Disclaimer:  Umm… no… they still aren't mine. Anything recognizable belongs to JKR and Company.  All else is simply me having a bit of fun!

A Tense Situation

~Chapter Fifteen~

Severus Snape stormed through the corridors of Hogwarts snarling at the few students he encountered along his way.  The fact that their frightened looks and hasty retreats seemingly failed to provide him with any pleasure whatsoever was more than enough to alert Minerva McGonagall, who had been exiting her classroom after a four hour marathon of marking papers, to the fact that something was seriously wrong. 

"Severus?" She questioned, hurrying to catch up with the Potions Master as he continued his trek without so much as slowing down.  While she had witnessed the man's many moods over the years, she had never seen his face carry such a haggard look full of anger, worry, and… was that defeat that she possibly saw flickering in his eyes? A knot of concern settled in the pit of her stomach as a result and she prayed to Merlin that she had misread the situation. 

"Not now, Minerva.  I must speak with Albus immediately," he bit out, thankful that his attempt to temper his tone of voice had resulted in a response that could at least be considered civil, even if it was only marginally so.

Knowing that whatever had happened to put her colleague in such a state must be serious, she quietly nodded her head in a gesture of unspoken acceptance and bade him goodbye, watching his disappearing form worriedly as he continued alone towards his imminent meeting with the Headmaster.  She had no doubt that she would soon hear about whatever had happened from Albus later that evening and for now she was content to wait.  She only hoped that it wasn't too serious and that it didn't involve, yet again, the most famous of her Gryffindor charges. Dumbledore himself had appraised her of the upcoming mission earlier that morning and she shuddered as she recalled the scene that had taken place in his office when he informed her of his intentions to allow Severus to deliver Ron and Hermione to the Dark Lord.  Her astonishment and anger had been so complete that for a moment she had wondered if the strong silencing wards that the Headmaster kept in place around his office were going to be enough to contain the harshly shouted words that she had given vent to. 

No, she did not agree with his decision in this particular instance and she seriously doubted that Severus had either, despite his well-known dislike for the students in question.  Judging by the look on the Potions Master's face a few moments ago, she would be willing to bet her very best Scottish robes that something had gone seriously wrong.  She only hoped that Severus would be able to salvage the situation before her House found itself permanently short of two seventh year Gryffindors. 

/^\^/^\^/^\

Harry had meandered through Hogsmeade allowing himself to be pulled in and out of several of the more prominent shops by his excited girlfriend.  He smiled indulgently as she showed him a dress robe that was displayed in the over-sized window of Madam Malkin's Hogsmeade shop and tugged on his hand to pull him inside.  Grimacing as he eyed the racks loaded with women's clothing, he bit back a sigh and quietly groaned when Susan started chatting about one dress robe in particular.  Giving her a smile and a nod, Harry allowed his mind to wander back to the ordeal that awaited Ron and Hermione and mentally kicked himself yet again for not coming up with a better plan of protection.  He didn't fully trust the new wands they had managed to obtain and he still didn't know if Snape had discovered them or not.  The corners of his mouth turned downward as he thought about the disagreeable man.  It was his intense concentration over Snape's part in the plan that ultimately led him into trouble with Susan as he finally looked over to see her standing expectantly, one hand firmly planted on her hip, staring at him with a look of mild displeasure.  

"Harry, if you didn't want to come in here then why did you tell me that it was okay?" Susan asked and the Boy-Who-Lived could hear the exasperation in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Susan. I was just thinking about something," he apologized, grimacing as he realized the explanation sounded lame even to his own ears.  "What did you ask me?"

"I asked if you thought this dress would be appropriate for the Leaving party and if you preferred the emerald green color or the sapphire blue?" she told him, holding up two different colored versions of the same dress robe. 

"Um, the blue one I think," he offered with a sheepish smile.  "I guess I'm a pretty bad boyfriend when it comes to this whole shopping thing."

