Chapter 11
Eight in the morning Harry was pounding on doors. "Let's go, rise and shine."
Ron lifted one eyelid and smiled seeing Hermione snuggled against him. He lifted his head from the pillow and shouted "Sod off."
Ginny opened the door. "Ron, this is serious. We need everyone in the common room right now."
He woke, and started pulling on clothing, rousing Hermione with a kiss. "Come on love, something's afoot." He padded out to the common room, robe open, no shirt, socks in one hand, and shoes in the other.
Harry was already there, looking as if he stepped off the cover of Wizards Quarterly. His hair was messy, but still damp enough to appear as if he knew what a comb was. His robes were clean and straight.
"Well, don't you look dapper as all hell?" Ron asked hopping as he slid on his socks. Hermione slid into the room looking tired, but presentable.
"We found something." Harry had a notebook in his hand, Ron recognized it, it's the one Harry kept a log of his nightmares in.
"What?" Ron asked going back to his maps and notes.
"Malfoy manor is a trap. We were allowed to save only pure blood students. The rest are muggle-born or half and half. Though there are some pure bloods like Neville Longbottom, whose family was known to actively resist Voldemort the first time around."
Ron looked at Harry. "Yeah, I noticed that too mate."
"So what do we do then?" Cho asked.
"Simple. We ask Snape." Harry answered. "He was slipping in and out of there; we just need answers from him. Hermione, any progress with that?"
She nodded, "I should be able to give you something that will allow him to be lucid for a short while, perhaps an hour, perhaps less."
"How long until you have it worked out?" He asked.
"A couple hours." She dove back into her books.
"Harry, there is another option." Susan was looking at him. "Draco Malfoy."
"Malfoy is not an option." Harry stated firmly.
Susan simply nodded, the issue was dead now.
Ginny thought for a moment. "Harry, a word please, in private." He looked at her quizzically, but followed her.
They went into his room, and sat on his bed. "Harry, I don't want to sound like I'm interfering with your leading us, but we need every advantage we can get. Draco would know that place like the back of his hand."
He looked at her. "Yes, you are absolutely right, every inch of it. Funny how he was handed to us to save, don't you think?"
She looked stunned, the answer was so obvious. "You really think so Harry?"
"There's only one way to find out; come on."
They headed to the common room. "Justin, Cho, you are with Ginny and me."
Ron looked up from his maps of the manor. "Harry, what's up?"
"We are paying a social call to Slytherin. Back shortly, and keep an eye on the map." Harry said as they left.
The Marauder's Map was now affixed to the wall. Lisa was watching over the map, so Ron went back to his planning.
The others busied themselves with concocting the potion Lisa had come up with, some vile fluid that would dampen the magic flow of anyone doused in it. It took a while to prepare, but not much in each of the vials was needed to render a full grown witch or wizard virtually magically impotent. She found the potion in a set of notes lifted from Snape's office.
The four soon found themselves in front of the Slytherin common room. "Draconis Majorie" the wall slid aside, and they walked in.
"Where's Draco Malfoy?" Harry asked of the Slytherin students who were gathered and eating.
They looked almost rebellious, how dare an ex-Gryffindor enter their chamber and speak to them like that?
Justin stepped forward, and pointed at a first year boy. "You. Come here."
The boy stood shakily, and moved towards him. "Y-Yes?"
"Tell me," Justin asked in a comforting voice. "Where can we find Draco Malfoy?"
The boy thought a moment. "He left."
Suddenly Ginny felt the air around her tingle. Harry looked at the first year his blazing eyes boring into the boys' "Where did he go?"
The boy looked petrified. "H-He s-said he was going for a walk, and left." His voice was a mere whimper.
"Does anyone else know where he went?" Harry's eyes fixed a fifth year girl. She looked about to faint under his gaze.
As suddenly as the air had become charged, it was gone. "If he returns tell him I need to see him." Harry walked stiffly out of the room. He made it to the entrance when he turned to Ginny, and with a dazed expression said "I think I missed our anniversary…" and he passed out. Cho helped hold him up as Justin summoned a stretcher, and they took him back to the common room. He woke after only a half hour.
He noticed after this bout, that he was able to leave Slytherin; Ginny told him he had made it to the entrance room, but omitted the anniversary comment. He also noted he wasn't as hungry.
By this time Hermione had everything they needed. All ten left the common room and went to Dumbledore's office. Once inside, they used one spell to summon Snape, and the second to lend him sanity. It took nearly an hour before they were finished. When it was over Snape turned to Harry.
"Potter, you have far surpassed our expectations of you. Now, you have one last task to perform. I left notes in my office, there is a potion I was working on, and perhaps Grainger can complete it. It's what the muggles call a virus. It eats away at the magical folk, causing them to become squibs. Applied appropriately, this may be a way to defeat Voldemort."
Harry jotted down the note to himself. He stood making ready to leave.
"Harry." Snape said softly. "I need you to promise me something."
"What?" He was still shocked Snape had used his first name.
"Promise me you'll find a way to banish me. I can't stand this existence. Without this charm I can only feel the pain. Release me so that I - So that I can see the others who have gone."
"I will Professor." Harry left the chamber.