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 Thirteen~

Draco Malfoy had the uncomfortable feeling that he was missing something though he couldn't for the life of him say just exactly what that something might be.  Whatever the elusive something might be, it had the finely textured blond wisps of hair on the back of his neck standing straight on end in much the same way that a cat's fur stands on end when it is highly agitated.  He laughed silently to himself thinking that perhaps it might be an indication of his Animagus form though he had yet to begin the training.  Still, discovering that one could turn into a cat at any given moment couldn't be all that bad and he'd certainly have enough mobility to skulk around unnoticed.  It was a definite bonus as far as the Slytherin was concerned and he made a mental note to speak with Professor McGonagall before leaving Hogwarts.  Besides, a cat would be a much better choice than the ferret he had been briefly turned into so long ago. Although with the way his luck was running lately, he would complete the training only to find out that his Animagus form was just that: a little white ferret.

He took another bite of his breakfast and allowed his gaze to travel down the length of the Slytherin dining table.  Most of his fellow Slytherins were there with the exception of a few who had decided to forgo breakfast in order to sleep late and a few who had already finished their breakfast and exited the hall to prepare for the upcoming Hogsmeade trip that would commence in just under an hour.  He supposed that he really should go seeing that it was the last trip into the small Wizarding town that he would make while still a student.  Then again of course, there was always the added bonus of being able to keep an eye on some of his less than trustworthy Housemates. One could never be too certain what mischief some of them might be up to and Draco had learned throughout the years that it was better to be prepared ahead of time for their antics than to either be on the receiving end or wind up being the one who had to clean up the mess before any of the Professors found out.  Professor Flitwick might be tiny but the Wizard had a decided lack of tolerance when it came to Slytherin practical jokes and he always deducted a huge amount of House Points. It was a situation that had been known to irk Snape to no end and an angry Head of House made for an unhappy bunch of Slytherins.

A shrill sound came from a short way down the table and Draco looked up to see the source of the hideous sound happily chatting away with Blaise.  A small smile tugged at Draco's lips as he watched Blaise and Pansy chatting quietly to one another.  From the way they kept looking around, it was obvious that they didn't want their conversation overheard and the blond Slytherin wondered why they didn't just cast a Silencing charm on themselves. 

The shrill sound rang throughout the Hall again and Draco smirked when he saw a few of the students from the other tables look up from their food and conversations to search for the source of the noise.  His smirk grew even wider as their eyes fell on Pansy who was oblivious to the distraction her unique laughter was creating.  Having lived with the girl for a number of years, most of the Slytherins had become accustomed to the odd noise and continued on with their meals as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Draco merely shook his head and took another bite of the croissant he held in his hand.  Flicking away a few stray flakes that had fallen onto his robe, he thought about the pair of students that had attracted his attention. 

Pansy Parkinson had been a long time acquaintance of the Malfoy family and there was even talk at one point of joining the two families via a marriage between himself and Pansy.  A small involuntary shudder ran through his body as he thought of a lifetime union between himself and the girl seated next to Blaise and he thanked Merlin and whoever else deserved credit that the Witch had been more attracted to the young man sitting next to her.  It wasn't that Draco despised her all that much or found her completely unattractive but more that he didn't trust her in even the smallest of ways.  He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Pansy would slit her own mother's throat if it suited her purpose and he could only imagine what she might do to a husband.  No, the thought of having to watch his wife's every move and sleeping with at least one of his eyes open for the rest of his life didn't inspire him to settle down with someone such as Pansy, no matter how influential her family might be. 

The glinting of light off of a small shiny object captured his attention and he leaned forward just a bit in the hopes of getting a better view.  Pansy and Blaise each held a small object no bigger than an inch in length and they each seemed to take quite an interest in the metallic looking items.  More so than Draco felt that such a small objects warranted.  Squinting ever so slightly, he was surprised to make out the forms of two tiny paperclips.               

'Now why would they want paperclips,' Draco wondered? He couldn't see what possible attraction could be gained by the intense concentration of his housemates on such an unimportant Muggle novelty. And yet, the pair of Slytherins were pointing, laughing and handing the paperclips back and forth as if the tiny objects carried some bizarre form of significance.  Unfortunately, he still was unable to hear their actual conversation and his mind began to ponder what the Slytherins might be up to.

