Harry Potter & the Dark Lord

Harry Potter & the Dark Lord – Chapter 20

Disclaimer: (JKR's POV) Hey, those are my characters! Two Arabellas? What were you thinking? Who are you anyway? Do you actually think I would write this drivel? Please! Just for that, you are not getting Book 5 until 2002! Hmmm…although, you do seem to have picked up on certain, er, romantic clues I planted. Well, no, not really, the plotlines are all wrong, but the pairings are right.

A/N: Thank you all for reading and reviewing. You really brighten my day. Here's this chapter's quote (I've decided to start doing this – let's just pretend it's been part of every chapter). Oh, Ginny is so brave – don't you just love her?

"Famous Harry Potter," said Malfoy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" said Ginny. It was the first time she had spoken in front of Harry. She was glaring at Malfoy.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" drawled Malfoy. Ginny went scarlet…

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4, p. 61 (U.S. version), p.50 (U.K. version)

The holidays were almost over. In two days, Hogwarts would once again be filled with the sounds of excited chatter, laughter, and the occasional groan at yet another homework assignment. Right now, though, the Gryffindor common room was empty, not even the buzz of a fly's wings disrupting its solitude. The peaceful silence was shattered as the portrait swung open, revealing a trio of red heads bobbing up and down in excitement, a lone mop of black hair among them.

"That was the best match I've ever seen!" Ron raved, smiling as he remembered the ten-hour match from which they had just arrived. The players were so tired the last hour – they only had six reserves combined for the fourteen players on both teams – that the game was only ended when a badly thrown Bludger knocked the Snitch right into the outstretched hand of the Chudley Seeker (she was stretching her arms as she yawned).

"Come off it, Ron," said his older brother. "That was good, but it was in no way better than the Quidditch World Cup last year."

Fred picked up on his twin's argument. "George is right. The Seekers paled in comparison to Krum! Why do you think the game lasted so long?"

Ron's smile evaporated at the mention of the Bulgarian Seeker. Harry caught Fred and George exchanging sly glances – ever since Ron had openly admitted he liked Hermione, they had taken every opportunity to find something new to tease him about. Krum had become a favorite choice, especially since he regularly owled Hermione with news from wherever in the world his matches brought him.

Ron was saved from further abuse at the hands of his brothers by the arrival of Hermione and Ginny, who had stopped in the library to pick up what they considered light reading. Although Hermione was far ahead of Ron and Harry in her preparations for the O.W.L.s, she was rather frantically organizing study schedules and outlines for all three of them. She even put one together for Ginny, claiming it was never too early to begin preparing.

"Let me help you with those," Ron volunteered, rushing to grab the stack of books that was tottering dangerously in Hermione's arms. He grabbed two large volumes from her and placed them on top of the pile Ginny was carrying, before taking the rest of Hermione's books himself.

"Always the gentleman, aren't you Ron?" Ginny said dryly, taking a step backward to keep from losing her balance. Harry rushed forward, trying to grab the books before they toppled, but he didn't quite make it. The flagstone sized, leather-bound hardbacks crashed to the ground, a cloud of dust rising from the older, rarely used volumes. Harry and Ginny waved the dust away, trying not to choke as they gathered the books. There, underneath an old copy of Hogwarts – In the Beginning, was Ginny's Christmas "gift". Harry pulled it from the pile and began thumbing through it.

"I'd forgotten all about this," Harry said, not tearing his eyes from the book. "Do you mind if I read it?"

"You can have it if you like," Ginny answered, putting the last of the fallen books on the table. "I haven't had a chance to look at much of it, other than the articles about Arabella."

Harry didn't respond, already engrossed in the bound news stories. Although he had heard bits and pieces of what had happened the year his parents had died, Harry had neither seen nor heard a complete, unbiased (well, he hoped it would be) account of everything that had occurred. Harry settled into his usual spot by the fire, oblivious to anything or anyone around him.

