Chapter Three The Polyjuice Potion

"No?" Snape said with a sneer. "I should kill him on principal alone, Narcissa. You've gotten us both in a fix and you would deserve to watch him die."

"I…I don't know what you mean," she said and the haughtiness drained from her voice.

"You should be very wary of who you are speaking to Narcissa." Snape let Draco go and pushed him towards a chair. He did so gently and waited until the boy sat and then turned back to his mother. She once again took a step forward and Snape put his hand out to stop her. "Let us discuss this before you fawn all over him." He glanced over at Draco and then back to her. "Besides I don't think he would notice your caresses, you see he has been with the Dark Lord- alone."

He noticed she took in a sharp breath, her eyes darting to her son's face. She remained silent but she was clenching her hands together in obvious distress. "What is it we need to discuss Severus? Why not kill me outright? I have no information you can use in exchange for my life."

He gazed around the room at the silk curtains and the expensive furnishings. He then found a stiff straight-backed chair and sat down. He laid his wand in his lap and covered it with his own pale fingers. "Sit down."

She sat immediately, facing him, looking pale. He thought she had the appearance of a Greek statue cut of fine marble. Her neck was long, her hair almost white and the same as the shade of her skin; she was, dressed in white. If she had remained motionless, he thought people would have been fooled into believing her to be a goddess wrought of stone.

"I have come to find out Narcissa that it was the Dark Lord who paid you a visit one evening several weeks ago. I understand you were accompanied by your sister, Bellatrix." Snape watched her absorb the news. "He has found it safer to go around disguised as….me. You see I've found it necessary to produce large cauldrons full of this potion called Polyjuice Potion allowing one to assume the body of another. That is neither here nor there, but it has pricked my curiosity you see as to why he wanted to present himself to you as me.

"Anyway, I understand you made an Unbreakable Vow with him that evening concerning Draco. I also understand there was another particular issue you were aware of- concerning a particular plan- that I think has now been completed if I am not mistaken. I believe the plan was to assassinate Albus Dumbledore using your son."

The paleness of her skin seemed to grow even whiter as he spoke. She was sitting very straight, prim and proper in a chair, her hands clasped in her lap. As he continued to talk her eyes grew ever wider and finally the hands relaxed and she swooned forward out of the chair.

Snape anticipated the problem and stood and caught her as she fell. He eased her to the floor and used his wand to spray a fine mist of water over the pale features. The moment she opened her eyes he spoke the words, "Legilimency."

Several minutes later, he helped her back to her seat and the two of them were again facing one another. She had one hand to her throat and the other held a glass of amber liquid. She took a sip, and a moment later there was a pale blush returning to her cheeks.

Snape watched her and sipped his own brandy. He had learned everything he thought she knew, but to be certain he waited until the Veritiserum took effect. He saw the slight change in her eyes first. "Now tell me Narcissa, the Dark Lord would not have trusted Draco to take care of such a sensitive and dangerous task such as assassination. He would never of had a chance to kill Dumbledore if he had not found him in a weakened condition, and I daresay it would have probably been impossible even then. What was Draco's mission?"

Narcissa stared at him and said clearly, "To find the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. The girl with the pimples on her face told him about it and Potter's little group. He was teaching them Defensive spells and the room was transformed into a practice room. It was only by chance he discovered the nature of the room. He had gone into your office to find out what his marks were on his O.W.L.s before he left school at the end of term. He wanted you to change the marks if he found he had gotten anything under Outstanding. He left your office and was carrying the paperwork when he heard someone. He happened to be on the same floor as the Room of Requirement and he was looking for a place to hide the document. He hadn't had time to change the scores. He entered and found the cabinet that was later used as an entry point to Hogwarts."

Snape pondered the answer. He had never heard of the Room of requirement."What is the Room of Requirement and what is it's purpose?"

