Chapter 5
The graveyard was five miles away from Hogsmeade. I had decided to use my horse and carriage. I was not in the mood for walking for hours with a depressed boy in this windy weather. Besides, Harry might not be able to walk back to Hogwarts after his visit. I had seen him breaking down and I could guess how deep was his love for Cho Chang. Chances were that this would not be the last time he would encounter loss and grief. I pitied him.
"You've rejoined the Quidditch team," I said to the boy, wanting to distract him from his grim thought.
He nodded. "Madam Hooch wouldn't allow me to fly at first. But then Ron quickly said that I was fine and wouldn't be distracted. Professor McGonagall supported Ron's opinion too."
"Of course," I snorted. "She won't let Gryffindor lose the Quidditch Cup at any price."
"She's not like that," Harry replied, with slight indignation. "She did it because she wanted me to be happy again."
I snorted again. "You are so naïve, Harry. Stern and fair though she is in her class, in reality she is not above House rivalry."
"I know she's not above House rivalry," Harry smiled wanly. "She always reminds us not to lose the Cup, and she bent the rule by giving me a Nimbus 2000 in my first year. But I don't think she will allow me to fly if I am really distracted, though."
My lips quirked into a sinister smile. "Of course she will not allow you to fly if you can't win her that bloody Cup."
Harry looked at me, surprised. "Do you really think so low of Professor McGonagall?"
I sighed. That statement was not fair. Minerva didn't deserve it. "I was just being sarcastic."
"Oh."
"Although I must admit that. the statement I made about your Head of House is most . injudicious."
He looked at me. An unspoken 'indeed'.
His gesture reminded me of my previous statement to Dumbledore: The boy's maturity is not far beneath mine. Being honest with oneself is unpleasant indeed.
********
The nearer we were to the graveyard, the more subdued Harry became. I didn't know if it was cause by his apprehension to go to a place where he would be reminded of his fourth year event, or if he was remembering his deceased lover. I didn't dare to ask him, though. I thought it was better to give him some time alone to sort out his feeling. But I did warn him when we were only a mile away from our destination.
The graveyard keeper, an unpleasant Squib who could pass as Filch's twin brother, approached us and asked us what we wanted, clearly displeased at our visit. I told him that we wanted to visit Cho Chang's grave, all the while glaring at him, daring him to stop us. Wisely, he didn't. I asked him the direction and he pointed it to me curtly.
"Do you want to go there alone, Harry?" I asked the boy who had not raised his head since we entered this gloomy graveyard. He nodded. I saw a droplet of liquid fell to his hands.
"I will be waiting at the carriage," I told him, more softly this time.
He nodded and walked away slowly to find Cho Chang's grave.
***********
I played with Shadow's - my horse - mane absent mindedly while waiting for Harry to return. I had a lot to think about. The most crucial of all was Draco.
I didn't know how he had planned to slip the poison for Harry to drink. Harry was not stupid enough to receive any drink or food from Draco, or any Slytherin. Besides, if he had seen the scene with Voldemort yesterday, didn't he already know that Voldemort wanted Draco to poison him? I made note to myself to ask him about this later, and also to warn him about the poisoning attempt. Albus would also alert the House Elves and the staff about this matter.
How about Draco himself? What could I do to prevent him from attempting this appalling act? I shook my head inwardly. I didn't understand why Voldemort asked Draco, Draco of all people, to carry out this plan. I mean, that blasted Red Eyes had once warned Lucius to educate his son more sternly so that his spoiled son wouldn't turn out worse than the Weasleys, or Salazar forbid, Longbottom's spawn. In other words, Voldemort knew that Draco wasn't dependable enough for this important mission.
What was the hidden agenda here? Or was Draco only a distraction? And Voldemort had secretly chosen another person in Hogwarts for this mission? Someone who wouldn't be suspected? Or was Voldemort trying to set me into a trap? If the mission failed then I must have contacted Dumbledore or warned Harry. If it succeeded, he would kill two flies at once, a dead Potter and a proof that I was loyal to him.