An hour later, Harry still had his nose buried in Ginny's book. He rubbed his scar occasionally – the dull throbbing still hadn't gone away – but otherwise, he was totally still as he read. The book was full of stories describing the fear and violence caused by Voldemort and his followers. Harry had heard about it before, but reading from the point of view of someone living through it really drove it home. The death toll was staggering, much worse than Harry had imagined. The paper printed a list of the fatalities daily, both wizard and Muggle. Harry was looking at a particularly bad day – the list of the dead filled an entire page. He was absentmindedly scanning the list of names when his eye caught something odd.

"Look at this," he called, glancing up to see if anyone was actually still in the common room. His friends were all still there, Ron beating Hermione in a game of Wizard chess, Ginny reading, and Fred and George whispering to each other in a corner. Ron and Hermione looked up as Ginny walked over to Harry, taking the book from him.

"What am I looking at?" Ginny asked, a slight frown on her face as she searched the list of names.

"Toward the end," Harry explained, confusion in his voice. He pointed to the spot, "Right there."

Ginny's frown deepened and she squinted, as if to make sure she was seeing correctly. "Severus Snape? That can't be…"

Ron and Hermione's attention was immediately caught. They abandoned their game, Hermione's pieces running off the board in relief, diving off the table and into the safety of Ron's bag.

"What about Snape?" Ron asked, his eyes narrowed. "Is there an article there about the slimy git's Death Eater days? I'd love something on him."

"No," Harry answered, his voice very small. "It's his death notice."

You could have heard a flobberworm crawl in the deathly silence that followed. Fred and George finally broke out of their conversation, looking up at Harry's last words.

"Did I just hear somebody mention a death notice?"" George asked. His brother followed him to the others, wearing a worried expression.

"No one's died, have they?" Fred asked, fear apparent on his face.

"No," Ginny answered. "Not recently, anyway. It's a list of fatalities from fourteen years ago. Snape is on it."

"But he's obviously not dead," Fred argued, "no matter how nice the thought may be. It must be a misprint, or a mistake. Maybe he was injured. He was a Death Eater, wasn't he?"

"Right," Harry said. "But Dumbledore believes he's changed."

Ginny was searching through the rest of the stories in that day's paper, to see if she could find any further mention of Snape's supposed death. Since he was a Death Eater, she reasoned, there might be a mention of a battle of some kind. Hermione looked over Ginny's shoulder, muttering, "There must be something in there."

"I've found it!" Ginny cried, putting the book down on the table triumphantly. Harry leaned over the table and began reading.

"Severus Snape, head of an influential wizard family, was among the dead in today's violent battle in Kent. Long suspected of working for the Dark Lord, Snape's death today confirmed the widespread rumors, and cast additional suspicion on his family, also alleged to be loyal to You-Know-Who. It is believed that the Death Eaters were attempting to take back Leeds Castle from the Muggles. As is common knowledge, supporters of Salazar Slytherin built Leeds Castle in the years following his defeat at the hands of Godric Gryffindor. Muggles first became aware of the castle nearly a century after it was actually built, when the Slytherin followers went into hiding with the help of local Muggles in an effort to escape from the Cleansing. Muggles firmly established their hold over Leeds during medieval times, as a series of Muggle rulers made the castle their home. Legend has it that the Muggles protected the remains of Salazar Slytherin's work in the Dark Arts, in exchange for help from the dark wizards in controlling their subjects."

Harry paused to take a breath. "While the Ministry denies any such tomes still exist, they were quick to arrive at the castle once the attack had begun, although the Death Eaters planned five simultaneous attacks throughout England. Ministry officials were too busy performing memory charms on Muggle tourists to comment. Snape was one of three Death Eaters killed at the site, along with two Ministry members, and five unidentified wizards and witches. Twenty-five Muggles were also killed in the initial confrontation, which the Muggle news is reporting as a bus accident. Snape leaves behind his wife, Revella, and his son, Severus, both of whom were unavailable for comment."

