Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for the wait! I've been quite busy, especially with back to school stuff and trying to read my summer books I probably should have read a while ago (sheepish look). It's been a while, I know, and I shall have to pull a Dobby and punish myself greatly for the delay! Go on, throw tomatoes! I deserve it. LOL :-) I will try and not have so long of a wait for next chapter, but if I do, send me a few flaming emails telling me to hurry it up :-D OK, jk, but thank you to all who PMed for this chappy! Really motivated me!

I have decided to cut "Traitor Revealed" in half, so now it is two parts long and this is Part 1 of the original chappy. I just thought that if I did this I could get it up sooner and luckily Part 2 is almost done so the wait will not be so interminable. This centers mostly around Severus and is a third-person POV from him (except in the beginning with Ron and Hermione).

As usual, replies to reviews after the chapter. Enjoy y'all, and review, review, review or I shall sic my guest Voldy on you!

Voldemort Disclaimer: JK Rowling, if you do not give me the rights to Harry Potter I shall curse you into oblivion! AVADA KEDAVRA! Mwhahahahaha! I am the immortal and great Lord Voldemort! Bow down before me, fanfiction readers, or face my wrath of pain! Bwhahahaha!

It Ends Now

Part 19: "Traitor Revealed: Part 1"

Hermione Granger tapped her quill on the table, oblivious to her current surroundings as she thought upon her notes from a couple days ago on the properties of bezoar. She knew it could put a stopper in the spread of poison in one infected if digested straight after consumption. But she was having trouble trying to remember the exact shape and dimensions of it, and in her mind, every aspect of the bezoar had to be covered in her report.

There was a sudden crash from above and she and Ron Weasley directed their attention to the boy's dormitory above. Ron shook his head humorously. "Clumsy Ol' Harry."

But Hermione didn't look satisfied. Her brow was knotted in thought, speculation, and suspicion. "Ron, since when has Harry been clumsy? He's quite agile."

Ron gave the girl an exasperated look at his idea of over-analyzing. "What's your point? He probably bumped something. People do bump things once in a while, Hermione."

"Ron, I'm not trying to be funny! I just have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. You know that feeling, right? Something seems off. I thought I heard scraping too. Unless Harry's bowling with breakable china, something's wrong," Hermione opined.

"Bowling? What's that?"

"Muggle sport."

"Oh." Ron pulled back his chair and stood. "I guess if you're that worried, I'll go check on him. Seriously, if Harry's just gone and accidentally knocked something over, I swear I'm never gonna let you live this down." The boy started to the stairs, then looked back in confusion.

"What are you doing?" he asked the bushy haired Hermione who was following him. "Girls technically aren't allowed in the boy's dormitories, despite the lack of a slide guarding us."

"Well, technically, I've been in there many times already," she sniffed irritably. "Besides, I'm just as interested in what the noise was as you are, Ronald." Ron made a little growling noise in the back of his throat at the use of his full name.

"Fine," the freckled teen gave in in the same tone, just as they reached the door, having not noticed they had already ascended the stairs.

He knocked. "Harry? You in there?"

No response.

"Harry?" He pushed open the door. The scene that met their eyes was not one the two had been expecting.

The expensive-looking lamp that normally sat between Harry and Ron's bed was on the floor in shards. The nightstand it sat upon was moved farther back than usual, and little scrape marks showed it had been shoved back quite forcefully. But other than that, nothing else looked amiss. Aside from one other very important thing- where was Harry?

As Ron moved over to look in Harry's open trunk for clues, Hermione went straight to the scene of the crime, where the broken pieces of fine china lay scattered across the floor, giving off a slight shine. What she found while bending over the glittering objects was not comforting in the least.

"Ron," she called in a tiny, strained voice. "Look." Ron hurried over to the pale girl. She held up a shard. Something red stained it.

"It's blood. There are more like this one."

They looked at eachother for a second, silent words passing between them that neither had to speak. The look each gave was clear enough to the other. Then they bolted headlog for the door. A visit to Dumbledore was in order. Harry was missing. His blood was on broken pieces of glass. What was going on?

oOo

The two friends reached the gargoyle, only then realizing that neither knew the password.