Though he turned over several scenarios in his mind, he couldn't fathom the significance of the tiny objects.  They were such innocuous items and wouldn't raise any suspicions amongst anyone even if the Slytherin couple were up to something. Surely the shiny Muggle objects were not worthy of the type of attention being paid to them by Blaise and Pansy?  The more Draco observed their quiet banter the more worried he became.  No, a paperclip was not worth the amount of attention that his Housemates were wasting on it.  Something was up but he just couldn't fit the pieces together to form any sort of coherent answer.  He sighed with more than a hint of frustration evident in the breathy gasp of air and turned to leave the Great Hall.  He would have to keep an eye on those two during the course of the next few days and that irritated him to no end.  Wasn't it bad enough that he had to watch over the infamous Gryffindor trio?  Now he had to add two of his own Housemates to the list as well.  He made his way out the doors and headed toward his room to grab his broom.  It was a clear day and most of the students would be headed to Hogsmeade.  He would take a few minutes to fly around the Quidditch pitch and clear his thoughts before heading into town. He needed to think and he needed to do so now.  He was bound and determined to figure out what was going on and he had the sinking feeling that time was most definitely of the essence.

/^\^/^\^/^\

"Ah, Severus," the voice of the Headmaster echoed off of the stones of the dungeon walls, "I thought that I might find you here."

Snape looked up momentarily, not bothering to hide the look of irritation that crossed his face.  "How intuitive of you, Albus, considering that you no doubt noticed my exit from the Great Hall less than half an hour ago.  Not to mention the fact that I can usually be found in the dungeons when I am not being summoned to your office."

The Headmaster had the grace to look slightly abashed in the face of the Potions Master's words but fully entered the lab to stand next to one of the workbenches where the Professor was examining a small set of vials. 

"Is everything ready for this afternoon?" Dumbledore questioned quietly, knowing that Snape would understand the question despite the general terms it had been shrouded in. 

"As far as I am aware, everything is as we discussed previously," the Potions Master replied with a hint of nonchalance.  "Really, Albus, you would think that after so many years of this type of work that you would realize such questions are unnecessary."

"I am merely assuring myself that all is well," the Headmaster replied quietly while something tugged at the back of his mind.  It was as if something wasn't quite right but the Potions Master had seemed honest enough in his irritation and there was no reason for him to rebel against their plans after all this time.  Or was there?  It was a thought that discomforted the older Wizard more than he cared to admit. 

"Yes, Albus, all is well at least for the time being," Snape replied with an air of exasperation.  Placing the vials in a small bag, he turned his attention toward the Headmaster.  "However, I cannot guarantee that the situation will remain that way for very much longer.  You do realize that this plan has more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese and I see very little logic in deliberately presenting these particular students to the Dark Lord.  There is far too much that can go wrong and my options will be decidedly limited should the need arise to pull them away on a moment's notice."

"That is what the Perattrahere spell is for," Dumbledore quietly reminded him. Digging into one of the pockets on his elaborately brocaded robes, he pulled out three objects and placed them on the workbench. 

Snape looked down at the objects that shone softly in the dim lighting of the dungeon lab and looked back at the Headmaster with a raised eyebrow.  "I take it that these talismans are for the spell?" he asked sardonically, looking over the objects.

"Naturally," the Wizard answered.  "The belt buckles are for both yourself and Mr. Weasley, while the bracelet is for Miss Granger.  Each item contains the appropriate strand of hair within its center and I have already cast the incantations that will bind each of your DNA to mine for the purpose of the spell."

"Lovely," Snape replied sarcastically, eyeing the small belt buckle with the Hogwart's Crest emblazoned across it.  "You couldn't think of anything less obvious?"

"If you're referring to the Crest then you should be thankful, Severus," Dumbledore replied and Snape was appalled to see that the usual twinkle had returned to their depths. 

"Thankful?" he questioned, knowing full well that the Headmaster's response would leave him anything but thankful.  Still, there was no way around playing Albus' little games and sometimes it was better to just graciously play along rather than to try and fight the inevitable.