No one spoke for a moment. Finally, George broke the silence, his voice low, "Well, I guess Snape wasn't the only Death Eater in his family."

Much to his dismay, Harry found himself thinking about Snape for the rest of the day. Especially after the dream he had on Christmas day, he was confused about where Snape's loyalties lay. He took Sirius' word that Snape was on Dumbledore's side, and Dumbledore himself had not been too concerned about the dream when Sirius told him about it. In fact, Sirius had explained to Harry, that was exactly why Dumbledore had sent Snape in the first place. But Harry was still uncomfortable and needed to face Snape himself. Snape had been in the hospital wing since Christmas, and Harry also felt a twinge of guilt, remembering how lonely the holidays were when he was back at the Dursleys. He wondered if Snape's mother was still alive, or if Snape was alone like he had been before Sirius. He even briefly considered getting Snape a belated Christmas gift, but thought better of it when he remembered that Snape still despised him.

Harry walked into the hospital wing and was stopped immediately by Madam Pomfrey.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?" she demanded, her sharp eyes examining him shrewdly. Her tone softened somewhat, "You're not feeling ill are you?"

"No, I'm fine," Harry said, unconsciously touching his scar. "I, I just wanted to visit Professor Snape. To wish him a happy holiday," Harry added quickly, seeing the suspicion on the nurse's face. She looked at him for a moment as if trying to decide if she believed him or not.

"Well, all right," Madam Pomfrey finally consented. "But only for five minutes. He needs his rest."

Harry nodded gratefully, and quietly made his way towards Snape's bed. The potions master was lying still, his eyes closed and exhaustion written plainly on his face. Harry stood motionless, debating if he should stay or go.

"Are you going to say something or have you just come to annoy me?" Snape said, his eyes never opening.

Harry jumped. "I, er, I thought you were asleep."

"Apparently. You were wrong, as usual." Snape's voice sounded weak, but it somehow still held the same power and control he had in class.

Harry swallowed, trying to think of something to fill the awkward silence. "Er, Merry Christmas, sir."

Snape's eyes snapped open briefly in surprise. They were bloodshot and weary, and the professor soon closed them, regaining his composure. "Merry Christmas to you, Potter. I trust your holiday has been slightly more pleasant than mine."

Harry nodded, although he knew Snape couldn't see him. "I wanted to thank you," Harry began. "I mean, for the Portkey. When we found Mr. Weasley…"

"Saving your pathetic lives wasn't quite what I thought you deserved for breaking the rules once again. But I didn't really have a choice…"

Harry stood silently for a moment, gathering up his courage. "Why did you do it? I mean, why did you put your own life in danger? And in my first year, with Professor Quirrell, too…"

"If you expect me to suddenly reveal my deep-seated admiration for you and your so-called heroic deeds, you will be waiting an awfully long time. You've always felt you were above the rules; that they don't apply to you. Dumbledore has a soft spot for you and has let you get away with it. I have no such soft spot."

"Then, why?"

"Why? Because I want Voldemort defeated as much as you do. Yes, Mr. Potter, you are not the only one whose life has been touched by the Dark Lord."

"Your father," Harry whispered.

Snape's jaw tightened. "What do you know about my parents, Potter?"

Harry stammered, "Nothing, really. I just know your father died while Voldemort was still in power. Is your mother still…?"

Harry realized he had gone too far the second the words escaped his lips. Snape's whole body tensed, and anger radiated from him.

"I think it is time for you to go now," Snape hissed from between clenched lips.

"Yes, sir. I, I'm sorry," Harry mumbled, turning quickly and practically running from the room, away from Snape, away from the anger and hatred that he didn't understand.