"Fizzing Whizbee? Licorice Lolly? Sherbert Lemon? Acid Pop?" Hermione guessed rushedly, speaking a mile a minute as sweet after sweet popped into her head. One had to be the key to open the door.

"Dammit!" Ron cursed, slamming his fist into the immovable mythical stone creature. "Harry could be in danger and we're just standing here trying to figure out a dumb candy password! Every second is precious! Can't you please, please just step aside for us? It's URGENT!"

But the gargoyle refused his heeds. Meanwhile, Hermione was chanting sweets almost incessantly without a breath.

"Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beens? Droobles Best Blowing Gum? Ice Mice? Sugar Quill?" she went on.

The gargoyle jumped up and to the side, showcasing the hidden spiral staircase it guarded.

"Nice, Hermione!" Ron cheered, clapping her on the back. They immediately started up the stairs, not pausing to knock as Ron threw open the door to Dumbledore's office.

Tons of gasps sounded around the room. Apparently, Dumbledore was entertaining many people. But a closer look around the room, and the two slightly blushing teens realized Dumbledore was hosting an Order meeting. The old man looked up as the door slammed off against the wall from the force of impact.

"Mr. Weasley! Ms. Granger! To what do I owe this unexpected surprise visit?"

"Ronald Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley cut in through. "Have I raised an ape? Do you knock before throwing open a door? This is an Order meeting!"

Ron ignored his mother, but a slightly red tinge colored his ears in embarassment from having just been chastised in front of the whole darn Order, not to mention Professor Dumbledore and, oh dear god, even Professor Snape. But he mustered up his courage and spoke up. "Harry's missing!"

That set the room to dead quiet.

"What do you mean?" Snape hissed in a coldly serious voice.

"He's gone. Harry was doing homework with us and he said he left his Potions book upstairs and was going to go get it, but he never came back down. Ron and I went up to investigate and there was a lamp broken and no Harry. His blood was on some of the shards, though," Hermione explained with a teary voice. You could tell she was trying to pull herself together in front of all these people.

"Goodness gracious!" McGonagall exclaimed, hand over mouth. "But Albus, how could this have happened? How was Harry stolen right out of his dormitory, just like that? What about the protection wards?"

"I do not know, Minerva," Dumbledore responded, a cold fire burning in his eyes, "But we are going to find out. I thought I had warded off all entry to Hogwarts from the outside."

"Obviously not," Mrs. Weasley snarled sarcastically, eyes very much the same but directed at Dumbledore. That look was completely out of place on the usually warm, kind-hearted mother of seven. She had her moments of anger, but not like this. This was fury. Fury over the helplessness that no one knew, and no one could do anything about it. That feeling just all spilled over when she looked at the man who should have found some way to prevent this. But deep down, she knew Dumbledore was only human. He was not the all-knowing, all-powerful wizard they thought and wanted him to be. But that voice was squished as her rage boiled. "Harry was kidnapped right out of Gryffindor Tower and that's all you can say?"

"I am sending out a search party immediately, Molly, but there's not a lot we can do. If Voldemort really has captured Harry, then our only chance of getting to him is awaiting Voldemort's call through Professor Snape's Dark Mark. I'm afraid that until we discover Voldemort's location, which has still eluded us even after all these years and which he even highly discloses from his best Death Eaters, there is no way we will be able to rescue Harry." The old man sank into his chair, hands over face. In a barely audible, yet weary voice, he said:

"I am sorry, Harry. I have failed you again."

oOo

"It's been two days, Albus," Severus Snape stated in a tight, carefully guarded voice devoid of emotion.

"Still nothing?" the old white-haired mage inquired in a weary tone that perfectly showed his age. All the power and wisdom he usually wielded in his voice was absent. Snape shook his head in the negative. Then he chose his words carefully.

"I believe...my position as spy is... under suspicion."

"You think someone may have tipped Voldemort off about your role for the Order?"

"Yes. It's very discomforting that two days have passed and I have not yet recieved any sign or call from the Dark Lord. It may have been Lucius Malfoy- he is the one with the most inside information and spies of his own due to money negotiations," Snape guessed smartly.

