Chapter 12

Irreconcilable Differences

Severus Snape grabbed his newly broken, bleeding nose as he slowly sank to the ground. Fury rushed through him, overpowering any sense of pain. Snape furiously scrambled to pull out his wand with his free hand only to stop when he looked up to see a wand and sai already aimed at his head. Looking past the weapons, Snape noticed the hate-filled look in Harry Potter's emerald eyes. There was a fire in Harry's eyes that Snape couldn't remember ever seeing before along with a presence that made it clear that any sort of movement was a bad idea.

Harry took a step closer but remained far enough away to react in the chance that Snape did something stupid. "Give me a reason, Snape," he growled, "I dare you." Snape's eyes narrowed but that was the only movement he made. "Let's get make something clear, I'm only here as a last resort. If I had my way, you'd be dead, rotting like the piece of scum that you are. Professor Dumbledore may have trusted you but I don't. You are nothing more than a conniving, bitter git who can't let go of the past."

Snape sneered as he rose to his feet, stumbling slightly. Shock and anger poured off of him in nearly visible waves. "I see you are still an impudent brat that believes he has all the answers," he snapped back.

Harry's tightened his grip on his wand as his eyes narrowed. "Don't tempt me, Snape," he said slowly. "I could do anything I wanted and no one would care. No one would miss you. As far as the Ministry is concerned, it's just one less Death Eater they have to worry about."

Snape wisely remained silent and Harry knew why. No matter what Dumbledore had believed about Snape's motives, his actions during the Hogsmeade battle forced many in the wizarding world to believe that he was indeed faithful to Voldemort. No one in the Ministry cared about his supposed spy status with Dumbledore. To them, Snape wasn't a spy for them so he wasn't a spy at all.

"Let's make one thing clear," Harry continued as placed his sai back on his belt, allowing it to automatically shrink. "The only reason you're still alive is because Sirius doesn't know of your 'mistake' yet and I haven't forgotten about it. The moment this war is over, you have a lot to atone for." Without waiting for Snape to reply, Harry put his earpiece back in his ear only to wince at Sirius' loud voice ringing in his head.

"Harry! What's going on?!?"

"Nothing," Harry answered, his eyes never leaving Snape. "Is everything still clear?"

"For now," Kingsley answered, "but the longer we're here the greater the risk we take. Get the information quickly, Harry."

"Understood," Harry confirmed. "Start talking, Snape, and it better be good."

Snape sneered bitterly as resentment seemed to swirl around him. "I do not take orders from you, Potter," he spat. "You need my help, not the other way around. If I'm not mistaken, you need the Dark Lord's location in order to continue your war. I can provide it but I want something in return."

Harry rolled his eyes, not surprised in the least. Snape was a Slytherin, looking out for his own best interest first and foremost because the one person that had looked out for him was no longer around. Just like Malfoy had no one to look out for him.

"That slimy git!" Sirius barked over the earpiece. "That's it! I'm coming in, Harry! I don't care what we agreed on. After everything he's pulled, he thinks he's in a position to demand anything!"

"Sirius!" Remus scolded. "Let's hear him out! Just because he asks for something doesn't mean we have to give it to him."

Harry enfolded his arms across his chest, staring at Snape with a raised eyebrow. Remus had a good point but that didn't make the situation any easier. Standing in the same room with Snape was difficult enough but allowing Snape to lay out demands was another story. Harry just wanted to hex the man and be done with it all. "Start talking," he said through his teeth.

Snape eyed Harry critically for a long moment, suspicion growing around him. "Black and Lupin are speaking to you, aren't they?" he spat in distaste.

Harry simply stared at Snape. "Start talking," he repeated. "If you don't say something worthwhile in the next minute, I'm leaving. I don't have time for games."

"This isn't even remotely close to a game, Potter," Snape sneered. "I can provide you with the Dark Lord's location…however, this will be done on my terms. I would never expect you of all people to manage to clear my name with the Ministry. I prefer not to waste my time on hopeless goals."

Harry's eyes narrowed as he bit back the urge to strangle the man. He knew that deep down, Snape was enjoying this. He was enjoying the concept of once again having power over the son of his school enemy. Maybe I should just let Sirius and Remus have free reign. That would certainly shut him up.

