well, as the headmaster already pointed out, there will be four strike teams. The um, first team will be made up of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Mad-Eye Moody and Madam Hooch. They will dismantle the wards and enter through the South entrance of the Manor."
The groups began to murmur amongst themselves upon hearing that Dumbledore's group would attack the primary entrance to Malfoy Manor.
"The second team," Ron continued, raising his voice slightly to regain the groups' attention, "will consist of Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Molly Weasley and George Weasley. They will dismantle any wards they come across and enter from the East entrance. Since there is not a ground level entrance, you will be entering through a balcony on the second floor and will search the Manor from that point."
"That ought to be fun!" Fred Weasley remarked to his twin in reference to entering the Manor on the second floor.
"Oh hush Fred!" Molly Weasley told the prankster, drawing a few laughs from the groups.
"The third strike team," Ron continued, ignoring the antics of his family, "will consist of Harry Potter, myself, Oliver Wood and Fred Weasley. It will be our job to dismantle any wards we encounter and enter the Manor on the West side through a window on the third floor."
"At least I only have to enter on the second floor," George teased his brother. "You have to use a window on the third floor."
"I said hush!" Mrs. Weasley scolded, her voice rising along with her temper.
"The final strike team," Ron said, his face turning beat red as a result of his mother's shrill admonishment, "will consist of Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom and Christina Saunton. They will enter the Manor through a hidden passageway that leads to the dungeons on the North side of the estate."
There was a general rumbling amongst the assembly as the duties of the strike teams were all disclosed. Neville looked to the dark clad man sitting next to him and gulped as he tried to hide his shaking hands from the potions master's view.
"That not only places a team on every side of the Manor but on every floor as well," Hermione observed.
"I believe that was the idea," Snape answered quietly. "If Lucius really is hosting a Death Eater meeting then they will disperse throughout the Manor and indulge themselves in various activities once they have finished discussing the business of the evening. There is no telling where we may encounter them."
"What about the rest of us?" a young man called out.
"The rest of you will be guarding the perimeters of the estate," Ron answered and looked back at his notes detailing the layout of the Manor and the positions assigned to each team. "There will be four teams assigned to guard the perimeter. The first team will be led by Percy Weasley and will consist of seven people. This team will patrol the Northwest section of the estate. The second team will be led by Dennis Creevy and will consist of eight people. Dennis' team will patrol the Southeast section of the estate. The third team will be led by Blaise Zabini and will consist of eight people. This team will patrol the Southwest section of the estate. The fourth team will be led by Arthur Weasley and will consist of seven people. Dad's team will patrol the Northeast section of the estate."
"Thank you Mr. Weasley," the headmaster said with a smile as he once again took control of the meeting. "Now, you have all been told of some of the dangers which you may encounter once we apparate to the perimeter of Malfoy Manor. Also, it is important to remember that we know neither the location of Voldemort nor the Death Eaters within the Manor. We must be cautious and have faith in ourselves and our teammates for it is only through our faith and belief in one another that we will stand fast."
A cheer of applause erupted again as Dumbledore went to join his group. Forty-five minutes later, after all groups had had a chance to study the layout of the land surrounding Malfoy Manor and devise strategies, the teams apparated to the perimeter to begin their attack.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"C..Could it get any darker?" Neville stuttered nervously as he heard yet another strange rustling sound from the nearby grove of trees.
"You are a wizard Mr. Longbottom, despite what your potions grades might have said to the contrary," Snape sneered, eyeing the young man warily as if he expected a major catastrophe to occur at any moment. "Use your wand to illuminate your path."
The young man looked nervously at the potions master and wondered who he could have upset enough to put him on this particular team. Snape still eyed him like an insect to be squashed just as he had done years ago in potions classes and the other woman looked a little daunting as well. 'Must be a Slytherin too,' he thought and looked toward Hermione for moral support. Seeing her nod of encouragement, he managed a small, quivering smile and proceeded to cast his spell. "Lumos," he whispered and a small bead of light shined from the end of his wand.
Hermione, for her part had been trying to figure out why Christina Saunton was with them. Not that she minded of course but the last thing she had expected to see was Edgar Saunton's wife signing up to join a battle that would pit her directly against her husband. 'At least we know how the headmaster heard about the Death Eater meeting,' she thought to herself.
As if sensing her thoughts, the older woman hung back a moment until she and the Gryffindor witch lagged a few steps behind Snape and Neville.