What could I do to prevent this and preserve my position as a spy? I suspected that the murder attempt would be carried out on the Halloween Feast this evening. It didn't leave me much time then. Not that I already had a plan anyway. I hoped Dumbledore could find a way out of this.
Suddenly a cold wind blew, distracting me from my thoughts. I looked at my watch. It had been an hour. What on earth was Harry doing in the graveyard for an hour? I began to worry, but stopped myself from going after him. He needed to be alone.
I sat back and returned to my brooding, which now had a different topic. I couldn't help but notice how different our relationship had become since I opened up to him. I often found a part of me screaming loudly of what had I done, telling *him*, my enemy's son, about my weaknesses, comforting him, tutoring him, *caring* for him, letting down my guard. Another part of me, who unsurprisingly sounded like my father, agreed full heartedly for my dutiful act in helping the hero of the Wizarding world.
And there was this small voice inside of me, a weird voice that felt strangely familiar, which kept encouraging me to get closer to the boy.
Closer to the boy. I had never thought that I would find the thought pleasantly. warming.
**********
About fifteen minutes later, I saw Harry coming out from the graveyard. His eyes were puffy and red, and his whole body was shaking. It didn't take a Trelawney to predict what had happened. I went to him, wrapping my cloak around him, and gently helped him onto the carriage. I could hear him sniffs once or twice, but didn't make any remarks about it.
*********
After we arrived at Hogsmeade, I stopped at Three Broomsticks to buy two bottles of Butterbeer which we drank on our way back to Hogwarts. The sun had set and no student was seen; for that I was grateful.
I told him not to receive any kind of food from other students save from his closest friends.
He nodded. "I've seen what Voldemort told Malfoy to do."
"Yes, and Halloween is the best time if you want to poison someone."
"Will he really do it though?"
"Draco? I suspect so. He has no choice. Voldemort will surely punish him and his father severely if he fails."
"Does he like what he's going to do?" Harry's voice was small when he asked that. Perhaps it was incomprehensible to him that such a young boy enjoyed killing a human being. He was thinking like a Gryffindor again.
But I too, didn't know if Draco's fall to the dark side had extended to enjoying taking other people's lives.
I sometimes wondered if I should stop spying and concentrate more on nurturing my students.
"Thanks for the butterbeer," Harry said suddenly after emptying his bottle.
"You're welcome," I replied.
"This is. very kind of you, Sir," he said. "And today at the graveyard too. I mean. giving me space and all that."
"You've never thought that I could be considerate before, have you?" My tone was neutral.
"Well.," he sounded rather embarrassed. "I. I.," he stopped. I could picture his face flaming red.
I smirked. "Don't worry, Harry. Such a widespread assumption is not entirely unfounded."
"So is it true, that you're inconsiderate to other people?
"I would certainly never deny such statement, not to others nor to myself."
"But you were very kind and thoughtful with me today. And before today too, when you helped me dealing with my sadness. I don't think I would have made it without your help."
"That, Harry, is merely my fierce dutifulness speaking. I didn't want you to break down and do something rash, and end up endangering yourself or others," I told him.
"Oh." He sounded oddly disappointed.
We didn't talk again after that. I had to focus on the slightly uneven road - falling into a hole on the road was not something I was looking forward to - though I really wanted to see his expression. I strangely felt disquiet at my admission of my motive to Harry. Partly because I was anxious to see how he would react. Another part of me was perturbed because somehow I suspected that the statement was not entirely true. Although I didn't usually analyze my feelings-a womanly activity for the drama queens- , now my brutal honesty had forced me to admit to myself that as time went by, my care for him was beyond a mere obligation.
***********
"We are going to be late for Halloween Feast," I said, looking at my watch. "I'll try to be quick, but we will still be late for at least half an hour."
From the corner of my eye, I could see his brows frowning. I ignored him. Later, I took a glance at his expression and he was still frowning. Annoyed, I snapped, "I know that missing such an important event is very upsetting for you, but I am sure that sneaking into the kitchen is not an activity you seldom do, so stop giving me that hurt look."
