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CLAWS OF A RAVEN
by
Tyde
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Chapter Six
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Dumbledore's face was grave when Severus entered the Headmaster's office that evening. Harry and Ron had just left, headed to the Great Hall for dinner. They'd finished telling him that Harry's scar was hurting yet again and that He Who Must Not Be Named must be nearby, planning an attack. Snape himself had come to report the Dark Mark's signal he'd received in the afternoon.
"Good evening Severus. I think I know why you are here"
"He's summoning them to him Albus. He can't be far from here, the pain was more intense than it has ever been"
"I suspected as much, but I do not think he will attack us quite yet. He'll want to toy with us all a bit, as he used to. But we are ready for him"
Snape nodded and looked down at the ground. He knew Dumbledore was going to ask a question, about his work over the summer and he wasn't sure if he was ready to answer. He avoided the Headmaster's eyes.
"How many do you think will stay loyal to him?" The words cut through the air.
"A dozen at least"
"And how many will tell him of your attempts?"
"All of them. He has ways"
"Yes. One of which I'm told you devised for him" He was referring to a potion that Snape had spent months developing. One that turned the Imperious Curse into a tasteless liquid form. It could be put into any beverage and couldn't be traced. It was one of many potions Severus had formulated specifically for the Dark Lord.
"I was young and stupid then Albus, you know this" Snape's hands clenched at his side anxiously. It had been many years since he'd been under the most terrifying glare of Albus Dumbledore when he was angry, it was something he didn't wish to revisit for very long.
Dumbledore's face relaxed a little. "I do. I was just reminding you. Have you got any further with the antidote?"
"A little"
"How long until there will be a useable batch of it?"
"A month at least. But he doesn't have a limitless supply of the Imperio potion. A couple of pints at the most and he can't make more. I took the formula with me when I left. The effects last for a few days and then wear off. He could only hope to use it on two or three people at the most."
"Very well. The students are gathering in the Great Hall for dinner. Do not tell them anything but please have Minerva make an announcement to the staff that I am not to be disturbed this evening. There are some elements I must work on"
"Yes Headmaster" Snape nodded almost as if he was bowing, and left the room leaving Albus to sort out just what it was he could do with this latest news.
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Hermione hadn't been too surprised to hear that Harry's scar was acting up again.
As she put it "Well we knew he'd risen again, you told us Harry. Of course he's going to come after you. This time though it means we're just going to have to be prepared and you know what that means".
"Spending too much time in the library?" grumbled Ron.
"You can never spend too much time in the library Ron. But Harry if you're going to face him again we'll have to bulk up your knowledge. Hit him with everything we've got"
The firelight in the common room glinted off Harry's glasses as he contemplated all this. "You don't seem all that confident in Dumbledore's ability to keep the castle safe Hermione"
"Nobody's perfect Harry. Dumbledore is brilliant and he's kept you safe all these years but now that You Know Who is back in full force he may not be able to protect you. It was you that defeated him last time, it's you that'll rid him from the world forever"
"Talk about pressure huh?" joked Ron who received a fierce glare from Hermione for his efforts.
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It was some time in the very early morning when an owl dropped a letter on her face and flew out the window so quickly she didn't have time to register what type of owl it was. She really wasn't all that awake to tell the truth, not even as she ripped open the envelope to see whom the letter could be from.
Dear Sorora
Forgive me for not sending word earlier. As you know my work has taken me into the dark magical forest areas of Kazakhstan. We are in search of the Dark Lord. Fudge has kept it quiet to the public so that we may get on with our jobs.
I am deep undercover and cannot tell you when I may return. Do not fret for me for I am fine.
Love
Julian
Retrieving the torn envelope from the floor where she'd dropped it she turned it over a few times to see if there was any secret code or anything but all it said was: Mrs S. Palgetti, The Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Hogwarts School. She held the letter closer to her face, taking in the smell of freshly turned earth that permeated from the stationery. It was no doubt he was in a forest that was for sure.
She'd known that the life of an Auror's wife could be lonely at times but not hearing for almost six months whether her husband was dead or alive had grated on her nerves. Sorora felt a tiny pang of relief at this letter. True it wasn't much, but it gave her hope that he may return soon. She folded the letter up and put it inside her pillowcase so that she might dream about him. A thought struck her as she drifted back to sleep.
"That's odd. He didn't even ask about Clayton" Clayton was her husband's pet Kneazle that he loved almost more than his wife! He'd seen him through a lot of rough times. She'd been forced to put him in a kneazlery (like a Muggle cattery) until the end of term as she couldn't bring him to Hogwarts.
Her cousin Matilda had point-blank refused to look after him. "It's bad enough you keeping him here in the first place" she'd said rather haughtily. "Damn uncivilised things, Kneazles". Of course the thought left her mind as quickly as it had entered it because no doubt Julian had more pressing things at hand than to be worried about a pet.
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Author's note: It's almost like an addiction this reviews thing. I don't get a 'hit' and I feel down in the dumps. Sad, but true. And no this isn't me begging for reviews it's just me trying to explain why it takes me a while to update – I get depressed and don't feel like writing. Plus I'm a method actor which also to some degree makes me a method writer. Meaning that I like to get inside of my characters and swim around a bit. Live as them. I've been writing some mean and nasty torture scenes lately and it's hard to get out of that persona and become nice and Harry-like again. I haven't really been torturing anyone...just thinking in great depth about it. Terrible I know, but these are the sacrifices we make!
Corrie – thanks for your review. It made my heart sing :o) Honest to Merlin it did.
Snape coolgirl – I'm glad you like the sister thing. I wanted to do a slight twist on the usual Severus/OC way of knowing each other.
