Chapter Fifteen
McGonagall was feeling a little overwhelmed. Molly Weasley had flooed into the fireplace and proceeded to relate events that she was still trying to come to terms with and then within minutes of this Percy Weasley was also standing in her office as a messenger of the new Minister of Magic, Scrimgoer. He indicated, with some satisfaction in his voice, that a Mr. Harry Potter was wanted at the Ministry for questioning. It was discovered by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement that Harry had apparated only minutes before; not only had he done so, but he done a side-along apparation.
An owl arrived only minutes after that from the head of Magical Law Enforcement asking if she knew of Mr. Potter's current whereabouts or his current known address.
Molly Weasley was facing off with Percy, hands on her hips and McGonagall was about to intervene- she'd seen Molly angry before- when another owl arrived, circled the room and landed on her desk. Papers went flying and she was getting them in order for the second time and reading the post only to discover that it was from Hermione Granger reporting that not only had Lupin not returned but the real Snape was with Harry.
"You can tell Rufus...." Mrs. Weasley was saying to her son in a shrill voice.
"Molly, please," McGonagall cut across her and addressed Percy. "Mr. Weasley."
"The Minister says that if you are aware of Harry Potter's location that you should let him know or pass the message along that he is wanted in regards to his use of underage magic."
"I know what Rufus Scrimgeour wants," McGonagall said, coldly. "Tell him I do not know where Mr. Potter is, I wouldn't tell him if I did and if Harry apparated, then he did it because he was in danger and Rufus should know that without me having to tell him or sending a messenger to me. And he should know better then to bother me about it! He also gave permission for Harry to practice magic this summer, which should include apparating and I'd like a satisfactory answer as to why he has changed his mind. Is that understood, Mr. Weasley?"
"When are you going to learn Percy..." Molly Weasley began, "You are on the wrong side and your father..."
She was mid-sentence when Percy turned abruptly , threw some powder in and stepped into the cold fireplace once again. A green fire obliterated his face and then he was gone leaving his mother red-faced and standing mouth agape in the middle of the room. "I can't believe I bore that child in my own womb," she said, scathingly.
"Molly, I'm going to write a short letter and I'd like you to deliver it to Miss Granger at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Ron is with her. It seems we've lost our Mr. Snape and Mr. Lupin and Mr. Potter all in one fell swoop." Her voice rose an octave as she raised her hands up as if calling it all a lost cause. "And here I thought we'd just found them all again."
"Good gracious, Minerva!" Molly exclaimed. "Of course, I'll go right away."
"Round up Mad-Eye Moody if you can, and Tonks," McGonagall added. She sat at the desk that had been Dumbledore's and scratched out a hasty note. "Let me know as quickly as you can if Snape should show up or Lupin.....or Harry." She shook her head and dripped hot wax on the folded letter and placed her stamped seal on it. "Doppelgangers and murderers who are not murderers!" she snapped, her hand coming down like a hammer on the hot wax.
Molly was headed for the door.
"Best to let other members of the Order know about Snape before they get wand-crazy and start firing off spells left and right!"
Molly nodded and hurried out.
...
The very fact that the Voldemort's wizards or Death Eaters could find him so quickly was unnerving and he was reasonably sure that it was because he had the little Phoenix statue on his person. His scar still ached but was not burning when he dropped it in his pocket and it left his hand. He was considering the idea that Voldemort had placed a Protean Charm on each Horcrux and have it send a beacon of sorts when he wanted to check on them. It was much like the Dark mark he placed on his Death Eaters or the gold galleon Hermione had given each D.A. member so that they would be informed of meeting times. If that were true, he decided, then He would have gathered them to him before now and so dismissed the idea.
He'd gone to the only place he could think of in that instant and it had been Private Drive.
He was thinking about all of this and standing in Mrs. Figg's garden wondering just what to do next when he looked down the street and saw his last home in ruin. It was the Dursley's house and it was a burnt-out shell. The sight was startling even to him. He had no way of knowing whether his Aunt or Uncle and his cousin were still alive. He hoped that they were even if he had no strong feelings for them.
Whatever possessed me to come here, he wondered. He knew the answer. He had never traveled anywhere extensively and when in need he resorted to the places he knew best. He did not want to use magic anymore then needed.
He did the only thing he could and once again apparated, this time to the boundaries of Hogwarts. Hagrid's hut was a welcome sight when he stepped through the gate. The tomb of Albus Dumbledore was stark white against the green lawns and he avoided looking at it as he walked through the gates and headed up towards the school..
Snape was drawn to the house on Nightingale street almost against his will. He intended to do just what he had told Potter he was going to do and try and find Lupin. He knew that he needed the man to confirm to the other members of the Order that he had seen the Doppelganger, so there would be no questions and no one would inadvertently try and use a spell on him. He could easily deflect a spell but the wizard or witch throwing it would be hurt when he reciprocated.