"The only thing I need from you and those associated with you, Potter," Snape continued, "is arrangements made to unfreeze my Gringotts account so I can leave the country as soon as the Dark Lord is out of commission. No one is to know of our association. If you fail, I'm right back where I started. If you succeed, then I don't have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life."

"He's asking for the impossible, Harry," Remus interrupted quietly. "We would need high-level Ministry clearance—which none of us have. We would have to involve Scrimgeour and you know how he feels about 'dark wizards'. He would immediately make Snape into the scapegoat if something were to go wrong."

"Explain to me why that's a problem," Sirius countered. "I agree that outside sources will be needed but since when do we care about Snape? The man is a bitter git who has his shorts on too tight."

Harry couldn't hold back a shudder. That was certainly one mental image that he could have lived without and from the groans he heard in his earpiece, Harry knew Remus and Kingsley felt the same way. Sirius really, REALLY needs a hobby…a healthy hobby. "How are we supposed to accomplish that, Snape, when none of us have Ministry clearance?" Harry asked at last.

Snape snorted. "That's for you to figure out," he said coolly. "If you still need someone holding your hand then the wizarding world is certainly doomed." A satisfied smirk grew on Snape's face. "Of course, I'm not surprised in the least. You've always needed others to clean up your messes for you."

In the blink of an eye, Harry had his hand wrapped around Snape's throat. "Explain to me how in the bloody world Voldemort became only my problem?" he growled through his teeth. "Your situation is of your own doing, Snape! You need me more than I need you. I can find Voldemort without you but you can't gain your freedom without me! Remember that every time you have to kiss the robes of your Master."

"Nicely said, Harry," Remus said proudly.

"I can think of a few well placed curses—"

"Sirius! You're not helping! Information first; cursing beyond recognition can come later."

"I'm sure you can, Potter," Snape snarled although there was no denying the slight waver in his voice. "However, how many will die before you manage to locate him? How many more of your 'protectors' will fall before you finally decide to use your brain?"

That did it. Snape had gone too far. Before Harry even knew what he was doing, he had Snape against the wall with his wand pointing between Snape's eyes. Snape let out a strangled gasp as Harry's hand tightened around Snape's neck. Tonks' condition was still a sensitive subject and everyone knew it…well, everyone but Snape. "Let me make one thing clear, Snape," Harry said icily. "Don't you ever bring up Tonks again. While you've been hiding under your Master's cloak, she was doing everything in her power to help ensure Professor Dumbledore's task was finished. Remember Dumbledore? The man who vouched for you when no one else would?"

Snape glowered but remained silent. Waves of fury overpowered every other emotion making it clear that Snape was one comment away from losing it. Bringing up Dumbledore was certainly a low blow. Harry knew that Dumbledore was most likely the only person Snape had ever respected. There was no doubt that Snape was only speaking to Harry because of some sort of arrangement with Dumbledore before he died but was taking rather strong liberties on how he fulfilled the arrangement.

"Harry—"

"—let him be, Kingsley," Sirius interrupted. "Snape needs to be put in his place."

"Sirius is right," Remus added. "We can't afford to be distracted by Severus' 'poor me' problems. He made his own choices. He has no one but himself to blame for the consequences of those choices."

"Unfortunately we don't have the time to scold Snape for acting like a spoilt child," Kingsley insisted. "We can't afford any distractions. Get the information!"

With great effort, Snape pushed Harry away, seething in anger. "You know nothing about me, Potter!" he snapped.

"And you know nothing about me but that never stopped you from making your own assumptions," Harry shot back. "This is the way it's going to play out. We will send word through the parchment you sent me when we believe we're ready to strike. You will then send Voldemort's location and any other necessary information we may need to infiltrate the compound. Provided that the strike is a success, we will find some way to ensure that you are financially secure enough to leave the country. Since you don't want anyone to know of your role, it is up to you to defend yourself when we attack just as it is up to us to protect ourselves against you."