Susan looked at him for a moment as if gauging the accuracy of his statement before slowly shaking her head and returning the green dress robe to its rack.  Turning her undivided attention toward the embarrassed young man, she smiled and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

"It doesn't make you a bad boyfriend, Harry, merely a preoccupied one," she replied gently.  "You've been like this all afternoon and it hasn't mattered which shop we were in. You were even like this when we were looking at Quidditch supplies and that's not at all like you.  It's as if your body is here with me but your mind is somewhere else.  Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry looked at the young Witch and a feeling of warmth stole over him as if he had just covered himself with the warmest of blankets.  Where most girls would have ranted and raved about his lack of attention…or worse, not even noticed, Susan merely took it all in stride until she felt that things had been allowed to go on for long enough.  She didn't raise her voice, break into tears or walk away in a huff as he had heard was the norm for several of the girls that the other Gryffindor boys were dating.  No, she calmly put her would-be purchases back on the rack and steered him out of the shop to discuss the situation away from prying eyes and ears.  He didn't know what he had done to merit such an understanding girlfriend but he was truly grateful. If only he didn't have Voldemort and that blasted prophecy hanging over his head, he'd head straight to the nearest jeweler's and pick out an engagement ring to show her how deeply his feelings truly ran. He gave an inaudible sigh as he reminded himself that such a thing was simply not possible as the Dark Lord would not hesitate to go after anyone he cared about.  After all, wasn't that the reason that Ron and Hermione were in the situation they currently found themselves facing? Knowing that his girlfriend was patiently waiting for an answer, he turned his attention back to the conversation at hand.       

"I can't talk about it, Susan, at least not right now," he told her softly in a tone of voice that sounded almost apologetic in nature.  "It's not that I don't want to but it's just that I can't."

"Which means that it has something to do with the Order," she guessed, eyeing him shrewdly.  "Given the way you all were acting earlier today and throughout this past week, I would say that it also involves Ron and Hermione."

The look of stunned amazement reflected in her boyfriend's eyes was more than enough to tell her that she was correct in her assumptions and the red haired young Witch gave a heartfelt sigh knowing that whatever was happening back at the castle must be serious. 

"I can tell by the look on your face that I'm at least partially right," she said with a sad smile.  "And it's obvious that your mind is going to be focused on whatever is happening with them no matter where we go or what we do so we might as well go back to Hogwarts and you can check in with them and see how things are going.  At least then you might feel a little better."

"You wouldn't mind?" he asked hesitantly and she nearly laughed when she saw the hopeful expression clearly displayed in his green eyes.  He reminded her of a small child hoping to receive his Christmas presents a day early.

Shaking her head to affirm that she truly didn't mind, the Hufflepuff grabbed his arm and began walking down the main street of Hogsmeade.  "The only thing I ask is that we stop at Honeydukes first and pick up those Chocolate Frogs that Ron asked for because we'll never hear the end of it if we come back empty handed!"

Harry laughingly agreed and they both made their way toward the sweets shop to retrieve their friend's favorite sugary confection.  He couldn't help but wonder a little while later as he paid the Wizard behind the counter for the Frogs and various other sweets how Ron and Hermione were fairing in their plan with Snape.

/^\^/^\^/^\

Ron had been correct when he told Hermione that Snape must have figured out what had happened and as a result it was a furious Potions Master that barged into the Headmaster's office without so much as the usual polite greeting. 

"They're gone, Albus," he snarled and began pacing back and forth in front of the oversized desk.  "They were taken from my own classroom right in front of my eyes and I would be willing to bet that Lucius was the mastermind behind the entire scenario."

"Calm down, Severus," Dumbledore admonished as he stood and faced the upset Wizard.  The twinkle had immediately died as he listened to the Potions Master's words and he harbored no doubts as to the identity of the people Severus was referring to.

"What do you mean that they are gone?" he asked.

"Granger and Weasley," he spat and directed his dark gaze at the Headmaster.  "Two Death Eaters entered the classroom and abducted them by Portkey.  I was too late to stop them."

"Where were you during this unexpected interlude?"

"I was in my office retrieving the Portkeys that they would need to use in order to escape the Dark Revel and return to Grimmauld Place later this evening," Snape replied, unwilling to inform Dumbledore that he had really planned on retrieving two Pensieves because he had decided against the Obliviate.  "I heard Miss Granger call out and rushed back into the classroom just as one of the Death Eaters activated a Portkey and vanished with her.  Weasley had already been taken."