"Yes of course," the Headmaster answered with a large smile peeking through the masses of white hair that comprised his beard.  "I had originally enchanted the belt buckle to look like the Gryffindor mascot."

Shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation, Snape wondered yet again how his life had come to the point where he had to answer to the whims of two certifiably insane Wizards.  The Dark Lord's insanity was obvious to everyone especially when he continued to conduct raids on Muggle communities and rack up staggering death tolls.  The insanity of Albus Dumbledore was much more sedate and in Severus' opinion, that made him an even bigger danger than Voldemort because you never truly knew where you stood.  The man would crack jokes at the most inopportune times and then turn around and sacrifice someone upon occasion for the 'good of the Cause'.  It was frightening in some ways and not for the first time, Snape wished that the war was over once and for all so that he could leave this lifestyle for one in which he didn't have to deal with such charmed duplicity. Slytherin or no, he had just about had enough.

"Then I am immensely grateful," Snape replied with a staggering amount of derision in his voice, "as I have no doubt that had the Dark Lord seen me wearing such an object, that I would have had much to answer for."

"Yes, I surmised as much," Dumbledore laughed before turning serious eyes toward the Potions Master.  "Do the best that you can this evening, Severus, but under no circumstances are you to compromise your position.  Is that clear?"

"Even if it means sacrificing the lives of Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger?" Severus asked with a touch of venom in his voice. 

"Even then," the Headmaster agreed softly.  "It is a difficult decision but we must look toward the future.  Without the intelligence that you provide, it will be much more difficult to ensure that such a future is one filled with Light as opposed to the chaos that Voldemort would prefer to see."

"They are just children, Albus.  They do not deserve to be casualties of war."

"No one does," Dumbledore softly agreed.  "But it is far better to sacrifice a few rather than to sacrifice many."

"And you have the right to decide whose life is important and whose life isn't quite so necessary?" Snape snarled, having had more than enough of both this particular conversation and his so-called orders.

"Someone has to," the Headmaster said flatly and Severus could see the glint of defiance and determination in the other man's eyes.  "You will follow your orders, Severus.  I understand that you do not agree with my decision but it will stand nonetheless.  Are we clear on this point?"

"Absolutely," Snape bit out, resisting the almost overpowering urge to raise his voice to the man now standing directly in front of him. It would not do to make the Headmaster too suspicious and he still had to enact his own revisions to Dumbledore's plan.  It was something that he would be unable to do if the Wizard decided to visit him in the dungeons during the upcoming detention.

"Good.  I expect that you will be meeting Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger in the Potions classroom at two o'clock then?"

"Yes, and they will serve detention until four o'clock at which time I will Obliviate them and take them to the Dark Lord," Snape explained the upcoming itinerary.  "I am hoping that by taking them far enough in advance of the Dark Revel that I will be able to arrange for their escape before too many Death Eaters arrive.  The fewer people we have to convince and evade the better."

"I see your point.  Will you need my assistance with any of this?" the Headmaster asked, eyeing the Potions Master curiously.  "I could assist with the Obliviates."

"Honestly, Albus, do you think me so incompetent that I cannot even perform such a small task on my own?" Snape chided, not wanting the Headmaster to be anywhere near the dungeons when it finally came time to carry out their plans. 

"I am merely offering, Severus. However, since you seem to feel that you have the situation well under control, then I'll leave you to it."

Dumbledore had just turned to exit the lab when the deep tones of Snape's voice caused him to halt in mid stride.

"Albus, you do plan on using the Perattrahere spell should we not arrive back within the allotted amount of time, don't you?"  Snape questioned, a mixture of genuine concern and curiosity lacing his voice.

"Should the need arise then of course I will utilize the spell," Dumbledore assured him though the Potions Master noticed that his voice didn't carry the conviction it had when he had been extolling the possible need to sacrifice Weasley and Granger. "Provided of course that it is prudent to do so at the time."

A simple nod of his head was the only response that Snape would offer and after a moment of intensely scrutinizing the Potions Master, Dumbledore returned the nod and exited the dungeons with a very uneasy feeling resting in the center of his chest. 