Snape snarled as his pale cheeks flushed slightly in abhorrence. They could probably argue all night but it was clear that both Harry and Snape were only barely tolerating each other's presence. After a long moment, Snape let out a huff and straightened his black robes. "Very well, Potter," he said grudgingly. "If I must wait for you—"

"—just go, Snape," Harry snapped. "Go before I do something that I probably won't regret."

Snape finally took the hint and swooped out of the room like the overgrown bat he was. The moment he was out of sight, Harry fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. That had been harder that he thought it would be. It had been a pointless meeting but it had been all Harry could handle. It was better this way. It was better for Snape to simply pass the information through parchment then face to face. Seeing Snape just brought back too many painful memories.

A gentle arm wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him against a warm body. Slowly, Harry raised his head and came face to face with Remus' understanding eyes. Nothing was said between them, nothing had to be. Remus understood Harry's actions and Harry understood that Remus' level-headedness had been an act of desperation to keep the wolf contained.

"Are you two all right?" Sirius asked curiously from the doorway.

Harry and Remus shared a look before nodding. They were far from all right but saying differently would only cause more problems. Suspicion swirled around Sirius so fiercely that it was almost visible. Harry figured Remus must have sensed the same thing because he was instantly on his feet, helping Harry up and changing the subject…a little too quickly to extinguish suspicion.

Harry remained silent throughout the journey back to Hogwarts, his mind already running over everything they needed to do to even consider attacking Voldemort. Everything suddenly seemed to be coming so fast. The only thing holding them back now was the creation of their strike team. Regardless of what Snape passed on, Harry knew there wouldn't be enough Aurors or Order members to take on all of Voldemort's followers' and there wasn't enough time to train any volunteers or test their loyalties.

That left only one possible option, an option that Harry hated himself for even considering. War was unforgiving and brutal. It could push even the most prepared person past the breaking point and certainly wasn't a place for naïve Hogwarts students. However, including the D.A. was the only logical choice. They were partially trained already and they knew how to keep a secret.

That didn't change the fact that they were still children, though, and it certainly didn't change what he would be asking them to do. He would be asking some of his closest friends to possibly sacrifice their lives in a war their parents should be fighting for them.

Harry couldn't help hating himself for even thinking of the option. He couldn't help hating the Ministry for making it necessary to even consider the option. This was what it boiled down to: involve friends and possibly win or protect them and almost certainly lose. In Harry's mind, he knew he really had no choice but his heart refused to believe that.

Upon returning to Hogwarts, Harry left Sirius, Remus and Kingsley to relay the evening's events for the seclusion of his own quarters. He had a lot to think about and knew he needed to work it all out on his own. He couldn't listen to everyone else's opinions until he had formulated his own. No matter what, I can't allow personal feelings to get in the way anymore. Tonight was clearly a mistake. By attacking Snape I proved that I wasn't ready to face Voldemort. I proved that I wasn't any better than Snape.

Suddenly, the final destination of peace seemed so very far away.

When one is forced upon unimaginable odds, they do whatever they can to survive. Unfortunately, that task was harder for Harry than it should normally be. It was hard to not allow feelings to get in the way especially when you feel everything. He knew that Remus was worried, Sirius was suspicious, Kingsley was concerned, Professor McGonagall was curious, Malfoy was anxious, and Ron and Hermione were barely containing their eagerness to ask for details.

Of course, being an empath wasn't a requirement for Ron and Hermione. Their impatience was written clearly on their faces. Harry had a feeling that the only reason they hadn't cornered him yet was because Remus had said something although he had no idea what it could have been. It must have been something good to silence Ron, Hermione and Sirius.

The next few days were stressful to say the least. Snape had sent them quite a bit of information on the charmed parchment that had slowly grown in length as the lines of writing increased. They had been able to confirm that the small clan of Vampires that they had encountered at Diagon Alley was indeed the only clan that Voldemort had recruited, the werewolves weren't as active as the 'Daily Prophet' led people to believe, there was a plot to attack the Ministry, and a final goal to overtake Hogwarts.

Meeting with Scrimgeour to relay the information had been difficult to say the least. They couldn't give any hint to where they had gotten their information so there was no way for the Ministry to prove that it was legit. Scrimgeour would have to trust Harry and trust was not something frequently practiced in times of war. Nevertheless, Harry was thankfully given the benefit of the doubt allowing them to move on to planning what was needed for a strike against Voldemort. Due to previous security problems, all Aurors would be ordered to give an Unbreakable Vow before joining the strike team.