"So you are only assuming that there were two Death Eaters?" Albus questioned, a frown marring his bearded face.  "It is possible that there could have been more."

"Yes it is possible but it is not likely," the Potions Master conceded reluctantly, dropping into the nearest seat and placing his head in his hands.  "The risk of placing two Death Eaters on Hogwarts grounds would be high enough and I don't think that they were looking to attract attention.  They obviously managed to obtain what they wanted as there hasn't been any sign of them since."

"This is most distressing," Dumbledore muttered, knowing that without Ron and Hermione that there would be no way Severus could prove his loyalty to the Dark Lord.  "Did you perform a tracing spell?"

"Of course, but there was not enough of a magical signature for me to be able to track," Snape replied bitingly. 

"Which means that someone took the time to plan for such an action," the Headmaster mused thoughtfully.  "Why do you think that Lucius was behind this?"

"Because he is the only one of Voldemort's followers that is brazen enough to attempt to pull off such a plan and he has shown jealousy in the past over my position within the Inner Circle on more than one occasion," the Potions Master replied tiredly.  "He is also quite well versed in the art of creating untraceable Portkeys."

"Do you think that he was one of the Death Eaters on the premises then?" Dumbledore questioned, looking intently at Severus.

"No," Snape answered, knowing in his heart that such was not the case.  "Lucius rarely does his own dirty work.  It is more than likely that the Death Eaters were students acting upon Lucius' orders.  The problem is that there are several suspects and we do not know for certain whom he might have chosen.  Given the fact that it is a Hogsmeade weekend, most of their whereabouts are subject to suspicion and any of them could have returned early to enact such a plan."

"And we cannot round them up and begin asking questions as that will raise unnecessary suspicion," Albus concluded. 

"Exactly."

"Are you certain that this was Lucius' doing and not that of Voldemort himself?" the older Wizard pondered thoughtfully.  "Perhaps he had another reason for sending Lucius after Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger?  Perhaps he thought that you would not follow through with his orders after all?"

"Not likely," Snape commented.  "The Dark Lord assigned this task to me as a means of proving my loyalty and it would be unlike him to change his mind and alter the plan without making some mention of it.  By ordering Lucius to bring them to him rather than allowing me to do so, he fails to prove where my loyalties lie one way or another."

"So it was Lucius then," the Headmaster agreed with a sigh.  "Which means that our students are getting braver in their alliances with the Dark if they are willing to risk their identities."

"Or they are becoming more foolhardy then I had originally imagined," the Potions Master replied with more than a touch of disgust lacing his voice.  "Albus, we need to find them.  It is possible that they are at being held at Malfoy Manor."

"It is also possible that they have been disposed of by now, Severus, which puts an end to your spying for the Order," Dumbledore reminded him.

"Is that all you are concerned with?" Snape asked, silently fuming at the Wizard standing in front of him.  "There are two students out there in the grip of a sadistic lunatic.  For all we know, they may already be dead and if they aren't then rest assured they will be by the end of this evening and all you can think about is that my position within the Inner Circle may have been compromised?"

"That is enough, Severus!" Dumbledore commanded, his voice rising above its customary levels.  "I realize the seriousness of the situation but I have told you before that your position is vital to the Order and that it must be maintained at all costs. I would grieve greatly for the loss of two fine students such as Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, but we must look at the bigger picture or their possible sacrifice will have been in vain."

"They should not have been placed in such a situation as to be a possible sacrifice," Snape snarled and resumed his pacing.  "I am convinced that they are still alive and will not be harmed until this evening.  Lucius is the type to present them to the Dark Lord himself along with a story stating that he had learned that I would not follow through with my orders.  Even if they are being held at Malfoy Manor until it is time for the Revel to begin, we will have a difficult time getting through Lucius' wards.  He is quite paranoid and has protected the Manor with various dark spells. He would know of our approach long before we could ever make it past the first ward."

"What do you suggest?"

"Use the Perattrahere Spell and summon them back," Snape answered immediately.  "If nothing else, it would see them safely returned.  It would also serve to foil Lucius' plans."

