Author's Notes: This chapter is how I envision the way the wizarding war
would play out. Would there be any outstanding heroics? Or would it be
anticlimactic? Snape also has a revelation regarding Dumbledore as well as
finds closure on a troubling issue in battle.
Disclaimers: Nothing recognized from the books or movies belongs to me.
Chapter 29: Battle Cries.
War broke out between Voldemort and the resistance alliance the first week of the New Year. Many students returned early to Hogwarts, their families believing it was the safest possible place for them during the uncertain times of war. Hogwarts School became a sort of headquarters for those fighting with the resistance-ministry alliance. Dumbledore fell naturally into the role of general, planning strategies and cultivating further allies with wizards of other lands.
Snape was entrusted with the training of witches and wizards who would be going into battle. His unique expertise in the dark arts and knowledge of the methods employed by Voldemort allowed the resistance to have a definite advantage. He also supervised the workers who toiled in the potions laboratory, which churned out flask after flask of healing and defensive potions. He was also called upon from time to time to brew up a batch of Veritaserum to be used in questioning of captured Death Eaters and other Voldemort sympathizers. He assumed his new role with intensity and seemed to have found a new purpose in life. Gone with the dark mark were the feelings of resignation and intense self-loathing. There was quite simply no time to wallow in the past, for there was work to be done. Still short tempered and abrasive, the spiteful edge seemed to be erased from his personality. He actually smiled from time to time, when the news of a victory came in from the front.
The battles raged in the countryside, away from the eyes of muggles, who were only vaguely aware of some kind of turmoil happening around them. Many wizards and witches were hurt. Some died. However, a few were saved with the amulet given to McGonagall by Mira. Most of the casualties were treatable, and by springtime, the tide had begun to turn in the favor of the alliance when the dementors broke away from Voldemort's side and simply drifted from battlefield to battlefield, feeding on the violence and destruction of both sides.
Those students who did return to school in the spring, were taught classes as normally as could be expected. Many however did not return after the holidays. Most notably close to three fourths of those in the Slytherin House were unaccounted for. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, were all among the missing. The spring term came and went. Some of the students stayed on in the castle for protection, many left for the summer, not sure if they would be coming back in the fall.
One evening during the summer months, Professor Snape had been called to Dumbledore's office for a strategy building conference. He arrived early, while the headmaster was still downstairs in the great hall, giving a pep talk to a group of new recruits. Snape paced around the small office, and his eyes were caught by something in a glass front cabinet against the back wall. He recognized it as a pensieve, but a much smaller one than the one Dumbledore used for himself. He realized that it must be Mira's pensieve and opened the cabinet for a closer look. He looked around, and figured that a quick peek wouldn't hurt anything, and he'd be done well before Dumbledore returned.
He touched his wand to the shimmering fluid and it started to swirl. Images took shape in it, like projections on a screen. He found himself being drawn deeper and deeper until he was there in Mira's memories, seeing them through her eyes. She was running through the woods from the plantation house. It was the memory of their confrontation in the clearing, where she had found out everything about his past. He didn't want to be seeing this, but he was powerless to leave the scene. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he relived the confrontation and actually felt the horror and confusion she had felt. At the end of the sequence, the scene around him swirled to another memory. He saw her last thoughts, there in Dumbledore's office, as he began the procedure to extract her memories. Something Dumbledore had said to her caught in his mind. "You have served your purpose very well my dear." What exactly had the old man meant by that? What "purpose" had she served? As the professor tried to wrap his mind around the comment and figure out just what it had meant, he felt a gentle tugging sensation, and then in an instant was swept back up and into his own consciousness.
He turned and saw Dumbledore standing behind him, wand in hand.
"Albus. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been there."
"It's okay, my friend. How long has it been now? Six months?"
Snape crossed the floor and sat wearily in the chair in front of the desk, shoulders forward, wand in his hands. "Something like that. Six months, seven months. Things are moving so fast, it's hard to keep track. Have there been any reports of fighting in the North of France?"
"No, all the battles on the French front have taken place south of Paris. There has been no involvement with any muggle towns or villages. She should be fine. She's a clever girl, she knows how to take care of herself."
"If I could just see with my own eyes that she's okay."
"It won't be long now, the tide has turned. The Death Eaters are on the run. Several have turned themselves in over the past week. I am confident that the final battle will come within the next few weeks. One way or another, we will see this war ending very soon."
