Standing Beside the Fallen
Chapter Eight - The Double Act Theorem
There were not many things in life that shocked Severus Snape, but when it came to the Dark Lord, everything was shocking. Severus had known how horrible and merciless Voldemort was after having experienced his ranks so many years ago, and he had come to expect his satisfaction when it came down to murder and devastation. He had also come to know Voldemort's temper, and what happened when the man had become angry or in this case, didn't get what he wanted.
So when Voldemort had entered the lair full of followers waiting for instructions, and started to curse randomly through the ranks, Severus wasn't that surprised. There were only a few things in the world that could put Voldemort in such a bad mood and after experiencing the catastrophe that had happened at Privet Drive, and Voldemort's anger afterwards, Severus didn't need a hint to know why his master was in such a bad mood. He had been in a foul one for the past few days, but it hadn't exactly been bad enough that he would just willingly curse all of his followers. This was definitely Severus's least favorite part of the meetings.
This was also why he wasn't surprised to find himself curled on the ground screaming after being hit with a stray Cruciatus Curse that he had been too slow to dodge. Not that he dared dodge a curse sent his way by the Dark Lord, because he knew that if he tried, he would end up with fifty curses placed specifically on him for trying it. It hurt like hell, yes, his bones crushing into ash and his organs being thrown into an incinerator, but he wasn't surprised by the pain. Like he had said, not many things shocked the man, but he still got the occasional surprise every once and a while.
And the proceedings were something that he could say had truly shocked him.
Ever since Voldemort had risen back to power, there had been a barrier between himself and the Dark Lord. The inner circle, which was the closest and most trustworthy of the Death Eater ranks had been formed once again, but unlike last time, Severus wasn't in it. He had suspected that the Dark Lord thought him be a spy for the Light, to be playing a double act opposite of what Voldemort thought him to be doing. His job for Voldemort was spying on Dumbledore, plain and simple. And his job for Dumbledore was spying on Voldemort.
Voldemort had trusted him enough for Severus to attend to the attack in Little Whinging, which was why Severus had come out with two days' worth of aching bones. But he had come to learn that pain was part of being a Death Eater, and so were the rewards that came with it when you served well.
As the curse on Severus died, he forced himself onto his back and stood up, trying not to sway and show the weakness that the curse had left. He stood straight in the circle, waiting for the remaining Death Eaters to stop screaming so that Voldemort would say what he wanted to say, and they could be on their way. That, Severus was sure, was what every one of his companions were thinking at the moment, all afraid that Voldemort would get a tick in his side and start attacking all over again.
Thankfully, soon the screaming had died and the circle was reformed once again.
"My Death Eaters," Voldemort hissed, pacing the circle. "I have waited rather patiently these past years for my ultimate glory to rise. At first I believed it to be fourteen years ago when I first aimed a wand at Harry Potter. And of course, as we all know, my glory was stolen from me that night. For years I have persisted, and as my recent attempt have failed several days ago, so I am starting anew."
Voldemort paced the ranks, looking at each and every Death Eater who stood before him. It wasn't until he paced twice and stopped right in front of Snape that he started to speak again, a malicious grin on his pale and ugly face.
"There is one person I want to bring Harry Potter to me. One person who I know has access to him, and one person I am willing to ask to sacrifice his double-agent act to bring that boy here with me. Isn't that right, Severus?"
Severus bowed to Voldemort. "Yes, master," he said clearly.
"And Severus, I should tell you," Voldemort sneered, "that this duty is one you should not take lightly. When you bring Potter to me, and of course I expect to have him by the end of the week, then you will be looked upon in the highest regard. Such a high regard, perhaps, as to be considered my closest follower."
The chamber was deathly silent as all gazes turned on Lord Voldemort and Severus Snape. Most followers were looking on in hard anger, as the glory that they so wanted was given to another. Others were looking on with skepticism, obviously not believing that Severus would give up his role as Dumbledore's lapdog.
Severus, however, ignored them all as he got down onto his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.
"Yes, Master," he replied. "I will bring Harry Potter to you by any means."
"Good," Voldemort hissed. "Because I have big plans for Harry Potter and I intend to destroy him. I don't need a prophecy to know what the boy's weaknesses are." He gave a hard and cruel laugh.
