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Ginny and Zelda sat by a bonfire. Hours earlier they had said goodbye to Michael. Minerva McGonagall made a series of Portkeys to allow his travel to and from Hogwarts.
He had said with a cocky grin, "How often does an old guy get to help save the world? This'll be a blast!" He touched the Portkey and was gone.
A soft bark from behind them made Ginny jump and shriek. "What!" she gasped, pulling her wand.
"Rowena loves Crookshanks, that's all," Zelda said soothingly. "I'm glad she likes cats. I have three back at home."
"I never thought… I forgot this isn't your home," Ginny mused. "Your world's totally changed too. I guess I've been only thinking about myself."
"A common outlook at sixteen," Zelda replied. "But the more you see other perspectives, the more interesting life is. To me, boredom is hell. I try never to be bored."
"I'd rather be bored than worried," confessed Ginny.
"Good point," conceded Zelda. "But this isn't a normal situation, is it?" She reviewed their preparations in her mind, so she could remedy anything they lacked. But they could only wait.
A loud pop near the cabin brought them both to their feet.
"Zelda?" Kingsley called. "Where are you?"
"Are you okay?" called Zelda, hurrying toward the wizard with Ginny by her side.
Hagrid was with the Auror. He was holding Fang on a ragged rope and asked earnestly, "Zelda, can yeh take care of Fang fer me? He's too stupid ter survive a war at Hogwarts."
"Of course, Hagrid," she said. "We'll take care of him, don't worry."
"We think it'll start soon, possibly at Hogsmeade," said Kingsley. "We need Hagrid and Grawp to help with the giants."
"Is there word from the Ministry?" asked Ginny, wringing her hands. Her face fell when he shook his head.
"Hagrid," said Zelda. "Fang's fine here." She squeezed his huge hand as hard as she could and said, "Kingsley, let us know, when you can."
He nodded and they were gone again, leaving Zelda holding a coarse rope with a huge, whining dog straining at it.
"Great," she said with an ironic sigh. "I'm all for keeping pets safe, but I feel like we're running Noah's Ark West."
Ginny giggled weakly. "Should we be insulted? I think so."
Rowena dashed up and sniffed Fang. Zelda wondered if there'd be a dogfight, but both dogs acted friendly. She stroked Fang's huge head and his tail wagged faster. When Crookshanks strolled up to them, the huge black dog seemed to decide this was a fine place. Zelda removed the rope and let the animals run off to play, and then they were free to wait again.
&&&&&&&&&
"It is finished!" Voldemort proclaimed triumphantly. "The hour of victory is nigh."
Peter Pettigrew gave a last, weary stir to the huge cauldron and looked up proudly. "It's perfect, Master," he announced. He glanced down at the boiling slop and then hopefully looked up at the Dark Lord.
"Very good, my Wormtail," said Voldemort dismissively. "Now where is my faithful Snape? We shall leave within the hour and there is much for him to do."
"That's always the way of it with Snape, Master," Bellatrix snarled. "He's always out for himself. I think he should test the Polyjuice before we use it."
"Ah, my excellent Bella. Always so skeptical," the madman murmured indulgently. "We have all admired Wormtail's hard work in the past weeks and the Polyjuice is indeed perfect. Now, have your people acquired the samples needed for transforming?"
"Of course, Master," replied the witch defensively. "I shall be the first into the Ministry and disable the protections. All is in readiness, and your Death Eaters will meet the Inferi inside."
"Splendid!" Voldemort murmured in a false pleasant voice. "I look forward to seeing you acquit yourself splendidly, Bella."
"I look forward to that too," proclaimed Severus Snape, appearing in the entrance to the cellar. "Please forgive me, Master, for my tardiness. My team members are present upstairs and I only await your instructions before we apply the Polyjuice Potion."
Bellatrix flushed an ugly red. "Do you expect my team to give way before yours, Snape? Defeating the Ministry, once and for all, is far more important than your bloody school," she barked.
Snape studied her coldly, as though she were a substandard student in his Potions class, then turned his back on her and asked calmly, "What are your orders, Master?"
The air between Bellatrix and Snape crackled with the energy of their mutual hatred, exciting the mad Dark Lord. He enjoyed watching Bellatrix's discomfiture, but felt he must put Snape off balance too. The black-clad wizard was too smooth for comfort, he thought nastily.
"Control yourselves, my Death Eaters. We are on the break of victory and must unite our efforts." Lord Voldemort studied Snape. "Severus, I wish to oversee our affairs here. You will go yourself and Apparate the giants to Hogsmeade. At most it will take ten trips, and then you shall collect the rest of your attack force."