"And then there would still be time for you to present them to Voldemort and prove your loyalty," the Headmaster said quietly, the twinkle returning to his eyes.

Snape didn't fail to notice the twinkle that had reasserted itself in the bright blue eyes of the famed Wizard and he fought hard to fight back the taste of bile at the man's single mindedness.  It was obvious that his ultimate focus was on maintaining Severus' position and it was equally obvious that he would sacrifice almost anything to accomplish such a task.  If he could at least convince the man to use the spell to summon Weasley and Granger back safe and sound, he could try to plead his case to leave the Gryffindors out of the plan. 

Perhaps he could argue his case to the Dark Lord by telling him how he suspected Lucius of trying to ruin his plans by abducting Weasley and Granger. He could then drive home the point how Lucius had failed to think through his own attempt at sabotage as was evidenced by the fact that he had been thwarted by the summoning spell that Dumbledore had placed upon them.  After all, Voldemort did not need to know that Severus knew of the spell and the Potions Master could act just as surprised as everyone else that Dumbledore had thought to do such a thing.  It would also serve to show Lucius in a poor light since not only was he enacting his own plan without the Dark Lord's knowledge, but he had also now alerted the Headmaster to the fact that someone was out to harm Potter's best friends.  It was risky and there was no guarantee that the Dark Lord would buy into such an explanation but it might be worth a try. 'First things first though,' he thought sagely, knowing that he had to get the Gryffindors back and ensure that they were still alive and well or any of the infinite possibilities would be worthless. 

It was just as Snape was getting ready to once again demand that Dumbledore use the summoning spell to return Granger and Weasley that they heard a scuffle just outside the office door.  With a wave of his hand, Dumbledore spelled the door open to reveal a very aggravated looking Draco Malfoy. 

/^\^/^\^/^\

Harry had just finished escorting Susan to her dorm and was on his way to the dungeons when a tall figure rounded the corner and collided with him.  The force of the blow was enough to send both Harry and his unknown assailant to the floor and before the Boy-Who-Lived had time to consider his actions he had withdrawn his wand and assumed a defensive position.

"Oh put the bloody thing away, Potter," an aggravated voice groused and Harry was surprised to see the blond head of Draco Malfoy poke out from underneath his mussed up school robes. 

"Malfoy," Harry muttered by way of reply as he continued to grip his wand in case the blond haired boy attempted to hex him.

"Very good, Potter," the Slytherin acknowledged with a slight snarl that might have even made Snape proud, "Perhaps next time you might try watching where you're going."

"You were the one that ran into me, Malfoy, and you know it just as well as I do.  Besides, I thought that you were in Hogsmeade."

"I was but it was boring," he muttered, standing up and smoothing out the newly acquired wrinkles that now adorned his robes.  "What's your excuse for returning early?  Did your girlfriend finally come to her senses and send you back?"

"You wish, Malfoy," Harry bit out as he clasped his wand a little more tightly and tried to recall the many reasons why he shouldn't give his emotions free reign and allow himself to hex the blond git.

"Not even close, Potter," Draco replied smoothly.  Remembering the reason he was hurrying through the corridors in the first place, he brushed past Harry and continued his trek to the Headmaster's office, barely pausing as he called out one last jibe to the dark haired Gryffindor.  "Next time watch where you're going, Scar Face.  Not everyone around here is as forgiving as I am."

Harry considered calling out his own parting comment but seeing that his Slytherin nemesis had already rounded a corner and disappeared from sight, he decided that such antics weren't worth the effort.  Besides, he had more important things to worry about than petty rivalry even if the rival in question was Draco Malfoy.  Sheathing his wand, he continued on his way to the dungeons to check in on Ron and Hermione.  After all, Snape had said that they wouldn't leave the castle until about 4:30 which gave him a few more minutes.  With a quick shake of his head, he increased his pace and arrived at the Potions classroom within record time.

A silence greeted him as he entered the classroom and he looked around warily, sensing that something wasn't right.  Aside from the fact that there was no sign of Ron or Hermione, he felt as if something bad had happened.  Once again he drew his wand and walked purposefully through the classroom, noting that Hermione's worn book bag was sitting on the desk at the front of the class.  A moment later his attention was drawn to the overturned chair at the same desk and the books that had obviously fallen out of Hermione's bag had been carelessly left to lie on the floor. 