She frowned for a moment and answered, "It is a room which transforms into whatever it is you need at the moment. It can be a hiding place or a ballroom. Not many know of it. Because Draco wanted to hide his papers he walked past and the door became visible. When he went in there was an extraordinary large room filled with many thousands of items. It seems students at Hogwarts have been using the room for years for hiding things."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What cabinet did he find?"

"A cabinet which transports people to the location where it's twin resides. Right now the twin is at Borgin's."

"Was there another mission Draco was suppose to fulfill?"he asked.

Her eyes never wavered and she answered with a dull monotone voice, "He was to prepare the cabinet to let in His Death Eaters, that is all."

"What else do you know? Was there more to the plan?" Snape was growing impatient. There was nothing he knew or she was saying that was new. He had gotten the entire Unbreakable Vow word-for-word, she had told him the plan to enter Hogwarts and kill Dumbledore. How they had found the Headmaster when he had not been in his office but up in the tower, Narcissa was not able to say. Nor could she tell him what happened after, since Draco had been in his care since that night; the night he had spent at the Dark Lord's manor and his double, the Dark Lord himself, had gone on a mission.

Snape gulped the brandy and set the glass down. Narcissa was still staring at him blankly, much as her son was doing. "What else have you overheard from Lucius or Draco?" He knew it to be a vague question and it was unlikely this woman could tell him anymore.

"He needed to kill someone to make something," Narcissa breathed. "He had to kill a strong wizard., something about a Horcrux. I don't know what that is."

Snape forgot to breath, felt the room spin and his hands grow moist. He stared at her and his mouth was so dry he could not speak. A Horcrux!

"He was having the castle watched and Dumbledore followed. They put the Imperius curse on a woman in the village; some woman called Rosmerta," Narcissa's lip curled slightly. Even under the Veritiserum she was arrogant. Snape's head came up and he listened to her recitation through his shock. "She immediately sent a message that Dumbledore and the boy-Potter- had apparated into Hogsmeade. She said Dumbledore was injured and was asking for you. There were a number of spies in the village."

"What more do you know," Snape gasped.

She shook her head slowly, "Nothing. Bella told me about the fight, about Draco not being present when Dumbledore was killed. He thought he was suppose to kill him but you did it." Her eyes filled with sudden tears. "Thank you for taking his place. I was sick with worry. I knew he couldn't do it; not my Draco. He's not like his father, I don't want him to be like his father; so cold." She stopped. "I was afraid I'd never see him again. I was afraid that because he had failed he would be killed." She stopped and pressed her lips together tightly.

Snape staggered to his feet. He finally had the entire story, could picture the events in his head. A Horcrux! he thought to himself and then stared at Draco, who remained seated immobilized and silent. After a moment he raised his wand turned to Narcissa and sat quietly, "OBLIVIATE MOMENTARIUM." He erased the last forty-five minutes from her memory.

He pulled Draco to his feet very gently, and waited while the Veritiserum wore off. He watched until her eyes were clear and tears began to rain down the porcelain cheeks. "I have been sent to kill you Narcissa, but I am not a killer of innocents. If you are wise you should disappear."

"My son," she reached for Draco.

"He is lost to you now, Narcissa," Snape said, not unkindly. "It were better if he had died, for he will soon be dead. If you value your life you will flee. If I see you I will do as the Dark Lord bid me do and kill you on sight."

He took Draco by the arm and disapparated on the doorstep of the mansion leaving her on her knees in her immaculate white gown, sobbing silently.

Harry walked along a dusty road until he was out of sight of the train station. He'd seen the large woman join some other people on the platform and he felt better. Remus had told him there were people looking out for him, but Harry thought it was likely Voldemort would also be making every effort to find him as well, whether it be muggle or wizard. He stopped and studied the terrain. He was now on the outskirts of Little Hangleton. He intended to make Godrics Hollow his goal, but since he was in the area that he had seen in the pensieve with Dumbledore, he was inclined to have a look around first. And, something was drawing him inexorably towards the small village.

