Disclaimer: They aren't mine. Not now…not ever. Anything recognizable belongs to JKR and Company. Anything else is simply me having a bit of fun!
A Tense Situation
~Chapter Eight~
The following day had been a long one as far as the trio was concerned. Having just less than two weeks remaining in the school year was enough to cause the seventh years' thoughts to drift, as all too soon they would be expected to take their places in the Wizarding World and become productive members of society. Thank Merlin they had completed their NEWTs the previous week!
"I still don't like it," Ron declared as soon as he and Harry had followed Hermione into the Head Girl's room and closed the door. Not having to share her space with the other seventh year girls in Gryffindor had been the biggest perk to becoming Head Girl as far as Hermione had been concerned, and the trio often took advantage of this fact by using the room when they wanted to discuss something without being disturbed.
Hermione gave her disgruntled friend a warning glance and quickly took out her wand. Several seconds later she was swishing and flicking while at the same time uttering an unfamiliar incantation. "There, that's better," she said with no small amount of satisfaction as she returned her wand to its usual resting place.
"Um, what's better, Hermione?" Harry asked, nervously glancing around the room in an effort to see what she had done. One was never certain where Hermione and magic were concerned as the young Witch was constantly trying out new spells that she had either heard or read about. Usually such attempts went off without a hitch but every once in a while an unexpected something or other would occur; like the time she had mispronounced one of the words to a new spell and they had ended up face to face with an irate Bengal Tiger rather than the morphing floor cushions she had been aiming for.
"I just placed a Silencing Spell on the room so that no one will overhear our conversation," she explained in a manner that clearly stated she thought they should have already figured out such a fact for themselves.
"Wait a minute, Hermione," Ron protested. "I know how to cast a Silencing Spell and whatever you just did was not it."
"Correction, Ron, you know how to cast a standard Silencing Spell and considering the importance of our upcoming conversation, I didn't think it was wise to rely on such a widely known spell so I cast the same spell that Dumbledore cast on the Gryffindor Common Room just before Harry told us about what he saw through his link with Voldemort."
"You cast a stronger spell?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I figured that the Headmaster must have been casting some sort of Silencing Spell as he wouldn't want to risk anyone walking in and overhearing what was being said. I didn't recognize the spell though so I went to the library last night after we got back and did some research. It's quite effective and much more powerful than the standard spell."
"We're going to have to get you to teach us that one some time, Hermione," the Boy-Who-Lived told her with a smile.
"Well now that everything's secure… let me repeat myself: I DON'T LIKE IT!"
"Which part don't you like, Ron? Harry questioned, knowing that his own feelings mirrored those of his hot-tempered friend.
"All of it. I don't like one bit of it, Harry, and I'm not too impressed with the 'plan' that Dumbledore has come up with," their red haired companion answered. "If you ask me, he doesn't have any more of an idea as to how to handle this situation than we do and somehow that's not very reassuring."
"We're just going to have to stick together and keep our wits about us, that's all."
"But, Hermione," Ron protested, "How are we supposed to do that when our memories have been Obliviated?"
"And seeing that it will probably be Snape that casts the Obliviate, I hardly think there will be a chance of it not taking properly and leaving you in possession of some of your memories," Harry grimaced, still upset with the very thought of entrusting his two closest friends to the care of the Potions Master.
"It will be fine, Harry," Hermione insisted in a no-nonsense tone of voice. "You're going to have to get over your mistrust of Professor Snape and believe that he will do his very best to protect us. We all have to believe that or this plan, such as it is, will be doomed to fail before it even has a chance to get off the ground. Besides, Professor Snape may be a sarcastic, mean spirited man, but he couldn't have made it this far as a spy for the Order unless he had some idea how to remain calm and think under pressure. If a problem arises then I'm sure that he'll take care of it in the most efficient manner available to him at the time."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Harry muttered, still unconvinced by her words. "What if trouble arises and he looks after himself first and foremost?"
"Somehow I don't think that will happen," Hermione insisted. "He's proven his loyalty time after time to Dumbledore and from what you described through your link with Voldemort, Snape isn't exactly having an easy time of it by playing the role of a double agent. Plus there's the fact that he has saved you more than once since we've been at Hogwarts, despite his personal dislike. No, I think that he will do what's best for us if push comes to shove. There's also the fact that he didn't look too thrilled with Dumbledore's plan either."