Free time was but a distant memory once classes started up again. Quidditch practices resumed as soon as the whole team was back at Hogwarts. Fred and George were adamant that they would leave Hogwarts as captains of the greatest Quidditch team that had ever been seen. As usual, Harry didn't mind since the exhaustion provided a welcome relief from the thoughts that raced through his mind any time he sat still. Ron, on the other hand, complained loudly.

"This is the fourth practice this week! You're killing us! I mean, it is only Hufflepuff!" Ron bellowed as they headed back to the common room long after the rest of Gryffindor had gone to bed.

"You're just mad…" Fred began.

"Because you'd rather be spending every night with your girlfriend," George finished, a completely innocent look on his face.

Ron became flustered. "That's really rich coming from you two," he said hotly. "Both of your girlfriends are on the team!"

Fred clutched his side with his hands as if he had just been mortally wounded. "How could you say something like that to your brothers?"

"Your own flesh and blood," George added, looking equally mortified at the insinuation. "We are doing this for the good of the team! You don't hear Harry complaining about not being able to spend time with Ginny, do you?"

Harry flushed. "Leave me out of this, will you?"

"Harry is a perfect example of how a true Gryffindor should act," Fred responded, ignoring Harry's protest. "Look at his House spirit! Why, he wears that Gryffindor lion wherever he goes!"

Harry felt his face grow hot. He made a mental note to start wearing the Gryffindor pin on his sweater underneath his robes.

"Yeah Harry, where did you get it?" George asked, knowing very well that the protection charm had been a gift from Ginny. "I was thinking of having the whole team wear them – you know, kind of like an accessory to the Quidditch uniforms."

Ron groaned, "I'll wear the bloody dress robes that mum got me last year, as long as you give us an occasional day off from practice!"

"Look Ron," George said earnestly. "This next game is very important. If we lose the game, we lose the lead!"

"I know," Ron said, having calmed down a bit, and looking relieved that his brothers hadn't taken his offer to wear the dress robes seriously. "I just think six nights a week is a bit much."

"This is only the fourth night," Fred said, grinning.

"Yeah," Ron replied, annoyed. "And you have practice scheduled again for the next two days. I'm going to flunk out of school if this keeps up much longer."

"Aw, poor Ronniekins is worried about failing," George said in a singsong voice.

""Don't worry Ron," Fred added, a glint in his eyes. "I'm sure that Hermione will give you a private tutoring session."

"Fred," George chastised, "he'll definitely fail that way!"

"Ron does have a point," Angelina said, joining in the conversation. She walked over to Fred, putting her arm through his and pulling him closer to her. "We really should prepare for our N.E.W.T.s. I've hardly had a chance to open my books!"

"Well," Fred said, looking adoringly at the girl walking beside him. "Maybe we have been pushing too hard. You're right. We've had enough practice this week. The next two are cancelled."

"Hey, that's supposed to be a joint decision!" George yelled, looking extremely offended.

"I apologize George," Fred said with false politeness. "Do you concur that we have had sufficient practice this week?"

"Well, I haven't had much time to work on our joke shop," George said thoughtfully. "I concur," he concluded.

"It's official now," both said simultaneously, shaking hands very formally.

"They're both off their rockers," Ron muttered under his breath to Harry. Harry just smiled at his best friend. He could use the extra time for his homework, he thought. That tired him out nearly as well as Quidditch practice.

It was a good thing Quidditch practice had been cancelled the next day, considering the amount of homework they were assigned. Snape had just started teaching again that week, having remained in the hospital wing building his strength since Christmas. If Harry thought his holiday visit would generate any good will, he was sorely mistaken. In fact, Snape seemed to be making an extra effort to pick on him, snapping any time Harry so much as let his gaze wander. Snape also tried to make up for all the homework assignments he hadn't had a chance to give them while Fletcher had substituted, assigning two chapters and a 3-foot paper on the healing properties of phoenix tears, due the very next day.