Snape sat across from the headmaster, deep in thought, a worried expression on his face.
"But, something else is bothering you, isn't it? Something that you saw in Mira's pensieve."
Snape looked up at the headmaster, who wore an unreadable expression on his face.
"Actually Albus, yes. I did see something in there that troubles me. What exactly did you mean when you told Mira that she had served her purpose well?"
Dumbledore rose from his chair and started to pace around his little office. "Surely you have figured out already that some things happen for a reason?"
Snape shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I'm not exactly sure what you're implying, but yes, I will agree that some things are beyond coincidence and random chance."
Dumbledore crossed in front of his desk, and stepped behind the professor's chair, giving him a fatherly pat on the shoulder as he passed. "Come now. Didn't you ever wonder why I was so insistent that you go into the village to get measured for that robe in person?"
"Albus. Are you trying to tell me that you set the whole thing up?"
"My friend, have you ever heard the muggle phrase: Kill two birds with one stone?"
"Yes, but I am having a very hard time figuring out how muggle clichés fit into the topic of discussion."
"Severus. When you were a boy here at school, you used to enjoy skipping stones off of the surface of the lake, did you not?"
"Yes, I did. But I am afraid that I don't understand what kind of connection you are trying to make here."
Dumbledore smiled at the professor benevolently, and sat back down.
"You may think of it this way. The stone does not skip across the waves without being cast. You choose a stone that you feel is suitable for skipping, and cast it with the proper force to get a good run. You have a pretty good idea of which direction it will go, and how far it will go, but ultimately you know that once the stone leaves your hand, it passes into the hands of fate.
The day I sent you to the village to be measured for that robe, I cast two carefully chosen stones out across the water. Apparently I chose very well, because they traveled straight along the path that I had anticipated they would."
Snape sat forward on the edge of his chair, a very serious look on his face. "Just where do you get off playing games with peoples' lives? She could have been killed by the Death Eaters, I could have been killed as well."
Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh and looked at the younger wizard, a look of weariness in his eyes. "Desperate times sometimes call for reckless measures. I knew that you were not in an emotional or physical state to survive a full-blown wizarding war. I also knew that without that artifact, our chances of winning would be greatly minimized."
"Then why didn't you just go to her and retrieve it yourself?"
"Because I was able to kill two birds with one stone Severus."
"I am no longer in the mood to play word games with you Albus. Now tell me exactly what you were playing at."
"Isn't it obvious? The answers are all there within your own mind, must I really spell it all out for you?"
"Humor me."
"Very well then. The resistance needed the artifact, and you and Mira needed each other. I knew that you would never seek out companionship on your own, and she would most likely wind up settling for an unfulfilling match with one of the local merchant wizards. So, I set the wheels into motion."
"How could you have possibly known that it wouldn't all go terribly wrong?"
"I have my methods Severus. You have often wondered how I new things, have you not?"
"I suppose you delayed this meeting on purpose, and left the pensive in an open cabinet on purpose too?"
The old wizard just shrugged and gave a wry smile and conjured up a battlefield map on his desk so that the strategy planning session could commence.
The last of the battles raged closer to Hogwarts. Most of the casual supporters of Voldemort had already fled, recanted, or been captured. Those who were left were the hardened Death Eaters with nothing left to lose, and they fought brutally. Many witches and wizards died on the battlefields in the skirmishes leading up to the final battle.
The final battle was fought when the last half dozen of the Death Eaters, led by Voldemort himself, breached the protective wards and charms protecting the perimeter of the school grounds. The last use of Mira's amulet was to save the life of the eldest Weasley son, who had been felled on the battlefield. Everybody who was capable of performing offensive and defensive magic swarmed out of the castle to take part in the final melee on the school lawn, even the upper level students who were staying on over the summer holidays.
The Death Eaters were greatly outnumbered and brought down swiftly. Snape, fighting alongside a pair of his seventh year Slytherin students and Arthur Weasley, finally managed to even the score with Lucius Malfoy. A particularly vicious string of curses was deflected back onto him from four directions, mortally wounding the man who had become Snape's nemesis.
After being ordered to remain safely within the castle at the start of the battle; Harry and Ron joined the final charge on Voldemort himself. The Dark Lord didn't go down without a fight, and several students and alliance wizards were slain. Ron was knocked out cold with a stunning spell and Snape was called upon to help treat the wounded and comfort the dying. Those who remained standing, joined Dumbledore in the final assault. Not willing to be denied his destiny, Harry fought his way to the front of the line, and along with Dumbledore and McGonagall, delivered the final blow that ended the war.