"I can give you three reasons for that, Hermione," Ron told her, lifting up three fingers and counting each reason off, one by one. "You, me and Harry. There are your three reasons. It has nothing to do with the plan except for the fact that Dumbledore has told him that he has to watch over us."
"Enough of this," Hermione snapped. "So he doesn't like us. That's not exactly surprising considering the fact that we aren't too fond of him either. However, I still say that if this plan is to succeed then we are going to have to put aside our differences and work together. Now, we need more of a backup plan than Dumbledore's Summoning Spell since that will only work if we fail to make it back by a pre-determined timeframe. So what can we do to help ourselves get out of there before a Summoning Spell is necessary?"
The trio thought long and hard, each silent as they wracked their brains for possible solutions.
"Extra wands." They were two words, softly spoken by the Boy-Who-Lived, but they carried with them a quiet, steadfast conviction.
"What?" Ron asked, confused by his cryptic words.
"Extra wands," Harry reiterated. "We need to get our hands on a couple of extra wands and hide them on each of you. Snape will be required to hand over your real wands to Voldemort as a sign of good faith and they will believe that you're defenseless. So what if we could get our hands on a couple of extra wands that no one knows about?"
"And how do you propose to do such a thing without anyone finding out about it?" Hermione asked, looking expectantly at the two boys. "You know that Mr. Ollivander is required to register every wand he sells with the Ministry of Magic so that the actions of the wand owner can be monitored if necessary."
"That could be a problem," Harry conceded, a frown marring his forehead.
"We'll just have to get them from someone else then," Ron declared a moment later with the faintest hint of hope gleaming in his eyes.
"And who would you suggest?" Hermione questioned crossly, aggravated at the fact that they seemed to be wasting valuable time on such an impossible solution. "It's not as if anyone dealing in illegal, not to mention unregistered, wands is going to advertise in the Daily Prophet. Besides, the wand chooses the wizard, remember? We have to be there to pick them out otherwise we run the risk of not being able to use them at all."
A memory flashed unbidden through Harry's mind of himself as an eleven-year boy picking out his first wand. He remembered the chaos that an improperly fitted wand could cause and shuddered at the prospect of his friends trusting their lives to such a scenario.
"Fred and George know a Wizard that deals with that sort of thing," Ron said emphatically. "I know because I heard them talking about how they needed to get their hands on some 'hard to find' items last summer. Mind you, it won't be cheap though."
"I can cover the price," Harry assured them. "I still have most of the galleons I withdrew over the Christmas holidays so it shouldn't be a problem. Tell them to find the most generic wands they can. We may have to risk the consequences of a badly fitted wand if we can't come up with a better plan."
"Well it's better than nothing and better than depending entirely on Snape," Ron insisted. "I'll owl Fred and George and tell them what we need. I just hope they don't let it slip to Mum though. She'd skin us alive I tell you!"
"Ron, tell them that we need the wands immediately and not to mention it to anyone. If they ask what this is all about then tell them that we'll be happy to explain it all after the school year ends," Harry instructed.
"But shouldn't we tell Professor Snape so that he's not completely unaware?" Hermione asked.
"No!" both boys answered at once. "If Snape knows about the wands he'll either take them away from you or make certain that he Obliviates such knowledge when he casts the memory charm. If he doesn't know that you have them then he can't take them away and he can't take your memories of them away either."
"I think that you're being paranoid," Hermione huffed, arms crossed in front of her chest as she eyed her two companions doubtfully.
"This is Snape, Hermione, and Harry's right. We need to be able to defend ourselves in case something really bad happens."
"Okay fine, we carry extra wands and don't tell anyone. Have you considered the fact that if Voldemort realizes that we have extra wands then he might go after Professor Snape thinking that he's trying to deceive him?"
"It's a chance we're going to have to take," Harry declared, squirming a little at the conviction in Hermione's words and the faint twinge of his own conscience.
"Fine," she agreed, uncomfortable with the thought of going off and planning on their own. Wasn't this what Snape had warned them about last night? Didn't he say that there was too much at stake for them to think they could handle it alone? Taking a deep breath, she pushed her trepidation aside and joined her friends in the difficult task of devising a plan that would allow them to accomplish their mission without getting anyone killed.