He looked at me, startled. "That's not what I am thinking about, Sir." He sounded very offended. "I am thinking of a way to avoid the poisoning thing."
"So? Care to share that brilliant plan of yours?"
He answered, "You can change Draco's poison with something else that looks like the poison right?"
"Oh yes, *of course* Dumbledore and I haven't thought about such a brilliant plan! And how, pray tell, are they going to believe that I, the only person in this school save Draco who knows about this plan, have nothing to do with it," I said sarcastically. Old habits die hard.
"Are you sure you're the only person other than Draco that knows about this plan? I mean, Draco must need help, right?"
"Crabbe and Goyle? I don't think Draco or Lucius will tell them anything about such a serious matter."
"How about Blaise?" he smiled slyly.
To say that I was surprised in an understatement. How on Earth did this boy know that Zabini, the most discreet spy I'd ever encountered, had any connection with Voldemort?
He chuckled. "It isn't me actually, it's Hermione and Ron. You know that I've been pretty distracted these last few weeks so it wasn't me who noticed Blaise."
I raised my eyebrow in silent question.
Familiar with my expression, he answered, "Hermione, Ron, and I know that you're a spy. Or at least that you're spying for us after Dumbledore told you to do something in the end of our Fourth year. Remember that?"
"Yes."
"Snuffles, I mean Sirius, knows that we know, so he saw no harm in telling us that you're being watched closely by Voldemort. He said there must be a spy in Hogwarts that Voldemort placed to keep an eye on you. He told us to find out who the spy was."
"How thoughtful of him!" I said as cynically as I could.
Harry smiled wanly, "Oh, he just didn't want us to lose a useful spy. Besides, there's no telling that the spy won't try to harm us too."
"True." I nodded.
"So, we sneaked here and there, sometimes went into the Slytherin dorm with my Invisibility cloak and watched the suspects closely."
"You. you.. went into Slytherin's dorm? How? How do you know the password?" I spluttered. These brats' sneakiness was really astounding!
"Ron and I impersonated Crabbe and Goyle with Polyjuice Potion and went with Draco once. After we heard the password, we sneaked there with the cloak."
I almost fainted.
He laughed. "Don't worry, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall know. They knew that it was necessary. McGonagall just told us to be careful."
I didn't know what to do or think anymore. The fact that Dumbledore and McGonagall (McGonagall!) knew and even encouraged this behavior was truly beyond my capacity to understand, and tolerate. I would have a nice long chat with those two after I return.
"Okay, back to the topic," Harry said brightly. He seemed pleased to see me taken off guard and speechless. (Of course, I thought, who would not be pleased seeing the greasy bastard speechless?) "Hermione and Ron still kept an eye on the suspects when I was too distracted to do so, and they found out that the spy was Blaise. We told Professor Dumbledore but he said that you already know."
I didn't say anything. He continued, "Anyway, here is my plan. I will replace the poison with other potions and place the poison among Blaise's things. That way, we can spread distrust among them. To avoid you being suspected, I suggest you attend the Feast while I look for the poison and replace it."
"But if you are absent, they will suspect you."
"Don't worry. Just tell everyone that I haven't come back from my visit to the graveyard."
"That. that is pretty. Slytherin of you," I stuttered, again. "But how will you enter Hogwarts unnoticed? You don't bring the cloak with you, do you?"
"No, but I can sneak into Hogwarts and go out without being seen, then I will re-enter Hogwarts from the Great Hall."
"How?"
"Let's just say that Padfoot, Moony, and Prongs have taught me well," Harry says secretively.
Padfoot, Moony, and Prongs. Wait a minute. Weren't those the names in that infuriating piece of parchment? I narrowed my eyes and asked him that.
He laughed and said that he had been sworn to secrecy and that his godfather would kill him if he leaked it to me.
I scowled but didn't give in. "Harry, don't make jokes on such an important matter!"
"Okay, okay. There is a secret passage from Honeydukes to Hogwarts."
