Disclaimer - All JKR's, nothing mine! Except for a few characters I added.
Disclaimer 2 - Draco drawing dragons belongs to PikaCheeka. Sorry I forgot to mention that in the first chapter of MNS. I sort of adopted the idea subconsciously.
Disclaimer 3 - Severus' raven belongs to J. L. Matthews. I just borrowed him because he's such a perfect pet for Sevi and promise to return him unharmed.
The catar however are all mine and I love them so please don't use without asking me first.
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A/N - You know, maybe I'll be able to finish this in a few more chapters after all. My traitor seems to be getting a little impatient and is already striking again.
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Chapter 15: Another Severing Charm
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Thursday mornings were the time of the week that Draco envied Severus the most. While Draco had to hurry his breakfast in order to be at Hagrid's hut on time for Care for Magical Creatures, Severus had all the time in the world. Or at least until the second lesson, when they had Latin, which Severus wasn't exactly finding hard either.
Still, today Severus was slinging down his food even faster than Draco.
"Severus?" Draco asked him between bites. "You've got a study hour now, remember?"
"I know." Severus nodded and drained his cup of tea in one go. "I'm planning to sneak into the old Potions lab and continue my tests of the gummy bears. One hour is barely enough to get anything done when experimenting with unknown ingredients."
"But what about Potter's icicle?" Draco pushed. "Isn't that more important?"
Severus rolled his eyes at him and sighed. "Alright, I'll run a poison test on the icicle on the side. Okay?"
Draco sighed again and decided to let it slide. At least Severus was going to do something. If only he didn't have to go to class right now. Then he could go with Severus and make sure the icicle got the necessary attention.
He seriously considered skipping class. Hagrid might forget to take attendance anyway, so he might even get away with it.
Then again Hagrid had gotten more cautious thanks to the repeated attacks on Harry and didn't forget attendance as often as he used to and if he did get caught, it would get back to his father in no time. Another lecture about family honour from Lucius was the last thing he needed right now.
At least Neville would be in Care for Magical Creatures. If he had thought to bring some firecrackers the lesson might get interesting after all.
Draco glanced over to the Gryffindor table wondering whether he could run over there, ask Neville to bring some prank utensils and still be on time for class. He couldn't find Neville, though. Maybe he'd already gone? Or maybe he'd returned to his dorm, because he'd forgotten something. After all Neville was terribly forgetful.
It was bitter cold outside and Draco soon wished he'd remembered to put a warming spell on his boots and gloves. His fingers and toes had lost all feeling by the time he reached the shabby old wooden hut that Hagrid called home.
Draco would never understand why Hagrid refused to move into one of the nice warm rooms Hogwarts offered its teaching staff. Even Filch's quarters had to be more comfortable than this.
Hagrid beamed at the freezing students gathering outside his door.
"I got something real special for ya today." he promised happily.
Draco gulped. Whenever Hagrid said something was special it turned out to be something huge with long claws or sharp teeth. Fire breathing and explosive creatures had a special place in Hagrid's heart as well.
Maybe firecrackers wouldn't be such a good idea today after all.
He looked around for Neville once again, but still couldn't find him. And Hagrid was already taking attendance! Draco could only hope that Neville had a good excuse when he arrived.
"Lavender?" Hagrid called and nodded towards the Gryffindor. He always called them by their first name. "Seamus, Hermione, . . . Neville? Has anyone seen Neville?"
Damn. For just a moment Draco had hoped that Neville might be able to sneak in in time.
"Hospital wing." Harry reported a little sadly. "Seamus tried to wake him up by transfiguring his blanket."
"What's wrong with that?" Hagrid asked surprised.
"Well, he transfigured it into a pit-bull and . . . Well, I guess they were kind of frightened when they were so unexpectedly faced with each other, so it bit Neville." Harry explained. "Madame Pomfrey probably already fixed the injury, but you know what she's like. She'll want to keep Neville for a few more days just to make sure he isn't suffering from any lasting psychological damage."
"Aw well, it was still a nice thought. I know you meant well Seamus." Hagrid declared. "Poor little Neville."
He quickly finished attendance and then dragged a huge covered cage, from which they could hear angry snarling and growling, out from behind a corner of his hut.
"Here." Hagrid said proudly. "Something really rare."
He pulled off the blanket that had covered the cage and Draco could see something big and furry throw itself against the bars. He caught a glimpse of long canines as the creature screamed out its rage, but then it was already moving again, repeating the procedure at another side of the cage.
"He's a little confused." Hagrid commented. "All the movement of the cage and the sudden light surprised him. Shush Snuffy, it's alright."
"Snuffy?" somebody repeated incredulously and Theodore was shaking his head in frustration. Would they ever learn anything actually useful in this class?
"Snuffy here is a half-yeti." Hagrid explained proudly. "Part yeti, part bear. Like I said, very rare. Isn't he a beauty?"
The students looked at the raging fur ball doubtfully and some of them backed away. Harry bravely stepped a few paces forward to regard the creature.
"Uh Hagrid, don't you think . . ." he started, but they never found out what Harry had wanted to ask.
There was a sudden clang of metal and the bars bent away under Snuffy's weight. The half-yeti was suddenly free and a single leap took him to Harry. A snarl, and a huge paw swung at the boy. Draco grabbed for his wand in blind panic. There were scrams, some students were starting to run.
"Stupefy!" this time Estella had the proper spell ready. It clearly slowed and distracted the creature, even if it wasn't strong enough to subdue it.
Hagrid grabbed Snuffy from behind trying to physically pull him away from Harry who lay in the snow bleeding, but clearly still alive as Draco could see him try to drag himself away with his arms, since the half-yeti was standing on one of his legs.
Several more stupefys were needed until Snuffy finally collapsed still on top of Harry's legs. Most of the students had run away towards the castle by now. Draco seriously hoped that at least one of them had thought to head for the hospital wing and get Madame Pomfrey.
With the help of Gregory and Vincent Hagrid managed to lift Snuffy far enough for Draco, Hermione and Estella to pull Harry free. Theodore and Blaise had disappeared as well as Ron and Seamus. The first didn't really surprise Draco. Neither of he two was particularly fond of Potter, but Ron's flight was unexpected.
Alice was leaning against the wall of Hagrid's hut looking white as a sheet. Next to her Sissi Lawence was crying into Eloise Midgen's shoulder. Draco had no idea whether from fear or relief that Harry was obviously still alive despite his bleeding shoulder.
He leaned against Draco as Hermione tried to stop the bleeding by pressing her scarf against the wound. That seemed to be some Muggle healing method, but Draco assumed that it might work until they got Harry back to the castle.
"Harry! Harry!" there was Ron running towards them at top sped and behind him Madame Pomfrey and the headmaster.
Of course, he'd gone for help thinking that a student's magic was no match for a monster as big as a half-yeti and Hagrid after all still didn't have a wand.
Draco stepped back as Madame Pomfrey took over Harry. Dumbledore quickly transfigured a huge water barrel into an even bigger box and levitated Snuffy into it.
"A torn shoulder and a twisted ankle." the nurse reported shaking her head in wonder. "Not even a single broken bone. Sometimes I just can't believe your luck Mr. Potter. With all the trouble you get into anyone else would probably have suffered irreparable damage long ago."
She conjured a stretcher and floated Harry off in the direction of the hospital wing. Hermione and Ron right behind them.
Dumbledore looked relieved at the news. He secured the half-yeti box with several locks, then walked over to inspect the cage. Curious Draco followed.
The bars had been bent upwards where Snuffy had forced himself through and were sticking up in every direction. That caught Dumbledore's attention.
"That's strange." the headmaster commented. "The bars weren't just bent aside to make a hole, nor did the side of the cage give as a whole. It looks like several neighbouring bars broke near the bottom of the cage. How could Snuffy have put that much pressure on all of them at once?"
Draco regarded the bars closest to him. "The ones that weren't bent away are broken, too." he discovered. "There's a straight line of breaks running through all the bars on this side of the cage."
Dumbledore ran a finger over one of he stumps. "Smooth." he reported. "A clean cut, just like a severing charm."
Behind them Estella gasped. "Another severing charm? Just like the ropes on the armour?"
"It looks that way." Dumbledore confirmed. "A revealing spell can tell us for sure. What other spells were used during the lesson?" he asked while he performed the spell.
"Stupefy to stop the yeti." Estella reported.
"Probably some heating charms against the cold." Draco added.
"Ah yes, I see nine stupefys." the headmaster nodded. "Two heating charms cast here, several others on objects that were here recently."
"Heating charms?" Hagrid puzzled.
"The students' clothes, Hagrid." Dumbledore reminded him. "To protect them against the cold weather. There is also an airtight charm against the wind. A portable fire, a wakefulness charm, a . . . freezing charm? Hm, probably a prankster. Poppy's diagnostic and healing spells, a cheering charm, five small transfigurations, one extra strong severing charm, a colour changing spell and somebody was carrying canary creams. That's strange. Any idea who cast the cheering charm, colour changing spell and transfigurations?"
"I cast the cheering charm, Sir." Alice admitted. "On Sissi." she nodded towards the now much calmer Hufflepuff. "She seemed to need one after the shock."