/^\^/^\^/^\
"Miss Granger, perhaps you would care to enlighten me as to why, after seven years, you persist in completing Mr. Longbottom's work for him despite my repeated instructions to the contrary?"
Hermione looked up from her place next to Neville and quietly studied the tall, dark haired man that was currently towering over her wearing an expression that all but dared her to answer back. A mischievous voice housed in a dark corner somewhere in her mind urged her to do just that and for a brief moment she entertained the notion of telling the Potions Master off just this once. After all, she would only have to face his wrath for another week and a half and then she could say goodbye and good riddance to his domineering manner once and for all. A small sigh escaped her lips as she reluctantly squashed the idea and settled for what she hoped was a neutral look that would serve to keep Snape's formidable temper at bay. As much as she would like to speak her mind and tell him exactly what she thought about his teaching methods, she knew that this was neither the time nor the place as such an action would result in robbing Gryffindor of an unreasonable number of House Points; points that they desperately needed to hang on to as they were neck and neck with Slytherin for the coveted House Cup.
Mistaking her unintentional sigh and her continued silence as defiance, Snape allowed his face to twist into an expression of undisguised pleasure. "Well, Miss Granger, it would seem that not only are you incapable of following orders, but you are also incapable of answering a simple question as well. Perhaps a deduction of thirty House Points and a detention this Saturday afternoon will help you learn such basic skills?"
A round of snickering could be heard from the Slytherins on the other side of the classroom while several agonized groans resounded from the Gryffindors. Raising an eyebrow and flashing a self-satisfied smirk in her direction, the Potions Master turned and headed back toward the front of the class. He came to an abrupt halt when he heard Ron's voice echo throughout the dungeon room.
"But that's our last Hogsmeade weekend!"
Snape walked over to where the complaining Gryffindor sat, his steps slow and deliberate in a manner intended to intimidate, and stopped just in front of Ron and Harry.
"It is reassuring to know that you have learned something in your time here at Hogwarts, Mr. Weasley, even if it is only the most rudimentary skill of marking the days of the week and keeping track of your social calendar."
This brought another round of malicious laughter from the Slytherins as Harry kicked his friend under the table in the hopes that Ron would understand his not too subtle warning to keep quiet lest they find themselves in even more trouble.
Letting his temper get the better of him and ignoring Harry's warning, the angry young man glared at Snape and had just opened his mouth to deliver what he hoped was a scathing comment when the Potions Master interrupted him.
"Seeing that you seem to feel so strongly about the timing of Miss Granger's detention, not to mention the fact that she will be unable to accompany you to Hogsmeade, it would only seem fitting that you remain behind this Saturday to keep her company. I will expect you both in my office promptly at 2:00 o'clock."
Ron tossed his quill down on the desk in an angry gesture and flashed a glare at the snickering Slytherins. He'd had enough of Snape's prejudiced behavior against Gryffindors and wanted nothing more than to tell both him and his precious Slytherins off once and for all. If it hadn't been for the looks of warning from both Harry and Hermione, he probably would have done so and just accepted the consequences. His thoughts were interrupted as the Potion Master's voice echoed back at him from the stone walls of the dungeon class one final time.
"By the way, Mr. Weasley, that will be twenty points from Gryffindor for showing a flagrant lack of respect toward a Professor." Turning his back on the speechless young man, he returned to the front of the class and continued his lecture on the attributes of the Mind Enhancing potion which they would be expected to brew during their next potions lesson in two days time.
No one noticed the covert looks being passed back and forth between two of the Slytherin students or how they continued to closely watch the actions of the their Head of House and the Gryffindor trio throughout the remainder of the class.
/^\^/^\^/^\
TBC
Author's Note: HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
First of all, my apologies for taking so incredibly long to update this story but unfortunately real life (in the form of illness, hard drive crashes and holidays) decided to rear its ugly head and intervene. Many thanks to you all for both your patience and the wonderful reviews that you have left in support of this story. The illness still remains at this time, but I will do my best to update in a more timely fashion. And, last but definitely not least, I'd like to send out thanks to Ozratbag2 for taking the time to toil over this chapter and tidy it up!
~Jules