"Secret passage? How do you know that?" My scowl deepened.
"Sirius told me," he answered, but I could detect a hint that he had lied.
"Don't lie to me, Harry," I hissed.
"I am not!"
"Harry."
"Okay. Fine! It is in the Marauders Map, okay? The Hogwarts map that my dad made."
"Is that the map that Barty Crouch Jr. stole?" I asked. He swallowed and nodded, apparently unhappy remembering his Fourth year event.
"Good." I said. "Now listen to me. You are not going to change the potion. I will."
"But."
I raised a hand to stop his objection. "No, buts. You don't know what the poison looks like or what to do with it. This is what you're going to do. You're going to return to Hogwarts and make a grand entrance in the Great Hall. Spread the news that there is an accident with a carriage and I was left behind to levitate it back. Then join the Feast and do nothing unusual. Now show me the secret passage."
Harry looked displeased, but I was not moved. I broke one of the wheels so that if anyone checked the carriage, they would believe that there had been an accident. "Can you ride a horse?" I asked.
He shook his head. I sighed. This was going to be difficult. "Okay then, we both sneak into Hogwarts. You will take your broom and fly out of the window with your invisibility cloak and hid your broom. Then go into the Great Hall with a flourish, get it?"
"But you need the cloak."
"I can be invisible without a cloak, Harry."
"Like Dumbledore," he said in awe.
I chuckled. "No, not as good as he, but I believe I know Slytherin's dungeon better than you, including the secret passages I am sure you're not aware of."
"There are secret passages in the Slytherin's dungeon?"
"Yes, yes. But only the Heads of House and the Headmasters know. I bet even your father didn't know about them. Now, we have wasted too much time."
We hid the carriage in a cave near Hogsmeade. I knew that Black often used this place to hide; Dumbledore told me after he had been sure that I would not misuse the information. We then crept slowly to Honeydukes whose owners had gone upstairs. I felt like a foolish teenager again, sneaking like this. Harry opened the door with a strange spell I couldn't recall and the door relocked after we were in. We entered the dark passage and I lit my wand.
"What is that spell?"
"What spell?"
"That Aloha-something. It's certainly different from what I know."
"Oh, that's a spell improved by Hermione to open a warded and locked door. Last year she improved the unlocking spell so that we can detect if there is any alarm and turn it off. Moreover, we can relock the door so that no one knows it has been opened."
Oh. OH. *That's* how they could sneak everywhere anytime so easily. I must admit Granger had gained my respect, though very grudgingly.
"How did you do it?" I asked. The spell would be very useful for me.
He taught me.
I, Severus Snape, was being taught by Harry Potter a spell invented by a Muggleborn witch. Moreover, I was just about to commit the plan that was formed by him. The world was coming to an end.
**********************
After we went out from the passage, he went to his dorm while I walked stealthily to Slytherin's dorm. I searched carefully and found the vial of poison quickly inside Draco's travel case. The unlocking spell was very useful indeed. The poison was sky blue, thick, and scentless. The seal had not been broken yet, that means, Draco hadn't known what the poison looked like and hadn't tried to poison Harry yet.
I brought the vial to my office and replaced it with a potion that would cause the drinker to suffer a loss of his magic for a day. I put the poison into a vial that only could be opened by someone with great magical power, greater than magic possessed by any students in Slytherin dorms, so that no one could accidentally drink it. Then I hid the vial in Blaise's travel case, wrapped in black cloth so that even Blaise would not notice it unless someone was especially looking for it. The person would be Dumbledore, who would search for this potion when Harry suddenly lost his magic. That means, I had to ensure Draco's attempt to put something into Harry's food would succeed. And my assistance to Draco would surely guarantee that I was loyal to Voldemort.
Although I too contributed in perfecting the plan, but I couldn't believe that a teenage boy could come up with such a plan in first place! No wonder that he always survived through all the madness he had put himself in. The Sorting Hat was wrong, Harry should be placed in my House instead of in Gryffindor. Besides, Gryffindors usually died young.