I probably won't find the Gaunt house, he decided. Dumbledore said it was in ruins when he went back to it. He tried to remember everything he had seen and had been told and he wasn't as interested in that house as much he was in the Riddle house. Still there was a possibility he would find it; he began walking again.

The small muggle village was not far from the train station. It looked like it hadn't changed in a hundred years. It still had small cottages pushing against the cobbled street. The streets themselves were narrow and had been built for horse-driven carts. Old signs hung from outstretched wrought-iron arms and called out such names as the Dancing Pony or the Black Boar.

The cool, shaded interior of a cafe beckoned to him when he looked in through the window. He wandered into the dark interior, thankful for the anonymity the darkness afforded him. With food and something to drink, he rested, and watched the patrons coming and going.

Being in the muggle world on his own was not quite the same as being in his own world. He'd not gone far alone in the wizarding world on his own. He'd wandered happily in familiar places like Diagon Alley on his own, but it wasn't quite the same. It wasn't until this very moment that Harry realized he was truly alone, cut off and among strangers. It made him feel uneasy.

He finished his meal and stepped out into the hazy afternoon sun that did not warm him like an ordinary August sun normally would. He checked the street and the few cars moving along the main avenue and then continued to walk. He wasn't sure how best to approach someone for directions, and so, allowed his feet to direct him.

The town was built on a gentle, but steep slope running vertically on a shallow grade. Even with the even ground Harry's began to feel the strain in his legs as he wandered up the street. People were not particularly friendly as he passed. They would either turn their backs, quickly step inside and close their doors or turn to their neighbor and appear to be deep in conversation. Harry could understand. Even in the muggle world, there was an air of disorder, even danger, that seemed to pervade every hamlet and town like a spreading cancer.

Harry realized he didn't have to ask where the Riddle house might be. At the end of town, almost at the top of the hill, there was a darkened gloomy graveyard. Directly above it on a knoll was a large house. It had fallen into disrepair and the garden surrounding it was overgrown. Windows were blank staring eyes surrounded by the grayed out walls. Harry believed that if he had been a casual passerby he would have looked at the house and thought it haunted.

He stepped up to what had once been the front entrance and walkway and pulled aside dead vines entwined over the brick façade of the gate. The name Riddle embellished the brick in a fine scrolled wrought iron grillwork.

He looked up at the house with his green eyes and abstractly reached for the scar on his forehead. Some leftover residue was making it tingle. He knew that Voldemort had been there.

"I wouldn't go in there, if I were you," a voice said.

He had been so absorbed in studying the details of the old house, he was startled and very aware he had not been guarded enough. He turned and saw the woman from the train.

"You're following me," he said. "Who sent you?"

"A friend," she answered and reached into her basket.

He had his wand in his hand without realizing he'd reached for it. He pointed it at her and stepped back into the shade of a tall hedge.

She smiled and withdrew her hand and waited.

"Who?"

"A friend," she answered. "I can't say more than that."

"Friend or foe, I don't want to be followed," Harry said. "Do you know who I am?"

"You said your name was, John," she shrugged and reached for a strand of gray hair brushing the side of her face. "I'll be on my way, but I just wanted you to know everyone here avoids that house if they can. There were some murders that took place many a year ago and an old caretaker disappeared and was never heard from again."

"Who sent you?' he asked again and lowered his arm.

"The Minister," she answered quietly.

"The Minister of Magic?" Harry asked angrily. How did he find me? he wondered.

She looked at him and smiled again. " Don't know who that was the Prime Minister. Actually, it was his assistant who put me onto you. Shacklebolt is his name, new assistant to the Minister."

Harry didn't think he had heard her correctly. "Shacklebolt?"

