A/N: Sorry for any spelling and grammar mistakes in this or any of the other chapters. My sister is supposed to be my beta, but we've had some trouble getting our act together ; )
The next morning Harry awoke to the sound of an icy rain pattering against his bedroom window. He sunk down into his blankets, the chilly air stinging his nose. On cold mornings like these, it took all of his will power just to get out of bed. Wondering with a sigh if the rain would soon turn to snow, he reluctantly slid out of bed, shuffling his bare feet on the frigid wood floor. Today he would have to come up with some sort of plan to find Snape, although at the moment the picture seemed very bleak. Just because he had possibly been seen here once, it didn't mean he would ever return. Plus, Harry was still not any closer to discovering where he was hiding in meantime. He could be anywhere.
A dreary feeling descending over him like a cloud, Harry sulked down into his small kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. Headwig was waiting on the window ledge, gently tapping her beak against the glass. Harry stared at her in confusion for a moment, because he couldn't clearly remember letting her out the night before. His confusion only heightened when he opened the window and Headwig came fluttering in, rain drops beading off of her feathers and onto the kitchen counter. Clasped in one of her claws was what looked like the latest issue of the Daily Prophet, but Harry didn't even subscribe to the Prophet, mainly because he thought it was a terrific waste of time.
"What have you got for me girl?" Harry asked, tiny lines of worry sprouting up around his brow.
He took the rolled up paper from her, noting that there was a small letter attached. He set the paper down and tossed Headwig a treat from her jar, before unfolding the note.
Harry,
Please take a look at page six. I am sure you will be just as curious as I am as to how this ended up in the paper. Ginny and I will be over soon.
-Hermione
Harry set the note down, and hesitantly picked up the paper. Not entirely sure of what he was looking for, he turned to page six, fighting a feeling of dread. He stared down at the paper for a moment, his eyes scanning the dark printed words but not really taking them in.
Murderer Spotted in Godric's Hollow, Fear Spreads Through Town
Infamous murderer Severus Snape has reportedly been spotted in the small village of Godric's Hollow as recently asyesterday morning. Snape is wanted for the murder in cold-blood of former Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
The crime occurred three years ago, when Snape was employed as a professor at the school. The fugitive has eluded capture ever since, and ministry inquiries after his whereabout have previously failed.
Snape was said to have been sighted in a village graveyard by local hero and former 'chosen one' Harry Potter. Potter was not available for comment, but according to confidential sources the once boy wonder attempted but failed to apprehend the criminal (For details on Potter's recent appointment to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, please turn to page 16).
The residents of Godric's Hollow are expressing disbelief and fear in wake of the incident.
"This is certainly most shocking." Said local wizard and innkeeper Will Grinbit. "I usually sleep with my doors unlocked at night, but you can be sure I'll be setting up the proper enchantments now."
"I can't help but worry for the muggles living in the area." Fellow resident Fiona Walker commented. "They have no way of knowing that a dangerous man may be living in our midst. They have no way of protecting themselves. The ministry really should really do something about that."
Department of Magical Law Enforcement official Alex White had this to say to reporters;
"As far as the ministry is concerned, Severus Snape has not been anywhere near the vicinity of Godric's Hollow anytime in the recent past."
White went on to comment that the rumors surrounding this sighting were "crude and clearly false", and local residents have "not the slightest need to worry".
Harry read the article twice, and then threw it down on the kitchen table with a look of pure disgust. First off, the Prophet hadn't even bothered to get the story straight. Then they quoted Alex White of all people. He wasn't even really an Auror anymore, he just worked in the training program. Of course, the fact that he was dating Ginny could have been skewing Harry's opinion just a tad bit.
His biggest worry however, was that Snape would see the paper. Before the article, Harry had the advantage of secrecy. Snape probably hadn't the slightest idea that Harry knew about his visits to the graveyard. Even though the article was full of rumor and misinformation, Snape would have to be a fool to assume the same now. If he knew that Harry was looking for him, he would be that much harder to find.
Harry's heart leapt at the sound of soft knocking on his front door. Now that Ginny and Hermione were here, he wouldn't have to shoulder the burden of his darkening thoughts alone. He carefully put Headwig back in her cage, and then hurried towards the door.
Without a second thought, Harry pulled the door, sure he would find his friends waiting on the other side. His stomach lurched in a moment of shock when he realized that his visitor was someone far less expected. A shivering woman was waiting on the doorstep, a red cloak with pure gold edging pulled up to protect her long blond hair from the rain. She was wandless, and clutching the day's copy of the Prophet in her hand as tightly as a dangling man might cling to the edge of a cliff.
It took Harry's racing mind a moment to place this strange caller, and even then he was reluctant to believe it. His breath caught in his throat as she stepped forward and the hood of her cloak slid back. Somehow he had expected that hardship and circumstance would have had the same affect on her appearance as the ocean has as it pounds against the shore. To his surprise she was as pretty as ever, yet he saw her startling beauty as a harsh contrast to what dwelled within.
"Potter." She whispered, her voice breaking as she spoke. "May I have a word with you?"
Both at a loss for words and extremely unsure of what else to do, Harry stepped aside at let Narcissa Malfoy walk into his sitting room. She took off her cloak with shaking hands, and then sat down without being asked. Harry stood frozen in the doorway for a few seconds longer, watching her with a mix of trepidation and bewilderment. When he at last followed her inside he didn't sit, and instead paced the room, ready to move against her at any moment.
"You must be wondering why I've come to you." Narcissa began in a quivering voice. "I'm sure I know what you think of me, so it means a great deal that you'd even give me the chance to speak."