Dumbledore nodded. "Perhaps you all should go ask Madame Pomfrey for some nerve calming potion once she's seen to Mr. Potter. The transfigurations?"
Draco shrugged and looked to the others for help.
"Perhaps somebody was practising for an exam later today?" Estella suggested. "It sounds harmless enough. I mean what could a small transfiguration or a colour charm have to do with cutting open a cage?"
Dumbledore nodded. "The bars certainly weren't transfigured or coloured apart, but there were minor transfigurations at the scene of the last attack as well."
"Outside the Transfigurations classroom." Draco reminded him.
"Yes, but perhaps the transfigurations are part of the traitor's preparation for attack."
"Do you think it might be an animagus?" Eloise asked looking around fearfully.
"The animagus transformation isn't a minor transfiguration, Ms Midgen." Dumbledore tried to assure her. "It would not show as one to this spell."
In fact, Draco remembered his father telling him that the animagus transformation wasn't detectable by revealing spells at all. Eloise probably didn't need to know that right now, though, as no spells were required once you'd gained the ability to change into an animal form.
"You'd best return to your common rooms, now." the headmaster continued. "Morning classes are cancelled. I'll make the announcement as soon as I get back to the castle."
Draco wished he could have stayed to watch the rest of the investigation, but his classmates were looking at him expectantly. Obviously they thought they had to return as a group.
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They met Juliana, Pansy and Millicent in the entrance hall when they entered the castle.
Lavender and Seamus were a little further up the stairs and the rest of their class was huddled together in the entrance to the Hufflepuff corridor. Draco didn't have time to wonder why the Ravenclaws had chosen that spot of all places.
They were swarmed with questions from their housemates the moment they arrived. Apparently the fugitives had run all the way into the entrance hall before they'd stopped to look back. Since there was no enraged half- yeti coming after them, they'd felt safe enough to stop and only a few had gone on to alert the nurse and the headmaster.
Only Ron had been courageous enough to follow the adults back to the scene of the attack, though. Who knew whether the creature wouldn't attack them again, if they got too close to it, after all?
Too curious to just leave they'd stood around and watched as Madame Pomfrey had floated Potter past them and up to the hospital wing.
"We are to return to he common rooms." Draco told Theodore who was pushing him the most. "There'll probably be another teacher's meeting until lunch."
"Was it another attack from the traitor then?" Juliana demanded.
"Looks that way." Draco confirmed. "The bars were cut with a severing charm. Since that same charm was used in the last two attacks Dumbledore seems to be very sure of his facts."
"Do you realise what that means?" Alice shrieked suddenly. "The traitor must be in our class!"
Gregory and Vincent just stared at her for a moment, Blaise and Theodore eyed each other, Juliana slowly inched away from everybody until she crashed backwards into the wall, Estella looked to Draco.
"But who?" breathed Millicent.
"Severing charms can be cast from a distance." Draco reminded them. "Even through glass. The traitor only had to be able to see the cage. That doesn't mean that we had to be able to see him."
They still continued to exchange uneasy looks as they trudged back to the common room.
Estella curled up in the chair by the fire clutching a pillow, Alice chose a chair on the other end of the room next to the chess board. Juliana Millicent and Pansy fled up the stairs.
"Uh. . . want to play?" Theodore asked Alice nodding towards the chess set, but Alice just shook her head silently.
Theodore sat down opposite from her anyway.
The rest of them went upstairs. Blaise grabbed a fresh robe and disappeared into the bathroom announcing: "I need a hot shower."
Vincent and Gregory sat down on Gregory's bed with a handful of chocolate frogs.
Draco sank onto his bed as well trying to convince himself that the traitor wasn't necessarily one of his classmates. Somehow that thought was much scarier than he had expected. After all he'd known that there was a traitor loose in the school before the start of the year. He'd even thought it might be Theodore or Blaise for a while.
But now it suddenly seemed so impossible. He knew these students, had had classes with them for five years. How could one of them be a cold blooded murderer?
"The last one." Gregory said tonelessly.
"Lets share it then." Vincent suggested.
Draco turned his head and watched their attempt at breaking a chocolate frog into exactly equal parts. Gregory ended up with the larger piece, but insisted on switching them so Vincent could have it.
Draco felt oddly detached from the scene as he sat up, crawled to the foot of his bed and dug his latest sweets package from his mother out of his trunk. He held it out to Vincent and after the boy took it flopped back into his original position on the bed.
"Don't you want any?" he heard Vincent ask. "Hey Draco!"
"Huh?" Was Vincent talking to him?
"Don't you want any of your sweets?"
Draco shook his head. No, no he couldn't eat anything right now.
In his mind he ran through the list of his Care for Magical Creatures classmates picturing all their faces, trying to determine which one of them could be a murderer.
All of his dorm mates had been in Arithmancy during the second attack. Draco still couldn't believe that Gregory and Vincent had switched from Divination to Arithmancy after taking their OWLs. They said it had been Neville's idea, which was understandable. Neville wasn't as thick skinned as Greg and Vince. He'd probably suffered enough predictions of his death to deem it acceptable to study all summer to catch up to the Arithmancy class. Hermione had probably tutored him, too. That Gregory had agreed to studying in the holidays however seemed unbelievable.
Estella and Juliana took Arithmancy as well. Pansy and Millicent had been with them during the armour attack. That left only Alice.
Alice who'd gone so pale at the sight of the half-yeti attacking Potter. Alice who'd pointed out that the traitor might be in their class, who'd been shocked and horrified by the idea. No, it just couldn't be Alice.
The Gryffindors next. Neville hadn't been there today. Ron, who'd run to get help. Draco kept seeing how he'd been running towards them as fast as he could calling 'Harry! Harry!' as he thought about him.
Seamus with his Muggle father, best friends with Muggle born Dean. He'd been behaving strangely in Potions class lately, yes, but kill his own dorm mate?
Hermione pressing her scarf against Harry's wound in a desperate attempt to help with inferior Muggle methods. Somebody should have taught her some first aid spells. Somebody should have taught all of them.
Lavender, the girl who'd cried over the death of her bunny for an entire day in third year. Draco didn't think much of Lavender, but she was much too girlish to be a ruthless killer.
Sissi Lawrence of Hufflepuff. Ridiculous. Sissi wouldn't harm a fly. He saw her crying in Eloise's arms again.
Eloise. Eloise as she gently stroked Sissi's back trying to calm her.
The ones that had run. Quiet Susan Bones who'd lost her parents to Voldemort just like Harry. Susan who spent hours sewing little stuffed toys to give to her friends.
Justin Finch-Fletchley. Justin who'd been so afraid of the monster in second year. Muggle born Justin? Never.
And the two Ravenclaws, Miranda Deering and Lisa Turpin. Lisa staring wide eyed at the unicorns they'd seen in Care for Magical Creatures in third year. That look of wonder as one had almost come close enough to touch her.
And Miranda laughing at one of Ron's jokes. Miranda was a suspect, yes, but . . .
Miranda diligently plucking apart salad for the flubberworms. Miranda in the library, patiently showing a first year how to properly swish her wand again and again. No, it couldn't be Miranda Deering!
But then who? If only Severus were here! Severus would know the right words to put this back into perspective.
Draco jumped up. "I'm going to find Severus. He must. . . He must have gone to the library or something."
Vincent and Gregory only nodded at him silently.
Still Draco almost ran from the room. Suddenly he couldn't take it any longer.
The shower was still running. Did this actually get to Blaise, too? He didn't give a damn about Potter after all.
Estella was still curled up with her pillow staring into the flames. Juliana had come down again and was sitting in a chair next to the girls' stairs clutching a stuffed leopard to her chest. She avoided eye contact and turned away from him.
Alice was fingering a chess pawn without looking at it. No, it was the black king. She did make eye contact. It looked almost pleading, but what could Draco do?
He hastened on to the door.
"Where are you going?" Theodore's voice sounded oddly wrong in the despairing silence of the common room. "They'll cancel classes any moment now."
"To find Severus." Draco said once again.
Theodore just nodded. He didn't even ask why Severus wasn't in, or why Draco hadn't gone to look for him sooner.
How long had it been since they'd come back to the common room? How long had he lain on his bed thinking? Minutes? Hours? Shouldn't Dumbledore have made that announcement long ago. Had he found something so important that he'd forgotten to cancel classes?
Most likely it hadn't been that long after all.
He'd lost all feeling for time, Draco realised. Was this how Neville had felt after the armour attack?
Draco burst into the potions lab running then stopped and stood blinking. Somehow the scene before him felt unreal after the events of the day so far.
Severus was sitting sideward on a worktable, right foot propped up on the table, the other dangling down beside him, left arm slung around his knee, he was stirring a happily bubbling cauldron with his right hand and humming a happy melody. On the other table another cauldron was cooling and Greenie was snuffling around on the side table that was usually used to lay out ingredients. Corvus was perched on a shelf with a handkerchief in his beak.
The room was warm and well lit. A picture of tranquillity and happiness.
Severus looked up at Draco for only a moment and greeted him with a quick smile before returning his attention to the potion.
