Fair Trade
Harry and the others stared in horror at what Professor Snape was implying. Even Dumbledore looked taken aback. Harry felt Hermione's hand squeezing his tightly. He felt some comfort from it. Dumbledore stood and addressed them all.
"Severus, take the children up to Gryffindor tower. I will have Dobby meet them up there. Find Minerva and meet me back here. Quickly. We need to discuss our next move." Dumbledore ordered, turning away from them dismissively.
Harry started to say he didn't appreciate being called a child but the look he had seen in his headmaster's eyes before he looked away stopped him as much as the crackle of electricity that seemed to be radiating from him.
They followed Professor Snape down the spiral stairs and down many corridors until they reached the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. Harry seemed to feel the eyes of the portraits on him as he passed them. Sir Cadogen didn't even bother drawing his wand. It was as if they all sensed what was going on. Most likely they already knew. Climbing quickly, they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady and halted abruptly.
"Professor Snape?" Hermione spoke up, panting. "We don't know the password."
"There are no passwords during the summer holidays. No nasty, nosy students around trying to break in now are there?" Snape snapped at her.
Harry and the others glared angrily at the greasy-haired professor. The Fat Lady yawned and the door to Gryffindor swung open lazily. Stepping in they looked back but already Snape and his billowing robes could be seen going around the corner at the bottom of the staircase.
"I see he isn't any friendlier during the summer, then is he?" Hermione huffed.
"It's because he's a git Hermione." Ron said knowingly.
When they marched into the common room, Dobby was already there. Hermione and Ginny rushed over to him. Ron and Harry stood back.
"Harry, what do you think Dumbledore is going to do? You know he would never offer you up to Voldemort," Ron asked Harry, feeling the strain of his silence.
"I'm not sure," Harry said quietly, watching the girls. He wasn't too sure of anything.
Hermione was asking Dobby about the elves. She wanted to know how many chose to be free since she had left. From the look on Dobby's face, he didn't seem to be altogether glad Hermione was back. He had just gotten the elves back to cleaning Gryffindor tower with him and knew her being here would change that.
Harry walked over to Dobby. Dobby looked very excited to see Harry.
"Hello, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is very glad that you are back at Hogwarts so soon, sir. Did you have a nice holiday?" Dobby asked politely, his big watery eyes glancing up at Harry in an almost worshipping way.
"Not really, Dobby. It's good to see you, though. How is Winky?" Harry inquired, not really in the mood to make small talk.
"Winky is still not doing good, sir. She doesn't do much of anything, just drinks butterbeer and embarrasses us elves. Many of the elves want her to leave the castle." Dobby said, sadly.
"Tell her Hermione and I will be down to see her soon," Ginny told the house elf.
Dobby didn't look very happy about this, but he nodded, not wanting to be impolite to the friends of Harry Potter.
Dobby started a fire in the large common room fireplace and the four teenagers sat in soft, tattered chairs around it, waiting for someone to come tell them what was going on.
Hermione couldn't stop looking over at Harry. He had seen her do it a few times and wondered about it. She looked like she was going to cry any minute. It made Harry feel horrible.
They sat there for several hours, discussing everything except what was going on. They didn't want to think about the possibilities Snape's announcement brought about. They were all very nervous but Harry couldn't help feeling angry.
He stood up abruptly and strode over to the entrance to the tower. The others watched him warily. As he reached it, the door flew open and Snape stood leering at them. Harry stopped shortly. He glowered at the potions professor, as if daring him to make a move.
"And where do you think you're going, Mr. Potter?" Snape sneered.
"To Dumbledore's office," Harry answered, walking past him, brushing up against him as he stepped out the entrance.
Snape spun around and followed him, Hermione, Ron and Ginny following along.
"MR. POTTER!" He heard Snape yell from behind him.
Harry wheeled around, wand out.
"What?" Harry asked, not really caring what he wanted; he just wanted a reason to hex the suffering old fool. Being in Hogwarts gave Harry the right to use magic and it being the holidays, Harry didn't feel he needed to respect the man in front of him. He wasn't his professor right now.
Snape looked at Harry's wand and put his hand into his robes for his own.
Harry smiled. "Looking for this?" he asked, holding out Snape's wand. Harry heard Hermione gasp.
The smug look upon Snape's face was wiped off when he realized he was up against Harry, unarmed.
"Wha...what…how did you get my wand?" Snape was shocked. How could this arrogant young wizard before him have disarmed him without him even knowing it?
"I have my ways," Harry replied. He wished he could say he did it with magic, but he really just slid it out of Snape's pocket as he had passed. Something he had picked up from his cousin, Dudley. He reminded himself to thank Dudley later, that is…if he lived through the year and made it back to the Dursley's.
Harry strode away from Snape, angrily muttering insults at him under his breath. He could hear Hermione and Ron calling to him as they tried to catch up but he pressed on.
When he got to the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's entrance and staircase to his office he realized he didn't have the password.
"Damn." Harry muttered. "Open!" He told the stone gargoyle, not really expecting anything to happen. He was shocked to see it spring to life and jump to the side. He didn't stop to think more about it, he just stepped onto the staircase and rode it up to Dumbledore's office. He could hear everyone behind him but he didn't stop. Without thinking of the consequences he opened Dumbledore's office and strode in.
