Title: Astray
By: Melusina
Category: angst
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Notes: Many thanks again to my beta Mairi. She checked this story for me. If you find any remaining blunders, blame me for them…
Silverthreads and Femmeloki – Thank you for your reviews… This is just for you…
Part Eleven – Unmasked
Michael had been sitting under the tree on the shore for a very long time and he felt slightly stiff when he finally rose. The sun had disappeared already and he had witnessed the glorious ending of a beautiful day. He had made a long walk along the lake and his peaceful surroundings had calmed him. He couldn't justify his actions for himself but he knew that he would end this once and for all. His place wasn't here. The memory would be his. That was all.
When he turned for the castle again, he noticed that there were fewer lights than usual. He frowned. He entered the main hall, but didn't find anybody. That was unusual, although the students should be in their dorms. Where was everybody? The sounds were somehow off, too. What could it be? He hesitated where to go, and finally decided that he would go up to Dumbledore. He would have to tell him anyway.
The stairs were empty as well. He reached Dumbledore's office and softly spoke the password. He had nearly reached the door to Dumbledore's office when he froze. That voice couldn't be human.
HHHHHHH
Later that night, Severus woke with a start. The map. Why hadn't he thought of it? He grabbed his wand and quickly performed the tempus spell to check the time. Half an hour before midnight. He had to contact Dumbledore. He must have been mental to forget about it.
Weakly, he summoned his clothes and got dressed, silently cursing his clumsy hands. He uncharacteristically stumbled through the door and took the shortest way to the headmaster's office. He encountered nobody. He thought that all the students must have been brought to the safety rooms in the dungeons. Just as well. He spoke the emergency password, but Dumbledore wasn't in his office. For a moment, Severus panicked. Then he grabbed a pinch of floo powder and threw it in the fire. "Headmaster," he blindly called.
"I'm here, Severus," came Dumbledore's voice immediately. Snape blindly followed the voice and found the headmaster in the great hall, with a few members of the order around him.
Severus stepped out of the fire place with painful grace and clutched his side with one arm. With the other he handed the headmaster the parchment that detailed which deatheater would attack at what different point. The dark lord himself would go for Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore studied it frowningly, then nodded quitely. He gave his orders and everbody took their place, not without giving Snape a wary glance.
"Come with me, Severus," Dumbledore just said and they went back to his office.
The attack, when it came, was smooth and swift. Dumbledore wanted it counteracted without Voldemort noticing that he was hindered. The final encounter would have to be in Dumbledore's office because the magic of the wards would bring Voldemort there. Dumbledore just hoped that the side attacks would be countered without causing too much loss.
Severus was standing next slightly aside in Dumbledore's office, next to the headmaster and Harry Potter. He felt as if the world moved outside of him.
Silently they waited. Sometimes a quick message was given through the floo network. Other than that they could just guess. They heard faint shouts. Whose was unclear. Once, they felt a slight shiver, as if the the castle was shaken in its fundaments. Sometimes a green flicker in the fire. Otherwise, there was only silence. Ghastly silence.
Finally they heard the soft sound of the gargoyle. It opened without an order from Dumbledore. They all froze. With Voldemort, there was a gush of something cold, something foul, something rotten. Severus shivered. Voldemorts red eyes were on Dumbledore.
"Not all the spying in the world can save you," he softly hissed. "I allowed this traitor to do his job, but it is over now. Surrender the castle. Perhaps I will let you live."
Dumbledore's quiet eyes were on Voldemort. "I will never do that, Tom, and you know that."
Voldemort just smiled an ice cold smile. "To save whom? The traitor? The half blood? The muggles? How can you be so sure that Severus didn't betray you?"
"I am sure of it," Dumbledore quietly said.
"Sure of a man who has lost his face?"
Suddenly a voice came from the door. "How can you be so sure that he has lost his face? Do you even know who he is?"
Everyone turned to the door. Severus stared. He thought that he was looking in a mirror. His mind was completely blank. He couldn't even start to think what this might mean.
Voldemort looked at the stranger incomprehendingly, apparently momentarily at a loss for words.
"I don't think you even know which of us is Severus. I don't think you have ever known him," the stranger calmly said. "And if you don't know that, what exactly do you know? How can you be sure of anything?"
Voldemort seemed to recover from his shock and made a wild movement with his wand in the stranger's direction. He never could pronounce a word, though. With a growl, Jack launched himself and bit the disgusting thing that seemed to threaten his master in the wand arm.
