It was only an hour later that Hermione and Ginny appeared on his doorstep, yet to Harry the time seemed to pass with an excruciating slowness. His entire body seemed to shake with the thought of what was now possible. If Narcissa had been telling the truth, and if everything else went to plan, then by tonight Severus Snape would be sleeping in a jail cell.

Harry was so wrapped up in his own racing thoughts that he barely heard the knocking on his front door, and only became aware of it after Narcissa gave a startled whimper. She was still lying on the couch, a strong binding spell preventing her from escaping or even moving. She was probably convinced that Harry had sent for the ministry, though he wasn't about to bother telling her any different.

He rushed passed without looking in her direction, because for all of his planning he still hadn't decided what to do with her. He didn't feel right turning her into the ministry, who would certainly find reason to put her in Azkaban. At the moment, it didn't seem like he had much of a choice.

He opened the front door the slightest crack, and stuck his head out into the icy drizzle. Ginny and Hermione were crowded together on the front step, both looking extremely sullen. Hermione had her arms crossed over her chest, and her mouth was pressed shut into an angry thin line. Ginny looked equally unsettled, her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and her cheeks looked as if she had applied an overly generous amount of rouge.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked, his eyes darting between the pair.

"Nothing." Ginny said quickly, shooting Hermione a look that Harry could only describe as pleading.

A moment of awkward silence followed, during which Harry's mind rushed back to the task at hand. He had better explain why Narcissa was being held captive in his sitting room, before Ginny and Hermione hauled him off to St. Mungo's to get his head examined.

"I need to tell you something." He began, a little nervously. "But before you flip out, let me explain. Alright?"

"Harry." Hermione said quietly, noticing for the first time that he was intentionally blocking their view of the sitting room. "You haven't got Snape in there, have you?"

Harry let out a strained laugh, because he wasn't sure there was a tremendous difference between having Snape in his sitting room or having Narcissa there instead.

"Not exactly." Harry confessed. "Just...I haven't gone mad or anything, before you ask."

Ginny's brow wrinkled in confusion, a gesture that Harry found oddly attractive. Fighting the urge to stare longingly in her direction, he turned towards Hermione instead.

"I've got Narcissa Malfoy on my couch, under a binding spell." He continued, speaking so quickly he was sure his friends were struggling to keep up. "She came here this morning, to try and weasel Draco out of prison. Maybe she thought the ministry owed me a favor or something."

"You have to let her go Harry!" Ginny exclaimed. "That's so illegal it isn't even funny."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, though she didn't seem as shocked as Harry expected.

"She told me where to find Snape." Harry said, dropping his voice down toa whisper.

For the moment, he decided to leave out the fact that he had used Veritaserum to pry the truth from her.

"Really?" Hermione said, stunned. "But I thought..."

The cold rain had begun to fall in earnest now, and Harry stepped aside and gestured for both women to come inside. Hermione did so at once, muttering to herself. Ginny followed, eager to see if Narcissa really was in the sitting room.

Of course she was, and she looked none to pleased to see them.

Her spiritless submission of the past hour seemed to melt away at once as she struggled against her invisible ties, hissing like an angry street cat.

"If don't release right now, I'll murder you all!" She shouted, trashing wildly. "Including you, mudblood!"

"Oh, shut up!" Ginny said boldly. "Before you make me use a silencing spell on you."

The burst of resistance passed rather quickly, as a moment later Narcissa was once again reduced to quivering sobs.

"Harry." Hermione said, frowning in the doorway. "Why do I get the idea that you really didn't think this one through?"

"Because I didn't." Harry responded flatly.

He grabbed Ginny by the wrist, a small shiver running up his spine with the action, and pulled her towards Narcissa. Even though the Veritaserum had long wore off, he hoped she would still obey.

"Tell my friends where Severus Snape is hiding, and I'll let you go."

Hermione moved to protest, but then thought better of it and came to stand beside them. Narcissa stared up at them with limpid eyes, and let out a mournful sigh before speaking.

"You're supposed to be the chosen one." She said in a snake-like whisper. "But you're too afraid to face him alone?"

Harry's jaw quivered, because in truth he was afraid. He had been able to defeat Voldemort because he knew his weaknesses. He didn't have that same advantage with Snape.

"Perhaps I am." Harry said, shamelessly. "Who wouldn't be?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes at Narcissa, and Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder for support.

"Be a man Potter." Narcissa said, in a whisper so slight that Harry had to lean in close just to hear it. "Go after him alone. He deserves a fair fight at least."

Her words sunk into his brain like a thick tonic, making everything seem fuzzy around the edges. It took him a full minute to realize that Narcissa's hand was clasped over his own, when she shouldn't have be able to move.

"What..." He began, but couldn't manage to get the rest of the words free.

Narcissa pounced on him like a rabid lion, clawing at his face with her long fingernails. Harry cried out in surprise, just as she kicked him in the stomach. Before he had time to regain his bearings Narcissa had pushed through Ginny and Hermione, barely dodging their hastily fired spells.

"Grab her!" Harry shouted, but as soon as he had spoken he realized it was too late.

A resounding crack echoed through the cottage, shaking the walls like a tiny earthquake.

Narcissa was gone.

"What happened?" Ginny asked, breathlessly.

"The binding spell must have worn off." Hermione answered in a tiny voice.

For a moment Harry couldn't bear to look at either of them. He reached up and gingerly touched the bleeding scratches Narcissa had left on his face, all the while a stone of dread growing heavy in his stomach.

She had surely gone to warn Snape, and by the time Harry got there it would probably be too late. At this point, it almost foolish to even bother.

The disappointment burned like acid on his heart. He had come so close to finding Snape, only to have it ruined by his own mistake.

A/N: I hope all this isn't getting tiresome...I promise it has a point. More Snape to come!