He didn't doubt that it was his Doppelganger that had drawn him to his ancestral home. He studied the house from the street. Although he still owned the property and house, he had not been there since he was sixteen. It was in a park that had no neighbors and hidden by a large grove of trees and overgrowth. The windows were all dark and there were no signs of life. Still, he was almost sure that his double was there. Snape knew enough about them to avoid looking at the other Snape directly and also knew many of the other risks involved.
He started down the drive towards the house wondering why he didn't just give up on Lupin, shy away from the house and go on his way to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. He heard the voice and fought the urge to turn and look at the speaker. It was his double.
"Leave this property!" the voice said coldly. "They will find out that you are a liar; that you killed Dumbledore and lied about it."
Snape stopped and stared at the building. When there were no other words from his shadow, he continued towards it. The light was receding under the canopy of trees and he knew the sun was getting lower in the sky. He knew if he responded to the double it would attach itself to him and he would be haunted day and night by it. At the very least, it could only talk to him if it found him. Unattached, it wandered around in a vague sort of third dimension until it sensed him and then would appear and make threatening noises but could not do much harm; not unless he listened.
The Granger girl had an idea that was intriguing him and he hadn't had a chance to think about the details. It was almost impossible to rid oneself of a Doppelganger but no one had experienced these particular set of circumstances. He had not made it and therefore might be able to destroy it -or as Granger had suggested- use it as a weapon.
If you can turn one on me, Lord Voldemort, he thought, I can send my double back to you wrapped in a great big ribbon. My treat! Snape realized he would need help to do it and knew Lupin to be an accomplished wizard, even if he was subhuman.
He began the search of the old house, knowing every room by heart. He tried to force past memories from his mind as he moved from room to room. Little had changed since he had abandoned the place other then it was slowly going to ruin. His mother was long since dead, his father imprisoned in a muggle prison. Even his own room held no fascination for him. It was covered with cobwebs and the dust of many years.
He moved on to the room he thought he would have used to house a prisoner, if it had been he that had captured Lupin. He surmised that his Doppelganger would more then likely think as he did and he could see that was an advantage and a disadvantage.
By the time he arrived at the house it was almost dark and the flame-red rays of the last of the sun were fading into the indigo night. All the while he was followed by a shadow that whispered vile words in his ear. There was a hint of insanity to the words. "They will never believe you. I will tell them stories and you will live out your life in Azkaban."
Lupin looked up when he opened the door. Snape could immediately tell that the man saw two of them as his eyes switched back and forth.
"The moon is about to come up," Snape said. "I know that you see two of us but we have no time to discuss this. I need to mix the potion for you and there is nothing here in this house to use. We need to apparate to Hogwarts. It is a chance I have to take to go there and I will not wait but a moment for you to make up your mind."
"If you go with him he will take you to the dark lord," the other said.
Lupin was immediately on his feet. "Will there be enough time?"
"No! This one lies to you. He wants to get you away from here so that he can kill you," the double admonished. "He will turn you over to Fenrir."
Snape reached in his pocket and pulled out the rather ridiculous looking mirror with pink trim that Hermione Granger had given him. He handed it to Lupin who turned it so that he could look at both of them. Snape's double immediately evaporated.
"Let's go," Lupin said and stepped into the hall.
Snape stopped him with a hand on his arm and said, "I will do this for you if you will help me rid myself of the Doppelganger."
Lupin stared for a minute at him and nodded and then added, "Help me destroy the Horcruxes then."
Snape nodded in agreement and actually smiled slightly in the growing dark. Yes, use my Double – send it back to the Dark Lord. Very convenient, very useful. He was beginning to see what the Granger girl was trying to imply.
"I think Potter and the other two will try and do that first Lupin," Snape said.
Lupin was shaking his head. "Not if I can help it. I don't intend to let Harry try. If there is one thing I can do it's to keep him safe from that. Besides, I think the Dark Lord had one of the Horcruxes. I saw him take something away from Gringott's."
Snape's eyebrows went up at the news.
Lupin nodded and continued, "You've been away and haven't seen the Daily Prophet then. It was headline news. He visited Gringott's and I happened to be there at the same time." They continued down the hall intending to apparate on the grounds. Many of the old houses had enchantments to prevent apparation from inside. Snape mansion was no different. "It was probably the cup, the Hufflepuff Cup. We can hope that the locket that Ron found is destroyed and that leaves only two other objects."
"It is not the Gryffindor sword," Snape said. He explained what had happened in the castle after Lupin had transformed.
"Do you know how to destroy them?" Lupin asked.
Snape studied him for a moment and then nodded. "I have an idea. There is information at Hogwarts. Albus kept the Dark Arts books safely in his office. It's best if we hurry Lupin so I will have time to prepare the potion for you."
They reached the entrance to the old house and both looked back once before apparating. A figure stood in the upper story window and glared down. It was the Doppelganger.