"Hermione would never leave her books on the floor," he whispered aloud and the soft strains of his voice echoed back at him from the cold stone-walls of the dungeon room.  Now certain that something unplanned and probably violent had indeed happened to his friends, Harry completed a quick check of the classroom but noticed nothing else out of the ordinary.  Whatever had transpired, he wouldn't find any more clues here.  In addition to his growing suspicions, the obvious absence of not only his friends but also the Potions Master was making him more nervous by the second. 

He ran through the door at the front of the classroom and hurried past Snape's private stores, stopping abruptly as he entered his Professor's office.  The dark black robes that Harry assumed were a part of Snape's Death Eater garb were laid carefully across the desk, although he had to admit that the garment looked like an ordinary wool cloak and he didn't see any sign of the hideous mask that was unique to the Death Eaters.  Perhaps they weren't the robes of a Death Eater after all? 

Dismissing this idea and wondering where the Professor might be, he entered the office and quickly inspected the supply closet at the back of the room.  Again, his search failed to turn up any sign of Ron and Hermione or even Snape himself.  It didn't take an expert in Divination to tell him that something was seriously wrong and if Harry's suspicions were correct then his best friends were in big trouble.  There was just no way that Snape, evil tempered git that he was, would have harmed them himself and the man was obsessed about keeping to a timetable so it was unlikely that they had left earlier than planned.  In addition, Harry's own failure to turn up even the slightest shred of evidence concerning their current whereabouts suggested that perhaps the Potions Master might be in danger as well.

With a disparaging sigh, Harry exited the dungeons quickly and began his journey to the Headmaster's office.  It was time for some answers and he just hoped that the answers he was seeking hadn't cost him the lives of his two best friends.

/^\^/^\^/^\

"Ah, young Mr. Malfoy," the Headmaster greeted the blond Slytherin as he entered the richly decorated office,  "While it's always nice to visit with the students, I regret that now is not the best time for such activities."

It was an obvious dismissal and one that had Draco drawing upon every ounce of will power he possessed just to keep from rolling his eyes at the annoying man who had just risen from his seat presumably with the intention of politely escorting 'young Mr. Malfoy' back out the door.  He grimaced thinking once again that if it weren't for Potter and his groupies he wouldn't be here facing a polite eviction at the hands of a man whose senility he had been known to quietly question on more than one occasion throughout his time at Hogwarts.  Knowing that such thoughts were pointless in light of the information he had come to impart, he took a deep breath and forced a smile to his face. If nothing else, Lucius Malfoy had instilled the niceties of polite manners over the years and while Draco could be accused of many things, rudeness to his elders was not one of them. 

"I apologize for stopping by unannounced, Headmaster, but I fear that the reason for my visit is of great importance."

"What seems to be the problem, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape asked, having remained silent throughout the exchange.  If Draco was insisting on an immediate audience when he could clearly see that Dumbledore was in the middle of a meeting, then the matter must be very urgent.  Or at least the Potions Master hoped it was as otherwise both he and his student would come off as looking foolish in front of the Headmaster.   

"It's about the Mu…  I mean Granger and Weasley," Draco stated, mentally kicking himself for his near slip.  The looks of disapproval on the faces of both his Head of House and the Headmaster only confirmed that his lapse in manners had not gone unnoticed.

"What of them, Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore questioned sternly, eyeing the young man sharply behind his half moon spectacles. 

"Is it true that they were abducted from the Potions classroom, sir?" Draco asked, directing his question and his attention to where Snape sat.  He didn't fail to notice the shocked expression that briefly flitted across his House Master's face before the man's customary neutral expression resurfaced and the younger Slytherin found himself to be the focus of an unnerving dark-eyed gaze.

"Why do you ask?" Snape questioned, rising from his own seat to tower over the nervous young man.  "Have you heard something?"