Harry had been extremely hesitant to agree to such a drastic mandate but recent history had proven it necessary. They needed able bodies but they also needed the element of surprise more. It wouldn't do them any good if Voldemort was ready and waiting for them to come.

Once Scrimgeour had left, Harry finally asked what Sirius and Remus thought about including the D.A. in the fight. Both Sirius and Remus agreed that it was difficult to say one way or another because some of the members were indeed still 'children'. Those over seventeen could make their own decision whether to help or not since they were legally adults. Those under seventeen would need parental approval—which they would never get. What parent would willingly send their underage child off to war?

Ron and Hermione also understood Harry's reluctance to include the D.A. but they agreed that the D.A.'s involvement was necessary. The members of the D.A. would most likely be the only ones to follow Harry's instruction without question. They would see Harry as a leader. The Aurors and Order, on the other hand, were older than Harry and would have a tendency of seeing Harry as the-boy-who-lived that needed protecting.

It was a harsh reality that Harry knew would cause problems. They were bound to fail if everyone was going to question every decision he made. Harry knew the Order wouldn't be as bad as the Aurors but any hesitation could cost someone their life. Including the D.A. would help promote that Harry was capable of being a leader. It was actually rather ironic that 'children' would be the role models for the adults in this stressful time of war.

Ron and Hermione arranged for the D.A. meeting that would be held in the Room of Requirement on Friday after classes had ended for the week. They had also recruited Ginny to discretely contact all D.A. members who no longer attended Hogwarts and make them aware of the meeting. Harry appreciated the gesture even though he knew there would be problems. The majority of the former D.A. members now worked in the Ministry. Asking for their participation could very well cost any one of them their job.

With all of the schoolwork, training and planning, Friday arrived extremely quickly for Harry. He, Ron and Hermione had been thrown into an intense training program to cover everything they hadn't already learned in a short period of time. Harry spent the majority of his training time with Kingsley, defending himself from anything Kingsley could throw at him while Moody growled instructions from the sidelines with Malfoy at his side. Every session left Harry bruised, sore and exhausted as Malfoy grew paler and paler. Nothing was said but Harry could tell that Malfoy was extremely grateful that he wouldn't be participating in the fight.

After all, life and death situations weren't normally covered in the Malfoy family upbringing.

Entering the Room of Requirement that had become a generic Common Room, Harry couldn't help reminiscing. So much had changed in the past two years. Regardless of everything Umbridge did, everything had been so much simpler then. At fifteen, he had still been a child focusing on his own problems more than the problems of the wizarding world. He had been an emotional mess over the death of Cedric Diggory and nightmares caused by his overactive imagination. Two years ago, Harry never thought he would be leading a strike team against Voldemort.

I never thought I would be a leader.

As people started to arrive, Harry quickly noticed that he wasn't the only one that had changed. Everyone looked older, wiser and certainly more serious. Everyone had clearly been affected by the war in one way or another. Some had lost a loved one, some had loved ones involved in the war and the remaining few simply knew someone who had been affected. Surprisingly, it was the Muggle-borns who were the least affected…so far.

The sound of Hermione clearing her throat quickly pulled Harry away from his thoughts. All of the quite chatter quickly died away as everyone quickly turned their attention to Harry, Ron and Hermione at the front of the room. Hermione inhaled deeply before stepping forward and pulling a roll of parchment out of her school bag. A small table appeared in front of them along with ink and a quill, surprising everyone.

"Before we begin," Hermione said at last, "we need everyone to sign a confidentiality agreement. It isn't that we don't trust you. We just can't risk anyone finding out about what we will be discussing tonight."

Ginny was the first to step forward followed by the rest of the Council. Hermione unrolled the parchment and held it open as signature after signature was added to the parchment. After the Council, the rest of the D.A. formed a line and quickly added their name to the parchment. When the last name was added, Hermione rolled up the parchment and nodded to Harry, who let out a calming breath and stepped forward.

