When Ron and Ginny walked back through the library door, they had been gone half an hour. Hermione, Harry and Neville were sitting at one of the long tables, stacks of red binders piled around them. Ginny looked a bit angry, but Ron looked absolutely haunted. His eyes were dark and he shuffled rather than walked. Ginny sat down in a chair, Ron slumped. "What's wrong with him?" Harry asked Ginny. "He won't tell me. Him and Percy had a weird moment." "I'm right here, you know," Ron muttered. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at Hermione. "What did you guys find?" Hermione searched the stack and pulled a red binder from near the bottom. She slid it over to Ron, who opened it. He sighed and shut it. "Bloody hell..." Ron groaned and his head dropped to the table. Ginny pulled the binder from under his head and looked at it.

"From what we can tell, not even Percy could open his file. Harry tried to read his and he couldn't get by his classified notice," Hermione added. Harry's ambivalence turned into anger. "Yeah, I get the feeling that might have been Dumbledore's doing though," he answered darkly. Hermione glared at him, but turned back to Ron. "Unless we get authority from the minister himself, or Dumbledore, I suspect, we are dead in the water on this avenue." The five of them looked dower. "Did you get anything out of Percy," Neville asked. Ginny looked at Neville uneasily. "He freaked out when we gave him the book. Told us to get out. I've never seen him that angry before," Ginny shook her head. "That's it?" Neville replied disbelievingly.

"He can't tell us," Ron said quietly. "He can't explain the diary, he can't explain any of it. Fudge knows though. You saw the way he looked at Percy when he told Percy he was keeping an eye on him. Percy paled when he walked in." Ron clarified, giving a half-smile to Ginny. He sighed and rubbed his forehead in thought. "What happened with you and Percy, Ron?" Ginny asked softly. He looked over at her. Looked back down at the table.

"What did it look like, Ginny?" Hermione asked, a light tone in her voice. "Gin, leave it," Ron threatened. "I'll just get it out of her tonight when you aren't there," Hermione threatened back. Ron mulled it over.

"I asked Percy about Fudge's interest in him. He looked genuinely amazed that I had connected the dots and he sat up." Ron stopped and took a deep breath. "He just looked at me. I couldn't break his stare and... then it changed. He seemed to be looking into me, trying to... I... like he was trying to find the meaning in a painting or something. And he seemed to be just as locked into me as I was and then... then he just stopped. Walked to the door and asked us calmly to leave." Ron stopped and Harry eyes flashed. He knew that stop- it's trademark of someone hiding a piece of information. He did it all the time. "That was it, then?" Harry asked slowly. Ron looked at him dead in the eye and said, "yes." But Harry could see the muscle in his arm tighten, as if he was gripping something under the table.

"Did it feel like Occlumency?" Hermione asked, her quill scribbling down the end of Ron's tale. "I don't know. Never experienced it. It wasn't so much he was breaking into my head and reading my thoughts. It was... he was... sizing me up? Summing me up? I don't know. I DON'T," he said harshly, particularly to Ginny. Hermione put down her quill. "Anything else you noticed?" she asked finally. "He wasn't wearing his glasses. When it happened. He didn't move until I said his name. Then he put them back on, nervous-like," Ginny answered and Ron slightly stiffened. Harry's eyes narrowed- was that what he was purposefully leaving out? "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's get some lunch," Neville said cheerfully, sliding his chair smoothly out. There was a round of agreements as Hermione went to return the archive card to the Librarian.

They found themselves sitting inside of Florean Fortescue's shop sipping milkshakes a few minutes later. Ron and Ginny slid in one side of the booth, Harry and Hermione on the other with Neville riding the chair at the head of the table. Each sipped a milkshake (Chocolate, Chocolate, Strawberry, Pineapple and Strawberry, respectively). Mr. Green and Tonks sat in the next booth closest to the door, sipping vanilla cappuccinos. Mr. Green had watched Mr. Fortescue make each milkshake and made him take a sip from each before deeming them safe for the kid's consumption. Tonks apologized to him for the inconvenience- Green did not.

Hermione and Neville were talking about some sentient form of Venus Flytrap that fed exclusively on mice. Harry, Ginny and Ron were pushing marked pieces of napkin around a quidditch pitch marked by the salt and pepper shakers. Tonks fluttered her eyelashes at a smirking Mr. Green.

It was then that the world around Harry blacked out.