"I do believe your suspicions are correct, Severus," Albus sighed. He knew their spying within Voldemort's ranks was coming to a close. "Until you recieve a call, we may never know Harry's location. I have sent out many searchers, but Voldemort will have made his headquarters unplottable and protected by many Dark Enchantments, so we have come up with nothing. Not even one lead. By now, I fear for Harry's life."

Dumbledore's fire suddenly roared, the flames licking higher and higher up until the head of Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared.

"Any clues?" Dumbledore immediately asked, a small sliver of hope still present in his voice even though his brain knew the answer already. The old wizard was very talented at reading face expressions and eyes, and while it came in handy for spotting lies, it was also a burden when it came to crushing hope.

"I'm sorry, Albus. We've looked all over Britian. It's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth. For all we know, Voldemort could have stolen Harry away to some deserted fortress in the middle of nowhere. We have hardly any hope of survival left for the boy," the auror said in a somber and sullen tone. Even as he said this, Dumbledore seemed to deflate even more, dejectedly sinking lower into his seat.

"I still have faith in Harry. He's strong. One way or the other, broken or whole, he will pull through," the Headmaster whispered, but even he had that small voice of doubt present in his mind.

oOo

That evening, Severus Snape entered his office in a frustrated stride. As much as he hated that idiotic boy, offspring of his enemy James Potter, he did not want him dead. But the dark, oily-skinned Potions Master also knew the terror of Voldemort, and he wasn't so sure such a mere child could stand strong against the Dark Lord for long. Sure, Potter had encountered his master and duelled him, la de da, hero once again, but he had never actually been held captive for two days by the Darkest Wizard of the Age. Even top aurors had met their demise by the king of darkness. There were things that Voldemort did that were darker than anything the Golden Child of the Light Side had ever known or dreamed of. When one lingered in the evil darkness as long as Voldemort had, and immersed themselves into the Dark Art of immortality, sin, and death as much as the vile snake creature had, their soul became as tainted as a grimy, broken, dirt stained window, yellowed with age and never to shine again such was its permanent damage. Their conscience would be ripped apart, leaving only a hole laden of anger and lust for violence. No one could return from such a state. It was as if they were Kissed by dementors. A soul like that is a lost cause. The only pleasure such a person, no, being recieved was from seeing others in torment. And Voldemort had strayed far into that realm of unreturn. It all came down to this: the boy was strong, and his soul pure, but was he strong and pure enough to overcome the consuming power of Lord Voldemort, without the cost of his own life?

Severus sneered as he grabbed a few bottles containing vile-looking liquid and roughly dumped their contents into a large black cauldron. He spun it counter-clockwise haphazardly, something very rare coming from the usually hyper-careful Potions professor. It meant his mind was overflowing with thoughts, so much so that the man was unable to concentrate or at least store them away using Occlumency methods, even though potion brewing usually made him considerably calmer and alert. But not today.

"Stupid, foolish boy... Should have been more cauotious, after all he's been taught... compulsive and assinine, that boy is..." Severus ranted wildly in a mutter. Without looking away from his potion, the preoccupied greasy-haired man swiped some random bottle off the shelf above him and dumped the red powder it held into the brew. Only then did Severus realize it was the wrong ingredient. The potion did as well, and it reacted just as foully as its uptight brewer did.

"Oh shit!"

BANG!

In a mass of red, firey, and bubbling liquid, the cauldron exploded, sending the potion-gone-wrong everywhere. The grimy stone walls recieved most of the foul smelling brew. Severus conjured a small barrier just as the cauldron ruptured, using his quick instincts in duelling in this situation so that the boiling potion rebounded.

"Dammit," Severus hissed in a curse, taking in his ruined office in one eye sweep. The red liquid was dripping from nearly everything, acting like an acid as it ate holes into the ceiling, walls, desk, other cauldrons, and more. Thank god the other ingredients had unbreakable containers, or disaster would have been imminent.

Summoning a strong Scourgify and Reparo spell, the highly irate man fixed his office into a semblance of normal and then sank heavily into his armchair by the fire. He gazed into the glowing embers and tried to push away the feeling of guilt that loomed over him that he could do no more in the search for Potter. He knew it wasn't his fault, but the whole damn Order was depending on him and all he could do was sit there and stare into the dead fire's remains of glowing coal, awaiting a call he may never feel again considering the suspicions placed upon him that Snape should have forseen long before.