*******************
(tbc)
The graveyard was five miles away from Hogsmeade. I had decided to use my horse and carriage. I was not in the mood for walking for hours with a depressed boy in this windy weather. Besides, Harry might not be able to walk back to Hogwarts after his visit. I had seen him breaking down and I could guess how deep was his love for Cho Chang. Chances were that this would not be the last time he would encounter loss and grief. I pitied him.
"You've rejoined the Quidditch team," I said to the boy, wanting to distract him from his grim thought.
He nodded. "Madam Hooch wouldn't allow me to fly at first. But then Ron quickly said that I was fine and wouldn't be distracted. Professor McGonagall supported Ron's opinion too."
"Of course," I snorted. "She won't let Gryffindor lose the Quidditch Cup at any price."
"She's not like that," Harry replied, with slight indignation. "She did it because she wanted me to be happy again."
I snorted again. "You are so naïve, Harry. Stern and fair though she is in her class, in reality she is not above House rivalry."
"I know she's not above House rivalry," Harry smiled wanly. "She always reminds us not to lose the Cup, and she bent the rule by giving me a Nimbus 2000 in my first year. But I don't think she will allow me to fly if I am really distracted, though."
My lips quirked into a sinister smile. "Of course she will not allow you to fly if you can't win her that bloody Cup."
Harry looked at me, surprised. "Do you really think so low of Professor McGonagall?"
I sighed. That statement was not fair. Minerva didn't deserve it. "I was just being sarcastic."
"Oh."
"Although I must admit that. the statement I made about your Head of House is most . injudicious."
He looked at me. An unspoken 'indeed'.
His gesture reminded me of my previous statement to Dumbledore: The boy's maturity is not far beneath mine. Being honest with oneself is unpleasant indeed.
********
The nearer we were to the graveyard, the more subdued Harry became. I didn't know if it was cause by his apprehension to go to a place where he would be reminded of his fourth year event, or if he was remembering his deceased lover. I didn't dare to ask him, though. I thought it was better to give him some time alone to sort out his feeling. But I did warn him when we were only a mile away from our destination.
The graveyard keeper, an unpleasant Squib who could pass as Filch's twin brother, approached us and asked us what we wanted, clearly displeased at our visit. I told him that we wanted to visit Cho Chang's grave, all the while glaring at him, daring him to stop us. Wisely, he didn't. I asked him the direction and he pointed it to me curtly.
"Do you want to go there alone, Harry?" I asked the boy who had not raised his head since we entered this gloomy graveyard. He nodded. I saw a droplet of liquid fell to his hands.
"I will be waiting at the carriage," I told him, more softly this time.
He nodded and walked away slowly to find Cho Chang's grave.
***********
I played with Shadow's - my horse - mane absent mindedly while waiting for Harry to return. I had a lot to think about. The most crucial of all was Draco.
I didn't know how he had planned to slip the poison for Harry to drink. Harry was not stupid enough to receive any drink or food from Draco, or any Slytherin. Besides, if he had seen the scene with Voldemort yesterday, didn't he already know that Voldemort wanted Draco to poison him? I made note to myself to ask him about this later, and also to warn him about the poisoning attempt. Albus would also alert the House Elves and the staff about this matter.
How about Draco himself? What could I do to prevent him from attempting this appalling act? I shook my head inwardly. I didn't understand why Voldemort asked Draco, Draco of all people, to carry out this plan. I mean, that blasted Red Eyes had once warned Lucius to educate his son more sternly so that his spoiled son wouldn't turn out worse than the Weasleys, or Salazar forbid, Longbottom's spawn. In other words, Voldemort knew that Draco wasn't dependable enough for this important mission.
What was the hidden agenda here? Or was Draco only a distraction? And Voldemort had secretly chosen another person in Hogwarts for this mission? Someone who wouldn't be suspected? Or was Voldemort trying to set me into a trap? If the mission failed then I must have contacted Dumbledore or warned Harry. If it succeeded, he would kill two flies at once, a dead Potter and a proof that I was loyal to him.