Ron was furious. "The stupid git, he's purposely assigning us all this homework because we have our Quidditch match next week. He's hoping to keep us from practicing so Hufflepuff will have the advantage. Hannah told Neville that the Hufflepuff's were only assigned a chapter to read – no paper at all!"

"Well, it's a good thing we've already got four nights of practice in this week," Harry said, quietly chewing his potatoes. He was equally upset at the blatant unfairness, but with his scar still throbbing, he was too exhausted to join in Ron's fury.

"I still can't believe you actually went to wish him a Merry Christmas," Ron continued, stabbing his steak over and over with his knife.

Hermione watched Ron mutilate his dinner as she calmly buttered a roll. "Snape is a stupid git," she commented, as Ron looked at her in surprise. "But, that was very nice of Harry. We did just learn that he lost his father, and who knows what happened to his mother if they were involved with You-Know-Who. It can't be good considering the way Harry said he reacted. Maybe she was hurt by the Dark Lord."

"What're you looking at?" Ron asked sharply, interrupting Hermione as he turned to glare at Draco Malfoy. Malfoy had paused by the Gryffindor table, obviously eavesdropping, as he left the Great Hall. The Slytherin had a peculiar look on his face, his icy grey-blue eyes pensive, as he listened to the three speak to each other. It was quickly replaced by his usual sneer when Ron spoke to him.

"Well, from here it looks like a pauper, a bookworm, and a scarred freak," Draco drawled, shooting a smirk to his goons, who were standing close by, snorting in laughter. "Weasel, you're looking a little pale. Did you sell your blood to pay the Mudblood to go out with you? Then again, I guess her standards can't be too high judging by the company she keeps."

Ron jumped out of his seat, wand forgotten, his fists clenched. Harry stood with his wand aimed at Crabbe and Goyle, just in case they decided to interfere. Draco flinched slightly, relaxing only when Hermione grabbed Ron's arm.

"Ron, no, the Quidditch match! He's trying to get you punished so you can't play!" Hermione's words seemed to have a calming effect on Ron, and he sat back down, the red splotches on his cheeks fading slowly. Hermione kept her hand on Ron's arm, in case he changed his mind about attacking Malfoy.

"You're not worth it," Ron spat at the blonde boy. Malfoy however, just smirked, turning on his heel and walking out of the Great Hall. Ginny walked in at the same time, and was nearly knocked over by Crabbe and Goyle as they rushed to keep up with their leader.

"What was that about?" Ginny asked, straightening her robes. Harry quickly made room for her to sit, ignoring Ron's raised eyebrow.

"Nothing to worry about," Harry answered, although he didn't truly believe this. He didn't like the look on Malfoy's face – he was up to something.

Ginny frowned; she obviously didn't believe Harry was telling her everything, but she didn't comment. "Well, I just came down to see if Hermione wanted to come to the library with me."

"Aren't you going to eat?" Ron asked, looking at his now shredded steak in disgust.

"Don't have time," Ginny answered, grabbing a roll and chewing on it as she waited.

Hermione was still working on her dinner, and she looked longingly at her nearly full plate. "Is it all right if I meet you in the library in about 20 minutes?"

"I'll come with you now," Harry said to Ginny, a little too quickly, for Ron was again raising his eyebrows. "I, er, need to look up something for the potions paper," Harry explained.

Harry did need to do some research, but it easily could have waited until after dinner. However, since he usually only saw Ginny with Ron and Hermione, he tried to take advantage of any opportunity to talk to Ginny alone. He knew that she was just as focused on finding a way to stop Voldemort as he was, although he didn't completely understand why. Now that he had started paying attention he found that, as often as not, Ginny had her nose buried in some book detailing Voldemort's rise and fall from power. Without him having to explain, she seemed to just know why he couldn't sit and wait, why he had to do something. And when he did speak about this, she listened to him with grim determination, not the fear and worry he was used to from everyone else.