/^\^/^\^/^\

"Is everything all set then?" Harry asked nervously, looking worriedly at his two best friends. 

"We're fine, mate," Ron assured him and was pleased to note that he had actually sounded fairly convincing.  Of course, he was certain that the fact that he had managed to keep the nervous stuttering out of his voice had helped his credibility tremendously.

"Everything will be fine, Harry," Hermione whispered softly and gave him a reassuring hug.  "We'll be back before you know it."

The-Boy-Who-Lived pulled back from her embrace just far enough so that he could look steadily at her.  "You and Ron are family to me, Hermione.  I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to either one of you."

"All the more reason for us to make certain that nothing is going to happen to us," Ron announced with a wry grin.  "Besides, Hermione has promised to give me my magazine back just as soon as we return and I figure that's worth coming home for. So you see, Harry, you're still stuck with us."

"What Ron means to say is that we both have a lot to return to and we have no intention of getting ourselves killed tonight," Hermione explained, shaking her head in disbelief at the way her friend had tried to explain their feelings.  Still, it seemed as if Harry had understood what Ron had been trying to convey so who was she to question it too deeply?  Perhaps it was just a guy thing?  If that was the case then she was fully prepared to admit that she would never understand it all and she doubted that even the Hogwarts library, vast though it was, would contain a book that might explore the strange lingo often noted amongst her male friends.

"I just wish that I could go with you or take your place or do something other than just wait around and count on Snape," Harry grumbled, still uncomfortable with the thought of entrusting his friends' well-being to the Potions Master. 

"You can do something," Hermione insisted, giving him a small smile.  "You can go meet Susan and take her to Hogsmeade.  That will help keep your mind off of things and quite frankly she's been pretty patient with all of this during the past week.  Take her out and spend some time with her.  You both deserve it."

"Hermione's right, Harry," Ron agreed.  "Just remember to stop by Honeydukes and pick up some Chocolate Frogs while you're there."

"Always thinking with your stomach, Ron," Hermione groused good-naturedly.

"Is there anything else to think with?" the red haired young man asked with a mock look of seriousness.

Just then Susan came walking up to the group with a bright smile on her face.  The smile slipped ever so slightly when she saw the nervous expressions on the trio's faces but she bade them hello and came to stand beside Harry nonetheless.

"Ron was just reminding Harry to stop by Honeydukes," Hermione told the young Witch by way of breaking the tension. 

"We can do that," Susan agreed amicably, the smile returning.  "It's such a shame that you both have to spend the afternoon in detention.  Was there anything that you wanted us to bring back for you, Hermione?"

"No, I'm fine," she said softly. 

"You two had better be going then," Ron reminded them, pointing at the groups of students that had already exited the castle and were heading for Hogsmeade. 

"I guess you're right," he answered reluctantly, still uncomfortable with the task he knew awaited his friends and knowing that there was absolutely nothing he could do to help them.

Hermione reached over and gave him another hug while quietly whispering in his ear.  "Trust Snape, Harry. We'll be alright."

He didn't really have time to answer as Susan was already tugging on his arm to guide him out of the castle. It took several minutes before he stopped glancing back at the entryway to where his friends had stood waving goodbye. 

He felt tears rush to his eyes and he once again cursed the fact that there was nothing more that he could do but trust in their own abilities as well as those of his despised Potions Master. No matter what he told himself though, one simple phrase continued to repeat itself in his mind with the regularity of a broken record.

'It shouldn't have had to be like this…'

It was a sentiment that he wholly concurred with and he could only wait and hope that he hadn't just bade a final goodbye to the two best friends he had ever known; the only friends that had ignored the fame associated with his name and truly accepted him for who was.

/^\^/^\^/^\

The remainder of the morning had passed by at a snail's pace and Ron had just beaten Hermione at their fourth straight game of Wizard's Chess.

"Ah, come on, Hermione," I know it's not your favorite game but even you aren't usually this bad at it."

The Head Girl gave her friend an irritated glance and looked back at the watch fastened securely to her wrist.  "I told you that I didn't want to play. You should have listened."

