Chapter Six

Snape's Account



Before Snape continued with his account of the night's events, he stood alert looking intently at the seated Headmaster and asked him if the girl was to be trusted with such information.

"Headmaster, I can't help but agree with McGonagall on this. The girl does not need to know this information.  It's too risky; besides, if her memory is meddled with, all our plans will be revealed.  Are we to take that risk?"

"Severus, the two of you have to work together now to make sure your covers aren't exposed.  I hate to say this, but I can not help but feel that this new turn of events will benefit our side.  She will not know of our plans against the attack, she will only be told of such like you discover from your meetings."

"So then; professor by morning, and sitter by night; how very convenient."

"You forgot spy," the Headmaster added nonchalantly."

"Yes well, teaching and spying I can tolerate, but this," he stated with a rigid gesture of his hand towards Hermione like she was an object in the room he so wished was a footrest.  

The Headmaster was about to defend her when he was interrupted.

"Severus, please-- feel free to call me Hermione now that we're going to be lovers," she said daringly.  "Oh, I'm sorry," she added deviously, "can I call you Severus?"

Hermione stared at the incredulous Potions Master blistering with fury.  The professor seemed as if he had grown an outer concrete layer-- his veins distended beneath his tight lean face and his temples throbbing from grinding hard on his teeth.  He masked his ugliest sneer yet before turning to the insolent fleece mop at his side.  

"Listen to me very carefully, Miss Granger, for I will not repeat myself in the future," he said heatedly.  "If you ever address me so informal again-- I will knock so much points off your house the impact will tame your mane."

Hermione stood up quickly as her tresses flew across her face and over her shoulders, making her look even more menacing.  "What is it with you and my hair, Professor?  Do you somewhat feel threatened by my 'mane' as you so call it," she snapped, feeding her Potions Master's fury.

"It is your manners that offend, Miss Granger.  Your mane is what I suspect triggers your inanity, unless it runs deeper than that," he spat through pursed lips and bloodshot eyes.

"Then I suppose your greasy pelt explains your callousness," she shot back to the livid Professor.

"All right, that is enough," McGonagall demanded.

"Ten points from Gryffindor Miss Granger, for addressing a Professor so informal, and ten more for offending your Potions master.  McGonagall stared at them in disbelief.  "Now, Severus, if you would please continue-- the sun is rising and the students will be up soon." She threw an incredulous look towards the Headmaster who was obviously entertained if not interested with the professor and his Head girl's behavior towards each other.

"Fine," he muttered.  "The meeting was just as we suspected," Snape began.  "It was Dolohov tonight, and I didn't want to risk asking about it in case I was suspected, but it was definitely one of the parchments.

"Was Tom there," Dumbledore asked?

"No, the Dark Lord wasn't there again.  And I still don't know which of the Death Eaters he chose as his secret keeper.  I suspect that it's Malfoy, but it just seems too easy. If it weren't for the fact that it was he who announced the Dark Lord's plans, I would not have believed him to be the secret keeper.  I still have not figured out what was on the two previous parchments, although it may have had something to do with the arrival of Miss Granger."

If Hermione was puzzled by the information flowing from the lips of her Potions Master, she did not show it. Instead she listened intently and made sure she didn't let a single information slip from her mind.

"Yes, it's what I assumed too," said Dumbledore.

Hermione shot her head up whilst she eyed the Headmaster warily.

"Wait, what exactly do you mean by that, Headmaster?  Are you saying that I was expected to be there tonight."

"Well not necessarily you," the Headmaster replied.  "But yes, Miss Granger, I suppose you can say that it was expected.

"What?  By whom?  Why?  Wait!  So does that mean that this isn't really—entirely my fault?"

"Good Heavens child, what on earth possessed you to believe that it was?" her Head of House interrupted.

 
Hermione shot Snape a nasty look as she thought of the shit he put her through earlier knowing that she really had nothing to do with it.  She wished to gods that she could just get up and slam the bastard against the wall.  She looked averted her gaze from him when she realized he was not and would not pay any attention to her.  

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, Headmaster, please continue!" she said with a smile back on her face.

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better Miss Granger," said Albus.

"Thanks," she replied, feeling relaxed for the first time since she walked into her Potions class on Friday.

"Yes, Severus, there are simply too many unanswered questions to suspect Lucius as Tom's secret keeper," the Headmaster continued.  "What happened to the parchment given to Dolohov?" Dumbledore asked.

"Same as the others--he threw it in the hearth after he read it. No one else knows what's on that parchment but him.  We were given specific orders not to ask.  But I still don't understand why he wanted the parchments burnt.  A simple vanishing or flaming spell could have done it, but I guess the Dark Lord is taking every precaution."

"Maybe," Dumbledore said pensively.  "I suspect it has something to do with the charms that were cast on the parchments, but I might be wrong. Have you picked anything up on his whereabouts?"

"No, we still don't know where he is.  He is still giving out orders, but through whom I haven't any clue.  It puzzles me why the Dark Lord feels he has to go into hiding.  It's not like him."

"No Severus, I'm afraid he is not in hiding.  Tom is up to something and we need to make sure he doesn't carry out his plans, before it is too late."  Dumbledore opened a drawer on the left side of his desk.  He shifted through the papers and oddments looking for something.