Then, "Sirius!" shouted Harry and seemed to awaken from his shock. "Don't you dare hurt him, you filth." And with that, he raised his wand and cast the killing curse.
Remus Lupin ran from the infirmary to Dumbledore's office. The attack under the Womping Willow and the Astronomy Tower had been countered. The wards on the Slytherin dungeons had been mostly effective. The fight for Ravenclaw had been bitter. The infirmary was preseved and functional. His nose told him that Voldemort had found his way to Dumbledore's office. Remus ran there, hoping wildly, his heart pounding in his chest.
He ran past the gargoyle and flew up the stairs. At the entrance of Dumbledore's room, he suddenly stood still as if he had run against a glass wall.
This just couldn't be. For a moment he felt as if he looked at a mirror and its counterpart. Harry Potter and Dumbledore were standing in the middle. At either side of them was Snape. Voldemort seemed to be no more than a dark heap on the ground. Remus stared from te one to the other, dumbstruck.
As they heard his entrance, both Snapes turned around. The eyes of the one were filled with remorse. He opened his hands and stretched them towards Remus. The eyes of the other were shocked, incomprehending, wandering from Remus to the other Snape. They filled with slow understanding, amazement and finally with lonely pain.
Dumbledore was the first to speak. He threw a bit of floo powder in the fire and connected to the infirmary to ask whether everything was alright. After that he turned to Michael with quiet certainty. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I believe you have the advantage of me, sir. Would you give me your name?"
Michael looked at him with a mixture of uncertainty and resolution. "My name is Michael Carey. I tried to tell you before that I am not the one you took me for. But I did it half-heartedly. I had stumbled upon this place and really didn't wish to leave this place. Please forgive me."
With that he turned to Severus.
"Professor Snape. I am very honoured to I meet you in person. It is hard to find words to apologize for such a rude intrusion in your life and in your privacy. I stumbled upon this place suddenly and then I got engolfed in a life that was altogether too fascinating. I have dreamed of this place before, and suddenly it was as if my dreams had come alive. Still, I cannot find one reason to excuse what I have done."
Snape just stared at him. "You came upon Hogwarts? Where do you come from? What is your profession?"
"I am a veterinarian. I live by the village at the other side of the lake. I just took a walk around the lake and found myself here."
"How does a wizard come to be a muggle vet? Or aren't you?"
Michael smiled ruefully. "That would be because I am a muggle."
Everybody in the room now looked at him in shock. "You are a muggle? How is that possible? You have been teaching Severus' classes for weeks!"
"Good for me that professor Snape doesn't believe in wand magic."
Some of the tension in the room faded away.
"Professor Snape is never going to hear the end of it," Harry chuckled.
Remus frowned. "But you got in the company of Sirius? Did he find you out? Was he in trouble in dog shape?"
Michael turned towards him, slightly nervous. "In truth I have never understood it when you referred to my dog. What do you mean?"
The others in the room looked at each other. Harry's shoulders slacked a bit.
"Nothing. It is just… My godfather is an animagus. Able to change into a big black dog. We thought he was accompanying you."
Michael looked from Jack to the young man. He seemed unduly hurt my the statement. "I'm sorry to have hurt you," he simply said.
Harry just nodded, face turned away.
Michael turned to Dumbledore again and said quietly, "The last few weeks have been intense, sir. That I will admit. They have changed my life. I will be sorry to leave. But I will." He offered Snape his hand. "I hope that you will one day be able to forgive me, sir."
Severus hesitated. Then he shook the offered hand and turned to leave the room. He could stand it no more.
When he had left the room, the remaining people suddenly felt tired because of all the emotions they had gone through. Dumbledore nodded at Michael and said, "Please stay in Hogwarts as my guest at least for some time, sir."
Michael hesitated, but accepted the invitation. Dumbledore summoned a house elf and ordered him to find a room for Michael.
That done, he put his hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "Well done, child. Go to the infirmary to see whether they can use your help. I imagine you should find your godfather there."
Harry startled. "Sirius? What do you mean?"
Dumbledore didn't say anything. He just pushed him in the direction of the fire.
Remus and Michael were left standing in the office. Remus stared at Michael. He couldn't find anything to say. Remus felt a blush slowly creep up into his cheeks.
Michael smiled at him ruefully and hesitantly offered him his hand. "Please forgive me. I tried to tell you. I really did. But you didn't understand."
Remus took the proffered hand. It was the only thing he could to somehow maintain his face. Then he just nodded and left the room.
Michael followed the little house elf, who was happy to find a room for 'sir'.