"You said that you didn't want to play but you didn't say anything about not trying at all if you were to play," he grumbled, putting the bickering chess pieces back in their box.  "Besides, what else was there to do?  We don't have any schoolwork, there isn't any Quidditch practice and we've already eaten lunch."

"Quidditch and food…whatever would you do without them?" She asked sarcastically, though her voice didn't really have much of a bite to it as it had during the past few days.

"I'd probably die of starvation and boredom, especially since you can't seem to play a decent game of Wizard's Chess," he replied with a laugh and shoved his last Chocolate Frog into his mouth with a display of theatrics that had the nervous Witch smiling for the first time that afternoon.

"It's time to go," she announced and walked hesitantly to the entryway of the Gryffindor Common Room. Knowing that there was no way out of what awaited them, she hunched her shoulders and took a deep breath. Whatever happened this day, she was determined that she would meet it head on and with dignity. She was, after all, a Gryffindor.

Apparently, Ron was having similar thoughts although rather than hunching his shoulders he took a giant gulp of air and nearly choked on the last vestiges of his Chocolate Frog.  After sputtering and coughing as the chocolate burned his throat, he looked up to his friend who was patting him on the back and simply muttered, "Let's go."

It was with very heavy hearts that they made their way to the dungeons below. 

/^\^/^\^/^\

"Do you have your cloak?" Blaise asked, looking nervously at Pansy.

"I've got it," she snapped and then grabbed a mask off of her bed and stuffed it into the pocket of the cloak.  "Do you have your mask?"

"Got it," the young man answered with a very smug smile.  "Do you have that thing that Lucius sent us?"

"Yes," she answered, pulling a paperclip out of the pocket of her trousers.  "It's not like we could pull this plan off without it."

"No, we're definitely going to need these," Blaise agreed, fingering his own paperclip that rested securely inside the pocket of his shirt.  "Keep your Death Eater Robes hidden.  It wouldn't do for the whole school to figure out that we've joined the Dark Lord and walking through the hallways with these in plain sight would probably attract a fair amount of attention."

"Why do we need them anyway?" Pansy asked, not wanting to risk being caught. She knew that the penalty for being an active Death Eater was a frighteningly long sentence in Azkaban and she shuddered at the thought of having to face the Dementors on a daily basis.

"Because we don't want Granger and Weasley to know that it's us," he answered with a touch of exasperation.  "Besides, just think of their expressions when they turn around and see two fully decked out Death Eaters heading straight for them."

A smile lit Pansy's face at the thought and she rolled the cloak into a ball and tucked it under her arm.  "What about Professor Snape?"

"He can't stay in the classroom forever and when he leaves we'll be ready to get them. Okay?"

"Okay," she agreed and with one final look around the room to make certain they hadn't forgotten anything, the two Slytherins headed toward the dungeons.

/^\^/^\^/^\

"Cowering in the hallway will not lessen your detention," Snape commented loudly enough to where anyone passing outside of the Potions classroom would hear.  No sooner than he had uttered the words, two very nervous Gryffindors shuffled into the dungeons and made their way, wide-eyed, to where he stood at the front of the classroom.

Casting a quick Silencing spell on the room, he motioned for Ron and Hermione to have a seat before coming to stand directly in front of them.  Pulling a small bag out of the pocket of his robes, he removed two small clear glass vials and carefully sat them down on the desk. 

"I am assuming that you two recognize the contents of these vials?" he asked abruptly and Hermione was surprised to note that his voice did not contain the usual mocking tone that he adopted in class. 

Ron looked confused but Hermione instantly recognized the midnight blue color of the Mind-Strengthening potion that they had brewed the day before in class.

'So he did have an ulterior motive for having us brew it,' she thought to herself.

Evidently her thoughts were reflected in her facial expressions because a wry smile crossed the Potions Master's face.  "Yes, Miss Granger, I deliberately changed the Potions curriculum so that your class would have to brew the Mind Strengthening potion for today's fiasco."

"But why have us brew it when you knew that most of us would fail?" Ron asked, his voice accusatory as he remembered the near failing grade he had received for his efforts. 

"Because, Mr. Weasley, it would have been suspicious if certain people had seen me brewing such a potion whereas if they thought that it was simply part of the Potions curriculum, they wouldn't question it.  In addition to that, I had no doubt that at least one member of your class would be able to brew the potion correctly, despite its complexity."

