Please consider the usual disclaimers as written. Everything you ...blablabla...J.K.Rowling. A great thank you again to my beta Samantha Kathy. As for certain clumsy expressions, please be lenient; I'm German and learned English about twenty-five years ago. With reviews you feed the author. smiling

Chapter 2

Hermione began to laugh hysterically, but Professor Snape or rather this phantom only cocked an eyebrow and scowled at her. "I don't have time for this, and I am in no mood for childish discussions. Professor Dumbledore requests your help."

"Professor Dumbledore requests my...Professor Snape, I don't even know why I call you Professor any more, how sore headed do you think me, to fall for that lie?" Hermione did not see any necessity to be polite to this man whom she had trusted and who had turned out to be a murderer. "You killed Professor Dumbledore, and now you try to set a trap for me. I don't know what you are playing at, but let me tell you that you waste your time and breath. You will not be successful in luring me away."

"Use your intelligence girl, or rather your assumed intelligence. Do you really think I would be here if I were not able to prove my assertion? You try my patience. There is a reason why you are here. Do you really consider it a coincidence that no Potions master applied for this job, and that an eighteen-year-old Gryffindor is allowed to play Potions mistress? Professor Dumbledore is alive; he planned this as I told you. This was a stage we set up. I will give you two clues: Phoenix and Draught of Living Death. You will contact him by the mirror in my desk," Snape replied condescendingly.

Dumbledore's phoenix? Could it be true? Hermione had seen the bird flying over the white tomb. Professor Dumbledore had been found at the foot of the tower, lying spread eagle on the ground, blood running from his mouth. Could that really have been a fake? It i could /i have been, if he had taken the Draught of Living Death. What if he really were alive? Hermione shot Snape a sharp glance, but returned to the living room, opened the drawer of his desk, and saw a little mirror, quite like that one Harry had gotten from Sirius Black. "For all I know, Professor Snape, the mirror might be a Portkey that will whisk me away to Voldemort. I will not touch it."

With an irritated glare Snape continued, "I assumed so, you silly girl. You need not touch the mirror, just watch."

Hermione became unsure. It had been hard to believe that Snape was a traitor, but she did not want to become an easy prey for Voldemort. What if Snape had not lied? If she thought about it, it was really rather unlikely that she should have got the job as a Potions mistress at Hogwarts. After a short hesitation she decided to take the risk and glanced into the mirror; she gasped when the image of Albus Dumbledore appeared. He seemed to be exhausted, older and a little haggard; the twinkling was gone, and he looked at Hermione with a stern face. "I must apologise for the shock we may have caused, Miss Granger. Yes, I am alive; Severus is no traitor and we have only set a stage, but it is a matter of life and death that this remains only between the three of us. You must not, I repeat, must not tell your friends or any of your former teachers of anything you will hear now. I know you will need proof that you are really talking to me. So let me remind you of an incident in your third year when you learned that Buckbeak would be executed and Sirius Black would get the Dementor's Kiss. You are aware that Professor Snape has no knowledge of what happened at that time. My exact words when I talked to you and your friends were "What we need is more time. "

At this Severus Snape narrowed his eyes and nearly barked at Albus Dumbledore, "You? You were involved in that?"

Hermione nodded and sighed with relief, tears in her eyes. "Professor Dumbledore, I am so glad that you are alive. I could not imagine you gone. I understand now that it is a trap for Voldemort to assure him of Professor Snape's loyalty, but why is it necessary to keep that from the members of the Order? They have to know that Professor Snape is no traitor."

"Miss Granger, we know that there is a traitor among the members of the Order, who is not yet revealed. The others will learn of our scheme, but in time. As much as I appreciate Harry, he has never been a good Occlumens; Tom might have sensed the trap. And as for Professor McGonagall, I am afraid her feelings would have been obvious, too. There was a reason why I taught you Occlumency. You are mature far beyond your age, there is no need to smirk, Severus, and you have the abilities to help us. Tom will become incautious now he thinks that I am dead. Severus has regained his trust, and we have the opportunity to eliminate Tom's loyal followers. You will pass the information we get to the other members of the Order in a way that will not raise suspicions about your source. You will have to discuss certain things with Professor Snape. Further contact will not be possible by the mirror, only through Professor Snape." Dumbledore's image faded.

Hermione watched Severus Snape. He had never looked handsome, but now he looked ill, if that could be said of a nearly translucent person. Nevertheless he glanced back at her calmly with his usual emotionless eyes. Hermione blinked and cleared her throat. "I apologise, Professor Snape, I should have known that you are no traitor."