"You're wondering why I'm here," Christina said in a very straightforward way that was more of a statement than a question.
"Well yes, I suppose I am," Hermione answered quietly, not wanting to offend the woman. "I would have thought that this would be too risky for you given your family's association with Voldemort and all."
"It is," she replied. "However, after speaking with Albus over the Easter holidays and then spending time with Emily, I realized that something must be done. If we are not successful then my daughter will have no choice but to join the Death Eaters and I suspect, were such a situation to occur, that she would make another attempt on her life. Somehow I doubt she would fail a second time. There is also the matter of Voldemort's unusual interest in her. I neither understand nor trust his intentions."
The woman's eyes were shadowed with a look of pain as she spoke of her daughter. However, underneath the pain, Hermione could sense a great deal of steely determination on the Slytherin's part. It was, in an odd sort of way, comforting to know that she was actually on their side and if Severus were correct about the woman's magical ability then her skills would certainly be useful.
The team continued to make their way toward the hidden entrance to the dungeons when a cold feeling began to invade Hermione's body. Looking around quickly, she strained her eyes to see if she could detect any movement within the shadow of the trees that lined their path. Visibly shuddering, she moved nearer to the potions master to warn him of her suspicions.
"Severus," she whispered, tugging on the sleeve of his robe to ensure his attention. "I think we may have company."
"Dementors," Snape responded tightly, sensing their presence nipping at the tips of his consciousness. "Be ready."
Nodding her head in understanding, she gripped her wand tighter and pulled closer to Neville. Judging by the look on Christina's face, the woman had already sensed the presence of the dark creatures and was preparing herself for the upcoming confrontation she knew was sure to come.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a dark hooded form glided toward the Gryffindor witch. Looking around quickly she realized that the others were facing the same situation. There looked to be six dementors surrounding the small group. The members of the strike team could feel the presence of the dark creatures pressing in on their minds as feelings of doubt and despair began to cloud their vision.
"Expecto Patronum!" called the voice of Christina Saunton and suddenly the night sky was lit with the image of a deadly looking dragon. The dragon twisted and contorted its body; its scales gleaming in the unnatural magical light of the spell, until it's vision became fixed on one of the dementors. Zeroing in on its target, the dragon gracefully assumed an attack position and charged just as a tremendous burst of fire shot forth from its mouth.
During the confusion, Hermione backed up and tripped over something that could have been an exposed root from one of the nearby trees. Although, given the darkness of the evening it was difficult to tell. From her position on the ground, she had seen the patronus that the Slytherin woman had cast. It had been a beautiful, eerie sight and had taken the young witch off guard. Unfortunately, her momentary lapse in concentration was enough for two of the dementors to take advantage of her plight and as she fell to the ground, the hooded beings closed in on her position.
"Expecto Patronum!" she heard a timid but determined voice cry out as a magical light once again illuminated the sky. She looked up to see the ghostly image of a large lion bearing down on her and before she knew it, the dementors had fled.
"Are you alright Hermione?" Neville asked worriedly, helping his friend up off the ground.
"That was your patronus?" she asked wide-eyed as she dusted herself off and stood by the young man. "That was amazing Neville. Thank you."
Flashing her a shy but appreciative smile for her compliment, he quickly handed her a small foil wrapped item and began scouting for more of their unwelcome guests.
Opening her hand to look at the object Neville had given her, she was surprised to find that it was a piece of chocolate. The very thing that would help her regain her strength after such a close call with the dementors. 'I didn't even think of bringing chocolate along,' she mused and smiled briefly as she realized that Neville wasn't nearly as inept as they had all feared during his years at school.
"Are you alright Hermione?" Snape asked, coming up behind her a moment later.
"Yes," she assured him, "Neville cast a patronus and drew the dementors away from me."
"Merlin help us," he said dryly. "It looks like Longbottom may turn out to be a wizard after all."
"Where are the others?" she questioned, tactfully ignoring his comment.
"I sent them ahead to start dismantling the wards on the entrance," he answered looking around cautiously. Something didn't feel right but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.
"Severus!" she cried pointing to a patch of darkness just beyond his shoulder. "Look out!"
Snape turned to see two dementors bearing down on his position at an alarming rate. Looking back to Hermione to tell her to run, he was horrified to see yet another dementor gliding up behind her. Making a split second decision, he ignored the dark creatures behind him and cast a patronus to protect the Gryffindor witch. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted, and a burst of light emerged from his wand to shape itself into the exact image of a black panther. The panther gracefully twisted its agile body in the air and pounced directly toward the dementor.
