Disclaimer: See previous chapters.
Notes: InvaderXelith: Oops! I forgot about that. Oh well, but I'll fix that if ever that gets mentioned in the later chapters. Thanks!
sNOw: It because Voldemort never knew Trelawney anyway, and he just wants to have a divination 'expert' in his team. Too bad he chose Trelawney!
A Shard's Worth of a Mirror ImageChapter Four: Mirror Image
Snape blanched. This was the first time Voldemort and the Death Eaters had a development in their plans without him present. Unconsciously running a hand over his forearm where his Dark Mark was, he half-expected it to burn, but the painful sensation never came. Voldemort wasn't calling him, and this was serious.
Knowing full well that Potter did not need the Infirmary in this kind of headache, he pried off Weasley's arms from Harry and half-carried him towards the Headmaster's office, an arm supporting Harry. Hermione, Ron, and the select few who knew what Harry's headache meant kept mum about Snape's sudden uncalled-for concern towards Potter. The Slytherins and the rest of the class were quite open-mouthed with the whole spectacle. Who would have thought Snape would even half-carry Potter to the Infirmary? (They did not know they were going to the Headmaster's office)
All except Artemis Fowl. Before Snape and Harry, still woozy with pain, could even go through the classroom's main door, he ran after them to follow.
Snape was already aggravated enough as it is, so he opened his mouth to spit out a retort when Artemis waved him off with impatient words of his own.
"This concerns me, Professor Snape. Father. I believe I would be of some help."
"Your help isn't needed, boy, you should get your nose in more juvenile, more fitting, endeavors instead," Snape said slowly, as if talking to a five-year-old boy, but no one in the room could miss the syrupy sarcasm in his voice. "Or should I just keep you from attending your classes, son? In other words, lay off."
That particular remark stung Artemis more than any other insult Snape would hurl at him for the rest of his stay at Hogwarts. Nobody told Artemis Fowl to lay off from matters, but rather, people who knew him well would practically beg for his attention and accurate advice.
Nobody, nobody told Artemis Fowl to lay off.
The whole class watched Artemis carefully for any sign of his reaction.
They would be sorely disappointed.
Artemis merely shrugged and looked at Snape straight in the eye. "Very well then, you have my word, Father," Artemis said, emphasizing the truth in his words. "I will go for more…juvenile matters."
With that said, he turned his back on his 'father' and walked back to his table and his unfinished potion, in classic Snape billowing-robe style. But not before he held his father's gaze with his steely own. Artemis might have only imagined it, but he thought he saw disappointment in Snape's eyes, but was quickly replaced by something else and then the teacher left the classroom, with the still-disoriented Harry.
Time was running out. Artemis picked up a quill from his desk and chewed on its end unconsciously. The cogs in his brain were working non-stop now. He could not afford to be lax in these moments. Not when time was of the essence, with Juliet's and possibly Artemis' life in the balance. And of course, there is also the matter of recovering his faerie gold from the goblins, but that could wait.
Artemis decided that a visit to the library was in order.
"This is bad, Albus," Snape said, wringing his hands. If one were to see him doing so, the reaction could be one of these two: first could be of humor, since it was not every day that you would see the potions master act with so little self-control, and really looked pathetic doing so. But second, and the more possible reaction if the one who caught Snape acting in such a matter realized the full weight of the situation, would be that he would be packing his bags for muggle Alaska immediately. "If Voldemort suspects me, then we would be paralyzed. We could not charge blindly, and you know that."
Albus nodded. The Death Eater that Artemis left out of the Blue Rinse whom they had subjected to Veritaserum indeed confessed that Snape was already on shaky ground in relation to his standing with Voldemort. Pity the man, Macnair, was just a lackey and was not a confidant of Voldemort's more essential plans. But then, if you were wise, you wouldn't be sending your most trusted confidant into enemy territory, not when they have Veritaserum on hand.
"Does your scar still hurt Harry?" Albus turned to Harry, who was seated opposite Snape in front of Dumbledore's desk. Harry nodded, but he replied, "Yeah, a bit, but I could recall what was in the vision, though."
"Do tell," said Snape, intent of hearing every information that he could milk at the moment.
"Well, Voldemort and many Death Eaters were together, discussing something in some sort of a cemetery…" Harry shuddered, remembering what happened in his last year. "…and he, Voldemort, told them to recover the 'rumored real' heir. I'm sure he meant Artemis."