"Yes, Sir," Draco immediately answered, judging from the look on the Potions Master's face that direct answers were going to be his best course of action in this particular situation.  Add to that the fact that he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Granger and the Weasel were running out of time and it was all enough to make Draco come straight to the point rather than toy with the very alert wizards who were staring intently at him.

"I just overheard two of the Slytherin students boasting to one another about how they had dressed up as Death Eaters on my father's orders and Portkeyed Granger and Weasley to an abandoned cabin on the Malfoy property.  From what I could gather, he plans to present them to the Dark Lord at tonight's Revel though they didn't seem to know why."

"It seems that you were right, Severus," Dumbledore murmured softly after listening to Draco's unwitting confirmation of the Potion Master's earlier theories.  "Lucius was indeed behind the abductions."

"As I feared would be the case," the Potions Master replied quietly, pondering this latest piece of information.  "Draco, which students were discussing this matter?"

"Pansy and Blaise," he responded and quickly glanced to the Headmaster when he heard the older Wizard's sharp intake of breath. He paused for a moment wondering if Dumbledore had really believed that there weren't other Death Eaters amongst the student population.  After all, he had been forced into taking the Dark Mark during the Christmas holidays so wouldn't it stand to reason that others might have found themselves in the same situation?  It was times like this that he wished his father had informed him of the identities of any other students, Slytherin or otherwise, who had recently accepted the Dark Mark. Unfortunately, Lucius Malfoy had been adamant that such information was strictly on a need-to-know basis and no matter what tactics Draco had attempted, Lucius had maintained his silence on the matter. 

Bringing his thoughts back to the situation at hand, he continued to relay his newly discovered information to the Headmaster and his Head of House.  "They returned early from the Hogsmeade trip, donned their Death Eater robes and kidnapped Granger and Weasley by Portkey.  From what I could tell, they returned to Hogwarts shortly after they delivered Potter's friends to my father."

"Where are Mr. Zabini and Miss Parkinson now?" Snape demanded, barely holding back the fury that was coursing through his veins and threatening to erupt in the form of two thoroughly hexed Slytherin students.  How dare those fools, members of his own House no less, pull such an addle-minded stunt?  'If Voldemort continues to induct such incompetents into his ranks then he will no doubt eventually put himself out of business and save the Order a lot of trouble.' 

"They're in the dormitory, Sir, and I think that they will probably be there for a while if you know what I mean?" he asked, directing a wry grin toward his Head of House. 

It was obvious that Snape either understood Draco's innuendo or he was all too familiar with the ways of these particular Slytherins.  Shaking his head in a stilted manner that suggested he was completely disgusted with the entire situation, he turned and addressed the Headmaster.

"Mr. Malfoy is correct in assuming that Mr. Zabini and Miss Parkinson will be occupied in the dormitory for a while.  However, they will have to be dealt soon as we cannot risk them following Lucius' orders and attempting to abscond with anymore students."

"I agree, Severus, and they will indeed be 'dealt with' just as soon as we have arrived at some sort of resolution to the current matter at hand," Dumbledore assured him before asking Draco if his presence had been noted by either of the students in question.

"No, I remained hidden on the stairwell," the Slytherin assured the Headmaster and became a little defensive at the Wizard's look of doubt.  "It wasn't as if they were trying to keep their voices lowered and the door to the room was open."

"Did they say anything else of any importance, Draco?" Snape demanded in an attempt to draw his student's attention away from the Headmaster.  The last thing they needed was for their only source of viable information to become defensive and clam up.  He closed his eyes for a split second while rubbing his forehead.  'Gryffindors…  Albus may be one of the most powerful and respected Wizards of our time but he's still a Gryffindor nonetheless with all of their failings and lack of diplomacy or tact in such delicate situations.'         

"Not really, other than to say that Granger was going to receive more of an education than she had bargained for," the blond haired man answered with a grimace.  He had seen the type of 'education' the more blood thirsty of the Death Eaters liked to dispense and his stomach gave an unexpected lurch.  For all of her annoying habits he had to admit that even Granger didn't deserve what his father had in store for her.  He looked back and forth between the two men who still seemed to be absorbing the information he had just delivered. After several moments of silence had passed, he stood up and began pacing before finally turning to Albus Dumbledore and voicing the one question that had been plaguing him throughout the last several minutes.