Draco stood transfixed. The atmosphere in the room was so much in contrast to his current emotional state that it seemed completely unreal.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" Severus remarked lightly.
"Cancelled." Draco managed shaking himself out of his daze.
"Something wrong?" Severus finally caught on.
Draco opened his mouth to explain and hesitated. How to start? How did one explain ones feelings about something, if one was unable to interpret those feelings oneself?
"All students return to your common rooms." the headmaster's voice sounded through the corridors. "All morning classes are cancelled. All members of staff please report to the teachers' lounge right away."
Severus jumped off his table, potion forgotten. "He isn't dead, is he?"
Draco shook his head.
"What did he do this time?"
"Another severing charm." Draco reported. He had no problem reporting the facts of the case at all. "Cut open the cage of an angry half-yeti just as Potter was closest to it. Potter got clawed and hurt his foot when the creature bowled him over, but we managed to stop it with several stupefys before it could kill Potter or go after anyone else."
"How did he get the creature angry at Potter?" Severus asked after taking a deep breath. He turned around and extinguished the fire under the cauldron he'd been working on.
"He didn't have to." Draco explained. "It was trying to tear open its cage anyway. Hagrid thought it was because he'd moved the cage, probably shook the monster out of its sleep or something."
"Then what guarantee did he have that it would go after Potter?" Severus methodically cleaned up his workspace and put the cauldrons aside so they wouldn't be obvious if anyone looked into the room before he could return to finish his work.
"He was closest to the cage." Draco answered. "I guess he just assumed that he'd go for the closest target."
"Our traitor isn't exactly picky about whom he hurts." Severus deduced. "After the first incident I thought he just hadn't counted on the shards hurting other students sitting close to Potter as well and the second attack endangered only Harry himself, but last time he might easily have killed Hermione as well and this time he endangered the entire class. I'm beginning to think he really is capable of blowing up the whole school just to get Potter."
Draco shuddered suddenly realising what had scared them all so much. "Alice says it has to be somebody from our class, but then he would have endangered his own life as well."
"Possible." Severus conceded. "But that would be a very desperate act. It's more likely that he struck from a safe distance."
Draco breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Severus. Of course! How could they all have been so blind. The traitor had to be much too cowardly to risk his own life like that.
"We should get back to the common room." Severus advised.
Draco wondered whether it would still be so quiet there now that all the other Slytherins were back. They wouldn't let the sixth years' despair get to them as well, would they?
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Lucius had ended up between the werewolf and that idiot of a Muggle Studies teacher this time. Not the best seat, but at least it was Sprout who was stuck with Trelawney this time. His classroom might be very out of the way, but unlike the glasshouses the headmaster's announcements did reach it. Hootch, Sprout and Hagrid didn't have that luxury and had to be alerted via house elf. Add to that that they also had a longer way back to the castle and Lucius could rest assured that, if he didn't waste any time, he wasn't likely to arrive last for any staff meetings again. He just had to remember the repercussions.
Dumbledore looked grave as he described the latest attack. Lucius felt like throttling the assassin. Couldn't that kid do anything right?
"Thanks to the quick thinking of Ms Rashton and the fast help of Ms Granger, Misters Crabbe and Goyle as well as young Mr. Malfoy, not to mention Mr. Weasleys wise choice to return to the castle and alert Madame Pomfrey, Mr. Potter sustained only minor injuries and will be back on his feet in time to attend his afternoon classes." Dumbledore announced. "I believe each of the students that helped should be awarded points, though I'm not sure who else took part in raising the alarm and subduing Snuffy. We will have to determine that before we start giving out points."
Lucius started at the sudden realisation that his only son and heir had been at the scene of the attack as well. And apparently even been stupid enough to take on the monster! Why hadn't he kept Draco out of that class on some pretence? Why hadn't Draco been clever enough to run away?
"Little idiot." Lucius grumbled to himself. "That Snape is a bad influence on the boy."
"Severus?" Lupin asked him surprised. "What does Severus have to do with anything? He doesn't even take Hagrid's class."
"He's the wrong friend for my son." Lucius growled. "Why do you keep encouraging those two to hang out together?"
"I am not encouraging them to hang out." Lupin stated calmly. "I only arranged for Severus to tutor Draco, because he happens to be the most competent student in my class."
"Tutor?" Lucius' head shot up to glare at the werewolf. "Why would my son need a tutor? His DADA grades might not be as good as they could be, but he has always been among the best in his year."
"Until we started on protective wards." Lupin amended calmly. "I admit that I probably wouldn't have thought to arrange tutoring, if it were any other student. Draco is in no danger of actually failing, after all, but in comparison with his usual performance, his results when casting wards are extremely poor."
Lucius glared. "Rest assured that I will take care of the problem." he informed Lupin coldly and the werewolf was left to wonder whether that should be considered a threat or a promise.
Judging from Lucius' expression, as he said it, it almost looked like the former, though Remus couldn't imagine why. He wouldn't have been surprised to see smoke bursting from Lucius' ears any moment.
"The first years were in Herbology and History respectively." Dumbledore was just saying. "Considering that they are unable to cast such a difficult severing charm and that the glasshouse the Herbology group was working in is at the wrong angle to see the cage was standing, I believe we can discount them as suspects once again."
All around teachers nodded in confirmation.
"The second year Gryffindors and Slytherins were in DADA." the headmaster continued. "Remus?"
"Clarissa Charlton arrived late claiming that she'd been looking for her misplaced DADA book." Remus reported dutifully. "Quintus Palmer, Elena Wilder and Vestalia Flemming went to the bathroom during the lesson. All three returned within the usual time, though."
"The rest of the second years had Charms." Dumbledore declared.
"Louise Mapel and Phelan Cullinger took bathroom breaks." Flitwick said. "I do not think either of them is capable of performing a severing charm on that level."
"The Cullingers are traditionally a Slytherin family." McGonagall threw in. "Purebloods that have recently lost a lot of money and influence."
"You are thinking of Andrejus Cullinger from Cornwall." Lucius corrected her. "Phelan's father is Octavian Cullinger, a very distant cousin of Andrejus who lives somewhere in Wales."
"Octavian was a Ravenclaw." Flitwick added. "Phelan however takes more after his mother. A Hufflepuff through and through."
"Moreover he has an alibi for the first incident." Lupin reminded them. "As does Louise. They were both in my class."
"And in Charms during the second incident." Flitwick added. "They didn't leave class back then and I repeat that I consider them unable to perform the charm. A simple severing charm to cut one strand of thread, perhaps, but not several iron bars at once."
"On to third year then." Dumbledore nodded. "Potions and Transfigurations."
"The Slytherins and Ravenclaws were working diligently and without any bathroom breaks." Lucius reported proudly. "And none of them were late either."
"And how did you achieve such an unusual feat, Lucius?" Hannah Hootch teased. "Please tell."
"I gave them twenty pages of their Potions books to read and summarise." Lucius smirked. "And told them there'd be a test at the end of the lesson."
"Only two bathroom breaks in Transfigurations." McGonagal reported. "Both Gryffindors, Caius Rude and Miles Miller."
"The fourth years were in Ancient Runes." Professor Rosetta said before Dumbledore could ask. "Bathroom breaks for Keith Gorl and Diana Bardon, no absences."
"The fifth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had Latin." That was Priscilla Pince. "Ulric Katon and Ambrosia Melter went to the bathroom. Luna Lovegood was late. She claims her classmates told her Latin was held in the dungeons today. I'd call that suspicious, if it were anybody else, but in Luna's case I can actually believe it."
"The Slytherins and Hufflepuffs had a study hour." Dumbledore reported. "And the sixth years' were in Care for Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies."
"Neville was in the hospital wing." Hagrid reported. "Got bit by his blanket."
"What?" Lucius yelped and Remus had to agree with him for once.
"Yeah, Seamus only wanted to wake him up, but it got scared and bit." Hagrid explained to everybody's confusion.
"Mr. Finnigan transfigured Mr. Longbottom's blanket into a dog." Minerva McGonagall clarified. "Unfortunately he didn't think things through and produced an angry pit bull rather than a cute puppy. If anybody has a good idea for a nasty detention, I'm open to suggestions."
"Now Minerva." Hagrid begged. "Seamus didn't mean any harm."
"No, but he did harm, Hagrid." McGonagall insisted. "His irresponsible behaviour caused a student to be hurt and it could have been worse. The bite was deep but easily mended as it only cut skin and muscle. Had the dog bitten deeper or caught a joint for example, or even the boy's face Poppy might not have been able to cure the damage entirely."
"Well, luckily that didn't happen, though." Dumbledore interceded. "Julian, any absences in your class?"
"No," the Muggle Studies professor answered. "But Mandy Bocklehurst went to the bathroom. Twice in fact. Maybe she should see Poppy."
"Well, that is a little suspicious, but she might just have had too much pumpkin juice at breakfast." the headmaster decided. "That's hardly a reason to consult a healer. The Slytherin and Ravenclaw seventh years had a study hour and the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs Latin."
"A vocabulary test in fact." Professor Pince specified. "Eudora Scattering was the only one who went to the bathroom, but that was hardly a surprise. She always has to run to the bathroom right before I hand out the tests. Nervous bladder, I suppose. The rest wouldn't risk their grades with absences."
