Snape was pacing feverishly in his office later the next day. A whole day has passed and he was now waiting for the Dark Lord's arrival. He had managed to convince the Carrows to wait before summoning their master by demanding that they made absolutely sure that it was Potter that they had seen. The twins had begun to protest when Snape reminded them that the Dark Lord did not take too kindly at being called out under false pretenses. The Carrows had fallen silent after that statement.
But now things have changed. While Snape was having a late-morning conference with the Carrows to discuss teaching methods, Draco Malfoy came bursting in and claimed that some invisible ghost had attacked him in the early hours of the previous morning while he was confronting Granger in the library. Alecto had let out a victorious cry, exclaiming that Potter had been sneaking around in his Invisibility Cloak (Snape cursed himself for sharing that piece of knowledge) and that if Hermione Granger was around, so was Potter. Amycus congratulated Malfoy and pressed his Dark Mark.
Snape felt his robes flutter in a small wind and a chill ran down his spine. Forcing himself to not shudder, he slowly turned around. The Dark Lord was standing in the heart of the office, the dark magic enveloping him like a thick blanket. Snape took a step forward, knowing the Dark Lord did not appreciate an improper greeting.
"Good afternoon, my Lord," Snape said silkily.
"Severus. I trust that I have been called here for a very good reason," the Dark Lord said icily.
"You have. The Potter boy has been discovered running around the castle on more than one occasion," Snape replied.
"And you have only summoned for me now?" the Dark Lord said, his scarlet eyes flashing dangerously.
"We only had a glimpse of him the first time so we wanted to confirm our suspicions in order to avoid calling you unnecessarily," Snape lied smoothly. "We've received a full view of him when we had caught him skulking around the library yesterday."
"Excellent," the Dark Lord said, a horrible smile stretching across his features. "He won't go anywhere, not with Lord Voldemort prowling around the castle. We have Harry right where we want him."
"How shall we go about this, my Lord?" Snape asked, hating himself.
"You shall wait for my signal. I will go down to the Forbidden Forest and order all of my Death Eaters and Snatchers to come join me there. Once we are ready, I will send you my Patronus and you will organize an assembly in the Great Hall with all of your students and staff. You will tell them that Harry Potter was seen wandering around Hogwarts and that if anyone had any information related to the boy they should speak up. If I know our friend Harry, this is when he'll step forward and when he does I want you and the Carrows to grab him and bring him to me. You will most certainly be opposed by a few of his supporters but I am not worried about that; you, Alecto and Amycus are more than capable of taking them on, especially if you three work together. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal. Shall I discuss the plan with the twins or shall you?"
"I would like you to do it, Severus. I have other tasks that demand my immediate attention."
"As you wish, my Lord."
"Good. Let us make haste. I have let Harry slip through my fingers far too many times, but I most certainly won't let it happen this time."
"Yes, my Lord. Give Bellatrix my regards when you see her."
"Are you trying to fuel her animosity towards you, Severus?"
"Naturally."
"For your amusement (and, admittedly, for my own), I will pass on the message."
"Thank you, my Lord."
"I will now retreat into the Forbidden Forest. Do not forget the plan or things will not end well for you, Severus," the Dark Lord said sternly.
"Yes, my Lord," Snape replied passively.
The Dark Lord nodded and made his way towards the door. He had only put his hand on the handle when he froze. Snape watched curiously as the Dark Lord doubled over a bit, pressing a hand to his chest. When he faced the former Potions master again, Snape had to keep himself from taking a step back at the murderous rage that had made its home on the Dark Lord's snake-like face.
"He knows," the Dark Lord snarled.
"I-I beg your pardon, my Lord?" Snape asked politely.
"Potter is aware of a certain plan to immortality I had concocted years ago. Severus, what has become of the cup and the diadem I had placed in your possession?" the Dark Lord inquired.
"I have inserted them behind Dumbledore's portrait with several enchantments placed upon it," Snape lied, glancing at the spindle-legged table. Hufflepuff's cup was gone, and Snape doubted that Ravenclaw's diadem was still in the room as well.
"Ingenious. Dumbledore would be rolling in his grave if he knew he was guarding objects of mine," the Dark Lord replied, a ghost of that horrible smile playing on his lips. "Verify if they are still there."
Snape bowed his head and went up to the portrait. Dumbledore was watching him anxiously as he removed the protective enchantments he had placed shortly before the Dark Lord's arrival. Snape had to back up his fabricated tale in order to make it look remotely credible.
Once the enchantments were lifted, Snape pulled open the portrait and gave a small involuntary start. Something had gone missing from behind the canvas: the sword of Gryffindor. But the fake one was still secured in the glass case. How did Potter and his friends know where the real sword was located? A quick look at the Sorting Hat's empty shelf gave Snape his answer.