Meanwhile, back in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, things were not as tense. It had been three days since the boggart incident and since then, the mood inside the house had improved greatly. Harry was amazed at how much talking things over with Sirius, Remus, and Tonks helped him. They had spent hours with each other that night, and Harry felt more comfortable in talking than he had in his entire life. It was difficult, yes, but he still managed to talk about his abuse and exactly what his uncle had done to him. It had been an emotionally trying night, and Harry was exhausted. That night he still had one of his regular nightmares, but the usual despair that lingered afterwards hadn't lasted long and he was able to get back to sleep quicker than usual, feeling safe with the knowledge that Sirius was curled at his feet in his animagus form.
The rest of the week passed rather smoothly with Harry spending a lot of time with Sirius, Remus, and Tonks. With Sirius, it was spent redecorating or cleaning out the house while he told stories and talked about current events like Quidditch and the Ministry. The remainder of the time was also spent talking about what Sirius would do once he was free. One thing Harry really liked about Sirius was his optimistic attitude towards the world. Sirius was just the type of person that either had to look on the bright side, or just didn't care at all.
Spending time with Remus and Tonks was different. With Remus, they usually ended up cooking, which Harry found to be rather relaxing when it didn't come to having it judged by the Dursleys. With Remus, there was a lot less stress involved, and he actually found cooking to be fun. Remus had told him that cooking was something he always did when he was stressed or upset, and Harry felt honored that Remus had wanted to share it with him. They talked about recipes and where Remus had found certain ones for desserts and dishes. They also discussed school and defense in particular and Harry's goals of wanting to become an Auror when he got older.
Unlike Remus and Sirius, Tonks was more abstract in their conversations, ranged from Aurors she worked with to Harry's love life, all the way down to how they got almonds in the middle of a Hershey's Kiss. With Tonks, Harry found that he was never bored, and there was always something memorable when they hung out.
Currently, Harry, Sirius, and Tonks were in the dining room on the first floor, cleaning up all of the dirt and despair that had built up during a decade of neglect. Over the past few months, the Order had been growing and now the kitchen was just too small and cramped to fit everybody, so they needed a bigger space. The Dining Room was the largest room in the house, other than the attic, and it could fit everybody easily. Now all they had to do was get it habitable for everyone to use before the next Order meeting, which happened to be that night.
According to Sirius, the meeting had been unexpected. Apparently, before he had woken up, Dumbledore had come by and told them that he scheduled a meeting for that night and needed the dining room ready. He hadn't mentioned exactly why, but Harry was sure even if he did, Sirius would have been forbidden to tell him. Harry didn't mind the whole leaving him out of the Order business thing, because he figured that there were just some things he was better off not knowing.
Harry's train of thought died when he opened the drawer of the dresser and something black and large as a saucer scuttled out of it and onto the floor, followed by another, and another. Harry yelled and jumped back as he watched the spiders try to crawl under the rug with little success.
"Wow! That thing is huge!" Tonks said excitedly as she grabbed a broom and started to swat at the spider. "Come on Harry, help me, its pretty fun!"
"You find killing a spider as large as my hand fun?" Sirius said, watching with raised eyebrows as Tonks and Harry swatted the spider with brooms, laughing hysterically. "You know if I didn't know you, I'd say that's hatred of animals right there."
"A spider isn't an animal," Tonks said indignantly as she stood up straight and looked at him. "And besides, I was a vegetarian right up until after I left Hogwarts!"
"What made you eat meat again?" Harry asked as they swept the dead spiders into a trashbag and threw it in the corner with the others.
"Auror training," she said. "You try twelve hours of cardio living off nothing but salads and spaghetti. You won't survive the first three days. It just doesn't give you the proper energy that meat does. And personally, I find it doesn't taste as good either."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that," said a voice at the door. Everyone turned and saw Remus entering with a tray in his hands. "Because I've got some turkey sandwiches here that I would hate to see go to waste."
Harry sat down in a chair that was already washed and cleaned and started on a sandwich. They sat and ate for a little while before starting on the cleaning again. This time around, Remus pitched in as well since he wasn't busy making lunch. It was then that Harry winced, feeling the scar on his forehead light up in pain as though somebody had set off a flare. He tried to keep a neutral face over it, but it burned angrily. Finally, he stood up and headed for the door.
"You alright, Harry?" Remus called after him. Secretly, the man had been watching Harry from the corner of his eye and had seen the look of pain flashing on his face for the briefest of moments before the boy's barriers had been put into place.
"I'm just going to lay down for a while," he answered in a normal tone. "I have a little bit of a headache, but it's nothing to worry about."
He didn't know what Voldemort was up to or why, but all Harry knew was that Voldemort was happy. He didn't know how he knew this, but it felt sort of like a sixth sense. The thought unnerved him and sent a chill down his spine. How could he know what Voldemort was feeling? Was their connection getting stronger? Harry swallowed thickly as he entered his bedroom and slowly closed the door. He really hoped that the case.