Snape arched an eyebrow and sneered. "You should have known, Miss Granger? How could you? The know-it-all is supposed to know my character, too? I was astonished to see how you defended me at Order meetings, yes, I noticed, but maybe you got the impression you have to stand up for someone who is disliked by everybody. I assure you, pity is wasted on me."

"There is no need to insult me, Professor Snape. I do not pity you, and never have. I have always respected you, and I admire what you have sacrificed for the Light. I could not understand why you would murder Professor Dumbledore. How can you stand to be looked at as his murderer, considered worse than Voldemort himself?" Hermione replied blushing.What is it about this man that he cannot accept a compliment as it is? He is embittered in a way that he does not expect anything good from other people. Life is so painful without friends. I will show him that he is not alone in this.

Snape was taken aback. When had anybody ever felt the urge to apologise to i him /i ? She looked at him with trust; he saw that she meant it, and had the ridiculous feeling of comfort. The short flicker in Snape's eyes showed his surprise, but then his lips quirked in a mirthless smile. "If you are so aware of my sacrifices for the Order, you are probably also aware that it would take more than ten lives to atone for what I have done as a Death Eater. - Enough of this, Miss Granger. We cannot waste our time. Important matters have to be discussed."

When Snape's phantom had dissappeared, Hermione had time to think about everything she had heard this evening. They had put a heavy weight upon her shoulders, maybe too much for a young woman of her age and experience. She was stunned to learn that she was the one Dumbledore had chosen to participate in this charade, not Harry, who had always seemed to be Professor Dumbledore's favourite, and not even Professor McGonagall.

Her thoughts went back to Severus Snape. He had taken a wrong path in his youth, and that had influenced his life in a way he had never been able to make up for. His embittered remark had stirred a feeling in her, not pity but compassion. Maybe her subconscious had told her before; otherwise she would not have felt, yes, kind of hurt personally by his assumed murder. He was no nice man, has never been, but he was honourable. Hermione mused how i she /i would have become with such a past. Harry had told her what he had seen in Snape's Pensieve about the humiliation he had endured by James Potter. She also knew that Snape had nearly been killed by Remus Lupin. And now this man was viewed as a traitor by everyone except Dumbledore and herself and had to bear that, too. It was too much; she would try to help. She could only hope that he would let her. Tomorrow they would meet to brew several special potions, but he had not told her how he would enter Hogwarts without being noticed.

Lord Voldemort summoned his faithful servants. A big step towards the final victory had been made: Dumbledore was dead. The Order of the Phoenix was weakened, and soon enough its members would be either dead or would leave the Order, helpless without their leader. Voldemort had been able to place another spy among Dumbledore's followers, whose identity was unknown.

When Lucius Malfoy approached, the other Death Eaters receded respectfully. In the mayhem that had taken place after Dumbledore's death, Lucius Malfoy had been freed from Azkaban. He bowed his knees and kissed the hem of his Master's robe, then rose and stepped forward to take his usual place at the right side of his Master. But Voldemort held up his hand and smiled unpleasantly. "It is so good to have you back unharmed, and as I learned your son is unharmed, too. I am sincerely disappointed in you, Lucius. Your son should have been prepared to die for our case and should have been honoured. Instead…Have you raised a coward, Lucius? How shall I expect you to deal with difficult tasks for me, if you are not able to educate your son properly? Your place will be taken by someone who has proven his loyalty, and that he is willing to risk everything for me. Severus, you will take Lucius' place by my side."

Lucius' eyes burned with humiliation and anger, but he did not say anything, only bowed and took his place among the other Death Eaters. He knew that most of them laughed inwardly; he did not have many friends; too often he had shown them that he thought himself superior, and now he was replaced by a half-blood. It was not the first time that Lucius Malfoy regretted to have introduced Severus Snape to Lord Voldemort. Even as a boy Snape had been a genius, and had proven to be very useful for the Dark Lord. He had been the one who had told Voldemort about the Prophecy. Snape had taken the glory, and later on when there had been grave failures with certain potions, Lord Voldemort had not once considered to kill him; but instead only used the Cruciatus. Maybe this was because Lord Voldemort was a half-blood himself. Snape of all people had killed Dumbledore, had done the deed Draco should have done. Lucius knew if only given a few seconds more, Draco would have killed Dumbledore himself, only a few seconds…And now he was considered a coward. Snape had known, he had known exactly that Draco would have done it, but nowhe was the hero, and the Malfoys were condemned to insifignance. The only satisfaction for Lucius was that he had had kind of a revenge, a little i fun /i with Snape's sister last week. Of course, he had obliviated her afterwards. Some day, he would kill Snape, and he would tell him what he had done just before the final curse.

Snape's eyes were expressionless as usual when he took his place at Voldemort's side, but Lucius Malfoy shot a glare of pure hatred to Snape which did not go unnoticed by Voldemort.