"Excellent." said Dumbledore. "Now that that's all cleared up, lets go back to the last attack once more. I asked the heads of house to find out who had fought in the Transfiguration hallway sometime before the attack. Any results?"
Flitwick and Sprout exchanged a look.
"Erm . . . a case of simple jealousy, Albus." Flitwick admitted. "You know the Summer sisters?"
The headmaster nodded. "Sondra, second year Ravenclaw, and Esther, third year Hufflepuff."
"Yes indeed." Sprout confirmed. "Unfortunately the two never got along. Esther feels that her mother gives Sondra much more attention, while Sondra envies Esther her better grades. You see Esther is an unusually bright student and very hard working even though she doesn't consider her grades all that important. Sondra, though she studies hard as well doesn't memorise things as easily and as a result has much more average grades."
"After lunch that day the two girls met in the transfigurations corridor." Flitwick continued. "Sondra on the way to History of Magic, Esther and her friend Amber to Latin. Sondra overheard Esther say how she wasn't worried about the results of her last Latin test at all as she found Latin very easy. Unfortunately Latin is one of the subjects Sondra finds particularly hard, so in a moment of anger she threw a furunculus hex at her sister. Esther retaliated with a physical attack rather than a hex of her own. Their classmates tried to drag them apart, but were unable to at first, so Amber cast stupefy on both girls after which the helpers managed to drag them away to their respective classes. The origin of the disorientation spell remains unclear, however. It may have been cast by the traitor after all, either to prevent someone from catching him as he set up the trap, or on Harry to make it harder for him to escape the falling armour."
"But then why was the counter cast as well?" Professor Vector asked. "We know that the traitor wasn't caught setting the trap, so in the first scenario the person targeted was hit and walked past the traitor without noticing. If anyone had taken off the spell, they would have had to know that it had been cast in the first place and would have questioned why. In the second scenario the spell is cast on Harry. It either hits him and he is disoriented as the armour falls, or it misses and hits the wall, or perhaps the armour, some inanimate object in any case. The traitor has no reason to take the spell off Harry and there is no need to take it off an inanimate object, as it isn't affected at all. Somebody else only had reason to cast the counter, if they'd seen the traitor perform the spell. If so, they would have reported him long ago."
"Perhaps the traitor took the spell off Harry after the armour had fallen in order to avoid its detection by Madame Pomfrey." Remus suggested.
"But why would he?" argued Flitwick. "It wouldn't have been possible to trace the caster through the active spell, so why bother? There was much more risk of being seen casting the reversal."
"Maybe the traitor wasn't aware that the spell couldn't be traced?" Remus suggested. "We are dealing with a student here that might be only twelve years old. We can't expect him to have all the knowledge of a professional killer."
"He is a professional killer." McGonagall pointed out.
"In training." Lucius amended. "An adult professional would hardly miss four times like that. That kid clearly doesn't know what he's doing. He most likely gets his instructions from You Know Who, or rather one of his death eaters and then blunders through them as best he can."
"We can still assume that whoever told him to use a disorientation spell also told him that it can't be traced." McGonagall insisted.
"That would depend on how much our theoretical death eater wants our traitor to succeed." Dumbledore allowed.
"I doubt Voldemort would give a job of such importance to someone he has even the slightest suspicion might want to sabotage it." Flitwick argued. "If the traitor's contact isn't Voldemort himself it is somebody whose loyalty Voldemort hasn't the slightest doubt of."
"One of his top ranks then." Vector agreed. "But how does he contact the traitor? Should we start reading the children's owls?"
"It won't hurt to keep an eye on what students get unusual mail." Dumbledore conceded. "But we can't read all their private owls. Hogwarts is still a school not a security center."
"There is another possibility." Flitwick interrupted the headmaster too engrossed in his thoughts to even notice. "What if the spell missed and hit another person? The traitor had to take it off to prevent that person from being killed as well."
"He hasn't shown any concern for the safety of the students around Harry in his attacks so far." Professor Rosetta pointed out. "The exploding plate could easily have killed several students, the armour would most likely have hit Ms Granger as well as Harry, if it hadn't been deflected and this latest attack endangered the whole class."
"The person he hit was a friend then." Sprout decided. "Someone he didn't want hurt. A possible partner in crime?"
"You think that we have two death eaters in the school?" Lucius looked so horrified that Remus almost believed him.
Draco was right. The man really was an excellent actor.
"Unlikely as it is that Voldemort has managed to get two agents into the school, it is still a possibility." Dumbledore said calmly. "A more likely scenario however is that the traitor has friends that don't know anything about his connection with Voldemort, pureblooded classmates that he considers worthy of protection."
"There were purebloods in the class he attacked today as well." Vector pointed out. "Draco Malfoy, for example, Severus, the Nott boy. . ."
"Severus doesn't take Care for Magical Creatures." Dumbledore reminded her. "Draco does, though, and so do his equally pure blooded friends Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle. I believe Ms Rashton is a pureblood as well as Mr Weasley and Ms Brown. Clearly our traitor doesn't care for all purebloods, but he might care for some."
"Which brings us back to the question who." Vector stated.
"Indeed." Dumbledore confirmed. "I will check the new list of absences. Maybe that will give us a hint. In the meantime, please send Mr. Nicodemus Hanson up to my office after dinner. I need to question him about the last attack."
"He was already in Potions class at the time." Lucius pointed out.
"I know, Lucius." the headmaster nodded benignly. "Which is exactly what I find so strange. You see he didn't have enough time to get there from his last class, but according to Remus he didn't skip DADA either."
"Maybe he knows a shortcut." Lucius suggested. "Now please excuse me. I have to have a serious talk with my son."
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SSC - Does it? Sorry, can't answer that question.
Marauder3Moony - Glad you liked it. This one was unfortunately a little late again, but I'm having great hopes to be on time with the next one (less hopes that it will be good however. I need to come up with something more interesting to put in there.)
Pam Briggs - I'm not entirely sure, but I think I've mentioned before that the traitor is acting of his or her own free will. That's all I'll say on the matter, though. . . . Yes, I think Sevi has found a new favourite sweet. He's about to discover that they are indeed very useful.
ME - Yep, I'm the author, but this is supposed to be a mystery which means I'm supposed to give you lots of suspects and keep you wondering. (All in all, I don't think it's a particularly good mystery, but I'm beginning to get more confident about writing action scenes. Maybe I'm learning something from this after all.)
Iremione - Well, the investigator is a Slytherin, because they wanted him to be close to the ones they thought most likely to be the traitor. . . . Ah, but Hermione didn't have a cat yet when she was sorted. She only bought him at the beginning of third year. . . . I think the Weasleys just didn't let Voldemort interfere with their family planning. And already having seven children at the time he fell, they decided that was as much as they could manage. (But then I also saw the suggestion that they only had that many children, because they kept going until they finally got a girl somewhere.) . . . The traitor wasn't specifically going after her, but 'Well Mr. Malfoy, Sir, just tell the dark lord that I didn't use the perfectly set trap, because a mudblood happened to be walking with Potter and I would have endangered her as well.' is probably not the best excuse for failing the third time in a row. . . . Oh yes, you are a company employee. You are an inspiration giver and plot sounding board. . . . Yep, it's a potion against menstrual cramps. Used at least as much as pepper-up potion.
Madame Moony - Yep, absolutely correct about the potion. . . . Gummy bears are about to become one of Sevi's favourite ingredient in his private brewing. He might even write a few articles on them.
kateydidnt - Yep, seems like you all guessed that potion. . . . Invisibility cloaks are very rare and expensive, so they don't tend to be part of a student's toy collection. Albus knows Harry has one of course, but it's very unlikely that the traitor could get his hands on it, so no, that possibility hasn't occurred to anyone.
Thistle - Well, here's Luic finding out. Next chapter you'll see him talk it over with Draco . . . Did I just say talk?
Ezmerelda - Thanks for reading! . . . Yes, Runaway Dragon got a little bit longer than planned so the sequel came a little late. Still, I'm glad I wrote that plot hedgehog. I really love West Hogsmeade and its people. It's my own special corner of the wizarding world.
kalariah - Actually Sevi is on the track of something big with the gummy bears. I case of the assassin he knows that he's missed something, but hasn't any idea what and at least so far he hasn't even been looking at the place where he missed it. One of his lists has that tiny little flaw. It's not even a mistake since it's in how those on the list were picked . . .
holly - He wasn't throwing in random things as much as random amounts, but yes, that will constitute a problem in recreating the icicles.
EriEka127 - Thanks!
Apocalypse - Nah, Sevi would have considered a party something embarrassing and he doesn't like parties anyway. Draco knew that and arranged for a little silent gesture, which Sevi apreciates much more.
Lonely Shadow Knight - Thanks!
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A/N: Will the fifth years get over their shock? What are those transfiguration spells? And are Hagrid and Snuffy in trouble now? (Guesses about the identity of the traitor as always will be read with great interest, but not answered, yet.) Please R/R.
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Next: Severus visits Albus, Draco had to report to his father's office and Lucius does his best at being fatherly (at least what he considers fatherly).