Severus didn't know how long he remained in that emotionless stupor, but what aroused him from it was definitely a good sign; much better than anything the Order had diggen up so far.

His Mark was burning.

Searing like hell, more like.

Severus' insides did a nervous loop-de-loop as he conjured on the familar black robes and mask almost instantaneously. He needed to get to Potter. That was the ultimate objective. Even if it cost him his life. The whole world's future depended on his actions tonight. Now the Potions Master felt a small piece of what Harry felt.

'But who cares how Potter feels, anyway?' the emotionless, yet sometimes cruel side of Snape's brain, and the dominant one, chastised to this thought.

And then, clearing his mind into a blank slate and surrendering himself to whatever the fates had in store for him, Severus Snape touched his Mark and let the Dark Magic transport him to wherever Lord Voldemort resided.

oOo

The clever teleportation device made by the Dark Lord himself pulled Severus on roughly like a portkey. In a matter of seconds, Snape found himself landing in a dark room. Immediately, the Death Eater spy pulled himself together and rose, moving into a more prostrate position. He could sense his master was straight in front of him. Years of being in his service had helped the troubled Potions brewer detect his presence. It was the same with Albus. Severus had always had that ability in regards to people with powerful magical auras. As much as he loathed to admit it, a lot of the time he could sense Potter's too, most definitely as the boy progressed in years and power. It was much harder in the boy's early years, but always ever-vaguely present.

Lo and behold, the lights of the torches flared up and the figure of Lord Voldemort appeared upon his throne in front of Snape, twisted face shrouded in shadows.

"Severusssss..." he hissed in a foreboding greeting.

"Master," Severus returned, adding a feel of adoration into his voice. He knew interrogation was coming and thus decided to choose his words carefully when time came.

"Lucius has informed me of some very interesting, and somewhat... disturbing news..." Voldemort broached, eyes narrowed as a cold, intense fire brimmed within his coal red orbs. His lipless mouth was curled into an unpleasant sneer, showing his obvious displeasure. Many men shook under this death gaze, but Severus was always one of composure.

"Has he? And what is that news, if I may be so bold as to ask, my lordship? Unless, of course, it is classified," Severus responded calmly, all innocent ignorance. Inside, his stomach clenched painfully. Was this it? What horrifying punishment lay ahead? It was not easy to pull a fast one over the Dark Lord when he had his mind set on something. Like killing the boy or getting the prophecy out of him. Any Death Eater who even broached the subject of perhaps setting him free and getting some other Order member to spill the prophecy was pretty much sentencing their own demise. It was easier just to tie the rope round your own neck at that point.

"He tells me you and Dumbledore have been working very closely... a little too closely, my supposed little spy," Voldemort almost crooned, a lilt to his voice. It was almost as though the man was teasing him, like waving chicken feed before a chicken just before you were to chop it's head off. The fire in his eyes stoked higher. "Lucius has been very suspicious of you, Severus, ever since you failed to show at the Ministry last summer in our battle in the Department of Mysteries. He has had young Draco trailing and watching you lately for any signs of traitory, and as I have said, there have been fruits to his labors..."

Severus held back his growl of anger and kept his face neutrally placid. That scum of a Death Eater! Severus had noticed Draco's heightened attention to him this year in class, but the man had just waved it off as nothing. After all, Draco's grades had plummeted, but now were rising once again, and Snape had only thought it more awareness as to what was happening in class- something the boy had always lacked unless goaded or threatened into it by his father.

"I assure you, my lord. It was only to get more information out of the muggle-loving old coot; nothing else. I must act closer to avoid suspicion. He had seen my straying loyalties, for I admit, after our triumphant capture of the boy I had not been as cautious as usual, such was my glee. Immediately, I stepped up my Order activity, so you see, Draco's suspicions are but a mere misunderstanding. At last, Potter will die and my grudge avenged!" Snape said intensely, adding much empathy into his voice. The result made his speech sound genuine. "My allegiance is already sworn only to you, and my only aim to serve you, master."