Hermione, McGonagall, and Snape were watching him intently wondering what it was he was looking for.

"Ah," the Headmaster exclaimed.  "I knew I had one stashed in here," he said pulling out a chocolate covered cherry drop.

"Honestly Albus, chocolate in the morning," Minerva scowled?

Dumbledore popped the candy in his mouth, smiled, and continued.  "Was everyone there?"

The three looked at him incredulously.

"Yes, but not at the same time; eventually, one or two would leave the room and return, and then there were some who were late."

"How many more parchments left?"

"Three.  We weren't told when the next meeting would be, he's keeping us all in the dark."

"As usual; he's cautious that we don't find out what his plans are."

"Yes, well he's doing a good job," Minerva exclaimed.  "Do you have any idea who the next parchment will go to?"

Snape looked wearily at the Headmaster as he attempted to clear his cluttered mind.  He relaxed himself and walked over to the corner and pulled a chair closer to the Headmaster's desk.

"No, not until the next meeting."  He ran his fingers through his hair, and with his elbows propped on his knees; he buried his face in his hand, massaging his temples with his long, thin, potion-stained fingers.

"There's something else, Headmaster."  Snape's voice was soft and his eyes full of disappointment.  "Pettigrew has been found. His head was found skewered at the edge of the Galadon forest by the Hogervow village."

Hermione let out a sharp gasp and clasped her hand instantly around her mouth.  Snape's lip curled into a sneer as he glared at her for her trifling interruption.

"If you can't handle this information, Miss Granger, kindly remove yourself from this meeting.  I'm sure there are better things you'd like to do with your time."

Snape turned back to a grave Dumbledore.  Hermione noticed that this information was upsetting news to the Headmaster.

"Very well, it's just as I feared.  Do you know who murdered him?"

"No, I'm not even sure who it was that found him, but I'm sure it will be in the paper soon.  I'm sorry I didn't get to him first.  I'm surprised he was even found.  No one knew of his whereabouts. He wasn't even mentioned in tonight's meeting.  It was Nott who told me he was found, and he was upset that he wasn't the one who killed him.  The meeting wasn't as long as the previous-- just the usual discussions and the boy. Lucius also announced that he was throwing a ball next week."

"What's the occasion?" inquired a puzzled Minerva.

"He wouldn't say. But there is one more thing Headmaster.  I believe someone is feeding Lucius information about the Order.  I've been monitoring his whereabouts since he let it slip three months ago when he received the first parchment that he hadn't got any sleep the night before.  I didn't suspect anything then until I saw him at the Serpent's Club last month when he asked me to brew him a sleeping potion because he hadn't had any sleep for the two previous nights. I didn't want to tell you unless I was certain, so last Thursday I called his son in and…er…misinformed him that I had flooed his father on the thirteenth but he wasn't home.  He told me he remembered his father was out all night."

Hermione's face was all screwed up.  She had no idea where Severus was going with this, and she wondered if the Headmaster and McGonagall were just as puzzled, till she noticed the fear in their eyes.

"So," Severus continued, "unless it's just a mere coincidence that Lucius is having trouble sleeping on the nights of the full moon, I'd think he found out.

"It's impossible, how could he have found out," Minerva exclaimed.  "We were discreet, and the charms," she stammered.  "It has to be someone in the Order.  How else would he know when we held our meetings? If he found out we knew about the attack and our counter, it would all be ruined."

"Well, hopefully we'll find out soon, before all our hard work is exposed.  But I doubt it was from inside the Order," Dumbledore said wearily.  "Unless, I am getting too old to notice when I am being deceived. But let's hope for the culprit's sake that he isn't a member of the Order.  So, if that's all for tonight—excuse me--today, it's a beautiful morning and I think we have duties to attend to.  Minerva I'll need you to check on this broom closet and report back to me, and Severus, how is the potion coming?"

"It's on schedule, the aconite won't be ready for another two weeks but it's as expected."

"Excellent, that's good news. Well, Miss Granger if you haven't any questions, I'm sure Harry and Ron are eager to see you.

Snape stirred and cleared his throat, "Miss Granger" he said without so much as looking at her, "meet me tonight after dinner in the dungeons so we could discuss our… situation.

Hermione had so many questions to ask but she didn't want to risk being lashed out at by Snape, so she nodded and headed for the door.  Before she turned the knob, she looked back to the Headmaster and asked:  "I'm sorry Headmaster, and I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is going to happen to Dra- I mean Mr. Malfoy?"

 
Dumbledore looked at her in surprise and wondered what she was talking about before he realized what he meant.  

"Whatever do you mean, Miss Granger?" Minerva asked before Albus responded.

"I mean what's going to happen to him?  Is he going to get punished for trying to set Harry up last night, and for nearly getting me killed," she asked a bit disconcerted that it didn't hit any of them right away that Malfoy deserved to be punished.

Snape let out a soft, harsh laugh.  He eyed her as if he were not at all surprised that she had not been paying attention to anything he had said all night.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you again, Miss Granger, but who said Mr. Malfoy had anything to do with what happened last night.


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