Hermione had sensed the dementor's presence but had decided to deal with it once she had dispatched the creatures currently heading for the potions master. "Expecto Patronum!" she called and aimed her wand at a point high into the night sky. A burst of light shot forward and the most beautiful image of a unicorn appeared. The magical creature's mane fluffed proudly while its hooves pranced the steps of a combative dance. Fixing its gaze, it lowered its majestic head and aimed the glowing horn directly at the dementors that were almost upon Snape. Seconds later the dark creatures were gone and the image of the unicorn slowly faded from the sky.
"Well, that was fun," she quipped shakily in an attempt to regain her composure.
"Are you alright?" Snape asked concerned. She had now had two near misses with the dementors and while he knew she would recover, she certainly couldn't withstand many more attacks. They were just too draining.
"I'm fine. But I don't think that I want to play this particular game anymore," she answered with a mischievous grin.
"Let's finish this so we can get you back to Hogwarts." Grabbing her hand, the pair hurried to catch up with the rest of their team and assist in deactivating the wards that hindered their entrance to Malfoy Manor.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry's team was having an easier time making their way toward their designated point of entrance. Too easy in fact and that was exactly what was worrying The-Boy-Who-Lived. So far they hadn't met up with any dogs, Dementors or death eaters.
"Well, we can just fly up to the window and enter that way," Oliver Wood said, calculating the distance between their current position and the entryway to the Manor.
"Yeah but we'll have to fly low just to be sure we're not spotted," Fred added.
"Let's do it," Harry decided, pulling his broom out of his pocket and laying it on the ground. "Engorgio," he said pointing his wand at the broom and watched as it returned to its original size. He had to admit that the reducio spell was convenient if you needed to carry large, bulky items without being hindered.
Moments later, each member of the team had mounted their broomsticks and were making their way toward the Manor.
"There it is Harry," Ron exclaimed, pointing out the window that would grant them access to the third floor of the Manor. "I just hope there's no one in the room when we get there."
"Me too," Harry agreed and pulled his broom to an abrupt halt when he saw the crackle of electricity as Fred collided with an unseen barrier. He watched in dismay as the red haired Weasley's broom went spiraling to the ground.
"Pull back!" he shouted to the other members of the team and made his way toward his fallen comrade.
"Fred!" Ron shouted and raced down to check on his brother. "Fred, answer me," he ordered, turning the young man over on to his back. "I don't see any visible damage."
"Oh sure, if you call being fried to a crisp no damage'" his brother mumbled from his position on the ground and groaned as he attempted to sit up. "Ugh! What was that?"
"It's a defensive barrier," Harry informed his friend. "I hate to say it but it looks like Malfoy was smarter than I gave him credit for. Usually that type of barrier is limited to the ground level and does not recognize broomsticks as something to be kept out."
"No Harry," Ron answered and patted his friend on the back, "he just got lucky this time. That's all. Besides, if I were Malfoy, I would probably be paranoid too."
"We'll, it looks like the ward extends about twenty feet from the Manor," Oliver noted. "Which means that we can fly to that point and work on disarming it from there."
"Even if we could only disarm it for a few seconds, it would be enough for us to get in," Ron agreed looking to his friend for a decision.
"Fred, do you think that you'll be able to fly?" Harry asked.
"Sure thing Harry. I'm a bit beaten up but nothing seems to be broken. I say let's have at it," he assured the younger man.
"Leave it to you to fly headlong into the equivalent of an invisible brick wall," Ron muttered as he mounted his broomstick.
"Yeah, well just don't go telling mum. You know how she gets. Besides, if I hadn't flown into it then you would be the one lying on the ground right now instead of me. The way I see it, you owe me one little brother," the Weasley twin said with a grin.
"You wish," his younger brother shot back as they both lifted off from the ground.
"Still," Fred mused, "it would make a wicked prank if we could simulate something like it for the joke shop."
"I don't know Fred," Ron answered with a look that hinted at his concerns regarding his brother's sanity. "Electrifying your clientele can't be good for repeat business."