As he and Ginny were heading to the library, they were practically knocked over by someone running out of an empty classroom. It was Cho Chang. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Harry and Ginny, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Cho, are you all right? What's wrong?" Harry asked with concern.

Cho just looked from Harry to Ginny, shaking her head from side to side, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, putting a comforting arm around the older girl's shoulder.

Cho kept on shaking her head, finally choking out, "It was just a, a dream, I think."

"A dream? It'll be all right." Ginny said soothingly. Harry though, knew this was much more than just a dream. He'd never seen Cho this upset since, well, since Cedric died. Harry quickly brushed the thought aside – he found the easiest way to deal with Cedric's death was to not deal with it.

"Was it about, I mean did it have anything to do with…You-Know-Who?" Harry faltered.

Cho started crying again. Ginny gave her a handkerchief, pulling her down the hall. "We're going to Dumbledore," she ordered. Harry followed behind, feeling somewhat useless as Ginny murmured quietly to Cho.

The three found Dumbledore before they reached his office, running into the headmaster as he headed to the Great Hall for dinner. He stopped immediately as he saw Cho's tear streaked face, and Harry and Ginny's pale ones.

"Sir, we think she's had another vision," Harry said hurriedly.

"Is this true, Miss Chang?" Dumbledore asked, his piercing blue eyes staring into hers. Cho nodded weakly, calming slightly as she looked up at the headmaster's wizened face. Dumbledore immediately turned back, down the corridor, up the moving spiral staircase, and finally into his office, conjuring up a pot of tea as they sat down. He poured a cup for Cho and waited silently until she had finished it, her tears subsiding somewhat as she drank.

"So, Miss Chang," Dumbledore began. "Do you think you're ready to tell us what happened?"

Cho nodded and took a deep breath. "I, I went to the classroom to find someplace quiet to read – my common room was packed and I didn't feel like sitting in the library. I must've fallen asleep. I thought it was a dream, but then I woke up and…"

Dumbledore patted Cho's shoulder comfortingly as the tears began again. "Do you remember the dream?" he asked.

"Yes," Cho said, glancing at Ginny and Harry with fear in her eyes. "It, it was the two of them. Harry and her…"

"Miss Weasley," Dumbledore offered.

Cho nodded. "They were, they were by the lake, arguing about something. Then Harry jumped in the lake, and Ginny followed."

Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Jumped in the lake? Very interesting. Did you hear what they were arguing about?"

Cho closed her eyes, straining for the memory. Finally, she shook her head, "I, I can't really remember. I think she was trying to stop him."

Harry and Ginny exchanged uneasy glances as Cho continued, "The next thing I knew they were in a cave or something. It was dark and damp. And very cold. I can still feel the cold. And, and You-Know-Who was there, and a bunch of other people. And a snake – a giant, horrid snake! You-Know-Who grabbed Ginny and threw her to the floor. She must've hit her head or something – she didn't move. He was saying something that I couldn't understand – I think it was Parseltongue. It sounded so, so very evil. Then I saw a flash of green light…that's when I woke up." Cho's shoulders now shook with sobs.

"Did you see anything else?" Dumbledore asked gently.

Cho shook her head. "No."

"Miss Chang, you mentioned something about when you woke. What made you believe it wasn't a dream?"

Cho looked up, her eyes wide, yet peculiarly distant. She swallowed hard and stared at each of the faces before her in turn before continuing. "I, I heard something. Some, someone telling me to warn them." She paused, trying to control her sobs. "It was Cedric's voice."

A/N: Thanks a bunch to B for her helpful advice on the Snape storyline! And of course, thanks to all of you reading and reviewing. Another Ginny Potter that reviewed asked whether or not Harry and Ginny are together. Well, not exactly, yet. They have been getting closer and essentially admitted that they like each other, but Harry hasn't actually asked her out. Hope that's clear (oh, the tangled webs of teenaged romance!)

By the way, this was ready before New Year, but for some odd reason, I couldn't upload it until now. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.