"Well… aren't you going to go and rescue them?"

The question was unexpected and served to immediately bring both men back to the present.  It was Snape who answered first as he stared intently at the young man who was watching him with an expression akin to incredulity.

"Of course we are going to 'rescue' them, Mr. Malfoy," he snapped at the younger man in an acerbic tone of voice that would have frightened most students and many adults. However, Draco had been around the Potions Master for too many years to take offense, especially when he could hear the underlying note of concern that was running through the deep baritone of his mentor's voice. 

'Knowing Snape, he's already working on a plan to retrieve those hapless Gryffindors,' the blond haired young man thought and nearly smirked when the Potion Master began addressing the Headmaster and unknowingly confirmed the younger Slytherin's thoughts in the process. 

"Headmaster, we know where they are being kept and I am certain that young Draco can brief me on the types of wards that Lucius employs against intruders."

"Even if you manage to make your way undetected past the wards, Severus, there is still the fact that you do not know how many Death Eaters Lucius may have employed to watch over Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley.  For all we know, he may be keeping an eye on them himself to ensure that nothing goes amiss."

"But, Headmaster…" Snape protested, only to be stopped short by Dumbledore's raised hand, indicating that the wizard would tolerate no objections on the matter. 

"It is too dangerous, Severus," the Headmaster stated.  "There is also the fact that Lucius is not a fool and he will soon figure out that someone assisted us not only in determining the location in which Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are being held, but also the inside knowledge required to deactivate the appropriate wards."

"And you think he will realize that Draco has been working against him?" Snape asked, although it was more of a statement than a question. 

"Yes."

"It would make sense as I doubt he would have imparted such information to Mr. Zabini and Miss Parkinson," the Potions Master remarked thoughtfully.

The room was suddenly filled with the gasps of both Snape and Draco and their right hands automatically reached to cover their left forearms where the Dark Mark was now burning insistently.

"Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley are running out of time, Albus, if indeed there is any time left to be had," Snape reported, his breathing slightly ragged on account of the pain Voldemort was inflicting upon him through the symbol emblazoned upon his left arm.  "The Dark Mark has been burning steadily and the pain is increasing.  The Dark Lord is warning us that the time to Apparate is drawing near. Use the Perattrahere spell and summon them back now before we lose any chance we might have of guarding the information they carry or of retrieving them alive.  If they are brought before the Dark Lord now while their memories are still intact then there is a very good chance that all will be lost as they know far too much about the Order."

"You did not Obliviate them?" Dumbledore asked sharply, his gaze accusatory as he stared directly at the Potions Master.

"There was not enough time, Headmaster," Snape replied solemnly, returning the Wizard's gaze unflinchingly while at the same time hoping that Dumbledore would take him at his word.  "They were not in the dungeons long enough for me to even hand them the Portkeys before they were abducted from Hogwarts."

"Which means that Voldemort will very possibly learn of your role within the Order," the Headmaster acknowledged with a heartfelt sigh and placing a weathered hand to his forehead as if he were trying to ward off an extremely painful headache.  

"Most likely," Snape agreed, sensing that the older man was just about ready to capitulate and use the Perattrahere spell.  After all, if he did not then the Headmaster chanced risking the very thing he was trying to prevent in the first place: Exposure of Snape's spying activities on behalf of the Order.     

"We cannot allow that," the Headmaster agreed.  "However, if we do not recover Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger in time for you to present them to Voldemort then it won't matter as he will order your execution anyway."

"Wait a minute," Draco interrupted having listened with avid interest to the conversation that had been flowing around him. However, the Headmaster's last statement simply made no sense at all.  "You're going to rescue them from being taken to the Dark Lord so that you can turn around and take them back there yourselves?"

The stunned Slytherin looked back and forth between Snape and Dumbledore in complete amazement.  It was a unique feeling really as very little in life seemed to have the ability to impress, much less amaze, him any longer.  It was a fact of life when being raised in the shadow of someone like Lucius Malfoy and one that Draco had learned to accept over the years.  "You're both completely crazy."