Professor Dumbledore wasn't alone. Professor McGonagall, Tonks, Remus Lupin, and Mad-Eye Moody were with him. They all looked up from where they were sitting around a table Dumbledore must have conjured up because it hadn't been there earlier. Dumbledore looked at Harry, intrigued.
"Hello Harry," Remus Lupin greeted him. Harry was glad to see his old DADA professor and his parent's best friend. He knew Lupin had to be going through as much pain as Harry from the death of Sirius.
"Hello, Prof….ummm, Remus," Harry said, trying to smile.
"How did you get in? Where is Professor Snape?" Professor Dumbledore asked, clearly puzzled as to how Harry got in without the password.
Professor Snape entered the room, followed by Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
"Professor Dumbledore, sir." Snape was trying to catch his breath. "Potter stole my wand, threatened me and walked in here without permission! I'm asking you, is this something a student should be allowed to do? I suggest he be punished."
"Severus do you really expect me to punish Harry for wanting to know his fate? For wanting to know what is going to happen in regards to his life?" Dumbledore asked, frowning. Apparently he wasn't any more impressed with Snape than Harry was. Snape looked rightfully embarrassed by his outburst.
"Professor," Harry said, ignoring Snape. "How was I able to get in here?"
Dumbledore smiled slightly. "I think it is safe to assume that your powers are getting progressively stronger. What did you do or say to get the entrance to open?"
"I told it to open," Harry told him, shaken by the announcement that his powers were growing.
Hermione looked at Harry. On her face was a look of astonishment.
"Does Harry have the ability to do wandless magic?" she asked, making Harry turn to her in surprise. What didn't Hermione know?
Ron and Ginny looked at Harry, as well as the rest of the wizards in the room.
"Wow Harry. Only really advanced wizards are able to do that kind of magic." Ron said to him, looking excited.
Snape glanced nervously at Harry. Harry assumed he was thinking about him being able to do the things that Voldemort was able to do. This didn't seem to sit well with him. He stepped back from Harry and treaded on Tonks foot.
"Ouch!" She reached down and rubbed her foot. She looked ready to give him a lashing when Dumbledore stood up. She shut her mouth promptly.
"I do believe Mr. Potter is able to perform magic without his wand, instead with his mind. But the charms on the gargoyle have been there since the beginning of Hogwarts and never has anyone been able to break them. I think that after we get Hagrid and Madame Maxime back from Voldemort we need to get Harry to do some training with Tonks and Mad-eye," he said, sighing. He knew Harry had a lot of work ahead of him in his future.
The portraits were mumbling to themselves. Harry glanced up and saw that the portrait of Phineas was empty. He wondered about it until Professor McGonagall spoke up.
"You all must be tired. Why don't I take you back up to Gryffindor Tower? We can discuss everything in the morning." She gave him a small smile and reached out to touch his shoulder. He felt her hand squeeze lightly. She was trying to comfort him but he wasn't ready to go. He needed to hear what their plans were.
Harry looked at the headmaster. He looked older and wearier than ever. There was a determined look in his eyes but it didn't disguise the tiredness. Worrying over Hagrid and Harry seemed to be taking its toll.
"Professor Dumbledore? What are your plans? Can we safely get them back? I think you should accept the trade. I will go to Voldemort. I will do it to save Hagrid. He would do it for me," Harry said unfaltering.
"Harry no!" Hermione shouted, reaching for Harry and throwing her arms around his neck.
Ron and Ginny watched Harry and Hermione. Ron's look was of fear for what Harry was suggesting and of acceptance. He could see how much Harry meant to Hermione. Ginny's look was unreadable. She didn't seem to be shocked by it, though. She turned to her brother and went into his arms. No one wanted Harry to give himself over to Voldemort.
Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione. He didn't know what he was going to do. He let her hold him for a long while, neither of them aware of the others until Snape cleared his throat.
"As touching as this scene is, we need to focus on the matter at hand. While I appreciate his idea, and if it were my choice I would follow through with it, I seriously doubt that Harry knows what he is suggesting. Last time he was up against the Dark Lord he almost died. If it weren't for Professor Dumbledore, Harry surely would have been killed. Even now the Dark Lord is planning how he will kill Harry." Snape sneered, seemingly unconcerned for Harry's welfare. Harry looked at Snape carefully. While the words Snape was saying sounded harsh and uncaring, Harry could see something in his potion master's eyes that belied it. If Harry was correct, Snape was more upset than he was leading on. Snape's pasty face was even whiter than usual and he seemed to be sweating. He was grasping at his robes, pulling at them, clearly distressed. Harry wondered why. He obviously didn't care about Harry…or did he?
Harry gently extracted himself from Hermione but kept her hand in his. Dumbledore had been quiet for a long time. He looked apologetically at the others before casting a spell to make their conversation only heard by Ron, Hermione and Ginny.