"Recover?" repeated Snape. "What did he mean, recover? Unless…"
"Unless that he had been consorting with Voldemort as well in the past, was that what you are trying to say, Severus?" Albus asked the agitated man.
"Yes."
"You have nothing to worry about in that regard, Severus," Albus said reassuringly. "Because I have had my own doubts myself, and also did precautions to appease them."
Severus and Harry knew better than to question Albus on how he carried out his precautions.
"Is there anything else you saw, Harry?"
Harry nodded. He was starting to get used in these situations, like being a voyeur every time Voldemort made a development, and grisly developments they were, was as common as taking breakfast. "A girl about my age was…tied to a tombstone. She didn't look good, if you know what I mean."
Snape, for the second time, paled. The Boy Who Lived, seeing a girl being raped and he was telling it to someone else as if it were just a minute detail? Where was the world coming to?
"And nothing else, Professor Dumbledore."
"What are your plans, Headmaster?" Snape asked. "Anything I could do?"
"You should stay here, Severus. Judging by the current situation, you're in danger. You'll be safe here," said Dumbledore, finality in his tone.
"But the students!" Snape started, his unwillingness to relinquish his usefulness evident.
"I know, Severus. But there is something at work which we do not know," said Dumbledore austerely, "and it would be wise if we were to wait."
That evening Snape had his Dark Mark burning, and beyond all reason other than his own, stepped out into the night that was threatening to claim him. Dumbledore was innately furious at his long-time charge, but there was nothing to be done. Severus was Severus.
On his way out the Library, Artemis found Harry waiting for him in the stairs leading to the dungeons. He looked sick with worry.
"What happened?" Artemis asked, butterflies in his stomach. This is going too fast, he thought. But then, Artemis was now armed with a plan. It is just that he found the Wizarding World sorely lacking of subtlety. Things happen when you expect it to.
"Professor Snape went into the Forbidden Forest," Harry said, a hand running through his hair. "He's…"
Artemis knew better than to push Harry, but things were extremely urgent. "He's…?"
"He's going to die!" Harry cried. "I just had a vision that Voldemort was going to cast to Snape the Avada Kedavra curse the moment he meets up with them. He's going to die and there's nothing I could do about it!"
Artemis thought for a moment. If he were to carry out his plan tonight, Professor Snape's life would be saved. Possibly even Juliet's. But this one was merely of diversion, and it was supposed to be used in conjunction of another, greater, plan, but that one was useless if his other comrades were not there to back him up.
Artemis decided to do it as soon as possible. "Harry, I was wondering if there was some way that we could track Voldemort."
Harry's eyes lit up with hope. Evidently Artemis had a plan, and that it was possible that lives were going to be saved. "Y-yes. I have the Marauder's Map, it was originally an animated blueprint of Hogwarts only, but if I put a drop of an Enhancement solution, it would cover almost an eighth of Wizarding Britain."
Artemis cocked an eyebrow. "If that's so, then why didn't the folks here trace Voldemort then and there, if all you could do was to use that map?"
Harry shook his head. "Many reasons for that. First, Hermione only discovered the Enhancement solution only recently, and second, even if we could spot Voldemort, how could we beat him? I mean…"
Artemis cut in. "Hermione?"
"She's my best friend besides Ron. She's the best students Hogwarts had in years, and she could brew potions perfectly."
Just whom I needed. "Could she spare some time to make a potion at my request?" Artemis asked with all sincerity.
Hermione wiped a drop of sweat running on her forehead with her sleeve. She, Artemis, Harry, Ron and even Blaise were putting on a tension-filled vigil while waiting for the potion to be finished in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
"Here, use this," Artemis handed Hermione his handkerchief, which was gratefully accepted. "How long would the effect last?" asked Artemis.
"Usually, only an hour, like Polyjuice Potion," said Hermione. "But if I add a drop of the Enhancement Solution, the effect will last up to five hours." Hermione was evidently proud of her achievements. Artemis decided then and there that the girl could use some lessons in subtlety, but then, she was a Gryffindor. In Artemis' three weeks of stay in Hogwarts, he found out about the Four Houses and their attributes. Next to Hufflepuff, he disliked Gryffindor best.