"I assure you that we are nothing of the sort, Mr. Malfoy, though I would not doubt that there may have been times in the past when Professor Snape might have thought otherwise where I am concerned."

'Times in the past…  try right now!' Severus thought uncharitably, not feeling one shred of remorse as he mentally maligned his employer. Glancing up, he was greeted with the sight of a smiling Headmaster who was still cackling at his little joke.  It irritated the Potions Master to no end how Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest Wizards of all times, could find time for such nonsense while people's lives were at stake. 'Perhaps Draco is correct in his assertion and we are indeed 'crazy'… or at least one of us is.'

Realizing that time was of the essence, the Potions Master turned his attention to the young man whom he had come to truly care about throughout the years.  Snape had no doubt that it had been difficult for Draco to turn his back on his father and secretly work against the man that had given him life. The fact that the boy received no acknowledgement of any type by the Wizards and Witches he was now fighting to protect, hadn't helped to convince the young Slytherin that the choice he had finally made had been the right one. 

However, unconvinced though Draco may be, Severus was proud of him for standing behind the deal he had made with the Headmaster and the Potions Master simply wished that the young man's deeds could be publicly acknowledged. Severus knew all too well that the life of a double agent was a one filled with very few benefits.  It was hard, complicated and lonely and Snape hoped that the war would be over soon before Draco became as jaded as he himself had become over the years. 

It was because of this that Snape decided to reveal his orders from the Dark Lord in the hopes that Draco might understand the situation he had unwittingly found himself in the middle of, especially considering the extent to which the boy's father was involved. Severus briefly recapped his orders from Voldemort and their plan to present Ron and Hermione to the Dark Lord and have them escape to Order Headquarters via Portkey as soon as a diversion presented itself.  After worriedly watching the expressions that flitted across the blond Slytherin's face, Snape found himself nearly falling off his chair when Draco looked up at him and nodded his head as if he had finally found the answer to a long asked question.

"Wow… you both really are crazy!"

Maybe it was the absurdity of such a statement or the entire situation in general, but for some unknown reason, the tension that had blanketed the office seemed to lift ever so slightly and the throaty laughter of Albus Dumbledore momentarily caught both Draco and Snape off guard.  Glancing at his student, the Potion's Master's lips twitched ever so slightly causing Draco to discretely nod his head toward the Headmaster before returning his gaze to his Head of House and theatrically rolling both of his pale eyes.

Knowing that the time had finally come for action, Snape looked to the Headmaster expectantly.  "Headmaster, I suggest that we perform the Perattrahere spell immediately.  Otherwise we will not have the opportunity to salvage our original plan and my usefulness as a spy to the Order will be at an end as will be the lives of both Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley."

"Very well, Severus," Dumbledore agreed in a tone that softly suggested he was less than pleased.  With a single wave of his wrinkled hand, the Headmaster extinguished the surrounding lights and dimmed the light streaming in through the large stain glass window.  Only the soft glow of one solitary white candle remained on the desktop creating dancing shadows against the darkened walls as the small flame flickered to and fro.

Reaching into a large drawer located just to his left, Dumbledore retrieved an unusual looking talisman and grasped it in both hands.  Softly caressing the large crystalline stone in its center, he closed his eyes and began to chant softly as the Potions Master and his student looked on as if in a trance; neither one wanting to breathe for fear the sound might break the spell that was being woven around them.  For several minutes the chanting continued, rising in volume as the closed eyes of the Headmaster began to flicker more and more rapidly and his breathing became broken and ragged. It was in the midst of all of this, just as the talisman began to glow with the intensity of a thousand candles, that a very worried Harry Potter entered the office.

/^\^/^\^/^\

TBC

Author's Note:  Okay, these long chapters are getting to be a habit but I didn't want to end this chapter without getting to the Perattrahere spell.  As always, I'd like to extend my many thanks to OzRatbag2 for her suggestions and additions.  They really helped to strengthen the chapter.  Also, I would like to thank those of you who left a review and I'm glad to hear that you all seem to like the direction that Draco's character has taken.  While I do not have the story written out in advance, I can say that I have a feeling that we will be seeing more of 'young Mr. Malfoy' throughout the story. 

~Jules