"As many of you know, Voldemort is getting stronger every day," Harry said bluntly. "The Ministry isn't strong enough to fight him alone anymore. We have been working with Professor Dumbledore's group—the Order of the Phoenix—to do what we can to help. We have begun planning a strike against Voldemort, a strike that will hopefully end this war once and for all."

Several people cheered while others whispered excitedly to each other. Waves of eagerness and hope practically bounced off the walls.

"That's enough!" Ron barked impatiently. "Let him finish!"

Everyone stared at Ron in shock, especially Fred and George. The tips of Ron's ears turned pink in embarrassment but he didn't stand down. Harry had the fight to keep the amazement off of his face. Ron had never been one to order anyone to do anything. Well, better late than never.

"As I was saying," Harry continued, "we are arranging an attack but we need help. We don't have exact numbers but we know there aren't enough Aurors and Phoenix members to handle the strike alone. We need people we can trust—people trained in more ways than one. I know this is a lot to ask of all of you but we need your help. We need the D.A. active again."

"Just like that?" Michael Corner rudely asked from the back. "Just because you suddenly need us we're supposed to jump? Where were you at the beginning of the year when we wanted to keep the group going?" Corner suddenly found himself with flashing rainbow hair and his lips sealed shut.

"He was helping with the war, you git," Neville growled. "I think You-Know-Who is slightly more important than you, Corner."

Corner glared at Neville as he raised his wand and fixed his lips although the flashing hair remained. Several snickers could be heard but no one said anything to notify Corner of the feature change. Harry let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. This really wasn't going as he had hoped.

"Look," Harry stated loudly to get everyone's attention once again, "I understand if you don't want to help. That's your choice. No one will think any less of you for not participating. We also know that this is a big decision so if you need time to think it over, that's fine. However, we do need an answer soon because those who want to help will begin training with Sirius, Remus, Professor Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody as soon as possible. We want everyone to be prepared because what we're facing will make the Hogsmeade battle look like child's play. We will be entering a foreign environment to face against those who want us dead. There will be no safety net."

Harry knew everyone picked up what he was implying but not saying. Of those that marched off to battle, it was fairly certain that not everyone would return. They would be risking their lives, which was a scary thing for any teenager. For everyone in the room, their lives had only just begun but there was no misconception of what the world would be if Voldemort wasn't stopped soon. It was a choice of risking one's life or submitting to a life of terror under Voldemort's rule.

It really wasn't much of a choice.

As everyone slowly processed the information, Harry knew he had to cover the one minor problem that would undoubtedly cause problems. He glanced at Hermione, who handed over a small piece of parchment that contained a list of four names. "Before we leave you to think, there is one matter we need to bring up," Harry added. "Professor McGonagall has been an immense help so we need to return the favor. Legally, she can not release any student who is not of age so that means that Colin Creevey, Dennis Creevey, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley must stay behind—"

"—WHAT!" Ginny shouted as she jumped to her feet. "You can't do that!"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I have no choice," he said calmly. "If we want to work with the Ministry, we have to play by their rules and the rules set by the Governors."

Ginny let out an angry huff as she flopped down on the arm chair she had been sitting on and enfolded her arms across her chest. Her eyes were narrowed and she refused to look at anyone in the eye. Harry cast a weary glance at Ron, who just rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. Ron was obviously just as frustrated as Harry was. The last thing they needed was a confrontation of Weasley tempers.

Harry let out a long breath as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He could tell that the Creevey brothers wanted to protest too but seemed to realize that if Ginny wasn't given special treatment then they wouldn't receive it either. "Well, if you have any questions, you know where to find us," Harry said, breaking the silence. "We'll leave you all to think it over."

No one said a word as Harry, Ron and Hermione left the room of requirement. As soon as the door closed behind them, Harry leaned back against the wall and covered his face with his hands. That had been difficult to say the least. As much as Harry hated to admit it, there still was a part of him hoping that the D.A. would refuse to help but he knew it was wishful thinking. The D.A. would never abandon a member in battle. They would stand together until the last of them fell.

The only thing he could do now was make sure they remained standing.

A/N: And the final parts are finally falling into place. Also, Puppy update. Kenobi's now four months old and just graduated from Puppy School. They just grow so fast. Sniff.