"Well, we'd only make it a little shock!" the young man exclaimed and followed his brother to assist the others in deactivating the wards.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, Snape's team had finally broken through the final wards that barred their entrance to the Malfoy dungeons. Casting a silencing spell on himself, he cautiously opened the door and stepped inside the dimly lit complex. The stench of human decay and suffering assaulted his sensitive nose and he clamped down hard on the urge to choke from the oppressiveness of the atmosphere. He had been to these very dungeons more than once and had seen, first-hand, the horrors that Lucius brought to life. He only hoped that they wouldn't find such evidence of the blond haired wizard's depravity this evening as his companions were not nearly as accustomed to such sights.
The others followed his example of casting silencing charms upon themselves and cautiously entered the dungeons.
"I don't like this," whispered a nervous Neville as he held his wand directly in front of him, intent on striking anything that came near. "I don't like this at all."
Hermione looked around and realized with a sickening lurch of her stomach that this was the room in which her polyjuiced counterpart had been tortured and killed. She wrinkled her nose and was certain that she could still smell the scent of blood in the air. Flashes of images from the pensieve assaulted her mind in rapid succession and she gasped in response to the horror each image held. She had tried to push the scenes she had viewed in the pensieve from her mind but the truth of the matter was that she still had nightmares in which Lucius Malfoy would lean over her, a feral expression on his face and a butcher knife in hand.
"Are you alright?" Snape asked, looking at the woman leaning against the cool stones of the dungeon wall for support. Even in the dim light, he could detect the sudden paleness that had settled over her skin. He cringed as he noticed the haunted look that shone back at him from her eyes and cursed Lucius Malfoy for the pain he had inflicted. "It will be alright Hermione," he assured her, cupping her face gently in his hand. "What happened in the pensieve will not happen again and certainly not to you. On this you have my word."
The young witch looked up at the dark haired wizard that had come to matter so much to her over the course of the past several months. She knew that he still suffered his own nightmares of this place, courtesy of Lucius Malfoy, and she was determined that she would not be anymore of a burden to him than necessary. Lifting her chin she returned his caress. "You need not worry about me Severus. I will be fine."
Rather than returning her words with some trite answer, he gazed intently into her face as if searching for the truth behind her words. Gryffindor courage or no, she had witnessed traumatic events in the pensieve, events of the likes that no person should ever be subjected to. He placed a light kiss on her hand in a gesture that spoke of both his concern and his faith in her abilities and they continued to make their way through the maze of rooms that comprised the Malfoy dungeons.
The tiny group came to a complete halt as they heard the agonized scream of a young woman emanate from a cell just ahead. It was then that they heard the voices of several men as their laughter and lewd words broke through the silence of the dungeons and drifted back to the Hogwart's group. Raising his wand, Snape prepared to engage the unsuspecting death eaters.
"Expelliarmus!" he said forcefully as one of the death eaters went flying across the small room. The other men, though surprised, immediately forgot the young woman chained to the wall and prepared to cast their hexes. Unfortunately for them, Hermione and the others were prepared for their reactions and began hurling hexes of their own that would not only disarm but also incapacitate the men.
Four of the death eaters were hit almost immediately by the surprise attack and found themselves in various positions on the cold hard floor of the dungeons, writhing in pain. Neville had fallen victim to a simple but painful hex that left his body covered in boils while a flash of green light denoting a killing curse narrowly sped by Hermione, missing her by mere inches. The sound of the muggle woman's screams could be heard throughout the entire confrontation.
"Severus," Christina Saunton yelled, attracting the potion master's attention. "Two of them are escaping."
Snape looked in the direction that the fellow Slytherin was pointing and silently cursed. 'So much for the element of surprise,' he thought, knowing that the death eaters were going for reinforcements. Assessing the situation, he turned his attention back toward Christina.
"Stay here and see to Longbottom," he told the woman while pulling Hermione next to him. "Make certain that you break each of their wands and cast a total body bind on each of the death eaters so that they won't be a problem. Provided that we are successful in our endeavors this evening, they will be ready to be delivered to Azkaban."
"Anything else?" the woman asked with an amused gleam in her eyes.