Hermione's jaw nearly dropped in shock as the Professor had been looking directly at her during the last part of his answer.  For seven long years she had waited for a compliment or at least some form of acknowledgement that her potions ability was anything but non-existent and now she had finally received it. Naturally it was in the form of a backhanded, indirect compliment but she didn't care.  It was acknowledgment all the same and something inside her began to glow with the warmth of a freshly tended fire.             

"But if you are going to Obliviate us, then why the added precaution of a Mind Strengthening potion?" she asked hesitantly.

"Because it has been decided that you are not to be Obliviated.  Instead, you will place your memories that are specific to the Order and to my role within the Order into a Pensieve."

"But the memories, or at least some fragments of the memories, will still remain," Hermione reflected, recalling what she had read some time ago about Pensieves and their reliability within the magical world.  "How would that ensure that Voldemort doesn't find out anything about the Order?"

Snape looked at the young woman sitting in front of him and had to concede to a certain amount of admiration.  She had obviously read about Pensieves at some point during her time at Hogwarts and she had deduced enough to understand the limitations of such a device.  Furthermore, she was able to apply such deficiencies to a broader concept and produce a logical, well-founded question. 

"There is no guarantee and it is my hope that the Mind Strengthening potion will be enough in combination with the use of the pensieve to counter any type of Legilimens that the Dark Lord may direct at you.  However, the potion is only good for a specific, and I remind you… a short, period of time so you must keep these vials on your person until I tell you that it is time to imbibe them.  The plan is to present you to the Dark Lord, arrange for a distraction, have you escape and then allow you to utilize a Portkey to return to Grimmauld Place as returning to Hogwarts may not be safe for the two of you. I will provide you with the Portkey just before we leave and you will use it if it is safe to do so.  Otherwise you will hide until the Headmaster summons you back to Hogwarts with the Perattrahere spell.  You will need to be vigilant as I do not know in advance what type of distraction I will be able to create and I will be tasked with the job of not only creating the distraction but also of determining some way of covertly notifying you when to escape.  You will not, under any circumstances, utilize the Portkey until I indicate that it is appropriate to do so. All of this must be accomplished without allowing the Dark Lord to know of my true loyalties.  Do you understand? "

"Yes, sir," she answered obediently, while Ron merely nodded his head in affirmation. 

"We will remain here for the next two hours so that it appears to those few students that declined the Hogsmeade trip that you are indeed serving detention.  We will then leave to meet with the Dark Lord.  Just before we arrive, I will Obliviate your knowledge of your arrival and plant a new memory in your minds that will corroborate my own story.  Is that clear?"

"But why would you Obliviate us then when we've already placed our memories in the Pensieve?" Ron asked, not following the Professor's line of reasoning.

Severus looked at the young man in question and fought the urge to simply shake his head in complete exasperation.  "Because, Mr. Weasley, as you pointed out, your memories of my involvement within the Order will have already been placed within the Pensieve prior to leaving this classroom.  Now, I can escort the two of you out of Hogwarts by donning Death Eater garments and placing you under Imperio so that you accompany me with a minimum of fuss.  I can assure you that since you will not remember my involvement within the Order that you will be suitably traumatized by the entire experience and should have no trouble convincing the Dark Lord that you believe anything other than the fact that you were abducted.  This plan has one major flaw in that I would have to be dressed in full Death Eater regalia and the chances of someone seeing us are greater than I am willing to accept considering that it will still be daylight when we leave Hogwarts.

"Is there another option?" Hermione questioned softly, hoping that the Professor did indeed have an alternate plan to the one he had just presented them with.

"There is," he replied just as softly, staring intently at the young woman. "The other option would be that I have you place the bulk of your memories in the Pensieve and then, seeing as you won't remember that I am indeed on your side in this matter, I can give you a brief run-through of the plan here in the classroom which will allow you to come willingly and erase the need to place you under Imperio.  Needless to say, this choice is less risky as people will be far less likely to question a Professor walking the grounds accompanied by two of his students; students that are known to have been assigned detention for the afternoon with that very same Professor.   We will arrive and I will Obliviate the memory of your journey to our destination while altering your memories to make you believe that you were indeed abducted from the school during detention and placed under Imperio.  I will also plant a suggestion in your minds that will enable you to instinctively trust me and wait for my sign to escape and activate the Portkey rather than doing something foolish that will result in bringing about an unfortunate end to all of our lives."  