Disclaimer 2 - Draco drawing dragons belongs to PikaCheeka. Sorry I forgot to mention that in the first chapter of MNS. I sort of adopted the idea subconsciously.
Disclaimer 3 - Severus' raven belongs to J. L. Matthews. I just borrowed him because he's such a perfect pet for Sevi and promise to return him unharmed.
The catar however are all mine and I love them so please don't use without asking me first.
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A/N - You know, maybe I'll be able to finish this in a few more chapters after all. My traitor seems to be getting a little impatient and is already striking again.
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Chapter 15: Another Severing Charm
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Thursday mornings were the time of the week that Draco envied Severus the most. While Draco had to hurry his breakfast in order to be at Hagrid's hut on time for Care for Magical Creatures, Severus had all the time in the world. Or at least until the second lesson, when they had Latin, which Severus wasn't exactly finding hard either.
Still, today Severus was slinging down his food even faster than Draco.
"Severus?" Draco asked him between bites. "You've got a study hour now, remember?"
"I know." Severus nodded and drained his cup of tea in one go. "I'm planning to sneak into the old Potions lab and continue my tests of the gummy bears. One hour is barely enough to get anything done when experimenting with unknown ingredients."
"But what about Potter's icicle?" Draco pushed. "Isn't that more important?"
Severus rolled his eyes at him and sighed. "Alright, I'll run a poison test on the icicle on the side. Okay?"
Draco sighed again and decided to let it slide. At least Severus was going to do something. If only he didn't have to go to class right now. Then he could go with Severus and make sure the icicle got the necessary attention.
He seriously considered skipping class. Hagrid might forget to take attendance anyway, so he might even get away with it.
Then again Hagrid had gotten more cautious thanks to the repeated attacks on Harry and didn't forget attendance as often as he used to and if he did get caught, it would get back to his father in no time. Another lecture about family honour from Lucius was the last thing he needed right now.
At least Neville would be in Care for Magical Creatures. If he had thought to bring some firecrackers the lesson might get interesting after all.
Draco glanced over to the Gryffindor table wondering whether he could run over there, ask Neville to bring some prank utensils and still be on time for class. He couldn't find Neville, though. Maybe he'd already gone? Or maybe he'd returned to his dorm, because he'd forgotten something. After all Neville was terribly forgetful.
It was bitter cold outside and Draco soon wished he'd remembered to put a warming spell on his boots and gloves. His fingers and toes had lost all feeling by the time he reached the shabby old wooden hut that Hagrid called home.
Draco would never understand why Hagrid refused to move into one of the nice warm rooms Hogwarts offered its teaching staff. Even Filch's quarters had to be more comfortable than this.
Hagrid beamed at the freezing students gathering outside his door.
"I got something real special for ya today." he promised happily.
Draco gulped. Whenever Hagrid said something was special it turned out to be something huge with long claws or sharp teeth. Fire breathing and explosive creatures had a special place in Hagrid's heart as well.
Maybe firecrackers wouldn't be such a good idea today after all.
He looked around for Neville once again, but still couldn't find him. And Hagrid was already taking attendance! Draco could only hope that Neville had a good excuse when he arrived.
"Lavender?" Hagrid called and nodded towards the Gryffindor. He always called them by their first name. "Seamus, Hermione, . . . Neville? Has anyone seen Neville?"
Damn. For just a moment Draco had hoped that Neville might be able to sneak in in time.
"Hospital wing." Harry reported a little sadly. "Seamus tried to wake him up by transfiguring his blanket."
"What's wrong with that?" Hagrid asked surprised.
"Well, he transfigured it into a pit-bull and . . . Well, I guess they were kind of frightened when they were so unexpectedly faced with each other, so it bit Neville." Harry explained. "Madame Pomfrey probably already fixed the injury, but you know what she's like. She'll want to keep Neville for a few more days just to make sure he isn't suffering from any lasting psychological damage."
"Aw well, it was still a nice thought. I know you meant well Seamus." Hagrid declared. "Poor little Neville."
He quickly finished attendance and then dragged a huge covered cage, from which they could hear angry snarling and growling, out from behind a corner of his hut.
"Here." Hagrid said proudly. "Something really rare."
He pulled off the blanket that had covered the cage and Draco could see something big and furry throw itself against the bars. He caught a glimpse of long canines as the creature screamed out its rage, but then it was already moving again, repeating the procedure at another side of the cage.
"He's a little confused." Hagrid commented. "All the movement of the cage and the sudden light surprised him. Shush Snuffy, it's alright."
"Snuffy?" somebody repeated incredulously and Theodore was shaking his head in frustration. Would they ever learn anything actually useful in this class?
"Snuffy here is a half-yeti." Hagrid explained proudly. "Part yeti, part bear. Like I said, very rare. Isn't he a beauty?"
The students looked at the raging fur ball doubtfully and some of them backed away. Harry bravely stepped a few paces forward to regard the creature.
"Uh Hagrid, don't you think . . ." he started, but they never found out what Harry had wanted to ask.
There was a sudden clang of metal and the bars bent away under Snuffy's weight. The half-yeti was suddenly free and a single leap took him to Harry. A snarl, and a huge paw swung at the boy. Draco grabbed for his wand in blind panic. There were scrams, some students were starting to run.
"Stupefy!" this time Estella had the proper spell ready. It clearly slowed and distracted the creature, even if it wasn't strong enough to subdue it.
Hagrid grabbed Snuffy from behind trying to physically pull him away from Harry who lay in the snow bleeding, but clearly still alive as Draco could see him try to drag himself away with his arms, since the half-yeti was standing on one of his legs.
Several more stupefys were needed until Snuffy finally collapsed still on top of Harry's legs. Most of the students had run away towards the castle by now. Draco seriously hoped that at least one of them had thought to head for the hospital wing and get Madame Pomfrey.
With the help of Gregory and Vincent Hagrid managed to lift Snuffy far enough for Draco, Hermione and Estella to pull Harry free. Theodore and Blaise had disappeared as well as Ron and Seamus. The first didn't really surprise Draco. Neither of he two was particularly fond of Potter, but Ron's flight was unexpected.
Alice was leaning against the wall of Hagrid's hut looking white as a sheet. Next to her Sissi Lawence was crying into Eloise Midgen's shoulder. Draco had no idea whether from fear or relief that Harry was obviously still alive despite his bleeding shoulder.
He leaned against Draco as Hermione tried to stop the bleeding by pressing her scarf against the wound. That seemed to be some Muggle healing method, but Draco assumed that it might work until they got Harry back to the castle.
"Harry! Harry!" there was Ron running towards them at top sped and behind him Madame Pomfrey and the headmaster.
Of course, he'd gone for help thinking that a student's magic was no match for a monster as big as a half-yeti and Hagrid after all still didn't have a wand.
Draco stepped back as Madame Pomfrey took over Harry. Dumbledore quickly transfigured a huge water barrel into an even bigger box and levitated Snuffy into it.
"A torn shoulder and a twisted ankle." the nurse reported shaking her head in wonder. "Not even a single broken bone. Sometimes I just can't believe your luck Mr. Potter. With all the trouble you get into anyone else would probably have suffered irreparable damage long ago."
She conjured a stretcher and floated Harry off in the direction of the hospital wing. Hermione and Ron right behind them.
Dumbledore looked relieved at the news. He secured the half-yeti box with several locks, then walked over to inspect the cage. Curious Draco followed.
The bars had been bent upwards where Snuffy had forced himself through and were sticking up in every direction. That caught Dumbledore's attention.
"That's strange." the headmaster commented. "The bars weren't just bent aside to make a hole, nor did the side of the cage give as a whole. It looks like several neighbouring bars broke near the bottom of the cage. How could Snuffy have put that much pressure on all of them at once?"
Draco regarded the bars closest to him. "The ones that weren't bent away are broken, too." he discovered. "There's a straight line of breaks running through all the bars on this side of the cage."
Dumbledore ran a finger over one of he stumps. "Smooth." he reported. "A clean cut, just like a severing charm."
Behind them Estella gasped. "Another severing charm? Just like the ropes on the armour?"
"It looks that way." Dumbledore confirmed. "A revealing spell can tell us for sure. What other spells were used during the lesson?" he asked while he performed the spell.
"Stupefy to stop the yeti." Estella reported.
"Probably some heating charms against the cold." Draco added.
"Ah yes, I see nine stupefys." the headmaster nodded. "Two heating charms cast here, several others on objects that were here recently."
"Heating charms?" Hagrid puzzled.
"The students' clothes, Hagrid." Dumbledore reminded him. "To protect them against the cold weather. There is also an airtight charm against the wind. A portable fire, a wakefulness charm, a . . . freezing charm? Hm, probably a prankster. Poppy's diagnostic and healing spells, a cheering charm, five small transfigurations, one extra strong severing charm, a colour changing spell and somebody was carrying canary creams. That's strange. Any idea who cast the cheering charm, colour changing spell and transfigurations?"
"I cast the cheering charm, Sir." Alice admitted. "On Sissi." she nodded towards the now much calmer Hufflepuff. "She seemed to need one after the shock."