"Cast a stunning spell on the muggle woman and render her unconscious. It will make things easier for her. She will have to be obliviated later. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do for her companions," he said indicating the stripped and bloodied bodies of the other two woman chained to the wall, their lives extinguished by the Death Eaters activities. Once you have finished here, join us upstairs," he answered curtly. "It would seem that Lucius was combining business with pleasure this evening and where there are six death eaters there are likely to be more."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry Potter shook his head in frustration. His team had finally managed to break through the wards guarding the third floor of Malfoy Manor only to stumble in on a rather unexpected scene. Passing through the sitting room that led to one of the largest bedroom suites he had ever seen, he had been surprised to hear murmuring. 'More like moaning,' he thought in disgust. Quietly walking into the bedroom, the team was surprised, shocked and appalled to come upon a sight that could only be described as a Death Eater orgy. Several crass comments, all quietly whispered, erupted from Fred and Oliver while Ron looked as though he might lose the contents of his stomach at any moment. Quickly aiming their wands, they began hurling hexes at the half-sober men and women that were displayed in various positions and states of dress throughout the room. Never in his years as an Auror, not even during the numerous raids he had participated in, had he been party to such depravity and blatant lack of general morals. Oh he had heard of such activities but being a very shy and private man himself, he had placed little value in the stories he had heard bandied about the office. In truth, he would have preferred to face dementors or even a pack of werewolves because at least then his professional instincts could kick in and he could perform his job with a clear mind. As it was now, he was blushing to the point that his face was almost a perfect match to Ron and Fred's hair. He shifted uncomfortably as he stared at the recently hexed Death Eaters. The entire scene made him feel like a naïve schoolboy rather than the adult he actually was. 'Why couldn't Sirius have pulled this particular assignment?' he moaned to himself thinking how his godfather would have taken a perverse delight in such a scenario. A delight that Harry, no matter how old or experienced he became, would never share.
The Death Eaters' surprise was obvious as the strike teams' presence began to seep into to their inebriated, impassioned minds. Seeing that they were obviously not expecting company, and certainly not the type of company that would sneak in through a third story window, they were easy targets since most were nowhere near their clothing let alone their wands. Fred began to laugh as one of the Death Eaters picked up his wand and stood to fire off a curse, only to fall to the floor in a heap of flailing limbs as his trousers fell and pooled around his ankles.
However, as luck would have it, one lone Death Eater that had evidently just entered the room, managed to escape before the team could stun him. Giving Fred and Oliver orders to secure the room, Harry motioned for Ron to follow and the two men went off in pursuit of the wayward Death Eater before he could alert the others to their presence.
It was precisely because of this reason that Harry now found himself alone, quietly making his way through the huge maze of corridors and rooms that comprised the ground floor of Malfoy Manor. He had become separated from Ron moments before when they had come to a long corridor flanked by a network of several smaller corridors. Looking around at the sparsely furnished rooms, he guessed that he had ended up in an area of the Manor assigned to the servants. He had no doubt that his friend would catch up with him eventually and only hoped that the youngest Weasley didn't run into a group of Death Eaters in the meantime. Sighing to himself, he readied his wand and continued his search for the elusive Death Eater.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Snape and Hermione had followed the fleeing Death Eaters to the top of the stairway leading to the ground floor of Malfoy Manor. Opening the door that separated the stairway from the main floor, they peered out in dismay, as the only thing that greeted their eyes was a large library stocked with numerous shelves of tomes. Tomes which Hermione would have dearly loved to study had they not been in the process of fighting the Dark Lord's minions. She sighed as she realized that, aside from themselves, the room was empty.
Suddenly, a shadow glided across the wall by the doorway, brought to life by the flickering candles that were magically ensconced on the walls of the hallway. Motioning to Hermione to quietly hide behind one of the oversized shelves, Snape pulled his wand and lunged for the shadow that had momentarily stopped just outside the door.
"Geofffome!" mumbled the person that the potions master had just unceremoniously captured and dragged back into the room. Looking down at his captive, Snape shook his head in disgust and removed his hand from the struggling man's mouth.
"Get off of me!" came the angry voice of Ronald Weasley. Turning around to face his captor, the red haired man nearly choked as he realized that the figure standing behind him was not that of a Death Eater but was instead that of Severus Snape.
"Mr. Weasley, what an unpleasant surprise," the potions master drawled and motioned for Hermione to come out from her hiding place behind the shelving unit.
"Ron!" she exclaimed happily, enfolding her friend in a sisterly hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be upstairs with Harry and the others?"
"Well, we sort of dropped in on a Death Eater orgy but one got away so Harry and I ran after him only…"
"Only you got separated from Mr. Potter and ended up being captured by your own side," Snape finished for him with a sneer.
"Yeah, something like that," he agreed with an embarrassed smile.
"No matter," Hermione said decisively. "We ran into a torture scene downstairs in the dungeons and two of the Death Eaters managed to get away. You can help us search for them while we look for Harry."