What could I do to prevent this and preserve my position as a spy? I suspected that the murder attempt would be carried out on the Halloween Feast this evening. It didn't leave me much time then. Not that I already had a plan anyway. I hoped Dumbledore could find a way out of this.
Suddenly a cold wind blew, distracting me from my thoughts. I looked at my watch. It had been an hour. What on earth was Harry doing in the graveyard for an hour? I began to worry, but stopped myself from going after him. He needed to be alone.
I sat back and returned to my brooding, which now had a different topic. I couldn't help but notice how different our relationship had become since I opened up to him. I often found a part of me screaming loudly of what had I done, telling *him*, my enemy's son, about my weaknesses, comforting him, tutoring him, *caring* for him, letting down my guard. Another part of me, who unsurprisingly sounded like my father, agreed full heartedly for my dutiful act in helping the hero of the Wizarding world.
And there was this small voice inside of me, a weird voice that felt strangely familiar, which kept encouraging me to get closer to the boy.
Closer to the boy. I had never thought that I would find the thought pleasantly. warming.
**********
About fifteen minutes later, I saw Harry coming out from the graveyard. His eyes were puffy and red, and his whole body was shaking. It didn't take a Trelawney to predict what had happened. I went to him, wrapping my cloak around him, and gently helped him onto the carriage. I could hear him sniffs once or twice, but didn't make any remarks about it.
*********
After we arrived at Hogsmeade, I stopped at Three Broomsticks to buy two bottles of Butterbeer which we drank on our way back to Hogwarts. The sun had set and no student was seen; for that I was grateful.
I told him not to receive any kind of food from other students save from his closest friends.
He nodded. "I've seen what Voldemort told Malfoy to do."
"Yes, and Halloween is the best time if you want to poison someone."
"Will he really do it though?"
"Draco? I suspect so. He has no choice. Voldemort will surely punish him and his father severely if he fails."
"Does he like what he's going to do?" Harry's voice was small when he asked that. Perhaps it was incomprehensible to him that such a young boy enjoyed killing a human being. He was thinking like a Gryffindor again.
But I too, didn't know if Draco's fall to the dark side had extended to enjoying taking other people's lives.
I sometimes wondered if I should stop spying and concentrate more on nurturing my students.
"Thanks for the butterbeer," Harry said suddenly after emptying his bottle.
"You're welcome," I replied.
"This is. very kind of you, Sir," he said. "And today at the graveyard too. I mean. giving me space and all that."
"You've never thought that I could be considerate before, have you?" My tone was neutral.
"Well.," he sounded rather embarrassed. "I. I.," he stopped. I could picture his face flaming red.
I smirked. "Don't worry, Harry. Such a widespread assumption is not entirely unfounded."
"So is it true, that you're inconsiderate to other people?
"I would certainly never deny such statement, not to others nor to myself."
"But you were very kind and thoughtful with me today. And before today too, when you helped me dealing with my sadness. I don't think I would have made it without your help."
"That, Harry, is merely my fierce dutifulness speaking. I didn't want you to break down and do something rash, and end up endangering yourself or others," I told him.
"Oh." He sounded oddly disappointed.
We didn't talk again after that. I had to focus on the slightly uneven road - falling into a hole on the road was not something I was looking forward to - though I really wanted to see his expression. I strangely felt disquiet at my admission of my motive to Harry. Partly because I was anxious to see how he would react. Another part of me was perturbed because somehow I suspected that the statement was not entirely true. Although I didn't usually analyze my feelings-a womanly activity for the drama queens- , now my brutal honesty had forced me to admit to myself that as time went by, my care for him was beyond a mere obligation.
***********
"We are going to be late for Halloween Feast," I said, looking at my watch. "I'll try to be quick, but we will still be late for at least half an hour."
From the corner of my eye, I could see his brows frowning. I ignored him. Later, I took a glance at his expression and he was still frowning. Annoyed, I snapped, "I know that missing such an important event is very upsetting for you, but I am sure that sneaking into the kitchen is not an activity you seldom do, so stop giving me that hurt look."