Dumbledore nodded. "Perhaps you all should go ask Madame Pomfrey for some nerve calming potion once she's seen to Mr. Potter. The transfigurations?"
Draco shrugged and looked to the others for help.
"Perhaps somebody was practising for an exam later today?" Estella suggested. "It sounds harmless enough. I mean what could a small transfiguration or a colour charm have to do with cutting open a cage?"
Dumbledore nodded. "The bars certainly weren't transfigured or coloured apart, but there were minor transfigurations at the scene of the last attack as well."
"Outside the Transfigurations classroom." Draco reminded him.
"Yes, but perhaps the transfigurations are part of the traitor's preparation for attack."
"Do you think it might be an animagus?" Eloise asked looking around fearfully.
"The animagus transformation isn't a minor transfiguration, Ms Midgen." Dumbledore tried to assure her. "It would not show as one to this spell."
In fact, Draco remembered his father telling him that the animagus transformation wasn't detectable by revealing spells at all. Eloise probably didn't need to know that right now, though, as no spells were required once you'd gained the ability to change into an animal form.
"You'd best return to your common rooms, now." the headmaster continued. "Morning classes are cancelled. I'll make the announcement as soon as I get back to the castle."
Draco wished he could have stayed to watch the rest of the investigation, but his classmates were looking at him expectantly. Obviously they thought they had to return as a group.
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They met Juliana, Pansy and Millicent in the entrance hall when they entered the castle.
Lavender and Seamus were a little further up the stairs and the rest of their class was huddled together in the entrance to the Hufflepuff corridor. Draco didn't have time to wonder why the Ravenclaws had chosen that spot of all places.
They were swarmed with questions from their housemates the moment they arrived. Apparently the fugitives had run all the way into the entrance hall before they'd stopped to look back. Since there was no enraged half- yeti coming after them, they'd felt safe enough to stop and only a few had gone on to alert the nurse and the headmaster.
Only Ron had been courageous enough to follow the adults back to the scene of the attack, though. Who knew whether the creature wouldn't attack them again, if they got too close to it, after all?
Too curious to just leave they'd stood around and watched as Madame Pomfrey had floated Potter past them and up to the hospital wing.
"We are to return to he common rooms." Draco told Theodore who was pushing him the most. "There'll probably be another teacher's meeting until lunch."
"Was it another attack from the traitor then?" Juliana demanded.
"Looks that way." Draco confirmed. "The bars were cut with a severing charm. Since that same charm was used in the last two attacks Dumbledore seems to be very sure of his facts."
"Do you realise what that means?" Alice shrieked suddenly. "The traitor must be in our class!"
Gregory and Vincent just stared at her for a moment, Blaise and Theodore eyed each other, Juliana slowly inched away from everybody until she crashed backwards into the wall, Estella looked to Draco.
"But who?" breathed Millicent.
"Severing charms can be cast from a distance." Draco reminded them. "Even through glass. The traitor only had to be able to see the cage. That doesn't mean that we had to be able to see him."
They still continued to exchange uneasy looks as they trudged back to the common room.
Estella curled up in the chair by the fire clutching a pillow, Alice chose a chair on the other end of the room next to the chess board. Juliana Millicent and Pansy fled up the stairs.
"Uh. . . want to play?" Theodore asked Alice nodding towards the chess set, but Alice just shook her head silently.
Theodore sat down opposite from her anyway.
The rest of them went upstairs. Blaise grabbed a fresh robe and disappeared into the bathroom announcing: "I need a hot shower."
Vincent and Gregory sat down on Gregory's bed with a handful of chocolate frogs.
Draco sank onto his bed as well trying to convince himself that the traitor wasn't necessarily one of his classmates. Somehow that thought was much scarier than he had expected. After all he'd known that there was a traitor loose in the school before the start of the year. He'd even thought it might be Theodore or Blaise for a while.
But now it suddenly seemed so impossible. He knew these students, had had classes with them for five years. How could one of them be a cold blooded murderer?
"The last one." Gregory said tonelessly.
"Lets share it then." Vincent suggested.
Draco turned his head and watched their attempt at breaking a chocolate frog into exactly equal parts. Gregory ended up with the larger piece, but insisted on switching them so Vincent could have it.
Draco felt oddly detached from the scene as he sat up, crawled to the foot of his bed and dug his latest sweets package from his mother out of his trunk. He held it out to Vincent and after the boy took it flopped back into his original position on the bed.
"Don't you want any?" he heard Vincent ask. "Hey Draco!"
"Huh?" Was Vincent talking to him?
"Don't you want any of your sweets?"
Draco shook his head. No, no he couldn't eat anything right now.
In his mind he ran through the list of his Care for Magical Creatures classmates picturing all their faces, trying to determine which one of them could be a murderer.
All of his dorm mates had been in Arithmancy during the second attack. Draco still couldn't believe that Gregory and Vincent had switched from Divination to Arithmancy after taking their OWLs. They said it had been Neville's idea, which was understandable. Neville wasn't as thick skinned as Greg and Vince. He'd probably suffered enough predictions of his death to deem it acceptable to study all summer to catch up to the Arithmancy class. Hermione had probably tutored him, too. That Gregory had agreed to studying in the holidays however seemed unbelievable.
Estella and Juliana took Arithmancy as well. Pansy and Millicent had been with them during the armour attack. That left only Alice.
Alice who'd gone so pale at the sight of the half-yeti attacking Potter. Alice who'd pointed out that the traitor might be in their class, who'd been shocked and horrified by the idea. No, it just couldn't be Alice.
The Gryffindors next. Neville hadn't been there today. Ron, who'd run to get help. Draco kept seeing how he'd been running towards them as fast as he could calling 'Harry! Harry!' as he thought about him.
Seamus with his Muggle father, best friends with Muggle born Dean. He'd been behaving strangely in Potions class lately, yes, but kill his own dorm mate?
Hermione pressing her scarf against Harry's wound in a desperate attempt to help with inferior Muggle methods. Somebody should have taught her some first aid spells. Somebody should have taught all of them.
Lavender, the girl who'd cried over the death of her bunny for an entire day in third year. Draco didn't think much of Lavender, but she was much too girlish to be a ruthless killer.
Sissi Lawrence of Hufflepuff. Ridiculous. Sissi wouldn't harm a fly. He saw her crying in Eloise's arms again.
Eloise. Eloise as she gently stroked Sissi's back trying to calm her.
The ones that had run. Quiet Susan Bones who'd lost her parents to Voldemort just like Harry. Susan who spent hours sewing little stuffed toys to give to her friends.
Justin Finch-Fletchley. Justin who'd been so afraid of the monster in second year. Muggle born Justin? Never.
And the two Ravenclaws, Miranda Deering and Lisa Turpin. Lisa staring wide eyed at the unicorns they'd seen in Care for Magical Creatures in third year. That look of wonder as one had almost come close enough to touch her.
And Miranda laughing at one of Ron's jokes. Miranda was a suspect, yes, but . . .
Miranda diligently plucking apart salad for the flubberworms. Miranda in the library, patiently showing a first year how to properly swish her wand again and again. No, it couldn't be Miranda Deering!
But then who? If only Severus were here! Severus would know the right words to put this back into perspective.
Draco jumped up. "I'm going to find Severus. He must. . . He must have gone to the library or something."
Vincent and Gregory only nodded at him silently.
Still Draco almost ran from the room. Suddenly he couldn't take it any longer.
The shower was still running. Did this actually get to Blaise, too? He didn't give a damn about Potter after all.
Estella was still curled up with her pillow staring into the flames. Juliana had come down again and was sitting in a chair next to the girls' stairs clutching a stuffed leopard to her chest. She avoided eye contact and turned away from him.
Alice was fingering a chess pawn without looking at it. No, it was the black king. She did make eye contact. It looked almost pleading, but what could Draco do?
He hastened on to the door.
"Where are you going?" Theodore's voice sounded oddly wrong in the despairing silence of the common room. "They'll cancel classes any moment now."
"To find Severus." Draco said once again.
Theodore just nodded. He didn't even ask why Severus wasn't in, or why Draco hadn't gone to look for him sooner.
How long had it been since they'd come back to the common room? How long had he lain on his bed thinking? Minutes? Hours? Shouldn't Dumbledore have made that announcement long ago. Had he found something so important that he'd forgotten to cancel classes?
Most likely it hadn't been that long after all.
He'd lost all feeling for time, Draco realised. Was this how Neville had felt after the armour attack?
Draco burst into the potions lab running then stopped and stood blinking. Somehow the scene before him felt unreal after the events of the day so far.
Severus was sitting sideward on a worktable, right foot propped up on the table, the other dangling down beside him, left arm slung around his knee, he was stirring a happily bubbling cauldron with his right hand and humming a happy melody. On the other table another cauldron was cooling and Greenie was snuffling around on the side table that was usually used to lay out ingredients. Corvus was perched on a shelf with a handkerchief in his beak.
The room was warm and well lit. A picture of tranquillity and happiness.
Severus looked up at Draco for only a moment and greeted him with a quick smile before returning his attention to the potion.
Draco stood transfixed. The atmosphere in the room was so much in contrast to his current emotional state that it seemed completely unreal.