Voldemort let a small, appreciative smile creep up onto his face, but it didn't reach anywhere else on his face. They never did. Warmth didn't exist. Smiles were just an act, only a show to let known his pleasure or displeasure. "I knew you were truely on our side. You were always one of my best warriors. I see your logic. Lucius shall be punished severely for his blunderous actions and false suspicions that have cooked up this misconception. I'll make sure to have that son of his pay too."

"Yes, master," Severus murmured, trying not to let the joy he felt reach his voice.

"Oh, and Severus? Crucio."

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A/N: Well, there it is, Part 1. Part 2 is still in the same POV (Severus, third person), and will be mostly Harry/Severus and will continue where ch.18 left off. Remember, review please and I will also try and speed up ch. 20's coming, although as school approaches quickly there's no telling what distractions may arise. Thanks for reading!

REPLIES TO REVIEWS:

TwilightsCalling: Hi! First reviewer when I put up ch.18 ;-) It's so fun corresponding back and forth! Always look foward to your emails! YOU ROCK, as usual! (grin) Thanks for the great review and I'm glad you loved the chapter and suspense (which this chapter sort of lacked but next won't!)! Hope you like this one too!

lilacBookstar: Two words; thank you! Hope you're enjoying this story and hope you review again! Thanx!

Haunted: Poor Harry indeed! Don't worry, he will. Thank you very much for your thoughtfulness and I will try and update this one sooner than last time!

Hermionegirl4ever: LOL I won't kill him. Where would the story go if I did:-) Thanks for your review and enjoy this one!

Gabwr: Here it is! Next chapter will be too. Thank you very much for the compliment ;-)

darkmarkgirl: Yes, it was. This chapter was a bit of a break from that, mostly to see what happened after Harry left, but next one will return to where we left off. LOL I liked that quote too. Made me laugh when I wrote it. Was too perfect to pass off! And you're very right about Voldemort! It's what he enjoys best, I think, besides physical torture- mental torture also. Thanx for the review and hope you like this chappy!

shannyauburn: Thanks so much! Hope you liked this chapter too and I will try my best to update soon for ya! ;-)

Werewolf777: Thanks! I will! And thank you for the PM; really helped motivate me to write more even when I didn't feel like it :-)

irisheyesaresmiling: Oh, that's a compliment I've never recieved before! THANK YOU! I'm very touched. :-) LOL I do, as you can tell. Livens up the story a bit, eh? Tee hee, me too. Hope you liked this one also!

Flamegirl22: Wow, thanx! Glad you liked it so much. It will be, definitely! That's what I always try to do with my characters; make them come alive on the paper. Of course, they're no match for JKR :-) But I wish. And I love emotion! We'll be seeing Remus again soon, but I'm not exactly sure when. Definitely within a few chapters tho! I like him too. Dumbledore is also my favorite! And Harry, McGonagall, Ron, Hermione, and Severus. Those are probably my top ones.

Dumbledore Prince: Thank you! I like angst, as you can probably tell, but I try and make it less, especially as the memory of Sirius' death becomes less painful for Harry. Sorry about the "orbs" thing. I will try and use them less but once in a while I still will for him. And thanks for the Macnair tip! I was wondering about that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

I-see-thestrals: I will; thank you! Hope you keep reading and reviewing!

#1harryginnyfan: Mwhahaha! I am quite evil when it comes to cliffhangers :-D Thank you for the tip about Sirius and Bellatrix. I musta missed that. And yes, Harry and Ginny are going to be together, but mostly it's just hints and little comments that'll make the two blush and the like. Their relationship won't show till much later. For now, it's just Harry getting through his tough sixth year and going on to fufill his destiny. I'm sorry about the wait but here it is! I'm going to -try- and have not so long a wait for ch. 20, and I hope you keep reading and reviewing! Thanx :-)

Babymeeko: First of all, I totally love your name! So cute! Second, thank you very much for your sweet review and I love Harry/Dumbledore fics :-) I hope you like this chapter and hey, at least there wasn't too bad a cliffhanger this time ;-)

C K Brook: Sorry about the wait and here it is, ch.19 at last! Enjoy and hope you review more! Thanks!

Again, thank you to all the reviewers and all readers!

Now if you'll kindly press that little 'Submit Review' button... :-)

Yours truly,

AngelMoon Girl