He looked at me, startled. "That's not what I am thinking about, Sir." He sounded very offended. "I am thinking of a way to avoid the poisoning thing."
"So? Care to share that brilliant plan of yours?"
He answered, "You can change Draco's poison with something else that looks like the poison right?"
"Oh yes, *of course* Dumbledore and I haven't thought about such a brilliant plan! And how, pray tell, are they going to believe that I, the only person in this school save Draco who knows about this plan, have nothing to do with it," I said sarcastically. Old habits die hard.
"Are you sure you're the only person other than Draco that knows about this plan? I mean, Draco must need help, right?"
"Crabbe and Goyle? I don't think Draco or Lucius will tell them anything about such a serious matter."
"How about Blaise?" he smiled slyly.
To say that I was surprised in an understatement. How on Earth did this boy know that Zabini, the most discreet spy I'd ever encountered, had any connection with Voldemort?
He chuckled. "It isn't me actually, it's Hermione and Ron. You know that I've been pretty distracted these last few weeks so it wasn't me who noticed Blaise."
I raised my eyebrow in silent question.
Familiar with my expression, he answered, "Hermione, Ron, and I know that you're a spy. Or at least that you're spying for us after Dumbledore told you to do something in the end of our Fourth year. Remember that?"
"Yes."
"Snuffles, I mean Sirius, knows that we know, so he saw no harm in telling us that you're being watched closely by Voldemort. He said there must be a spy in Hogwarts that Voldemort placed to keep an eye on you. He told us to find out who the spy was."
"How thoughtful of him!" I said as cynically as I could.
Harry smiled wanly, "Oh, he just didn't want us to lose a useful spy. Besides, there's no telling that the spy won't try to harm us too."
"True." I nodded.
"So, we sneaked here and there, sometimes went into the Slytherin dorm with my Invisibility cloak and watched the suspects closely."
"You. you.. went into Slytherin's dorm? How? How do you know the password?" I spluttered. These brats' sneakiness was really astounding!
"Ron and I impersonated Crabbe and Goyle with Polyjuice Potion and went with Draco once. After we heard the password, we sneaked there with the cloak."
I almost fainted.
He laughed. "Don't worry, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall know. They knew that it was necessary. McGonagall just told us to be careful."
I didn't know what to do or think anymore. The fact that Dumbledore and McGonagall (McGonagall!) knew and even encouraged this behavior was truly beyond my capacity to understand, and tolerate. I would have a nice long chat with those two after I return.
"Okay, back to the topic," Harry said brightly. He seemed pleased to see me taken off guard and speechless. (Of course, I thought, who would not be pleased seeing the greasy bastard speechless?) "Hermione and Ron still kept an eye on the suspects when I was too distracted to do so, and they found out that the spy was Blaise. We told Professor Dumbledore but he said that you already know."
I didn't say anything. He continued, "Anyway, here is my plan. I will replace the poison with other potions and place the poison among Blaise's things. That way, we can spread distrust among them. To avoid you being suspected, I suggest you attend the Feast while I look for the poison and replace it."
"But if you are absent, they will suspect you."
"Don't worry. Just tell everyone that I haven't come back from my visit to the graveyard."
"That. that is pretty. Slytherin of you," I stuttered, again. "But how will you enter Hogwarts unnoticed? You don't bring the cloak with you, do you?"
"No, but I can sneak into Hogwarts and go out without being seen, then I will re-enter Hogwarts from the Great Hall."
"How?"
"Let's just say that Padfoot, Moony, and Prongs have taught me well," Harry says secretively.
Padfoot, Moony, and Prongs. Wait a minute. Weren't those the names in that infuriating piece of parchment? I narrowed my eyes and asked him that.
He laughed and said that he had been sworn to secrecy and that his godfather would kill him if he leaked it to me.
I scowled but didn't give in. "Harry, don't make jokes on such an important matter!"
"Okay, okay. There is a secret passage from Honeydukes to Hogwarts."