So it began, Snape thought. The energy involved in Apparating giants such a distance was enormous. This could only mean the Dark Lord wished to weaken him before the attack even began, and he wondered what other unpleasant surprises were in store. He allowed shocked dismay to be seen in his eyes and saw a sneer appear on Bellatrix's face. He knew better than to speak, however. He nodded and climbed the stairs, feeling the red eyes boring into his back as he left the cellar.
&&&&&&&&&
The giant land was cold and desolate. An icy sleet was blasting into his face. There were no giants to be seen, so he shot red sparks into the sky from his wand and waited. Perhaps all the giants had decided to leave, he thought. But then a howl came from on high, and an enormous brute, the Gurg, began clambering down the mountainside. Rock began crashing down under his frantic onslaught. From other directions two more were descending too. Severus saw several faces peering out from shadowed crevices, but no more appeared to join him.
"Where are the others?" he screamed, forcing a furious scowl to contort his features. "The Dark Lord said there are twenty! Where are your people?" Inside, he felt almost weak with relief. The Order had performed admirably to remove most of the giants.
The Gurg crashed to a halt before the tiny black wizard. He looked frantically at the mountainside behind him. One massive, lumpish giant was shambling toward them, and one other, a smaller one was moving more slowly.
Snape glared coldly. Thinking quickly, he realized if he could keep this news from the Dark Lord until the attack began, it would make the Death Eaters far more vulnerable. If they stayed hidden near the gates until the attack began…
"Where are your people?" he asked again, Legilimencing the Gurg to see the giant leader's intentions. He saw terror in the huge, bloodshot eyes and wondered how such a powerful, vicious creature could be so frightened, even of Voldemort.
Golgomath gestured distractedly around at the vacant mountain valley, looking bemused. He then pointed to the other two giants with a desolate air.
"They are gone," Snape said disgustedly. "Will you and these others honor your commitment, Golgomath?"
The Gurg dropped to his knees before Snape, gesturing desperately to his last two followers to join him.
Once the vile ritual of accepting their abasement was complete, Snape gestured to the Gurg and the larger follower. "I can take two of you at once. You must remain hidden until I return for you. Do you understand?"
They all nodded. Snape placed one firm hand on each massive arm. Concentrating fiercely, he Apparated.
"You are near the gates," he told them. "Stay in the forest here, while I go to fetch your companion. Remain hidden no matter what happens."
They nodded; looking befuddled at the sudden change to green summer, but went immediately into the trees and peered out to watch as he Apparated away.
Upon returning to fetch the last one, Snape discovered that two others had joined the smaller giant. They were females, and they were pulling at his arms, dragging him toward a distant slope. All three started, froze and stared guiltily at him, and he looked pointedly at two enormous knapsacks on the ground. Interesting, he thought. He looked enquiringly at them and saw a gleam of passionate desperation in the eyes of one.
She challenged him without words, and then began dragging the male giant away again.
"Go," Snape said firmly. "Hide yourselves and do not be captured." He nodded respectfully to the three. He might have a few moments now, to touch base with Aberforth before returning to Riddle house, he thought, and then he was off again.
&&&&&&&&&
When Snape entered the kitchen of Riddle House again, Percy Weasley, Cornelius Fudge, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dolores Umbridge and Lord Voldemort met him.
"Well, Snape?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt in Bellatrix's voice.
"Impressive," he replied grudgingly. He turned immediately to the Dark Lord and said, "How soon will we attack at Hogwarts, my Lord?"
"Your associates are in the cellar. Transform them and be on your way. In thirty minutes our associate within the school will allow our force to enter. You shall lead the giants into Hogwarts and the Inferi shall join you when you are inside the gates. When you Conjure the Dark Mark, they will hasten to your side."
My Lord, will you not be with us?" asked Snape, looking concerned.
"I wish to ensure that the Ministry is ours. Nagini is hiding near the gates and will join you when you enter Hogwarts. I shall join you when our victory at the Ministry is assured." The red eyes glowed brilliantly.
Snape nodded curtly. "I hope to see you with us soon, Master," he said firmly. "I now hasten to obey your orders."
In the cellar, Pettigrew, Amycus and Alecto waited nervously. They all leaped to their feet at his approach.
"My congratulations, Pettigrew, on making a superb Polyjuice Potion," Snape murmured insincerely.
"Do you have the samples?" he responded irritably. "Who am I going to be, Snape?"