A moment later the young woman had headed off down the hall, wand at the ready, followed by two disgruntled men.
She had just turned into a large room that looked to be some sort of a study when she felt a wand jabbed into her chest. Looking up, she gasped in surprise as she immediately recognized the face of the man who stood before her.
The potions master had just rounded the corner, silently cursing the fact that he had allowed Hermione to get ahead of him, when Ron came barreling into him from behind. Preparing to snap out a comment regarding the younger man's incompetence, he stopped abruptly as he looked up just in time to see Edgar Saunton raise his wand and point it directly at Hermione's chest.
"Well, well, well," the self-serving man chuckled evilly seeing Severus and Ron. "And who do we have here? Severus Snape. The Dark Lord will be very happy to see you."
Snape merely glared at the man but remained quiet. 'Let him boast,' an inner voice sneered. 'He'll grow careless and then you will have the element of surprise.'
That of course was exactly what the potions master was counting on as Saunton, one of Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters, continued to reprimand him for being both a coward and a traitor to their cause.
"And who might this be?" Saunton asked, turning a critical eye to lustfully peruse Hermione's petite figure. "I know, you must be Severus' little mudblood whore that Lucius has been telling us about these past few months. Oh I will definitely enjoy getting to know you better," he said, reaching out to grab a handful of hair and pull her next to him.
'Why do they always have to go for the hair?' she asked herself, remembering suffering a similar treatment at the hands of Lucius Malfoy that day in Flourish and Blotts. 'And the wizarding world actually believes it has evolved from such Neanderthal behavior!'
Snape had been eyeing Saunton with only the briefest of glances at Hermione to ensure that she was alright but upon seeing the man treat her so roughly, the potions master nearly flew from his position and strangled the man with his bare hands. He remembered a promise he had made to himself when she had returned from Saunton Manor and confided in him that she had suffered Crucio as a direct result of this maniac's whims. His hands clenched into fists. He had sworn then that he would kill the bastard and it looked like fate was granting him that chance. Raising his wand arm slightly he prepared to cast the one curse that would remove Edgar Saunton from their lives forever.
Saunton however noticed the movement and it was just enough to distract him into loosening his hold on Hermione ever so slightly. Surreptitiously reaching for her wand, she pointed it backwards, inches away from the man's groin and whispered a little known incantation. All of a sudden an agonized scream filled the air as Edgar Saunton released his grip on her and dropped to the floor, hunched over in pain.
"Well, it wasn't Crucio," she said almost apologetically to the potions master as he came to stand beside her and stare at her handiwork.
"It might as well have been," he commented with a grimace, eyeing the writhing man with what could almost be a momentary bout of sympathy from one wizard to another.
Leaning down to retrieve the Death Eater's wand, Hermione broke it in half and tossed it back on the floor while Snape cast a full body bind to ensure he wouldn't be tempted to follow them. Although he seriously doubted that the man would be up to much of anything, let alone combat, considering what his lover had just done.
"We need to catch up with Harry," she said matter-of-factly and turned to continue down the corridor.
"Professor," Ron asked hesitantly, "what exactly did she just do to him?"
"She cast a very rare and painful spell that makes a certain part of his… anatomy feel as if it is being stabbed repeatedly with something akin to a butcher's knife," Snape said as he turned to follow the young woman down the corridor.
"I told you she was a bit scary," the red haired man mumbled with an audible gulp, giving the stricken Death Eater one final look before departing.
"You are incorrect as usual Mr. Weasley," Snape commented dryly.
"How's that?" Ron asked, his tone suggesting that he had taken offense to his former professor's words.
"She's not 'a bit' scary," the potions master corrected as if his point would be obvious even to a frightened first year student.
"No?" the younger man questioned in exasperation.
"No," Snape said with a conspiratorial grin at Hermione's childhood friend. "She's a lot scary."
And upon that note the two men left the stunned but still agonized Death Eater to his fate and hurried to catch up with the witch that had once again left them reeling in admiration.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sirius Black was beginning to think that Dumbledore's information had been nothing more than a hoax. His team had finally managed to dismantle the numerous wards that guarded the East side of the Manor but so far they had found nothing to suggest that a Death Eater meeting had taken place. For that matter, they hadn't found any sign of Lucius Malfoy or the Dark Lord either.
"Perhaps they decided to hold the meeting elsewhere," Remus suggested, noticing his friend's frustration.