Gray pavement was strangely visible against the gray fog. Like an underground snake, the pavement ripped up along Diagon Alley, tossing people aside like lemmings off of a cliff. The line of destruction ripped by Florean Fortescue's shop, every outdoor table spinning upwards and through the glass windows. Both Tonks and Mr. Green whipped out their wands and in concert shouted, "Protego!" The wicker chairs and tables crashed against the invisible barrier and dropped down onto the booths and front counter. Dust swirled in the aftermath as Tonks ran through the barrier and checked the destruction out doors. Neville lie on the ground, unconscious, his chair knocked over. Mr. Green kicked the chair behind him and yanked the table out. Ron helped Mr. Green lower Harry onto the floor. "Hermione, ward this place down. Ginny, please check on Neville," he said simply and Hermione jumped to her feet. Her wand moved with incredible speed as the shield charm turned pink, then violet, then blue as she shouted out charm after charm. Blood poured out of Harry's scar and his body was rigid.

The pain was unbelievable- his entire body seized with it, his mind was clouded with it. And yet, he fought to clear his mind- to push it all out. This was what he had been training for all summer. He squinted behind his already crushed eyelids and pushed every shiver of pain out of his mind.

His hair was buzzed to the point of nonexistence. A sparse bed, bolted down to the hardwood floor with restraints dangling off the side, and a small bed table, also bolted down, was all that was in the room. The walls were a blinding white and heavily padded. The door was windowless. The young man, couldn't be older than 25, was dressed in blue scrubs and banging on the door as hard as he could with both fists. He could feel himself slither towards him. The man screamed, "GET ME OUT OF HERE! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" with fear ripping through his baritone.

Percy collapsed to his knees, pale and gaunt. Percy looked levelly into his eyes, terror written all over them. He felt himself slither forward; Percy skittered backwards against the wall, ripping his wand from the desk. He pushed himself against the wall, now at a standing position. He pointed his wand down and there was a blast of white light.

"Snape has refused to give her up, Lord. We still have yet to locate Harris, but we have a promising lead from Kamayo on Okinabe." The sniveling face of Peter Pettigrew came into a wobbly focus. The world swum before his eyes. "There is no place that he can run that I will not find him. Severus is as good as dead. Find her. When I find him..."

Harry felt his mind slam back into his body and his eyes shot open in reflex. Instead of being on the floor of Florean Fortescue's, he was lying in bed. And the spot was only too familiar.

Grimmauld Place. Number 12. Fuck.

The door swung open. Snape stormed through the threshold towards Harry. One of his eyes was swollen shut, but there was a fire in his visible, dark eye. Harry hadn't seen that sort of hatred even when Snape talked about his father. He saw Remus step through the doorway, but then his attention was taken up by Snape, who picked him up by the throat and slammed him against the wall above his bed. "What. Did. He. Say," Snape growled, his voice low and guttural. A hand appeared on Snape's shoulder and his body was wrenched from Harry.

Harry dropped back down onto the bed, bouncing a bit, shock written all over his face. Severus crashed to the floor, Remus standing over his body. "Severus!" Remus bellowed. Snape stood up and neatly crashed his fist into Remus's jaw, sinking the man to the ground. He walked over to Harry and stood over the bed. He tried again. "WHAT DID HE SAY!" he screamed, his face wild and frantic. Harry was shocked- his words stuck in his throat. Snape pulled out his wand and pointed it at Harry. "So help me God Potter, if you do not tell me what Lord Voldemort said about me I will hit you with every curse I can think of," his voice deadly blunt.

"Severus, put down your wand."

Albus Dumbledore breezed into the room. He sat down on the bed and put his hand on Snape's wand, lowering it. "Harry, Mr. Green said that when you were en route here you mentioned Snape's name. We need to know what you saw," Dumbledore said quietly. Snape looked like a rubber band about to snap, the hand gripping his wand was trembling. Harry took his eyes off of Snape and looked down at Remus, who was in some form of consciousness, but not one that included speaking coherently. "Harry," Dumbledore spoke more forcefully and Harry's attention switched back to his headmaster.

"He said that there was no place that... Professor Snape could run that he would not find him, that he was as good as dead. Then he said to find her... but that was all..." Harry trailed off. Snape had ripped his robe open, and was digging through the pockets of his pressed black pants. To Harry's surprise, he pulled out a very sleek, gleaming silver cellular phone. He flipped up the top and pressed a button. He put the phone to his ear and the tension in the room seemed to double. Dumbledore had ceased looking at Harry and was now focused on Snape's pacing figure; for the first time, Harry could see fear in those blue eyes. Snape's eyes widened before he started bellowing forcefully into the phone. "Esme, run. I've been found out. The list still stands on both sides. Don't go back to the house." Snape had meandered his way into the corner of the room. He turned away from Harry and muttered something softly into the phone, closing the phone with an audible click. He turned back, his eyes closed. He opened them and checked his watch. He opened the phone again and hit a different number. He paused a moment, and in a unsteady voice, he spoke. "Esmerelda Snape, please." A pause. "What time did she leave?" Another pause. Snape hung up the phone and there was nothing in his demeanor to suggest that he wasn't absolutely broken.