Harry lifted an eyebrow. The last thing he ever expected in this lifetime was for Narcissa Malfoy to show up and start making nice to him. Two years ago, after Harry had testified at Draco's trial, she had threatened to gouge his eyes out in front of half the Wizengamot.
"When my Draco was captured, the first thing they asked him was where Severus Snape was hiding." Narcissa continued, wringing her hands as she spoke.
"He never told them." Harry responded curtly.
He remembered the stinging disappointment of that day. Harry had been jubilant when he heard that Malfoy had been found and would be brought to justice, but equally crushed when he learned that even under Veritaserum, Draco had either been unable or extremely unwilling to give away Snape's location, or even to confirm if he was alive.
"He couldn't tell." She said. "Because he didn't know."
"That's great." Harry said, beginning to lose his patience. "What does that have to do with me?"
"But I knew." Narcissa said, looking pained. "I owe a great debt to Severus, but I can no longer watch my son suffer. I simply can't bear it any longer."
She let out a soft sob, and reached up into her sleeve. Prepared for an attack, Harry drew out his wand with lightening speed, but then lowered it again when Narcissa produced a handkerchief and carefully dabbed it under her watering eyes.
"Perhaps if I told you where Severus is hiding, you can get my Draco out of prison." Narcissa offered hopefully.
"That would be impossible." Harry said darkly. "The ministry would never go for it."
Narcissa jumped out of her chair, her chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. Blinking back more tears, she seemed as unstable as a rickety house standing against a giant gust of wind.
"You can't pretend that you have no influence in the ministry." Narcissa begged. "Please Potter, don't you understand what I'm offering you?"
Harry nodded grimly, his mouth set into a thin angry line. He did understand what she was offering him, but it was something so clearly out of his reach. He knew what he would have to tell her, though he hated doing it. She would have better luck pleading her case at the ministry, though that might land her in Azkaban beside her son rather than free him. If that should happen, they might never know where Snape was hiding. Narcissa was probably smarter than she looked. She would purge all memory of his whereabouts before she allowed them to be forced from her by the Wizengamot.
In an instant, Harry changed his mind. He wasn't going to let Snape slip through his fingers, not when he was so close to finding him.
"Stupefy!" Harry cried, his wand pointed at Narcissa's chest.
Her mouth opened into a silent scream, and she fell backwards with a soft thud. As soon as she hit the ground Harry took off, dashing up the stairs, and dragging the trunk he had once used at Hogwarts out from his bedroom closet. It was in this trunk that he kept the few rather undesirable objects he had acquired over the years. To his great fortune, a half-empty bottle of Veritaserum was one of them. Holding the bottle of clear liquid tightly in his hands, he bounded down the stairs again, coming to halt beside the fallen Narcissa.
His spine tingling with the knowledge that the spell could wear off at any moment, he unscrewed the bottle and titled it forward so a small stream of potion trickled down into her open mouth.
He climbed to his feet again, and took a few steps backwards to put ample distance between himself and Narcissa.
"Revivar." He mouthed quietly, stepping even further back as Narcissa came to life at once.
Sputtering, with fresh tears trailing down her cheeks, she staggered to her feet. With a purely murderous look in her eyes she lunged towards Harry, who silently cast the strongest binding spell he could think of. Narcissa let out a short cry, and fell to the floor once again.
"Let me go!" She shouted hysterically, struggling to kick free of her invisible bonds.
"Not until you tell me where Severus Snape is hiding." Harry demanded, hoping the Veritaserum would do its job.
Looking horrified, Narcissa clamped her mouth shut and shook her head back and forth wildly.
"Where is Severus Snape hiding?" Harry asked again.
An anguished sob escaped Narcissa's firmly set lips as she fought to resist him. Harry felt a tinge of guilt gnawing at him, but quickly shoved into the back of his mind. If this was the only way he was ever going to find Snape, it was worth it.
"Lucius and I kept a house in London, no one else knew about it except Bellatrix and Severus." Narcissa confessed through clenched teeth.
"Is that where Snape is hiding?" Harry asked, an odd burning feeling rising up from his stomach to the back of his throat.
Narcissa let out a few more painful sobs, before jerking her head up so she was staring straight into Harry's green eyes.
"Yes." She responded, in a whisper so slight that it was nearly drown out by Harry's breathing.
"Where is this house in London?" Harry continued on, trying to ignore how broken Narcissa appeared.
It was as if each of his words was a knife straight to her heart, each wound hurting a thousand times worse than the last.
"Its on Court Street, Number 31." She said weakly, more tears slipping down her cheeks and off of her pointed chin.
"I suppose that its unplottable, isn't it." Harry said, guessing as much.
"Yes."
He would have to keep Narcissa here regardless, because Harry was sure she would run off to warn Snape the instant he let her go. Now he had another reason to force her to stay, she would need to tellHermione, Ginny, and Rom where the house was as well.
"Is he alone?"
"Yes."
Harry knew there was much more he should ask her while he had the chance, but he couldn't seem to think of anything else that would be helpful. Seeing Narcissa in this state had begun to make him feel vaguely ill, even though he knew she rightly deserved it.
With an heavy sigh he levitated her onto the couch, where she might be more comfortable.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this." Harry said, feeling obligated to say something. "I promise that after I find Snape, I'll try to get them to take a few years off Draco's sentence."
Narcissa hung her head in a defeated gesture, too weary to try and retaliate against him. Tears dancing on her delicate eyelashes, she was clearly struggling to regain her composure. An odd sense of calm swept over the room, and Harry felt like he was able to breath for the first time in ages. He was suddenly very clear about what he had to do, and could only hope that his plans wouldn't crumble before they had even begun.