"Maybe," he agreed gruffly.
"They could be in another section of the Manor," George said, eyeing the opulence of his surroundings in awe. "After all, this place is as big as a bloody castle."
"George Weasley" his mother whispered harshly, "it is nothing of the sort."
The red haired man wisely refrained from commenting but looked at the others with an expression that clearly stated he had not changed his mind, regardless of his mother's thoughts on the subject.
"We'll head downstairs and see if we can meet up with Dumbledore and the others," Black decided abruptly. "Maybe they've had better luck."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harry had finally caught up with the elusive Death Eater in what looked to be the formal dining room. Turning to face the man who was now taking cover behind a large china cabinet, he aimed his wand and cast a stunning spell that missed the Death Eater but hit the glass panel of the cabinet causing it to shatter into hundreds of tiny pieces.
'Great,' the young man thought to himself, lightly fingering his scar that had begun to ache. 'I need to rejoin the others and I'm stuck here playing tea party with this guy.'
His thoughts were cut short as he ducked a particularly lethal dark curse that hit the wall behind him and harmlessly dissipated.
Several more hexes were cast as they battled for supremacy. Finally, Harry cast a confundus spell to disorient and confuse the man and quickly followed it with an ocular impairment charm that would temporarily disable his sight. The man covered his eyes and fell to his knees, disoriented and blind. The Boy-Who-Lived grimaced as he heard the Death Eater shriek yet again when his knees came in contact with the broken shards of glass that littered the ornate tile. Tiny rips in the fabric of his trousers appeared as the shards poked and twisted their way into the flesh beneath causing thin lines of blood to slowly trickle from the fresh wounds.
Standing up from his crouched position behind the long dining table, Harry carefully walked over to the Death Eater and cast a stunning spell that would render the man unconscious for quite some time. He then retrieved the man's wand and placed it in the pocket of his robes before setting off in search of his lost red haired friend who, unbeknownst to Harry, had just managed to find himself in yet another scrape.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm sure I heard something over there," Ron told his companions and headed for an elegantly decorated area that looked to be some type of music room. The room was light and airy and boasted of a hulking grand piano, which was prominently displayed toward the back of the room.
"But no one is here," Hermione said as they entered the room and found no signs whatsoever of it being occupied by either Voldemort or any of his death eaters.
"I wouldn't be so certain of that my dear," came a voice from the doorway that both Hermione and Severus knew all too well. Turning around to face the owner of the voice, they were dismayed to see Lucius Malfoy blocking the entrance, his wand pointed directly at them.
"Severus, so nice of you to drop by for a visit. And look, you've brought your friends with you," Malfoy said in a voice that oozed venom.
"Lucius," Snape spat between gritted teeth. "Let them go."
"Oh, I don't think so. You see Severus, I was right, as usual. I told you that it was merely a matter of time before I caught up to you and your mudblood and here you both are at the same time. How convenient. And you brought along a Weasley too. What an added bonus. You have chosen poorly in regards to your allegiance and now you will suffer the consequences."
"You always were too sure of yourself for your own good," Snape drawled in a disinterested voice.
"So you have always said and yet, I am the one standing here with the advantage. At least I was not fool enough to betray all that I believe in, unlike yourself who abandoned your principles just as you abandoned your own kind. The Dark Lord gave you all that you could have asked and what did you do? You ran off and cowered behind the robes of a doddering old man," Lucius said, his lip curling in disgust at the thought of his one-time friend choosing a muggle-loving fool like Albus Dumbledore over his pureblooded brethren.
"Voldemort gave me nothing except the right to do his bidding Lucius. We are nothing more than puppets whose strings are to be manipulated in whatever way he deems appropriate, toys for his amusement," Snape replied, quietly seething behind the façade of indifference he forced himself to project to the blond haired wizard.
"I am no puppet and you would have had your heart's desire," Malfoy spat "along with just about anything else you wanted as well. If you wanted the mudblood whore so badly, the Dark Lord would have probably even gifted her to you as a toy to do with as you pleased. Of course you may have had to share from time to time but still, it certainly would have been better than the alternative with which you now face. Especially since it seems we will have her in the end after all. Oh not to worry Severus, I will make certain that she lasts longer than her counterpart from the pensieve. Perhaps, if you're a good little boy, the Dark Lord might even permit you to watch as we take turns… "
Lucius didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Snape's resolve snapped and his temper overtook him. All thoughts of remaining calm and indifferent flew immediately from his head as a dark ferocity settled over his countenance. He'd be damned if he would allow Lucius to defile her and if his own death was the price it took to prevent such a monstrosity then so be it. The potions master reached for his wand and lunged at the boastful Death Eater, intent on gouging his leering eyes straight from their sockets and stomping on them until they were nothing more than a bloodied pulp. Very much in the same manner one would use to stomp grapes when making wine.