Disclaimers: Nothing recognized from the books or movies belongs to me.
Chapter 29: Battle Cries.
War broke out between Voldemort and the resistance alliance the first week of the New Year. Many students returned early to Hogwarts, their families believing it was the safest possible place for them during the uncertain times of war. Hogwarts School became a sort of headquarters for those fighting with the resistance-ministry alliance. Dumbledore fell naturally into the role of general, planning strategies and cultivating further allies with wizards of other lands.
Snape was entrusted with the training of witches and wizards who would be going into battle. His unique expertise in the dark arts and knowledge of the methods employed by Voldemort allowed the resistance to have a definite advantage. He also supervised the workers who toiled in the potions laboratory, which churned out flask after flask of healing and defensive potions. He was also called upon from time to time to brew up a batch of Veritaserum to be used in questioning of captured Death Eaters and other Voldemort sympathizers. He assumed his new role with intensity and seemed to have found a new purpose in life. Gone with the dark mark were the feelings of resignation and intense self-loathing. There was quite simply no time to wallow in the past, for there was work to be done. Still short tempered and abrasive, the spiteful edge seemed to be erased from his personality. He actually smiled from time to time, when the news of a victory came in from the front.
The battles raged in the countryside, away from the eyes of muggles, who were only vaguely aware of some kind of turmoil happening around them. Many wizards and witches were hurt. Some died. However, a few were saved with the amulet given to McGonagall by Mira. Most of the casualties were treatable, and by springtime, the tide had begun to turn in the favor of the alliance when the dementors broke away from Voldemort's side and simply drifted from battlefield to battlefield, feeding on the violence and destruction of both sides.
Those students who did return to school in the spring, were taught classes as normally as could be expected. Many however did not return after the holidays. Most notably close to three fourths of those in the Slytherin House were unaccounted for. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, were all among the missing. The spring term came and went. Some of the students stayed on in the castle for protection, many left for the summer, not sure if they would be coming back in the fall.
One evening during the summer months, Professor Snape had been called to Dumbledore's office for a strategy building conference. He arrived early, while the headmaster was still downstairs in the great hall, giving a pep talk to a group of new recruits. Snape paced around the small office, and his eyes were caught by something in a glass front cabinet against the back wall. He recognized it as a pensieve, but a much smaller one than the one Dumbledore used for himself. He realized that it must be Mira's pensieve and opened the cabinet for a closer look. He looked around, and figured that a quick peek wouldn't hurt anything, and he'd be done well before Dumbledore returned.
He touched his wand to the shimmering fluid and it started to swirl. Images took shape in it, like projections on a screen. He found himself being drawn deeper and deeper until he was there in Mira's memories, seeing them through her eyes. She was running through the woods from the plantation house. It was the memory of their confrontation in the clearing, where she had found out everything about his past. He didn't want to be seeing this, but he was powerless to leave the scene. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he relived the confrontation and actually felt the horror and confusion she had felt. At the end of the sequence, the scene around him swirled to another memory. He saw her last thoughts, there in Dumbledore's office, as he began the procedure to extract her memories. Something Dumbledore had said to her caught in his mind. "You have served your purpose very well my dear." What exactly had the old man meant by that? What "purpose" had she served? As the professor tried to wrap his mind around the comment and figure out just what it had meant, he felt a gentle tugging sensation, and then in an instant was swept back up and into his own consciousness.
He turned and saw Dumbledore standing behind him, wand in hand.
"Albus. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been there."
"It's okay, my friend. How long has it been now? Six months?"
Snape crossed the floor and sat wearily in the chair in front of the desk, shoulders forward, wand in his hands. "Something like that. Six months, seven months. Things are moving so fast, it's hard to keep track. Have there been any reports of fighting in the North of France?"
"No, all the battles on the French front have taken place south of Paris. There has been no involvement with any muggle towns or villages. She should be fine. She's a clever girl, she knows how to take care of herself."
"If I could just see with my own eyes that she's okay."
"It won't be long now, the tide has turned. The Death Eaters are on the run. Several have turned themselves in over the past week. I am confident that the final battle will come within the next few weeks. One way or another, we will see this war ending very soon."
Snape sat across from the headmaster, deep in thought, a worried expression on his face.
"But, something else is bothering you, isn't it? Something that you saw in Mira's pensieve."