"I'll get on the fire to the embassies in California, Severus. We will find her," Albus stood up. He gave Harry a small grin. Severus followed him out, and Harry couldn't help but notice how human Snape looked. Dejected and beaten, the proud, haughty professor was replaced by a distraught man with every line on his face visible.

"Harry. What else did you see?"

Harry turned to see Remus standing against the wall, a large purple bruise blossoming on his left cheek. "Who is Esmerelda Snape?" Harry asked. "My question first, Harry," he simply said. Harry couldn't find it in him to glare. "A man in a room, tall, dark hair practically shaved off, mid 20's. In a padded room. Begging to be let out," Harry replied slowly. He screwed his eyes in though as he tried to pull up the memory. "Percy! One of Voldemort's snakes were in Percy's office," Remus put his hand up. "We've already taken care of Percy, Harry. Was that all?" Harry shook his head. "Something about they couldn't find Harris, but they had a lead on Okinabe." Remus's head cocked gently. "Harris and Okinabe?" he repeated, slightly puzzled. Harry shrugged. Remus nodded his head and began to walk to the door.

"Who is Esmerelda Snape?" Harry repeated. Remus turned to him and gave him a very strained smile. "His daughter," he said simply and left the room.

"Snape procreated? Are you joking! Who would sleep with him?" Ron shouted disbelievingly. Hermione smacked him in the arm. "Shut up, Ron. You said... Voldemort wants Snape dead?" Hermione asked, changing gears. Harry nodded. "He said Snape wouldn't give up his daughter. I guess that sort of tipped him off he wasn't exactly dedicated to the cause," Harry said dryly. Suddenly, Percy came into his head. "What happened with Percy?" Harry asked. Ron looked at Hermione. "Dumbledore won't say. Mom is absolutely frantic- Ginny's down there with her now. I haven't seen her like this since she found out Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets," Ron shook his head. "Voldemort set one of his snakes on him," Harry muttered. "One of them?" Hermione echoed.

Harry thought about the man in the padded room. Dark hair, tall, lean. Padded room... restraints... "I've seen him before! The man in the room! Shit, Ron! Did you get Percy's diary back?" Harry exclaimed, shooting up from the bed he lay in. Ron blinked surprisedly before giving him a no. "There was a picture of a man tied to a bed- you remember it? It was him! And then Pettigrew said they were looking for Harris and Okinabe; going after Percy; Snape refusing to give up his daughter." Harry's smiled widened as everything seemed to fall into place. "What do you want to bet the other normal pictures in the diary were of them?" Ron looked pensive. "He must have known this would happen. That's why he ran," Ron mumbled in thought. "But why now? Why not last year? Why not the year before? Why try to take the five of them now?" Hermione voiced.

"Ron, is Percy a seer?" Hermione suddenly asked. Ron shook his head. "No. Divination was the only NEWT he almost didn't pass. Plus, that would be something he would have gloated about," Ron answered. "What if he was and they Obliviated him?" Harry offered. "You can't obliviate someone out of having visions..." she trailed off, her mind visibly whirring behind those brown eyes. She traced out a few pictures with her finger on Harry's bed, deep in thought. "Prophecies are automatically siphoned from the Seer into those glass balls, right? Brain waves activating the recording device based on resonating frequencies. I suppose you could siphon out a prophecy without the Seer knowing it. All you'd need to do is..." Hermione trailed off and stopped. She looked up at Ron and Harry. "No. That would require shutting down the part of the brain that is responsible for Seeing. There isn't one localized section of the brain responsible for prophecy- you'd have to shut down bits and pieces of it everywhere. It would kill him," Hermione said simply.

"Certainly would save someone else the trouble."

Percy Weasley stood in the doorway. He leaned against the doorframe, a blank look on his face.

Author's Notes: db, you don't know how happy I was to read your last review. It's all about the build up- hopefully I won't let you down! Shots out to sibbo and vez for reviewing as well. The next chapter make take a bit: I'm not sure how I want to write one of the Big Explanations yet. But no worries... it is coming...