Unfortunately, Lucius was prepared for such a reaction as he had been deliberately baiting the one-time Death Eater in the hopes of provoking his possessive temper.
"Temper, temper Severus," Malfoy said, pointing his wand directly at Hermione and casting Crucio.
Hermione fell to her knees with a scream of pure pain that tore through the room as it tore through Snape's heart. The curse quickly made its way throughout her body causing every nerve ending to shout in response as it rained fire throughout her muscles. Still, the pain still did not recede. Gathering what little strength she could muster, she raised her head and was surprised to see Harry slip into the room to silently stand behind the blood thirsty Death Eater. Turning her attention towards Severus so as not to give Harry's position away, she was even more surprised to find that the Dark Lord himself had just entered through the doorway at the back of the room and now stood a few feet behind Snape.
Hermione would have gasped in shock had she been able to pull enough strength together to do so. Voldemort was nothing more than a shell of his former self and it was obvious that he was barely even able to stand. His limbs shook violently, dark spots mottled splitting skin that had taken on a grayish cast, his eyes oozed a yellowish fluid and his breath came forth from his body in short wheezing bursts. And if that wasn't horrendous enough, he smelled of rotting flesh. More accurately, he smelled of walking death. She barely recognized him as the creature she spoke with the night of the Saunton dinner party.
"Finish him off Lucius," the Dark Lord rasped, looking as if even that small sentence was enough to overcome him and bring him within a heartbeat of death. "I will allow you to amuse yourself with the mudblood in whatever way you wish but the traitor dies now!"
"Yes my Lord," Malfoy muttered, obviously unhappy with the thought of having his playtime interrupted. Pointing his wand at the potions master, he prepared to cast the killing curse while at the same time, standing unseen but directly behind him, Harry Potter mimicked his movements. "Avad…"
With a desperate burst of adrenaline that Hermione, and probably no one else, would have credited the young witch with, she lunged herself at Severus and collapsed in his arms just as her hand made contact with a small round object hidden in the pocket of her robe.
"Sublatio in arcem," she whispered just as two deadly flashes of green light came flying toward them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Snape felt the familiar yet nauseating tug at his navel as the portkey pulled his body from Malfoy Manor. He had watched, almost as if in slow motion, as the blaze of deadly green light shot straight out of Lucius' wand and made its way directly toward him. He remembered a part of his mind registering the fact that Hermione, laden with the effects of the Cruciatus, had jerkily launched herself into his arms at the last second, directly in the path of the killing curse, as the light from the Unforgivable came within mere inches of his chest. He remembered hearing her whisper something that sounded suspiciously like Latin, an incantation perhaps, before realizing that she had made a last ditch effort to pull them to safety by using the portkey he had given her the day she left for Saunton Manor.
The pulling and spinning stopped just as suddenly as it had begun and the potions master looked around to realize that he had was standing outside the gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 'We made it,' he thought to himself with more than a small touch of relief. Suddenly he felt the sharp pull of something tugging downwards on his arms. Looking down to inquire as to the source, he gasped in shock as he realized that the weight he felt was that of Hermione's petite form. Only his quick reflexes caught her limp body as it attempted to complete its descent toward the soft ground below. A feeling of panic invaded his soul as he remembered just how close to the killing curse she had been and in a desperate action, he touched his fingers to the base of her neck. His eyes began to tear as he frantically groped at the fragile skin in an effort to find the elusive pulse that would assure him she was okay. Fractions of seconds seemed like hours and each time he was met with the same heart wrenching results.
Hermione Granger did not only lack a pulse, she was no longer breathing.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
TBC
Author's Note: I realize that this was an exceptionally long chapter (twice as long as most of the other chapters) and I seriously thought about dividing it into two chapters and posting it in segments over the next few days but I opted against it. Hopefully, the length of this chapter didn't deter anyone G. As always, thanks for your reviews during the last posting and I would ask (as usual) that you leave a review and let me know what you thought about the chapter.
~Jules