"Let me guess: they're gone?" the Dark Lord said acidly.
"You have guessed correctly, my Lord," Snape replied bracingly, turning around.
"Then this changes everything. Call your assembly now, Severus. We must act immediately," the Dark Lord said.
With that, he turned around and left the office. Snape heard him Disapparate before the door even closed.
Harry was twirling Malfoy's wand in his hand as he watched Professor McGonagall prop the sword against the wall as Hermione disposed of the mess they had made. Ron had convinced Hermione to destroy Hufflepuff's cup – under the reasoning that he and Harry already each destroyed one – and Harry had urged Professor McGonagall to take charge of Ravenclaw's diadem since she was the one who had found it. Both women had been hesitant but they eventually took hold of the sword of Gryffindor and forcefully cleaved both tainted artifacts in halves. It had been quite a satisfying event.
Pain suddenly seared across his scar and Harry dropped Malfoy's wand – which fell to the floor with a clatter – to clutch his forehead. He felt boiling anger that was not his course through him and he caught a fleeting glimpse of Dumbledore's office. Another image flit through Harry's mind and it was a second shot of the same office, this time with Snape looking his way with an almost curious expression. With effort, Harry pulled himself out of Voldemort's mind, and frantically searched for his friends.
He didn't have to look for long; Ron must have seen him react to the pain because he was by Harry's side in a flash.
"What's wrong?" Ron asked worriedly. "Is it him?"
"Yes," Harry replied softly. "Ron, he's here. You-Know-Who's inside Hogwarts."
"What?"
"He's really angry too. I think he knows we're hunting his Horcruxes."
"Blimey! What are we gonna do?"
"Let's talk to Professor McGonagall."
Ron nodded and went to go get Hermione. Harry, in the meantime, approached the Transfiguration professor, who was looking at the diadem fragments she was holding in her hands with a saddened expression.
"Professor, You-Know-Who's back at Hogwarts," Harry told her, grabbing her arm urgently with both hands.
"Come again?" Professor McGonagall said incredulously, dropping the diadem pieces. They hit the floor with a loud clanging sound, causing some of the other students to look their way curiously.
"You-Know-Who's here," Harry repeated, releasing his professor. "Don't ask me how I know; just believe me."
"Trust me, Potter. I do," Professor McGonagall assured him as Ron and Hermione joined them.
"What's going on?" Hermione asked.
"We need to get ready for battle," Professor McGonagall replied gravely. She whistled loudly and the entire room fell silent, all eyes on her.
"It has come to my attention that the level of danger at Hogwarts has reached unimaginable heights," Professor McGonagall announced. "You-Know-Who is currently somewhere within the school's walls."
A panicked whisper spread like wildfire among the crowd. It took Professor McGonagall several minutes to call their attention back to her.
"We all knew that this day would come eventually whether we liked it or not," she declared sternly. "We must find a way to warn the rest of the students and staff members. My suggestion is that –"
Whatever her suggestion was, it was never heard. Ginny suddenly came running in the Room of Requirement, her school robes flying around her. Everyone turned towards her, waiting to see what the commotion was about.
"S-Snape had ordered another assembly," Ginny said, gasping for breath. "Everyone must meet in the Great Hall, staff and student alike."
All the students began to automatically fumble around for their uniforms. Ginny walked up to Harry, who took her in his arms.
"Ginny, he's here," Harry said.
"Who's here?" she replied. Her eyes grew wide in comprehension. "Not – Not You-Know-Who?"
"I'm afraid so," Harry confirmed.
"What are we going to do?" Hermione inquired, sounding a little frightened.
"I'm going to that assembly. You and Ron find a way to contact the Order; this is the perfect opportunity to corner Snape," Harry said determinedly.
"Our Patronuses should be enough to bring them over here," Ron stated firmly as Ginny detached herself from Harry and walked away.
"We'll contact everyone, not just the Order. We're going to need all the help we can get," Hermione pitched in, for once not arguing over the plan.
"Start with the Order first," Harry told her.
Ginny came back to them, carrying a set of Gryffindor school robes in her arms.
"Put this on, Harry, You'll need to blend in when we'll be making our way to the Great Hall," she said calmly.
"Thanks," Harry said gratefully as he took the robes from her. He turned to Ron and Hermione. "This is our fight to win. You-Know-Who has terrorized our world long enough. Get as much help as you can and I'll meet you later in the Great Hall. Good luck."
It's finally time for the battle to begin! Who's going to come out alive and who'll die?
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