He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating. Behind his eyelids, he could see flashes of color, as though robed figures were moving, and random lights (mostly green) were flaring this way and that. But the moment he had seen it, it was gone, and he couldn't be sure whether it was his imagination or not. But he didn't think it was.
What was going on with him?
It was a little more than a half hour later that there was a knock on the door. Harry didn't answer, hoping that whoever it was would take the hint and think he was sleeping and leave him alone. Yet that did not seem to be the case, since a minute later the door creaked open and Remus stepped inside with a small smile on his face.
"Hey," Remus said entering the room. "I just wanted to check on you and see if you were alright. You left pretty suddenly."
"Sorry about that," Harry sighed. His scar had only acted up for about ten seconds, but the funny feeling in the pit of his stomach after feeling that odd detached bout of joy had stayed. He sat up completely and drew his legs up to his chest with a sigh.
"What's bothering you?"
Harry looked up at the man with a raised eyebrow. "How do you know something is bothering me?"
Remus chuckled. "Harry you don't exactly have the most neutral facial expressions. You wear your heart on your sleeve, so to speak." He smiled again at the annoyed scowl on Harry's face. "Now, what's bothering you? Does it have anything to do with your scar hurting earlier today?"
"How do you know about that?" Harry asked warily, but one look from Remus signaled his answer. "Right, heart on your sleeve thing."
"Is it still hurting?" Remus asked with concern, inspecting the scar on Harry's forehead.
Harry shook his head. "It stopped after a few seconds," Harry said softly. He took a deep breath and looked Remus in the eye. It was now or never to speak. "Something was different this time. My scar didn't only just hurt but . . . I felt happy. But it wasn't me who was feeling happy . . . I was feeling Voldemort being happy. And when I closed my eyes, I could see a flash of what was going on. It wasn't much, just a mix of colors. I thought I could see Voldemort cursing somebody."
Remus kept his face neutral, but to Harry it seemed he was looking at Harry with fear. He squirmed under the gaze and kept his eyes firmly on the bed.
"Harry, I'm sure that this isn't anything to worry about," Remus said in a such a light tone it surprised Harry. "If you'd like, I'll talk to it about Dumbledore after the meeting tonight. Merlin knows he is a little more educated on the subject of your scar than I am."
"I'd like that," Harry said with a fake smile, not feeling very reassured.
"There isn't any use worrying about it right now," Remus said. "Your scar isn't hurting anymore, and it does no good to drown yourself in worry. You'll get grey hairs doing that. Trust me, I know." Harry smiled softly. "Now do you want to come help us finish the dining room or should I tell everyone that you were sleeping?"
Harry shook his head. "I'll help finish, as long as I don't have to kill any more spiders."
Harry got to his feet and followed Remus out of the room. He was glad he had told the man about his worries because he had been right. There was no point worrying about it now. The feeling of happiness was gone now and his scar didn't hurt at all. He was still worried about how strong his and Voldemort's connection seemed to be becoming, but he couldn't force himself to worry about it now. Harry subdued these thoughts as he entered the dining room to help prepare for the meeting.
Luckily, Harry didn't notice the worried glances Remus kept shooting his way the entire afternoon.
The Order meeting had started around eight o' clock, and most of its members had arrived on time or earlier, sitting in chairs and talking quietly with their companions before the proceedings began. Remus himself was sitting in the middle of the room with Sirius on his left and Tonks on his right. Tonks was saying something to him, but he wasn't listening as his mind kept drifting back to Harry, who was upstairs in his room. Remus felt guilty for leaving him up there alone, but Harry had tried to reassure him that he would be fine.
But still, the thoughts of what had happened earlier that day were still irking him. Harry had said that Voldemort had felt happy. Did that mean that Voldemort was planning something? Were things going his way? Or was his usual torture of his followers enough to send such a vibe that Harry would receive it?
"Remus?" said a soft voice beside him. A hand jiggled in front of his vision and he looked up. Tonks was sitting there staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Her hair was the usual bubblegum pink that it had been for the past few days, and Remus found himself staring at it for a moment before he blinked and came back to himself.
"Sorry, what was that?" he asked, sitting up straight.
Tonks rolled her eyes. "Oh, nothing at all," she said sarcastically. "But, what's up with you? You've spaced out for at least three minutes."