Blaise shook his head, smiling. His hazel eyes were glowing with mischief. "Fred and George should have gotten you to do this potion for them, Hermione," he said. Blaise, one who formerly disliked the Gryffindor Triad, became close to them after it was revealed to him that most Slytherins did not support the ideals of a true Slytherin. They only believed in Voldemort, and he decided that he was not going to be a part of his demented design. That decision was driven home with the fact that the other Slytherins ostracized him and his parents when they found out that the Zabinis did not support Voldemort's ideals. Five months ago Blaise punched Malfoy in the face and declared to all Hogwarts that if there ever was a true Slytherin, that particular Slytherin was dead and turning in his grave.
For Blaise, a true Slytherin based his worth on cunning, and with genetic make-up. That was absurd. Malfoy was a classic example of a pseudo-Slytherin, and so was Voldemort.
"I won't you guys bring me along?" Ron whined to Harry and Artemis. "I would be useful, not to mention I know some hexes…"
"Oh, shut your trap Ron," Blaise rolled his eyes. "We're only good for fighting, not thinking."
Artemis wanted to agree, but he knew that the remark was self-deprecating and verbal agreement would come close to an insult. "The task is more covert-oriented, and detection would be detrimental to the cause," he said instead.
"Er, translate to English please, Snape," said Ron.
"I think what he meant was that the moment Voldemort sees us, we're toast." Harry said.
"Right-o," Blaise chimed in. "I also want to go with you guys, but I'll just wish you luck instead."
Harry nodded. Artemis had just told them about his plan, and he knew that he needed lots of them.
Moments later Hermione announced that the potion was ready. Handing Harry and Artemis two stoppered flasks, she along with Ron and Blaise escorted them to one of the secret passages that led to the Forbidden Forest.
Harry put on the Invisibility Cloak around him and Artemis as soon as they reached the fission in the west-side wall in the Great Hall hidden behind a suit of armor. Before they parted ways, Hermione saw it fit to give each of the two heroes (one dubious, if you ask me) a peck on the cheek. Harry blushed furiously, Artemis was slightly thrown off-balance, and Ron just looked furious.
When Harry and Artemis went in the secret passage, they could hear Ron saying "What was THAT for?!"
Severus Snape, Potions master at Hogwarts, found himself having the back of his head pushed deep into the mud as soon as he Apparated next to the Dark Lord.
"Eat dust, as mudbloods say," hissed Voldemort in his most menacing voice. "Nobody betrays me and live."
The other Death Eaters laughed. The scene looked as if they were some sort of a midnight cult, with their somber black cloaks and white masks and with them congregating in the middle of a deserted cemetery. With Severus Snape as their blood sacrifice.
"A pity you do not favor wand magic, my pet," Voldemort said, slowly suffocating Severus in the mud. "How would your Potions save you, hm?"
No response from Severus. Juliet, the girl they had abducted and saw fit to use as a bait to lure out the Slytherin 'heir', squeezed her eyes shut, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. "P-please," she sobbed. "No more!"
Voldemort smiled evilly at her. "You should open your eyes to what the world really is, whore."
Juliet bit back a retort, her eyes evidence to her brewing fury. Voldemort looked down once again to the manacled figure beneath him. "You know, Severus, I planned on using the Killing curse on you, but I decided that the mudblood way would be more suitable."
Voldemort was about to stomp his foot hard on Severus' nape to break his spine, but he was distracted by the two visitors who appeared out of nowhere, standing on one of the elevated mausoleums, looking down on Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Peter Pettigrew, one of Voldemort's lackeys, stifled an errant, cowardly gasp. Standing on the roof of the white washed mausoleum were James Potter, and a man who looked eerily like Severus Snape, only more handsome with his vampiric blue-eyed smile.
James held his wand while the other held a rapier, charmed so that it would have burn with white flame.
"I believe this would be the first of the many times we would take back what you have stolen from us, Tom Riddle," James said, raising his wand arm.
Like Peter Pettigrew was haunted by the vision of James, solid and real, in front of him, Voldemort likewise shared the same experience. But not with James, rather of the other man with the flaming blade.
Voldemort started to exclaim the name of the other man, but was cut short when Severus Snape chose that very moment to catch him unawares. He only succeeded to mutter the first two letters of the man's name.
"Gr—"
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