"Shouldn't you be in class?" Severus remarked lightly.
"Cancelled." Draco managed shaking himself out of his daze.
"Something wrong?" Severus finally caught on.
Draco opened his mouth to explain and hesitated. How to start? How did one explain ones feelings about something, if one was unable to interpret those feelings oneself?
"All students return to your common rooms." the headmaster's voice sounded through the corridors. "All morning classes are cancelled. All members of staff please report to the teachers' lounge right away."
Severus jumped off his table, potion forgotten. "He isn't dead, is he?"
Draco shook his head.
"What did he do this time?"
"Another severing charm." Draco reported. He had no problem reporting the facts of the case at all. "Cut open the cage of an angry half-yeti just as Potter was closest to it. Potter got clawed and hurt his foot when the creature bowled him over, but we managed to stop it with several stupefys before it could kill Potter or go after anyone else."
"How did he get the creature angry at Potter?" Severus asked after taking a deep breath. He turned around and extinguished the fire under the cauldron he'd been working on.
"He didn't have to." Draco explained. "It was trying to tear open its cage anyway. Hagrid thought it was because he'd moved the cage, probably shook the monster out of its sleep or something."
"Then what guarantee did he have that it would go after Potter?" Severus methodically cleaned up his workspace and put the cauldrons aside so they wouldn't be obvious if anyone looked into the room before he could return to finish his work.
"He was closest to the cage." Draco answered. "I guess he just assumed that he'd go for the closest target."
"Our traitor isn't exactly picky about whom he hurts." Severus deduced. "After the first incident I thought he just hadn't counted on the shards hurting other students sitting close to Potter as well and the second attack endangered only Harry himself, but last time he might easily have killed Hermione as well and this time he endangered the entire class. I'm beginning to think he really is capable of blowing up the whole school just to get Potter."
Draco shuddered suddenly realising what had scared them all so much. "Alice says it has to be somebody from our class, but then he would have endangered his own life as well."
"Possible." Severus conceded. "But that would be a very desperate act. It's more likely that he struck from a safe distance."
Draco breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Severus. Of course! How could they all have been so blind. The traitor had to be much too cowardly to risk his own life like that.
"We should get back to the common room." Severus advised.
Draco wondered whether it would still be so quiet there now that all the other Slytherins were back. They wouldn't let the sixth years' despair get to them as well, would they?
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Lucius had ended up between the werewolf and that idiot of a Muggle Studies teacher this time. Not the best seat, but at least it was Sprout who was stuck with Trelawney this time. His classroom might be very out of the way, but unlike the glasshouses the headmaster's announcements did reach it. Hootch, Sprout and Hagrid didn't have that luxury and had to be alerted via house elf. Add to that that they also had a longer way back to the castle and Lucius could rest assured that, if he didn't waste any time, he wasn't likely to arrive last for any staff meetings again. He just had to remember the repercussions.
Dumbledore looked grave as he described the latest attack. Lucius felt like throttling the assassin. Couldn't that kid do anything right?
"Thanks to the quick thinking of Ms Rashton and the fast help of Ms Granger, Misters Crabbe and Goyle as well as young Mr. Malfoy, not to mention Mr. Weasleys wise choice to return to the castle and alert Madame Pomfrey, Mr. Potter sustained only minor injuries and will be back on his feet in time to attend his afternoon classes." Dumbledore announced. "I believe each of the students that helped should be awarded points, though I'm not sure who else took part in raising the alarm and subduing Snuffy. We will have to determine that before we start giving out points."
Lucius started at the sudden realisation that his only son and heir had been at the scene of the attack as well. And apparently even been stupid enough to take on the monster! Why hadn't he kept Draco out of that class on some pretence? Why hadn't Draco been clever enough to run away?
"Little idiot." Lucius grumbled to himself. "That Snape is a bad influence on the boy."
"Severus?" Lupin asked him surprised. "What does Severus have to do with anything? He doesn't even take Hagrid's class."
"He's the wrong friend for my son." Lucius growled. "Why do you keep encouraging those two to hang out together?"
"I am not encouraging them to hang out." Lupin stated calmly. "I only arranged for Severus to tutor Draco, because he happens to be the most competent student in my class."
"Tutor?" Lucius' head shot up to glare at the werewolf. "Why would my son need a tutor? His DADA grades might not be as good as they could be, but he has always been among the best in his year."
"Until we started on protective wards." Lupin amended calmly. "I admit that I probably wouldn't have thought to arrange tutoring, if it were any other student. Draco is in no danger of actually failing, after all, but in comparison with his usual performance, his results when casting wards are extremely poor."
Lucius glared. "Rest assured that I will take care of the problem." he informed Lupin coldly and the werewolf was left to wonder whether that should be considered a threat or a promise.
Judging from Lucius' expression, as he said it, it almost looked like the former, though Remus couldn't imagine why. He wouldn't have been surprised to see smoke bursting from Lucius' ears any moment.
"The first years were in Herbology and History respectively." Dumbledore was just saying. "Considering that they are unable to cast such a difficult severing charm and that the glasshouse the Herbology group was working in is at the wrong angle to see the cage was standing, I believe we can discount them as suspects once again."
All around teachers nodded in confirmation.
"The second year Gryffindors and Slytherins were in DADA." the headmaster continued. "Remus?"
"Clarissa Charlton arrived late claiming that she'd been looking for her misplaced DADA book." Remus reported dutifully. "Quintus Palmer, Elena Wilder and Vestalia Flemming went to the bathroom during the lesson. All three returned within the usual time, though."
"The rest of the second years had Charms." Dumbledore declared.
"Louise Mapel and Phelan Cullinger took bathroom breaks." Flitwick said. "I do not think either of them is capable of performing a severing charm on that level."
"The Cullingers are traditionally a Slytherin family." McGonagall threw in. "Purebloods that have recently lost a lot of money and influence."
"You are thinking of Andrejus Cullinger from Cornwall." Lucius corrected her. "Phelan's father is Octavian Cullinger, a very distant cousin of Andrejus who lives somewhere in Wales."
"Octavian was a Ravenclaw." Flitwick added. "Phelan however takes more after his mother. A Hufflepuff through and through."
"Moreover he has an alibi for the first incident." Lupin reminded them. "As does Louise. They were both in my class."
"And in Charms during the second incident." Flitwick added. "They didn't leave class back then and I repeat that I consider them unable to perform the charm. A simple severing charm to cut one strand of thread, perhaps, but not several iron bars at once."
"On to third year then." Dumbledore nodded. "Potions and Transfigurations."
"The Slytherins and Ravenclaws were working diligently and without any bathroom breaks." Lucius reported proudly. "And none of them were late either."
"And how did you achieve such an unusual feat, Lucius?" Hannah Hootch teased. "Please tell."
"I gave them twenty pages of their Potions books to read and summarise." Lucius smirked. "And told them there'd be a test at the end of the lesson."
"Only two bathroom breaks in Transfigurations." McGonagal reported. "Both Gryffindors, Caius Rude and Miles Miller."
"The fourth years were in Ancient Runes." Professor Rosetta said before Dumbledore could ask. "Bathroom breaks for Keith Gorl and Diana Bardon, no absences."
"The fifth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had Latin." That was Priscilla Pince. "Ulric Katon and Ambrosia Melter went to the bathroom. Luna Lovegood was late. She claims her classmates told her Latin was held in the dungeons today. I'd call that suspicious, if it were anybody else, but in Luna's case I can actually believe it."
"The Slytherins and Hufflepuffs had a study hour." Dumbledore reported. "And the sixth years' were in Care for Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies."
"Neville was in the hospital wing." Hagrid reported. "Got bit by his blanket."
"What?" Lucius yelped and Remus had to agree with him for once.
"Yeah, Seamus only wanted to wake him up, but it got scared and bit." Hagrid explained to everybody's confusion.
"Mr. Finnigan transfigured Mr. Longbottom's blanket into a dog." Minerva McGonagall clarified. "Unfortunately he didn't think things through and produced an angry pit bull rather than a cute puppy. If anybody has a good idea for a nasty detention, I'm open to suggestions."
"Now Minerva." Hagrid begged. "Seamus didn't mean any harm."
"No, but he did harm, Hagrid." McGonagall insisted. "His irresponsible behaviour caused a student to be hurt and it could have been worse. The bite was deep but easily mended as it only cut skin and muscle. Had the dog bitten deeper or caught a joint for example, or even the boy's face Poppy might not have been able to cure the damage entirely."
"Well, luckily that didn't happen, though." Dumbledore interceded. "Julian, any absences in your class?"
"No," the Muggle Studies professor answered. "But Mandy Bocklehurst went to the bathroom. Twice in fact. Maybe she should see Poppy."
"Well, that is a little suspicious, but she might just have had too much pumpkin juice at breakfast." the headmaster decided. "That's hardly a reason to consult a healer. The Slytherin and Ravenclaw seventh years had a study hour and the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs Latin."
"A vocabulary test in fact." Professor Pince specified. "Eudora Scattering was the only one who went to the bathroom, but that was hardly a surprise. She always has to run to the bathroom right before I hand out the tests. Nervous bladder, I suppose. The rest wouldn't risk their grades with absences."