"Harry. There is no need for you to give yourself over to him. As I am sure that your friends know the prophecy in which you and Voldemort's fate was determined, the others in this room do not. That was to ensure your safety as well as theirs. If caught and tortured, they wouldn't have anything that could give Voldemort leverage.
"You are not ready to come up against him, Harry. Giving you over to him would be very dangerous. Even with your growing powers you aren't ready to fight him. While you will need to defeat him eventually, now is not the time. Professor Snape is going to bring Tonks to Voldemort. She is going to use Polyjuice Potion to become you. Voldemort is smart. He won't believe she is you for long. Snape will then have to convince Voldemort that he really thought she was Harry. Snape is risking his life for you. If Voldemort suspects Snape's betrayal, he will not hesitate to kill him." Dumbledore said, looking at Harry meaningfully.
Harry stood very still. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He never in his life thought that Snape would risk his life to save Harry. Only moments before he was begging Dumbledore to punish Harry. Harry reached into his robe and pulled out Snape's wand. He saw Snape's eyes fall to his wand and then look up into Harry's eyes. What shocked Harry the most was the smallest flash of respect he saw in the potion professor's eyes before he scowled at Harry with what looked like utter contempt.
"He sure doesn't act like he cares too much about what happens to Harry," Ron said boldly.
Dumbledore smirked slightly at Ron. He appreciated Ron standing up for his friends but was thankful that Snape couldn't hear them.
"I think Harry sees it and that is what matters." He said calmly, turning to Ron and Ginny. " I think you two need to go up to Gryffindor Tower and wait. Your parents will be here shortly with all your belongings. See to it that Harry and Hermione's things get to their room, if you would."
Ron and Ginny looked at Hermione, confused as to why she wasn't to come with them, but both nodded. Dumbledore lowered the privacy spell.
"I have explained what is to be done to Harry. Severus if you could, please take one of Harry's hairs and add it to the potion as soon as possible. Remus and Tonks go with him to the dungeons. Severus and Tonks, you both can floo to The Three Broomsticks so you can apparate to Voldemort. If you suspect at any time that he is on to you abort the mission and come back. As much as Hagrid means to all of us he and Madame Maxime know what their positions in the Order mean and are willing to give their life to the fight. Minerva take Ron and Ginny back to Gryffindor Tower and then meet up with Remus and report back here." Dumbledore addressed the Order members. Snape, Remus and Tonks walked past Harry. Remus put his hand on Harry's shoulder.
"It will be okay Harry," his Godfather's best friend told him, trying to be reassuring. Harry nodded.
Snape waited while Harry pulled out a hair. He held out his hand. Harry put Snape's wand in it and his hair into it and Snape bowed slightly. He watched the three of them leave with some trepidation.
Professor McGonagall stepped forward and ushered Ginny and Ron to the door. With a last backwards glance at Harry and Hermione they walked out the door.
"I'm sure you're both wondering why I made you stay. There are a few things we should discuss." Dumbledore walked over to his desk and sat down behind it. He motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. They walked over to them and sat down, still holding hands.
"I know you need to talk to me more about what is going on, but I am not sure why Hermione is here," Harry said, wondering why she would need to stay. He was glad though to have someone here as he listened to Dumbledore talk about Harry's circumstances. He looked over at her and smiled. She looked so lost and sad. He wanted her to cheer up; he wasn't going to die as soon as they all thought. He might just have a chance to defeat Voldemort and hopefully Snape and Tonks would be able to save Hagrid and Madame Maxime.
Dumbledore looked at the two of them holding onto each other's hands and giving each other comfort. He knew what he was about to say would astound them as much as dismay them. He had only just realized it himself.
"When two people care about one another as much as you do, people like Voldemort can use that against you. I am not sure how close you two have gotten but I suggest you keep any feelings you have for each other from everyone. No one can know that you care about her, Harry. He cannot know how you feel. Voldemort was able to access your mind before, as well as you accessing his. You need to start up Occlumency again. You need to keep your mind closed to Voldemort." Dumbledore looked at the pair of young wizards before him. He could tell by the looks on their faces that neither of them had admitted to each other how they felt.
"Professor Dumbledore. I want to do everything in my power to keep Hermione safe. I will start doing Occlumency tonight." Harry told him, looking down. It was hard to think about keeping his feelings for Hermione from everyone, including her. He had only recently begun to think about them himself and now he knew he could never tell her how he felt.
Hermione looked stricken at the idea of Voldemort accessing Harry's mind. She sniffed quietly and looked up at Dumbledore with red, swollen eyes.
"We will do whatever is necessary for the safety of everyone, we promise." She said this so quietly, Harry and Dumbledore had to lean closer to hear her.
"Very well. I'm sorry that I had to throw this at you in such a manner. You must excuse me." Professor McGonagall and Remus had walked back into Dumbledore's office. "I need to make sure Professor Snape and Tonks are ready to go. I will walk you to your dormitory. Minerva, Remus I will be back shortly." Dumbledore told them.
Hermione let go of Harry's hand and followed Dumbledore out of his office. Harry stood up. His legs felt like lead. He felt the eyes of the portraits on him as he walked behind Hermione, staring at the back of her head. This year was going to be very long, very long indeed.