"Secret passage? How do you know that?" My scowl deepened.
"Sirius told me," he answered, but I could detect a hint that he had lied.
"Don't lie to me, Harry," I hissed.
"I am not!"
"Harry."
"Okay. Fine! It is in the Marauders Map, okay? The Hogwarts map that my dad made."
"Is that the map that Barty Crouch Jr. stole?" I asked. He swallowed and nodded, apparently unhappy remembering his Fourth year event.
"Good." I said. "Now listen to me. You are not going to change the potion. I will."
"But."
I raised a hand to stop his objection. "No, buts. You don't know what the poison looks like or what to do with it. This is what you're going to do. You're going to return to Hogwarts and make a grand entrance in the Great Hall. Spread the news that there is an accident with a carriage and I was left behind to levitate it back. Then join the Feast and do nothing unusual. Now show me the secret passage."
Harry looked displeased, but I was not moved. I broke one of the wheels so that if anyone checked the carriage, they would believe that there had been an accident. "Can you ride a horse?" I asked.
He shook his head. I sighed. This was going to be difficult. "Okay then, we both sneak into Hogwarts. You will take your broom and fly out of the window with your invisibility cloak and hid your broom. Then go into the Great Hall with a flourish, get it?"
"But you need the cloak."
"I can be invisible without a cloak, Harry."
"Like Dumbledore," he said in awe.
I chuckled. "No, not as good as he, but I believe I know Slytherin's dungeon better than you, including the secret passages I am sure you're not aware of."
"There are secret passages in the Slytherin's dungeon?"
"Yes, yes. But only the Heads of House and the Headmasters know. I bet even your father didn't know about them. Now, we have wasted too much time."
We hid the carriage in a cave near Hogsmeade. I knew that Black often used this place to hide; Dumbledore told me after he had been sure that I would not misuse the information. We then crept slowly to Honeydukes whose owners had gone upstairs. I felt like a foolish teenager again, sneaking like this. Harry opened the door with a strange spell I couldn't recall and the door relocked after we were in. We entered the dark passage and I lit my wand.
"What is that spell?"
"What spell?"
"That Aloha-something. It's certainly different from what I know."
"Oh, that's a spell improved by Hermione to open a warded and locked door. Last year she improved the unlocking spell so that we can detect if there is any alarm and turn it off. Moreover, we can relock the door so that no one knows it has been opened."
Oh. OH. *That's* how they could sneak everywhere anytime so easily. I must admit Granger had gained my respect, though very grudgingly.
"How did you do it?" I asked. The spell would be very useful for me.
He taught me.
I, Severus Snape, was being taught by Harry Potter a spell invented by a Muggleborn witch. Moreover, I was just about to commit the plan that was formed by him. The world was coming to an end.
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After we went out from the passage, he went to his dorm while I walked stealthily to Slytherin's dorm. I searched carefully and found the vial of poison quickly inside Draco's travel case. The unlocking spell was very useful indeed. The poison was sky blue, thick, and scentless. The seal had not been broken yet, that means, Draco hadn't known what the poison looked like and hadn't tried to poison Harry yet.
I brought the vial to my office and replaced it with a potion that would cause the drinker to suffer a loss of his magic for a day. I put the poison into a vial that only could be opened by someone with great magical power, greater than magic possessed by any students in Slytherin dorms, so that no one could accidentally drink it. Then I hid the vial in Blaise's travel case, wrapped in black cloth so that even Blaise would not notice it unless someone was especially looking for it. The person would be Dumbledore, who would search for this potion when Harry suddenly lost his magic. That means, I had to ensure Draco's attempt to put something into Harry's food would succeed. And my assistance to Draco would surely guarantee that I was loyal to Voldemort.
Although I too contributed in perfecting the plan, but I couldn't believe that a teenage boy could come up with such a plan in first place! No wonder that he always survived through all the madness he had put himself in. The Sorting Hat was wrong, Harry should be placed in my House instead of in Gryffindor. Besides, Gryffindors usually died young.
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(tbc)