Snape looked up at the headmaster, who wore an unreadable expression on his face.
"Actually Albus, yes. I did see something in there that troubles me. What exactly did you mean when you told Mira that she had served her purpose well?"
Dumbledore rose from his chair and started to pace around his little office. "Surely you have figured out already that some things happen for a reason?"
Snape shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I'm not exactly sure what you're implying, but yes, I will agree that some things are beyond coincidence and random chance."
Dumbledore crossed in front of his desk, and stepped behind the professor's chair, giving him a fatherly pat on the shoulder as he passed. "Come now. Didn't you ever wonder why I was so insistent that you go into the village to get measured for that robe in person?"
"Albus. Are you trying to tell me that you set the whole thing up?"
"My friend, have you ever heard the muggle phrase: Kill two birds with one stone?"
"Yes, but I am having a very hard time figuring out how muggle clichés fit into the topic of discussion."
"Severus. When you were a boy here at school, you used to enjoy skipping stones off of the surface of the lake, did you not?"
"Yes, I did. But I am afraid that I don't understand what kind of connection you are trying to make here."
Dumbledore smiled at the professor benevolently, and sat back down.
"You may think of it this way. The stone does not skip across the waves without being cast. You choose a stone that you feel is suitable for skipping, and cast it with the proper force to get a good run. You have a pretty good idea of which direction it will go, and how far it will go, but ultimately you know that once the stone leaves your hand, it passes into the hands of fate.
The day I sent you to the village to be measured for that robe, I cast two carefully chosen stones out across the water. Apparently I chose very well, because they traveled straight along the path that I had anticipated they would."
Snape sat forward on the edge of his chair, a very serious look on his face. "Just where do you get off playing games with peoples' lives? She could have been killed by the Death Eaters, I could have been killed as well."
Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh and looked at the younger wizard, a look of weariness in his eyes. "Desperate times sometimes call for reckless measures. I knew that you were not in an emotional or physical state to survive a full-blown wizarding war. I also knew that without that artifact, our chances of winning would be greatly minimized."
"Then why didn't you just go to her and retrieve it yourself?"
"Because I was able to kill two birds with one stone Severus."
"I am no longer in the mood to play word games with you Albus. Now tell me exactly what you were playing at."
"Isn't it obvious? The answers are all there within your own mind, must I really spell it all out for you?"
"Humor me."
"Very well then. The resistance needed the artifact, and you and Mira needed each other. I knew that you would never seek out companionship on your own, and she would most likely wind up settling for an unfulfilling match with one of the local merchant wizards. So, I set the wheels into motion."
"How could you have possibly known that it wouldn't all go terribly wrong?"
"I have my methods Severus. You have often wondered how I new things, have you not?"
"I suppose you delayed this meeting on purpose, and left the pensive in an open cabinet on purpose too?"
The old wizard just shrugged and gave a wry smile and conjured up a battlefield map on his desk so that the strategy planning session could commence.
The last of the battles raged closer to Hogwarts. Most of the casual supporters of Voldemort had already fled, recanted, or been captured. Those who were left were the hardened Death Eaters with nothing left to lose, and they fought brutally. Many witches and wizards died on the battlefields in the skirmishes leading up to the final battle.
The final battle was fought when the last half dozen of the Death Eaters, led by Voldemort himself, breached the protective wards and charms protecting the perimeter of the school grounds. The last use of Mira's amulet was to save the life of the eldest Weasley son, who had been felled on the battlefield. Everybody who was capable of performing offensive and defensive magic swarmed out of the castle to take part in the final melee on the school lawn, even the upper level students who were staying on over the summer holidays.
The Death Eaters were greatly outnumbered and brought down swiftly. Snape, fighting alongside a pair of his seventh year Slytherin students and Arthur Weasley, finally managed to even the score with Lucius Malfoy. A particularly vicious string of curses was deflected back onto him from four directions, mortally wounding the man who had become Snape's nemesis.
After being ordered to remain safely within the castle at the start of the battle; Harry and Ron joined the final charge on Voldemort himself. The Dark Lord didn't go down without a fight, and several students and alliance wizards were slain. Ron was knocked out cold with a stunning spell and Snape was called upon to help treat the wounded and comfort the dying. Those who remained standing, joined Dumbledore in the final assault. Not willing to be denied his destiny, Harry fought his way to the front of the line, and along with Dumbledore and McGonagall, delivered the final blow that ended the war.