Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue... so forth and on with the fic! Chapter 12! I've finally been ungrounded, and had time to finish the chapter!!! Whee!!!

Chapter 12: The Great Disaster

Yes, it was very hard for Hermione Granger to walk hand-in-hand with the once-arrogant, extremely prudish, Draco Malfoy down the halls of Hogwarts. People stared oddly, making faces at Hermione when Draco was glancing the other way. The Slytherins seemed oddly calm about it all, except for Pansy, who kept bursting into tears and running in the opposite direction when she saw them together.

'Well, it at least must be working,' Hermione thought. 'All of the Slytherins seem composed about everything. They must all know Voldemort's plan, at the very least.'

She walked as though vacant-eyed, like she thought nothing was going on, nothing wrong in the world at all. Draco walked pompously to keep up the image of control over her.

Then, just as had been planned, Harry appeared, crying and looking furious.

"Hermione, what are you doing with this git?" he cried, pulling her away from Malfoy.

Pretending to be under the spell, she replied raucously, "Potter, I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about. Please move, you are in my way, and I'd hate to get your slime on me by pushing you away."

"Hermione, you're not acting like yourself, can't you see that?" Harry blubbered, his mouth open wide in shock.

"All I see is whiny little Potty-boy standing in my way," Hermione growled, walking around him. She joined Draco on the other side of Harry, who had been standing silently for some time. As she reached him, they turned and kept walking, leaving the half-crying, half-sniggering Harry behind.

That night in the common room, Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Draco sat by the fire, planning out their next moves.

"We could bring Crabbe and Goyle over," Ron shrugged, rubbing his tired eyes. "That would make things a little easier."

"And maybe Pansy," Hermione winced. "I swear, all I heard all day was her crying in the back of our classes, it was heartbreaking. She thinks this is all real, remember?"

Harry and Draco nodded in agreement.

"But, do we need to ask Dumbledore about this? I mean, we could be risking a lot," Harry added.

"We are risking a lot, we're already in deep," Draco replied. "Voldemort's very powerful, but I know we can beat him, if we just get enough people from his side, to ours- not just people who are undecided."

"That's true," said Ron. "But, we can't take too many people. V-V-Voldemort," he stuttered, "he'll notice something eventually."

"Yes," Hermione nodded, "but, that's something we've already risked by taking Draco, here. Besides, Gra- Professor Dumbledore must've wanted us to do something. Why else do you think he has us doing this and not just doing it himself? It's not exactly his style to let someone else in on his ideas, unless they're supposed to help him in some way."

"So, do we ask or just do it?" Harry shrugged undecidedly, sitting back in his squashy chair.

"Just do it," Draco nodded. "Look, it's late. I've got to get back to my common room, somehow. So, I'd better leave now..."

"Oh," Ron said. "We can help you with that."

Soon, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Draco were sneaking down the hallway, stuffed uncomfortably close under the invisibility cloak, glancing every once in a while at the Marauder's Map Harry held.

They made it to the Slytherin portrait hole (a rather snooty looking, black-haired man who sat primly, and snored loudly) without incident. This being the first time the trio had ever seen the portrait hole, they gawked at it as Draco hissed "parseltongue". The portrait swung forward with a loud grunt, and Draco bade them goodnight.

" 'night," the others replied, Draco slipping out from under the cloak and into the common room.

The others turned around immediately and started the trek back across the school to their common room. Harry, forgetting the map in his hand, headed down a seemingly deserted hallway, only to run head-first into Professor Snape.

Immediately, there was a frenzied rush, as the three pushed themselves against the wall and Snape bellowed, pulling out his wand.

"Show yourself, whoever you are, or deal with Severus Snape," he hissed in a whisper.

"Ooh, I'm so scared," Ron mumbled, suppressing a fit of giggles. Hermione nudged him hard in the ribs as Snape looked toward the very spot where they stood, crouched against the wall.

"I bet this has something to do with Potter," Snape snarled. "Best go inform Professor McGonagall..."

He rushed away quickly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried to their common room, and up the stairs to their separate dorms.

They were no more in bed for a few seconds when McGonagall entered, followed closely by Snape.

"Harry," she said sternly, shaking him. "Harry, wake up."

Harry pretended to drowsily wake up, and rub his eyes, putting his glasses on.

"Professor?" he yawned.

"Harry, were you roaming the halls at any point in time tonight?"

"N-no, Professor McGonagall," Harry shrugged, seeing Snape glare viciously.

"I know it was you, Potter," he whispered barely, staring down at him intensely. "I know it was you... secretus revealus!"

He pointed his wand at Harry, and all of a sudden Harry's mind went blank, all concentration put into lying, lost. He could feel another presence in the corner of his mind, but couldn't focus... couldn't see...

"Really, Professor!" McGonagall said, shocked. "That is totally unnecessary! Never have I ever, in my career, had a teacher act so vehemently toward any student- "

"Listen, Minerva, I am sick and tired of Potter, here, getting away with things that most students would be expelled for. I intend to prove, once and for all, that Potter's no good!" Snape spit.

All at once, before Harry could fight it, he realized who it was that was listening to the conversation through his mind.

"Vol-" he tried to say, but it was too late. Professor Snape asked a question and Harry could do nothing to stop himself from answering.

"Were you roaming the hallways tonight, Potter?"

"Yes."

"Why would you do such a thing? In the middle of the night?"

"Draco... Draco was with us in our common room... we were talking about our plan to overthrow Voldemort, and it got late... we took him to his common room, and were walking back... when we bumped into you."

"The invisibility cloak no doubt... what do you mean, 'plan to overthrow' He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"We found out Hermione was in danger, and we told Professor Dumbledore... he came up with a plan to get Draco on our side... which we did... and then we were planning on getting other people..."

But there was where Harry stopped, and emitted a laugh not his own. It was Voldemort's, and it was high-pitched and cold, unmerciful.

"Potter," it rumbled, still laughing, "Potter, wonderful! So you thought you could stop us, stop me? FOOL! YOU CANNOT STOP VOLDEMORT! YOU WILL DIE!!!"

Then Harry collapsed, the airy feeling in his mind went away, and a sudden rush of what happened hit him like a train. And now he was so exhausted he couldn't move. But…

Voldemort knew! Professor Snape had opened his mind, somehow linking him directly to Voldemort- and then he had spilled forth all of their plans!

The Professors stood, shocked at all they had seen and heard. Then, looking sideways at each other, they acted immediately. Picking up Harry from the bed, Snape took Harry straight out of the boys' dorm, McGonagall right behind them.

They were going straight to Professor Dumbledore. Surely he knew how to rectify Snape's terrible mistake.

At least... they hoped.

Wow! what do we do now? I dunno! I'm so lost on what to do now! I've backed myself into the proverbial corner o' life… okay, well, writer's block! Eek! Please, review... please, gimme ideas if you can think of any to help meh!!! I'll luffles you forever!!! -- Lon, can YOU help me? I'm sure you've got some great ideas brewing... I'll marry you and luffles you for ever and ever and ever… not that I'm begging or anything… anyways! ReVieW! I'll try to get the next chapter up, as soon as I get something together!