"Excellent." said Dumbledore. "Now that that's all cleared up, lets go back to the last attack once more. I asked the heads of house to find out who had fought in the Transfiguration hallway sometime before the attack. Any results?"
Flitwick and Sprout exchanged a look.
"Erm . . . a case of simple jealousy, Albus." Flitwick admitted. "You know the Summer sisters?"
The headmaster nodded. "Sondra, second year Ravenclaw, and Esther, third year Hufflepuff."
"Yes indeed." Sprout confirmed. "Unfortunately the two never got along. Esther feels that her mother gives Sondra much more attention, while Sondra envies Esther her better grades. You see Esther is an unusually bright student and very hard working even though she doesn't consider her grades all that important. Sondra, though she studies hard as well doesn't memorise things as easily and as a result has much more average grades."
"After lunch that day the two girls met in the transfigurations corridor." Flitwick continued. "Sondra on the way to History of Magic, Esther and her friend Amber to Latin. Sondra overheard Esther say how she wasn't worried about the results of her last Latin test at all as she found Latin very easy. Unfortunately Latin is one of the subjects Sondra finds particularly hard, so in a moment of anger she threw a furunculus hex at her sister. Esther retaliated with a physical attack rather than a hex of her own. Their classmates tried to drag them apart, but were unable to at first, so Amber cast stupefy on both girls after which the helpers managed to drag them away to their respective classes. The origin of the disorientation spell remains unclear, however. It may have been cast by the traitor after all, either to prevent someone from catching him as he set up the trap, or on Harry to make it harder for him to escape the falling armour."
"But then why was the counter cast as well?" Professor Vector asked. "We know that the traitor wasn't caught setting the trap, so in the first scenario the person targeted was hit and walked past the traitor without noticing. If anyone had taken off the spell, they would have had to know that it had been cast in the first place and would have questioned why. In the second scenario the spell is cast on Harry. It either hits him and he is disoriented as the armour falls, or it misses and hits the wall, or perhaps the armour, some inanimate object in any case. The traitor has no reason to take the spell off Harry and there is no need to take it off an inanimate object, as it isn't affected at all. Somebody else only had reason to cast the counter, if they'd seen the traitor perform the spell. If so, they would have reported him long ago."
"Perhaps the traitor took the spell off Harry after the armour had fallen in order to avoid its detection by Madame Pomfrey." Remus suggested.
"But why would he?" argued Flitwick. "It wouldn't have been possible to trace the caster through the active spell, so why bother? There was much more risk of being seen casting the reversal."
"Maybe the traitor wasn't aware that the spell couldn't be traced?" Remus suggested. "We are dealing with a student here that might be only twelve years old. We can't expect him to have all the knowledge of a professional killer."
"He is a professional killer." McGonagall pointed out.
"In training." Lucius amended. "An adult professional would hardly miss four times like that. That kid clearly doesn't know what he's doing. He most likely gets his instructions from You Know Who, or rather one of his death eaters and then blunders through them as best he can."
"We can still assume that whoever told him to use a disorientation spell also told him that it can't be traced." McGonagall insisted.
"That would depend on how much our theoretical death eater wants our traitor to succeed." Dumbledore allowed.
"I doubt Voldemort would give a job of such importance to someone he has even the slightest suspicion might want to sabotage it." Flitwick argued. "If the traitor's contact isn't Voldemort himself it is somebody whose loyalty Voldemort hasn't the slightest doubt of."
"One of his top ranks then." Vector agreed. "But how does he contact the traitor? Should we start reading the children's owls?"
"It won't hurt to keep an eye on what students get unusual mail." Dumbledore conceded. "But we can't read all their private owls. Hogwarts is still a school not a security center."
"There is another possibility." Flitwick interrupted the headmaster too engrossed in his thoughts to even notice. "What if the spell missed and hit another person? The traitor had to take it off to prevent that person from being killed as well."
"He hasn't shown any concern for the safety of the students around Harry in his attacks so far." Professor Rosetta pointed out. "The exploding plate could easily have killed several students, the armour would most likely have hit Ms Granger as well as Harry, if it hadn't been deflected and this latest attack endangered the whole class."
"The person he hit was a friend then." Sprout decided. "Someone he didn't want hurt. A possible partner in crime?"
"You think that we have two death eaters in the school?" Lucius looked so horrified that Remus almost believed him.
Draco was right. The man really was an excellent actor.
"Unlikely as it is that Voldemort has managed to get two agents into the school, it is still a possibility." Dumbledore said calmly. "A more likely scenario however is that the traitor has friends that don't know anything about his connection with Voldemort, pureblooded classmates that he considers worthy of protection."
"There were purebloods in the class he attacked today as well." Vector pointed out. "Draco Malfoy, for example, Severus, the Nott boy. . ."
"Severus doesn't take Care for Magical Creatures." Dumbledore reminded her. "Draco does, though, and so do his equally pure blooded friends Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle. I believe Ms Rashton is a pureblood as well as Mr Weasley and Ms Brown. Clearly our traitor doesn't care for all purebloods, but he might care for some."
"Which brings us back to the question who." Vector stated.
"Indeed." Dumbledore confirmed. "I will check the new list of absences. Maybe that will give us a hint. In the meantime, please send Mr. Nicodemus Hanson up to my office after dinner. I need to question him about the last attack."
"He was already in Potions class at the time." Lucius pointed out.
"I know, Lucius." the headmaster nodded benignly. "Which is exactly what I find so strange. You see he didn't have enough time to get there from his last class, but according to Remus he didn't skip DADA either."
"Maybe he knows a shortcut." Lucius suggested. "Now please excuse me. I have to have a serious talk with my son."
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SSC - Does it? Sorry, can't answer that question.
Marauder3Moony - Glad you liked it. This one was unfortunately a little late again, but I'm having great hopes to be on time with the next one (less hopes that it will be good however. I need to come up with something more interesting to put in there.)
Pam Briggs - I'm not entirely sure, but I think I've mentioned before that the traitor is acting of his or her own free will. That's all I'll say on the matter, though. . . . Yes, I think Sevi has found a new favourite sweet. He's about to discover that they are indeed very useful.
ME - Yep, I'm the author, but this is supposed to be a mystery which means I'm supposed to give you lots of suspects and keep you wondering. (All in all, I don't think it's a particularly good mystery, but I'm beginning to get more confident about writing action scenes. Maybe I'm learning something from this after all.)
Iremione - Well, the investigator is a Slytherin, because they wanted him to be close to the ones they thought most likely to be the traitor. . . . Ah, but Hermione didn't have a cat yet when she was sorted. She only bought him at the beginning of third year. . . . I think the Weasleys just didn't let Voldemort interfere with their family planning. And already having seven children at the time he fell, they decided that was as much as they could manage. (But then I also saw the suggestion that they only had that many children, because they kept going until they finally got a girl somewhere.) . . . The traitor wasn't specifically going after her, but 'Well Mr. Malfoy, Sir, just tell the dark lord that I didn't use the perfectly set trap, because a mudblood happened to be walking with Potter and I would have endangered her as well.' is probably not the best excuse for failing the third time in a row. . . . Oh yes, you are a company employee. You are an inspiration giver and plot sounding board. . . . Yep, it's a potion against menstrual cramps. Used at least as much as pepper-up potion.
Madame Moony - Yep, absolutely correct about the potion. . . . Gummy bears are about to become one of Sevi's favourite ingredient in his private brewing. He might even write a few articles on them.
kateydidnt - Yep, seems like you all guessed that potion. . . . Invisibility cloaks are very rare and expensive, so they don't tend to be part of a student's toy collection. Albus knows Harry has one of course, but it's very unlikely that the traitor could get his hands on it, so no, that possibility hasn't occurred to anyone.
Thistle - Well, here's Luic finding out. Next chapter you'll see him talk it over with Draco . . . Did I just say talk?
Ezmerelda - Thanks for reading! . . . Yes, Runaway Dragon got a little bit longer than planned so the sequel came a little late. Still, I'm glad I wrote that plot hedgehog. I really love West Hogsmeade and its people. It's my own special corner of the wizarding world.
kalariah - Actually Sevi is on the track of something big with the gummy bears. I case of the assassin he knows that he's missed something, but hasn't any idea what and at least so far he hasn't even been looking at the place where he missed it. One of his lists has that tiny little flaw. It's not even a mistake since it's in how those on the list were picked . . .
holly - He wasn't throwing in random things as much as random amounts, but yes, that will constitute a problem in recreating the icicles.
EriEka127 - Thanks!
Apocalypse - Nah, Sevi would have considered a party something embarrassing and he doesn't like parties anyway. Draco knew that and arranged for a little silent gesture, which Sevi apreciates much more.
Lonely Shadow Knight - Thanks!
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A/N: Will the fifth years get over their shock? What are those transfiguration spells? And are Hagrid and Snuffy in trouble now? (Guesses about the identity of the traitor as always will be read with great interest, but not answered, yet.) Please R/R.
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Next: Severus visits Albus, Draco had to report to his father's office and Lucius does his best at being fatherly (at least what he considers fatherly).