He watched as both students reluctantly agreed before continuing.  "Miss Granger, you have my word that I will only Obliviate precisely what I have told you.  I will not Obliviate anything else so you may remove the panicked look from your face as it is entirely unnecessary."

"But why don't you just Obliviate everything like you were going to do before?" Ron asked, completely confused by Snape's change of plans. 

"Because your memories of the Order, not to mention my own role and the knowledge that Mr. Potter holds, are too extensive to remove them without permanent consequences."

"Permanent consequences?" Ron gulped, staring up at the man who towered above them.

"He means that they won't be able to restore everything, Ron. At least not without risking damaging our minds," Hermione answered in simple English for her friend's benefit.  "There's simply too much information and our minds couldn't cope with the trauma it would cause."

Snape looked at the young Witch and bit back a sarcastic retort in regards to her usual know-it-all habit of butting into a conversation.  He reminded himself that the girl was probably more than a little nervous, though he was happy to see that she wasn't in hysterics as some girls her age would have been.  Given the circumstances, he concluded that he would probably fare better in this particular situation if he showed a modicum of tolerance.  Besides, she was correct in her answer.

"Miss Granger, is correct," he replied simply, eyebrow raised and glancing directly at the stunned Witch as if daring her to speak further.  "There is no way that we can replace such a vast amount of memories without potential damage to your minds.  As she has already stated, there is simply too much information and the chances of your minds successfully adapting would be minimal at best."

"Dumbledore didn't say anything about permanent consequences," Ron protested.

"No, he didn't," Snape answered and Hermione had the feeling that there was more to that answer than met the eye.  

"Thank you, Professor," Hermione whispered softly, turning her head to look away momentarily.  Snape had thought he saw the slightest hint of a tear in her eye but couldn't be entirely certain.  It was only then that he realized how much she must have worried over such a procedure, especially since she had already figured out the ramifications on her own.  She had known that she would not be able to recoup all of her memories, despite her earlier bravado in the Headmaster's office to the contrary, and yet she still sat here waiting for him to cast an Obliviate so that this half-baked plan could move forward.  It said a lot for her character and spoke volumes as to just exactly how much she was willing to give up for Potter and the Order.  A strange surge of emotion momentarily coursed through him and he was appalled to realize that somehow he had come to feel quite protective of the young woman.  She reminded him so much of himself that is was quite unnerving at times.  He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts and concentrated on the matter at hand.  Emotions were not an asset in his line of work and could only serve to get him killed.  Now he had the lives of Weasley and Granger to worry about as well.  He silently cursed the Headmaster for allowing this plan to go this far.

He merely nodded in response to her softly spoken words of thanks and continued to outline the plan that they would be following. 

"I will need to collect your wands," he informed them briskly, putting his hand out in anticipation of their compliance.  He noticed the hesitant look that passed between them but was pleased when they didn't offer any objections or plead for him to change his mind.  As much as he hated leaving them defenseless, he could not deliver them to the Dark Lord while they were still in possession of such potentially lethal objects.  It would arouse too much suspicion as Voldemort knew that Severus was too thorough to overlook such a detail and it would earn him an unwanted dose of Crucio at best, and possibly cost him his life at worst.  No, he would just have to hope that they would be able to escape using whatever distraction he could provide and that they could accomplish such a task without the aid of their wands.  It was certain to make their task that much more complicated but there was simply no other choice. 

After having collected their wands and placing them in one of the pockets of his robe, he handed them the talismans that the Headmaster had delivered earlier that morning. 

"Miss Granger, please place this on your wrist and do not remove it at any time as by doing so you will be unable to complete the link with the Headmaster for the Perattrahere spell.  Without the link, he will be unable to summon you to his location should the need arise.  Do you understand?"