Remus sighed and started to explain all about Harry's scar and feeling Voldemort's emotions and seeing flashes. As he talked, he couldn't help but think that maybe Tonks wasn't the right person to tell. Did she really care for Harry so much that she wouldn't be prejudiced against him for his scar? As soon as the thought came it was gone, especially while glancing at the woman's concerned face.
No, he told himself sternly. Tonks has seen Harry's scar dreams before and she still loves Harry. She won't hate him for it, she considers the kid her brother after all, stop trying to find the worst in her!
"Maybe Dumbledore knows a way for Harry to block this," Tonks said firmly. "There has to be a way."
Remus sighed again. "I hope so."
The Order meeting had ended after three long and grueling hours of boring reports and no suspicious updates. Out of all the three dozens members that had attended, there was only one missing from their ranks. Severus Snape had not been seen for two days. Dumbledore didn't seem too worried about Snape not being seen, because apparently it had happened before. So none of the members had really thought twice about it, except for Remus.
It wasn't that Remus was overly concerned whether Snape was hurt or not, it was the circumstances that had him worried. He waited until after the meeting when the members had started to file out, either heading down to the kitchen with Molly Weasley to have an after meeting snack or heading to the fireplaces or the door to head back home that he pulled Dumbledore aside. He also pulled Sirius, Tonks, and Kingsley aside with Dumbledore so they could hear what he had to say.
"This afternoon a few hours before the meeting, I noticed something odd about Harry," he began and Remus was sure everyone had gathered a new sense of keen interest. "Harry's scar was hurting him today, you remember when he left during lunch? He said that the pain lasted for only a few seconds, but he also mentioned that there was something different. He said that he could feel Voldemort being happy, and when he closed his eyes, he saw a flash of what was going on."
"He what?" Sirius asked, looking between Remus and Dumbledore. "Albus, what does that mean?"
"It means that now that Voldemort has risen to power once again, the connection will become more active than it has in the past. Harry's experiencing something where he is feeling Voldemort's emotions as well as the pain in the scar, whereas before it was just his scar. For Harry, this is normal."
"Is there connection getting stronger?" Kingsley asked slowly.
"Unfortunately, it is." Dumbledore sighed. "However I hope that Voldemort will not discover Harry's ability to see through his eyes very quickly. If he does, as you can guess, the action can be reversed."
Tonks gasped. "Do you mean that he can just see through Harry's eyes, or Harry can actually become possessed?"
Dumbledore sighed. "Both, Tonks."
"But surely there's some way that we can prevent that from happening," Sirius said frantically. "Albus, I'm not going to let that happen to my godson!"
"I would not let it happen to Harry either, Sirius," Dumbledore said patiently. "However, I don't think that Voldemort has discovered any of this yet, nor will he for a while -"
"But what if he does?" Sirius said loudly in anger. "You don't know that he won't! And yet you're sitting aside and letting it happen anyway!"
"I am not letting it happen," Dumbledore said sternly over the top of his glasses. There was a look in his eye that told everyone plainly not to fight with him, and everyone, including Sirius, wisely took this course of action.
"So what should I tell Harry?" Remus asked. "I told him I would talk to you after the meeting."
"The truth, but not the full truth," Dumbledore said. "Harry is still going through a difficult time and does not need the added stress. He's not ready for this kind of information."
The group talked for a few more minutes until they separated. Remus himself headed up to Harry's bedroom to talk with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. He hated lying to Harry, which was what he felt like he was doing by not telling him the full truth of the situation, but also knew what Harry's reaction would be if he did tell him. He would most likely become so afraid he would withdraw into himself again, and that was the last thing he needed at the moment. Even though he hated to do it, he knew it was for the best.
Authors Note: Finding out some key information a little earlier than they did in the book, which should speed some things along and create some tension (hehe). I apologize profusely for the lateness of this chapter. I know many of you have stated you were suffering from withdrawal symptoms and I hate being a hypocrite because I know how that feels, but I'm doing the best I can. Severe writers block took part in this, as I'm sure many of you can relate to, but don't worry I'm (almost) back in the swing of things so to speak.
I'd like to know out of curiosity : What side do you think Snape is on in this story? Is he Voldemort's spy or Dumbledore's spy? You get the answer in the next chapter or two but its still fun to guess isn't it? Anywhoo, I send out the usual pleas for reviews, and I understand if you don't want to give them to me for lateness. But please review and tell me what you think! Thanks
A special thanks to Vickifor beta'ing this chapter for me. She's absolutely wonderful for helping me out.
P.S. - I absolutely promise this story gets more interesting in the next chapter.
BlondxCrayon