"Kingsley Shacklebolts the name," she answered and put her arm through the straps on the basket. "He contacted me. This village has been of interest to someone for many a year. I keep my ear to the ground," she said nodding her head slightly. "He paid me a visit he did. Personally. It was an honor I told him, to serve the Minister." She turned and started walking. "I wouldn't go in there if I was you. But if you do…be careful."

Harry didn't stop her. He thought about her words. The Prime Minister! The muggle minister, or more likely Kingsley Shacklebolt was having him followed. He turned back to the house with the shade of evening casting its pall upon the face and he started stepping over the tangled grasses and vegetation on the path. He knew immediately that magic had been done on the premises, he could feel it and it made him shudder. It was dark magic and the smell of old death crawled up his nose as he pushed open the door.

…...

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley met their friends on the Hogwarts Express. They were the members of the old D.A. Each held a coin in their hands. Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Hannah Abbott whose parents were killed the year before, Seamus Finnegan, Ernie McMillan, and others were crowded along the corridor of the train; to many to cram into a small compartment.

"We're Dumbledore's Army," Ginny Weasley said. "That means we have to gather together again this year and decide how we can help Harry. He's gone to fight Voldemort."

Several people looked at each other uneasily and appeared nervous. Neville stood straighter and glared at them. He stood beside Luna and Ginny at one end with his back to the train car door. The car was occupied entirely by D.A. members.

"If anyone wants out they should leave now," Hermione said. "What we have to talk about needs to be private. That's for security measures."

"You all got your letters from McGonagall," Ron said. "We won't have a proper Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year so we're on our own. We need to enlist the help of the third and fourth years. The First years are to be left out since they can't do any spells." He looked at Hermione periodically while he spoke as if to get her reassurance. It was clear he didn't like speaking in front of people, his face had turned the color of an old blood stain.

Collin Creevey stood by his brother Dennis. He spoke up, "Do you have a plan?"

Hermione nodded. "We need to think about how we can create a diversion and keep the teachers occupied so that some of us can slip away. We all need to cover for one another." She waited again for someone to speak. When they didn't she said, "I don't want to have to tell you that lives hang in the balance if someone should talk. And if you don't feel you're ready…don't have the skills... then you can leave and there won't be any hard feelings. It's not like we're dueling each other in school. This is the real thing. There's a possibility you may even have to face a Death Eater or Voldemort himself."

Many of them nodded. They were all aware Hermione, Ron, Luna, Neville and Ginny had already done just that. The news had been on the front page of the Daily Prophet for weeks in a never ending litany of old stories and gossip. They even looked at Luna Lovegood with some respect.

"Alright let's break into groups. Hermione and I will come around and give you your assignments. Ginny is in charge of security, Hermione is in charge of research and Luna and Neville will discuss surveillance with their group." Ron stepped around Dean Thomas and moved to the other end of the car. "I will see a volunteer from each house, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor in my group. We're going to deal with the people left in Slytherin."

The train rolled into the night and the woman with the food trolley knocked on the door of the car and was allowed in long enough for people to by some pumpkin pasties and juice and then was escorted from the car.

Hogwarts Express rolled into the station with an empty platform excluding one lone figure. All lights had been extinguished and only the moon illuminated the half giant that stood waiting. As the train pulled in, Prefects hopped off and guided their groups down the platform, admonishing each person to silence. The normal hustle and bustle of the end of the journey had been stifled.

"Put out tha' light," Hagrid's deep muffled voice, broke the silence. "Follow me."

Several Prefects had gathered a group of First years and herded them his way. This was a smaller group than was normally seen on the platform at the beginning of term. Several students gasped at the sight of the half giant and were jabbed in the ribs by others who were so frightened that they clung together like grapes on a vine.

The older students moved quickly to the carriages under the bright light of the Moon of the Long Grasses. If prying eyes had been searching, they would not have found the boy with the dark hair and glasses. He was somewhere a long ways away and planting one foot on each creaking stair that led to the floor above. Harry Potter had entered into the wizarding world through a portal and was in the Riddle Mansion.