"Yes, Professor," she answered, studying the unusual bracelet with more than a touch of curiosity.  The bracelet was pewter with a large red stone in the middle that she supposed carried the strand of the Headmaster's hair that would establish the link between the two of them.  Decorating either side of the stone was a script that looked to be Elvish in nature though she couldn't be certain having never studied the language.  She wondered at the origin of the bracelet and why the Headmaster had chosen that particular piece of jewelry since she usually wore none at all.

"I know neither the reason behind why the Headmaster saw fit to choose that particular bauble or the significance of its origin," the Potions Master told her, having once again correctly deduced her thoughts by examining her facial expressions.  She frowned at the idea that he could read her so easily and looked up to see an answering smirk cross his facial features.  Obviously he found her irritation amusing. 

"Mr. Weasley, please attach this to the belt on your trousers," Snape ordered, handing him the belt buckle that had been enchanted to use for the spell.  "I am certain that I need not tell you that the same rules apply to keeping this on your person at all times as they do to Miss Granger."

"Yes, sir," Ron answered, removing his belt and attaching the new buckle in place of the old one. 

Once the Potions Master was satisfied that the magical items were in place, he ordered them to remain seated while he went to collect the Pensieves they would use to temporarily store their memories in.  He hadn't been gone more than a minute when Ron and Hermione heard a sudden noise at the back of the classroom and turned to see two Death Eaters staring at them, wands in hand. 

Glancing at one another, Hermione immediately ducked under the table and shouted for the Professor while Ron automatically reached for his wand, forgetting that he had surrendered it to Snape just moments before.  Realizing his error, he reached for the spare wand that Harry had provided him with, but his error had cost him valuable time and he was knocked over by a Stunning spell before his fingers ever connected with the soft wood of the newly acquired magical item. 

With a loud shriek, Hermione reached up to the table, unobtrusively grabbed the vials of Mind Strengthening potion and pocketed them before the Death Eaters turned their attention from her stunned friend to her own frightened form.  The shorter of the Death Eaters raised a wand and sent a Stunning spell her way, which she immediately ducked and evaded. 

A noise was heard from the back room and both Death Eaters recognized the sounds of Professor Snape returning to the classroom.  Seeing that this was Lucius' plan and not the Dark Lord's, they were unsure of the Head of Slytherin's reaction to abducting students from his classroom even if they were the annoying friends of Harry Potter's.  Somehow they intuitively realized that Death Eater or not, Snape would be less than pleased. 

'No, better be done with this before he comes back,' Blaise decided and pulled the paperclip out of his pocket while rushing to kneel next to Ron's unmoving form.  Motioning for Pansy to catch Hermione and do the same, he leaned over and grabbed Ron's arm while murmuring an incantation.  A moment later the two had vanished into thin air. 

Pansy, sensing the imminent danger of discovery and not wanting to face up to the consequences of either Lucius Malfoy or Professor Snape's wrath, lunged for Hermione and was rewarded with a handful of bushy brown hair.  Pulling out the paperclip, she murmured an incantation and the two women vanished from sight just as the Potions Master re-entered the class with wand drawn, ready to defend. 

He didn't know what exactly had just transpired or on whose orders, but one thing was certain:  Death Eaters had just entered Hogwarts and abducted two of his students by Portkey.  The very two students he was expected to present to Voldemort later that afternoon or pay a penalty in the form of forfeiting his life.

/^\^/^\^/^\

TBC

Author's Note:   My apologies on taking a little while with this chapter but it's more than twice the length of the usual chapters so I am hoping that everyone will take that into consideration.  There were several points in the chapter where I wanted to stop (due to the length) but I promised that we would at least get to the beginning of the detention and I wanted to keep that promise.  The next chapter is already written and will be nearly as long as this.  I just need to review the changes that my beta has suggested (OzRatbag2-  to whom I owe a huge round of thanks) so it will probably be out by the end of the week.  For those of you that have sent well wishes and inquired about my health:  Thank you and things are improving. I am now off bed rest and have started back to work (as of today) so it will take me a little while to get back into the swing of things.  As always, my sincere thanks to those of you that have taken the time to review and I hope that this chapter was enjoyable.

~Jules