"Yeah, Snapey, who'm I gonna be?" Amycus slurred, obviously blind drunk.
Snape flicked his wand and slammed the idiot to the dirt floor. "You forget yourself, fool," he snapped.
All three of his associates were slightly sobered by his show of temper, so they waited in silence. Amycus crawled onto his knees and managed to stagger to his feet, holding the side of his head.
"Now, each of you will take a dose of Potion and I shall add the sample to it," Snape hissed, his icy glare daring any of them to challenge him.
Even Pettigrew ladled a dose of the Polyjuice into a goblet without protest.
Snape dropped a small sample into each goblet, causing the revolting mess to froth and bubble.
"Bottoms up," he sneered, watching them gag and force the stuff down.
Then, before his eyes the fools had become three very familiar witches.
Professor Trelawney narrowed her protuberant eyes in fury at him. "Snape! You bloody slimeball, you made me a woman!" she snapped in Pettigrew's whiny voice.
Snape smiled. "I suggest you Apparate to the attics and find appropriate clothing, Pettigrew. Your bony ankles are showing." He drew his wand and added smugly, "We must all make sacrifices in our master's service."
"Look at me, Alecto! I'm a laydee, we're all laydeez," Amycus caroled, mincing drunkenly across the cellar as Madam Pomfrey.
Alecto's movements were nothing like Madam Pince, Snape saw with evil glee. The three buffoons could only deceive an utter moron.
"All of you, you now have five minutes in the attics to clothe yourselves suitably," he snapped. "Alecto and Amycus, wear black and look modest and discreet. Pettigrew, if you do not remember what Sibyll Trelawney looks like, you are even dimmer than I thought. Wrap some colored draperies around yourself or something, and burden yourself with hideous jewelry. And spectacles. I shall meet you at the kitchen door in five minutes."
The three Disapparated at the same instant, and Snape wished briefly that they would all be melded together in a random blob of stupidity. He put aside that frivolous thought and wondered who was to open the school to them. He walked up the cellar stairs, his gut clenching painfully. He had done all he could, and realized he would soon have no control of the outcome. He allowed himself to think briefly of Zelda, grateful that she was safely away from danger. He hoped somehow he would see her again when it was finished. He took one last deep breath and put aside all thoughts except of the coming situation. He must do what he could to preserve Hogwarts and the good people in and around the school. He sighed briefly and, assuming a sinister glare, he waited outside the back door for his team.
The Death Eater team Apparated to the road between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Snape wished he had leisure to be amused by the appearance of these morons. Shacklebolt had been right to suggest these three staff members, he thought. But it was time to inform them of the giant situation.
"I had no chance to tell the Dark Lord," he said casually, "but when I went to fetch the giants, most of them were nowhere to be found."
"What?" shrieked Pettigrew, sounding more panicked than a competent wizard should. "We have no giants?"
"We have two," Snape said calmly. "The Gurg and one other huge creature. With the army of Inferi that the Dark Lord has given us, we shall have no trouble. Remember, we are completely unexpected."
"That's right," cackled Alecto. Her voice sounded especially demented, coming as it did from the rigid form of Madam Pince.
They were nearly at the gates of Hogwarts. A subtle rustling came from the side of the road, and Nagini slithered out of the shrubbery and fell in behind them.
"I must warn you, do not speak until we are within," Snape said firmly. "None of you sounds remotely like your host."
"What about you, Snape?" Pettigrew asked belligerently. "No one's going to open the gates to us if you're visible."
"I shall Disillusion myself at that time, but first I must collect the giants. They only know my appearance, so I must be visible," he explained smoothly.
"Get on with it, then," snarled the miserable Animagus. Being Sibyll Trelawney obviously did not agree with him.
"First, your instructions," Snape said icily. "I do not know who will open the gates when you arrive there. But your task is to go straight to the doors of the castle and begin the attack within. I shall follow you, deal with the gatekeeper and bring in the giants. I shall then summon the Inferi and follow you with our army. Do you understand?"
The three nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The plan sounded completely clear.
"Walk slowly now and I shall return with the giants."
The three fake witches walked slowly on in silence. Whether or not they had misgivings, none dared to question the plan at this point. When a loud rustling noise came from the woods near the road, they paused.
"All right, we are ready. Go!" hissed Snape. He had Disillusioned himself and was walking behind them. Nagini's presence was loathsome and unavoidable. All he could do was move forward now and hope that the Order was prepared. He spared a thought for what might be happening at the Ministry of Magic, but as the three transformed Death Eaters approached the gates, he focused on what would happen before him.